Sign the ZERO TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN Petition asking President Obama to bring all our troops home NOW

 

Sign the ZERO TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN Petition asking President Obama to bring all our troops home NOW, no troops left behind after 2014. President Obama announced that the U.S. would extend the deployment of U.S. Troops in Afghanistan an additional 2-1/2 years leaving 9,800 troops after 2014.  He says the “war” will be over and that our troops will continue their military involvement by training the Afghan army and supporting counterterrorism operations (night raids). Whatever he wants to call it, our troops will still be at war, still risking their lives.   There is no need to keep troops in Afghanistan through 2016 because there is NO MILITARY SOLUTION, it will not solve Afghanistan’s problems.  As Barbara Lee states “After 13 years and more than $778 billion invested in an unstable country and the corrupt Karzai government, it’s time to bring our troops and tax dollars home.”   Also, Senator Merkley has Senate Resolution 347 (S. Res. 347) calling for a congressional vote on any US troop presence in Afghanistan after 2014.  We agree with Senator Merkley “if the administration wants to keep troops in Afghanistan beyond this year, Congress should vote.  The American people deserve a voice in issues of war and peace.”   Call your Senators TODAY asking them to co-sponsor Merkley’s bipartisan S. Res. 347 calling for a Congressional vote before troops can be kept in Afghanistan.  Capitol Hill Switchboard 866-338-1015.     The U.S. and the international community should play a supportive, non-military role in building a future for the Afghan people.  There should be a focus on diplomacy, negotiation and economic development to end the violence in Afghanistan.   A lasting solution will depend on Afghans and their neighbors not military personnel.   “A future of hope and opportunity for Afghanistan begins with the full withdrawal of U.S. troops.” (Rep. Barbara Lee).   Sign the ZERO TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN Petition asking President Obama to bring all our troops home NOW. The sacrifices of our troops, their families and Afghan civilians have been enormous.  It is time for our troops to come home.  If you appreciate receiving timely action alerts like this, please make a donation to UFPJ so that we can continue to keep our member groups and dedicated activists linked together for effective action and impact.   Petition developed by Peace Action: http://org.salsalabs.com/o/161/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=15153

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Low Wage Worker Day of Action	Thu

U.S. No Troops -No Drones -No Bombs No Planes -No Mercenaries- No Materials To Iraq

CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST IN IRAQ

 

Tell President Obama "Don't Try to Put Out the Fire in Iraq With Gasoline!"

Have they learned nothing?  Please take action: Tell President Obama not to try putting out the fire with gasoline – no U.S. military intervention in Iraq, invest in diplomacy and international cooperation instead.

In the 1980’s the US supported Saddam Hussein when he was using poison gas against Iran and his own Kurdish population; in the 1990’s we starved Iraq with a punishing embargo, while at the same time looking the other way when the regime repressed uprisings by Kurds in the north and the mostly poor Shi’a majority in the south; after the 2003 invasion US troops stood by while Iraq’s cultural patrimony was looted and destroyed; we first installed a subservient regime under a US pro-consul, then cultivated a Shi’a-dominated government after elections boycotted by much of the Iraqi population; we looked the other way when “our” Iraqi government and its supporters emptied Baghdad’s Sunni neighborhoods under the noses of  US occupying troops; then we allied with Sunni tribal leaders to fight “al-Qaeda” but continued to look the other way when the new Iraqi government oppressed and disenfranchised non-Shi’a Arabs; now we seem to be trying to maneuver regime change in Baghdad to remove the same government we once empowered..

There was no “Al-Qaeda in Iraq” (or Syria) before our invasion. And, it must be noted, funding for the religious fanatics comes from “our” allies Turkey and the Gulf petro-monarchies – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, and others -- along with US-allied Pakistan in the background.  Just like the “Freedom Fighters” in Afghanistan during the 1980’s, where Osama bin-Laden came to prominence.

Amazingly, there are now rising voices from our DC elites for US airstrikes against the Iraqi insurgents, to send US military trainers for the Iraqi army or even to deploy US troops on the ground. Very few seem to have learned the lesson that US intervention is the cause of the present nightmare in Iraq, not the solution.

The catastrophic outcomes of neo-colonial “divide and rule” have a lineage extending back throughout the 20^th century in the Middle East and beyond.  Once it was the British and French empire builders sowing chaos; now it is US neo-conservative and neo-liberal “democracy promoters.”  Same chickens, different roost.

 

Black Flags Over Mosul

An army of Sunni fighters affiliated to al Qaida crossed the Syrian border into Iraq on Tuesday, scattering defensive units from the Iraqi security forces, capturing Iraq’s second biggest city of Mosul, and sending 500,000 civilians fleeing for safety. The unexpected jihadi blitz has left President Barack Obama’s Middle East policy in tatters and created a crisis of incalculable magnitude. The administration will now be forced to focus its attention and resources on this new flashpoint hoping that it can prevent the makeshift militia from marching on Baghdad and toppling the regime of Nouri al Maliki.  Events on the ground are moving at breakneck speed as the extremists have expanded their grip to Saddam’s birthplace in Tikrit and north to Baiji, home to Iraq’s biggest refinery. The political thread that held Iraq together has snapped pushing Iraq closer to a full-blown civil war.   More

 

OBAMA: ALL OPTIONS OPEN ON IRAQ

US President Barack Obama says his government is looking at "all options", including military action, to help Iraq fight Islamist militants. But the White House also insisted it had no intention of sending ground troops. The remarks came after the cities of Mosul and Tikrit fell to Sunni Islamist insurgents during a lightning advance.The US has begun moving defence contractors working with the Iraqi military to safer areas. More

 

Congress divided over US military action in Iraq

Several Republicans urged military intervention following reports that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has called for US strikes by drones and manned aircraft. "There is no scenario where we can stop the bleeding in Iraq without American air power," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told reporters after a closed Armed Services Committee briefing with Defense Department officials. House Foreign Affairs Committee member and Iraq war veteran Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., has been one of the most vocal proponents in the lower chamber. "We've got to get involved with airstrikes, stiffening the spines of the Iraqis," Kinzinger told Al-Monitor. "If Baghdad falls, it's really hard to imagine a Middle East that looks like that." …House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters at her weekly press conference that there is "no appetite in our country to be engaged in any military activity in Iraq." "I don’t think this is our responsibility," Pelosi said.  More

 

MALIKI'S MOST SOLEMN HOUR

Some analysts said during the Second Gulf War that al Qaeda would be trading up from Afghanistan if it secured a base in Iraq. It was a prescient thought, but perhaps premature: between 2007 and 2010, Iraqis by and large rejected that fate for their country and dealt a body blow to the foreign Sunni jihadists who entered the country. But then the Syrian Civil War began... The most significant of these "new" groups has been the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which over the past year has spent as much time fighting other Syrian rebels groups as the Syrian Arab Republic's forces. ISIS was once aligned with al Qaeda's central command, but has since gone its own way… Sunni grievances against the government are real and legion: job discrimination, undue prosecution of activists, human rights violations by the police, welfare cuts that "punish" the Sunnis for their collaborationist role in past dictatorships. Well before this uprising, "the Sunnis [had] lost faith in the political process and the jihadists were once again able to make inroads among them."  More

 

The Fall of Mosul and the False Promises of Modern History

The fall of Mosul to the radical, extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is a set of historical indictments…  Integrating Mosul into British Iraq, over which London placed Faisal bin Hussein as imported king after the French unceremoniously ushered him from Damascus, allowed the British to depend on the old Ottoman Sunni elite, including former Ottoman officers trained in what is now Turkey. This strategy marginalized the Shiite south, full of poor peasants and small towns, which, if they gave the British trouble, were simply bombed by the RAF. (Iraq under British rule was intensively aerially bombed for a decade and RAF officers were so embarrassed by these proceedings that they worried about the British public finding out.)  To rule fractious Syria, the French (1920-1943) appealed to religious minorities such as the Alawites and Christians.  More

 

*   *   *   *

 

U.S. No Troops To Iraq

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Dear Al,

Believe it or not, some are responding to the escalating violence in Iraq with calls for U.S. military intervention. Have they learned nothing?

Please take action: Tell President Obama not to try putting out the fire with gasoline – no U.S. military intervention in Iraq, invest in diplomacy and international cooperation instead.

The advance of the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is no doubt alarming, but not a complete surprise in the context of deep social, ethnic, religious and political divisions in Iraq and the wider region. Our former Executive Director, David Cortright, has a sensible, concise post on this issue you might find illuminating.

Please contact the president and send this message to friends, family and colleagues you believe would want to take this action. The people of Iraq and the region need peace, reconciliation and development, not more war and definitely not U.S. bombs or troops.

For peace, Shelagh Foreman Program Director

P.S. Please take action to let the president know more war is not the answer. To learn more about the situation in Iraq, here are a few recent articles you might find illuminating.

New York Times article on the current situation and consideration of U.S. military intervention

The Guardian on the collapse of the U.S.-trained Iraqi Army as ISIS advanced on Mosul

The Guardian again on the spread of ISIS in Iraq and Syria

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Report from Iraq: U.S. Invasion in 2003 Helped Set ORCHESTRATED Path for Crisis Pulling Nation Apart

excerpts:

SAMI RASOULI:  ...Amy, we should look at the broader picture since 2003. One of the most important objectives of the invasion of Iraq is to destroy its military forces, that was built since the '20s, 1920s. And it was described before as the most powerful force, army, in the world. But the most important objective also is to divide Iraq. And as you see from the latest events, when the ISIS took over Mosul, right away, the Kurdish peshmerga, the Kurdish power in the northern Iraq, took over Kirkuk, the most rich city in the northern part of Iraq. So, now, if I'm right, the scenario will be—so, the ISIS forces will come down to Baghdad. There probably will be a big fight. Then, after that, the south will be south for the Shia; the Sunnis already have their area; and the Kurds have their place...

...

And who are those—the ISIS? I think, as it’s believed by an average Iraqi, they are part of the al-Qaeda, so-called al-Qaeda previously, were created by the CIA and—partially, and with the Saudis partially in the ’70s ... So, part of them, the al-Qaeda, then the other major part is the generals from the previous army, the Saddam Hussein army, who are well trained and expert in army matters. So, beside them, the Sunnis who lived in the western provinces, who felt that they were taken advantage of and not being treated by the Shia government in Baghdad. And with them, of course, some extremist Islamic extremists from Chechnya maybe, Afghanistan, North Africa and some other Arab countries, like Saudis, for example.

AMY GOODMAN: ... You are Shia, like the—like the regime in Baghdad. What do you think needs to happen right now? Do you see Iraq falling apart? Do you see Baghdad being taken, falling?

SAMI RASOULI: Definitely, definitely, Amy. I mean, to destroy a country, it’s not enough to bomb it from the air, but to have an inner fight. And that’s what’s going on since 2003, the inner fight that’s based on dividing Iraqis to sects and ethnic groups, like Sunni, Shia, Arab, Kurds, religiously Christian and Muslims. That’s what is going on after the invasion and after—Iraq was one piece; now we see it falling apart, unfortunately. And Iraq is the first country who entered the so-called—if you remember, Condoleezza Rice call it the "constructive chaos." So, Iraq started it in 2003, then the Arab countries followed suit in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia today and Syria, as we see. So, so-called the Arab Spring is not really Arab Spring,  ....But it’s a spring for the Israelis, who used to launch wars every 10 years, then every five years. We will see no wars anymore between the Israelis and the Arab for the sake of the Palestinians to secure homeland for them, but we’re going to see the Arabs killing themselves, killing each other, unfortunately.  [brilliant zionist/USRaeli strategy]

...

AMY GOODMAN: Sami, what do you think the U.S. should do? President Obama has not ruled out airstrikes, talking about shoring up the al-Maliki government. What do you think the role of the U.S. should be right now?

SAMI RASOULI: I think the U.S. should get out of the area. But what’s going on is controlled by the huge embassy in Baghdad, run by at least 5,000 employees. They have nothing to do except monitoring Iraq, advising the Iraqi government what to do, and also monitoring the area surrounded by Iraq. The 5,000, this is beside the—an estimated about 10,000 military forces who are stationed there to protect the interest of the embassy and the U.S. So, I think they should leave the area, not to intervene, end the war in Afghanistan, and pull out their forces, and let the Arabs and the countries of the area solve their problem.

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Great T-shirt, Great Cause! Donate To Continue The  Fight for $15/hr!   Victory Party & Fundraiser! June 14th (TONIGHT)!  Come out and celebrate Seattle's historic victory of winning a $15/hr minimum wage, discuss how to build the movement in New England and raise funds to spread 15 Now across the country! When:   Saturday (TONIGHT), June 14th 8:00 pm Where: Doyle's Cafe 3484 Washington St Jamaica Plain (Boston) 02130  RSVP & Invite Friends on Facebook   This historic achievement was the result of a powerful grassroots movement built from below. The message is clear: When we organize we can win!   After decades of the neo-liberal race-to-the-bottom, this is a truly stunning win. It's estimated this will result in a $3 billion dollar transfer of wealth into the pockets of low-wage workers an decrease poverty in Seattle by 25%. Already the struggle is spreading fast. In Chicago, New York, San Francisco and beyond, serious campaigns to win $15 are developing. This is the time to build 15 Now into a powerful nation-wide movement. 15 Now aims to raise $150,000 this month to hire organizers across the country, including here in New England, to expand the struggle. Be part of bringing this movement to New England, and across the nation! Donate today at 15Now.org or join us for the victory party and give what you can there!

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***The Queen Of The 1960s Folk Minute- Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound

 

DVD Review

From The Pen Of Frank Jackman

Joan Baez: How Sweet the Sound, American Master series, PBS, 2009

Several years ago when I was in a nostalgic mood about the 1960s folk minute, a minute that influenced my musical tastes when I was a youth, I did a series on female folk singers titled Not Joan Baez (and also a male folk singer series with the same idea except that was titled Not Bob Dylan)to try to show that there were female folk singers around like Judy Collins, Hedy West, Carolyn Hester, Joan’s sister Mimi (who also sang with her husband Richard Farina) who had talent but kind of went by the wayside when Joan Baez sucked all the media air out of that original folk minute (as Dylan did on the male side). Joan from early on became the folk queen and a look at the old film footage provided in this American Masters production, Joan Baez: How Sweet The Sound, rather fittingly details why that was true.         

In the early 1960s many of us were looking for some new musical sensibility, some new sound once the beautiful days of rock and roll hit a dry spot. Some of us were also looking for roots, roots music in this case, in those amorphous live-for-the-moment-red scare cold war times. And starting out Joan Baez spoke to those sentiments providing all the pathos necessary from the traditional ballads and songs (many Child ballads so especially filled with pathos) as she made her claim to fame on the coffeehouse circuit starting in Cambridge at the old Cub 47 back in the day. And that sound, that almost operatic soprano sound, combined with those ballads were many time rendered by her with intense haunting beauty as the old footage here demonstrates. But the folk minute also encompassed song-writing, new songs, and not just any song-writing but songs written with meaning for a section of a generation looking for some political direction and that is where the fortuitous if short collaboration between Baez and Dylan drowned all the other contenders for the media-driven role of king and queen of folk music. And culminating in places like the Newport Folk Festival the pair rode the wave.

However like all cultural waves tastes change, people move on, or in Baez’s case she was driven as much if not more by the political struggles of the times, black civil rights in the south and the fight against the military draft and the expanding war in Vietnam, the  defining events of our generation for many of us. Dylan however could not go, did not want to go in on that road, or for matter playing second fiddle to anyone and so they split (the details on this are very sketchy as are the remarks by Baez and Dylan on the subject). Baez does spend a fair amount of time trying to express the balance between her music and her social activism. For most musicians this is not a quandary as music dominates but in her case as the tensions in society exacerbated she was drawn to the political side especially draft resistance where she met her future husband, David Harris, and father of her child, Gabriel. Those tensions followed her throughout her careers.  

This documentary like all American Masters productions is filled with footage and with “talking heads” to round out the portrayal. Especially good is the home movie footage from Baez’s childhood (with scenes with sister Mimi an added attraction),the classic folk scenes at Club 47 and Newport, her early duos with Dylan, her work with Doctor King for civil rights down South, her increasing involvement in draft resistance and her dramatic trip to Vietnam in 1972 when the American government tried (once again) to bomb that country back to the Stone Age, and her dramatic trip to Sarajevo in the 1990s while the bombs were raining  down on the civilian population there by the Serbs. As for “talking heads” the civilized conversation about their marriage with David Harris, the input of son Gabriel, the comments of Roger McGuinn David Crosby deserve notice. What was not memorable were the spoken words of Mister Bob Dylan.  What else is new from the king of the folk minute. If you want to get a small slice of flavor of the 1960s from the viewpoint of one of the better partisans of that moment then this is a worthwhile couple of hours.