Wed, Aug 27, 2014 09:04 AM

Take Action! Tell President Obama, Senators Warren and Markey and your Representative No New Mid-east War in Iraq and Syria! The message: “Yes to humanitarian aid, but no bombing, no new Iraq war and no to U.S. war in Syria!”   A few weeks ago, you helped us send a strong message to policy-makers in Washington when the House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 105 stating clearly there is no legal authority for U.S. military involvement in Iraq without express Congressional approval. The message from the American people couldn’t be more clear – NO NEW WAR IN IRAQ! The people stopped a planned bombing of Syria almost a year ago when President Obama and John Kerry threatened an attack based on alleged chemical weapons attack. NO US WAR IN SYRIA! As the Islamic State militants (sometimes also called ISIL or ISIS) have consolidated control over oil and gas fields in northern Iraq and northeastern Syria, they horrified much of the world by publicly executing a captured American journalist and apparently threatening future attacks. Unfortunately, the U.S. is falling back into the old habit of military intervention, which will only give the IS what it wants -- a war with the West. U.S. planes have already bombed Iraqi targets numerous times under presidential orders, and "scouting missions" by drones and manned aircraft have begun for possible air attacks in Syria. That violates the sovereignty of Syria, whose government is also struggling against the Islamic State. We should respond through the U.N. to the huge, growing humanitarian crisis.  But U.S. military intervention under any pretext will only worsen the suffering and increase the conflagration. Tell President Obama, Senators Warren and Markey and your Representative to oppose U.S. military action in Iraq and Syria. For peace, Shelagh Foreman Program Director Join Massachusetts Peace Action - or renew your membership today!   Dues are $40/year for an individual, $65 for a family, or $10 for student/unemployed/low income.  Members vote for leadership and endorsements, receive newsletters and discounts on event admissions.  Donate now and you will be a member in good standing through December 2014!  Your financial support makes this work possible! Massachusetts Peace Action, 11 Garden St., Cambridge, MA 02138 617-354-2169  • info@masspeaceaction.org • Follow us on Facebook or Twitter Click here to unsubscribe

Imperial Hubris Wikipedia: Michael F. Scheuer (born 1952[1]) is a former CIA intelligence officer, American blogger, author, historian, foreign policy critic, and political analyst. He is currently an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Center for Peace and Security Studies. In his 22-year career, he served as the Chief of the Bin Laden Issue Station (aka "Alec Station"), from 1996 to 1999, the Osama bin Laden tracking unit at the Counterterrorist Center. He then worked again as Special Advisor to the Chief of the bin Laden unit from September 2001 to November 2004. Scheuer became a public figure after being outed as the anonymous author of the 2004 book Imperial Hubris, in which he criticized many of the United States' assumptions about Islamist insurgencies and particularly Osama bin Laden. He depicts bin Laden as a rational actor who was fighting to weaken the United States by weakening its economy, rather than merely combating and killing Americans. He challenges the common assumption that terrorism is the threat that the United States is facing in the modern era, arguing rather that Islamist insurgency (and not "terrorism") is the core of the conflict between the U.S. and Islamist forces, who in places such as Kashmir, Xinjiang, and Chechnya are "struggling not just for independence but against institutionalized barbarism." Osama bin Laden acknowledged the book in a 2007 statement, suggesting that it revealed "the reasons for your losing the war against us". In February 2009, Scheuer was terminated from his position as a senior fellow of The Jamestown Foundation. Scheuer has written that he was fired by the organization for stating that "the current state of the U.S.-Israel relationship undermined U.S. national security." The Media Ignores the CIA in Ukraine Bill Blunden, author Behold a Pale Farce excerpt: All the world’s a stage wrote Shakespeare. Are readers supposed to categorically assume that U.S. intelligence has played absolutely no role in the coup d’état? So far the bulk of the American media’s coverage of the Ukraine deftly sidesteps the CIA’s role. Yet all of the signs are there. Former CIA Officer John Stockwell explained that “stirring up deadly ethnic and racial strife has been a standard technique used by the CIA.” Students of history (e.g. Iran, Guatemala, Indonesia, Chile, and Nicaragua) will also recognize many of the hallmarks of a covert destabilization operation.

 




 

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Racism & Revolt in Ferguson Weekly Organizing Meeting  Hosted by the Boston International Socialist Organization Thursday August 28th, 7:00 PM 358 Washington Street, Dorchester (Fields Corner Station or #23 from Ruggles station) Directions // RSVP on Facebook The whole world knows of Ferguson after the murder of Mike Brown, an unarmed African American teenager, by a white police officer who initially confronted him over walking in the middle of the street. In the wake of Brown's murder, Ferguson erupted into rebellion against the daily realities of police violence and institutionalized racism, sparking a new nation-wide discussion about racism and police brutality. Join us this week for a discussion on the rebellion in Ferguson. How does this revolt advance the struggle for Black liberation? What will it take to dismantle the New Jim Crow and bring an end to police terrorism? What do Socialists say about the many questions within the emerging movement; from the debate around class versus race raised by various commentators, to the role of the Democratic Party, to where the question of so-called 'Black on Black' crime and "looting" fit in, to the function of police in our society. We will also be discussing our Palestine solidarity working group's involvement in the city's new Palestine solidarity coalition and what are the next steps for advancing the BDS movement in Boston. Proposed agenda: 1. Racism and Revolt in Ferguson - 60 mins. Please read from Socialist Worker: *The Roots of Racism and Rebellion in Ferguson http://socialistworker.org/2014/08/21/the-roots-of-racism-and-rebellion *Ferguson is Fighting Back http://socialistworker.org/2014/08/18/ferguson-is-fighting-back *Living Under Occupation in Ferguson http://socialistworker.org/2014/08/15/living-under-occupation-in-ferguson **Supplemental reading on Obama's 'My Brother's Keeper' initiative http://socialistworker.org/2014/03/13/how-to-make-a-real-difference 2. Palestine working group assessment - 60 minutes   If you get lost, call (617) 506-3762!

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The spotlight shines on the Fair Food Standards Council in must-read piece in Sarasota Magazine! photos: Sarasota Magazine Beau McHan, Harvest Manager, Pacific Tomato Growers on the FFSC auditors: “They’re extremely thorough.  Other auditors or inspectors might just poke their heads in, but these guys talk to pretty much every worker. Then they check their records with our office.” In a must-read, well-written, wide-ranging article published in this month’s issue of Sarasota Magazine, entitled “A Sarasota Organization Brings Hope and Justice to Florida’s Tomato Fields,” freelance journalist Philippe Diederich takes a close look at the Fair Food Standards Council, the third party monitoring body for the Fair Food Program, and comes away impressed. The article begins with a compelling depiction of the problems that had faced farmworkers in Florida’s tomato fields before the Fair Food Program: Ten years ago, at the age of 22, Julia de la Cruz left her home and family in the mountains of Guerrero, one of Mexico’s poorest states. She hoped to make enough money working in the tomato fields of Southwest Florida to continue her studies and perhaps one day become a doctor. Instead she found herself trapped in a world of poverty and fear, where swaggering bosses bullied and abused the workers they employed. “I’ve seen crew leaders keep workers’ paychecks. There was a lot of robbery,” she says. Some beat the workers and a few even held them captive. Women, especially, suffered at the hands of the leaders, who would harass them and sometimes demand sexual favors in exchange for giving them easier jobs. [...] [...] It goes on to tell the story of the Campaign for Fair Food and how the success of that campaign gave birth in 2010 to the Fair Food Program and the Fair Food Standards Council, interviewing harvesting supervisors from Pacific Tomato Growers, the first company to sign a Fair Food agreement with the CIW, for their impressions of the Program and the FFSC... Don't miss more on this excellent article out of Sarasota Magazine over at the CIW website!

Reply To : peaceact@reply.salsalabs.com Thu, Aug 28, 2014 01:58 PM

Moving from conflict to conflict in the Middle East, trying to keep up with the politics and players involved, the unrelenting violence, the rising death toll and refugee crisis, is as difficult as it is depressing.  There is one common thread however – from Gaza to Syria to Iraq to Egypt to Libya to Afghanistan -- U.S. military intervention and an ever-ready supply of U.S weapons pouring into the region make matters worse. Let's stop fanning the flames of war.  Sign Peace Action's petition to restrict and limit U.S. weapons sales U.S. weapons provided to the Iraqi Army are now in the hands of extremists who are close to tearing the country apart.  The success of the extremist offensive has led them to declare themselves the Islamic State, stretching into Syria where they have been fighting to overthrow the Assad government alongside other rebels being vetted by the U.S. to see who is worthy of receiving yet more U.S. weapons transfers, just what the region doesn’t need. The U.S. leads the world in weapons sales. That includes the sale of weapons to undemocratic regimes and nations on the U.S. State Department's list of human rights abusers. Tell Congress and the President it's time to stop selling weapons to dictators and governments that turn U.S. weapons on civilian populations. We need a new foreign policy, one that reflects America's values and goodwill, one that relies more on patient diplomacy and humanitarian assistance and far less on weapons and war. Humbly for Peace, Kevin Martin Executive Director Peace Action P.S. - Now, faced with war raging in the Middle East, a region awash in U.S. weapons, it is time again to push Congress and the Obama administration to end the practice of arming dictators and human rights abusers. Take Action: Stop the weapons sales to dictators and human rights abusers. CONNECT TO US:  Find us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  Read our blog  Contact us You are subscribed to Peace Action's Action Alert Network. You can unsubscribe here.

Reply To : peaceact@reply.salsalabs.com Thu, Aug 28, 2014 01:58 PM

Dear Al, Moving from conflict to conflict in the Middle East, trying to keep up with the politics and players involved, the unrelenting violence, the rising death toll and refugee crisis, is as difficult as it is depressing.  There is one common thread however – from Gaza to Syria to Iraq to Egypt to Libya to Afghanistan -- U.S. military intervention and an ever-ready supply of U.S weapons pouring into the region make matters worse. Let's stop fanning the flames of war.  Sign Peace Action's petition to restrict and limit U.S. weapons sales U.S. weapons provided to the Iraqi Army are now in the hands of extremists who are close to tearing the country apart.  The success of the extremist offensive has led them to declare themselves the Islamic State, stretching into Syria where they have been fighting to overthrow the Assad government alongside other rebels being vetted by the U.S. to see who is worthy of receiving yet more U.S. weapons transfers, just what the region doesn’t need. The U.S. leads the world in weapons sales. That includes the sale of weapons to undemocratic regimes and nations on the U.S. State Department's list of human rights abusers. Tell Congress and the President it's time to stop selling weapons to dictators and governments that turn U.S. weapons on civilian populations. We need a new foreign policy, one that reflects America's values and goodwill, one that relies more on patient diplomacy and humanitarian assistance and far less on weapons and war. Humbly for Peace, Kevin Martin Executive Director Peace Action P.S. - Now, faced with war raging in the Middle East, a region awash in U.S. weapons, it is time again to push Congress and the Obama administration to end the practice of arming dictators and human rights abusers. Take Action: Stop the weapons sales to dictators and human rights abusers. CONNECT TO US:  Find us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  Read our blog  Contact us You are subscribed to Peace Action's Action Alert Network. You can unsubscribe here.

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THE WARS COME HOME

Click here to tell the Pentagon, Congress, and the President: No More Weapons of War for Local Police!

According to the U.S. General Services Administration, one of the programs that allows the Pentagon to give billions of dollars worth of free weapons of war to local U.S. police “offers Americans peace of mind.” Have images of a war zone in Ferguson, Missouri, boosted your peace of mind?

 

Reforming the program that has militarized police will be an uphill fight.

Loading up local police forces with military hardware has crept into the spotlight as a consequence of the reaction to the slaying of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Not that the federal program doing that is new or has gone unnoticed by people whose political views have brought them into direct and sometimes violent contact with the police over the years. As a result of that public attention, there's a move in Congress to chop or reform the program, known as 1033 for the section of the defense budget authorization it was originally part of. As reported previously, Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia plans to introduce reform legislation on 1033 when the August recess is over.  Just one problem: The program has considerable Democratic support and opposition to reducing its budget. That became apparent two months ago when Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida could only muster 62 votes, including his own, for cutting funding and limiting what kind of hardware could be transferred from the Pentagon to local police agencies. Democrats opposed Grayson on the move by a 3-1 margin. And the majority included 35 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.  More

 

A NIGHT IN FERGUSON: Rubber Bullets, Tear Gas, and a Jail Cell

Late Monday evening, after many of the major media outlets covering the protests in Ferguson, Mo., had left the streets to broadcast from their set-ups near the police command center, heavily armed officers raced through suburban streets in armored vehicles, chasing demonstrators, launching tear gas on otherwise quiet residential lanes, and shooting at journalists. Their efforts resulted in one of the largest nightly arrest totals since protests began 10 days ago over the killing of unarmed African American teenager Michael Brown by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson.   At approximately 2 a.m. local time, Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson announced at a press conference that 31 people had been arrested over the course of the night (NBC News later reported that, according to jail records, the actual total was more than double that). I was unable to attend or report on Johnson’s press conference because I was one of those people… None of the other people who are still there, as far as I know, work for well-funded, high-profile media organizations. Few are white. The concerns these men raised—and the intensity that they have for this moment in Ferguson—runs very deep… Not a single one of these men, through our hours of conversations, expressed any desire to let up. This will not end soon.  More

 

FROM GAZA TO FERGUSON:

Exposing the Toolbox of Racist Repression

From the death and destruction in Israel’s latest war on Gaza to the dramatic arrival of the national guard on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, there have been plenty of brutal reminders on display of the violence that underpins racial hierarchies in Israel and the United States. But amid the headlines, one could easily forget the more sustained and entrenched forms of oppression through which hierarchies of race, citizenship, nationality, and class are produced and maintained—in the United States as well as Israel. Among the most significant of these is mass incarceration… it is important to remember how precarious life is for Palestinian children even in “normal” times. Since 2000, more than 8,000 Palestinian children have been detained and nearly 2,000 children have been killed—with almost complete impunity for the Israeli soldiers and settlers involved… On the other side of the globe, the burgeoning U.S. prison population now comprises a quarter of all the prisoners in the world.  Close to 70 percent of all people in U.S. incarceration, moreover, are people of color. As Adam Gopnik observed in The New Yorker, “there are more black men in the grip of the [U.S.] criminal-justice system—in prison, on probation, or on parole—than were in slavery” on the eve of the civil war… As in Palestine, resistance in the streets of Ferguson has been met with violence, leading several shocked Ferguson protesters to compare the local police to Israeli occupation forces. Some analysts pointed out that Ferguson and St. Louis County police forces had even received training in Israel.   More

 

THOMAS EDSALL: Ferguson, Watts and a Dream Deferred

While the economic downturns of the last decade-and-a-half have taken their toll on the median income of all races and ethnic groups, blacks have been the hardest hit. By 2012, black median household income had fallen to 58.4 percent of white income, almost back to where it was in 1967 — 7.9 points below its level in 1999… Blacks suffered more than whites as a result of the 2008-9 financial meltdown and its aftermath, but the negative trends for African-Americans began before then… Today, however, political and policy-making stasis driven by gridlock — despite a momentary concordance between left and right on this particular shooting — insures that we will undertake no comparable initiatives to reverse or even stem the trends that have put black Americans at an increasing disadvantage in relation to whites — a situation that plays no small part in fueling the rage currently on display in Ferguson.  More

 

12 years of data from New York City suggest stop-and-frisk wasn’t that effective

…a New York Civil Liberties Union report released Wednesday that the group is framing as a comprehensive account of stop-and-frisk during the Bloomberg years. During the mayor's 12-year tenure, police department data show that officers made more than 5 million stops, a quarter of them of young black men who made up just 1.9 percent of the city's population. The NYCLU report documents the racial imbalance that has made the policy so divisive in New York and other cities where the practice has contributed to animosity between minority communities and law enforcement. But the ACLU accounting also points to other data that undermine the rationale for stop-and-frisk: It yielded few weapons when officials justified the policy as a way to reduce shootings and recover guns; in more than 5 million stops, police recovered a gun less than 0.02 percent of the time. And as the NYPD ramped up the number of stops, shootings and murders in the city did not appear to correspondingly decline.  More

 

Palestinians share tear gas advice with Ferguson protesters

Local authorities in Ferguson have begun responding to nightly protests with tear gas and rubber bullets. Palestinians on Twitter could relate, and shared words and images of support with the US protesters… After images of Ferguson police using tear gas were disseminated on Twitter, Palestinians Rajai abuKhalil and Mariam Barghouti drew on their own experiences to express support with protesters in Missouri.

@MariamBarghouti

Solidarity with #Ferguson. Remember to not touch your face when teargassed or put water on it. Instead use milk or coke!

Dear #Ferguson. The Tear Gas used against you was probably tested on us first by Israel. No worries, Stay Strong. Love, #Palestine

 

Israel-trained police "occupy" Missouri after killing of black youth

Since the killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Ferguson police in Missouri last weekend, the people of Ferguson have been subjected to a military-style crackdown by a squadron of local police departments dressed like combat soldiers, prompting residents to liken the conditions on the ground in Ferguson to the Israeli military occupation of Palestine.  And who can blame them? The dystopian scenes of paramilitary units in camouflage rampaging through the streets of Ferguson, pointing assault rifles at unarmed residents and launching tear gas into people’s front yards from behind armored personnel carriers (APCs), could easily be mistaken for a Tuesday afternoon in the occupied West Bank. And it’s no coincidence. 

At least two of the four law enforcement agencies that were deployed in Ferguson up until Thursday evening — the St. Louis County Police Department and the St. Louis Police Department — received training from Israeli security forces in recent years.   More

 

From The Occupy Movement -In Boston

Aug. 31, Million Mask Flyer Handout, Boston Common, 1:00pm

This even is a lead up to the Million Mask March in NYC, 11/5

 

https://www.facebook.com/events/673907846024313/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

 

Sept. 9, MA Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, see editorial below.

 

Sept. 17, OWS Anniversary http://occuevolve.com/

 

Sept. 21, Climate March, NYC: http://peoplesclimate.org/march/

 

If you have comments, please post them here: http://www.occupyboston.org/

 

after Sept. 1.

 

 

Ferguson-Missouri-Never Forget- Boston Solidarity Event  

Greetings friends,

So sorry for the lag, but here are the details for tomorrow's action:

Our plan is a mobile speak out- moving collectively on foot & via the T from Ryan Playground  to Ronan Park, through at 5 key spaces in Dorchester & Roxbury to deliver a list of grievances to authorities as well as offering our continued support to those brutalized by the Police.

Through being together, speaking a loud, & sharing our committed refusal to further accept these conditions we look to make those institutions, people, and places aware that we will no longer allow them to continue wage war our communities.

Our objective is, in part, to demonstrate that BLACK LIFE MATTERS, that we have the right to move through, assemble, and enjoy our city- free from state terror.

All are welcome. Share at will.

Here is the link to our intended route. { BLM Boston- Solidarity Speak Out Route (via GoogleMaps) }

RSVP on Facebook { Event Invite Here } or in reply to this email.

Those interested helping with minor day-of logistics (ushering participants, handing out leaflets, updating our progress to the social medias) and/or making signs, please arrive at the Playground by noon.

Keep your eyes on Ferguson guise, and, as always, let us know if you have any questions.

We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday!,

Seneca

Co-Organizer, Black Life Matters- Boston

Follow Us: Blog // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram

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2 weeks left: help us meet Ellsberg's goal! Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. 13 days left: Help us meet Daniel Ellsberg's goal! Three weeks ago, Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg wrote an appeal challenging our supporters to raise $100,000 for Chelsea Manning’s legal defense by Sept 1st. Thanks to you, we have raised $61,000 of our goal! With just two weeks left, can you help us raise the remaining $39,000? With your support, Chelsea Manning’s appeals process can defend Americans against mounting attacks on civil liberties by proving the unconstitutionality of the Espionage Act against whistleblowers like Manning and Snowden. The success of these appeals will reduce Chelsea's sentence by decades, allowing her to pursue her dream of a career in public service. “I personally am inspired by Chelsea Manning as I am by Edward Snowden, which is why I have spent countless hours advocating for both of them. I’m asking you to join me today in supporting what I believe to be one of the most important legal proceedings in our country’s history.” Help us reach our goal of $100,000! Read Daniel Ellsberg’s appeal The United States vs Pvt Chelsea Manning: Yours with a donation of $100! By CLARK STOECKLEY Preface by JULIAN ASSANGE Published by OR Books Drawing and writing in real time from inside the courtroom, artist and WikiLeaks activist Clark Stoeckley documented the court martial of Chelsea Manning in his book, The United States vs. Pvt Chelsea Manning. Stoeckley’s graphic account features sketches paired with transcripts of the proceedings For a limited time, receive Clark Stoeckley’s graphic novel, The United States vs Pvt Chelsea Manning as our premium gift with a donation of $100 or more! Get your copy of The US vs Pvt Chelsea Manning today! follow on Twitter | friend on Facebook | forward to a friend unsubscribe from this list| view email in browser Unsubscribe / Change Email Powered by YMLP

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For Love and Liberty

Story Updates 0 Comments 3 Funders 46 Gallery 3

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A full color book of paintings by freedom fighter and political prisoner, Tom Manning

San Francisco, California, United States Art

Show Your Solidarity and Help Make this Inspiring Book Come Alive!

Tom Manning is a freedom fighter, political prisoner and prolific artist. His paintings are stories that jump off the page, revealing the outlook of people who struggle for liberation around the world. His paintings are about life and his landscapes recall times of importance.
The years of work to produce this beautiful book and important document are nearing their end and we need your help to fund the last phase of production!

• Preorder YOUR copy of For Love and Liberty today to make this project come alive.
• Choose from the three options to the right based on the level of support you can give

All proceeds, after production costs, will be donated to the Rosenberg Fund for Children: Twitter: @wwwrfcorg  Facebook:rosenbergfundforchildren

Preorder Your Copy Today!

Featuring:

• 86 full color reproductions of Tom's Painting
• Preface by Robby Meeropol
• Article, “In My Time” by Tom
• Poem by Assata, “Affirmation”
• Autobiography of Tom Manning
• Afterword by Ray Levasseur
• Notes from photographer Penny Schoner

Tom Manning: Freedom Fighter, Political Prisoner

From the Preface by Robby Meerpol:
"Tom’s been incarcerated for 29 years.  But even before he received his current life sentence he was trapped by the limited choices left to an impoverished child surviving in Boston’s infamous Maverick Street Projects. The military during the Vietnam era seemed like a way out, but that too became a hellish form of confinement.
Tom broke free, he revolted.  He became a revolutionary.  He committed the unforgivable sin of confronting today’s great imperial empire, the United States, on its home turf.  For that, I expect the prison industrial complex will do its best to keep him confined for as long as it can."

Team