| Photos-Video:Boston protests new US war on Iraq-June 21, 2014 | |
| by anti-war guy | 22 Jun 2014 |
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Boston protests new US war on Iraq-June 21, 2014
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| Boston Common-June 21, 2014: About 150 anti-war activists held a protest against any renewed US war against the Iraqi people. Sponsoring organizations included Mass. Peace Action, United For Justice With Peace, Veterans For Peace, ANSWER, IAC, Committee For Peace and Human Rights, Womens International League For Peace and Freedom, AFSC. Speakers related the 23 years of US war on Iraq, starting with the 1991 Gulf War under Bush, Sr., Clinton's economic sanctions and daily bombing of Iraq, Bush, Jr. attacking Iraq in 2003, and now Obama continuing the US wars.Many passersby stopped and listened. This Boston protest was part of many across the US. It was in addition to last Wednesday's protest in Harvard Square, Cambridge. I took some video and photos. VIDEO: http://youtu.be/CDqglkUa01A PHOTOS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/protestphotos1/sets/72157645294929185/ | |
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Boston protests new US war on Iraq-June 21, 2014
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Boston protests new US war on Iraq-June 21, 2014
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Boston protests new US war on Iraq-June 21, 2014
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Boston protests new US war on Iraq-June 21, 2014
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Sunday, June 22, 2014
see details of the march at Facebookand this video debate on DemNow - June 11, 2014"Human Rights Watch, one of the world’s largest and most influential human rights organizations, is facing an unusual amount of public criticism. Two Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Mairead Maguire, and a group of over 100 scholars have written an open letter criticizing what they describe as a revolving door with the U.S. government that impacts HRW’s work in certain countries, including Venezuela. The letter urges HRW to bar those who have crafted or executed U.S. foreign policy from serving as staff, advisers or board members. Human Rights Watch Executive Director Kenneth Roth has defended his organization’s independence.We host a debate between HRW counsel Reed Brody [at left below] and Keane Bhatt, a writer and activist who organized the open letter."  |
No New War On Iraq
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 Untold History of the United
StatesShowing Thursday, June 19, in Cambridge [please download & distribute flyer] Directed and narrated |
No New War On Iraq
IRAQ: THE REAL STRATEGY IS ABOUT TO
SUCCEED
By Tom Mysiewicz
€œThe events that are
taking place in Iraq are an illustration of a complete failure of the venture
started by the US and the UK that allowed it to spiral out of control
completely€ Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov recently
told journalists.
Mr. Lavrov, I€™m sure, knows better and is merely
speaking for the press regarding the stated goals of the Iraq war. For the Anglo-Americans and their Israeli
cohorts knew full well even before the 2003 invasion what they were doing and
what the outcome would be. Very
possibly, Mr. Lavrov never read my Oct. 2nd, 2005 predictions of
Iraq€™s fate in a Media Monitors article entitled
€œThe End€ (http://usa.mediamonitors.net/Headlines/The-End):
€œWhat has been the end of the Neocon's Iraq strategy
from the start?...For some two years prior to the Iraq war, in Council of
Foreign Relations and other elite circles, stories were circulated about the
benefits of partitioning Iraq into Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish regions for the
benefit of the "Greater Mid East" (read instead: "Eretz Israel")...This could
lead to a bloody civil war--easily anticipated prior to the U.S. invasion--and
probably leave the Israelis in control of the majority of Iraq's oil through
proxies in a future Kurdistan€¦A
depopulated, destroyed Iraq will be in no position to prevent the diversion of
its oil supplies and water from the Tigris and Euphrates to Eretz Israel.
Further, the conflict could spill over into Syria and Iran and other regional
states, possibly drawing them into a conflict reminiscent of the Iran-Iraq
war.€
This is coming to pass as you read this. With the Kurdish seizure of
Kirkuk€”effectively asserting control of much of the country€™s oil wealth (much
oil already being sold outside the aegis of the Iraqi central government anyway)
for their Israeli patrons€”and conquest of Sunni areas by ISIL/ISIS/Takfiri
elements (enriched by a curious $450-million bank heist and much €œcaptured€
American-supplied military equipment) I contend that the real goal of the Iraq
invasion and Israeli/Anglo-American policy is about to be realized€”the
partition of Iraq.
The entry of the Iranian elite
Revolutionary Guard into the fray at this late date is a good indication of
this€”the pretext of keeping Iraq in one piece under Shiia control kept Iran on
the sidelines during the Purim 2003 invasion of Iraq (which would have turned it
into a regional conflict not wanted by U.S. allies at the time€”the so-called
€œCoalition of the Willing.€) In 2003,
Iran could probably not believe their good fortune as the U.S. destruction of
Saddam virtually handed control of Iraq to the Shiia€”turning Iraq from a
dangerous foe into an ally!
From Israel€™s standpoint, the
latest Iranian move comes at a good time.
They really want to control the oil and the Iranians and Anglo-Americans
can slug it out with each other and with ISIS/ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Syria) and the
Takfiris to prevent them trying to retake the oil fields. Cut off from oil revenues, the Sunni and, to
a lesser extent, the Shiia areas will become depopulated and €œwither on the
vine.€ The Iranian involvement can also
serve Israel€™s interests by giving it a pretext to strike Iranian military and
nuclear targets.
The Israeli public stance, then, is predictable. Rov Tov, in his latest piece, quotes a lengthy analysis in the Israeli publication Yediot Ahronot, by its €œconnected€ military analyst Ron ben Yishai, a former IDF lieutenant colonel. Tov comments that ben Yishai is saying, in effect, that "If America does nothing, Israel will fall, and afterwards Europe."
We are seeing the false dominoes of the Vietnam War laid out for the U.S. once again€”this time by their Israeli €œally€. If the U.S. fails to intervene to protect Israel€™s interests at this juncture, we are to believe, the states of Europe could fall, one by one, becoming part of the greater Takfriri €œCaliphate.€
CFR, OTHERS LONG PUSHED FOR
SEPARATION
Echoing a long-held position of the
influential Council on Foreign
Relations (CFR) prior to
the Iraq war, Leslie Gelb, PhD, President Emeritus of the CFR, stated in a Nov.
25, 2003 New York Times article titled "The Three-State Solution":
"President Bush's new strategy of transferring power quickly to
Iraqis, and his critics' alternatives, share a fundamental flaw: all commit the
United States to a unified Iraq, artificially and fatefully made whole from
three distinct ethnic and sectarian communities. That has been possible in the
past only by the application of overwhelming and brutal force...
The only viable strategy, then, may be to correct the historical
defect and move in stages toward a three-state solution: Kurds in the north,
Sunnis in the center and Shiite in the South€¦Allowing all three communities
within that false state to emerge at least as self-governing regions would be
both difficult and dangerous. Washington would have to be very hard-headed, and
hard-hearted, to engineer this breakup. But such a course is manageable, even
necessary, because it would allow us to find Iraq's future in its denied but
natural past."
As
a U.S. Senator, Joe Biden carried the CFR€™s (and Israel€™s) water on this
issue. According to a CFR backgrounder
authored by Greg Bruno on Oct. 27th,
2007:
€œA non-binding resolution that sailed through the U.S.
Senate in September 2007 reignited debate over Iraq€™s political future.
Introduced by Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-DE) and Sam Brownback, (R-KS), the
measure calls for a decentralized Iraqi government €œbased upon the principles
of federalism€ and advocates for a relatively weak central government with
strong Sunni, Shiite, and Kurdish regional administrations. The bill, based on a
proposal first introduced by Biden and CFR President Emeritus Leslie H. Gelb,
passed the Senate by a 75 to 23 margin. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Chris
Dodd (D-CT), rivals in a crowded presidential field that includes Sen. Biden,
both supported the amendment.€
The Biden-Brownback plan was borne of a broader five-point strategy Biden and Gelb introduced in May 2006. But this so-called €œfederalism€ scheme was seen by many Mid East experts as doomed to failure and merely a back door to partition of Iraq. According to the CFR, Anthony H. Cordesman, a Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, doubted security forces could function under federalism€”and ridiculed the idea of a €œsoft€ partition in Iraq€”he saw any partition as being €œhard€ and bloody, filled with human suffering.
The 500,000 new refugees and the 1700 soldiers and civilians just brutally executed by the Takfiris in Iraq can now confirm this estimate to Joe Biden, now U.S. Vice President.
###
***Once Again on Bob Dylan’s Never-Ending Tour-Bob Dylan: Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey
DVD Review
From The Pen Of Frank Jackman
Bob Dylan: Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey, Winston Watson, Bob Dylan and his bands, Highway 61 Productions, 2009
By now with a million miles, maybe more, behind him on the road, the road first travelled from Minnesota to the Village way back when, it is easy for Bob Dylan aficionados to kind of snicker about the never-ending tour that appears to be exactly what old Bob intends to do. The image of him doddering to the stage, assisted, is not a pretty one and we can speculate on the rational for that later. One thing is sure though during a long and varied musical career Bob Dylan has run through many musicians since he started out with the Band many years ago. And the ups and downs of Winston Watson’s working as a drummer with Bob Dylan is the story told in this documentary, Bob Dylan: Never Ending Tour Diaries: Drummer Winston Watson's Incredible Journey.
I have always been interested, having heard early on in the 1960s that he was hard to work with at a time when Dylan was a solo artist, what it was like to work for, with him. Winston Watson very capably tells us his story of what it was like to beat the drums behind Dylan later in his career during the 1990s. While the particular documentary format is a little wooden with lots of soft-pedal Q&A being thrown at Winston by his interviewer this is a pretty good bird’s eye view of the interaction between Dylan and Watson once Dylan decided that he wanted Watson as his touring drummer.
We never get a real good answer about what Dylan was like to work for day to day but it is clear that if you knew that the message was about giving him high-quality back-up then you would be okay. That and being professional in a very professionally run Bob Dylan, Inc. operation. That seems right. After all it will be Dylan and his segment of the American songbook that will be remembered one hundred years from now. The part that Watson really gives insight on is the way a band comes together, melts into one, about the his own personal odyssey on the road, about the hard life of the road and the stress on yourself, your family and any outside interests that takes a beating in order to “travel with king.” Not everybody is made for it and Watson eventually moved on but what he had to tell in his own very articulate way about the Dylan road will thrill aficionados, no question.
President Obama, Pardon Pvt. Manning
CITY, STATE & ZIP _____________________________________________________________
Note that this image is PVT Manning’s preferred photo.
Because the public deserves the truth and whistle-blowers deserve protection.
We are military veterans, journalists, educators, homemakers, lawyers, students, and citizens.
We ask you to consider the facts and free US Army Pvt. Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning.
As an Intelligence Analyst stationed in Iraq, Pvt. Manning had access to some of America’s dirtiest secrets—crimes such as torture, illegal surveillance, and corruption—often committed in our name.
Manning acted on conscience alone, with selfless courage and conviction, and gave these secrets to us, the public.
“I believed that if the general public had access to the information contained within the[Iraq and Afghan War Logs] this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy,”
Manning explained to the military court. “I wanted the American public to know that not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan were targets that needed to be neutralized, but rather people who were struggling to live in the pressure cooker environment of what we call asymmetric warfare.”
Journalists used these documents to uncover many startling truths. We learned:
• Donald Rumsfeld and General Petraeus helped support torture in Iraq.
• Deliberate civilian killings by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan went unpunished.
• Thousands of civilian casualties were never acknowledged publicly.
• Most Guantanamo detainees were innocent.
For service on behalf of an informed democracy, Manning was sentenced by military judge Colonel Denise Lind to a devastating 35 years in prison.
Government secrecy has grown exponentially during the past decade, but more secrecy does not make us safer when it fosters unaccountability.
Pvt. Manning was convicted of Espionage Act charges for providing WikiLeaks with this information, but the prosecutors noted that they would have done the same had the information been given to The New York Times. Prosecutors did not show that enemies used this information against the US, or that the releases resulted in any casualties.
Pvt. Manning has already been punished, even in violation of military law.
She has been:
• Held in confinement since May 29, 2010.
• Subjected to illegal punishment amounting to torture for nearly nine months at Quantico Marine Base, Virginia, in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), Article 13—facts confirmed by both the United Nation’s lead investigator on torture and military judge Col. Lind.
• Denied a speedy trial in violation of UCMJ, Article 10, having been imprisoned for over three years before trial.
• Denied anything resembling a fair trial when prosecutors were allowed to change the charge sheet to match evidence presented, and enter new evidence, after closing arguments.
Pvt. Manning believed you, Mr. President, when you came into office promising the most transparent administration in history, and that you would protect whistle-blowers. We urge you to start upholding those promises, beginning with this American prisoner of conscience.
We urge you to grant Pvt. Manning’s petition for a Presidential Pardon.
FIRST& LAST NAME _____________________________________________________________
STREET ADDRESS _____________________________________________________________
CITY, STATE & ZIP _____________________________________________________________
EMAIL& PHONE _____________________________________________________________
Please return to: For more information: www.privatemanning.org
Private Manning Support Network, c/o Courage to Resist, 484 Lake Park Ave #41, Oakland CA 94610
Note that this image is PVT Manning’s preferred photo.
4 ways to fight back against Army whistleblower PVT Manning’s 35-year sentence
The outcome of PVT Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning’s trial on August 21st, while better than the 60+ years the government’s prosecutors were calling for, is an outrage to the idea of American justice, and should deeply concern democracy advocates everywhere. PVT Manning’s 35-year sentence was condemned by public figures as wide ranging as Cornel West, Ron Paul, and the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project Director Ben Wizner, who stated,
While our current focus is on the White House petition, that is only the beginning of our effort to demonstrate our support for military whistleblowing to the Commander in Chief. You can write to and call the White House in order to express your views in a more personal manner. You can also help by organizing a letter-writing drive with others in your community!
4) Write to tell PVT Manning of your support!
Near the end of her trial, PVT Manning expressed gratitude to the countless numbers of supporters who’ve written her letters in prison. Now that the trial is over, she is looking forward to having the ability to write people back.
You can write to PVT Manning at the address below. While the outside of the envelope must be marked “Bradley Manning,” PVT Manning will be happy to accept letters that refer to her with her chosen name Chelsea on the inside.
The outcome of PVT Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning’s trial on August 21st, while better than the 60+ years the government’s prosecutors were calling for, is an outrage to the idea of American justice, and should deeply concern democracy advocates everywhere. PVT Manning’s 35-year sentence was condemned by public figures as wide ranging as Cornel West, Ron Paul, and the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project Director Ben Wizner, who stated,
[A] legal system that doesn’t distinguish between leaks to the press in the public interest and treason against the nation will not only produce unjust results, but will deprive the public of critical information that is necessary for democratic accountability.
The truth is that the fight for PVT Manning’s freedom is far from over. In fact, there are multiple avenues for relief that could result in PVT Manning serving fewer than 10 years behind bars. Strong showings of public support will significantly improve the chances for each of these avenues to succeed. It won’t happen overnight, but with our nation’s democracy on the line, and a major precedent being set for the rights of whistleblowers everywhere, we think that continuing to organize in support of PVT Manning is the least we can do.
With that in mind, here are 5 of the most important ways you can continue to support PVT Manning right now:
1) Sign the petition AND Add your photo in support of PVT Manning’s request for presidential pardon
President Obama has already granted pardons to 39 other prisoners, and a White House spokesperson said he would give consideration to PVT Manning’s request. Showing public support for PVT Manning’s application is the best way to give her a real chance of being released in 3 years, or even sooner. Sign our petition on Whitehouse.gov, and then submit your photo with a personal message at http://pardon.bradleymanning.org
President Obama has already granted pardons to 39 other prisoners, and a White House spokesperson said he would give consideration to PVT Manning’s request. Showing public support for PVT Manning’s application is the best way to give her a real chance of being released in 3 years, or even sooner. Sign our petition on Whitehouse.gov, and then submit your photo with a personal message at http://pardon.bradleymanning.org
3) Donate to the appeals process
The legal appeals process is the most important avenue to hold the U.S. military to account for the many ways in which PVT Manning’s due process rights were violated throughout her trial, from the months of unjust and abusive solitary confinement to the utter failure to provide a speedy trial. PVT Manning’s legal defense will target appeals at all of the ways in which PVT Manning’s trial violated her rights under the U.S. Constitution and the UCMJ. Your donation can help support this crucial process.
By contributing, you’ll also be helping to uphold Americans’ right to a speedy trial, to be treated as innocent until proven guilty, and to be made fully aware of the nature of the charges against them without fear those charges may change midway through the trial.The legal appeals process is the most important avenue to hold the U.S. military to account for the many ways in which PVT Manning’s due process rights were violated throughout her trial, from the months of unjust and abusive solitary confinement to the utter failure to provide a speedy trial. PVT Manning’s legal defense will target appeals at all of the ways in which PVT Manning’s trial violated her rights under the U.S. Constitution and the UCMJ. Your donation can help support this crucial process.
4) Write to tell PVT Manning of your support!
Near the end of her trial, PVT Manning expressed gratitude to the countless numbers of supporters who’ve written her letters in prison. Now that the trial is over, she is looking forward to having the ability to write people back.
PVT Bradley E Manning892891300 N Warehouse RdFt Leavenworth KS 66027-2304USA
Four Ways To Support Freedom For Chelsea Manning- President Obama Pardon Chelsea Manning Now!
Note that this image is PVT Manning’s preferred photo.
The Struggle Continues …
Four Ways To Support Heroic Wikileaks Whistle-Blower Chelsea Manning
*Sign the public petition to President Obama – Sign online http://www.amnesty.org/en/appeals-for-action/chelseamanning “President Obama, Pardon Pvt. Manning,” and make copies to share with friends and family!
You can also call (Comments”202-456-1111), write The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500, e-mail-(http://www.whitehouse.gov’contact/submitquestions-and comments) to demand that President Obama use his constitutional power under Article II, Section II to pardon Private Manning now.
*Start a stand -out, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, in your town square to publicize the pardon and clemency campaigns. Contact the Private Manning SupportNetwork for help with materials and organizing tips http://www.bradleymanning.org/
*Contribute to the Private Manning Defense Fund- now that the trial has finished funds are urgently needed for pardon campaign and for future military and civilian court appeals. The hard fact of the American legal system, military of civilian, is the more funds available the better the defense, especially in political prisoner cases like Private Manning’s. The government had unlimited financial and personnel resources to prosecute Private Manning at trial. And used them as it will on any future legal proceedings. So help out with whatever you can spare. For link go to http://www.bradleymanning.org/
*Write letters of solidarity to Private Manning while she is serving her sentence. She wishes to be addressed as Chelsea and have feminine pronouns used when referring to her. Private Manning’s mailing address: Bradley E. Manning, 89289, 1300 N. Warehouse Road, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas 66027-2304. You must use Bradley on the address envelope.
Private Manning cannot receive stamps or money in any form. Photos must be on copy paper. Along with “contraband,” “inflammatory material” is not allowed. Six page maximum.
*Call: (913) 758-3600-Write to:Col. Sioban Ledwith, Commander U.S. Detention Barracks 1301 N Warehouse Rd
Ft. Leavenworth KS 66027-Tell them: “Transgender rights are human rights! Respect Private Manning’s identity by acknowledging the name ‘Chelsea Manning’ whenever possible, including in mail addressed to her, and by allowing her access to appropriate medical treatment for gender dysphoria, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT).” (for more details-http://markinbookreview.blogspot.com/2013/11/respecting-chelseas-identity-is-this.html#!/2013/11/respecting-chelseas-identity-is-this.html
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Ft. Leavenworth KS 66027-Tell them: “Transgender rights are human rights! Respect Private Manning’s identity by acknowledging the name ‘Chelsea Manning’ whenever possible, including in mail addressed to her, and by allowing her access to appropriate medical treatment for gender dysphoria, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT).” (for more details-http://markinbookreview.blogspot.com/2013/11/respecting-chelseas-identity-is-this.html#!/2013/11/respecting-chelseas-identity-is-this.html
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Send The Following Message (Or Write Your Own) To The President In Support Of A Pardon For Private Manning
To: President Barack Obama
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
The draconian 35 years sentence handed down by a military judge, Colonel Lind, on August 21, 2013 to Private Manning (Chelsea formerly known as Bradley) has outraged many citizens including me.
Under Article II, Section II of the U.S. Constitution the President of the United States had the authority to grant pardons to those who fall under federal jurisdiction.
Some of the reasons for my request include:
Signature ___________________________________________________________
Print Name __________________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________
City / Town/State/Zip Code_________________________________________
Note that this image is PVT Manning’s preferred photo.
To: President Barack Obama
White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, D.C. 20500
The draconian 35 years sentence handed down by a military judge, Colonel Lind, on August 21, 2013 to Private Manning (Chelsea formerly known as Bradley) has outraged many citizens including me.
Under Article II, Section II of the U.S. Constitution the President of the United States had the authority to grant pardons to those who fall under federal jurisdiction.
Some of the reasons for my request include:
*that Private Manning was held for nearly a year in abusive solitary confinement at the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, which the UN rapporteur in his findings has called “cruel, inhuman, and degrading”
*that the media had been continually blocked from transcripts and documents related to the trial and that it has only been through the efforts of Private Manning’s supporters that any transcripts exist.
*that under the UCMJ a soldier has the right to a speedy trial and that it was unconscionable and unconstitutional to wait 3 years before starting the court martial.
*that absolutely no one was harmed by the release of documents that exposed war crimes, unnecessary secrecy and disturbing foreign policy.
*that Private Manning is a hero who did the right thing when she revealed truth about wars that had been based on lies.
I urge you to use your authority under the Constitution to right the wrongs done to Private Manning – Enough is enough!
Signature ___________________________________________________________
Print Name __________________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________________
City / Town/State/Zip Code_________________________________________
Note that this image is PVT Manning’s preferred photo.
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