Tue, Nov 04, 2014 09:30 AM

Thursday: "The House I Live In" When: Thursday, November 6, 2014, 6:45 pm to 9:00 pm Where: Central Square Library • 45 Pearl Street • Cambridge First Thursday Documentary Films presents The House I Live In Winner at Sundance Festival Goes inside America's longest war to examine the effects of drug laws on everyone from the dealer and the grieving mother to the jailer and the federal judge The War on Drugs has never been about drugs "A model of the ambitious vitalizing activist work that exists to stir the sleeping to wake." The New York Times A monthly film series sponsored by the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) Light Refreshments Will Be Served     United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice. Help us continue to do this critical work! Make a donation to UJP today. info@justicewithpeace.org 617-383-4857 www.justicewithpeace.org Upcoming Events:  I Am Tue Nov 4 7:00pm SATV-Salem Salem "The House I Live In" (film) Thu Nov 6 6:45pm Central Square Library Cambridge A Foreign Policy for All Sat Nov 8 9:00am MIT Campus - Room 34-101 Cambridge Reese Erlich: First Hand Report: Assad, ISIS, Obama & US Middle East Policy Sun Nov 9 6:00pm Grace Vision Church Watertown The Immigration Crisis: Has US Foreign Policy Created It? What Can We Do About It? Tue Nov 11 7:00pm encuentro 5 Boston Rally for Peace in Iraq & Syria Sat Nov 15 1:00pm Park Street MBTA Station Boston More Peace and Justice Events.    How to Submit Events

Ali Fikri Işık, a 56-year-old conscientious objector, who has refused to serve in the Turkish army for over 30 years, will go on trial tomorrow, 5 November because of his refusal.   Please forward this letter of protest (or write your own) to the military court fax : 00-90-282-654 40 95  and/or the Turkish embassy in your country.  Check  here for the Turkish embassies addresses.   Thank you.

Payday men’s network working with the Global Women’s Strike PO Box 287 London NW6 5QU England Tel: +44 (0) 20 7267 8698payday@paydaynet.org www.refusingtokill.net     London, 4 November 2014   To: THE 5TH ARMY CORPS MİLİTARY COURT JUDGESHIP ÇORLU – TEKİRDAĞ Court fax : 00-90-282-654 40 95 London Turkish embassy email: Email embassy.london@mfa.gov.tr; Fax (00 44) 20 73 93 00 66     Sir,   We have been alerted by activists from Turkey and the organisation War Resisters International in the UK about the case of Mr Ali Fikri Işık, a 56-year-old man repeatedly incarcerated for his refusal to join the army dating back to the military dictatorship in the ‘80s.   He declared himself a conscientious objector in 2012 and faces trial on 5 November under three more charges of “desertion”.   The fact that you may even consider jailing a man of 56 for refusing to join the army is scandalous in itself, but we want to remind you that he is the latest in a long list of conscientious objectors, notably, among others, Mr Mehmet Tarhan, Mr Mehmet Bal, Mr Osman Murat Ülke and Mr Halil Savda, all of whom have been imprisoned, and almost all tortured while in military prison and for whom we campaigned together with their organisations and supporters from Turkey as well as from Germany, Greece, Israel, the UK and the US.   May we also remind you that the Council of Europe has repeatedly found that “Turkey has [not complied] with [its] judgement urging [it] to adopt legislation that would prevent repetitive prosecutions and convictions of those who refuse to perform military service for conscientious or religious reasons on grounds of persistent disobedience of military orders.” See for instance the Council of Europe Resolution CM/ResDH(2007)109, referring to the case of Mr Ülke. Mr Tarhan, Mr Savda and Mr Ülke won their cases against Turkey in the European Court of Human Rights.   In particular the European Court of Human Rights refers to the “civil death” to which conscientious objectors have been subject in Turkey during various periods of their lives. This means being deprived of documents like ID and passport, which prevents them from getting employment, opening a bank account, getting married, travelling abroad, etc. Mr Işık suffered this “civil death” for 20 years.   In conclusion, we believe that any conscientious objector in Turkey must have the right to refuse to kill without being threatened, harassed, persecuted and sent to jail under any circumstances, even less so when he is 56 years old.   ALI FIKRI ISIK, NO CASE TO ANSWER!   Yours in urgency,   Giorgio Riva Payday men’s network

according to Al Jazeera site, this should air again this week:  (click on link)
Tues (tonight, Nov 4): 8 & 9pm EST
Thurs, Nov 6:   2am EST
images added by me]

-------- Original Message --------

and so the wall of lies and false flag attacks begins to crumble, 9/11 truth is next...

http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/412229

New NSA tapes prove Israel's attack on USS Liberty was deliberate In a devastating documentary aired by Al Jazeera America on October 31st, never-before-heard tapes released by the NSA prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the 1967 Israeli attack on the USS Liberty, which killed 34 American sailors, was deliberate. The translated words of Israeli commanders and Israeli pilots from tapes obtained under the Freedom of Information Act clearly can be heard, numerous times, as confirming the identity of the Liberty as "American." The tapes include a timeline in the background which fixes the times of transmissions, and establishes that confirmation was made before and during the attack. The documentary, "The Day Israel Attacked America," is produced and directed by Richard Belfield, whose previous production credits include National Geographic TV, Discovery Channel, and Arts and Entertainment Network.

The film is structured around interviews of USS Liberty survivors....
READ ARTICLE http://www.digitaljournal.com/news/world/tape-released-prove-israel-s-attack-on-usaliberty-was-deliberate/article/412229

Bill Maher, Eva Longoria talk “Food Chains” on HBO’s Real Time! HBO show highlights Fair Food Program as “Food Chains” readies for Nov. 21 release… Fair Food activists tuning into HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher were in for a real treat last Friday night, as “Food Chains” Executive Producer Eva Longoria joined Maher for an extended interview on the upcoming documentary, the plight of farmworkers in most of the US today, and the extraordinary advances for human rights that have taken place in Florida’s tomato industry thanks to the Fair Food Program. Getting ten minutes of airtime on HBO is the kind of mainstream exposure that the Fair Food Program only rarely receives, and Eva Longoria knocked it out of the park.  Here below are three short excerpts from her interview, followed by a bonus clip with a cameo from Senator Angus King of Maine, who was also a guest on the show that night and remarkably well-versed on the Fair Food Program himself.  Enjoy!

SATURDAY: Don't miss Foreign Policy for All conference Nov 8!

Dear friend,

Don't miss the Foreign Policy for All conference this Saturday!  Pre-register at http://fp4a-conf.bpt.me/ to receive first choice of workshops.  Or you can register at the door starting at 9am at MIT building 34, 50 Vassar St., Cambridge.

The Foreign Policy for All working paper has been posted for comment. Check it out here and post your comments to help us prepare for the discussion.
Check out the schedule of the day,  workshop descriptions, and logistics, parking info and map.
I look forward to seeing you at the conference!
- -- Cole for the Foreign Policy for All working group

---

A Foreign Policy for All

Re-Thinking U.S. Foreign Policy for the 21st Century

Saturday November 8, 2014, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
MIT Room 34-101 • 50 Vassar St • Cambridge • Kendall T

Confirmed Speakers
Noam Chomsky, MIT Institute Professor, author, Profit Over People: Neoliberalism and Global Order	Bill Fletcher, former president, Trans Africa Forum; author, They’re Bankrupting Us! And 20 other Myths about Unions	Phyllis Bennis, director, New Internationalism Project, Institute for Policy Studies	Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe columnist; author, The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War	Judith Leblanc, Field Director, Peace Action; former co-chair, UFPJ; member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma

It’s time for a change.
After years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, with their terrible toll of death and destruction, we are fighting again in the Middle East.  But growing numbers of Americans are debating the values and goals of U.S. foreign policy, with its heavy reliance on military intervention.  Why has it been so unsuccessful? What is the appropriate role for our nation in today’s world?  How does our investment in a gigantic, costly military establishment affect our foreign policy decisions?
In this one-day conference, held immediately after the midterm election, we will attempt to outline a more positive vision of U.S. global engagement, one that addresses the actual security needs of people around the world and that is consistent with the principles of peace and justice for all.   We will also explore the actions needed to make the changes we seek, to shift the discussion.
Read the working paper! The discussion will respond to A Foreign Policy for All, a working paper written by a Boston area working group. Read more about the Foreign Policy for All project.
Schedule and Workshops: the schedule of the day and the workshop descriptions. Pre-registered attendees will receive first choice of workshops.
Conference fee: $35; $10 for students and low income; free to MIT students; 15% discount for 5 or more people registering together. Fee includes morning coffee and lunch.  
Register at fp4a-conf.bpt.me/, mail check to Massachusetts Peace Action, 11 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138; write "FP4A" on memo line. Or call in your credit card number to the office, or pay at the door. Info: 617 354 2169
Host: MIT Technology and Culture Forum
Co-Sponsors: Massachusetts Peace Action, American Friends Service Committee, MIT Western Hemisphere Association, United for Justice with Peace, Women's International League for Peace & Freedom - Boston Branch, Massachusetts Global Action, Democratic Socialists of America
Workshop Topics (more details here):

• Nuclear disarmament
• Changing U.S. foreign and military climate policy
• The U.N. and International Law: Can they help with Global Crises? 
• War in the 21st Century: Drones, Space Weapons and Cyber Wars
• A Foreign Policy for All and the struggle against inequality and for social and economic justice
• Nourishing Resistance: Food and Foreign Policy
• A Foreign Policy for All in the Middle East and North Africa:  Foreign Intervention, Jihadism, and Alternatives
• A Foreign Policy for All in Eastern Europe, Ukraine & Russia
• A Foreign Policy for All in Asia/Pacific: Dangers and Opportunities in the U.S.-China-Japan Triangle
• Peacebuilding
• Budgets, Values and Militarism: the Outlook for the Mass. Budget for All Campaign
• Media: Manufacturing of Consent
• Human Security in the Time of Ebola
• Building the Foreign Policy for All on Campus

For peace and justice, Cole Harrison Executive Director Massachusetts Peace Action

 

United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice. Help us continue to do this critical work! Make a donation to UJP today

Reese Erlich: First Hand Report: Assad, ISIS, Obama & US Middle East Policy

When: Sunday, November 9, 2014, 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Where: Grace Vision Church • 80 Mt. Auburn Street • #71 bus from Harvard Square • Watertown

 Foreign correspondent and investigative reporter Reese Erlich recently returned from northern Iraq where he interviewed displaced Yazidis, peshmerga fighters and US diplomats. He will discuss the growing influence of extremist rebel groups and why the US bombing campaign will hurt both Americans and people of the region. Mr. Reese's new book is Inside Syria: the Back-story of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect, published by Prometheus Books and distributed by Random House.

United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice. Help us continue to do this critical work! Make a donation to UJP today.
info@justicewithpeace.org	617-383-4857

November 4th is not the end of 15 Now in Boston or New England. We are continuing to fight for working people to receive a real living wage of $15 with new, exciting campaigns in the new year! Get in touch to get involved. CONTACT 15NowNewEngland@gmail.com www.15now.org   More Minimum Wage Victories: San Francisco, CA Proposition J brings $15 an hour to the city! Oakland, CA Proposition FF increases city minimum wage to $12.25 17 Other States have now seen overwhelming support to increase their minimum wages WE ARE WINNING FORWARD TO 15 IN ALL 50 WE DID IT!  10th Suffolk Votes for $15 an Hour! On Tuesday, the 10th Suffolk District of Massachusetts made history by voting yes on Question 5 - the advisory question supporting a $15 an hour minimum wage! By an overwhelming majority of 63% working people in West Roxbury, portions of Roslindale and Brookline said 'yes' to a city in which we all can afford to live. State Representative Ed Coppinger of the 10th Suffolk District will now be held to account on where he stands on the issue of true living wage. Will he listen to the voice of working people in Greater Boston or will he support poverty wages? Question 5 demonstrates that when we organize in our communities, we can win support from our friends and neighbors in the fight for a better Boston. However, we need you to get involved! 15 Now New England will be continuing the fight in the New Year, building upon the success of the referendum. We need more resources - donations to fund materials and organizers, endorsements from unions and community organizations, and most importantly, involvement from activists like yourself to turn this success into an even bigger victory in the fight back against the corporate attacks on our living standards. Please donate to 15 Now today or contact us to get involved!

We Demand Peace in Iraq & Syria!

Join us November 11^th and 15^th

Tuesday, Nov 11 12:00 pm Park Street Station Boston Rally folowed by the Armistice Day Parade of Veterans for Peace

Saturday, Nov 15 1:00 pm Park Street Station Boston Rally and march to Downtown Crossing with a mock drone and die-in

• Stop the Bombing in Syria and Iraq

• Bring the troops home now

• Stop sending weapons into the region which are leading to so much bloodshed

• Support humanitarian aid, through neutral institutions, for victims of the conflict

• Support self-determination and the demilitarization of the area

As we observe Armistice Day/Veterans Day next week, we are in a never-ending war and expanding military intervention, this time in Syria and Iraq. Our leaders say that these new wars will last for years. But over the past 13 years, this country has already spent one trillion, five hundred billion dollars for wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and other parts of the Middle East and South Asia. These military actions have brought hundreds of thousands of deaths, but neither peace nor security. Meanwhile, these hundreds of billions of dollars could have been used instead to provide for jobs, human needs and renewable energy.

The current campaign to sell this war has nothing to do with protecting us or the people of the area. Instead, it is intended to secure control of the area by repressive governments and sectarian militias allied (for the time being) with Washington. The current bombing campaign is a violation of the U.N. Charter and the U.S. constitution. In its sweep through Syria and Iraq, ISIS is using modern U.S. weapons that were previously sent into the region in order to stabilize a corrupt and brutal regime in Baghdad and to overthrow Syria’s government.

Is bombing an answer to these sectarian conflicts? Do these actions reflect the interests of working people in the U.S. or the peoples of the Middle East? We should not be involved militarily in a sectarian conflict that our war in Iraq set off. Rather, we should be support a policy of non-intervention and self-determination. Any real and lasting solution to the problems in the region must come from the peoples of that region themselves, not from the Pentagon. 

Call Congress at (202) 224-3121 and say: 
“I want Congress to reconvene immediately to fully debate a new “Authorization for Use of Military Force” (AUMF) that deals with Syria, Iraq, and ISIS. And when the vote comes, I want you to vote no.”
For more info or to help organize: United for Justice with Peace, 617-383-4857, info@justicewithpeace.org

United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice.

We Demand Peace in Iraq & Syria!

Join us November 11^th and 15^th

Tuesday, Nov 11 12:00 pm Park Street Station Boston Rally folowed by the Armistice Day Parade of Veterans for Peace

Saturday, Nov 15 1:00 pm Park Street Station Boston Rally and march to Downtown Crossing with a mock drone and die-in

• Stop the Bombing in Syria and Iraq

• Bring the troops home now

• Stop sending weapons into the region which are leading to so much bloodshed

• Support humanitarian aid, through neutral institutions, for victims of the conflict

• Support self-determination and the demilitarization of the area

As we observe Armistice Day/Veterans Day next week, we are in a never-ending war and expanding military intervention, this time in Syria and Iraq. Our leaders say that these new wars will last for years. But over the past 13 years, this country has already spent one trillion, five hundred billion dollars for wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and other parts of the Middle East and South Asia. These military actions have brought hundreds of thousands of deaths, but neither peace nor security. Meanwhile, these hundreds of billions of dollars could have been used instead to provide for jobs, human needs and renewable energy.

The current campaign to sell this war has nothing to do with protecting us or the people of the area. Instead, it is intended to secure control of the area by repressive governments and sectarian militias allied (for the time being) with Washington. The current bombing campaign is a violation of the U.N. Charter and the U.S. constitution. In its sweep through Syria and Iraq, ISIS is using modern U.S. weapons that were previously sent into the region in order to stabilize a corrupt and brutal regime in Baghdad and to overthrow Syria’s government.

Is bombing an answer to these sectarian conflicts? Do these actions reflect the interests of working people in the U.S. or the peoples of the Middle East? We should not be involved militarily in a sectarian conflict that our war in Iraq set off. Rather, we should be support a policy of non-intervention and self-determination. Any real and lasting solution to the problems in the region must come from the peoples of that region themselves, not from the Pentagon. 

Call Congress at (202) 224-3121 and say: 
“I want Congress to reconvene immediately to fully debate a new “Authorization for Use of Military Force” (AUMF) that deals with Syria, Iraq, and ISIS. And when the vote comes, I want you to vote no.”
For more info or to help organize: United for Justice with Peace, 617-383-4857, info@justicewithpeace.org

United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice.

** Rasmea Defense Committee statement
Report on trial day 3:
Rasmea takes the stand!------------------------------------------------------------Rasmea’s supporters packed the courtroom in anticipation of her taking the stand, but the day began first with the continued testimony and cross examination of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Agent Douglas Scott Pierce. Under cross by defense attorney Jim Fennerty, Pierce revealed that in a previous case, he had testified that the questions on the naturalization forms can be “confusing,” especially for those who do not have fluency in the English language, and also acknowledged that older forms previously asked specifically about crimes, arrests, imprisonment, etc., “inside or outside the United States.”

This helped set the stage for Rasmea’s argument that she had always believed that the questions she is accused of answering falsely were asking about her time in the U.S., not Palestine. After additional testimony from Jennifer Williams, the immigration officer who actually interviewed Rasmea back in 2004, and from a fingerprint expert, the prosecution rested its case.

Lead defense attorney Michael Deutsch then called University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) professor Nadine Naber as his first witness. Naber, who is a leading scholar on Arab women and women of color in general, first met Rasmea back in 2006, and testified to their work together, describing how Rasmea’s organizing has changed the lives of hundreds of Arab immigrant women by creating a space for them to face the collective challenges they experience. Her testimony spoke to the character of Rasmea as a truthful person and mentor for her community.
Before Rasmea was called as the next witness, Judge Drain excused the jury to advise her and Deutsch on his previous rulings, reinforcing his restrictions on her testimony. He told them that she would not be able to speak about Israeli torture, stating that he did not want to “retry the case” of 1969. Rasmea responded firmly, “It’s my life, I have a right to talk about the things that happened to me!” Judge Drain refused to accede, restating that testimony referring to torture or her forced confession was inadmissible, and that if she violated his orders there would be consequences.
Nonetheless, Rasmea delivered heartfelt testimony that left the entire courtroom, as well as the overflow courtroom where dozens more were seated, in tears. She recounted her life story, one filled with tragedy and resilience, beginning with the Nakba, the “Catastrophe,” what Palestinians call the founding of the state of Israel in 1948, when 750,000 Palestinians were driven out of their homes. Rasmea and her family also lost their land and home in 1948, and were forced to live as refugees in a tent before making their way to Ramallah, where they lived at the time of the 1967 Israeli war and occupation of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and Gaza.

Then Rasmea told the jury about the Israeli raid on her home in 1969, when she was arrested along with her father and sisters. More than 500 Palestinians were swept up in mass arrests by Israel at the same time, and she broke down in tears when she recalled how the events of that night traumatized her sister to the point of an early death.
Although Rasmea was barred from testifying about the torture, she did tell the court that she spent 45 days in an interrogation center. Prosecutor Jonathan Tukel objected, and Judge Drain sustained the objection, reprimanding her. Deutsch then asked her if she was convicted, and Rasmea answered, “They convicted me falsely.” Again, the government objected and again the judge sustained the objection.

Later, Deutsch asked, “Did you try to escape?” in reference to one of Israel’s charges that the government has highlighted in this case. Rasmea answered boldly, “Of course, any political prisoner [would] try to escape!” While supporters in the overflow courtroom applauded this answer, the main courtroom heard another objection from Tukel. The judge sided with the government once more, and struck the political prisoner reference from the record.
The testimony continued with Rasmea describing her immigration to the United States, where she moved to care for her ailing father. When asked about the 1994 application for permanent residency filed in Jordan, she explained that all the answers on that form came from her brother. From the U.S., he had sent her a sample form, and she was to copy what he had written on the sample. “I couldn’t read [English], and I trust my brother. I didn’t read anything, I just copied [what] my brother said.”

When Deutsch asked about her responses on the 2004 application for naturalization, and why she had responded “No” to questions about whether she had been arrested, convicted or imprisoned, she explained that these questions followed directly three previous ones that asked explicitly about the U.S. “When I continued, my understanding was [that these questions were also] about the U.S., so I continued to say no.”
Deutsch later asked what she would have done if she had understood that the questions were intended to address imprisonment outside the U.S. as well. She answered, “If I knew it was about Israel, I would have said… It’s not a secret that I’ve been in jail. Even the embassy knows.” The U.S. embassy in Israel had become involved in the initial arrests because her father was a U.S. citizen at the time.

Rasmea will continue her testimony tomorrow, and after cross-examination by the government, both sides will make their closing arguments. The jury is not expected to begin deliberation until Monday, which is the earliest a verdict is expected.
Some 70 supporters were in the courtrooms today. Inspired by Rasmea’s incredible testimony, many are rearranging their plans to stay for Friday, and into Monday. Organizers in Detroit are scrambling to ensure housing and transportation for those who are extending their stay, and to prepare for the additional people arriving each day to join the fight for justice for Rasmea

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Copyright © 2014 Committee to Stop FBI Repression, All rights reserved.
Thanks for your ongoing interest in the fight against FBI repression of anti-war and international solidarity activists!
Our mailing address is:
Committee to Stop FBI Repression
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"The Next Day" MobilizationThe Black is Back Coalition calls on everyone to take to the streets on the day after the Ferguson grand jury says that Darren Wilson is not a murderer

Watch the video of Lawrence Hamm, Black is Back Coalition member and Chairman of the People's Organization for Progress, make the call for "Next Day" actions. For more information visit blackisbackcoalition.org or call 727-821-6620.

Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations blackisbackcoalition.org • /bibcoalition  @BlackisBack_

 

From Florida to Denver, Wendy’s hears from a fed up Fair Food Nation… With the fall picking season just around the corner, farmworkers in Immokalee and Fair Food activists across the country crank up creative Wendy’s actions… Between farmworkers returning to Florida for the start of the new harvest season and allies in cooler climes taking to the streets for vibrant Fair Food protests, it is safe to say that fall is finally here!  And after three great Wendy’s actions last week, you can be fairly certain that the fast food giant is also sensing a change in the air. The always inspiring Denver Fair Food, pictured above, took advantage of the Day of the Dead holiday to put together a colorful Wendy’s action in Colorado; T’ruah’s “Tomato Rabbis” headed to Wendy’s in Naples, Florida, to make their voices heard during a multi-day exchange with the CIW; and Ohio Fair Food hit up Wendy’s headquarters in Dublin, Ohio, to take the fast food chain to task for failing to support farmworker women’s rights.  We’ve prepared a brief report from all these high-energy actions: First up: #TomatoRabbis visit Immokalee… T’ruah — the “Rabbinic Call for Human Rights (that) brings together rabbis and cantors from all streams of Judaism, together with all members of the Jewish community, to act on the Jewish imperative to respect and advance the human rights of all people” — brought a delegation of rabbis to Immokalee last week for an extended visit with the CIW and a tour of the Fair Food Program... Don't miss beautiful photos and full reports from the Tomato Rabbis, Denver Fair Food, and Ohio Fair Food over at the CIW website!

The Class Struggle Continues...In Boston 

Markin comment   

There is no question that now that her trial, if one can called what took place down in Fort Meade a trial in the summer of 2013 rather than a travesty, that a year after her conviction on twenty plus counts and having received an outrageous thirty-five year sentence essentially for telling us the truth about American atrocities and  nefarious actions in Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever else the American government can stick its nose that Chelsea Manning's case has dropped from view. Although she occasionally gets an Op/Ed opportunity and has several legal moves going from action to get the  necessary hormonal treatments reflecting her real sexual identity to now preparing the first appeal of her conviction to another military tribunal the popular uproar against her imprisonment has become a hush. While the appeals process may produce some results, perhaps a reduction in sentence, the short way home for her is a presidential pardon right now. I urge everybody to sign on to the Amnesty International petition above to put the pressure on President Barack Obama for clemency.                   

 

I attended some of the sessions of Chelsea Manning’s court-martial in the summer of 2013 and am often asked about what she could expect from the various procedures going forward to try to “spring” her from the clutches of the American government, or as I say whenever I get the chance to not leave “our buddy behind” in the time-honored military parlance. I have usually answered depending on what stage her post-conviction case is in that her sentence was draconian by all standards for someone who did not, although they tried to pin this on her, “aid the enemy.” Certainly Judge Lind though she was being lenient with thirty-five years when the government wanted sixty (and originally more before some of the counts were consolidated). The next step was to appeal, really now that I think about it, a pro forma appeal to the commanding general of the Washington, D.C. military district where the trial was held. There were plenty of grounds to reduce the sentence but General Buchanan backed up his trial judge in the winter of 2014. Leaving Chelsea supporters right now with only the prospect of a presidential pardon to fight for as the court appeals are put together which will take some time.

No question since her trial, conviction, and draconian sentence of thirty-five years imposed by a vindictive American government heroic Wiki-leaks whistle-blower Chelsea Manning’s has fallen off the radar. The incessant news cycle which has a short life cycle covered her case sporadically, covered the verdict, covered the sentencing and with some snickers cover her announcement directly after the sentencing that she wanted to live as her true self, a woman. (A fact that her supporters were aware of prior to the announcement but agreed that the issue of her sexual identity should not get mixed up with her heroic actions.) Since then despite occasional public rallies and actions her case had tended, as most political prisoner cases do, to get caught up in the appeals process and that keeps it out of the limelight.            

On Sunday October 12^th Chelsea Manning was honored and remembered by the Veterans For Peace, Smedley Butler Brigade with a banner calling for her freedom as they marched in the annual Honk parade which goes through Somerville, Ma into Harvard Square for the Octoberfest. The banner drew applause and return shouts of “Free Chelsea.” The Smedley Butler Brigade continues to stand behind our sister. We will not leave her behind. We also urge everybody to sign the Amnesty International on-line petition calling on President Obama to use his constitutional authority to pardon Chelsea Manning

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/usa-one-year-after-her-conviction-chelsea-manning-must-be-released-2014-07-30  

I got my start in working with anti-war GIs back in the early 1970s after my own military service was over. After my own service I felt a compelling need to fight the monster from the outside after basically fruitless and difficult efforts inside. That work included helping create a couple of GI coffeehouses near Fort Devens in Massachusetts and down at Fort Dix in New Jersey in order for GIs to have a “friendly” space in which to think through what they wanted to do in relationship to the military.

Some wanted help to apply for the then tough to get discharge for conscientious objection. Tough because once inside the military, at least this was the way things went, the military argued against the depth of the applying soldier’s convictions and tended to dismiss such applications out of hand. Only after a few civil court cases opened up the application process later when the courts ruled that the military was acting arbitrarily and capriciously in rejecting such applications out of hand did things open up a little in that channel. Others wanted to know their rights against what they were told by their officers and NCOs. But most, the great majority, wanted a place, a non-military place, a non-GI club, where they could get away from the smell, taste and macho talk of war.

Although there are still a few places where the remnants of coffeehouses exist like the classic Oleo Strut down at Fort Hood in Texas the wars of the past decade or so had produced no great GI resistance. There are many reasons for this, mainly the kind of volunteer the military accepts but probably a greater factor is that back then was the dominance of the citizen-soldier, the draftee, in stirring things up, stirring things up inside as a reflection of what was going on out on the streets and on the campuses. I still believe that in the final analysis you have to get to the “cannon fodder,” the grunts, the private soldier if you want to stop the incessant war machine. Check out what happened, for example, on Russian the front when the desperate soldiers left the trenches during 1917 after they got fed up with the Czar and the whole mess.