[Peace-discuss] [sf-core] Re: ITS A FRESH WIND THAT BLOWS AGAINST THE EMPIRE

Fri Mar 16 00:15:21 UTC 2012

I wrote this to David Gill after the "debate".

I'm sorry to say tht despite your very admirable strong positions on health care, women's rights, and the noxious influence of corporate money in our body politic, I felt disappointed in your responses regarding the military budget and your position regarding Iran. They were weak and equivocal. Saying you agreed with Obama's military budget was not a good sign for me—Obama's so-called reductions are more a retreat from a higher military budget than a true decrease. And instead of emphasizing that there is no evidence for Iran having a nuclear weapon program, you seemed to go along with the strong sanctions on Iran and the President's red line propaganda. Unless you say that nuclear weapons should be eliminated from the middle East—that means from Israel and on U.S. warships—there is no moral reason why Iran should not do what it is doing now, simply enriching Uranium, even if ultimately that could be used for weaponry. In fact they are far from that stage and they have a right to their deterrent as much as anyone else. Their bellicosity is no match for that of the U.S. and Israel.  Yes, you did advocate a quick withdrawal from Afghanistan; you might also have said that the drone program was murderous and counterproductive. And then there are the severe human rights issues.

Just my thoughts having listened to the debate. You were better than your primary opponent, but will not have made anti-war folks comfortable with with your foreign policy positions. 

I do appreciate the pressures you feel with regard to these questions. 

Mort Brussel

On Mar 15, 2012, at 7:00 PM, C. G. Estabrook wrote:

> Johnson has said that he was wrong to vote for the invasion of Iraq.  
> And he now votes consistently against any appropriations for war in  
> the Mideast. (And he's taken other actions consistent with that  
> position, such as joining the lawsuit against Obama's illegal assault  
> on Libya.)
> 
> Gill so far as I know has not said he was wrong to have supported the  
> occupation of Afghanistan (as outlined by Conservative MP Rory  
> Stewart). And he defended the initial assault on AfPak in last night's  
> debate (as did his Democratic opponent).  He also praised Obama's Iran  
> policy!
> 
> I differ with a lot of Johnson's politics - as I said when I ran  
> against him as a Green a decade ago. But he's a sure vote against the  
> war, and we can't say that we'll let the government continue to kill  
> people in Asia and Africa because we don't like some war opponents'  
> views on the deficit.
> 
> Regards, CGE
> 
> On Mar 15, 2012, at 6:41 PM, lightport at sbcglobal.net wrote:
> 
>> Actions speak louder than words.....Tim Johnson voted FOR the war in  
>> Iraq under Bush.  The ONLY reason that he does not support it now is  
>> b'c we have a democratic president!  I agree with you that wars  
>> should be stopped, but let's not glorify a Congressman who has done  
>> nothing for labor, nothing for women's right to choose, or LGBT  
>> rights.  Tim Johnson does not represent MOST progressive causes.   
>> Time for a change!
>> David Gill is against all the wars!  I heard him say this at the  
>> Dems dinner.  You need to check him out more carefully.
>> -Germaine
>> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: "C. G. Estabrook" <cge at shout.net>
>> Sender: sf-core at yahoogroups.com
>> Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:34:50
>> To: <ewj at pigs.ag>
>> Cc: Peace Discuss<Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>; sf-core<sf-core at yahoogroups.com 
>>> 
>> Subject: [sf-core] Re: [Peace-discuss] ITS A FRESH WIND THAT BLOWS  
>> AGAINST THE EMPIRE
>> 
>> The differences between (some) Republicans and (some) Democrats on war
>> - or rather, on the Obama administration's killing spree in Asia and
>> Africa - were on display at the University of Illinois last night.
>> 
>> A local TV station presented a debate between two Democrats (Matt
>> Goetten, David Gill) running for the local Congressional seat.
>> Practically the only mention of the war - beyond the assertion by both
>> that they supported the invasion of Afghanistan, and Gill's thanks to
>> Goetten for his "service" in Afghanistan (as the late George Carlin
>> put it, service is an odd word for killing people) -  came in their
>> agreement that they supported the Obama administration's policy toward
>> Iran (which includes threats contrary to the UN Charter), including
>> its lie that Iran's ability to make a nuclear weapon constitutes a
>> great danger - in a region where Israel has hundreds and the US has
>> thousands of such weapons.
>> 
>> Meanwhile, across town, a large rally heard Republican Rep. Ron Paul -
>> endorsed by the current holder of the Congressional seat, Rep. Timothy
>> Johnson - say that "he wants to end all foreign wars and bring all
>> troops home."
>> 
>> President Obama has killed people with drone attacks in six countries,
>> illegally: Rep. Paul pointed out that the Constitution forbids such
>> things without a Congressional declaration of war.  “We have a good
>> Constitution,” he said. “We just need to use it every once in a  
>> while.”
>> 
>> --CGE
>> 
>> 
>> On Mar 15, 2012, at 9:53 AM, <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:
>> 
>>> finally...
>>> 
>>> i was absent...
>>> <
>>> 0315_LOCA_6Ron_Paul
>>> .JPG
>>>> 
>>> <
>>> 0315_LOCA_23Ron_Paul
>>> .JPG><0315_LOCA_25Ron_Paul.JPG><0315_LOCA_27Ron_Paul.JPG>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Peace-discuss mailing list
>>> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>>> http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss
>> 
>> 
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