From karenaram at hotmail.com Mon Aug 1 16:31:04 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2016 16:31:04 +0000 Subject: [Peace] Fw: Urgent: Chelsea Manning being charged for suicide attempt In-Reply-To: <2940916814.218364235@wfc.wfcDB.reply.salsalabs.com> References: <2940916814.218364235@wfc.wfcDB.reply.salsalabs.com> Message-ID: Please sign the petition. ________________________________ From: info=rootsaction.org at mail.salsalabs.net on behalf of RootsAction Team Sent: Monday, August 1, 2016 9:54 AM Subject: Urgent: Chelsea Manning being charged for suicide attempt [https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/images/RA_Header.jpg] [https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/images/donate3bucks200b.png] Urgent: Chelsea Manning is being charged for her own suicide attempt, faces indefinite solitary confinement! [https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/images/chelseasuicideEMAIL.jpg] [GRAPHIC: Sign here button] [https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/images/btn_facebook_icon_sm.jpg] Share this action on Facebook [https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/6503/images/btn_twitter_icon_sm.jpg] Share this action on Twitter After years of inhumane treatment, and having been held in conditions that the UN considers to be torture, Chelsea Manning, the Guardian columnist and whistleblower who has been in prison for years serving a 35-year sentence for exposing some of the U.S. government's worst abuses, attempted to take her own life on July 5th, 2016. Click here to tell the Army not to use this as an excuse to further punish Chelsea or to prevent her exercising the right to speach. Army officials have informed Chelsea Manning that she is facing serious new charges directly related to her suicide attempt. These new charges include: 1) Resisting a group of prison guards called "the force cell move team" (Chelsea was unconscious when this team arrived, which makes this charge particularly absurd.) 2) Prohibited property (for the items she used to attempt to take her own life.) 3) Conduct which threatens (for somehow putting the prison at risk while attempting to take her own life, quietly, in her own cell.) Click here to inist on humane and legal treatment, and the dropping of these charges. If convicted of these bizarre "administrative offenses," that are effectively charging her for attempting to end her life, she is facing indefinite solitary confinement for the rest of her prison term (another 30 years), "maximum security" classification (in the same facility), and nearly a decade before she can ever be classified as a "minimum security" prisoner. It is unnecessarily cruel to threaten Chelsea with additional punishment while in this very vulnerable state. The government is trying to silence her important voice––for good. Chelsea has been systematically mistreated by the U.S. government since she was first taken into custody in 2010, including long stretches of extreme solitary confinement even before she had ever been convicted. Chelsea is a transgender woman being forced to serve out her sentence in an all-male prison, which is in itself dehumanizing and exhausting emotionally. She is currently being denied medical treatment for her gender dysphoria, which experts have stated is the only course of treatment through which she would no longer be suicidal. This is not the first time the government has harassed Chelsea with outrageous charges while in prison. Last year, they threatened her with solitary confinement for minor "infractions" including possession of LGBTQ reading materials and an expired tube of toothpaste. RootsAction and Fight for the Future and other groups gathered more than 100,000 petition signatures in response, and the outcry we generated kept her out of solitary. Now we need to do it again. Please, sign the petition and spread the word. Chelsea is depending on us. Well, I rapped upon a house With the U.S. flag upon display I said, "Could you help me out I got some friends down the way" The man says, "Get out of here I'll tear you limb from limb" I said, "You know they refused Jesus, too" He said, "You’re not Him." -- Bob Dylan Click here to help Chelsea Manning. After signing the petition, please use the tools on the next webpage to share it with your friends. This work is only possible with your financial support. Please chip in $3 now. -- The RootsAction.org Team P.S. RootsAction is an independent online force endorsed by Jim Hightower, Barbara Ehrenreich, Cornel West, Daniel Ellsberg, Glenn Greenwald, Naomi Klein, Bill Fletcher Jr., Laura Flanders, former U.S. Senator James Abourezk, Coleen Rowley, Frances Fox Piven, Lila Garrett, Phil Donahue, Sonali Kolhatkar, and many others. Background: > ACLU Press Release > Fight for the Future Press Release www.RootsAction.org [Donate button] [Facebook button] [Twitter button] Click here to unsubscribe and stop ALL email from RootsAction. [empowered by Salsa] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Mon Aug 1 20:28:04 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2016 15:28:04 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Latin American Studies Assn. "emergency resolution on Brazil" Message-ID: Please make sure that all your friends in LASA see this. ----- Original message ----- From: Latin American Studies Association Subject: Your vote needed on LASA Resolution Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2016 15:32:48 -0400 *Your Member ID: 20660* *Your Password: 20660WeMa* Dear LASA Member, You are requested to consider and to vote on an emergency resolution on Brazil approved by the LASA Executive Council for submission to the membership. The resolution has met the requirements stipulated by the LASA By-laws, in that it was submitted at least 24 hours before the scheduled start of the LASA Business Meeting during the LASA Congress and was signed by at least 30 members in good standing. Also as required by the By-laws the resolution was reviewed by the Subcommittee on Resolutions, was approved by at least two‑thirds majority vote of the Executive Council and was presented at the LASA Business Meeting. Please note that in order for the resolution to pass, twenty percent of the current membership must vote and the majority must vote in favor of the resolution. The results of the vote shall be posted in the subsequent issue of the *LASA Forum* and posted on the LASA Internet site. Again, in keeping with the By-laws, the deadline for your vote is *August 6*. Please click here, http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/auth/prot/Resolutions/?l=eng, to access the resolutions and vote. Thank you, Milagros Pereyra Rojas Executive Director ** *Su núnero de miembro: 20660* *Su clave: 20660WeMa* Estimada/o miembro de LASA, Se le pide que considere y vote sobre una resolución de emergencia sobre Brasil aprobada por el Consejo Ejecutivo de LASA para su presentación a los miembros. La resolución ha cumplido con los requisitos estipulados por los Estatutos de LASA, ya que fue presentada al menos 24 horas antes del inicio de la Reunión de Negocios de LASA durante el Congreso de LASA y fue firmada por al menos 30 miembros de pleno derecho. También como es requerido por los Estatutos, la resolución fue revisada por el Subcomité de Resoluciones, fue aprobada por al menos dos tercios del Consejo Ejecutivo y fue presentada en la Reunión de Negocios de LASA. Por favor tenga en cuenta que para que la resolución sea aprobada, el veinte por ciento de la membresía actual debe votar y la mayoría debe votar a favor de la resolución. Los resultados de la votación serán publicados en la edición posterior del *LASA Forum* y se publicarán en el sitio de internet de LASA. Una vez más, de acuerdo con los Estatutos, la fecha límite para su voto es el *6 de agosto*. Por favor cliquee aqui, http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/auth/prot/Resolutions/?l=esp, para acceder a la resolución y votar. Gracias, Milagros Pereyra Rojas Directora Ejecutiva *Sua ID de membro: 20660* *Sua senha: 20660WeMa* Prezado membro da LASA, Solicitamos que você considere e vote numa resolução emergencial sobre o Brasil, aprovada pelo Conselho Executivo da LASA para ser submetida à votação pelos membros. A resolução atendeu aos requisitos estipulados pelos estatutos da LASA já que foi submetida, no mínimo, 24 horas antes do início da Reunião de Negócios da LASA durante o Congresso da LASA e foi assinada, no mínimo, por 30 membros credenciados. Além disso, conforme exigido pelos estatutos, a resolução foi analisada pelo Subcomitê sobre Resoluções, aprovada, no mínimo, por dois terços dos votos majoritários do Comitê Executivo e apresentada na Reunião de Negócios da LASA. Lembramos que, para que a resolução seja aprovada, vinte porcento dos membros atuais devem votar e a maioria deve votar a favor da resolução. Os resultados da votação serão publicados na subsequente edição do *LASA Forum *e postados no site da Internet da LASA. Além disso, de acordo com os estatutos, o prazo final para recebimento do seu voto é *06 de agosto*. Clique aqui, http://lasa.international.pitt.edu/auth/prot/Resolutions/?l=por, para acessar as resoluções e votar. Obrigado. Milagros Pereyra Rojas Diretora Executiva -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Wed Aug 3 00:02:05 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2016 00:02:05 +0000 Subject: [Peace] Fw: Jill picked her VP! In-Reply-To: <57a11d9c82628_7c68981cb90958d6@asgworker-qmb2-i-e3785873.nbuild.prd.useast1.3dna.io.mail> References: <57a11d9c82628_7c68981cb90958d6@asgworker-qmb2-i-e3785873.nbuild.prd.useast1.3dna.io.mail> Message-ID: ________________________________ Subject: Jill picked her VP! [Jill 2016] You may have already heard Jill announced her pick for vice president: Ajamu Baraka. [SteinBarakaHeader.jpg] We're excited about Ajamu and you should be, too. Here's why: * Ajamu is an internationally recognized human rights activist, organizer and geo-political analyst * He was the founding executive director of the U.S. Human Rights Network * Ajamu is also the coordinator of the U.S.-based Black Left Unity Network's Committee on International Affairs * Ajamu has served on the boards of various national and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International (USA), the National Center for Human Rights Education, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Africa Action, Latin American Caribbean Community Center, Diaspora Afrique and the Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights * Ajamu is a member of the Green Shadow Cabinet, an alternative to the dysfunctional D.C. establishment * He's also an associate fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) in Washington, D.C. * Ajamu's media footprint is huge. He's been an editor and contributing columnist for Black Agenda Report, and he has appeared on and been covered in a wide-range of print, broadcast, and digital media outlets such as CNN, BBC, the Tavis Smiley Show, ABC's World News Tonight, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and Telemundo. Basically, Ajamu really knows what he's talking about when it comes to the issues that matter to you and the majority of Americans: workers' rights, sustainable jobs, a healthy environment, immigrant justice, and a foreign policy based on international law and human rights. Now Jill is ready to take on the establishment with Ajamu, who she's called a "powerful, eloquent spokesperson for the transformative, radical agenda whose time has come -- one of economic, social, racial, gender, climate, indigenous and immigrant justice." Jill and Ajamu are ready to criss-cross the country to build a party that actually meets the needs of 60 percent of Americans who don't identify with the establishment politics of Democrats and Republicans. We're incredibly excited to formally nominate Jill and Ajamu as our standard-bearers Saturday at the Green Party's convention. It's in our hands! The Jill Stein for President campaign team [donate_button_orange.png] [Jill 2016] [Facebook] [Twitter] [YouTube] [Tumblr] This email was sent to karenaram at hotmail.com. Click here to Unsubscribe. Paid for by Jill Stein for President PO Box 260197, Madison, WI 53726 Created with NationBuilder -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Wed Aug 3 02:23:04 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2016 02:23:04 +0000 Subject: [Peace] AWARE Anti-war demonstration this Saturday at Church and Neil Message-ID: AWARE's 1st. Saturday of the month anti-war demonstration will take place as usual downtown Champaign, corner of Neil and Church Street @ 2:00pm, this Saturday August 6th. All are welcome to join, we have signs available from which to choose. Or join with some of us who represent the Prairie Greens at the Esquire Lounge at 12:30-1:00pm in the back room., as a prelude to AWARE's anti-war demonstration against war. With the recent airstrikes by the US in Libya, the city of Sirte, which contains a population of 80,000 civilians, a city already almost destroyed........... -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Wed Aug 3 13:01:24 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Wed, 3 Aug 2016 13:01:24 +0000 Subject: [Peace] More airstrikes in new US war in Libya Message-ID: More airstrikes in new US war in Libya By Peter Symonds 3 August 2016 US airstrikes on the Libyan coast city of Sirte, which began on Monday, continued yesterday as part of what American officials have made clear will be an ongoing military campaign. While nominally directed against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militias, the fresh eruption of American militarism is more broadly aimed at ensuring US dominance in the region. Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis told the media that the US had hit five locations in Sirte on Monday and two yesterday, targeting tanks, vehicles, a rocket launcher and ISIS positions in the city. According to Associated Press, Marine Corps strike aircraft based on the USS Wasp, an amphibious assault ship in the Mediterranean, participated in the raids. The UN-backed puppet regime in Tripoli, the Government of National Accord (GNA), gave Washington the fig leaf of its formal approval to conduct the airstrikes. GNA units drawn from various militia groups are currently engaged in an offensive to drive ISIS fighters out of Sirte. Davis declared that the US military was simply assisting the GNA to retake Sirte, saying that “the duration of the operation will be measured based upon the length of time it takes for them to do that objective.” He claimed that the US airstrikes would likely last “weeks not months.” Davis indicated, however, that the commitment to the GNA “absolutely will endure”, even though “for right now” the target was Sirte. Unnamed US officials told Reuters that Monday’s raids marked the start of a sustained air campaign rather than another isolated strike. The previous US airstrikes took place in February on an ISIS training camp in the western city of Sabratha. Washington has been preparing a new military intervention in the oil-rich North African nation for months. General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in late May that a “long term mission” involving thousands of US troops was imminent. The delay has been in securing the GNA’s seal of approval. Speaking to the Military Times, US officials would not say whether there were US soldiers on the ground in Libya. However, they did acknowledge that small “contact teams” of special operations troops had gone into and out of the country in recent months to gather intelligence and forge alliances with local militias. British, French and Italian special forces have also been active in Libya. While Washington is justifying its new military operations in the name of the “war on terror”, the US-led military intervention in Libya in 2011 is directly responsible for creating ISIS and giving it a foothold in the country. The US and its allies relied heavily on militias linked to Al Qaeda to topple the Libyan government and murder its leader Muammar Gaddafi. The same Islamist militias, along with large quantities of Libyan arms, were then shipped off to take part in the new US-sponsored regime-change operation in Syria. The ISIS forces that seized control of Sirte last year are the US proxies that returned from the bloody Syrian civil war. The US claim to be acting in the name of a legitimate government is a sham. The unelected pro-Western GNA regime headed by Fayez al-Sarraj was patched together out of competing factions as part of an agreement signed just last December with the approval of the UN Security Council. It was only installed in Tripoli in March. A rival government based in the eastern city of Benghazi is headed by General Khalifa Haftar, a long-standing CIA asset who was prominent among the American proxy forces that ousted Gaddafi and is bitterly opposed to the GNA. Yesterday, Ahmed Mesmarri, a spokesman for Hafter’s forces, denounced the US airstrikes, declaring that Washington “had no permission, even under the cover of fighting extremism.” A parliamentarian representing the eastern government Abubaker Baira told the Wall Street Journal: “Unfortunately all sides of the Libyan conflict happily open their doors to this so-called military or political support, even if covertly, in the hope it will empower them against their domestic enemies.” Like Tripoli, Benghazi is a cesspool of international intrigue. Even though formally recognising the GNA, France has provided support to the Haftar regime along with Egypt and some of the Gulf States. French involvement was graphically exposed last week when President Francois Hollande acknowledged that three French security agents had been killed when their helicopter was shot down near Benghazi earlier last month. Yesterday, France attempted to mend relations with Tripoli by declaring its full support for the GNA and its efforts to unify the country. The new US military intervention in Libya takes place amidst rising tensions in the Middle East and Eastern Europe with Russia as well as in the Asia Pacific with China. The airstrikes in Sirte, which are undoubtedly the opening shot of a far broader operation, are not only designed to consolidate Washington’s grip over Libya and its oil fields but are meant as a warning to Moscow and Beijing. The decision to launch a new war was taken behind the backs of the American population with no attempt to secure congressional approval. The Obama administration absurdly cited the 2001 Authorisation for Use of Military Force that approved military action against those who had planned and carried out the 9/11 terrorist attacks. ISIS not only did not exist in 2001 but is now the sworn enemy of Al Qaeda. Obama issued no formal statement on the launching of another war, but made a few perfunctory remarks at a joint press conference yesterday with Singapore’s prime minister. After justifying the 2011 intervention as necessary to prevent a bloodbath, he declared that the new military operations were “to begin what is going to be a long process to establish a functioning government and security system there.” In reality, as in Iraq and Syria, the latest front in US imperialism’s never-ending “war on terror” will only spell new disasters for the Libyan people as Washington resorts to ever more desperate and reckless measures to secure its economic and strategic interests against its rivals. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From briandolinar at gmail.com Sat Aug 6 19:20:04 2016 From: briandolinar at gmail.com (Brian Dolinar) Date: Sat, 6 Aug 2016 14:20:04 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Fwd: Stop Champaign County Board's Scheme to Fund Jail Building - Urgent Action! In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: People needed Tuesday night to oppose referendum for a jail expansion! BD ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Kristina Khan Date: Sat, Aug 6, 2016 at 1:02 PM Subject: Stop Champaign County Board's Scheme to Fund Jail Building - Urgent Action! To: buildprogramsnotjails at gmail.com Stop the County Board's Latest Scheme to Fund Jail Building - Urgent Action Required! *Tuesday, August 9th 6:30pm at the Brookens Administration Building (1776 E. Washington St. Urbana)* What's happening? The Champaign County Board is sneaking a multi-million dollar satellite jail expansion package within a “Facilities Action Plan” that they will discuss on Tuesday, August 9th and vote on on Thursday, August 18th. In an attempt to mask the plan for building more cells at the satellite jail facility, the county has included within this plan necessary repairs and maintenance of other facilities in with the proposal. *Jail construction, however, makes up 75% of the budget for the priority facility cost as outlined in the county’s plan; making this a “jail referendum” NOT a “facility referendum” as it is being advertised. * For years, Champaign-Urbana citizens have voiced their opposition to further jail construction and have asked the board to push for alternatives to incarceration, including a mental health crisis facility. The current proposal does not allocate a single cent of immediate funding from the sales tax for facilities and programs that will keep people out of jail. Community members have also asked for attention and information about the deaths of three Champaign residents who died in the jail within a 7 month period; deaths which have yet to be adequately addressed by county officials. Routine maintenance on county facilities and continued advocacy for critical community programs for the health and safety of our county deserves support. However, we remain in opposition to expanding the satellite jail and feel that this “Action Plan” put forth by the board comprises much needed maintenance by attaching millions of dollars in unpopular jail construction. *Mobilize to the board meeting on Tuesday, August 9th at 6:30pm at Brookens Admin. Building (1776 E. Washington St., Urbana) and stop the board from proceeding with this “plan”. * For more information and to see the county's facilities proposal document referenced in this email please visit our site. Build Programs, Not Jails -- Brian Dolinar, Ph.D. briandolinar.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Mon Aug 8 02:03:19 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2016 02:03:19 +0000 Subject: [Peace] Documentary film based on Michelle Alexanders chapter 2 of te New Jim Crow. Message-ID: Monday (Tomorrow) 6-7:30 at the Baha'i Center, we'll show the documentary film "The House I Live In", which exposes the various legalized policies in place that allow a disproportionate number of young black men to be funneled into the prison system. Also exposes the monetary greed involved. The information in the film is the same as outlined in chapter 2 of Michelle Alexander's book "The New Jim Crow", -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Mon Aug 8 15:42:52 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2016 15:42:52 +0000 Subject: [Peace] Onward from the Convention! In-Reply-To: <57a88d35a47de_1434a3c2558548aa@asgworker-qmb2-i-782205e6.nbuild.prd.useast1.3dna.io.mail> References: <57a88d35a47de_1434a3c2558548aa@asgworker-qmb2-i-782205e6.nbuild.prd.useast1.3dna.io.mail> Message-ID: On Aug 8, 2016, at 06:46, Illinois Green Party > wrote: [Illinois Green Party] Your Illinois Green Party delegates were at the Green Party Convention in Houston this weekend to take part in selecting the party's Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates. We were thrilled to meet with Dr. Jill Stein and her running mate Ajamu Baraka, who will be heading the Green Party ticket on ballots this November 8th. [Illinois Greens with Stein and Baraka] From now until Election Day, the Illinois Green Party is running an all-out ground game across the entire state. Your donations help us provide staff, supplies, and support to volunteer teams! Click Here to Donate to the Illinois Green Party Interested in helping out beyond donations? Visit our Volunteer page and tell us how you'd like to get involved! Volunteers are the heart of our people-powered campaign. As Dr. Stein says...it's in our hands! Illinois Green Party http://www.ilgp.org/ Illinois Green Party · 213 S Wheaton Ave · Wheaton IL 60187 Facebook · Twitter This email was sent to karenaram at hotmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here. Created with NationBuilder, the essential toolkit for leaders. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Thu Aug 11 15:54:43 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2016 15:54:43 +0000 Subject: [Peace] We're going to be on CNN! In-Reply-To: <57ac9e69408c5_6781626bec412265@asgworker-qmb2-i-cee73057.nbuild.prd.useast1.3dna.io.mail> References: <57ac9e69408c5_6781626bec412265@asgworker-qmb2-i-cee73057.nbuild.prd.useast1.3dna.io.mail> Message-ID: On Aug 11, 2016, at 08:48, Jill Stein > wrote: [Jill 2016] We're having a moment here at Stein/Baraka HQ. In less than a week, Jill and Ajamu will be appearing on prime-time TV! They'll answer questions from a live audience about their plan to create an economy that works for all of us (not just the 1 percent) at their first CNN Town Hall. And we’d like to invite you to attend and host watch parties all over the country! [CNN-town-hall-meme.png] We get what you may be thinking. It’s totally unexpected for a candidate who pulled in less than one-half of one percent of the popular vote in 2012 to now poll as high as 7 percent in recent polls. And now she’s going to be hosting her own CNN Town Hall! So how did we come this far? It took millions of people realizing they were in an abusive relationship with the two-party system. It took years of putting up with declining wages and unaffordable health care. It took 43 million Americans swimming in $1.3 trillion in student debt. It took 400,000 people marching in the streets of New York City and demonstrating against policies that have stuck us in climate change's devastating path. It took Black Lives Matter activists stopping traffic on major highways to bring attention to unarmed blacks being five times more likely than unarmed whites to be shot and killed by a police officer. Jill’s message is not new. In 2012, she spoke about the same issues. But this year, millions of Americans have caught on and they’ve decided it’s time for a breakup with the political establishment. This country needs a World War II-style mobilization before rising sea levels engulf millions of homes, student loans continue eating through paychecks and systemic racism drives our country into further chaos. Will you attend or host a party to watch Jill’s CNN Town Hall on Wednesday, August 17? A Green New Deal is what our country needs. Next Wednesday, we need to make sure Jill’s message reaches its largest audience yet. It’s in our hands! The Jill Stein Campaign Team P.S. Are you going to attend or host a CNN Town Hall watch party? RSVP to an event or post details about your party! [Jill 2016] [Facebook] [Twitter] [YouTube] [Tumblr] This email was sent to karenaram at hotmail.com. Click here to Unsubscribe. PAID FOR BY JILL STEIN FOR PRESIDENT PO BOX 260197, MADISON, WI 53726 Created with NationBuilder -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From kmedina67 at gmail.com Sun Aug 14 18:13:29 2016 From: kmedina67 at gmail.com (Karen Medina) Date: Sun, 14 Aug 2016 13:13:29 -0500 Subject: [Peace] links to the videos of Kathy Kelly's July 2016 visit Message-ID: Links to the videos of Kathy Kelly's July 2016 visit (thank you Jason at UPTV!!!) 1) Interview with Kathy Kelly at Channing-Murray - https://youtu.be/twXz-SPnW6E 2) Holly Curia playing music before the talk - https://youtu.be/2ukkRFIfAGc 3) Kathy Kelly's talk - https://youtu.be/01P-irUAo3s -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Tue Aug 16 15:47:41 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Tue, 16 Aug 2016 10:47:41 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Please call Durbin today on arms deal & (US-backed) Saudi war in Yemen Message-ID: I just made my call. Takes 15 seconds to call. Takes 10 seconds to fill out the callback report and add to the tally we can report to people in DC. 160 people reported to us yesterday that they called House offices, and that was after we sent email to 100,000 people, so if you call and report your call, you are one in 1000, even among people who care enough about this stuff to be on an email list devoted to it. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Just Foreign Policy Date: Tue, Aug 16, 2016 at 10:10 AM Subject: Urge your Senator to stop enabling Saudi bombing of kids in Yemen To: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org [image: Just Foreign Policy] Dear Robert, Following the news this past weekend that a Saudi-led coalition airstrike killed 10 children while they were studying in a school in Yemen, California Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu said : “I have tried numerous times to work with the Administration to stop the United States from assisting Saudi Arabia in their indiscriminate killing of civilians in Yemen. But when Saudi Arabia continues to kill civilians, and in this case children, enough is enough. Having served on active duty, one of my responsibilities was to teach the Law of War. I am also a graduate of Air War College. The indiscriminate civilian killings by Saudi Arabia look like war crimes to me. In this case, children as young as 8 were killed by Saudi Arabian air strikes. By assisting Saudi Arabia, the United States is aiding and abetting what appears to be war crimes in Yemen. The Administration must stop enabling this madness now.” *Call Sen. Dick Durbin, now at (202) 224-2152 <%28202%29%20224-2152>.* When you reach a staffer or leave a message, you can say something like: "The US should stop enabling Saudi Arabia's bombing of children in Yemen. I urge you to oppose the proposed Saudi arms deal." When you've made your call, *please report it here .* And if you haven't yet signed our petition urging Congress to block the deal *you can do that here .* Thanks for all you do to help make U.S. foreign policy more just, Robert Naiman, Avram Reisman, and Sarah Burns Just Foreign Policy *Help support our work!* If you think our work is important, support us with a $15 donation. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate [image: Please support our work. Donate for a Just Foreign Policy] © 2016 Just Foreign Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Wed Aug 17 17:55:50 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2016 12:55:50 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Tell Tammy Duckworth: Stop Saudi Arms Sales Until Carnage in Yemen Ends Message-ID: Tammy Duckworth isn't our Rep. But she wants to be our Senator. So, I figure, she should care what we think. I made my call. The office was very nice. I detected no complaint when I gave my address in Urbana. If we could get Tammy to come out against this, it would be quite a coup. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Robert Naiman, Just Foreign Policy Date: Wed, Aug 17, 2016 at 12:37 PM Subject: Tell Tammy Duckworth: Stop Saudi Arms Sales Until Carnage in Yemen Ends To: naiman.uiuc at gmail.com [image: Just Foreign Policy] Dear Robert, Today the *New York Times* had a *very strong editorial* calling for Congress to block the proposed Saudi arms deal. The NYT said: Congress should put the arms sales on hold and President Obama should quietly inform Riyadh that the United States will withdraw crucial assistance if the Saudis do not stop targeting civilians and agree to negotiate peace. *Rep. Tammy Duckworth is running to be our Senator from Illinois. Call Duckworth now at 202-225-3711 <202-225-3711>.* When you reach a staffer or leave a message, you can say something like: "Please make a public statement that the U.S. should put the arms sale to Saudi Arabia on hold until Saudi Arabia stops targeting civilians in Yemen and agrees to negotiate peace." When you've made your call, *please report it here .* And if you haven't signed and shared our petition to Congress yet against the arms deal, *you can do that here .* Thanks for all you do to help make U.S. foreign policy more just, Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy *Help support our work!* If you think our work is important, support us with a $15 donation. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate [image: Please support our work. Donate for a Just Foreign Policy] © 2016 Just Foreign Policy -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From susanroseparenti at gmail.com Wed Aug 17 17:59:29 2016 From: susanroseparenti at gmail.com (Susan Parenti) Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2016 12:59:29 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Tell Tammy Duckworth: Stop Saudi Arms Sales Until Carnage in Yemen Ends In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: I just called and left a message. Office was friendly > On Aug 17, 2016, at 12:55 PM, Robert Naiman via Peace wrote: > > Tammy Duckworth isn't our Rep. But she wants to be our Senator. So, I figure, she should care what we think. > > I made my call. The office was very nice. I detected no complaint when I gave my address in Urbana. > > If we could get Tammy to come out against this, it would be quite a coup. > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Robert Naiman, Just Foreign Policy > > Date: Wed, Aug 17, 2016 at 12:37 PM > Subject: Tell Tammy Duckworth: Stop Saudi Arms Sales Until Carnage in Yemen Ends > To: naiman.uiuc at gmail.com > > > > Dear Robert, > > Today the New York Times had a very strong editorial calling for Congress to block the proposed Saudi arms deal. The NYT said: > > Congress should put the arms sales on hold and President Obama should quietly inform Riyadh that the United States will withdraw crucial assistance if the Saudis do not stop targeting civilians and agree to negotiate peace. > Rep. Tammy Duckworth is running to be our Senator from Illinois. Call Duckworth now at 202-225-3711 . When you reach a staffer or leave a message, you can say something like: > > "Please make a public statement that the U.S. should put the arms sale to Saudi Arabia on hold until Saudi Arabia stops targeting civilians in Yemen and agrees to negotiate peace." > When you've made your call, please report it here . > > And if you haven't signed and shared our petition to Congress yet against the arms deal, you can do that here . > > Thanks for all you do to help make U.S. foreign policy more just, > > Robert Naiman > Just Foreign Policy > > Help support our work! > If you think our work is important, support us with a $15 donation. > http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donate > > > > > © 2016 Just Foreign Policy > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Peace mailing list > Peace at lists.chambana.net > https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carl at newsfromneptune.com Thu Aug 18 03:28:02 2016 From: carl at newsfromneptune.com (C. G. Estabrook) Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2016 22:28:02 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Clinton campaign smears Stein Message-ID: <85B6AD8A-39FC-4E73-B9DE-1256F26F2411@newsfromneptune.com> [From Jill Stein for President Social Media Team: Please share widely. There is a smear campaign going on against Jill Stein by Clinton-Democrats. Below is an example of how it is done from Robert Naiman who claims to be a peace activist but is supporting the war hawk, Hillary Clinton, and smearing the only real peace candidate, Jill Stein. Here is the email he is sending out to people urging them to slander Jill with statements he knows are false. As I said -- please share this widely so Naiman and the Clinton campaign are exposed.] From: Robert Naiman If you have a lot of Facebook friends, you may have recently noticed a high level of activity on your Facebook feed by Jill Stein acolytes. If so, you may find the following links useful to throw them off their game. No warranty, express or implied. You don't have to prove that Jill Stein is an anti-science conspiracy theorist. You just have to say, "There are unanswered questions about whether Jill Stein is an anti-science conspiracy theorist." There's Nothing Green About Jill Stein's Vaccine Stance http://www.forbes.com/…/theres-nothing-green-about-jill-s…/… Jill Stein on vaccines: People have ‘real questions’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/jill-stein-on-vaccines-pe…/ Jill Stein Promotes Homeopathy, Panders On Vaccines http://www.patheos.com/…/jill-stein-promotes-homeopathy-pa…/ Jill Stein Worries Wi-Fi Is Dangerous For Kids http://www.patheos.com/…/jill-stein-worries-wi-fi-is-dange…/ === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org From davegreen84 at yahoo.com Thu Aug 18 13:42:54 2016 From: davegreen84 at yahoo.com (David Green) Date: Thu, 18 Aug 2016 13:42:54 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Peace] Clinton campaign smears Stein References: <65504120.18973797.1471527774596.JavaMail.yahoo.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <65504120.18973797.1471527774596.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> I'm surprised and disappointed by this. Bob Naiman recently did a good interview with the Real News Network that was honestly critical of Clinton regarding foreign policy. DG -------------------------------------------- On Wed, 8/17/16, C. G. Estabrook wrote: Subject: Clinton campaign smears Stein To: "peace" , "Peace-discuss List" Cc: "Occupy CU" , "sf-core" Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2016, 10:28 PM [From Jill Stein for President Social Media Team: Please share widely. There is a smear campaign going on against Jill Stein by Clinton-Democrats. Below is an example of how it is done from Robert Naiman who claims to be a peace activist but is supporting the war hawk, Hillary Clinton, and smearing the only real peace candidate, Jill Stein. Here is the email he is sending out to people urging them to slander Jill with statements he knows are false. As I said -- please share this widely so Naiman and the Clinton campaign are exposed.] From: Robert Naiman If you have a lot of Facebook friends, you may have recently noticed a high level of activity on your Facebook feed by Jill Stein acolytes. If so, you may find the following links useful to throw them off their game. No warranty, express or implied. You don't have to prove that Jill Stein is an anti-science conspiracy theorist. You just have to say, "There are unanswered questions about whether Jill Stein is an anti-science conspiracy theorist." There's Nothing Green About Jill Stein's Vaccine Stance http://www.forbes.com/…/theres-nothing-green-about-jill-s…/… Jill Stein on vaccines: People have ‘real questions’ https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/jill-stein-on-vaccines-pe…/ Jill Stein Promotes Homeopathy, Panders On Vaccines http://www.patheos.com/…/jill-stein-promotes-homeopathy-pa…/ Jill Stein Worries Wi-Fi Is Dangerous For Kids http://www.patheos.com/…/jill-stein-worries-wi-fi-is-dange…/ === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Wed Aug 24 22:25:45 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2016 17:25:45 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Durbin non-response response on Saudi arms deal Message-ID: *From: *"Senator Richard J. Durbin" *Date: *Monday, August 22, 2016 at 3:47 PM *Subject: *Message from Senator Richard J. Durbin August 22, 2016 Dear X: Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. I appreciate hearing from you. The U.S. export control system is enforced by several federal agencies. Items with both civilian and military applications, called "dual-use" goods, are licensed by the Department of Commerce while munitions are licensed by the Department of State. Restrictions on exports are administered by the U.S. Treasury. Saudi Arabia is an important American ally with which we share many common concerns, including countering the Islamic State and the ongoing conflict in Syria. However, I also remain concerned about human rights in Saudi Arabia, as well as the country's intolerant teachings and involvement in Yemen. While in Congress, I have advocated for greater accountability in our relationship with Saudi Arabia as well as improvements in human rights. I have sent letters to the Saudi Government and met with the Saudi Ambassador to the United States to call for the release of many political prisoners. I have also called on the Saudis to implement reforms to better uphold the rights of women, religious minorities, foreign workers, and others. Ensuring that military-grade international arms are sold only to legitimate governments or organizations is a paramount national security concern for the United States. I will continue to monitor events in Saudi Arabia and will keep your thoughts in mind as the United States considers policies toward that nation. Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch. Sincerely, Richard J. Durbin United States Senator RJD/jg -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carl at newsfromneptune.com Wed Aug 24 23:49:44 2016 From: carl at newsfromneptune.com (C. G. Estabrook) Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2016 18:49:44 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Durbin non-response response on Saudi arms deal In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <012DB954-ABA3-403C-8195-BFF438980654@newsfromneptune.com> Another indication that electing Democrats to Congress will do nothing to end the Obama-Clinton administration’s murderous Mideast policy. > On Aug 24, 2016, at 5:25 PM, Robert Naiman via Peace wrote: > > From: "Senator Richard J. Durbin" > > Date: Monday, August 22, 2016 at 3:47 PM > Subject: Message from Senator Richard J. Durbin > > > > August 22, 2016 > > Dear X: > > > Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia. I appreciate hearing from you. > > The U.S. export control system is enforced by several federal agencies. Items with both civilian and military applications, called "dual-use" goods, are licensed by the Department of Commerce while munitions are licensed by the Department of State. Restrictions on exports are administered by the U.S. Treasury. > > Saudi Arabia is an important American ally with which we share many common concerns, including countering the Islamic State and the ongoing conflict in Syria. However, I also remain concerned about human rights in Saudi Arabia, as well as the country's intolerant teachings and involvement in Yemen. > > While in Congress, I have advocated for greater accountability in our relationship with Saudi Arabia as well as improvements in human rights. I have sent letters to the Saudi Government and met with the Saudi Ambassador to the United States to call for the release of many political prisoners. I have also called on the Saudis to implement reforms to better uphold the rights of women, religious minorities, foreign workers, and others. > > Ensuring that military-grade international arms are sold only to legitimate governments or organizations is a paramount national security concern for the United States. I will continue to monitor events in Saudi Arabia and will keep your thoughts in mind as the United States considers policies toward that nation. > > Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch. > > > > > > Sincerely, > > Richard J. Durbin > United States Senator > > > RJD/jg > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Peace mailing list > Peace at lists.chambana.net > https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Thu Aug 25 00:32:03 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2016 19:32:03 -0500 Subject: [Peace] The Hill: US arms sale to Saudi Arabia under fire from lawmakers Message-ID: http://thehill.com/policy/defense/292492-lawmakers-seek-support-to-delay-saudi-arms-sale By Rebecca Kheel - 08/24/16 12:21 PM EDT A bipartisan quartet of lawmakers is circulating a letter that seeks to delay a pending arms sale to Saudi Arabia. The lawmakers are targeting the arms sale as part of their opposition to U.S. support for the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Lawmaker criticism of U.S. support for the campaign has recently grown louder , following Saudi airstrikes that hit a school and a hospital, killing dozens of civilians. The $1.15 billion arms sale, which the State Department approved on Aug. 9, would include up to 153 tanks, hundreds of machines guns, ammunition and other equipment. By law, Congress has 30 days to block the sale, but the lawmakers are concerned that notification was given during Congress’s summer recess and that the 30-day period will end with lawmakers having just returned to D.C. “Any decision to sell more arms to Saudi Arabia should be given adequate time for full deliberation by Congress,” the letter to President Obama will say, according to a draft. “We are concerned, however, that the timing of this notification during the August congressional recess could be interpreted to mean that Congress has little time to consider the arms deal when it returns from recess within the 30 day window established by law.” Twenty members have so far signed the letter, according to the office of Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.). Lieu is leading the effort, along with Reps. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Mick Mulvaney (R-S.C.). News of the letter comes the same day that Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling to the Saudi city of Jeddah, where he’s expected to push for renewed Yemen peace talks, which collapsed earlier this month. In the draft letter, the lawmakers say past congressional concerns about the war in Yemen have not been addressed. They highlight an October letter to Obama expressing concerns about civilian casualties and a June vote in the House that narrowly failed to block the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. “Amnesty International has documented at least 33 unlawful airstrikes by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition across Yemen that appear to have deliberately targeted civilians and civilian facilities, such as hospitals, schools, markets, and places of worship,” the draft letter says. “These attacks may amount to war crimes.” There’s no reason, the draft says, not to delay the arms sale to provide Congress more time to consider it. “We are not aware of any compelling reason why congressional approval of the sale could not be postponed to allow for meaningful congressional debate on this issue that has major implications for both civilians in Yemen as well as our national security,” the draft says. “We urge you to delay this proposed arms deal so that the people's representatives in Congress can give these issues the full deliberation that they deserve." === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (202) 448-2898 x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jbw292002 at gmail.com Thu Aug 25 07:01:37 2016 From: jbw292002 at gmail.com (John W.) Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2016 02:01:37 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Durbin non-response response on Saudi arms deal In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: It's an absolutely typical response from Dick Durbin. Very diplomatic, actually says precisely nothing of substance. He's still far better than a Republican. On Wed, Aug 24, 2016 at 5:25 PM, Robert Naiman via Peace < peace at lists.chambana.net> wrote: *From: *"Senator Richard J. Durbin" > > *Date: *Monday, August 22, 2016 at 3:47 PM > *Subject: *Message from Senator Richard J. Durbin > > > > August 22, 2016 > > Dear X: > > Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about U.S. arms > sales to Saudi Arabia. I appreciate hearing from you. > > The U.S. export control system is enforced by several federal > agencies. Items with both civilian and military applications, called > "dual-use" goods, are licensed by the Department of Commerce while > munitions are licensed by the Department of State. Restrictions on exports > are administered by the U.S. Treasury. > > Saudi Arabia is an important American ally with which we share > many common concerns, including countering the Islamic State and the > ongoing conflict in Syria. However, I also remain concerned about human > rights in Saudi Arabia, as well as the country's intolerant teachings and > involvement in Yemen. > > While in Congress, I have advocated for greater accountability > in our relationship with Saudi Arabia as well as improvements in human > rights. I have sent letters to the Saudi Government and met with the Saudi > Ambassador to the United States to call for the release of many political > prisoners. I have also called on the Saudis to implement reforms to better > uphold the rights of women, religious minorities, foreign workers, and > others. > > Ensuring that military-grade international arms are sold only to > legitimate governments or organizations is a paramount national security > concern for the United States. I will continue to monitor events in Saudi > Arabia and will keep your thoughts in mind as the United States considers > policies toward that nation. > > Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in > touch. > > > > > > Sincerely, > > Richard J. Durbin > United States Senator > > > RJD/jg > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Peace mailing list > Peace at lists.chambana.net > https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Thu Aug 25 17:21:09 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2016 17:21:09 +0000 Subject: [Peace] Future Message-ID: * ABOUT * COMMENT POLICY * CONTACT * SUBMISSIONS * LINKS OffGuardian because facts really should be sacred [HeaderOffGraun8] EMPIRE WATCH, LATEST, USA Published on August 18, 2016 Comments 20 Brzezinski and the US national interest – a comment from Rome by Giulietto Chiesa, Defend Democracy.In summary: separate Russia from China and set them against each other, persuading whichever of the two will agree to become a privileged partner of the US. Easy to say but hard to achieve. And yet it must be achieved. Otherwise the alternative for the US will be clear and unavoidable: losing its dominant role in the world, or encountering “mutually assured destruction”. It means engaging in a strategic battle (nuclear and otherwise) with one of the two antagonists, or both. Aged but untamed, Zbigniew Brzezinski tackles the “catastrophic” situation of the US in an article that – like others in his career – is meant to create a lasting impression and perhaps go down in history. It is published in ” The American Interest”. The text takes the form of a proposal to Mrs. Hillary Clinton as the next American president. And it is, as usual, a brilliant exhibition of raw truth, accompanied by total impudence toward the rest of the world. Zbigniew Brzezinski the Pole remains convinced that America can do whatever she wants. All that is required is a decision. Of course, the situation is not good: the problem is to find the right orientation. The solution is “global realignment”. The title leaves no room for misunderstanding: realignment of the world behind the United States, which can be achieved by putting an end to the season of “Global political Awakening”. Brzezinski cites none other than himself, the Brzezinski of 2008 who published the equally epoch-making New York article whose obvious aim was to provide a line of action to President Barack Obama (NYT 2008,12,06). Who in fact adopted it, with the catastrophic effect that the whole world, America included, is now experiencing. The trick that Brzezinski suggested to Obama was not very different from what he proposed for use against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Was America beginning to stumble? Was the enemy becoming arrogant? Well, let’s give him his own beautiful Vietnam and see how he likes it. To carry out the operation it was necessary to invent and unleash Al Qaeda Islamic fundamentalists nurtured by Saudi Arabia. It worked perfectly. Even on September 11 2001, when former Mujadiheen were transformed into a useful cover story for “making the world safe” in a coup organized by neocons to cement the entire West around American leadership. It was useful to distract the world’s attention from the fact – increasingly apparent – that the crisis was not deriving from the red enemy (who now was no more) but was totally internal to the so-called Western market mechanism. And thus, it was necessary, at the same time, to create another enemy, “Islam”. Followed by Afghanistan, Iraq, (and later Libya and Syria). This was the “realignment” of the time. But it lasted only seven years. After that came the collapse of Lehmann Brothers, the subprime crisis, the failure of Wall Street and the huge mountain of paper derivatives that America had scattered in all directions. Through the “Global Political Awakening” Brzezinski (and his disciple Obama) prepared another beautiful Vietnam: this time for Europe (and, again, Russia). This time there were “Colour Revolutions”, wherever possible. There were “Arab Springs”; there were coups (Kiev in 2014, Ankara in 2016); there was (and is) ubiquitous and widespread terror, organized (with the support of the secret services, all, one after another, controlled by the Americans, and by Mossad. Always in the forefront, and more or less spontaneous; were (and are) the mass migrations that were moved towards Europe, and which will be intensified. There were the massive campaigns for manipulating public opinion, through spreading disinformation. There was the massive use of “metadata” , accompanied and complemented by social networks, monopolistically in the hands of US. The “Global Political Awakening” was essentially the application of Chaos Theory. The application was meant for Europe. But all of this – and we must acknowledge that Brzezinski plan’s has worked well in Europe – has also infected America. The chaos is not only artificial, and aimed outwards. It is also the poisonous fruit of the mad mechanism that is the US itself. But above all it has failed to harm external enemies. Russia and China are still there. And the more that time passes, the more they appear capable of “suddenly creat(ing) the conditions to make America militarily inferior”. It is at this point that Brzezinski reappears with his new recipe for realignment. As stated above, we are not talking here of Europe. Europe is already dominated (or considered as such), and will obey come hell or high water. The strategy of organized chaos, now also spontaneous, will be intensified, if necessary. The problem is not Europe, the problem is Russia, which does not give up. And China, which remains in the race, not even touched by the West’s crisis. Which should one choose as tactical partner? Here Brzezinsky loses his clarity, revealing uncertainty. American leadership, he writes, must “contain” both, with a view to eliminating one of the two. And the most likely candidate at the moment is Russia. But it doesn’t seem easy to force the surrender of Russia. Equally difficult is turning China into a reliable partner. This, at present, seems like giving a youngster on a bicycle the task of dragging an elephant. And then there is the time factor: “in perspective – Brzezinski writes – China could become intractable in the future”. What a mess! This time Hillary Clinton is being left without clear instructions. The Brzezinski recipe is not a recipe. But it will be applied: intensification of global chaos and concentration on the offensive against Russia. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Thu Aug 25 21:15:42 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2016 16:15:42 -0500 Subject: [Peace] NYT: Anger over Saudi Yemen war & US role is growing in Congress Message-ID: "Anger over the Saudi-led campaign and the United States role in the war is growing in Congress. On Wednesday, it prompted a group of lawmakers to circulate a letter that asks President Obama to withdraw his request for Congressional approval for a $1.15 billion sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, until Congress can have a broader debate about American military support for the Saudis." - Support for Saudi Arabia Gives U.S. Direct Role in Yemen Conflict http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/25/world/middleeast/yemen- saudi-arabia-hospital-bombing.html === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (202) 448-2898 x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carl at newsfromneptune.com Fri Aug 26 00:57:52 2016 From: carl at newsfromneptune.com (C. G. Estabrook) Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2016 19:57:52 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Gill is back on the Ballot In-Reply-To: <015601d1ff32$e99c7e50$bcd57af0$@comcast.net> References: <015601d1ff32$e99c7e50$bcd57af0$@comcast.net> Message-ID: The Prairie Greens (Champaign-Urbana) are supporting David Gill for Congress in the 13th Illinois Congressional District, in part because of his pledge to us that he would oppose Obama-Clinton war-making, not vote to authorize or fund it, etc. Both the Republican incumbent and (apparently) the Democratic challenger are war supporters. —CGE > On Aug 25, 2016, at 7:43 PM, David Johnson wrote: > > From: Vicki Capalbo [mailto:vj.capalbo at gmail.com] > Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2016 7:23 PM > To: Bill Bianchi > Cc: Anne Scheetz; jim rhodes; Allan Nowakowski; David Meimers; Arlene Gloria Hirsch; John Laesch; Steve Serikaku; mark johnson; Jeanne Marie Dauray; giudi weiss; Lenny Brody; Bruce E Parry; Tom Broderick; David Johnson > Subject: Re: Gill is back on the Ballot > > This is great news!!!!!! > > On Thursday, August 25, 2016, Bill Bianchi wrote: > Good news from Champaign. A Judge issued an injunction today against the Illinois Board of Elections stopping them from removing Dr. Gill from the ballot for November. > > Gill had filled a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's election laws in regard to getting independents or a third party on the ballot. > > The injunction is in force until the constitutionality question is determined, which is unlikely to happen before the election. > > Please circulate this to who ever you think would be interested. > > Regards: > > Bill Bianchi > PDA-Chicago > Illinois Single Payer Coalition > 773-636-1927 cell > 773-935-3346 > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Donald Necessary > Date: Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 1:29 PM > Subject: We are on the Ballot > To: Bill Bianchi > > > Please pass along the news to our supporters up north that we made it on the ballot! > > You don't know how much your support means to us! > > Don Necessary From davegreen84 at yahoo.com Fri Aug 26 01:07:29 2016 From: davegreen84 at yahoo.com (David Green) Date: Fri, 26 Aug 2016 01:07:29 +0000 (UTC) Subject: [Peace] Gill is back on the Ballot References: <310106487.164689.1472173649508.JavaMail.yahoo.ref@mail.yahoo.com> Message-ID: <310106487.164689.1472173649508.JavaMail.yahoo@mail.yahoo.com> I hope that all of the Progressives in our region come to understand that if they vote for Democrat Mark Wicklund, they are only helping to re-elect Rodney Davis. DG -------------------------------------------- On Thu, 8/25/16, C. G. Estabrook via Peace wrote: Subject: Re: [Peace] Gill is back on the Ballot To: "peace" , "Peace-discuss List" Cc: "sf-core" , "Occupy CU" Date: Thursday, August 25, 2016, 7:57 PM The Prairie Greens (Champaign-Urbana) are supporting David Gill for Congress in the 13th Illinois Congressional District, in part because of his pledge to us that he would oppose Obama-Clinton war-making, not vote to authorize or fund it, etc. Both the Republican incumbent and (apparently) the Democratic challenger are war supporters. —CGE > On Aug 25, 2016, at 7:43 PM, David Johnson wrote: > > From: Vicki Capalbo [mailto:vj.capalbo at gmail.com] > Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2016 7:23 PM > To: Bill Bianchi > Cc: Anne Scheetz; jim rhodes; Allan Nowakowski; David Meimers; Arlene Gloria Hirsch; John Laesch; Steve Serikaku; mark johnson; Jeanne Marie Dauray; giudi weiss; Lenny Brody; Bruce E Parry; Tom Broderick; David Johnson > Subject: Re: Gill is back on the Ballot > > This is great news!!!!!! > > On Thursday, August 25, 2016, Bill Bianchi wrote: > Good news from Champaign. A Judge issued an injunction today against the Illinois Board of Elections stopping them from removing Dr. Gill from the ballot for November. > > Gill had filled a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the state's election laws in regard to getting independents or a third party on the ballot. > > The injunction is in force until the constitutionality question is determined, which is unlikely to happen before the election. > > Please circulate this to who ever you think would be interested. > > Regards: > > Bill Bianchi > PDA-Chicago > Illinois Single Payer Coalition > 773-636-1927 cell > 773-935-3346 > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Donald Necessary > Date: Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 1:29 PM > Subject: We are on the Ballot > To: Bill Bianchi > > > Please pass along the news to our supporters up north that we made it on the ballot! > > You don't know how much your support means to us! > > Don Necessary _______________________________________________ Peace mailing list Peace at lists.chambana.net https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Tue Aug 30 00:52:40 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2016 19:52:40 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Foreign Policy: 60 Lawmakers Seek Delay of Billion Dollar Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia Message-ID: Actually, it's 63. :) http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/29/60-lawmakers-seek-delay- of-billion-dollar-arms-sale-to-saudi/ 60 Lawmakers Seek Delay of Billion Dollar Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia BY JOHN HUDSON AUGUST 29, 2016 In a sign that frustration is growing in Congress over Saudi Arabia, a bipartisan group of 60 lawmakers have signed a letter seeking to delay the Obama administration’s planned sale of $1.15 billion in arms and military equipment to Riyadh. The letter, addressed to President Barack Obama, cites the growing number of civilian casualties in Yemen caused by the Saudi-led military coalition, and the Obama administration’s failure to reign in its Arab ally. “This military campaign has had a deeply troubling impact on civilians,” wrote the lawmakers in a draft obtained by Foreign Policy. “Just in the last several days, a Saudi airstrike on a school in Yemen killed 10 children – some as young as 6-years-old – and a Saudi airstrike on an MSF hospital in Yemen killed 11 people.” The missive is expected to be sent to the White House on Tuesday. The proposed sale, approved by the State Department on Aug. 9, includes up to 153 tanks, ammunition, hundreds of machine guns, and sundry other military equipment. Congress has 30 days to block the sale, but the lawmakers appear irritated that the notification of the sale came in the middle of Congress’s summer recess. “Any decision to sell more arms to Saudi Arabia should be given adequate time for full deliberation by Congress,” wrote the lawmakers. “We are concerned, however, that the timing of this notification during the August congressional recess could be interpreted to mean that Congress has little time to consider the arms deal when it returns from recess within the 30 day window established by law.” The 18-month conflict in Yemen has killed at least 6,000 people and displaced 2.5 million as Saudi Arabia and its Sunni-majority allies battle Houthi rebels for control of the country. The chaotic fighting has also allowed Islamist militants to deepen their foothold in the country. On Monday, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for a massive suicide truck bomb attack that killed 54 people in Aden. A State Department official declined to comment on whether the executive branch would delay the proposed sale, saying he hasn’t yet seen the lawmakers’ letter. The official said the U.S. remains committed to confronting “any external threat” to the territorial integrity of Gulf allies, like Saudi Arabia, but added that Riyadh and Houthi rebels “should cease all military action.” Co-signers of the letter include a mix of Republicans and Democrats such as, Reps. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) “This is a first step, which shows that members of Congress are increasingly ready to move from expressing private concerns to the administration to taking public action to reduce U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen,” said Robert Naiman, policy director at Just Foreign Policy. === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (202) 448-2898 x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Wed Aug 31 14:10:22 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2016 14:10:22 +0000 Subject: [Peace] Two years old, but, unfortunately, still relevant Message-ID: [Bookmark and Share] [https://imgssl.constantcontact.com/ui/images1/visitor/email2_trans.gif] Sign up for our FREE Daily Email Newsletter [http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/feedicon12.png] The Bloody Road to Damascus The Triple Alliance’s War on a Sovereign State By James Petras March 10, 2012 "Information Clearing House" --- There is clear and overwhelming evidence that the uprising to overthrow President Assad of Syria is a violent, power grab led by foreign-supported fighters who have killed and wounded thousands of Syrian soldiers, police and civilians, partisans of the government and its peaceful opposition. The outrage expressed by politicians in the West and Gulf State and in the mass media, about the ‘killing of peaceful Syrian citizens protesting injustice’ is cynically designed to cover up the documented reports of violent seizure of neighborhoods, villages and towns by armed bands, brandishing machine guns and planting road-side bombs. The assault on Syria is backed by foreign funds, arms and training. Because of a lack of domestic support, however, to be successful, direct foreign military intervention will be necessary. For this reason a huge propaganda and diplomatic campaign has been mounted to demonize the legitimate Syrian government. The goal is to impose a puppet regime and strengthen Western imperial control in the Middle East. In the short run, this will further isolate Iran in preparation for a military attack by Israel and the US and, in the long run, it eliminates another independent secular regime friendly to China and Russia. In order to mobilize world support behind this Western, Israeli and Gulf State-funded power grab, several propaganda ploys have been used to justify another blatant violation of a country’s sovereignty after their successful destruction of the secular governments of Iraq and Libya. The Larger Context: Serial Aggression The current Western campaign against the independent Assad regime in Syria is part of a series of attacks against pro-democracy movements and independent regimes from North Africa to the Persian Gulf. The imperial-militarist response to the Egyptian democracy movement that overthrew the Mubarak dictatorship was to back the military junta’s seizure of power and murderous campaign to jail, torture, and assassinate over 10,000 pro-democracy protestors. Faced with similar mass democratic movements in the Arab world, the Western-backed Gulf autocratic dictators crushed their respective uprisings in Bahrain, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. The assaults extended to the secular government in Libya where NATO powers launched a massive air and sea bombardment in support of armed bands of mercenaries thereby destroying Libya’s economy and civil society. The unleashing of armed gangster-mercenaries led to the savaging of urban life in Libya and devastation in the countryside. The NATO powers eliminated the secular government of Colonel Gaddafi, along with having him murdered and mutilated by its mercenaries. Nato oversaw the wounding, imprisonment, torture, and elimination of tens of thousands of civilian Gaddafi supporters and government workers. NATO backed the puppet regime as it embarked on a bloody pogrom against Libyan citizens of sub-Saharan African ancestry as well a sub-Sahara African immigrant workers – groups who had benefited from Gaddafi’s generous social programs. The imperial policy of ruin and rule in Libya serves as “the model” for Syria: Creating the conditions for a mass uprising led by Muslim fundamentalists, funded and trained by Western and Gulf State mercenaries. The Bloody Road From Damascus to Tehran According to the State Department ‘The road to Teheran passes through Damascus’: The strategic goal of NATO is to destroy Iran’s principal ally in the Middle East; for the Gulf absolutist monarchies the purpose is to replace a secular republic with a vassal theocratic dictatorship; for the Turkish government the purpose is to foster a regime amenable to the dictates of Ankara’s version of Islamic capitalism; for Al Qaeda and allied Salafi and Wahabi fundamentalists a theocratic Sunni regime, cleansed of secular Syrians, Alevis, and Christians, will serve as a trampoline for projecting power in the Islamic world; and for Israel a blood-drenched divided Syria will further ensure its regional hegemony. It was not without prophetic foresight that the über-Zionist US Senator Joseph Lieberman demanded days after the ‘Al Qaeda’ attack of September 11, 2001: “First we must go after Iran, Iraq, and Syria” before considering the actual authors of the deed. The armed anti-Syrian forces reflect a variety of conflicting political perspectives united only by their common hatred of the independent secular, nationalist regime which has governed the complex, multi-ethnic Syrian society for decades. The war against Syria is the principle launching pad for a further resurgence of Western militarism extending from North Africa to the Persian Gulf, buttressed by a systematic propaganda campaign proclaiming NATO’s democratic, humanitarian and ‘civilizing’ mission on behalf of the Syrian people. The Road to Damascus is Paved with Lies An objective analysis of the political and social composition of the principle armed combatants in Syria refutes any claim that the uprising is in pursuit of democracy for the people of that country. Authoritarian fundamentalist fighters form the backbone of the uprising. The Gulf States financing these brutal thugs are themselves absolutist monarchies. The West, after having foisted a brutal gangster regime on the people of Libya, can make no claim of ‘humanitarian intervention’. The armed groups infiltrate towns and use population centers as shields from which they launch their attacks on government forces. In the process they force thousands of citizens from their homes, stores and offices which they use as military outposts. The destruction of the neighborhood of Baba Amr in Homs is a classic case of armed gangs using civilians as shields and as propaganda fodder in demonizing the government. These armed mercenaries have no national credibility with the mass of Syrian people. One of their main propaganda mills is located in the heart of London, the so-called “Syrian Human Rights Observatory” where it coordinates closely with British intelligence turning out lurid atrocity stories to whip up sentiment in favor of a NATO intervention. The kings and emirs of the Gulf States bankroll these fighters. Turkey provides military bases and controls the cross-border flow of arms and the movement of the leaders of the so-called “Free Syrian Army”. The US, France and England provide the arms, training and diplomatic cover. Foreign jihadist-fundamentalists, including Al Qaeda fighters from Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan, have entered the conflict. This is no “civil war”. This is an international conflict pitting an unholy triple alliance of NATO imperialists, Gulf State despots, and Muslim fundamentalists against an independent secular nationalist regime. The foreign origin of the weapons, propaganda machinery and mercenary fighters reveals the sinister imperial, ‘multi-national’ character of the conflict. Ultimately the violent uprising against the Syrian state represents a systematic imperialist campaign to overthrow an ally of Iran, Russia, and China, even at the cost of destroying Syria’s economy and civil society, fragmenting the country and unleashing enduring sectarian wars of extermination against the Alevi and Christian minorities, as well as secular government supporters. The killings and mass flight of refugees is not the result of gratuitous violence committed by a blood thirsty Syrian state. The Western backed militias have seized neighborhoods by force of arms, destroyed oil pipelines, sabotaged transportation and bombed government buildings. In the course of their attacks they have disrupted basic services critical to the Syrian people including education, access to medical care, security, water, electricity and transportation. As such, they bear most of the responsibility for this “humanitarian disaster”, (which their imperial allies and UN officials blame on Syrian security and armed forces). The Syrian security forces are fighting to preserve the national independence of a secular state, while the armed opposition commits violence on behalf of their foreign pay-masters – in Washington, Riyadh, Tel Aviv, Ankara, and London. Conclusions The Assad regime’s referendum last month drew millions of Syrian voters in defiance of Western imperialist threats and terrorist calls for a boycott. This clearly indicated that a majority of Syrians prefer a peaceful, negotiated settlement and reject mercenary violence. The Western-backed Syrian National Council and the Turkish and Gulf States-armed “Free Syrian Army” flatly rejected Russian and Chinese calls for an open dialogue and negotiations which the Assad regime has accepted. NATO and Gulf State dictatorships are pushing their proxies to pursue violent “regime change”, a policy which already has caused the death of thousands of Syrians. US and European economic sanctions are designed to wreck the Syrian economy, in the expectation that acute deprivation will drive an impoverished population into the arms of their violent proxies. In a repeat of the Libya scenario, NATO proposes to “liberate” the Syrian people by destroying their economy, civil society and secular state. A Western military victory in Syria will merely feed the rising frenzy of militarism. It will encourage the West, Riyadh and Israel to provoke a new civil war in Lebanon. After demolishing Syria, the Washington-EU-Riyadh-Tel Aviv axes will move on to a far bloodier confrontation with Iran. The horrific destruction of Iraq, followed by Libya’s post-war collapse provides a terrifying template of what is in store for the people of Syria: A precipitous collapse of their living standards, the fragmentation of their country, ethnic cleansing, rule by sectarian and fundamentalist gangs, and total insecurity of life and property. Just as the “left” and “progressives” declared the brutal savaging of Libya to be the “revolutionary struggle of insurgent democrats” and then walked away, washing their hands of the bloody aftermath of ethnic violence against black Libyans, they repeat the same calls for military intervention against Syria. The same liberals, progressives, socialists and Marxists who are calling on the West to intervene in Syria’s “humanitarian crises” from their cafes and offices in Manhattan and Paris, will lose all interest in the bloody orgy of their victorious mercenaries after Damascus, Aleppo, and other Syrian cities have been bombed by NATO into submission. James Petras, a former Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York, owns a 50-year membership in the class struggle, is an adviser to the landless and jobless in Brazil and Argentina, and is co-author of Globalization Unmasked (Zed Books). -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Wed Aug 31 18:04:39 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2016 13:04:39 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Reuters: Air strike kills 16 members of Yemeni imam's family Message-ID: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN1161MA Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:24pm EDT Air strike kills 16 members of Yemeni imam's family At least 16 members of the extended family of a Yemeni mosque imam were killed on Wednesday in an air strike on their family home in northern Yemen by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, a Reuters witness, a medic and a resident said. The coalition has been giving air support to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in his fight against Iran-allied Houthi militia who have seized much of Yemen since 2014, but has drawn criticism over civilian casualties incurred in the campaign. Witnesses said missiles struck a house of the imam, identified as Saleh Abu Zainah, in Saada, the capital of Saada province in northern Yemen, the home territory of the Houthis who hail from the Zaydi branch of Shi'ite Islam. The imam, his family, his two sons and their families all died in the attack, including at least four children, they said. A Saudi military spokesman said the coalition was checking whether the report was true and that an investigation would be conducted and its results published if the incident was verified. Pictures taken by a Reuters photographer showed men digging up the body of a child from under the rubble. "The air raid happened in the morning and because the house was made of mud, it took us until noon to be able to dig the bodies out," said Nayef, a resident who helped remove the rubble to recover the bodies. A medic said rescue workers were concerned about fresh air strikes when they arrived at the scene and found aircraft still hovering overhead. It was at least the fourth strike by the Saudi-led coalition on a civilian target since U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the Houthis and their General People's Congress party allies on one side and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government on the other ended without an agreement earlier this month. A rocket launched from inside Yemen into Saudi Arabia later on Wednesday killed a Saudi soldier in the southern city of Najran, according to the Saudi interior ministry. Saudi authorities say a wave of shelling by the Houthis since August has killed 29 civilians, including children, and injured around 300 in Najran. NEW PUSH FOR PEACE The United Nations human rights office called on Aug. 25 for more light to be shed on the Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen and for violations, including attacks on protected sites like hospitals, to be punished. Coalition air strikes are responsible for some 60 percent of the civilians killed since March 2015, a U.N. rights office said in a report last week. At least 10,000 people have been killed overall in Yemen's 18-month-old civil war, the United Nations said on Tuesday, approaching double the estimates of more than 6,000 cited by officials and aid workers for much of 2016. U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that he would resume consultations with the parties to the conflict to try to take advantage of a new thrust for peace agreed by United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations earlier this month. "My priority will be to gain a re-commitment from all sides to the cessation of hostilities," he said. On Aug. 18, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) decided to evacuate its staff from six hospitals in northern Yemen after an air strike on a facility run by the medical charity that killed 19 people. The Saudi-led coalition expressed deep regret over the decision and said it was trying to set up "urgent meetings" with MSF. === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (202) 448-2898 x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From carl at newsfromneptune.com Wed Aug 31 20:14:32 2016 From: carl at newsfromneptune.com (C. G. Estabrook) Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2016 15:14:32 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Reuters: Air strike kills 16 members of Yemeni imam's family In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: <07B0CAD1-3648-4972-AD02-B6D6ECDB147A@newsfromneptune.com> The Saudis would not be able to commit these atrocities without the material and political support of the Obama administration. If Clinton becomes president, she will be at least as bad - not just because the Saudis have contributed millions to the Clinton Foundation. A Trump presidency OTOH may follow a non-interventionist policy - and the possibility frightens the neocons. “The CIA has demanded Trump is not elected. Pentagon generals have demanded he is not elected. The pro-war New York Times - taking a breather from its relentless low-rent Putin smears - demands that he is not elected. Something is up. These tribunes of "perpetual war" are terrified that the multi-billion-dollar business of war by which the United States maintains its dominance will be undermined if Trump does a deal with Putin, then with China's Xi Jinping. Their panic at the possibility of the world's great power talking peace - however unlikely - would be the blackest farce were the issues not so dire.” [John Pilger] I'm voting for the Green party candidate, Jill Stein, whose positions on foreign and domestic policy - to say nothing of climate catastrophe - are better than those of the major party candidates, but I won't be dissuaded by the argument that voting for a third party helps Trump: his positions on war and the economy are substantially better than Clinton’s. —CGE > On Aug 31, 2016, at 1:04 PM, Robert Naiman via Peace wrote: > > http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN1161MA > > Wed Aug 31, 2016 1:24pm EDT > Air strike kills 16 members of Yemeni imam's family > > At least 16 members of the extended family of a Yemeni mosque imam were killed on Wednesday in an air strike on their family home in northern Yemen by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, a Reuters witness, a medic and a resident said. > > The coalition has been giving air support to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in his fight against Iran-allied Houthi militia who have seized much of Yemen since 2014, but has drawn criticism over civilian casualties incurred in the campaign. > > Witnesses said missiles struck a house of the imam, identified as Saleh Abu Zainah, in Saada, the capital of Saada province in northern Yemen, the home territory of the Houthis who hail from the Zaydi branch of Shi'ite Islam. > > The imam, his family, his two sons and their families all died in the attack, including at least four children, they said. > > A Saudi military spokesman said the coalition was checking whether the report was true and that an investigation would be conducted and its results published if the incident was verified. > > Pictures taken by a Reuters photographer showed men digging up the body of a child from under the rubble. > > "The air raid happened in the morning and because the house was made of mud, it took us until noon to be able to dig the bodies out," said Nayef, a resident who helped remove the rubble to recover the bodies. > > A medic said rescue workers were concerned about fresh air strikes when they arrived at the scene and found aircraft still hovering overhead. > > It was at least the fourth strike by the Saudi-led coalition on a civilian target since U.N.-sponsored peace talks between the Houthis and their General People's Congress party allies on one side and the Saudi-backed Yemeni government on the other ended without an agreement earlier this month. > > A rocket launched from inside Yemen into Saudi Arabia later on Wednesday killed a Saudi soldier in the southern city of Najran, according to the Saudi interior ministry. > > Saudi authorities say a wave of shelling by the Houthis since August has killed 29 civilians, including children, and injured around 300 in Najran. > > NEW PUSH FOR PEACE > > The United Nations human rights office called on Aug. 25 for more light to be shed on the Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen and for violations, including attacks on protected sites like hospitals, to be punished. > > Coalition air strikes are responsible for some 60 percent of the civilians killed since March 2015, a U.N. rights office said in a report last week. > > At least 10,000 people have been killed overall in Yemen's 18-month-old civil war, the United Nations said on Tuesday, approaching double the estimates of more than 6,000 cited by officials and aid workers for much of 2016. > > U.N. Yemen envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that he would resume consultations with the parties to the conflict to try to take advantage of a new thrust for peace agreed by United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations earlier this month. > > "My priority will be to gain a re-commitment from all sides to the cessation of hostilities," he said. > > On Aug. 18, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) decided to evacuate its staff from six hospitals in northern Yemen after an air strike on a facility run by the medical charity that killed 19 people. > > The Saudi-led coalition expressed deep regret over the decision and said it was trying to set up "urgent meetings" with MSF. > > === > > Robert Naiman > Policy Director > Just Foreign Policy > www.justforeignpolicy.org > naiman at justforeignpolicy.org > (202) 448-2898 x1 > > > _______________________________________________ > Peace mailing list > Peace at lists.chambana.net > https://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman.uiuc at gmail.com Wed Aug 31 21:55:14 2016 From: naiman.uiuc at gmail.com (Robert Naiman) Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2016 16:55:14 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Rhode Island-based Textron apparently getting out of the cluster bomb business Message-ID: On June 16, we got 204 votes in the House for banning the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. How did we get 204 votes? Part of the story was, we weren't making any progress on going after arms transfers to Saudi Arabia alone. So we thought: well, some people don't like Saudi Arabia, and some people don't like cluster bombs. Maybe if we put the two together, we'll really have something. Like peanut butter and chocolate. "Two great tastes that taste great together." So here's an update on the other half of the story: cluster bombs. Apparently Rhode Island-based Textron, which had the Pentagon-approved Saudi cluster bomb contract, and was the sole U.S. producer, is now getting out of the cluster bomb business (they call it "sensor-fuzed weapon.") [...] "Historically, sensor-fuzed weapon sales have relied on foreign military and direct commercial international customers for which both executive branch and congressional approval is required," the company said in its filing. *"The current political environment has made it difficult to obtain these approvals."* [...] - Textron to discontinue production of sensor-fuzed weapon http://insidedefense.com/insider/textron-discontinue- production-sensor-fuzed-weapon People who follow this issue closely say this is a very big deal, and will hopefully significantly assist efforts to get the U.S. to finally join the convention to ban cluster bombs. === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From karenaram at hotmail.com Wed Aug 31 22:11:24 2016 From: karenaram at hotmail.com (Karen Aram) Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2016 22:11:24 +0000 Subject: [Peace] Showing of Racial Taboo in Urbana - September 18 In-Reply-To: References: Message-ID: On Aug 31, 2016, at 12:52, RT in C-U > wrote: Next community showing of the documentary film about race: Racial Taboo Sunday, September 18 2:00 pm - please arrive 2:30 pm - film begins Unitarian-Universalist Church 309 W. Green St, Urbana, IL Everyone is welcome. ** The next post-film discussion group Monday, September 19 5:30 - 7:00 pm The Baha'i Center 807 E. Green St., Urbana, IL Everyone is welcome. This email was sent to karenaram at hotmail.com why did I get this? unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences Racial Taboo group discussion notification list · 1914 Clover Lane · Champaign, Il 61821 · USA [Email Marketing Powered by MailChimp] -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From naiman at justforeignpolicy.org Wed Aug 31 23:13:00 2016 From: naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (Robert Naiman) Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2016 18:13:00 -0500 Subject: [Peace] Foreign Policy: Last Remaining U.S. Maker of Cluster Bombs Stops Production Message-ID: http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/08/31/last-remaining-u-s-maker -of-cluster-bombs-stops-production/ Last Remaining U.S. Maker of Cluster Bombs Stops Production BY JOHN HUDSON AUGUST 31, 2016 - 4:40 PM The last remaining United States manufacturer of cluster bombs is ending production of the controversial weapon, citing regulatory scrutiny and reduced orders for the internationally banned munition. The decision by Rhode Island-based Textron Systems follows a White House order last May to block the transfer of a Textron shipment of CBU-105 cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, a move first reported by Foreign Policy . The White House had come under intense pressure by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International after those groups documented instances in which Saudi-led forces used CBU-105 munitions in multiple locations around Yemen, including Al-Amar, Sanhan, Amran and the Al-Hayma port. The blocked transfer was the first concrete step the United States took to demonstrate its unease with the Saudi bombing campaign, one that human rights activists say has killed and maimed hundreds of Yemeni civilians, including children. Cluster bombs, like the CBU-105, contain bomblets that can scatter widely and kill or injure indiscriminately. Sometimes bomblets fail to detonate immediately and can kill civilians months or even years later. The weapons were banned in a 2008 international treaty that arms-sales giants, including the United States and Russia, refused to sign. Textron spokesman Matthew Colpitts told FP on Wednesday that the decision to end production of the munitions was “due to the current regulatory challenges and in light of reduced product orders.” He defended CBU-105 as a “smart, reliable air-to-ground weapon that is in full compliance with the U.S. Defense Department policy and current law.” In a filing to regulators on Tuesday, Textron noted that the sale of of its “sensor-fuzed weapon” requires executive branch and congressional approval. “The current political environment has made it difficult to obtain these approvals,” said the company. As a result of the decision to end production, there will be “headcount reductions [and] facility consolidations” said the company. When asked about the hold on cluster bomb shipments in May, a U.S. official cited reports that the Saudi-led coalition used cluster bombs “in areas in which civilians are alleged to have been present or in the vicinity.” “We take such concerns seriously and are seeking additional information,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Following media coverage of the White House’s block, peace activists picketed outside Textron’s offices in Wilmington calling for an end of the production of cluster bombs. Since March 2015, when Saudi Arabia launched its military campaign against the Houthi rebellion in Yemen, at least 6,200 people have died and nearly 3 million have been displaced from their homes. The conflict is often viewed as a proxy battle between Saudi Arabia, which backs the Yemeni government in exile, and Iran, which has provided some support to Houthi rebels, who are part of a Shiite sect. At the moment, political talks sponsored by the United Nations have collapsed while the U.S. has called on all sides to stop fighting. Saudi officials have said they cannot accept Houthi control of large swaths of Yemen, and have noted that they have intercepted several missiles shot by Houthi rebels. In a statement to FP, Human Rights Watch spokeswoman Mary Wareham praised the decision. “Textron was the last U.S. manufacturer of cluster munitions so this decision now clears the path for the administration and Congress to work together to permanently end U.S. production, transfer and use of cluster munitions,” she said. In an upbeat note to investors about the decision, Barclays analyst Carter Copeland said the production of cluster bombs limited the “ownability” of Textron shares among foreign investment funds “due largely to interpretations of where [Textron] stood vis-a-vis international weapons treaties.” As a result, the decision could expand Textron’s investor base in Europe, Copeland said. === Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org naiman at justforeignpolicy.org (202) 448-2898 x1 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: