OMNI NEWSLETTER ON AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN #16, April 27, 2012. Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace (#8 April 15, 2011; #9 June 10, 2011; #10 July 3, 2011; #11 July 13, 2011; #12 Sept. 5, 2011; #13 Oct. 2, 2011; #14 Oct. 15, 2011; #15 Feb. 14, 2012 )

Here is the link to all the newsletters archived in the OMNI web site.

http://www.omnicenter.org/newsletter-archive/ For views and information not found in the mainstream media

Instead of Defense Department, Say War Department

Instead of War on Terror, Say US War to Dominate World

Instead of Taliban, Say Afghan Resistance to Occupation

And Afghan/Pak make sense.

Contents of #15

Taliban Peace Talks

Rolling Stone: McChrystal, Petraeus

Rolling Stone: Full Report

Chomsky: World Militarism

Voices for Creative Nonviolence: Women and Children

PBS Film: We Take Our Stand

Merkley Afghan Withdrawal Amendment Passes Senate

Cortright, Ending Obama’s War

Pakistan

After NATO Attack

Protest New Military Budget

Petitions

Afghans Hungry This Winter

US Torture (3)

To End War Free 5 Prisoners

IED Soldiers’ Deaths

Contents of #16

Oppose NATO, Occupation, Warriors, War-Mongers in Chicago

Afghan Women

WAND, Rangina Hamidi

Sheehan, Afghans for Peace for Women

Robert Bales

Stephenson, US Soldier Kills Civilians

Hedges, Murder in War

Shea, Support These Troops?

The War and Afghans

US Labor Against the War

Join us in Chicago for Nato Counter Summit!

Mary Zerkel and Peter Lems, American Friends Service Committee via uark.edu to jbennet

Join us for our Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice Chicago, May 18 & 19

Dear James,

The Counter Summit Agenda!

End the wars and build real security with dialogue, diplomacy and nonviolence.

Map campaigns for a more peaceful and just future

Build campaigns to challenge militarized foreign policies.

For more details on the conference visit NATO-FREE FUTURE.org. http://www.natofreefuture.org/

http://www.natofreefuture.org/2012/01/conference-info/

AFSC is continuing our work to put an end to, and reprioritize, the initiatives of the pro-military agendas around the world. From various traveling exhibits like Windows and Mirrors, hosting informative events such as Know Drones, and the ongoing panels of engaging dialogue. With your help we are making a difference every day.

To expand our work with European partners to end the war in Afghanistan, AFSC took the lead in organizing the Network for a NATO-FREE FUTURE. With these partners, we've organized the Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice Conference as an alternative and safe place for those who, like us, oppose current agendas of many world governments.

There will be more than 50 heads of state participating in the upcoming NATO Summit.

The NATO Summit's agenda aims to:

Establish support for a US military presence through 2024 in Afghanistan.

Commit to spending billions of dollars to arm and support over-sized Afghan security forces that are unsustainable

Reaffirm NATO as a global military alliance and preparations for “New Strategic Concept” wars like the disastrous Libyan military intervention.

To push back against this agenda, the counter summit will offer plenary sessions and 28 workshops featuring analysis, trainings, and campaigns designed to bring the troops home, to move the money from the Pentagon to meet real human needs and to create a more peaceful, just and secure world.

Bringing together activists from across the U.S. and around the world, the counter-summit will provide rare and critically important opportunities to learn from one another, to network and to build more cohesive peace, economic and social justice movements.

Speakers include Phyllis Bennis, Medea Benjamin, Roger Cole, Bruce Gagnon, Sarita Gupta, and AFSC's Peter Lems.

You’ll find the conference agenda, a complete list of speakers, workshops, and other useful information regarding the conference at the NATO-FREE FUTURE web page.

A better, more peaceful, secure and prosperous world is possible. Please come to Chicago if you can!

Wage peace,

Mary Zerkel and Peter Lems

American Friends Service Committee

Ps. If you want to take action in advance visit our NATO/G8 Resources page. http://www.afsc.org/resource/natog8-resources

Forward this message to your friends.

Help support AFSC's worldwide work for peace, justice and human dignity. Make a donation today.

American Friends Service Committee

1501 Cherry Street

Philadelphia, PA 19102

http://www.afsc.org/

Give Afghan women a voice!

Karen Jacob peace@wand.org via uark.edu

April 11, 2012 to jbennet

Dear WAND Supporter,

Rangina Hamidi is a 35-year-old Afghani woman whose family fled to the

United States

during the Soviet occupation in 1981. With the threat of the Taliban’s return to power and activity in

Afghanistan

, fear is in the air - especially for women.

Susan Shaer (WAND executive director) and I met with Rangina a few weeks ago. Rangina asks that we tell members of Congress that women’s needs are fundamental to the freedom and security of families, tribes and communities.

Hillary Clinton has lifted up the absolute necessity of having women at the tables of peacemaking in

Afghanistan

, and everywhere. Yet few U.S. congresswomen are aware of President Obama’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security released in December, 2011, and how it can affect U.S. plans for providing security for the women of

Afghanistan

after we leave.

Donate to WAND Education Fund now to help enlighten

Congress about the National Action Plan.

U.S.

troops will leave soon, so I, you, we, feel urgency to protect the citizens, the women and children, the old and infirm, from endless tragedy. You can help tell Congress to consider how to protect them. WAND has the expertise to help these groups educate elected leaders. WAND understands what policy makers need to think about on the road ahead.

You and I are the fortunate ones. We can help the Afghan women secure a better future. Join me as I work with WAND to make this a better world for all women. Starting with

Afghanistan

. You can make a difference by donating to WAND Education Fund today.

Sincerely,Karen Jacob, WAND Board Chair, Goshen, Indiana

691 Massachusetts Ave.

| Arlington, MA 02476

Afghans for Peace

by Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox

Dear Friend,

We at Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox have been a consistent, loud, and uncompromising voice for peace during the Obama administration.

More people (US troops and Afghans, alike) have died in

Afghanistan

since Obama took over management of that war.

This Sunday, on the Soapbox, I talk to Fatima, from Afghans for Peace. Afghans must, themselves, lead any effort for peace in that region.

Here is the video that Fatima wanted us to watch that highlights the struggle for integrity of vision and principle even within her own community.

You can listen to this show Sunday, March 25, at 2pm Pacific at Community Progressive Radio---or any time thereafter at Cindy Sheehan's Soapbox Archives. http://cindysheehanssoapbox.blogspot.com/p/soapbox-archives.html

U.S.

Soldier Kills 16 Afghan Civilians In Unprovoked Attack

Jon Stephenson, News Report, NationofChange, March 12, 2012: “A U.S. soldier killed 16 Afghan civilians on Sunday, including three women and nine children, in an unprovoked attack in southern Kandahar province, Afghan officials said. Five more people also were wounded in the shooting at Belandi-Pul village of the Panjway district when the soldier entered homes and opened fire, according to a statement from President Hamid Karzai's office.” READ | DISCUSS | SHARE http://www.nationofchange.org/us-soldier-kills-16-afghan-civilians-unprovoked-attack-1331562995

“Chris Hedges | Murder Is Not an Anomaly in War”

TruthDig, March 19, 2012

Excerpt: "Robert Bales, a U.S. Army staff sergeant who allegedly killed 16 civilians in two Afghan villages, including nine children, is not an anomaly. To decry the butchery of this case and to defend the wars of occupation we wage is to know nothing about combat."

ANGER AND HATRED, DESTRUCTION AND KILLING: SUPPORT THESE TROOPS?

"Afghanistan: A Gathering Menace: Traveling with U.S. Troops Gives Insights into the Recent Massacre"
http://theamericanscholar.org/a-gathering-menace
By Neil Shea, American Scholar blog, posted March 16

Photos of Soldiers With Afghan Corpses the Latest Outrage for U.S. Occupation of Afghanistan

Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Video Report, Democracy Now, April 19, 2012: “We get reaction to two photographs published by the Los Angeles Times that show U.S. soldiers posing with the corpses and body parts of dead Afghans. ‘I think (the photos) shock us actually more than they shock Afghans,’ says journalist Anand Gopal. ‘From the Afghan perspective, we’ve had troops urinating on corpses, a massacre of 17 civilians, air strikes, night raids, troops cutting off fingers for sport, and so, for Afghans, this is part and parcel of the experience of being in war.’” READ | DISCUSS | SHARE http://www.nationofchange.org/photos-soldiers-afghan-corpses-latest-outrage-us-occupation-afghanistan-1334853090

1. US Labor Against the War : Index

uslaboragainstwar.org/

Daniel Davis, an actively serving Army officer assigned to the Pentagon accuses top

U.S.

military officials of misleading the American public about the war in ...

Resolution Condemning the ... *uslaboragainstwar*.org/article.php?id=25340 Resolution Condemning the Use of U.S. Military to Escort Scab ...	Affiliate with USLAW *uslaboragainstwar*.org/section.php?id=94 Affiliate with U.S. Labor Against the War. US Labor Against the War ...
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Labor Party Interim National Council Statement Against War in

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February 2003. The Labor Party believes in the American Dream of opportunity, fairness and ...

4. We Establish U.S. Labor Against the War

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Jan 14, 2003 – We Establish

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Labor Against the War. 11 January 2003. WHEREAS, over 100 trade unionists from 76 local, regional and national unions, ...

5. Trade Unionists Launch 'U.S. Labor Against the War - KC Labor

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In October 2003, prior to its founding assembly, a delegation from U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW) went to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi trade unionists and ...

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May 2, 2011 – U.S. Labor Against the War is a partner organization of the Institute for Policy Studies. USLAW was founded at a Chicago conference in January ...

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declarationofpeace.org/endorsements/us-labor-against-the-war

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10. US Labor Against the War Formed

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END AFGHAN/PAKISTAN NEWSLETTER #16