OMNI
ANTI-WAR, ANTI-IMPERIALISM,
ANTI-CANT PEACEMAKING NEWSLETTER #5. December 19, 2016.
Compiled by Dick
Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology.
(#1 April 2, 2012; #2 Jan. 18, 2013; #3 March
25, 2014; #4, January 25, 2015).
What’s at stake:
The essays in these five newsletters on resisting US wars and
imperialism and the ideas and language used to rationalize them offer a
collection of some of the best writing on how to end the US War system. They are reinforced by many newsletters under
different titles (e.g. Grassroots Militarism, Imperialism). Remember, the name of this newsletter and its
blog has been: It’s the War Department. Now it
is Nuclear War and Warming
(deadliest enemies of planet and their outliers).
Eleanor Roosevelt visited Europe shortly
after the end of WWI. Henceforth she
increasingly imagined, felt, abhorred, and acted against the horrors of war. “I think that trip had far-reaching
consequences for me. . . .The picture of desolation fostered in me an undying
hate of war. . . .The conviction of the uselessness of war as a means of
finding any final solution to international difficulties grew stronger and
stronger as I listened to people talk. . . .the impression was so strong that
instead of fading out of my memory it has become more deeply etched upon it
year by year.” (The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, 1961, the abbreviated
edition).
We need not visit countries destroyed by
war to be able to imagine it, however, nor does she say we must. I
think she would agree that most of us cannot afford such travel. But we can read about war. A good writer can evoke what we have not actually
seen and experienced. And good films
about war can virtually transport us there.
With this one requirement—that the writings and the films tell the
truth; that there be no evasions, no wishful thinking, no cant in them. But of course the absence of these features
is the definition of good literature and film.
--Dick
Grassroots
Militarism Newsletter #1: http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/2014/05/grassroots-militarism-newsletter-1.html
Contents: Anti-War Newsletter #5, December 18,
2016
Organizations
World Beyond War
War Resisters League
ANSWER Coalition
Veterans for Peace
Individuals
Eleanor Roosevelt
Daniel Berrigan
Veterans
Rory Fanning, Worth
Fighting For
Tomas Young
Congress
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
History
Book on War
Resistance 1914-1918
OMNI
Newsletters on Militarism and Imperialism 2007-2014
Organizations
Against US Wars, Militarism, Imperialism
WORLD BEYOND WAR
What You Can Do to End War on the
International Day of Peace By David Swanson, telesur, World Beyond War (Sept. 21, 2016, UN International Day of
Peace)
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/What-You-Can-Do-to-End-War-on-the-International-Day-of-Peace-20160921-0003.html
http://www.telesurtv.net/english/opinion/What-You-Can-Do-to-End-War-on-the-International-Day-of-Peace-20160921-0003.html
If you want to find peace in your heart, knock yourself out.
Seriously, knock yourself out, there's nothing more peaceful. Or if you want to
find peace in your family or your neighborhood, or on the sidelines of a football game during the playing of the National
Anthem, there may be no better way to do it than to pledge your allegiance to
permanent war on poor foreign countries.
A school board member in Virginia once agreed to support a
celebration of the International Day of Peace "as long as everyone
understands that I'm not opposing any wars."
But what if you want to find peace through the abolition of war?
Then what do you do? Well, then you do the long, hard, exciting, fulfilling,
nonviolent, community building work that may very well bring peace to
everything from your heart to your local police department in the process, but
which is aimed at reducing and eliminating the arms trade and militarism.
Have you noticed how outraged U.S. liberals can become when they
discover that the U.S. National Anthem has various ties to racism? Imagine! A song that celebrates the mass slaughter of
human beings during an inane quest to take over Canada (which instead got the
White House burned) -- that glorious treasure might be marred by a cruel and
unenlightened ideology!
Did you see the news story this week about the U.S. government compensating the
family of an Italian they'd blown up in a war with a payment of $1 million?
What if Iraqis were given that treatment? As many families are gone entirely,
let's round down to 1 million victims with survivors left to be compensated.
What's a million times $1 million? It's $1 trillion. What the U.S. government
spends on militarism in 1 year could treat Iraqis as if they were
Europeans. The next year's funding could start in on compensating Afghans, Pakistanis,
Yemenis, Libyans, Somalis, Syrians, etc.
There is an educational project needed that you can help with. It
involves persuading people that war can't be mended, that it must be ended. You
might begin by sitting out a playing of the National Anthem and then explaining
to people why. If you don't want to do that alone, do it with a small group. If
you don't have a small group, Campaign Nonviolence has over 650 nonviolent
war-abolition events of all sorts planned all over the place this week. Find the nearest event.
For more events all over the world, check out our events page at World Beyond War. There are art exhibitions, ship
voyages, anti-nuclear lobby events, protest rallies, vigils, conferences,
festivals, and long-distance walks.
Have you ever dreamed of seeing a peace movement, much less a war
abolition movement, on television? Now you can. On September 23rd and
24th point your web browser to TheRealNews.com and hook your computer up to your television screen
to see the No War 2016 conference. (Or just watch it on your computer.)
Here's the detailed agenda of what you'll see at what time, and bios and photos of all the speakers. This event will be three days of
making the case for alternatives to war, including activist workshops on the
third day, and on the next morning (Monday, the 26th) a 9 a.m.protest at the Pentagon. Come join us!
We will also be delivering to the Pentagon a petition simultaneously being delivered by U.S. whistleblowers
and Germans to the German government in Berlin asking for the closure of
Ramstein Air Base. On the 23rd/24th you can also catch a live stream World
Beyond War event from Malaysia. Other events all over the world will
be viewing the live stream from Washington, D.C., including this one in Berlin. Protests are also planned on the 26th in California, at West Point, and inAustralia.
Wherever you are, you should catch a screening of Paying the Price for Peace and of Snowden. The International Peace Bureau World
Congress is in Berlin
from September 29 to October 3rd. If you can be in Ireland or England or Germany, join the big events on October 8th. Keep Space for
Peace Week is October 1 to 8, and has events everywhere.
You can always organize your own event anywhere, and World Beyond
War will be glad to help you promote it. If you are looking for a tool for
studying, teaching, or leading discussions, we're just now publishing the 2016
version of A Global Security System: An
Alternative to War. Or use any
of these videos, power points, or speakers.
Want to lobby the U.S. government for something immediately
achievable? Call Congress and tell them to halt the next pending sale of
weapons to Saudi Arabia to be used killing people in Yemen. Sign this petition too. There is also an opportunity right now to ban cluster bombs, and after those nuclear bombs.
If you're convinced that activism is best directed at the edges of
a broken presidential election system, here's a useful approach: demand that
debates, like the one on September 26th, include more candidates, so that the pro-war consensus gets challenged.
Another debate is underway in the world right now on the question
of whether "Just War" theory is of any value. Even the Catholic Church,
the creator of Just War theory, is debating whether to formally reject it. I've
just published my argumenton the topic and will be debating a Just War advocate in
October. Get involved in this discussion. Ask someone on September 21st, the
International Day of Peace, whether they'd like there to be peace everywhere
every day. Ask them if they'd like to help make that happen.
Also, you can join a skype call with Afghan peace activists on September 21st.
There is peace in most places most of the time. Adding the last
bit of the earth to that peaceful status would not violate any laws of nature.
It would only violate the irrational drives and profiting greed of those who
oppose peace. This will take more than a day, but we can do it.
Sign the
Declaration of Peace.
Find events all over the world that you can take part in.
Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Support World Beyond War's work by clicking here.
Find events all over the world that you can take part in.
Join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Support World Beyond War's work by clicking here.
Mass Nonviolent Action Against
War: D.C. 9/26/16
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This looks like a thoughtfully arranged rally by many
outstanding peace organizations. OMNI might be a sponsor. An OMNI
member or two might attend. It'll take some preparation. I'll
organize a fundraiser for the trip. Dick
No War 2016 -- Details Announced
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War Resisters League
An excellent essay on war in and
by the USA, and a revelation of how little money the anti-war movement has! Dick
Are You Antiwar?
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Raising my Voice as an Anti-War
Organizer
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1-29-15
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 This is just the beginning . . .
Dear
WRL Community,
Working
with the War Resisters League has changed my life. I am accomplishing many
things I thought I couldn’t do and growing as an organizer in ways I was not
expecting:
Over
the past six months, I worked with WRL’s brilliant national organizers, Ali
Issa and Tara Tabassi, on developing the DHS campaign, which included
researching and curating political education materials. Last November, I
facilitated a weekend training of 30 multi-generational activists in
nonviolent campaign development. I’ve updated “What Every Girl
Should Know,”
our counter-recruitment brochure, to be more nuanced in its representation of
gender and sexuality. I’ve led weekly meetings, workshops, conference calls
and group projects. I’ve also learned how to think more critically about war
and police militarization, as well as how to better connect queer &
women’s liberation to anti-war struggles.
All
of this wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of Sara
Bilezikian’s parents.
The
Sara Bilezikian Peace Internship was created to honor Sara Bilzekian's
commitment to peace and justice. As a former volunteer and intern, Sara
shared her deep and comprehensive approach to intersectional organizing at
War Resisters League and through her work with indigenous communities in the
Southwest, supporting women building cooperatives in Nicaragua, opposing
corporate globalization and working to close the School of the Americas.
Honoring her commitment and passion for social change, Sara's parents Sophie
and John Bilezikian began a fund to support the growth of youth leadership in
grassroots movements.
Though
my Bilezikian internship has come to an end, my time with WRL is not over. I
intend to continue honoring Sara’s legacy. In March, I'll be facilitating our
“Buy 2 Tanks, Get 10 Guns Free” workshop at INCITE’s “Beyond the State:
Inciting Transformative Possibilities” conference in Chicago, doing
counter-recruitment work through disseminating WEGSK, and building our DHS
campaign as a volunteer in the working group. My commitment to social justice
is not only through organizing, but also through my work as a
poet.
My
commitment to War Resisters League and to building the movement against
police militarization continues. But this work is only sustainable through
our shared efforts. Can you also commit your time or resources? Please donate to
WRL today and, together, we can work to resist militarism everywhere.
With love,
Seelai
Karzai
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Answer Coalition
Dramatic
anti-war action takes place in D.C.
ANSWER
Coalition info@answercoalition.org via uark.edu
March
22, 2015 2:04 PM
to James
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Dear Dick,
(1)_March_21__2015_-_DC_-Photo_by_Roger_Scott.jpg
Photo: Roger Scott
Check back later in the week to see
many
more photos from this exciting event.
On Saturday, March 21, a dramatic
anti-war assembly rallied at the White House and then wound through the streets
of Washington, D.C., delivering symbolic flag-draped coffins to the
headquarters of war contractors like Honeywell Corporation, the AIPAC offices
and finally at the Senate Office Building at the U.S. Capitol.
Saturday's action was organized by the
ANSWER Coalition and was the culmination of four days of anti-war actions and
teach-ins organized by a broad coalition of organizations under the umbrella of
Spring Rising – an Antiwar Intervention in D.C. Spring Rising was initiated
by Cindy Sheehan and many organizations joined together to organize the
series of events, including the ANSWER Coalition, Veterans for Peace, World
Can't Wait, CODEPINK, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, World Beyond
War, Military Families Speak Out, United National Antiwar Coalition,
International Action Center, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and more.
(2)_March_21__2015_-_DC_-_Photo_by_Ted_Majdosz.jpg
Photo: Ted Majdosz
Check back later in the week to see
many
more photos from this exciting event.
The March 21 demonstration received
considerable media attention from national and international media outlets,
including CNN, Associated Press, Reuters, Al-Jazeera and a wide range of
alternative media.
Simultaneous March 21 demonstrations
were held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and other cities in the
Midwest.
Held on the 12th anniversary of the
U.S. “Shock and Awe” invasion of Iraq, the groups announced their plans to
intensify opposition to the Congressional Authorization for the Use of
Military Force (AUMF) request from President Obama, which they describe as
an authorization for this and future presidents to carry out endless war and
endless bombing in Iraq, Syria and other countries in the Middle East under the
pretext of fighting ISIS.
Brian
Becker, the national director of the ANSWER Coalition,
explained why the anti-war movement was marching in opposition to President
Obama's request for congressional authorization for endless war: info@answercoalition.org
(3)_March_21__2015_-_DC_-_Photo_by_Phil_Portluck.jpg
Photo: Phil Portluck
Check back later in the week to see
many
more photos from this exciting event.
“Each of the last four U.S. presidents
has carried out the bombing of Iraqi cities and towns. That's 24 years of
devastating bombing strikes against a country and a people that has never
threatened or harmed the people of the United States. Each U.S. administration
has used a different rationale for why the United States must bomb Iraq, with
the latest explanation being the need to fight ISIS. But ISIS only exists today
because of the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq. Dropping more U.S. bombs
on Iraqis will not solve the problems caused by the earlier U.S. bombs. The
United States is in fact the primary cause of the fragmenting of Iraq. Endless
war is only a prescription for the growth and exercise of a malignant
militarism that is has come to dominate the foundational political structures
of the United States.”
Please make a generous tax-deductible
donation today so that this critically important work against war and
militarism can continue to grow. We can do this work with you but not without
you. info@answercoalition.org
Peace or Perish Abolish War on
Planet and Poor
Veterans For Peace 29th Annual
Convention
Peace or Perish
Abolish War on Planet and Poor
VFP 2014 Annual Convention, Jul 23 - Jul 27,
2014
University of NC at Asheville
1 University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804
- Hosted by VFP Chapter 99 in Asheville, NC
Confirmed Speakers:
Cynthia
McKinney, American Politician and Activist
Matthew
Hoh, 1st US official to resign in protest over the Afghan war
Fr.
Roy Bourgeois, Founder of SOAW
Camilo
E. Mejia, First Combat Vet Resistor
Col
Ann Wright, Former U.S. Army Colonel
Ross
Caputi, Marine Corps veteran of the 2nd siege of Fallujah
Margaret
Stevens, VFP Board Member
Mike
Prysner, VFP Board Member, March Forward
Maggie
Martin, IVAW Executive Director & Membership Coordinator
Ben
Griffin, Founder of VFP UK Chapter
Brian
Willson, Vietnam Veteran
Leah
Bolger, Past VFP President
Patrick
McCann, VFP Board President
Michael
McPhearson, VFP Interim Executive Director
LEARN
MORE 2-4-15
Workshops
Contact Us
INDIVIDUALS AGAINST US WARS, MILITARISM, IMPERIALISM
Individuals
Eleanor
Roosevelt
Daniel Berrigan
Veterans
Rory Fanning, Worth Fighting For
Mark
Wilkerson, Tomas Young’s War
Congress
Rep. Barbara
Lee’s Alternative to Pres. Obama’s AUMF
Rep. Barbara
Lee, US Congressional, Woman Anti-War Hero
Eleanor
Roosevelt, The Autobiography of Eleanor
Roosevelt (Harper, 1961). The Harper Perennial paper edition appeared
2014. The book is a condensation of her
three-volume original.
Eleanor
Roosevelt visited the European battlefields shortly after WWI. From the Preface: “The picture of desolation fostered in me an
undying hate of war which was not definitely formulated before that time. The conviction of the uselessness of war as a
means of finding any final solution to international difficulties grew stronger
and stronger as I listened to people talk.”
“. . .in the hope that, by building international understanding and
co-operation, we could hold at bay the ugly stupidity of war and learn to
substitute for it, however slowly or painfully—or reluctantly—an era of
brotherhood” (xiv) After WWII she
visited the devastation of Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin. “Nothing could better illustrate the
sickening waste and destructiveness and futility of war than what I was seeing”
(309). –Dick
Patrick
O’Neill, “Daniel Berrigan,
Priest, Prisoner, Anti-War Crusader, Dies.”
National Catholic Reporter http://ncronline.org/authors/patrick-oneill . A shorter version
appeared in The Nuclear Resister (June
2, 2016). Another link: bit.ly/DanBObit
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