OMNI BOOK FORUM ON DEMOCRACY
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 6:30, NIGHTBIRD BOOKS
NOTE: NIGHTBIRD IS MOVING TO DICKSON!
We will be at 205 W Dickson St. where ONF was once located and more recently, the Ozark Mountain Smokehouse. Parking on the east side is the Nightbird parking lot. The west lot is available if the smokehouse has no catering scheduled. I am encouraging event attendees to leave the closest spaces for those who need them most.
A peace and justice organization in a constitutional democracy must arise from the people and be accomplished by the people.
PANELISTS: Claire Detels, Lindsley Smith, Amjad Faur, Thomas Markham
Moderator: Dick Bennett
Video: Marion Orton, Bill Orton
Photographer: Max Greenwood
Refreshments: Cliff Mikkelson
Greeter: Coralie Koonce
Flyer: Amjad Faur
News Release: Dick Bennett
Panelists and Books:
DEMOCRACY DISMANTLED
Claire Detels: Johnson, Chalmers. Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. 2006.
Amjad Faur: Jane Mayer, The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. 2008.
DEMOCRACY REBUILT
Lindsley Smith: Ann Fagan Ginger, The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. 2008. (Other books by Ginger: Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11. 2005. Undoing the Bush-Cheney Legacy: A Took Kit for Congress & Activists. 2008. )
Thomas Markham. Susan Rosenthal, Power and Powerlessness. 2006.
Dick will draw attention to these books:
Frances Moore Lappe, Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life. 2006. Democracy must be of, BY, and for the People.
Tavis Smiley, Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. 2009. A compendium of Pres. Obama’s promises.
Following: See a sampling of the rich exposes of the dismantling, and of the rebuilding.
DISMANTLING
Bennett, Control of Information in the United States (1987) and Control of the Media in the United States (1992). Annotated bibliographies.
Bennett, James R. Political Prisoners and Trials…Bibliography, 1900 through 1993. Pp. 267-304 on US. Although US leaders have proclaimed their support for human rights in all nations, they are themselves guilty of massive human rights violations against people around the world and have embraced as allies countries guilty of similar crimes. Furthermore, US officials have imprisoned thousands of their own citizens for their beliefs—not only communists and socialists, but trade unionists, suffragettes, conscientious objectors, civil rights protestors, and on and on.
Brightman, Carol. Total Insecurity: The Myth of American Omnipotence. Unchecked corporate and executive political power and obsession with security has created a permanent state of war and war economy.
Brock, David. The Republican Noise Machine: Right Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy. 2004.
Buchanan, Patrick. Where the Right Went Wrong. Indictment of GOP leaders and Bush White House for abandoning principles in the pursuit of power.
Byrd, Robert, Sen. Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency. 2004. (Subject of an earlier Forum.)
Carroll, James. House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power. 2006. (Subject of an earlier Forum.)
Carter, Jimmy.Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis. Strong defense of separation of church and state.
Chomsky, Noam. Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9-11 World. Interviews on Iraq, preemptive strikes, US vs. peace of the world, etc.
Cohn, Marjorie. Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law. 2007. (Earlier Forum).
Conason, Joe. It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush. 2007.
Dowd, Maureen. Bushworld: Enter at Your Own Risk. Bush admin.’s fractured adventures in empire-building.
House Democratic Judiciary Committee Staff. The Constitution in Crisis: The High Crimes of the Bush Administration and a Blueprint for Impeachment.
Giroux, Henry. The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex. 2007. On the “anti-democratic forces of militarization, corporatism, and patriotic correctness” that now dominate US universities. The book fits just as well under Resistance/Rebuilding, for it is a “defense of the university as a democratic public sphere.”
Goldberg, Michelle. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. How an increasingly bellicose fundamentalism is gaining traction throughout our national life through right-wing evangelical culture and the Republican party.
Hedges, Chris. American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. 2006.
Hightower, Jim. If the Gods Had Meant Us To Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates.
Holtzman, Elizabeth with Cynthia Cooper. The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens. 2006.
Johnson, Chalmers. Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. 2006.
Johnston, David Cay. Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themsleves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill). 2007. (Discussed at US Capitalism Forum).
Kaiser, Robert. “So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government.” 2008.
Kennedy, Robert F., Jr. Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy. Bush and his corporate cronies threaten our health, national security, and democracy.
Krugman, Paul. The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century. Norton, 2003.
Lerner, Michael. The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right. The destructive alliance of the Religious Right and the Political Right.
Lindorff, Dave and Barbara Olshansky. The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing Presieent George W. Bush from Office. 2006.
Loo, Dennis & Peter Phillips, eds. Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney. 2006.
Mailer, Norman. Why Are We at War? Analyzes George W. Bush’s quest for empire. Norman Mailer, one of the greatest authors of our time, lays bare the White House’s position on why war in Iraq is necessary and justified. By scrutinizing the administration’s words and actions leading up to the current crisis, Mailer carefully builds his case that Bush is pursuing war not in the name of security or anti-terrorism or human rights but in an undeclared yet fully realized ambition of global empire.
Mann, James. The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush’s War Cabinet. 2004.
*Jane Mayer's The Dark Side: The Inside Story of how the War on Terror Turned i nto a War on American Ideals (2008). (Amjad Faur). An account of how US leaders made ruinous decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world—decisions that not only violated the Constitution but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda.
Moyers, Bill. Moyers on America: A Journalist and His times. Democracy has been replaced by government of, by, and for the corporate ruling class.
Palast, Greg. Armed Madhouse. BBC reporter reveals Bush’s plans for seizing Iraq’s oil, exams War on Terror, Kerry won 2002 election, and more.
Rampton, Sheldon and John Stauber. Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing Is Turning America into a One-Party State. Penguin, 2004.
Rasmus, Jack. The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush. 2006.
Rich, Frank. The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth in Bush’s America. A step by step chronicle of how the White House built its souse of cards, and how the institutions that should have exposed these fictions, esp. the mainstream news media, failed.
Risen, James. State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. The scandals show how power works in Bush’s presidency.
Ritter, Scott. Target Iran: The Truth About the White House’s Plans for Regime Change. A sound US-Iranian relationship based on mutual respect, non-aggression, and economic interaction is in the best interest for both countries.
Rossi, Melissa. What Every American Should Know About Who’s Really Running America, And What You Can Do About It. 2007. Includes a good biblio. mainly on dismantling.
Scheer, Robert. The Pornorgraphy of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America. 2008.
Standaert, Michael. Skipping Towards Armageddon: The Politics and Propaganda of the “Left Behind” Novels and the LaHaye Empire. A religious right-wing and neo-conservative conspiracy whose agenda of intolerance is furthered in works of fiction.
Sunstein, Cass. Radicals in Robes. Supreme Court’s right-ward shift may further endanger environmental regulations, campaign finance reform, right to privacy, etc.
Sweig, Julia. Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century. US sowed the seeds of its decline in the eyes of the world in South America.
Whitney, Craig, ed. The WMD Mirage: Iraq’s Decade of Deception and America’s False Premise for War. The false intelligence and misinformation explains how Bush justified the need for war.
Willis, Clint, ed. The I Hate Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, Condit Rice Reader: Behind the Bush Cabal’s War on America. Expose of what the editor feels is the most vicious, destructive, and immoral group ever to run the country.
Wolf, Naomi. The End of America. 2007. US fascist shift under Bush.
RESISTANCE, REBUILDING
“A just world is possible. Human beings create society, and we can change it.” Rosenthal, Power and Powerlessness. “It is the job of politicians to make promises, but it is the job of the people who elect them to make sure they keep them.” Tavis Smiley, Accountable
Alterman, Eric. Why We’re Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America. Counterattack on right-wing spin and misinformation.
Boulding, Elise. Cultures of Peace: The Hidden Side of History. Syracuse, 2000.
Brown, Peter, and Geoffrey Garver. Right Relationship:Bbuilding a Whole Earth Economy. 2009.
Garey, Diane. Defending Everybody: A History of the American Civil Liberties Union. 1998.
Ginger, Ann Fagan, ed. Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11. 2005.
Ginger, Ann. Undoing the Bush-Cheney Legacy: A Took Kit for Congress & Activists. 2008.
*Ginger, Ann Fagan. The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. 2008. Just in time for the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights! (Lindsley Smith)
Hartmann, Thom. What Would Jefferson Do? A Return to Democracy. US has departed from vision of Founding Fathers. Democracy is not an aberration in human history but the oldest, most resilient, and most universal form of government.
Hayden, Tom. The Port Huron Statement: The Visionary Call of the 1960s Revollution. Historic document of US radicalism, a gernational call for direct participatory democracy.
Korten, David. Agenda for a New Economy. 2009.
*Lappe, Frances Moore. Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life. 2006. (Dick Bennett)
Lardner and Loewentheil, eds. Thinking Big: Progressive Ideas for a New Era. 2009.
McChesney, Robert. The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century. 2004. (probably more on Dismantling)
Morgan, Robin. Fighting Words: A Toolkit for Combating the Religious Right. Ideas and arguments from the Founding Fathers and others.
Polner, Murray and Thomas Woods, Jr., eds. We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now. Basic, 2008.
Poundstone, William. Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren’t Fair (And What We Can Do About It.). 2008. On “range” voting.
The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace. Beacon, 2002.
*Rosenthal, Susan. Power and Powerlessness. Trafford, 2006. This is the most challenging, think out-of-the-box book in this biblio. Its picture of the US is that of a nation divided between “a few who wield immense power and the rest who feel varying degrees of powerlessness..” This imbalance is no accident, but is the direct result of the few grabbing power from the many. “Part One explains that society does not arise from human nature. On the contrary, current social arrangements violate human nature. Part Two shows how power is divided by class. Part Three investigates how power and powerlessness are perpetuated. Part Four reveals how powerlessness can be transformed into power.” “The need for change is urgent. Everywhere, there is injustice, anguish, and anger. This book explains how society shapes people, how people shape society, and how powerlessness can be converted into the power to transform the world.” (Tom Markham).
--Smiley, Tavis, with Stephanie Robinson. Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. Atria, 2009. Chapters on 6 major areas of policy, each followed by an “Accountable Assessment Checklist”: Obama’s campaign promises, questions to Obama, questions to Congresspeople, and to community leaders. The final and most lengthy chapter is “The Accountable Report Card,” in which Obama is quoted on issue after issue, and then readers are asked to evaluate his performance. The book expresses Smiley’s strong belief in the importance of We, the People, and a nation of, by, and for the people. “It is the job of politicians to make promises, but it is the job of the people who elect them to make sure they keep them.” He calls upon the citizenry to “track the progress of the president’s vision for our future. Presidents alone do not shape our future….citizens must always be prepared to hold the president accountable on what he (perhaps one day, she!) promised he’d fight for. Never forget, we, the people, are accountable for making sure that promises made are promises kept.” (171).
True, Michael. To Construct Peace: 30 More Justice Seekers, Peace Makers. Twenty-Third, 1992.
Wittner, Lawrence. Rebels Against War: The American Peace Movement, 1941-1960. Columbia UP, 1969.
Wolf, Naomi. Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. 2008 (Earlier Forum).
--
Dick Bennett
jbennet@uark.edu
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
OMNI offers peace-leadership forum at 6 p.m. tonight
Cultural Competence – and you thought it was boring?
Peace Leadership Forum
Saturday, March 21 – 6:00 pm
United Campus Ministries Deep End
“Food With A Story Potluck”
Program: Cultural Competence with Val Gonzalez, Human EQ
Some of America woke up to how interesting cultural competence was as we watched jumbo jets smash through the World Trade Center. The wiser of us have taken note of how diverse our world has become, and realize that the citizen of the future needs to understand his neighbors.
For peace leaders this is a critical issue at a critical time. Please join us as we begin a new journey of understanding.
Gladys Tiffany
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
Peace Leadership Forum
Saturday, March 21 – 6:00 pm
United Campus Ministries Deep End
“Food With A Story Potluck”
Program: Cultural Competence with Val Gonzalez, Human EQ
Some of America woke up to how interesting cultural competence was as we watched jumbo jets smash through the World Trade Center. The wiser of us have taken note of how diverse our world has become, and realize that the citizen of the future needs to understand his neighbors.
For peace leaders this is a critical issue at a critical time. Please join us as we begin a new journey of understanding.
Gladys Tiffany
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
Friday, March 20, 2009
Do this for our wives, girlfriends, mates, mothers, aunts, nieces, cousins and daughters
The time is NOW! Four items are needed NOW! KEEP READING FOR GREAT NEWS!!!!!
Passage of the ERA could occur this week. We need four things to insure that action.
1. Governor needs 1000 emails this weekend at mike.beebe@governor.arkansas.gov or jenny.boshears@governor.arkansas.gov not to sway him but for his use, if desired. The emails should thank him for his expressed support and then ask him to ask senate to pull ERA resolution from committee and then ratify resolution on floor. eg: "Dear Governor Beebe; I greatly appreciate the support you have give to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. I ask for your continued support in urging Senator Faris and the total senate to pull the ERA resolution from committee and to vote YES for ratification".
This will be a proud day for Arkansas. Thanks! Berta Seitz.
2. Senator Steve Faris, chairman of the Senate State Agencies Committee needs 100s of calls (as he does not use email) asking him to support pulling the ERA resolution from committee. His home phone is 501-337-7307 or senate line 501-682-2902.
3. Rep. Butch Wilkins at bl-wilkins46@hotmail.com from Bono near Jonesboro and Larry Cowling at cowlingl@arkleg.state.ar.us need 10, but all of Arkansas and all of the Democrats on the State Agencies Committee. 73% of Arkansans support men and women having equal rights and think that women should be included in the U.S. Constitution. Wilkins has 4 daughters who need the legal protections given in the constitution that do not presently apply to them. He is a Baptist but needs to know that supporting equality of all of God's children is a very Christian thing to do. Cowling only has one son and is Episcopal. The ERA does not support abortion or gay marriage. It simply includes women in the constitution. Use any of the above or your own reasons for supporting the ERA. They must support in committee.
4. Be ready to go to LR next week for history. We expect the vote on the senate floor to be either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon. I hopefully will know later today. I will email as quickly as I know. Then we will immediately take it to House committee on Wednesday or Friday so you need to come prepared to work the House.
Folks we can do this but we must send the emails and make the phone calls. There are over 10,000 members of the ERArkansas Coalition. We just need to act this weekend!
Thanks in advance!
Berta L. Seitz
ERArkansas Coalition Coordinator
Gladys Tiffany
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
Passage of the ERA could occur this week. We need four things to insure that action.
1. Governor needs 1000 emails this weekend at mike.beebe@governor.arkansas.gov or jenny.boshears@governor.arkansas.gov not to sway him but for his use, if desired. The emails should thank him for his expressed support and then ask him to ask senate to pull ERA resolution from committee and then ratify resolution on floor. eg: "Dear Governor Beebe; I greatly appreciate the support you have give to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. I ask for your continued support in urging Senator Faris and the total senate to pull the ERA resolution from committee and to vote YES for ratification".
This will be a proud day for Arkansas. Thanks! Berta Seitz.
2. Senator Steve Faris, chairman of the Senate State Agencies Committee needs 100s of calls (as he does not use email) asking him to support pulling the ERA resolution from committee. His home phone is 501-337-7307 or senate line 501-682-2902.
3. Rep. Butch Wilkins at bl-wilkins46@hotmail.com from Bono near Jonesboro and Larry Cowling at cowlingl@arkleg.state.ar.us need 10, but all of Arkansas and all of the Democrats on the State Agencies Committee. 73% of Arkansans support men and women having equal rights and think that women should be included in the U.S. Constitution. Wilkins has 4 daughters who need the legal protections given in the constitution that do not presently apply to them. He is a Baptist but needs to know that supporting equality of all of God's children is a very Christian thing to do. Cowling only has one son and is Episcopal. The ERA does not support abortion or gay marriage. It simply includes women in the constitution. Use any of the above or your own reasons for supporting the ERA. They must support in committee.
4. Be ready to go to LR next week for history. We expect the vote on the senate floor to be either Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon. I hopefully will know later today. I will email as quickly as I know. Then we will immediately take it to House committee on Wednesday or Friday so you need to come prepared to work the House.
Folks we can do this but we must send the emails and make the phone calls. There are over 10,000 members of the ERArkansas Coalition. We just need to act this weekend!
Thanks in advance!
Berta L. Seitz
ERArkansas Coalition Coordinator
Gladys Tiffany
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Where have all the hen ducks gone? Long time passing
Please Enlarge view of the lonely drakes in the stream that flows downhill from N. Duncan Avenue and through the Beverly Manor apartment pond.
Joan Baez performs when will they ever learn, where have all the flowers gone
Mary Travers and the Kingston Trio perform WHERE have all the flowers gone
Mary Travers, Pete Seegers and the Kingston Trio perform WHERE have all the flowers gone
Joan Baez performs when will they ever learn, where have all the flowers gone
Mary Travers and the Kingston Trio perform WHERE have all the flowers gone
Mary Travers, Pete Seegers and the Kingston Trio perform WHERE have all the flowers gone
Monday, March 16, 2009
OMNI book forum on democracy set for April 3, 2009, at NIghtbird Books
BOOK FORUM ON DEMOCRACY
From: Omnicenter Communications (omninews@listserv.uark.edu) on behalf of Dick Bennett (jbennet@uark.edu)
Sent: Mon 3/16/09 1:47 PM
To: OMNINEWS@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
DISMANTLING DEMOCRACY, REBUILDING DEMOCRACY
OMNI BOOK FORUM, FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2009, Nightbird Books, 6:30.
Elections alone do not make a democracy. The US National Security State will remain unchallenged, just as it was by the major party candidates (except for Cong. Kucinich) during the recent presidential campaign. And in those areas of power that Pres. Obama has challenged, the same powerful, wealthy interests that hijacked our government during the past eight years are still entrenched in Washington, DC., as we have seen during the first two months of his presidency. Therefore, OMNI is still needed to advance alternatives to the Corporate (money)-Pentagon (money, patriotism)-White House-Congress-Mainstream Media-Education Complex (which is what Pres. Eisenhower would write in his Farewell Address today). OMNI engages our fellow citizens as truthfully as it can regarding the realities of power in our country, and we call upon an informed citizenry to resist the established power of the complex. Our Book Forums are only one of numerous actions we have constructed to challenge the corporate/military USA by engaging the public to become real citizens, as President Obama said during his election victory speech, by embracing “a new spirit of patriotism of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.” For eight years OMNI has not only called for such a society, but we have provided concrete programs and service for accomplishing it.
Our call has been to the people—We, the People—to build a constitutional nation of, by, and for the people. We stand with Frances Moore Lappe. This is a “development essential to Living Democracy—a deepening appreciation of the capacities of those at the ‘bottom.’ With ‘regular’ people stepping out in their communities—becoming knowledgeable in arcane matters from banking to federal communications policy—our expectations grow as to the legitimate role of those without official authority” ( Democracy’s Edge). And with Paul Loeb, who in Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time (1999) introduced us to many ordinary citizens who have found fulfillment in social involvement.
The purpose of this panel is to identify some of the major causes and features of the disintegration of our representative government and the major requirements for its rebuilding. Two panelists will discuss books about the dismantling, and two will present books that set forth the needed restorations.
OMNI BOOK FORUM ON DEMOCRACY
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 6:30, NIGHTBIRD BOOKS
A peace and justice organization in a constitutional democracy must arise from the people and be accomplished by the people.
PANELISTS: Claire Detels, Lindsley Smith, Amjad Faur, Thomas Markham
Moderator: Dick Bennett
Video: Marion Orton, Bill Orton
Photographer: Max Greenwood
Refreshments: Cliff Mikkelson
Greeter: Coralie Koonce
Flyer: Amjad Faur
News Release: Dick Bennett
Panelists and Books:
DEMOCRACY DISMANTLED
Claire Detels: Johnson, Chalmers. Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. 2006.
Amjad Faur: Jane Mayer, The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. 2008.
DEMOCRACY REBUILT
Lindsley Smith: Ann Fagan Ginger, The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. 2008. (Other books by Ginger: Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11. 2005. Undoing the Bush-Cheney Legacy: A Took Kit for Congress & Activists. 2008. )
Thomas Markham. Susan Rosenthal, Power and Powerlessness. 2006.
Dick will draw attention to these books:
Frances Moore Lappe, Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life. 2006. Democracy must be of, BY, and for the People.
Tavis Smiley, Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. 2009. A compendium of Pres. Obama’s promises.
Following: See the rich exposes of the dismantling, and the equally rich explorations of the rebuilding.
DISMANTLING
Bennett, Control of Information in the United States (1987) and Control of the Media in the United States (1992). Annotated bibliographies.
Bennett, James R. Political Prisoners and Trials…Bibliography, 1900 through 1993. Pp. 267-304 on US. Although US leaders have proclaimed their support for human rights in all nations, they are themselves guilty of massive human rights violations against people around the world and have embraced as allies countries guilty of similar crimes. Furthermore, US officials have imprisoned thousands of their own citizens for their beliefs—not only communists and socialists, but trade unionists, suffragettes, conscientious objectors, civil rights protestors, and on and on.
Brightman, Carol. Total Insecurity: The Myth of American Omnipotence. Unchecked corporate and executive political power and obsession with security has created a permanent state of war and war economy.
Brock, David. The Republican Noise Machine: Right Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy. 2004.
Buchanan, Patrick. Where the Right Went Wrong. Indictment of GOP leaders and Bush White House for abandoning principles in the pursuit of power.
Byrd, Robert, Sen. Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency. 2004. (Subject of an earlier Forum.)
Carroll, James. House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power. 2006. (Subject of an earlier Forum.)
Carter, Jimmy.Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis. Strong defense of separation of church and state.
Chomsky, Noam. Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9-11 World. Interviews on Iraq, preemptive strikes, US vs. peace of the world, etc.
Cohn, Marjorie. Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law. 2007. (Earlier Forum).
Conason, Joe. It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush. 2007.
Dowd, Maureen. Bushworld: Enter at Your Own Risk. Bush admin.’s fractured adventures in empire-building.
House Democratic Judiciary Committee Staff. The Constitution in Crisis: The High Crimes of the Bush Administration and a Blueprint for Impeachment.
Giroux, Henry. The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex. 2007. On the “anti-democratic forces of militarization, corporatism, and patriotic correctness” that now dominate US universities. The book fits just as well under Resistance/Rebuilding, for it is a “defense of the university as a democratic public sphere.”
Goldberg, Michelle. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. How an increasingly bellicose fundamentalism is gaining traction throughout our national life through right-wing evangelical culture and the Republican party.
Hedges, Chris. American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. 2006.
Hightower, Jim. If the Gods Had Meant Us To Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates.
Holtzman, Elizabeth with Cynthia Cooper. The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens. 2006.
Johnson, Chalmers. Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. 2006.
Johnston, David Cay. Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themsleves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill). 2007. (Discussed at US Capitalism Forum).
Kaiser, Robert. “So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government.” 2008.
Kennedy, Robert F., Jr. Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy. Bush and his corporate cronies threaten our health, national security, and democracy.
Krugman, Paul. The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century. Norton, 2003.
Lerner, Michael. The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right. The destructive alliance of the Religious Right and the Political Right.
Lindorff, Dave and Barbara Olshansky. The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing Presieent George W. Bush from Office. 2006.
Loo, Dennis & Peter Phillips, eds. Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney. 2006.
Mailer, Norman. Why Are We at War? Analyzes George W. Bush’s quest for empire. Norman Mailer, one of the greatest authors of our time, lays bare the White House’s position on why war in Iraq is necessary and justified. By scrutinizing the administration’s words and actions leading up to the current crisis, Mailer carefully builds his case that Bush is pursuing war not in the name of security or anti-terrorism or human rights but in an undeclared yet fully realized ambition of global empire.
Mann, James. The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush’s War Cabinet. 2004.
*Jane Mayer's The Dark Side: The Inside Story of how the War on Terror Turned i nto a War on American Ideals (2008). (Amjad Faur). An account of how US leaders made ruinous decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world—decisions that not only violated the Constitution but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda.
Moyers, Bill. Moyers on America: A Journalist and His times. Democracy has been replaced by government of, by, and for the corporate ruling class.
Palast, Greg. Armed Madhouse. BBC reporter reveals Bush’s plans for seizing Iraq’s oil, exams War on Terror, Kerry won 2002 election, and more.
Rampton, Sheldon and John Stauber. Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing Is Turning America into a One-Party State. Penguin, 2004.
Rasmus, Jack. The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush. 2006.
Rich, Frank. The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth in Bush’s America. A step by step chronicle of how the White House built its souse of cards, and how the institutions that should have exposed these fictions, esp. the mainstream news media, failed.
Risen, James. State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. The scandals show how power works in Bush’s presidency.
Ritter, Scott. Target Iran: The Truth About the White House’s Plans for Regime Change. A sound US-Iranian relationship based on mutual respect, non-aggression, and economic interaction is in the best interest for both countries.
Rossi, Melissa. What Every American Should Know About Who’s Really Running America, And What You Can Do About It. 2007. Includes a good biblio. mainly on dismantling.
Scheer, Robert. The Pornorgraphy of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America. 2008.
Standaert, Michael. Skipping Towards Armageddon: The Politics and Propaganda of the “Left Behind” Novels and the LaHaye Empire. A religious right-wing and neo-conservative conspiracy whose agenda of intolerance is furthered in works of fiction.
Sunstein, Cass. Radicals in Robes. Supreme Court’s right-ward shift may further endanger environmental regulations, campaign finance reform, right to privacy, etc.
Sweig, Julia. Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century. US sowed the seeds of its decline in the eyes of the world in South America.
Whitney, Craig, ed. The WMD Mirage: Iraq’s Decade of Deception and America’s False Premise for War. The false intelligence and misinformation explains how Bush justified the need for war.
Willis, Clint, ed. The I Hate Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, Condit Rice Reader: Behind the Bush Cabal’s War on America. Expose of what the editor feels is the most vicious, destructive, and immoral group ever to run the country.
Wolf, Naomi. The End of America. 2007. US fascist shift under Bush.
RESISTANCE, REBUILDING
“A just world is possible. Human beings create society, and we can change it.” Rosenthal, Power and Powerlessness. “It is the job of politicians to make promises, but it is the job of the people who elect them to make sure they keep them.” Tavis Smiley, Accountable
Alterman, Eric. Why We’re Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America. Counterattack on right-wing spin and misinformation.
Boulding, Elise. Cultures of Peace: The Hidden Side of History. Syracuse, 2000.
Brown, Peter, and Geoffrey Garver. Right Relationship:Bbuilding a Whole Earth Economy. 2009.
Garey, Diane. Defending Everybody: A History of the American Civil Liberties Union. 1998.
Ginger, Ann Fagan, ed. Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11. 2005.
Ginger, Ann. Undoing the Bush-Cheney Legacy: A Took Kit for Congress & Activists. 2008.
*Ginger, Ann Fagan. The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. 2008. Just in time for the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights! (Lindsley Smith)
Hartmann, Thom. What Would Jefferson Do? A Return to Democracy. US has departed from vision of Founding Fathers. Democracy is not an aberration in human history but the oldest, most resilient, and most universal form of government.
Hayden, Tom. The Port Huron Statement: The Visionary Call of the 1960s Revollution. Historic document of US radicalism, a gernational call for direct participatory democracy.
Korten, David. Agenda for a New Economy. 2009.
*Lappe, Frances Moore. Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life. 2006. (Dick Bennett)
Lardner and Loewentheil, eds. Thinking Big: Progressive Ideas for a New Era. 2009.
McChesney, Robert. The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century. 2004. (probably more on Dismantling)
Morgan, Robin. Fighting Words: A Toolkit for Combating the Religious Right. Ideas and arguments from the Founding Fathers and others.
Polner, Murray and Thomas Woods, Jr., eds. We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now. Basic, 2008.
Poundstone, William. Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren’t Fair (And What We Can Do About It.). 2008. On “range” voting.
The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace. Beacon, 2002.
*Rosenthal, Susan. Power and Powerlessness. Trafford, 2006. This is the most challenging, think out-of-the-box book in this biblio. Its picture of the US is that of a nation divided between “a few who wield immense power and the rest who feel varying degrees of powerlessness..” This imbalance is no accident, but is the direct result of the few grabbing power from the many. “Part One explains that society does not arise from human nature. On the contrary, current social arrangements violate human nature. Part Two shows how power is divided by class. Part Three investigates how power and powerlessness are perpetuated. Part Four reveals how powerlessness can be transformed into power.” “The need for change is urgent. Everywhere, there is injustice, anguish, and anger. This book explains how society shapes people, how people shape society, and how powerlessness can be converted into the power to transform the world.” (Tom Markham).
--Smiley, Tavis, with Stephanie Robinson. Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. Atria, 2009. Chapters on 6 major areas of policy, each followed by an “Accountable Assessment Checklist”: Obama’s campaign promises, questions to Obama, questions to Congresspeople, and to community leaders. The final and most lengthy chapter is “The Accountable Report Card,” in which Obama is quoted on issue aafter issue, and then readers are asked to evaluate his performance. The book expresses Smiley’s strong belief in the importance of We, the People, and a nation of, by, and for the people. “It is the job of politicians to make promises, but it is the job of the people who elect them to make sure they keep them.” He calls upon the citizenry to “track the progress of the president’s vision for our future. Presidents alone do not shape our future….citizens must always be prepared to hold the president accountable on what he (perhaps one day, she!) promised he’d fight for. Never forget, we, the people, are accountable for making sure that promises made are promises kept.” (171).
True, Michael. To Construct Peace: 30 More Justice Seekers, Peace Makers. Twenty-Third, 1992.
Wittner, Lawrence. Rebels Against War: The American Peace Movement, 1941-1960. Columbia UP, 1969.
Wolf, Naomi. Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. 2008 (Earlier Forum).
.LINDSLEY ON THE UDHR BOOK
The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. Just in time for the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights! This book, published December 10th, 2008, is a useful guide for any activist, law-maker, or citizen concerned with international law. This important book will be a useful tool to strengthen enforcement of human rights in the United States. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we can show that these rights are embraced in a treaty the U.S. has ratified, making it enforceable law. It also serves as a clear guide for state and federal officials in our work to secure peace, justice, liberty, equality, and other essential values we hold dear.
--
Dick Bennett
jbennet@uark.edu
From: Omnicenter Communications (omninews@listserv.uark.edu) on behalf of Dick Bennett (jbennet@uark.edu)
Sent: Mon 3/16/09 1:47 PM
To: OMNINEWS@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU
DISMANTLING DEMOCRACY, REBUILDING DEMOCRACY
OMNI BOOK FORUM, FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2009, Nightbird Books, 6:30.
Elections alone do not make a democracy. The US National Security State will remain unchallenged, just as it was by the major party candidates (except for Cong. Kucinich) during the recent presidential campaign. And in those areas of power that Pres. Obama has challenged, the same powerful, wealthy interests that hijacked our government during the past eight years are still entrenched in Washington, DC., as we have seen during the first two months of his presidency. Therefore, OMNI is still needed to advance alternatives to the Corporate (money)-Pentagon (money, patriotism)-White House-Congress-Mainstream Media-Education Complex (which is what Pres. Eisenhower would write in his Farewell Address today). OMNI engages our fellow citizens as truthfully as it can regarding the realities of power in our country, and we call upon an informed citizenry to resist the established power of the complex. Our Book Forums are only one of numerous actions we have constructed to challenge the corporate/military USA by engaging the public to become real citizens, as President Obama said during his election victory speech, by embracing “a new spirit of patriotism of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other.” For eight years OMNI has not only called for such a society, but we have provided concrete programs and service for accomplishing it.
Our call has been to the people—We, the People—to build a constitutional nation of, by, and for the people. We stand with Frances Moore Lappe. This is a “development essential to Living Democracy—a deepening appreciation of the capacities of those at the ‘bottom.’ With ‘regular’ people stepping out in their communities—becoming knowledgeable in arcane matters from banking to federal communications policy—our expectations grow as to the legitimate role of those without official authority” ( Democracy’s Edge). And with Paul Loeb, who in Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time (1999) introduced us to many ordinary citizens who have found fulfillment in social involvement.
The purpose of this panel is to identify some of the major causes and features of the disintegration of our representative government and the major requirements for its rebuilding. Two panelists will discuss books about the dismantling, and two will present books that set forth the needed restorations.
OMNI BOOK FORUM ON DEMOCRACY
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 6:30, NIGHTBIRD BOOKS
A peace and justice organization in a constitutional democracy must arise from the people and be accomplished by the people.
PANELISTS: Claire Detels, Lindsley Smith, Amjad Faur, Thomas Markham
Moderator: Dick Bennett
Video: Marion Orton, Bill Orton
Photographer: Max Greenwood
Refreshments: Cliff Mikkelson
Greeter: Coralie Koonce
Flyer: Amjad Faur
News Release: Dick Bennett
Panelists and Books:
DEMOCRACY DISMANTLED
Claire Detels: Johnson, Chalmers. Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. 2006.
Amjad Faur: Jane Mayer, The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. 2008.
DEMOCRACY REBUILT
Lindsley Smith: Ann Fagan Ginger, The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. 2008. (Other books by Ginger: Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11. 2005. Undoing the Bush-Cheney Legacy: A Took Kit for Congress & Activists. 2008. )
Thomas Markham. Susan Rosenthal, Power and Powerlessness. 2006.
Dick will draw attention to these books:
Frances Moore Lappe, Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life. 2006. Democracy must be of, BY, and for the People.
Tavis Smiley, Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. 2009. A compendium of Pres. Obama’s promises.
Following: See the rich exposes of the dismantling, and the equally rich explorations of the rebuilding.
DISMANTLING
Bennett, Control of Information in the United States (1987) and Control of the Media in the United States (1992). Annotated bibliographies.
Bennett, James R. Political Prisoners and Trials…Bibliography, 1900 through 1993. Pp. 267-304 on US. Although US leaders have proclaimed their support for human rights in all nations, they are themselves guilty of massive human rights violations against people around the world and have embraced as allies countries guilty of similar crimes. Furthermore, US officials have imprisoned thousands of their own citizens for their beliefs—not only communists and socialists, but trade unionists, suffragettes, conscientious objectors, civil rights protestors, and on and on.
Brightman, Carol. Total Insecurity: The Myth of American Omnipotence. Unchecked corporate and executive political power and obsession with security has created a permanent state of war and war economy.
Brock, David. The Republican Noise Machine: Right Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy. 2004.
Buchanan, Patrick. Where the Right Went Wrong. Indictment of GOP leaders and Bush White House for abandoning principles in the pursuit of power.
Byrd, Robert, Sen. Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency. 2004. (Subject of an earlier Forum.)
Carroll, James. House of War: The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise of American Power. 2006. (Subject of an earlier Forum.)
Carter, Jimmy.Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis. Strong defense of separation of church and state.
Chomsky, Noam. Imperial Ambitions: Conversations on the Post-9-11 World. Interviews on Iraq, preemptive strikes, US vs. peace of the world, etc.
Cohn, Marjorie. Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law. 2007. (Earlier Forum).
Conason, Joe. It Can Happen Here: Authoritarian Peril in the Age of Bush. 2007.
Dowd, Maureen. Bushworld: Enter at Your Own Risk. Bush admin.’s fractured adventures in empire-building.
House Democratic Judiciary Committee Staff. The Constitution in Crisis: The High Crimes of the Bush Administration and a Blueprint for Impeachment.
Giroux, Henry. The University in Chains: Confronting the Military-Industrial-Academic Complex. 2007. On the “anti-democratic forces of militarization, corporatism, and patriotic correctness” that now dominate US universities. The book fits just as well under Resistance/Rebuilding, for it is a “defense of the university as a democratic public sphere.”
Goldberg, Michelle. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. How an increasingly bellicose fundamentalism is gaining traction throughout our national life through right-wing evangelical culture and the Republican party.
Hedges, Chris. American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. 2006.
Hightower, Jim. If the Gods Had Meant Us To Vote They Would Have Given Us Candidates.
Holtzman, Elizabeth with Cynthia Cooper. The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens. 2006.
Johnson, Chalmers. Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic. 2006.
Johnston, David Cay. Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themsleves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill). 2007. (Discussed at US Capitalism Forum).
Kaiser, Robert. “So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government.” 2008.
Kennedy, Robert F., Jr. Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy. Bush and his corporate cronies threaten our health, national security, and democracy.
Krugman, Paul. The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century. Norton, 2003.
Lerner, Michael. The Left Hand of God: Taking Back Our Country from the Religious Right. The destructive alliance of the Religious Right and the Political Right.
Lindorff, Dave and Barbara Olshansky. The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing Presieent George W. Bush from Office. 2006.
Loo, Dennis & Peter Phillips, eds. Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush and Cheney. 2006.
Mailer, Norman. Why Are We at War? Analyzes George W. Bush’s quest for empire. Norman Mailer, one of the greatest authors of our time, lays bare the White House’s position on why war in Iraq is necessary and justified. By scrutinizing the administration’s words and actions leading up to the current crisis, Mailer carefully builds his case that Bush is pursuing war not in the name of security or anti-terrorism or human rights but in an undeclared yet fully realized ambition of global empire.
Mann, James. The Rise of the Vulcans: The History of Bush’s War Cabinet. 2004.
*Jane Mayer's The Dark Side: The Inside Story of how the War on Terror Turned i nto a War on American Ideals (2008). (Amjad Faur). An account of how US leaders made ruinous decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world—decisions that not only violated the Constitution but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda.
Moyers, Bill. Moyers on America: A Journalist and His times. Democracy has been replaced by government of, by, and for the corporate ruling class.
Palast, Greg. Armed Madhouse. BBC reporter reveals Bush’s plans for seizing Iraq’s oil, exams War on Terror, Kerry won 2002 election, and more.
Rampton, Sheldon and John Stauber. Banana Republicans: How the Right Wing Is Turning America into a One-Party State. Penguin, 2004.
Rasmus, Jack. The War at Home: The Corporate Offensive from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush. 2006.
Rich, Frank. The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline and Fall of Truth in Bush’s America. A step by step chronicle of how the White House built its souse of cards, and how the institutions that should have exposed these fictions, esp. the mainstream news media, failed.
Risen, James. State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. The scandals show how power works in Bush’s presidency.
Ritter, Scott. Target Iran: The Truth About the White House’s Plans for Regime Change. A sound US-Iranian relationship based on mutual respect, non-aggression, and economic interaction is in the best interest for both countries.
Rossi, Melissa. What Every American Should Know About Who’s Really Running America, And What You Can Do About It. 2007. Includes a good biblio. mainly on dismantling.
Scheer, Robert. The Pornorgraphy of Power: How Defense Hawks Hijacked 9/11 and Weakened America. 2008.
Standaert, Michael. Skipping Towards Armageddon: The Politics and Propaganda of the “Left Behind” Novels and the LaHaye Empire. A religious right-wing and neo-conservative conspiracy whose agenda of intolerance is furthered in works of fiction.
Sunstein, Cass. Radicals in Robes. Supreme Court’s right-ward shift may further endanger environmental regulations, campaign finance reform, right to privacy, etc.
Sweig, Julia. Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century. US sowed the seeds of its decline in the eyes of the world in South America.
Whitney, Craig, ed. The WMD Mirage: Iraq’s Decade of Deception and America’s False Premise for War. The false intelligence and misinformation explains how Bush justified the need for war.
Willis, Clint, ed. The I Hate Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld, Condit Rice Reader: Behind the Bush Cabal’s War on America. Expose of what the editor feels is the most vicious, destructive, and immoral group ever to run the country.
Wolf, Naomi. The End of America. 2007. US fascist shift under Bush.
RESISTANCE, REBUILDING
“A just world is possible. Human beings create society, and we can change it.” Rosenthal, Power and Powerlessness. “It is the job of politicians to make promises, but it is the job of the people who elect them to make sure they keep them.” Tavis Smiley, Accountable
Alterman, Eric. Why We’re Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America. Counterattack on right-wing spin and misinformation.
Boulding, Elise. Cultures of Peace: The Hidden Side of History. Syracuse, 2000.
Brown, Peter, and Geoffrey Garver. Right Relationship:Bbuilding a Whole Earth Economy. 2009.
Garey, Diane. Defending Everybody: A History of the American Civil Liberties Union. 1998.
Ginger, Ann Fagan, ed. Challenging U.S. Human Rights Violations Since 9/11. 2005.
Ginger, Ann. Undoing the Bush-Cheney Legacy: A Took Kit for Congress & Activists. 2008.
*Ginger, Ann Fagan. The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. 2008. Just in time for the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights! (Lindsley Smith)
Hartmann, Thom. What Would Jefferson Do? A Return to Democracy. US has departed from vision of Founding Fathers. Democracy is not an aberration in human history but the oldest, most resilient, and most universal form of government.
Hayden, Tom. The Port Huron Statement: The Visionary Call of the 1960s Revollution. Historic document of US radicalism, a gernational call for direct participatory democracy.
Korten, David. Agenda for a New Economy. 2009.
*Lappe, Frances Moore. Democracy's Edge: Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life. 2006. (Dick Bennett)
Lardner and Loewentheil, eds. Thinking Big: Progressive Ideas for a New Era. 2009.
McChesney, Robert. The Problem of the Media: U.S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century. 2004. (probably more on Dismantling)
Morgan, Robin. Fighting Words: A Toolkit for Combating the Religious Right. Ideas and arguments from the Founding Fathers and others.
Polner, Murray and Thomas Woods, Jr., eds. We Who Dared to Say No to War: American Antiwar Writing from 1812 to Now. Basic, 2008.
Poundstone, William. Gaming the Vote: Why Elections Aren’t Fair (And What We Can Do About It.). 2008. On “range” voting.
The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace. Beacon, 2002.
*Rosenthal, Susan. Power and Powerlessness. Trafford, 2006. This is the most challenging, think out-of-the-box book in this biblio. Its picture of the US is that of a nation divided between “a few who wield immense power and the rest who feel varying degrees of powerlessness..” This imbalance is no accident, but is the direct result of the few grabbing power from the many. “Part One explains that society does not arise from human nature. On the contrary, current social arrangements violate human nature. Part Two shows how power is divided by class. Part Three investigates how power and powerlessness are perpetuated. Part Four reveals how powerlessness can be transformed into power.” “The need for change is urgent. Everywhere, there is injustice, anguish, and anger. This book explains how society shapes people, how people shape society, and how powerlessness can be converted into the power to transform the world.” (Tom Markham).
--Smiley, Tavis, with Stephanie Robinson. Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise. Atria, 2009. Chapters on 6 major areas of policy, each followed by an “Accountable Assessment Checklist”: Obama’s campaign promises, questions to Obama, questions to Congresspeople, and to community leaders. The final and most lengthy chapter is “The Accountable Report Card,” in which Obama is quoted on issue aafter issue, and then readers are asked to evaluate his performance. The book expresses Smiley’s strong belief in the importance of We, the People, and a nation of, by, and for the people. “It is the job of politicians to make promises, but it is the job of the people who elect them to make sure they keep them.” He calls upon the citizenry to “track the progress of the president’s vision for our future. Presidents alone do not shape our future….citizens must always be prepared to hold the president accountable on what he (perhaps one day, she!) promised he’d fight for. Never forget, we, the people, are accountable for making sure that promises made are promises kept.” (171).
True, Michael. To Construct Peace: 30 More Justice Seekers, Peace Makers. Twenty-Third, 1992.
Wittner, Lawrence. Rebels Against War: The American Peace Movement, 1941-1960. Columbia UP, 1969.
Wolf, Naomi. Give Me Liberty: A Handbook for American Revolutionaries. 2008 (Earlier Forum).
.LINDSLEY ON THE UDHR BOOK
The U.N. Declaration of Human Rights is the Law: A Guide to U.D.H.R. Articles in Treaties Ratified by the U.S. Just in time for the 60th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights! This book, published December 10th, 2008, is a useful guide for any activist, law-maker, or citizen concerned with international law. This important book will be a useful tool to strengthen enforcement of human rights in the United States. As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we can show that these rights are embraced in a treaty the U.S. has ratified, making it enforceable law. It also serves as a clear guide for state and federal officials in our work to secure peace, justice, liberty, equality, and other essential values we hold dear.
--
Dick Bennett
jbennet@uark.edu
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Robbins to read his play, "Atomic Field" during the New York Peace Film Festival
Tech professor to read play during New York Peace Film Festival
UNIVERSITY NEWS • MARCH 10, 2009
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RUSTON – The name of Kenneth Robbins, director of Louisiana Tech’s School of Performing Arts, will be noted in New York City this weekend as a reading of his play, “Atomic Field,” will take place during the New York Peace Film Festival.
“Atomic Field,” which was performed in 2005 at Tech, tells a story of Howie Long, who dies of lung cancer in 1985, and his family discovers that not only had he been stationed in Nagasaki after the atomic bombing, but he was also part of the nuclear testing program following the end of WWII.
The reading is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Interborough Repertory Theater in New York.
“This is its first exposure in New York, but it has been produced a number of times,” Robbins said. “When it was performed at Tech, it was to commemorate the 65th anniversary, when the first and last atomic bomb was used against a population.”
Robbins added that he hopes to have a repeat performance at the university in 2015 for the 75th anniversary.
“My dream is that in 2015, atomic weapons will not be used against a population,” he said. “I think it’s essential.”
Robbins has a special connection to the dropping of the atomic bomb, as his father was a member of the clean up crew and died due to exposure from the bomb’s after effects.
“The curators of the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki accepted his name in the highly selective Book of the Dead,” Robbins said, referring to a comprehensive list of victims of the atomic bomb. “I had a picture of him; he was in the epicenter of the (where the) bomb (exploded).”
Robbins’ father was 65 when he died.
Robbins also shares ties of the dropping of the atomic bomb with Arthur Stone, whom Tech’s Stone Theatre was named for. Stone was a navigator aboard the observation plane when Bockscar, the U.S. B-29 bomber, dropped the second A-bomb over Nagasaki. Stone’s plane was airborne to document the explosion.
For more information about the New York reading of Robbins’ play, e-mail nypeacefilmfestival@gmail.com or call (212) 592-3311. The reading is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.
\
UNIVERSITY NEWS • MARCH 10, 2009
Post a Comment Recommend Print this pageE-mail this articleShare
RUSTON – The name of Kenneth Robbins, director of Louisiana Tech’s School of Performing Arts, will be noted in New York City this weekend as a reading of his play, “Atomic Field,” will take place during the New York Peace Film Festival.
“Atomic Field,” which was performed in 2005 at Tech, tells a story of Howie Long, who dies of lung cancer in 1985, and his family discovers that not only had he been stationed in Nagasaki after the atomic bombing, but he was also part of the nuclear testing program following the end of WWII.
The reading is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Interborough Repertory Theater in New York.
“This is its first exposure in New York, but it has been produced a number of times,” Robbins said. “When it was performed at Tech, it was to commemorate the 65th anniversary, when the first and last atomic bomb was used against a population.”
Robbins added that he hopes to have a repeat performance at the university in 2015 for the 75th anniversary.
“My dream is that in 2015, atomic weapons will not be used against a population,” he said. “I think it’s essential.”
Robbins has a special connection to the dropping of the atomic bomb, as his father was a member of the clean up crew and died due to exposure from the bomb’s after effects.
“The curators of the Atomic Bomb Museum in Nagasaki accepted his name in the highly selective Book of the Dead,” Robbins said, referring to a comprehensive list of victims of the atomic bomb. “I had a picture of him; he was in the epicenter of the (where the) bomb (exploded).”
Robbins’ father was 65 when he died.
Robbins also shares ties of the dropping of the atomic bomb with Arthur Stone, whom Tech’s Stone Theatre was named for. Stone was a navigator aboard the observation plane when Bockscar, the U.S. B-29 bomber, dropped the second A-bomb over Nagasaki. Stone’s plane was airborne to document the explosion.
For more information about the New York reading of Robbins’ play, e-mail nypeacefilmfestival@gmail.com or call (212) 592-3311. The reading is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.
\
Sunday, March 8, 2009
OMNI Center newsletter for March 2009
March 8, 2009 OMNI CENTER NEWSLETTER
SPECIAL MESSAGES
OMNI PEACE LEADERSHIP FORUM SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 6:30 PM, DOWNSTAIRS, UNITED CAMPUS MINISTRIES, 902 W. MAPLE
FOOD WITH A STORY
Last month we shared some very tasty favorite salsas. This month, how about bringing food with a story? A favorite food you grew up with… something that was important to your family in some way… or a cultural food you really enjoyed. Bring a dish, and be prepared to tell its story to the rest of us. For instance, one friend fixes “ Kansas food” sometimes … white bread sandwiches with butter and sugar. I remember those, and they’re vegetarian! But I think I’ll bring something else. What did you eat at your house? The goal of Omni Peace Leadership Forum is to develop leaders for the culture of peace, and expand the peace building community to our neighbors, friends, and the wider community. There’s a place for you in the culture of peace. Hope you’ll join us. From Gladys Tiffany
OMNI CENTER PRESENTS “PORTRAITS OF COURAGE” TO MARK TO 6TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES INVASION OF IRAQ
The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Iraq War with a Silent Auction and Musical Event, Sunday, March 22, 2009 from 7-9pm at Goodfolk Productions, 229 N. Block St., Fayetteville, AR.
Silent auction participants will bid on a series of 12 original portraits of Iraq War resistors painted by local artist, Greg Moore. Musical entertainment will be provided by Darlene - eclectic folk singer and story teller, singer/songwriter Emily Kaitz, and the up-and-coming folk band, 3 Penny Acre. Local Poet Doug Shields will MC the event, and refreshments will be served. There will be a $5 cover charge, and a portion of the auction and event proceeds will be donated to The Iraq Veterans Against The War and The Veteran’s Hospital. (See below in “What’s Happening? Locally . . . for more details).
A GIANT STEP TOWARD A PEACEFUL WORLD
The Peace Alliance is working toward establishing The Department of Peace, a Cabinet Level Position in the Administration. Supporting this legislation is a huge step toward Creating Peace. Find out more about the Department of Peace legislation at Congressman Kucinich’s web site, http://kucinich.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=1564
Or at The Peace Alliance web site, www.thepeacealliance.org
If you have any questions or a passion to get Arkansas on the map supporting The Department of Peace, please contact me by e-mail at btparker@uark.edu or call 236-4945. United we can achieve our goal of Peace. Thanks, Barbara Parker, District Leader, Peace Alliance, Peace Leadership Council, Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
(See more about the Peace Alliance below in “What’s Going On – Nationally and Internationally”)
PAUL GLOVER, FOUNDER OF ITHACA HOURS TO VISIT FAYETTEVILLE MAY 8-9
Save the date!
SPONSORED BY OMNI CENTER LOOKING TOWARD OZARK HOURS
Paul Glover will be in Fayetteville visiting local businesses, the farmer’s market and local government and banks to assist us in understanding how to develop a system that will work for us.
Location(s) still TBD.
“Corporate media have hardly noticed, but the United States economy is being rebuilt by thousands of creative grassroots initiatives, at the same time that U.S. industrial jobs are being lost to globalization. Even as poverty increases, thousands of practical programs are proving people can rebuild damaged local economies from the ground up,
making them better than before. Thousands of jobs are being invented by citizens dedicated to ecology and social justice How? They are creating wealth locally, and producing what they need.”
— Paul Glover
Paul Glover is the founder of Ithaca HOURS local currency, the Ithaca Health Alliance, Citizen Planners of Los Angeles, and author of several books and urban histories. Glover has degrees in Marketing and in City Management. After 35 years of community organizing on behalf of grassroots economic development and ecological repair, Paul started a consultancy called GreenPlanners, which helps communities prepare a secure and abundant future while fuel and food costs rise. An alternative to dependence on monopoly control of food, fuel, housing, finances, jobs, information and goods, hours are backed by real capital: our time, creativity, muscles, tools, and natural resources.
OMNI MONTH IN REVIEW
Look for Moderator Claire Detels and a panel of guests on the air live Wednesday, March 25, 7:00 pm
OMNI CENTER CALENDAR OF MEETINGS AND EVENTS
--MARCH – WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
--Sunday, March 8 – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
--Sunday, March 8, 7:00p.m., Video Underground, United Campus Ministries Chapel, 902 W. Maple, Fayetteville –The Omni Center shows a series of free movies every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month (unless noted otherwise) Admission is free but donations are appreciated.
For more information, contact Gerald Sloan at 575-6302 or gsloan@uark.edu
To see the schedule for the Video Underground film series,
go to http://omni-vu-films.blogspot.com/
http://omni-vu-films.blogspot.com/
--Wednesday, March 11, 6:00 pm, Downstairs at United Campus Ministries, 902 W. Maple - OMNI Center Vegetarian Club. As some of us suggested, we moved the meeting time up half an hour, and we'll have a round table discussion this time so our whole group can talk about our interests in vegetarianism.
Also, members of the UA Vegetarians Eating Green group will be there to share info on their efforts at the UA campus. Please invite friends who would like to bring meat-free food to share regardless of whether or not they consider themselves vegetarian.
There are at least two other great events at the same time including Harmonia's performance at the Goddess Festival and the OMNI/Campus Greens presentation at the UA so if you can't make it, we'll see you next month. Feel free to write me at exequals@hotmail.com with questions or ideas, and we're on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=58139595422&ref=mf. We look forward to seeing you there!
Submitted by Dan Dean
--Sunday, March 15, 7:00 pm, HOWL - ABOUT THE MARCH 2009 HOWL Different Space and Men Invited to Read! Sunday, March 15th, 7 pm (instead of the usual 6:30 pm) The theme will be In Praise of Women
The MARCH HOWL will be different! Instead of the usual venue at Nightbird Books, in March we will be meeting at the Goddess Festival Space just a couple of blocks up the hill from the bookstore: Corner of Archibald Yell
and W. South Street.
Men Invited to read pieces "In Praise of Women" at the March HOWL If your men friends/family have just been dying to read something positive about women all this time, now is their big chance. On March 15 at 7 pm, we will
have both a men and a women's reading, "In Praise of Women" at the Goddess Space.
(See Special Notice about Goddess Festival in What’s Going On Locally announcements below).
--Thursday, March 19, 5:30p.m. Potluck, 6:00p.m. - Omni Steering Committee Meeting, Deep End of United Campus Ministries, 902 W. Maple, Fayetteville, AR
--Saturday, March 21, 6:30 pm, Peace Leadership Forum, Downstairs at United Campus Ministries, 902 W. Maple, Fayetteville
--Sunday, March 22, 2009, 7 to 9 pm, Goodfolk, 229 N. Block St., Fayetteville, AR
- The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Iraq War with a Silent Auction and Musical Event. You will have an opportunity to bid on a series of 12 original portraits of Iraq War resistors painted by local artist, Greg Moore. Musical entertainment will be provided by Darlene - eclectic folk singer and story teller, singer/songwriter Emily Kaitz, and the up-and-coming folk band, 3 Penny Acre. Cost 5.00 cover charge. (See details below in “What’s Going On? . . . Locally . . .”
WHAT’S GOING ON? ---CURRENT EVENTS and INFORMATION
LOCALLY: CITY, COUNTY, AND STATE
(New Items will have Green Heading)
THE FIRST FAYETTEVILLE GODDESS FESTIVAL: GODESSES, ANGELS AND AMAZONS HAS BEGUN
The First Fayetteville Goddess Festival: Goddesses, Angels, and Amazons, a month-long event, began on Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 5:00pm with an exciting Artist and Art Show Reception. View the artwork of numerous artists, all reflecting powerful female images. These works are diverse in style and expression. Be it considered Goddess, Angel, or Amazon, their common thread is their personal interpretation and portrayal of the 'Divine Feminine'. Refreshments will be served.
The art gallery showing is free and open to the public and works will hang during the entire month of March. The Festival includes many special events, concerts and workshops, and is located at Ultra Studios, 118 W. South Street (corner Archibald Yell Blvd).
Be sure you check out the Goddess Festival happenings at www.goddessfestival.com.
"Men Only" Staged Reading March 27 and 28
8pm at Goddess Space
www.goddessfestival.com
Directed by Margaret Britain
Adapted from an award-winning screenplay by Mendy Knott. "In a small lakeside town, five best friends who love a good cause enter to win the big prize in a "men only" bass fishing tournament. They aren't men, but they're hoping no one will notice." You won't want to miss what is probably the world's first lesbian bass fishing comedy! Tickets available at the door $8 adults/ $5 Seniors and students.
HUMAN RIGHTS & UNIVERSITIES:
DEFENDING ACADEMIC FREEDOM BY SAVING SCHOLARS AT RISK
A PRESENTATION BY ROBERT QUINN, SAR DIRECTOR,NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2 PM
MULTICULTURAL CENTER, STUDENT UNION
Around the world today, scholars are attacked because of their words, their ideas and their place in society. Those seeking power and control work to limit access to information and new ideas by targeting scholars, restricting academic freedom and repressing research, publication, teaching and learning. The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges responding to these attacks. SAR promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars and their communities worldwide.
Robert Quinn is the founding Director of the Scholars at Risk Network, and the former founding Executive Director of the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund. Mr. Quinn is an adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School teaching courses in international human rights and US legal systems. Mr. Quinn received his A.B. cum laude from Princeton in 1988, and his J.D. cum laude from Fordham in 1994
This presentation is sponsored by the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Foreign Languages, and the Omni Center for Peace.
SOCIAL JUSTICE NETWORK CONFERENCE ON IMMIGRATION,
MARCH 10, JONES CENTER, 8:30 AM
OMNI-NWACC INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN TWO TIMELY GROUP EVENTS
This is what is coming up. Don't forget to RSVP so we'll have plenty of coffee on hand (and maybe a few treats).
March 10 – “When the Troops Come Home” - President Obama’s withdrawal of troops from Iraq and deployment of troops to Afghanistan gives our community the opportunity to consider how we can meet the needs of returning veterans and their families and how we can ultimately bring peace to the Middle East. To begin the process, OMNI-NWACC is sponsoring a series of films and discussions during March and April called “When the Troops Come Home.” We will take the audience through the battlefield experience, the rehabilitation process, and the experiences of the families left behind. The first film in the series, which will be screened on March 10, explores The Battlefield Experience: “Combat Diary - The Marines of Lima Company ” (90 min). It takes viewers to the front lines of battle with one of the hardest hit Marine units of the Iraq war and provides a first-hand account of the realities of war. Representatives from the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, community grief counselors, and local peace advocates will participate in discussions after the film. The event will be held from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in Room 108 of the Student Center. For additional information, contact EdreneMcKay@cox.net or call (479) 855-6836. To help us plan the event, please RSVP here.
March 12 – “The Road to Economic Recovery” – This is the first follow-up meeting to one held last month and described in this CNN iReport: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-213154. A group of students, faculty, staff, and members of the community discussed President Obama's stimulus plan and came up with several ideas to reduce unemployment in the area, including start-up businesses, community gardens, and workshops for the unemployed. An online Jobs! web site, set up by Bill Williams for job seekers and employers, already has been implemented: http://jobs.bubbaplanet.com/. This meeting will focus on workshops for the unemployed, ways to provide relief to families affected by the recession, and start-up businesses. Guests will include Lenora Sotlar from NWACC’s Career Center and Virtual Career Center and Melodie Marcks from NWACC's newly-developed Outplacement Services Task Force. It will be held from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in Room 108 of the Student Center. For additional information, contact EdreneMcKay@cox.net or call (479) 855-6836. To help us plan the event, please RSVP here.
CLAIRE DETELS SHARES THE MUSIC OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS
You are invited to the Friday, March 13, 11 AM Lecture-Recital of "Piano Music of African-American Composers" with Musicologist/Pianist Claire Detels, UA Professor Emerita. Some of the composer that she will present are Joplin, Handy, Still, Price, and Ellington.
Held at the Crystal Bridges at the Massey Gallery, off the Bentonville Town Square, this is an ARTBUZZ program given in conjunction with "Proof Positive:" An Exhibit of 20th c. African-American Prints from the Fisk University Collections.
REPOWER ARKANSAS CLIMATE CHANGE ROADSHOW March 11, 6:00-8:30 pm, Ark Union, room 504.
Coal fired power remains a problem for Arkansas. We've got all those easy laws power producers love. The Repower Arkansas Climate Change Roadshow is a great way to get information about this complex situation. Also, you can learn some ways to take action. Dr. Robert McAfee, Climatologist, is bringing his traveling Climate Change presentation to the UofA Fayetteville campus! Dr. McAfee founded Repower Arkansas, which is working in conjunction with Al Gore's We Can Solve It campaign and The Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology to educate the public about the risks of coal energy dependence and to promote cleaner alternatives ( www.repowerarkansas.org). Campus Greens is helping to promote this event. Other speakers include Maggie Bailey, UofA alum and Local Outreach Coordinator for Audubon, and Heather Kowaleski, regional United Nations Environment Program Youth Outreach Coordinator. We'll also show the Fighting Goliath film about how Texas civic action stopped additional coal plants. We encourage University of Arkansas students and the public to attend. There will be food and beverages and time for discussion and questions. This is an opportunity to learn about local efforts to promote a green economy and to wean us off of coal-fired electricity. The presentation will stress civic engagement supporting green legislation.
Submitted by Dr. Art Hobson
CONTACT LEGISLATORS
Help Pass the Arkansas Maternity Information Act!
Greetings from BirthNetwork NWA!
We need your help right now to enact legislation in Arkansas to support the health and informed consent of pregnant mothers and their babies.
Today Senate Bill 787 was filed. It is entitled “AN ACT TO ENSURE THAT MATERNITY PATIENTS ARE INFORMED OF THE TYPES AND RISKS OF BIRTHING METHODS.” We need you to contact your legislators right now in support of this bill, especially they sit on the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor. To find out who your Senator or Representative is, and to see if he or she sits on this important committee, please visit http://www.arkansas.gov/government_rep_search.php
This is a bill that would require hospitals to provide information related to the types of birthing methods and their associated risks including vaginal delivery and cesarean section deliveries. Hospitals will be required to publish their rates of c-section, induction, and many other interventions, and these would then be published on the Department of Health website. This kind of transparency in maternity care has been shown to promote quality improvement measures and is an essential indgredient to informed choice.
If you would like to read the current draft of the bill, it can be found at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2009/R/Bills/SB787.pdf/
We need your help.
Please review the current draft of SB 787 and contact your Senators and Representatives letting them know of your support of the bill. Many legislators receive very few phone calls, letters or e-mails from their constituents about pending legislation, so even a small number of people contacting their legislators can make a big difference regarding whether a bill becomes law or not. Of course, we’d like for each and every one of you to contact your legislators, because this is the only way they will know how many women and families would be affected by this bill.
Please contact your legislators now.
A list of Senators, Representatives and their contact information can also be found on the Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition website: http://www.arkansasbreastfeedingcoalition.org/contact/. If you are not sure which district you live in, there is a link on this page to help you. E-mail is an effective way to contact your legislator. If you contact your legislator by e-mail, include "Support SB 787" in the subject line. If you would rather (and for those legislators without an e-mail address) you can call 501-682-2902 to leave a message for your Senator, and 501-682-6211 to leave a message for your Representative. Your message can be very simple and need only include your name, address and that you support SB 787. Some legislators do not have voicemail, and in such a case you can leave a message with the office staff. Remember, legislators pay attention when their constituents contact them!
Share your stories with us!
Finally, we would like to let Arkansas legislators know that there are many mothers and families in our state who want greater transparency in maternity care. Would your birth have been different if you had been fully informed about the risks of cesarean section or knew the rates of c-section in your hospital? Would you have chosen a different hospital if you knew that the facility where you gave birth was known for high rates of induction? If so, we need to hear from you so that we can share your stories with our legislators. Please use the contact information at the end of this e-mail. If you have a compelling story, we invite you to share it with your legislators as well.
Questions, comments or compelling birth stories? Please contact Elizabeth Day at douladay@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Elizabeth Day, LCCE, CD(DONA)
Submitted by Sara Milford
OMNI CENTER PRESENTS “PORTRAITS OF COURAGE”
Silent Auction and Musical Event Marking the 6th Anniversary of the Iraq War
Sunday, March 22, 2009, 7 to 9 pm — Goodfolk, 229 N. Block St., Fayetteville, AR
The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Iraq War with a Silent Auction and Musical Event, Sunday, March 22, 2009 from 7-9pm. Silent auction participants will bid on a series of 12 original portraits of Iraq War resistors painted by local artist, Greg Moore. Musical entertainment will be provided by Darlene - eclectic folk singer and story teller, singer/songwriter Emily Kaitz, and the up-and-coming folk band, 3 Penny Acre. Local Poet Doug Shields will MC the event, and refreshments will be served. There will be a $5 cover charge, and a portion of the auction and event proceeds will be donated to The Iraq Veterans Against The War and The Veteran’s Hospital.
Moore, a 32-year-old graphic designer, began the portrait series in 2003 when the war began. “I wanted to do something to express my opposition to the war and support these courageous soldiers who refused to fight,” stated Moore.
Moore became familiar with the resistors he selected as subjects for his paintings through stories and photographs found online. For many of these soldiers, it was their first-hand experiences as occupation troops that compelled them to take a stand, which often resulted in jail sentences. These courageous resistors inspired Moore to take up painting seriously. Since then, he has been showing and selling his works regularly throughout Northwest Arkansas.
The OMNI Center has been protesting the Iraq War since it began on March 13, 2003 with ongoing awareness campaigns and annual events to mark each anniversary. As of March 8, 2009, 4,256 American military troops have died and over 100,000 have been wounded. The Iraq civilian death toll is estimated at more than 100,000. While OMNI applauds President Obama’s recently announced timetable to bring our troops home, the Center is committed to maintaining public awareness of the loss and suffering brought about by the Iraq War.
The OMNI Center was founded in 2001. Its goals have always been a world free of war and the threat of war, a society with liberty and justice for all, a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled, and an earth restored. Today the OMNI Center is a thriving organization with a large membership base and many friends and supporters. Each year the OMNI Center grows in membership and the number of forums, collaborations, actions and events that our members organize. For more information, visit www.omnicenter.org
ALL ABOUT FACEBOOK CLASS
There will a be a free "All About Facebook" Class at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 902 Cleveland, Fayetteville, on Monday, March 23 at 6:30. The public is welcome to attend.
NEWS FROM OMNI UA
Omni UA will now officially begin meeting EVERY Wednesday at 5:30pm, in room 512/513 of the Union. We are now in full force and swing, if you came to the first couple of meetings and were bored, then think twice about missing the next one, because we have been ACTIVATED.
HOMEGROWN! ORGANIC VEGGIES, HERBS & EDIBLES FOR BEGINNERS
Sunday, April 5th, 1-3pm
Botanical Garden of the Ozarks (BGO)
Crossover Road, Fayetteville
Join gardeners Leigh Wilkerson, Janice Neighbor and others for an edible adventure! Find inspiration and information on beginner organic growing in any amount of space - balconies to big yards. Remember Victory Gardens? Why mow a yard when you can eat it instead? Ever wanted fresh herbs at arms length? Interested in gardening with the help of nature? Think beautiful AND bountiful! Class is for beginners -- but with fresh ideas for even
seasoned gardeners. Come meet others who share your interest in edibles. Tickets are $10/ $8 for BGO members, or FREE if you join the Botanical Garden the day of class! Pre-registration requested so we'll have plenty
of handouts. Email ozarksalive@gmail.com for more information or to reserve your space and pay at the door. To buy
your ticket today, go to [http://www.bgozarks.org/events/] www.bgozarks.org/events/#125
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SOCIAL JUSTICE NETWORK
I am writing to invite you to the kick-off meeting for the formation of an umbrella social justice network in NW Arkansas. The idea to establish a social justice network came out of earlier meetings hosted by Rachel Townsend, Executive Director of the NWA Worker Justice Center in Springdale. Participants were discussing the need for a coordinated humanitarian response in the event of future Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at local businesses, or other circumstances that adversely impact on the working poor and other persons of limited financial means and/or ability to protect themselves.
The meeting is set for March 10, 8:30 am to noon at the Jones Center in Springdale, 922 East Emma Avenue. A complimentary continental breakfast will be provided. We are inviting representatives from organizations in the NWA area who are already working on immigrant and worker justice, domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, child welfare, poverty and hunger relief, diversity and inclusion, civil liberties.
Please feel free to invite others who you believe would be interested in participating. The purpose is to coordinate resources to avoid duplication of services or gaps in needed services, and to foster a greater community involvement on behalf of people who do not have political or social influence and need advocates to protect their human dignity. We hope that you can join us. Your input and support are invaluable. Please RSVP to Meredith Cabell at
Meredith.Cabell@splcenter.org or call 404-221-5828 by February 27, 2009.
MARCH BOOK FORUM: DISMANTLING DEMOCRACY, REBUILDING DEMOCRACY? FRIDAY MARCH 13, 6:30, NIGHTBIRD BOOKS (If you would like to participate in the Forum and/or for a list of suggested forum reading: contact jbennet@uark.edu)
EXCHANGE STUDENT NEEDS HOST HOME
A Dutch NWACC exchange student still needs a host from now to the 2nd week in May. His name is Jelle Hummelen and he is from The Netherlands. He plans on studying law while in the U.S., and hopes to attend law school upon his return home. He likes to rollerblade and is interested in Apple computers, electronic gadgets, and music. For more info, contact the Youth for Understanding Coordinator Kurt Cecil, Office phone 479-986-4019, Email: kcecil@ nwacc.edu
RAISING FUNDS FOR STUDENTS TO ATTEND POWERSHIFT CONFERENCE
In 2007, more than 6,500 young people gathered in Washington DC for the historic Powershift conference and lobbying event. In 2009, organizers expect more than 10,000, and they've expanded the conference to be even more effective.
The Powershift organizers are building a nationwide movement of young climate activists, and they have identified Arkansas and Mississippi as underrepresented states. Matthew Petty, a young activist also serving on Fayetteville's City Council, is already planning on attending, and he's taking two Fayetteville high school students and their service learning teacher with him. One Fayetteville resident attended a similar conference last fall, and he described the experience as "life-changing."
The Fayetteville group still needs to raise around $1000, and they'd like to also reach out to students throughout Arkansas. This is an opportunity to solidify the clean energy movement in Arkansas. Interest has already been seen in Texarkana (near the planned Turk Coal-fired Power Plant) and Little Rock. To read more about Powershift., visit www.powershift09.org/about.
Fayetteville's Omni Center has agreed to handle all contributions, so your donation is tax-deductible. There are two ways to donate: online or by check. To donate online, visit http://www.omnicenter.org/donate.php, click the donation link, and specify "Powershift" as the purpose of your donation. Make sure to click "Update Amount" before entering your financial information. Or you can mail your contribution via mail to:
Matthew Petty
326 N Rollston Ave
Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Make out your check to "Omni Center" and add "Powershift" in the memo line.
For more information, contact Matthew Petty at 479 871 9212 or matt@matthewpetty.org.
To read stories of the dynamic difference Powershift generates, visit
http://www.powershift09.org/Stories-of-PowerShift
OMNI'S UA MULLINS LIBRARY
NONVIOLENT PEACEMAKING AND VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE AND WARS COLLECTION
This collection now contains over 300 books and films. It is designed to raise awareness and inspire reseadrch about nonviolence, victims, and also whistleblowers and investigative reporters. Browse the list by searching the subject Nonviolent Peacemaking and Victims in InfoLinks, the Libraries' online catalog.
Submitted by Dick Bennett
RECRUITER ABUSE HELP HOTLINE
The National Youth and Militarism Recruiter Abuse Hotline: 1-877-688-6881. Started by the AFSC.
RESISTING MILITARIZING OF OUR SCHOOLS
"DMZ: A Guide to Taking Your School Back from the Military." To order: www.warresisters.org or email wrl@warresisters.org, or www.warresisters.org/dmz
MOVING FORWARD TOWARD A PERMANENT HOME
OMNI seeks the donation of a lot or acreage on which to build a new home. Contact Richard Tiffany at (479) 973-9049 if you are interested.
WHAT’S GOING ON?—NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY
NEW ITEMS IN GREEN
22 REASONS TO END THE OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN
OMNI members: You have already received the first 11 reasons. For the whole 22 arguments, the references, and the Addenda go to www.omnicenter.org, look at What's Happening Now, click on Newsletter on Afghanistan. Then write or call Pres. Obama, your congressmen or women; write letters to local newspapers, forward to your friends, join OMNI first Saturdays at Mall and Joyce, 1pm for our public protest. For a Culture of Peace of, by, and for the people.
Submitted by Dick Bennett
ATTACKS ON DOJ NOMINEES SIGNAL RIGHT'S JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS STRATEGY
Right-wing political and legal organizations have unleashed a coordinated campaign of over-the-top attacks on the qualifications, records, and fitness of President Obama’s nominees for important positions in the U.S. Justice Department. Deputy Attorney General nominee David Ogden has been the prime target of the Right’s wrath, but Solicitor General nominee Elena Kagan, Associate Attorney General nominee Thomas Perrelli, and Office of Legal Counsel nominee Dawn Johnsen have also come in for their share of criticism. fOR THE COMPLETE ARTICLE ON THE EXTREME RIGHT WING RHETORIC, VISIT: http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rww_in_focus_attacks_on_doj_nominees
PEACE EDUCATION
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY OFFERS M.A. IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION. SEE: HTTP://CONFLICTRESOLUTION.GEORGETOWN.EDU/
Study Peace and Conflict Resolution a at the European University Center for Peace Studies Profs. Johan Galtung, Hossain Danesh, Richard Falk, and others. See: www.epu.ac.at A Giant Step Toward a Peaceful World
PEACE ALLIANCE
The Peace Alliance is working toward establishing The Department of Peace, a Cabinet Level Position in the Administration. Supporting this legislation is a huge step toward Creating Peace. Find out more about the Department of Peace legislation at Congressman Kucinich’s web site, http://kucinich.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=1564
Or at The Peace Alliance web site, www.thepeacealliance.org
Join the Campaign: Participate in an historic citizen lobbying effort to create a U.S. Department of Peace. There is currently a bill before the U.S. House of Representative (HR808), introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich and to be re-introduced to the House during The Peace Alliance Annual Conference to be held March 20-23, 2009. Among many outstanding speakers will be Congressman Kucinich. There is more information on the conference at The Peace Alliance website.
HR808 will augment our current peace-solving options, providing practical, non-violent solutions to the problems of domestic and international violence. Consider attending the Conference and the re-introduction of HR-808 by Congressman Kucinich. The Department of Peace was among the top ten ideas on change.org. and was presented to President Obama on inauguration day.
Find out more about The Peace Alliance at www.thepeacealliance.org and consider joining the movement to make The Department of Peace a reality. If you have any questions or a passion to get Arkansas on the map supporting The Department of Peace, please contact me by e-mail at btparker@uark.edu or call 236-4945. United we can achieve our goal of Peace. Thanks, Barbara Parker, District Leader, Peace Alliance, Peace Leadership Council, Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
POEMS AGAINST WAR
Poems Against War says artists must raise their voices to inspire change. In ... www.poemsagainstwar.com. /. pawmagazine@yahoo.com.
A Journal of Poetry and Action is looking for ... The journal Poems Against War is looking for submissions for its seventh volume, ...
www.newyork.indymedia.org
STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN,
and READ: MEDIA
SWIMMING IN THE SEA OF IDEOLOGY
By Coralie Koonce, Outskirts, 2009.
“This book is the second of three in the series Thinking toward Survival, all based on the belief that our current thinking patterns are not up to the challenge of the existential threats facing humanity.” You can buy it from her directly or through Nightbird Books.
THERE IS A BOOK BY G. EDWARD GRIFFIN CALLED
"THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND"
by calling this number 800-686-2237 the book can be ordered for $26.45 inclusive of shipping. by ordering from these people you will receive either a morgan or peace silver dollar which at the present time is going up in value. they are selling close to $26.45.
THE FOLLOWING LINK IS FOR END THE FED,
A grassroots organization committed to the repeal of the federal reserve act and putting the issue of our currency in the hands of the treasury. They are organizing nationwide demonstrations for April 25
http://www.endthefed.us/
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Amnesty International Human Rights Commission expects the Obama administration to fulfill its call for change. For more information about this action, visit www.amnestyusa.org/call4accountability.
CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX!
When: Sunday; 2-3 (PM)
Where: 960am In the SF Bay Area or
www.Green960.com
Listen for some provocative conversation and a few surprises!
Don't forget to submit your Soapbox rants to
tiffany@CindySheehansSoapbox.com
or Ask Cindy questions to:
Cindy@CindySheehansSoapbox.com
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS AVAILABLE
Posted by: "Austin Moran" mis@nysar.com austinmoran,, From the VFP Digest.
If you know someone who has enlisted in the military or who is already in the military and has developed convictions of a religious conscientious objector, then a new book is now available containing the step-by-step procedure regarding release from the military.
A free copy of the book to down load is available on the following link:
http://www.peacehost.net/christianCO/ProceduresBook5.pdf
Also a hard copy of the book can be purchased from the internet book seller Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/content/4682550 submitted by Dick Bennett
GREAT RESEARCH SOURCE
FOR ANTI-WAR,
CIVIL LIBERTIES/RIGHTS ADVOCATES
THE NATION MAGAZINE OFFERS ALL PAST CONTENTS FREE TO SUBSCRIBERS
A subscription now includes every article, editorial, and review back to 1865. Submitted by Dick Bennett
OMNI EVENTS POSTED ON FLCKR.COM
Thanks to all video folks who send images of Omni events to:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/53408817@N00/pool/
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
A BLOG ON ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA
THAT WILL DESCRIBE OMNI-NWACC'S ACTIVITIES:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/EdreneMcKay.
AN ONLINE JOBS! WEB SITE, SET UP BY BILL WILLIAMS
FOR JOB SEEKERS AND EMPLOYERS:
http://jobs.bubbaplanet.com
Email your Public Service Announcements 2 weeks in advance to KUAF radio's Pete Hartman at phartma@uark.edu. PSAs should be about 15 seconds in length.
Submitted by Chris Delacruz
Link Carries Interactive Calendar of Events in Northwest Arkansas— http://northwestarkansasevents.blogspot.com/
• Fayetteville Society of Friends (a.k.a. the Quaker...
• Northwest Arkansas Sustainability Center
• Northwest Arkansas Buddhists
• Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology
• Interfaith and Astronomical
• Combined Northwest Arkansas Event Calendar
Original and gathered articles from Dick Bennett are at http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/
Mike Tramill has an email network (list) on political issues, including the latest developments on possible war or invasion with Iran. You may contact Mike at wheeler65@gmail.com if you want to be on the list.
Richard Drake continues his Fayetteville blog, street jazz, at http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/streetjazz/
Fayetteville Freethinkers website/forums can be found at http://fayfreethinkers.com/forums/
From Sidney Burris:
Modern & Contemporary Poetry: www.readwrite.typepad.com/poetry
Mindspace: www.readwrite.typepad.com/meditation
Tibetspace: www.readwrite.typepad.com/artibet
Institute website: www.artibet.com
From Leigh Wilkerson - Larrapin Garden blog at http://larrapin.blogspot.com
From Mendy Knott - For new writing exercises and more, check Mendy's Blog at:
www.arkansasscribbler. blogspot.com
OMNI/COMMUNITY ACCESS TELEVISION (C.A.T.) CONNECTIONS www.catfayetteville.com
OMNI Month In Review:
Omni Month in Review with Moderator Claire Detels will air live on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 pm. The show will be repeated at 1:00 pm on Sunday, March 29.
Democracy NOW! Schedule:
Monday – Friday 7:00a.m. Democracy NOW!
Tuesdays, 3/10 3/17 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Thursdays 3/12 3/19 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Friday 3/13 3/20 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Saturday 3/14 3/21 3:00a.m. Democracy NOW!
Sunday 3/15 3/22 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Free Speech TV (FSTV) sponsored by Omni - 3:00a.m. – 9:00a.m. – FSTV continues its cutting edge challenges, pushing us to think. www.freespeechtv.com Omni Center is pleased to provide FSTV to our local Community Access Television Due to the problems we had during our '08 Fall Drive with time-shifting Democracy Now! repeats, we are reversing that decision - For the '09 pledge drives, The regular Democracy Now! live program at 8a ET, as well as the 59 minute (repeats of DN! will not contain fundraising appeals.)
FSTV broadcast schedule:
3:00 am Daily
Amy Goodman Online - You can listen/watch previous Democracy Now programs by internet streaming from Democracy Now website http://democracynow.org Previous programs (going back many years) are archived there. You can watch the current program (after they post it about noon) by going to http://democracynow.org/streampage.pl
Other Programs of Interest:
Sunday, 3/8/2009
1:00 pm OMNI Month in Review: February 2009
Omni Book Samplers:
Book Samplers give a five minute book report or read a five minute excerpt from a book. If you like to read and would like to share and encourage others to read books that you find informative and interesting, please volunteer to be a Book Sampler. Contact: Dick Bennett jbennet@uark.edu
Short Takes: Taping at C.A.T.
Taping Schedule:
Every Monday night, from 5:00p.m.-6:00p.m., C.A.T. will be doing Short Takes live. This will be a great opportunity for time sensitive material, live entertainment, or anything else that is expressive.
For the folks who don’t want to go on camera live, you can still record your short take from 6:00p.m.-6:30p.m Mondays, and on Tuesdays from 12 noon – 1:30p.m. Both the live and recorded short takes will air the following week as usual. If anyone has any comments or questions, please feel free to contact C.A.T.
Viewing Times: 11:00a.m., 5:00p.m., 11:00p.m.
Omni News and Current Events featured on Short Takes:
Presented by Cliff Hughes, Dick Bennett
Also Good to Watch:
Bill Moyers Journal on PBS, Fridays, 9:00p.m.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html
For More Information about the US/Iran status, you can visit http://www.buzzflash.com/search/?Query=iran or BBC at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm
CASUALTIES IN IRAQ
The Human Cost of Occupation
Edited by Margaret Griffis :: Contact
American Military Casualties in Iraq
Date Total In Combat
American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4256 3424
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03) (the list)
4117 3316
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3795 3118
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3398 2801
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 27 19
American Wounded Official Estimated
Total Wounded:
31089 Over 100000
Latest Fatality Mar. 7, 2009
Page last updated 03/7/09 5:04 pm EDT
IRAQI CIVILIAN BODY COUNT
Civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq
MIN. MAX.
91,060 – 99,433
Source of Iraqi Civilian Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/
*A body count of Iraqi civilian deaths was published in the medical journal The Lancet in 2006; its estimate at that time was 600,000 (min) to 650,000 (max). Some sources estimate the death toll of civilian deaths today is over 1,000,000
COST OF THE WAR IN IRAQ
$603,000,000,000 and counting
Source of Cost of War: http://nationalpriorities.org
OMNI SEEKS A WORLD FREE OF WAR AND THE THREAT OF WAR, A SOCIETY WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERY PERSON’S POTENTIAL MAY BE FULFILLED, AN EARTH RESTORED. GRASSROOTS NONVIOLENCE, WORLD PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL and ECONOMIC JUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROTECTING SPECIES AND THE EARTH.
CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
• Senator Blanche Lincoln: Web Site (they have contact links): www.lincoln.senate.gov; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/index.cfm; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/webform.html
· Washington Office: 355 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0404
Phone: (202) 224-4843 Fax: (202) 228-1371.
· Fayetteville office: 251-1380
• Senator Mark Pryor: Web Site (see contact link): www.pryor.senate.gov ; http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
· Washington Office: 217 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0403
Phone: (202) 224-2353 Fax: (202) 228-0908
· Main District Office: 500 Pres. Clinton Ave., Suite 401, Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 324-6336 Fax: (501) 324-5320
(Lou Keller, Field Representative, The River Market, 500 Clinton Ave., Suite 401, LR 72201. 501-324-6336; toll free: 877-259-9602; Lou_Keller@pryor.senate.gov; http://pryor.senate.gov)
• Congressman John Boozman, District 3, 12 counties from Benton to Washington
Lowell office: 479-725-0400. Fax: 479-725-0408, 213 W. Monroe, Suite K, 72745. Stacy McLure, Deputy Chief of Staff (STACEY.McCLURE@MAIL.HOUSE.GOV) Web site (with contact
link): http://www.boozman.house.gov/ Boozman’s new office in Lowell is located at 213 West Monroe in Lowell between I 540 and Business 71. To reach that office take Exit 78 off I - 540 and go east. You will be on Hwy 264 which is also West Monroe. The office is in the Puppy Creek Plaza, past the McDonald’s on the right. His suite is in the back of the complex to the left.
Ft. Smith office: 479-782-7787; 30 South 6th St. Rm 240, Ft. Smith 72901.
Harrison office: 870-741-6900; 402 N. Walnut, Suite 210, Harrison 72601.
DC address: 1708 Longworth House Office Bldng., Washington, DC 20515; 202-225-4301. Leslie Parker, appointments secretary: 202-225-4301.
MILESTONES
March 9 – Federal court issues temporary restraining order prohibiting publication by The Progresssive of an article on H-bomb secrecy (1979)
March 10 – Harriet Tubman, former slave and leader of the Underground Railroad, dies (1933)
President Eisenhower states willingness to launch first-strike nuclear attack (1951_
March 11 – U.s. troops intervene in Nicaragua (1853)
Formation of independent Oglala Sioux Nation proclaimed at Wounded Knee, South Dakota (1973)
Bombs on trains in Madrid kill 202 people (2004)
March 12 - Truman Doctrine of anticommunist aid to Greece and Turkey ushers in Cold War era. (1947)
March 13 – U.S. Senate approves nuclear nonproliferation treaty (1969)
March 14 – Albert Einstein born (187(0
March 15 – Atomic energy Commission acknowledges that an unplanned release of radiation from an underground nuclear test spewed fallout over Las Vegas
March 16 – First black newspaper in United States, Freedom’s Journal, published (1827)
About 5090 unarmed Vietnamese killed by U.S. troops in My Lai massacre (1968)
March 17 – President Eisenhower authorizes secret training of Cuban exiles for invasion of Cuba (1960)
First U.S. postal strike (1970)
March 18 – Supreme Court rules that states must provide free legal counsel for indigents (1963)
OPEC lifts oil embargo (1974)
March 19 - 49 arrested during protest at Chase Manhattan Bank against loans to South Africa (1965)
Iraq War Begins (2003)
March 209 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin published (1852)
U.S. Marines invade Nicaragua (1896)
New York City gay-rights ordinance signed after 12-year campaign (1986)
March 21 – American Labor Union founded (1853)
Puerto Ricans killed in demonstration for independence 91937)
Martin Luther King Jr. leads Selma, Alabama, march (1965)
March 22 – 30,000 march in Washington, D.C. against draft registration (1980)
16 arrested in four-day cross-country demonstration against shipment of nuclear warheads by train (1983)
March 23 – Trial of 101 Wobbies for opposition to World War I begins (1918)
SPECIAL MESSAGES
OMNI PEACE LEADERSHIP FORUM SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 6:30 PM, DOWNSTAIRS, UNITED CAMPUS MINISTRIES, 902 W. MAPLE
FOOD WITH A STORY
Last month we shared some very tasty favorite salsas. This month, how about bringing food with a story? A favorite food you grew up with… something that was important to your family in some way… or a cultural food you really enjoyed. Bring a dish, and be prepared to tell its story to the rest of us. For instance, one friend fixes “ Kansas food” sometimes … white bread sandwiches with butter and sugar. I remember those, and they’re vegetarian! But I think I’ll bring something else. What did you eat at your house? The goal of Omni Peace Leadership Forum is to develop leaders for the culture of peace, and expand the peace building community to our neighbors, friends, and the wider community. There’s a place for you in the culture of peace. Hope you’ll join us. From Gladys Tiffany
OMNI CENTER PRESENTS “PORTRAITS OF COURAGE” TO MARK TO 6TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED STATES INVASION OF IRAQ
The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Iraq War with a Silent Auction and Musical Event, Sunday, March 22, 2009 from 7-9pm at Goodfolk Productions, 229 N. Block St., Fayetteville, AR.
Silent auction participants will bid on a series of 12 original portraits of Iraq War resistors painted by local artist, Greg Moore. Musical entertainment will be provided by Darlene - eclectic folk singer and story teller, singer/songwriter Emily Kaitz, and the up-and-coming folk band, 3 Penny Acre. Local Poet Doug Shields will MC the event, and refreshments will be served. There will be a $5 cover charge, and a portion of the auction and event proceeds will be donated to The Iraq Veterans Against The War and The Veteran’s Hospital. (See below in “What’s Happening? Locally . . . for more details).
A GIANT STEP TOWARD A PEACEFUL WORLD
The Peace Alliance is working toward establishing The Department of Peace, a Cabinet Level Position in the Administration. Supporting this legislation is a huge step toward Creating Peace. Find out more about the Department of Peace legislation at Congressman Kucinich’s web site, http://kucinich.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=1564
Or at The Peace Alliance web site, www.thepeacealliance.org
If you have any questions or a passion to get Arkansas on the map supporting The Department of Peace, please contact me by e-mail at btparker@uark.edu or call 236-4945. United we can achieve our goal of Peace. Thanks, Barbara Parker, District Leader, Peace Alliance, Peace Leadership Council, Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
(See more about the Peace Alliance below in “What’s Going On – Nationally and Internationally”)
PAUL GLOVER, FOUNDER OF ITHACA HOURS TO VISIT FAYETTEVILLE MAY 8-9
Save the date!
SPONSORED BY OMNI CENTER LOOKING TOWARD OZARK HOURS
Paul Glover will be in Fayetteville visiting local businesses, the farmer’s market and local government and banks to assist us in understanding how to develop a system that will work for us.
Location(s) still TBD.
“Corporate media have hardly noticed, but the United States economy is being rebuilt by thousands of creative grassroots initiatives, at the same time that U.S. industrial jobs are being lost to globalization. Even as poverty increases, thousands of practical programs are proving people can rebuild damaged local economies from the ground up,
making them better than before. Thousands of jobs are being invented by citizens dedicated to ecology and social justice How? They are creating wealth locally, and producing what they need.”
— Paul Glover
Paul Glover is the founder of Ithaca HOURS local currency, the Ithaca Health Alliance, Citizen Planners of Los Angeles, and author of several books and urban histories. Glover has degrees in Marketing and in City Management. After 35 years of community organizing on behalf of grassroots economic development and ecological repair, Paul started a consultancy called GreenPlanners, which helps communities prepare a secure and abundant future while fuel and food costs rise. An alternative to dependence on monopoly control of food, fuel, housing, finances, jobs, information and goods, hours are backed by real capital: our time, creativity, muscles, tools, and natural resources.
OMNI MONTH IN REVIEW
Look for Moderator Claire Detels and a panel of guests on the air live Wednesday, March 25, 7:00 pm
OMNI CENTER CALENDAR OF MEETINGS AND EVENTS
--MARCH – WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
--Sunday, March 8 – INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
--Sunday, March 8, 7:00p.m., Video Underground, United Campus Ministries Chapel, 902 W. Maple, Fayetteville –The Omni Center shows a series of free movies every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month (unless noted otherwise) Admission is free but donations are appreciated.
For more information, contact Gerald Sloan at 575-6302 or gsloan@uark.edu
To see the schedule for the Video Underground film series,
go to http://omni-vu-films.blogspot.com/
http://omni-vu-films.blogspot.com/
--Wednesday, March 11, 6:00 pm, Downstairs at United Campus Ministries, 902 W. Maple - OMNI Center Vegetarian Club. As some of us suggested, we moved the meeting time up half an hour, and we'll have a round table discussion this time so our whole group can talk about our interests in vegetarianism.
Also, members of the UA Vegetarians Eating Green group will be there to share info on their efforts at the UA campus. Please invite friends who would like to bring meat-free food to share regardless of whether or not they consider themselves vegetarian.
There are at least two other great events at the same time including Harmonia's performance at the Goddess Festival and the OMNI/Campus Greens presentation at the UA so if you can't make it, we'll see you next month. Feel free to write me at exequals@hotmail.com with questions or ideas, and we're on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=58139595422&ref=mf. We look forward to seeing you there!
Submitted by Dan Dean
--Sunday, March 15, 7:00 pm, HOWL - ABOUT THE MARCH 2009 HOWL Different Space and Men Invited to Read! Sunday, March 15th, 7 pm (instead of the usual 6:30 pm) The theme will be In Praise of Women
The MARCH HOWL will be different! Instead of the usual venue at Nightbird Books, in March we will be meeting at the Goddess Festival Space just a couple of blocks up the hill from the bookstore: Corner of Archibald Yell
and W. South Street.
Men Invited to read pieces "In Praise of Women" at the March HOWL If your men friends/family have just been dying to read something positive about women all this time, now is their big chance. On March 15 at 7 pm, we will
have both a men and a women's reading, "In Praise of Women" at the Goddess Space.
(See Special Notice about Goddess Festival in What’s Going On Locally announcements below).
--Thursday, March 19, 5:30p.m. Potluck, 6:00p.m. - Omni Steering Committee Meeting, Deep End of United Campus Ministries, 902 W. Maple, Fayetteville, AR
--Saturday, March 21, 6:30 pm, Peace Leadership Forum, Downstairs at United Campus Ministries, 902 W. Maple, Fayetteville
--Sunday, March 22, 2009, 7 to 9 pm, Goodfolk, 229 N. Block St., Fayetteville, AR
- The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Iraq War with a Silent Auction and Musical Event. You will have an opportunity to bid on a series of 12 original portraits of Iraq War resistors painted by local artist, Greg Moore. Musical entertainment will be provided by Darlene - eclectic folk singer and story teller, singer/songwriter Emily Kaitz, and the up-and-coming folk band, 3 Penny Acre. Cost 5.00 cover charge. (See details below in “What’s Going On? . . . Locally . . .”
WHAT’S GOING ON? ---CURRENT EVENTS and INFORMATION
LOCALLY: CITY, COUNTY, AND STATE
(New Items will have Green Heading)
THE FIRST FAYETTEVILLE GODDESS FESTIVAL: GODESSES, ANGELS AND AMAZONS HAS BEGUN
The First Fayetteville Goddess Festival: Goddesses, Angels, and Amazons, a month-long event, began on Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 5:00pm with an exciting Artist and Art Show Reception. View the artwork of numerous artists, all reflecting powerful female images. These works are diverse in style and expression. Be it considered Goddess, Angel, or Amazon, their common thread is their personal interpretation and portrayal of the 'Divine Feminine'. Refreshments will be served.
The art gallery showing is free and open to the public and works will hang during the entire month of March. The Festival includes many special events, concerts and workshops, and is located at Ultra Studios, 118 W. South Street (corner Archibald Yell Blvd).
Be sure you check out the Goddess Festival happenings at www.goddessfestival.com.
"Men Only" Staged Reading March 27 and 28
8pm at Goddess Space
www.goddessfestival.com
Directed by Margaret Britain
Adapted from an award-winning screenplay by Mendy Knott. "In a small lakeside town, five best friends who love a good cause enter to win the big prize in a "men only" bass fishing tournament. They aren't men, but they're hoping no one will notice." You won't want to miss what is probably the world's first lesbian bass fishing comedy! Tickets available at the door $8 adults/ $5 Seniors and students.
HUMAN RIGHTS & UNIVERSITIES:
DEFENDING ACADEMIC FREEDOM BY SAVING SCHOLARS AT RISK
A PRESENTATION BY ROBERT QUINN, SAR DIRECTOR,NEW YORK UNIVERSITY
MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2 PM
MULTICULTURAL CENTER, STUDENT UNION
Around the world today, scholars are attacked because of their words, their ideas and their place in society. Those seeking power and control work to limit access to information and new ideas by targeting scholars, restricting academic freedom and repressing research, publication, teaching and learning. The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges responding to these attacks. SAR promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars and their communities worldwide.
Robert Quinn is the founding Director of the Scholars at Risk Network, and the former founding Executive Director of the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund. Mr. Quinn is an adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School teaching courses in international human rights and US legal systems. Mr. Quinn received his A.B. cum laude from Princeton in 1988, and his J.D. cum laude from Fordham in 1994
This presentation is sponsored by the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Foreign Languages, and the Omni Center for Peace.
SOCIAL JUSTICE NETWORK CONFERENCE ON IMMIGRATION,
MARCH 10, JONES CENTER, 8:30 AM
OMNI-NWACC INVITING YOU TO PARTICIPATE IN TWO TIMELY GROUP EVENTS
This is what is coming up. Don't forget to RSVP so we'll have plenty of coffee on hand (and maybe a few treats).
March 10 – “When the Troops Come Home” - President Obama’s withdrawal of troops from Iraq and deployment of troops to Afghanistan gives our community the opportunity to consider how we can meet the needs of returning veterans and their families and how we can ultimately bring peace to the Middle East. To begin the process, OMNI-NWACC is sponsoring a series of films and discussions during March and April called “When the Troops Come Home.” We will take the audience through the battlefield experience, the rehabilitation process, and the experiences of the families left behind. The first film in the series, which will be screened on March 10, explores The Battlefield Experience: “Combat Diary - The Marines of Lima Company ” (90 min). It takes viewers to the front lines of battle with one of the hardest hit Marine units of the Iraq war and provides a first-hand account of the realities of war. Representatives from the Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks, community grief counselors, and local peace advocates will participate in discussions after the film. The event will be held from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in Room 108 of the Student Center. For additional information, contact EdreneMcKay@cox.net or call (479) 855-6836. To help us plan the event, please RSVP here.
March 12 – “The Road to Economic Recovery” – This is the first follow-up meeting to one held last month and described in this CNN iReport: http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-213154. A group of students, faculty, staff, and members of the community discussed President Obama's stimulus plan and came up with several ideas to reduce unemployment in the area, including start-up businesses, community gardens, and workshops for the unemployed. An online Jobs! web site, set up by Bill Williams for job seekers and employers, already has been implemented: http://jobs.bubbaplanet.com/. This meeting will focus on workshops for the unemployed, ways to provide relief to families affected by the recession, and start-up businesses. Guests will include Lenora Sotlar from NWACC’s Career Center and Virtual Career Center and Melodie Marcks from NWACC's newly-developed Outplacement Services Task Force. It will be held from 6:30-9:00 p.m. in Room 108 of the Student Center. For additional information, contact EdreneMcKay@cox.net or call (479) 855-6836. To help us plan the event, please RSVP here.
CLAIRE DETELS SHARES THE MUSIC OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS
You are invited to the Friday, March 13, 11 AM Lecture-Recital of "Piano Music of African-American Composers" with Musicologist/Pianist Claire Detels, UA Professor Emerita. Some of the composer that she will present are Joplin, Handy, Still, Price, and Ellington.
Held at the Crystal Bridges at the Massey Gallery, off the Bentonville Town Square, this is an ARTBUZZ program given in conjunction with "Proof Positive:" An Exhibit of 20th c. African-American Prints from the Fisk University Collections.
REPOWER ARKANSAS CLIMATE CHANGE ROADSHOW March 11, 6:00-8:30 pm, Ark Union, room 504.
Coal fired power remains a problem for Arkansas. We've got all those easy laws power producers love. The Repower Arkansas Climate Change Roadshow is a great way to get information about this complex situation. Also, you can learn some ways to take action. Dr. Robert McAfee, Climatologist, is bringing his traveling Climate Change presentation to the UofA Fayetteville campus! Dr. McAfee founded Repower Arkansas, which is working in conjunction with Al Gore's We Can Solve It campaign and The Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology to educate the public about the risks of coal energy dependence and to promote cleaner alternatives ( www.repowerarkansas.org). Campus Greens is helping to promote this event. Other speakers include Maggie Bailey, UofA alum and Local Outreach Coordinator for Audubon, and Heather Kowaleski, regional United Nations Environment Program Youth Outreach Coordinator. We'll also show the Fighting Goliath film about how Texas civic action stopped additional coal plants. We encourage University of Arkansas students and the public to attend. There will be food and beverages and time for discussion and questions. This is an opportunity to learn about local efforts to promote a green economy and to wean us off of coal-fired electricity. The presentation will stress civic engagement supporting green legislation.
Submitted by Dr. Art Hobson
CONTACT LEGISLATORS
Help Pass the Arkansas Maternity Information Act!
Greetings from BirthNetwork NWA!
We need your help right now to enact legislation in Arkansas to support the health and informed consent of pregnant mothers and their babies.
Today Senate Bill 787 was filed. It is entitled “AN ACT TO ENSURE THAT MATERNITY PATIENTS ARE INFORMED OF THE TYPES AND RISKS OF BIRTHING METHODS.” We need you to contact your legislators right now in support of this bill, especially they sit on the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor. To find out who your Senator or Representative is, and to see if he or she sits on this important committee, please visit http://www.arkansas.gov/government_rep_search.php
This is a bill that would require hospitals to provide information related to the types of birthing methods and their associated risks including vaginal delivery and cesarean section deliveries. Hospitals will be required to publish their rates of c-section, induction, and many other interventions, and these would then be published on the Department of Health website. This kind of transparency in maternity care has been shown to promote quality improvement measures and is an essential indgredient to informed choice.
If you would like to read the current draft of the bill, it can be found at http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2009/R/Bills/SB787.pdf/
We need your help.
Please review the current draft of SB 787 and contact your Senators and Representatives letting them know of your support of the bill. Many legislators receive very few phone calls, letters or e-mails from their constituents about pending legislation, so even a small number of people contacting their legislators can make a big difference regarding whether a bill becomes law or not. Of course, we’d like for each and every one of you to contact your legislators, because this is the only way they will know how many women and families would be affected by this bill.
Please contact your legislators now.
A list of Senators, Representatives and their contact information can also be found on the Arkansas Breastfeeding Coalition website: http://www.arkansasbreastfeedingcoalition.org/contact/. If you are not sure which district you live in, there is a link on this page to help you. E-mail is an effective way to contact your legislator. If you contact your legislator by e-mail, include "Support SB 787" in the subject line. If you would rather (and for those legislators without an e-mail address) you can call 501-682-2902 to leave a message for your Senator, and 501-682-6211 to leave a message for your Representative. Your message can be very simple and need only include your name, address and that you support SB 787. Some legislators do not have voicemail, and in such a case you can leave a message with the office staff. Remember, legislators pay attention when their constituents contact them!
Share your stories with us!
Finally, we would like to let Arkansas legislators know that there are many mothers and families in our state who want greater transparency in maternity care. Would your birth have been different if you had been fully informed about the risks of cesarean section or knew the rates of c-section in your hospital? Would you have chosen a different hospital if you knew that the facility where you gave birth was known for high rates of induction? If so, we need to hear from you so that we can share your stories with our legislators. Please use the contact information at the end of this e-mail. If you have a compelling story, we invite you to share it with your legislators as well.
Questions, comments or compelling birth stories? Please contact Elizabeth Day at douladay@gmail.com.
Thank you!
Elizabeth Day, LCCE, CD(DONA)
Submitted by Sara Milford
OMNI CENTER PRESENTS “PORTRAITS OF COURAGE”
Silent Auction and Musical Event Marking the 6th Anniversary of the Iraq War
Sunday, March 22, 2009, 7 to 9 pm — Goodfolk, 229 N. Block St., Fayetteville, AR
The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology will commemorate the 6th anniversary of the Iraq War with a Silent Auction and Musical Event, Sunday, March 22, 2009 from 7-9pm. Silent auction participants will bid on a series of 12 original portraits of Iraq War resistors painted by local artist, Greg Moore. Musical entertainment will be provided by Darlene - eclectic folk singer and story teller, singer/songwriter Emily Kaitz, and the up-and-coming folk band, 3 Penny Acre. Local Poet Doug Shields will MC the event, and refreshments will be served. There will be a $5 cover charge, and a portion of the auction and event proceeds will be donated to The Iraq Veterans Against The War and The Veteran’s Hospital.
Moore, a 32-year-old graphic designer, began the portrait series in 2003 when the war began. “I wanted to do something to express my opposition to the war and support these courageous soldiers who refused to fight,” stated Moore.
Moore became familiar with the resistors he selected as subjects for his paintings through stories and photographs found online. For many of these soldiers, it was their first-hand experiences as occupation troops that compelled them to take a stand, which often resulted in jail sentences. These courageous resistors inspired Moore to take up painting seriously. Since then, he has been showing and selling his works regularly throughout Northwest Arkansas.
The OMNI Center has been protesting the Iraq War since it began on March 13, 2003 with ongoing awareness campaigns and annual events to mark each anniversary. As of March 8, 2009, 4,256 American military troops have died and over 100,000 have been wounded. The Iraq civilian death toll is estimated at more than 100,000. While OMNI applauds President Obama’s recently announced timetable to bring our troops home, the Center is committed to maintaining public awareness of the loss and suffering brought about by the Iraq War.
The OMNI Center was founded in 2001. Its goals have always been a world free of war and the threat of war, a society with liberty and justice for all, a community where every person’s potential may be fulfilled, and an earth restored. Today the OMNI Center is a thriving organization with a large membership base and many friends and supporters. Each year the OMNI Center grows in membership and the number of forums, collaborations, actions and events that our members organize. For more information, visit www.omnicenter.org
ALL ABOUT FACEBOOK CLASS
There will a be a free "All About Facebook" Class at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 902 Cleveland, Fayetteville, on Monday, March 23 at 6:30. The public is welcome to attend.
NEWS FROM OMNI UA
Omni UA will now officially begin meeting EVERY Wednesday at 5:30pm, in room 512/513 of the Union. We are now in full force and swing, if you came to the first couple of meetings and were bored, then think twice about missing the next one, because we have been ACTIVATED.
HOMEGROWN! ORGANIC VEGGIES, HERBS & EDIBLES FOR BEGINNERS
Sunday, April 5th, 1-3pm
Botanical Garden of the Ozarks (BGO)
Crossover Road, Fayetteville
Join gardeners Leigh Wilkerson, Janice Neighbor and others for an edible adventure! Find inspiration and information on beginner organic growing in any amount of space - balconies to big yards. Remember Victory Gardens? Why mow a yard when you can eat it instead? Ever wanted fresh herbs at arms length? Interested in gardening with the help of nature? Think beautiful AND bountiful! Class is for beginners -- but with fresh ideas for even
seasoned gardeners. Come meet others who share your interest in edibles. Tickets are $10/ $8 for BGO members, or FREE if you join the Botanical Garden the day of class! Pre-registration requested so we'll have plenty
of handouts. Email ozarksalive@gmail.com for more information or to reserve your space and pay at the door. To buy
your ticket today, go to [http://www.bgozarks.org/events/] www.bgozarks.org/events/#125
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS SOCIAL JUSTICE NETWORK
I am writing to invite you to the kick-off meeting for the formation of an umbrella social justice network in NW Arkansas. The idea to establish a social justice network came out of earlier meetings hosted by Rachel Townsend, Executive Director of the NWA Worker Justice Center in Springdale. Participants were discussing the need for a coordinated humanitarian response in the event of future Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids at local businesses, or other circumstances that adversely impact on the working poor and other persons of limited financial means and/or ability to protect themselves.
The meeting is set for March 10, 8:30 am to noon at the Jones Center in Springdale, 922 East Emma Avenue. A complimentary continental breakfast will be provided. We are inviting representatives from organizations in the NWA area who are already working on immigrant and worker justice, domestic violence and sexual assault prevention, child welfare, poverty and hunger relief, diversity and inclusion, civil liberties.
Please feel free to invite others who you believe would be interested in participating. The purpose is to coordinate resources to avoid duplication of services or gaps in needed services, and to foster a greater community involvement on behalf of people who do not have political or social influence and need advocates to protect their human dignity. We hope that you can join us. Your input and support are invaluable. Please RSVP to Meredith Cabell at
Meredith.Cabell@splcenter.org or call 404-221-5828 by February 27, 2009.
MARCH BOOK FORUM: DISMANTLING DEMOCRACY, REBUILDING DEMOCRACY? FRIDAY MARCH 13, 6:30, NIGHTBIRD BOOKS (If you would like to participate in the Forum and/or for a list of suggested forum reading: contact jbennet@uark.edu)
EXCHANGE STUDENT NEEDS HOST HOME
A Dutch NWACC exchange student still needs a host from now to the 2nd week in May. His name is Jelle Hummelen and he is from The Netherlands. He plans on studying law while in the U.S., and hopes to attend law school upon his return home. He likes to rollerblade and is interested in Apple computers, electronic gadgets, and music. For more info, contact the Youth for Understanding Coordinator Kurt Cecil, Office phone 479-986-4019, Email: kcecil@ nwacc.edu
RAISING FUNDS FOR STUDENTS TO ATTEND POWERSHIFT CONFERENCE
In 2007, more than 6,500 young people gathered in Washington DC for the historic Powershift conference and lobbying event. In 2009, organizers expect more than 10,000, and they've expanded the conference to be even more effective.
The Powershift organizers are building a nationwide movement of young climate activists, and they have identified Arkansas and Mississippi as underrepresented states. Matthew Petty, a young activist also serving on Fayetteville's City Council, is already planning on attending, and he's taking two Fayetteville high school students and their service learning teacher with him. One Fayetteville resident attended a similar conference last fall, and he described the experience as "life-changing."
The Fayetteville group still needs to raise around $1000, and they'd like to also reach out to students throughout Arkansas. This is an opportunity to solidify the clean energy movement in Arkansas. Interest has already been seen in Texarkana (near the planned Turk Coal-fired Power Plant) and Little Rock. To read more about Powershift., visit www.powershift09.org/about.
Fayetteville's Omni Center has agreed to handle all contributions, so your donation is tax-deductible. There are two ways to donate: online or by check. To donate online, visit http://www.omnicenter.org/donate.php, click the donation link, and specify "Powershift" as the purpose of your donation. Make sure to click "Update Amount" before entering your financial information. Or you can mail your contribution via mail to:
Matthew Petty
326 N Rollston Ave
Fayetteville, AR 72701.
Make out your check to "Omni Center" and add "Powershift" in the memo line.
For more information, contact Matthew Petty at 479 871 9212 or matt@matthewpetty.org.
To read stories of the dynamic difference Powershift generates, visit
http://www.powershift09.org/Stories-of-PowerShift
OMNI'S UA MULLINS LIBRARY
NONVIOLENT PEACEMAKING AND VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE AND WARS COLLECTION
This collection now contains over 300 books and films. It is designed to raise awareness and inspire reseadrch about nonviolence, victims, and also whistleblowers and investigative reporters. Browse the list by searching the subject Nonviolent Peacemaking and Victims in InfoLinks, the Libraries' online catalog.
Submitted by Dick Bennett
RECRUITER ABUSE HELP HOTLINE
The National Youth and Militarism Recruiter Abuse Hotline: 1-877-688-6881. Started by the AFSC.
RESISTING MILITARIZING OF OUR SCHOOLS
"DMZ: A Guide to Taking Your School Back from the Military." To order: www.warresisters.org or email wrl@warresisters.org, or www.warresisters.org/dmz
MOVING FORWARD TOWARD A PERMANENT HOME
OMNI seeks the donation of a lot or acreage on which to build a new home. Contact Richard Tiffany at (479) 973-9049 if you are interested.
WHAT’S GOING ON?—NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY
NEW ITEMS IN GREEN
22 REASONS TO END THE OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN
OMNI members: You have already received the first 11 reasons. For the whole 22 arguments, the references, and the Addenda go to www.omnicenter.org, look at What's Happening Now, click on Newsletter on Afghanistan. Then write or call Pres. Obama, your congressmen or women; write letters to local newspapers, forward to your friends, join OMNI first Saturdays at Mall and Joyce, 1pm for our public protest. For a Culture of Peace of, by, and for the people.
Submitted by Dick Bennett
ATTACKS ON DOJ NOMINEES SIGNAL RIGHT'S JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS STRATEGY
Right-wing political and legal organizations have unleashed a coordinated campaign of over-the-top attacks on the qualifications, records, and fitness of President Obama’s nominees for important positions in the U.S. Justice Department. Deputy Attorney General nominee David Ogden has been the prime target of the Right’s wrath, but Solicitor General nominee Elena Kagan, Associate Attorney General nominee Thomas Perrelli, and Office of Legal Counsel nominee Dawn Johnsen have also come in for their share of criticism. fOR THE COMPLETE ARTICLE ON THE EXTREME RIGHT WING RHETORIC, VISIT: http://site.pfaw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=rww_in_focus_attacks_on_doj_nominees
PEACE EDUCATION
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY OFFERS M.A. IN CONFLICT RESOLUTION. SEE: HTTP://CONFLICTRESOLUTION.GEORGETOWN.EDU/
Study Peace and Conflict Resolution a at the European University Center for Peace Studies Profs. Johan Galtung, Hossain Danesh, Richard Falk, and others. See: www.epu.ac.at A Giant Step Toward a Peaceful World
PEACE ALLIANCE
The Peace Alliance is working toward establishing The Department of Peace, a Cabinet Level Position in the Administration. Supporting this legislation is a huge step toward Creating Peace. Find out more about the Department of Peace legislation at Congressman Kucinich’s web site, http://kucinich.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=1564
Or at The Peace Alliance web site, www.thepeacealliance.org
Join the Campaign: Participate in an historic citizen lobbying effort to create a U.S. Department of Peace. There is currently a bill before the U.S. House of Representative (HR808), introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich and to be re-introduced to the House during The Peace Alliance Annual Conference to be held March 20-23, 2009. Among many outstanding speakers will be Congressman Kucinich. There is more information on the conference at The Peace Alliance website.
HR808 will augment our current peace-solving options, providing practical, non-violent solutions to the problems of domestic and international violence. Consider attending the Conference and the re-introduction of HR-808 by Congressman Kucinich. The Department of Peace was among the top ten ideas on change.org. and was presented to President Obama on inauguration day.
Find out more about The Peace Alliance at www.thepeacealliance.org and consider joining the movement to make The Department of Peace a reality. If you have any questions or a passion to get Arkansas on the map supporting The Department of Peace, please contact me by e-mail at btparker@uark.edu or call 236-4945. United we can achieve our goal of Peace. Thanks, Barbara Parker, District Leader, Peace Alliance, Peace Leadership Council, Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
POEMS AGAINST WAR
Poems Against War says artists must raise their voices to inspire change. In ... www.poemsagainstwar.com. /. pawmagazine@yahoo.com.
A Journal of Poetry and Action is looking for ... The journal Poems Against War is looking for submissions for its seventh volume, ...
www.newyork.indymedia.org
STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN,
and READ: MEDIA
SWIMMING IN THE SEA OF IDEOLOGY
By Coralie Koonce, Outskirts, 2009.
“This book is the second of three in the series Thinking toward Survival, all based on the belief that our current thinking patterns are not up to the challenge of the existential threats facing humanity.” You can buy it from her directly or through Nightbird Books.
THERE IS A BOOK BY G. EDWARD GRIFFIN CALLED
"THE CREATURE FROM JEKYLL ISLAND"
by calling this number 800-686-2237 the book can be ordered for $26.45 inclusive of shipping. by ordering from these people you will receive either a morgan or peace silver dollar which at the present time is going up in value. they are selling close to $26.45.
THE FOLLOWING LINK IS FOR END THE FED,
A grassroots organization committed to the repeal of the federal reserve act and putting the issue of our currency in the hands of the treasury. They are organizing nationwide demonstrations for April 25
http://www.endthefed.us/
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL CALLS FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Amnesty International Human Rights Commission expects the Obama administration to fulfill its call for change. For more information about this action, visit www.amnestyusa.org/call4accountability.
CINDY SHEEHAN'S SOAPBOX!
When: Sunday; 2-3 (PM)
Where: 960am In the SF Bay Area or
www.Green960.com
Listen for some provocative conversation and a few surprises!
Don't forget to submit your Soapbox rants to
tiffany@CindySheehansSoapbox.com
or Ask Cindy questions to:
Cindy@CindySheehansSoapbox.com
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE FOR CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS AVAILABLE
Posted by: "Austin Moran" mis@nysar.com austinmoran,, From the VFP Digest.
If you know someone who has enlisted in the military or who is already in the military and has developed convictions of a religious conscientious objector, then a new book is now available containing the step-by-step procedure regarding release from the military.
A free copy of the book to down load is available on the following link:
http://www.peacehost.net/christianCO/ProceduresBook5.pdf
Also a hard copy of the book can be purchased from the internet book seller Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/content/4682550 submitted by Dick Bennett
GREAT RESEARCH SOURCE
FOR ANTI-WAR,
CIVIL LIBERTIES/RIGHTS ADVOCATES
THE NATION MAGAZINE OFFERS ALL PAST CONTENTS FREE TO SUBSCRIBERS
A subscription now includes every article, editorial, and review back to 1865. Submitted by Dick Bennett
OMNI EVENTS POSTED ON FLCKR.COM
Thanks to all video folks who send images of Omni events to:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/53408817@N00/pool/
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
A BLOG ON ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA
THAT WILL DESCRIBE OMNI-NWACC'S ACTIVITIES:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/EdreneMcKay.
AN ONLINE JOBS! WEB SITE, SET UP BY BILL WILLIAMS
FOR JOB SEEKERS AND EMPLOYERS:
http://jobs.bubbaplanet.com
Email your Public Service Announcements 2 weeks in advance to KUAF radio's Pete Hartman at phartma@uark.edu. PSAs should be about 15 seconds in length.
Submitted by Chris Delacruz
Link Carries Interactive Calendar of Events in Northwest Arkansas— http://northwestarkansasevents.blogspot.com/
• Fayetteville Society of Friends (a.k.a. the Quaker...
• Northwest Arkansas Sustainability Center
• Northwest Arkansas Buddhists
• Omni Center for Peace, Justice and Ecology
• Interfaith and Astronomical
• Combined Northwest Arkansas Event Calendar
Original and gathered articles from Dick Bennett are at http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/
Mike Tramill has an email network (list) on political issues, including the latest developments on possible war or invasion with Iran. You may contact Mike at wheeler65@gmail.com if you want to be on the list.
Richard Drake continues his Fayetteville blog, street jazz, at http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/streetjazz/
Fayetteville Freethinkers website/forums can be found at http://fayfreethinkers.com/forums/
From Sidney Burris:
Modern & Contemporary Poetry: www.readwrite.typepad.com/poetry
Mindspace: www.readwrite.typepad.com/meditation
Tibetspace: www.readwrite.typepad.com/artibet
Institute website: www.artibet.com
From Leigh Wilkerson - Larrapin Garden blog at http://larrapin.blogspot.com
From Mendy Knott - For new writing exercises and more, check Mendy's Blog at:
www.arkansasscribbler. blogspot.com
OMNI/COMMUNITY ACCESS TELEVISION (C.A.T.) CONNECTIONS www.catfayetteville.com
OMNI Month In Review:
Omni Month in Review with Moderator Claire Detels will air live on Wednesday, March 25 at 7:00 pm. The show will be repeated at 1:00 pm on Sunday, March 29.
Democracy NOW! Schedule:
Monday – Friday 7:00a.m. Democracy NOW!
Tuesdays, 3/10 3/17 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Thursdays 3/12 3/19 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Friday 3/13 3/20 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Saturday 3/14 3/21 3:00a.m. Democracy NOW!
Sunday 3/15 3/22 6:00p.m. Democracy NOW!
Free Speech TV (FSTV) sponsored by Omni - 3:00a.m. – 9:00a.m. – FSTV continues its cutting edge challenges, pushing us to think. www.freespeechtv.com Omni Center is pleased to provide FSTV to our local Community Access Television Due to the problems we had during our '08 Fall Drive with time-shifting Democracy Now! repeats, we are reversing that decision - For the '09 pledge drives, The regular Democracy Now! live program at 8a ET, as well as the 59 minute (repeats of DN! will not contain fundraising appeals.)
FSTV broadcast schedule:
3:00 am Daily
Amy Goodman Online - You can listen/watch previous Democracy Now programs by internet streaming from Democracy Now website http://democracynow.org Previous programs (going back many years) are archived there. You can watch the current program (after they post it about noon) by going to http://democracynow.org/streampage.pl
Other Programs of Interest:
Sunday, 3/8/2009
1:00 pm OMNI Month in Review: February 2009
Omni Book Samplers:
Book Samplers give a five minute book report or read a five minute excerpt from a book. If you like to read and would like to share and encourage others to read books that you find informative and interesting, please volunteer to be a Book Sampler. Contact: Dick Bennett jbennet@uark.edu
Short Takes: Taping at C.A.T.
Taping Schedule:
Every Monday night, from 5:00p.m.-6:00p.m., C.A.T. will be doing Short Takes live. This will be a great opportunity for time sensitive material, live entertainment, or anything else that is expressive.
For the folks who don’t want to go on camera live, you can still record your short take from 6:00p.m.-6:30p.m Mondays, and on Tuesdays from 12 noon – 1:30p.m. Both the live and recorded short takes will air the following week as usual. If anyone has any comments or questions, please feel free to contact C.A.T.
Viewing Times: 11:00a.m., 5:00p.m., 11:00p.m.
Omni News and Current Events featured on Short Takes:
Presented by Cliff Hughes, Dick Bennett
Also Good to Watch:
Bill Moyers Journal on PBS, Fridays, 9:00p.m.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/index-flash.html
For More Information about the US/Iran status, you can visit http://www.buzzflash.com/search/?Query=iran or BBC at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/default.stm
CASUALTIES IN IRAQ
The Human Cost of Occupation
Edited by Margaret Griffis :: Contact
American Military Casualties in Iraq
Date Total In Combat
American Deaths
Since war began (3/19/03): 4256 3424
Since "Mission Accomplished" (5/1/03) (the list)
4117 3316
Since Capture of Saddam (12/13/03): 3795 3118
Since Handover (6/29/04): 3398 2801
Since Obama Inauguration (1/20/09): 27 19
American Wounded Official Estimated
Total Wounded:
31089 Over 100000
Latest Fatality Mar. 7, 2009
Page last updated 03/7/09 5:04 pm EDT
IRAQI CIVILIAN BODY COUNT
Civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq
MIN. MAX.
91,060 – 99,433
Source of Iraqi Civilian Body Count: http://www.iraqbodycount.net/
*A body count of Iraqi civilian deaths was published in the medical journal The Lancet in 2006; its estimate at that time was 600,000 (min) to 650,000 (max). Some sources estimate the death toll of civilian deaths today is over 1,000,000
COST OF THE WAR IN IRAQ
$603,000,000,000 and counting
Source of Cost of War: http://nationalpriorities.org
OMNI SEEKS A WORLD FREE OF WAR AND THE THREAT OF WAR, A SOCIETY WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL, A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERY PERSON’S POTENTIAL MAY BE FULFILLED, AN EARTH RESTORED. GRASSROOTS NONVIOLENCE, WORLD PEACE, HUMAN RIGHTS, SOCIAL and ECONOMIC JUSTICE, ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP PROTECTING SPECIES AND THE EARTH.
CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES
• Senator Blanche Lincoln: Web Site (they have contact links): www.lincoln.senate.gov; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/index.cfm; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/webform.html
· Washington Office: 355 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0404
Phone: (202) 224-4843 Fax: (202) 228-1371.
· Fayetteville office: 251-1380
• Senator Mark Pryor: Web Site (see contact link): www.pryor.senate.gov ; http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/
· Washington Office: 217 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-0403
Phone: (202) 224-2353 Fax: (202) 228-0908
· Main District Office: 500 Pres. Clinton Ave., Suite 401, Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: (501) 324-6336 Fax: (501) 324-5320
(Lou Keller, Field Representative, The River Market, 500 Clinton Ave., Suite 401, LR 72201. 501-324-6336; toll free: 877-259-9602; Lou_Keller@pryor.senate.gov; http://pryor.senate.gov)
• Congressman John Boozman, District 3, 12 counties from Benton to Washington
Lowell office: 479-725-0400. Fax: 479-725-0408, 213 W. Monroe, Suite K, 72745. Stacy McLure, Deputy Chief of Staff (STACEY.McCLURE@MAIL.HOUSE.GOV) Web site (with contact
link): http://www.boozman.house.gov/ Boozman’s new office in Lowell is located at 213 West Monroe in Lowell between I 540 and Business 71. To reach that office take Exit 78 off I - 540 and go east. You will be on Hwy 264 which is also West Monroe. The office is in the Puppy Creek Plaza, past the McDonald’s on the right. His suite is in the back of the complex to the left.
Ft. Smith office: 479-782-7787; 30 South 6th St. Rm 240, Ft. Smith 72901.
Harrison office: 870-741-6900; 402 N. Walnut, Suite 210, Harrison 72601.
DC address: 1708 Longworth House Office Bldng., Washington, DC 20515; 202-225-4301. Leslie Parker, appointments secretary: 202-225-4301.
MILESTONES
March 9 – Federal court issues temporary restraining order prohibiting publication by The Progresssive of an article on H-bomb secrecy (1979)
March 10 – Harriet Tubman, former slave and leader of the Underground Railroad, dies (1933)
President Eisenhower states willingness to launch first-strike nuclear attack (1951_
March 11 – U.s. troops intervene in Nicaragua (1853)
Formation of independent Oglala Sioux Nation proclaimed at Wounded Knee, South Dakota (1973)
Bombs on trains in Madrid kill 202 people (2004)
March 12 - Truman Doctrine of anticommunist aid to Greece and Turkey ushers in Cold War era. (1947)
March 13 – U.S. Senate approves nuclear nonproliferation treaty (1969)
March 14 – Albert Einstein born (187(0
March 15 – Atomic energy Commission acknowledges that an unplanned release of radiation from an underground nuclear test spewed fallout over Las Vegas
March 16 – First black newspaper in United States, Freedom’s Journal, published (1827)
About 5090 unarmed Vietnamese killed by U.S. troops in My Lai massacre (1968)
March 17 – President Eisenhower authorizes secret training of Cuban exiles for invasion of Cuba (1960)
First U.S. postal strike (1970)
March 18 – Supreme Court rules that states must provide free legal counsel for indigents (1963)
OPEC lifts oil embargo (1974)
March 19 - 49 arrested during protest at Chase Manhattan Bank against loans to South Africa (1965)
Iraq War Begins (2003)
March 209 – Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin published (1852)
U.S. Marines invade Nicaragua (1896)
New York City gay-rights ordinance signed after 12-year campaign (1986)
March 21 – American Labor Union founded (1853)
Puerto Ricans killed in demonstration for independence 91937)
Martin Luther King Jr. leads Selma, Alabama, march (1965)
March 22 – 30,000 march in Washington, D.C. against draft registration (1980)
16 arrested in four-day cross-country demonstration against shipment of nuclear warheads by train (1983)
March 23 – Trial of 101 Wobbies for opposition to World War I begins (1918)
OmnI Center presenting at Goddess Festival at 6:30 p.m. today
Please click on images to view Goddess Festival sign and banner on March 7, 2009.
Omni Center's Gladys Tiffany announces presentation at Goddess Festival:
If you haven’t been to the First Annual Goddess Festival yet you’re missing something beautiful. Those women have done themselves proud in bringing the talents of many gifted women together, in a lovely space. The location is at the corner of Archibald Yell and South Streets, half way down the big hill.
Many Omni people are involved in producing and presenting. Please support your friends by attending their activities. You can find a calendar and complete listing of events at ‘goddessfestival.org’. You’ll have a lot of fun... both men and women.
By the kind request of the organizers, Omni Center will present a workshop on “The Place of Women in the Culture of Peace” on Sunday at 6:30. It’ll be a simple bit of history, philosophy and discussion. There’s a lot to say about women and peace. This is only a beginning. Hope you can join us tomorrow night.
Gladys Tiffany
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
Omni Center's Gladys Tiffany announces presentation at Goddess Festival:
If you haven’t been to the First Annual Goddess Festival yet you’re missing something beautiful. Those women have done themselves proud in bringing the talents of many gifted women together, in a lovely space. The location is at the corner of Archibald Yell and South Streets, half way down the big hill.
Many Omni people are involved in producing and presenting. Please support your friends by attending their activities. You can find a calendar and complete listing of events at ‘goddessfestival.org’. You’ll have a lot of fun... both men and women.
By the kind request of the organizers, Omni Center will present a workshop on “The Place of Women in the Culture of Peace” on Sunday at 6:30. It’ll be a simple bit of history, philosophy and discussion. There’s a lot to say about women and peace. This is only a beginning. Hope you can join us tomorrow night.
Gladys Tiffany
Omni Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology
Fayetteville, Arkansas USA
479-973-9049 -- gladystiffany@yahoo.com
Monday, March 2, 2009
Lecture on academic freedom at 2 p.m. Monday March 9, 2009, at UA student union
Human Rights & Universities: Defending Academic Freedom by Saving Scholarsat Risk
a presentation by
Robert Quinn, SAR Director
New York University
Monday, March 9th 2 PM
Multicultural Center, Student Union
Around the world today, scholars are attacked because of their words, their ideas and their place in society. Those seeking power and control work to limit access to information and new ideas by targeting scholars, restricting academic freedom and repressing research, publication, teaching and learning. The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges responding to these attacks. SAR promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars and their communities worldwide.
Robert Quinn is the founding Director of the Scholars at Risk Network, and the former founding Executive Director of the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund. Mr. Quinn is an adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School teaching courses in international human rights and US legal systems. Mr. Quinn received his A.B. cum laude from Princeton in 1988, and his J.D. cum laude from Fordham in 1994
This presentation is sponsored by the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Foreign Languages, and the Omni Center for Peace.
Luis Fernando Restrepo
Professor of Latin American Studies
Department of Foreign Languages
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701 /(479) 575 2951
--
Dick Bennett
a presentation by
Robert Quinn, SAR Director
New York University
Monday, March 9th 2 PM
Multicultural Center, Student Union
Around the world today, scholars are attacked because of their words, their ideas and their place in society. Those seeking power and control work to limit access to information and new ideas by targeting scholars, restricting academic freedom and repressing research, publication, teaching and learning. The Scholars at Risk Network (SAR) is an international network of universities and colleges responding to these attacks. SAR promotes academic freedom and defends the human rights of scholars and their communities worldwide.
Robert Quinn is the founding Director of the Scholars at Risk Network, and the former founding Executive Director of the Institute of International Education's Scholar Rescue Fund. Mr. Quinn is an adjunct professor of law at Fordham Law School teaching courses in international human rights and US legal systems. Mr. Quinn received his A.B. cum laude from Princeton in 1988, and his J.D. cum laude from Fordham in 1994
This presentation is sponsored by the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Foreign Languages, and the Omni Center for Peace.
Luis Fernando Restrepo
Professor of Latin American Studies
Department of Foreign Languages
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, AR 72701 /(479) 575 2951
--
Dick Bennett
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Twenty-two reasons for ending the occupation of Afghanistan
TWENTY-TWO REASONS FOR ENDING THE OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN
By Dick Bennett
On the occasion of OMNI's February 7, 2009 Demonstration against the Invasions and Occupations of
Iraq and Afghanistan, an Appeal to President Obama to Leave Afghanistan.
INTRODUCTION
We, the People, a nation of, by, and for the people—in the peace and justice movement for
nonviolence, world peace, human rights, social and economic justice, stewardship of land and species,
among many values. OMNI's numerous activities already demonstrate what can be done by resisting
individuals banding together for change. We can truly say we have the potential power for change.
Yet we are thwarted by the enormous established power exercised to control information. The
Corporate-Pentagon-Mainstream Media Complex with its influence over Congress, blunts the peace,
justice, and ecology movement. The consequences are disastrous to millions of people. To promote
the invasion of Afghanistan, President Bush and his officials invoked patriotic retribution not merely
against bin Laden's Saudi Arabian bombers but against the Afghanistan nation. Every member of
Congress except Barbara Lee, in a frenzy of revenge, voted quickly to invade Afghanistan. The public
trembled with righteous anger while its brain clamped shut, spurred on by the mainstream media
beating the drums and gongs of war!
Eight years later we are still there. Below is the case for leaving.
But before commencing let it be clear that criticism of the invasion and occupation is not intended to
diminish the sacrifice of the US soldiers who returned home physically and mentally injured and of
their families. Criticism of the brutality, illegality, impracticality, and waste of the invasion and
occupation does not detract from their physical bravery. (Further comment in Addenda.).
Note: Each item has received intense and elaborate attention in published essays and books and on the
Internet.. My intent is to suggest in short space how extensive and rational is the opposition to the US
invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Main sources are cited in text and given fully at the end.
Note 2: My newsletter on Afghanistan, like all of the OMNI special subject newsletters, is intended to
invite participation from readers, for we are together, of, BY, and for the people Building a Culture of
Peace. Together I expect we will find at least 50 good reasons for stopping the Afghanistan operation
of the permanent "War on Terror" that is generated by the permanent "War on Terror."
1. The invasion and occupation VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW. That is, the U.S.A.
Congress approved and the President signed agreement to the U. N. Charter, an international
treaty, which then became U. S. law. The Charter affirms seven principles: in the third the
member nations agree to the settling of their disputes peacefully, and in the fourth they agree
not to use force or the threat of force against other nations, except in self-defense. The object
of the invasion, to inflict revenge upon the perpetrators of the 9/11 bombings of the World
Trade buildings, was a criminal matter to be pursued through normal criminal channels. The
U.S. was not attacked or threatened by attack by the government of Afghanistan. (U.N.
Charter). (See Hornberner in Notes). One member of OMNI's Steering Committee wrote the
following: "The OMNI Steering Committee agrees that war is not the answer either in
Afghanistan or anywhere on the planet. We are against warmongering when we see it and
where we see it not only in Obama but elsewhere. There are no justifications for war and no
justifiable or good wars. Feel free to individualize your signs and specify a war of your choice
on Feb 7. Blame and criticism are not the answers nor is lament and mourning. Negotiation
and diplomacy based on respect for our differences and similarities as well as international law
are the only answers in Afghanistan and elsewhere. --
2. WAR ON TERRORISM FEAR MONGERING. Nor does the so-called "war on terrorism"
justify the invasion and occupation. US leaders reflexively blame others for our own bombings,
invasions, and occupations: Others are determined to destroy us. Fear-mongering is integral to
recent US history. The communists, the drug lords, and now the terrorists are everywhere against
us, and so we must have permanent war. Let us ask ourselves why we are in conflict all around
the world. Is it because of Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden? Surely not, for they are only
symptoms of US policies, of jingoism, of desire to control energy resources, of militarism, of state
terrorism, of the National Security State. We have two wars with no exits, one with a distant
deadline and the other none. Why? Look at our foreign policies since WWII. Connect the dots
between those policies and US domestic values, urges, and fears. Confront the contradictions that
make our society dysfunctional. Not bin Laden, not the Taliban, not the "terrorists," not the over
forty countries we have invaded or intervened into illegally during the last five decades have
caused our perpetual state of war. (Blum). Then what? As so often is the case, objects of
veneration escape critical examination. In our case it is the idea—or the abuse of the idea-- of
"freedom." "Freedom" has so arrogantly deluded and entangled us globally to our disadvantage,
that we have in the name of freedom sought to dominate the world. Now we have ended in
bankruptcy. (Bacevich).
3. The illegal occupation of Afghanistan has led to THE ILLEGAL BOMBINGS OF
PAKISTAN, despite its government's repeated protests against violations of its sovereignty
that often kill civilians and undermine its own campaign against terrorists. The US has
staged more than 30 missile strikes inside Pakistan since August 2008. "At leastd 263
people...have been killed in the strikes since last August." (Brummitt) The militants retaliate.
For example, in Dec. 2008 near Peshawar, Pakistan, they killed a guard and torched 160 US
vehicles, including 70 Humvees (costing about $100,000 each), on their way to Afghanistan
for US forces. (Khan). Imagine Mexico firing rockets into the US to kill its enemies, which
resulted in their enemies killing US police guarding equipment on the way to Mexico.
4 The invasion KILLED AND DISPLACED MANY CIVILIANS and the occupation continues
killing them, some 6000 in 2008 alone, and some four million Afghans have been displaced since
2001. We properly opposed the invasion, for we saw the human suffering coming, permitted by
the violation of civilized treaties our best have struggled to establish (from Hague IV of 1899, the
Convention Regarding the Laws and Customs of War on Land to the Geneva Convention of 1949
and its protocols protecting civilians in time of war). And we should continue to oppose the
occupation on this basis—on this basis alone is enough--of defending noncombatants, innocents,
children, the elderly, the injured and ill, and noncombatant women (Grayling). Focus on the
weddings , that Afghans love . US forces "bombed such a party in July, killing forty-seven. Then,
in November, warplanes hit another wedding party, killing around forty. A couple of weeks later
they hit an engagement party, killing three." (Gopal). On humane grounds alone the invasion
should not have occurred and the occupation should not be continuing. President Karzai has
repeatedly expressed concern over civilian deaths, and the forthcoming increase of 30,000 more
troops caused him to demand that his government should be consulted about prior US operations
and missions. (Grayling, Straziuso). Yet the Obama administration continues the Afghanistan
policies of the Bush administration, with Vice-President Biden leading the way. (Abrashi,
Wallsten) These considerations raise certain questions. . Can the US be excused from the treaties
passed by Congress and signed by the President making terror and indiscriminate death a moral
crime? We must ask further: Are there ever circumstances in which killing civilians in wartime is
not a moral crime, and do those circumstances apply to the US war against Afghanistan? Are
there ever circumstances that would justify or at least exonerate those who have done the killing
and those who planned and ordered the killing
5. BOMBERS NOT CAUGHT, OCCUPATION FAILING. The excuse given by the Bush
administration for the invasion, to punish the bombers, failed. To satisfy his own and the public's
desire for revenge, the Bush administration aggressively pushed to achieve early, highly visible
successes, without a long-term strategy in the "war on terror," except for the idea of "regime
change." Bin Laden escaped and the Pentagon was left with the occupation of the nation of
Afghanistan. (Smucker) The occupation has also failed. "Bush, Karzai Talk about Troubles in
Afghanistan: Problems Include Worsening Security, S. Korean Hostages, Resurgent Taliban."
ADG 8-6-07. "The Security Situations in Afghanistan over the past two years has definitely
deteriorated,' Karzai said." Taliban controls most regions outside Kabul, violence has worsened
every year since Bush's "victory" declaration in 2002, soldier and civilian casualties have risen
dramatically, and the country is in a "downward spiral." All despite 8 years of military
occupation by 60,000 troops, costing US taxpayers $2 billion a month, and NATO $1 billion a
month.. (Hightower). These killings and the refugees have incited violent opposition to the U.S.
throughout Afghanistan and the world.
6. WELFARE OF WOMEN NOT THE PURPOSE OF THE INVASION. After the failure to
capture bin Laden, the Bush Administration came up with another justification for the illegal
invasion and occupation—the humanitarian defense of the WOMEN and children of
Afghanistan from the brutal treatment women suffer from men. The flaws in this argument
are plentiful. For example, many women in other nations, such as Bangladesh and Ethiopia,
are beaten, sexually assaulted, or suffer compelled genital mutilation. Why have they not
been invaded? No evidence has been presented that the safety of women has improved under
the occupation, or would in Bangladesh if the US invaded that country. But a method for
protecting Afghan women is available and is within the power of the people of the U.S. It is
expressed by the U.N.'s Refugee Convention of 1951, signed by the U.S., which established
guidelines for deciding who should be offered asylum. We can and should give haven to the
Afghan victims of domestic violence who can prove serious abuse and their government is
unable or unwilling to protect them. Britain and Canada already grant such asylum.
(Kotlowitz) In 2008 Ms Chayes was living in Kandahar where she started and supervises a
co-op to help Afghanis, especially women. She says that the US/Canadian military operations
in support of the totally corrupt Afghan government are just creating more Taliban. (Moyers).
7. CHILDREN especially are victims of invasions and occupations. A study of wartime through
the voices of children in Bosnia, Israel, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland tell of atrocities they
have witnessed, the losses they have suffered, and the traumas they have experienced that will
last their lifetimes. And we learn how many have been killed: 15,000 in Bosnia, and the war
lasted only three years, compared to the eight years of the Afghanistan war. The indifference
to what is happening to the children, as the result of US rush to revenge, is reflected in the US
failure to sign the CEDAW Rights of the Child Treaty. (Raymond). A story: the scientist
Salk sought a rapid method of producing vaccine for polio. Risk was involved, but Salk
believed that speed was essential because children were dying. US leaders sought revenge
regardless of the sufferings of the children. And the killings continue, not against al Qaida,
but against Taliban and the people, the children, of Afghanistan.
8. Children especially but all Afghanis are endangered by "DEPLETED URANIUM," which as
chemical warfare is prohibited by Geneva conventions signed by the U.S. Dr. Miraki was
one of the presenters at the "Stop-DU" conference, Saturday, 19 May 2007, attended by the
Christian Peacemaker Team Depleted Uranium (DU) Delegation, who wrote this report, at
East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. He gave a scathing condemnation
of the U.S. bombing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan soon after the 9/11 attacks on the
U.S. Various reports indicate that some of the U.S. ordnance used in attempts to destroy the
Taliban and Al Quaeda consisted of DU munitions. Tons of DU, from bunker buster bombs
used on the caves in the eastern mountains and from rapid fire machine guns of A-10
Warthogs or Apache helicopters, have left the beautiful Afghan landscape littered with the
graves of whole and extended families plus a radioactive nightmare for those left alive. The
DU burns when fired from a weapon or exploded, leaving fine, radioactive waste everywhere
the wind blows, and causing increased rates of cancers, childhood leukemia and other
illnesses for the people who breathe it in. Dr. Miraki showed slides demonstrating the
dramatically increased rates of birth defects - nauseating photos of Afghan newborns with
swollen heads, red tumours where lips and eyes should be; frog-like babies with no brain;
abdominal and head organs left outside the body; babies with one eye in the middle of the
forehead; club hands and feet and more.
9. OPIUM. Instead of capturing the villainous al Qaida or bringing peace and protection to
women and children, the US invasion and occupation have reversed Taliban successful
reduction of opium. Afghanistan is now the main world source of opium. Afghanistan's
foreign minister, for example, objected to a report in the Financial Times that Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton had called Afghanistan a corrupt narco-state, but did admit the
government was not in control of Helmand, the country's largest drug-producing province.
("Rangin") In fact, much of the country is outside the control of Karzai's government. What
is the US doing to provide alternatives to Afghani farmers? The first military unit, from the
Missouri National Guard, just returned from its "pioneering mission in Afghanistan." After
seven years of occupation, this was the first effort by the military to help revive a farming
sector in order to wean farmers off the illegal crop and to wheat and other legal crops, by
building wells, enhancing soil, and improving marketing. Seven years of the occupation's
devastation too late. ("Agribusiness").
10, But the drug wealth is not distributed. There is a WIDENING GAP BETWEEN RICH AND
POOR, which has created additional desperation, providing another reason for Afghanis to
accept Taliban insurgents. And it's not only in the countryside. In the capital, Kabul,
startling contrasts of wealth abound. Hungry children beg near the mansions of the elite
enriched by foreign aid and contracts and official corruption. Hundreds of tattered men
compete at dawn for 50-cent jobs hauling construction debris. Seven years after the fall of the
Taliban, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, "with rates of
unemployment, illiteracy, infant mortality, and malnutrition on a par with the most
impoverished nations in sub-Saharan Africa." This winter "threatens to be Afghanistan's most
desperate in nearly two decades." (Constable). Seven years of war, minimal reconstruction
and relief, Taliban attacks on supply routes, drought, and food prices rising, the people of
Afghanistan need help. Thus the Pentagon's new report urging Obama to shift his strategy in
Afghanistan from nation, "democracy" building to "targeting Taliban and Al Qaida
sanctuaries in side Pakistan" (Burns and Jelinek).seems astonishingly disconnected from
reality, since precious little building has taken place.
11, These conditions are related. They are compounded in their harm by the FAILURE OF
MAINSTREAM MEDIA to tell the full truth about the invasion and occupation, as Ed
Herman and Marc Herold argue. Herman: "For years Herold has been documenting the
U.S. bombing of Afghanistan, and he has shown repeatedly that the Pentagon kills civilians on
a large scale, often uses new barbaric weapons in areas where civilians are numerous, and
regularly lies about it. They are using Afghanistan with especial ruthlessness and as a
weapons experimental zone, because it is far away and out of media sight, so that they can get
away with it. But the immorality involved here is staggering. If pictures like those shown here
by Herold were available to the U.S. public this murderous policy would come to a screeching
halt. But the [mainstream—DB] media protect the Pentagon. This recalls to my mind the fact
that the Pentagon only used napalm in South Vietnam during the Vietnam war, not North
Vietnam, although we were allegedly saving the south from aggression. The reason for this
was that napalming the North would have led to global publicity of this ugly method of
warfare—but in South Vietnam the US was an occupying power and had a puppet
government, as in Afghanistan, and the media here kept quiet on this matter." See below for
Herold's full essay.
12. AFGHANISTAN PART OF THE US GLOBAL PRISON GULAG. The moral and legal
black hole that is Guantanamo is not alone. The some 270 prisoners there are but the tip of the
iceberg, for the US has been and is holding thousands more prisoners around the world as
"enemy combatants" as part of the immoral black hole of the global "War on Terror"--possibly
as many as 27,000. Afghanistan is part of this global gulag, particularly at Bagram Air Base,
the center of US operations in Afghanistan. Bagram "is one of the most infamous US prisons
anywhere." Parallel to plans to continue the war in Afghanistan, there are no plans to close
Bagram, but in fact the Pentagon plans to replace the current prison with a $60 million, 40-
0acre prison because the prison is overcrowded. Leaving Afghanstan will close that and other
US prisons in that country. For extensive analysis see "Prisons Beyond Guantanamo" by Matt
Vogel, The Catholic Worker (Jan.-Feb. 2009). Jim Hightower reports (from Huffington Post)
that "about 800 cases of detainee abuse" have been reported at some 50 Army firebases. And
the CIA operates its own secret detention centers.
13. ILLUSION OF "SAFE HAVENS" ONLY IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN. WHO IS
THE ENEMY? Pres. Obama has committed us to an open-ended war ("I do not have yet a
timetable") against terrorist "safe havens" in Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite the reality that
the motive of al Qaida (opposition to US imperial over-reach) is global, wherever our 900
military bases are located, but especially in the Middle East. Also, many commentators think
"the most dangerous part of the world is Afghanistan and Pakistan" with its nuclear weapons
and growing Islamic radical ascendancy. (McFeatters). The larger matter is that al Qaeda is
not close to the several homegrown insurgencies inside and outside the Taliban. "Foreign
fighters, especially Al Qaeda, have little ideological influence on most of the insurgency, and
Afghans keep their distance from such outsiders....Al Qaeda's vision of global jihad doesn't
resonate....the major concern...is intensely local: personal safety." (Gopal). So who are we
fighting? Does our government know? "...the US military has identified at least fourteen
separate insurgent organizations in Afghanistan" and "there are as many as fifty separate
Islamist formations in neighboring Pakistan." (Dreyfuss, Gopal). We need a surge of
knowledge and negotiation.
14. ADDITIONAL TROOPS AND BILLIONS MORE DOLLARS BUT NO EXIT PLAN
CONTINUES BUSH PLAN. Obama's Bushhawk advisors (Jones, Blair, Gats, Holbrooke,
Lynn) drum for an intensified war. Many Democrats—including Rep. Jim McGovern, Sen.
Russ Feingold-- are wary about sending more troops because "they could become further
entrenched in an unwinnable war." Three more brigades will go soon, and more soon after, to
double US combat presence to 60,000. More than 130 US personnel died in Afghanistan in
2008, compared to 82 in 2007. And all the old Bush/Pentagon slogans: more effective effort to
root out safe havens, more effective coord. with NATO, etc. And the challenges are daunting:
"The country is one of the poorest in the world. Opium production....Corruption is rampant.
Terrorist fighters move freely across the Pakistan border. European voters want their armies to
leave." And Kyrgyzstan threatens to shut down the US base there from which troops and
supplies are flown into Afghanistan. (Flaherty, Hightower) Complicating matters is that the
insurgency is multiple and yet simple: multiple because there are "a host of insurgent groups in
addition to the Taliban"; simple because although the "factions have competing commanders
with differeing ideologies and strategies," they "agree on one essential goal: kicking out the
foreigners." (Gopal).
15. AFGHANS VERSUS US TROOPS
According to a report by Amy Goodman 2-10-09, at least a quarter of the people of Afghanistan
supports "attacks on US troops." The cause of this animosity is largely our killing of civilians
—, since 2006 a drastic increase in bombings, "tripling the number of civilians killed," and up
to 500 monthly from US cluster bombs. The bombings "have inspired a surge in the
recruitment of Afghan suicide bombers." (Hightower). Obama would curtail the indiscriminate
use of air power and advocates negotiations with the "enemy," but he also is repeating Bush's
plan to "surge" in Afghanistan. (Dreyfuss).
16. HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES UNDER US/KARZAI REGIME. Interview by Amy Goodman
2-10-09: UN official Prof. Cherif Bassiouni in 2004-05 accused US troops of torture, rape,
killings, breaking and entering and other war crimes, and was forced out of the UN by the US.
Especially indicted private contractors.
17. FAILURE TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC SOLUTION. Interv. Democracy Now 2-10-09 of
Prof. Cherif Bassiouni, former UN official in Afghanistan. After the invasion he found "very
little peace dividend or economic development." An economic solution to Afghan. Violence
was possible, but probably too late now. A military solution is hopeless. Now the Afghan
people have more to gain lby supporting Taliban. Why is Obama increasing the war?
Showing himself tough on terrorism/al Qaida. "It's a mistake."
18. WAR PROFITEERING. US spent $5 billion over 6 years on reconstruction (training police,
roads, etc.) and is spending $24 billion a year on killing and destruction, most of the money
given to private companies—DynCorp, Bearing Point, Louis Berger Group, KRB. The result
is shoddy work, misappropriated funds, and Afghan anger. For example, DynCorp was paid
nearly a billion dollars to train 30,000 Afghan police, and the effort, according to Richard
Holbrooke was "an appalling joke": incompetent and corrupt officers, Taliban resurgence, rise
in opium production. Despite this record the Bush admin. gave DynCorp $317 million to
continue the "training."
19. WARLORDS RULE. Because of 8 years of military occupation, Afghanistan is warlord state,
with political power carved up into hundreds of fiefdoms ruled by tribal leaders. There is no
legitimate national leader, not centralized state. President Hamid Karzai, handpicked by the
Bush admin. in 2001, remains a US puppet (nominated by Bush for the Nobel Peace Prize in
2002), but he has no authority outside Kabul. Afghanistan's police officers are renowned for
incompetence and venality. Its army requires years to make it a useful force, and anyway the
country lacks the money for a standing army.
20. The US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan repeats
the SOVIETS in the 1980s: Invasion and overthrow of
government, war against warlords, Taliban. "Many Afghan
watchers consider the war unwinnable and they pOint out that in
the 1980s the Soviet Union, with far more troops, had engaged
in a brutal nine-year counterinsurgency war—and lost." British
Ambassador to Afghanistan Serard Cowper-Coles warmed against
the Obama-Petraeus escalation: Sending more troops "'would
have perverse effects: it would identify us even more strongly
as an occupation force" and inspire more resistance.
(Dreyfuss).
21. BRUTALIZATION OF US SOLDIERS AND CITIZENS. Boudreau,
Tyler. Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine. See his
article "To Kill or Not to Kill," The Progressive (Feb. 2009),
30-32. "To master one's reluctance to take life, one must stop
revering life so much, particularly that of an enemy. This
unseemly dimension of war...was almost universally taken for
granted within the Marine Corps." In military
desensitization training "the enemy's death is meant to be
regarded with indifference and sometimes with amusement." And
who are the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan? What about
civilians? "...on the battlefield...'objectives' always supersede
life....in our headlong pursuit to deliver freedom and democracy
and to expel an oppressive regime and combat terrorism, we had
inadvertently lost sight of the very people we'd been deployed
to help." Boudreau served 12 years in the Marine Corps
infantry. And many of the public back home are also
desensitized. Sure, they say they dislike war, but they do
nothing about the slaughters caused by one US war after
another, and devote themselves to the limitless diversions
offered by US affluence and commercialism. General Eisenhower
summed it up: "I hate war, as only a soldier who has lived it
can, as only one who has seen its brutality, the futility, the
stupidity." 1946.
22. CALLOUSNESS OF US LEADERS. Secretary of State Madeline
Albright, in response to the question: Was the death of a half-
million Iraqi children as the result of the Clinton/Blair
embargo and bombings during the '90s worth it? She replied:
yes. Democrat or Republican, the people who seek and win high
office feel no empathy with the innocent victims shot and
bombed by soldiers under their orders. The soldiers have been
trained to harden their hearts. But the civilian leaders?
They can feel sympathy with no victim of their bombs? They
have read nothing about the human beings of Afghanistan—by
Khaled Hosseini, for example? Their upbringing in compassion,
the religious precepts and stories, the literary vicarious
identification with the feelings and thoughts of others, did
nothing take? Did they become, as they seem, stone-like
mechanicals in pursuit of empire and "national security"?
NOTE: Twenty-Two reasons. You and I know more reasons. Will you carry on? Twenty-three?
Thirty? Fifty?
CONCLUSION
Reinhold Niebuhr's concept of "concurrence" between national and international self-interest if
peaceful policies are to be achieved among world nations applies to Afghanistan under US
occupation. Nations satisfy their interests more easily when those interests are compatible with the
interests of others. But what are Afghanistan's interests? What do the people feel and think, want and
need? In pursuit of bin Laden the US used all elements of its national power regardless of the people of
Afghanistan. The consequences have been mass death and cruel suffering. (Alas, immediately
following the announcement by Iran of its new satellite, President Obama announced the US "will use
all elements of its national power" to protect the US from [undefined] danger.). But the Taliban is not
a monolithic, ideologically obsessed, evil gang, but diverse and changing, full of niches of opportunity
for influence and change. (Gopal.). We should ask: What are their legitimate concerns? How might
we find rapprochement? Instead, we bombed, invaded, shot, occupied, bombed. Now, tit for tat, they
shoot and bomb in endless killing, both surging to kill..
Do we have alternatives? We can end the occupation that births and nourishes enemies. We can
escalate our diplomacy, development aid, and international cooperation toward Afghanistan and the
world. We can double the number of well-trained State Department personnel and strengthen civilian
crisis prevention and response capabilities. We can create a Department of Peace. We can strengthen
the US Agency for International Development and appoint humanitarian officers to reassert civilian
control over all foreign assistance. And we can rebuild US/UN relations, pay off the US debt to the
UN, and increase support for UN prevention and peacebuilding efforts. .("The Responsibility").
These reforms would bring help to the world instead of armed threatening and invading. We can stop
painting the world with a broad, too often black, brush. We can reduce the 900 military bases abroad,
and bring these troops home too. We can stop trying to control the Middle East militarily. We can
insist on an independent Palestinian state. The suffering people of the world—and all species—need
these changes and more.
NOTES
Abrashi, Fisnik. "Biden Vows Long-Term U.S. Support for Afghanistan." ADG (Jan. 11, 2009). (See
Wallsten).
"Agribusiness Unit Returns from Afghanistan." TMN (Dec. 28, 2008).
Bacevich, Andrew. The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. Holt, 2008.
Brummitt, Chris. "Missile Strikes Leave 18 Dead in Pakistan" (AP; ADG 1-24-2009)
Burns, Robert and Pauline Jelinek. "Study: US Should Pare Goals." TMN (Feb. 4, 2009).
Constable, Pamela. "Widening Gap Between Afghanistan's Rich, Poor Stirs Discontent." ADG (Jan.
18, 2009).
Dreyfuss, Robert. "Obama's Afghan Dilemma." The Nation (Dec. 22, 2008).
Flaherty, Anne. "War Foes Urge Caution." TMN (Feb. 9, 2009).
Gopal, Anand. "Who Are the Taliblan?" The Nation (Dec. 22, 2008).
Grayling, A.C. Among the Dead Cities: The History and Moral Legacy of the WWII Bombing of
Civilians in Germany and Japan. Walker, 2006.
Herold, Marc. ""The Bomb Drop was reported to have Good Effects' by the U.S. Air Force: Bombing a
Village Market in Baghran, Helmand on August 2, 2007"
Hightower, Jim, ed. The Lowdown (Feb. 2009). "Team Obama's Plan for Afghanistan Is a Disaster in
Search of a Strategy."
"The War on Afghanistan Was Wrong, Too" by Jacob G. Hornberger* (click for article)
Khan, Riaz. "Militants Burn U.S., NATO Vehicles." TMN (Dec. 8, 2008).
Kotlowitz, Alex. "Asylum for the World's Battered Women." The New York Times Magazine (Feb. 11,
2007), 32-35.
Lumley, Murray. CPTnet (Christian Peacekeeping Team) 29 May 2007
Johnson City, TN: "Depleted Uranium--the gift that keeps on giving" See at end for the full report.
McFeatters, Ann. "Recent News Out of Iraq [and Afghanistan] Remains Grim." TMN (2-15-09).
Miraki, Dr. Mohammed Daud, Afghanistan: After Democracy, the Untold Story Through
Photographic Images. "Congenital Deformities: the Gift That Keeps on Giving" is the title of a
chapter in the book,
Moyers' Journal Interview of Sarah Chayes (2-22-08)
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02222008/watch2.html
Niebuhr, Reinhold. World Crisis and American Responsibility.
"Rangin Dadfar Spanta." ADG 1-18-09, 1A.
Raymond, Alan and Susan. Children in War. 2000.
"The Responsibility to Prevent." Washington Newsletter (Jan. 2009), Friends Committee on National
Legislation.
Smucker, Philip. Al Qaeda's Great Escape: The Military and the Media on Terror's Tail. 2004.
Straziuso, Jason. "Afghan Chief Prods U.S. on Plan for Added Forces." ADG (12-23-8).
Straziuso, Jason and Rahim Faiez. "Afghans Condemn US Raid." TMN (Jan. 26, 2009).
"USIP Afghanistan Projects Address Critical Needs," United States Institute of Peace, Peace Watch
(Dec. 2008).
Vogt, Heidi. (AP). "Afghans Go Hungry." TMN (Nov. 28, 2008).
Wallsten, Peter. "Biden Predicts Higher Casualties." TMN (I failed to note the date, but it was very
late Jan. or very early Feb.).
ADDENDA
BRAVERY OF THE TROOPS AND MORALITY OF THEIR ACTIONS
But if the actions that required such courage amounted to complicity with leaders from President Bush
on down in the commission of wrongs, particularly the killing of innocents, the courage with which
they were carried out does not alter the fact that the killings were wrong. The excuse that the leader,
the "commander in chief," has absolute authority and that subordinates must unhesitatingly and
unquestioningly obey (the Fuhrerprinzip) was not acceptable even before the Nuremberg Trials. Nor
does the public popularity of the invasion and the occupation transform wrong into right. Nor the
belief by the troops that their cause was just, for that belief must be tested by law and morality, for a
war must be both just and justly fought. (Grayling).
A peace organization committed to the values I listed in the introduction must then question whether
the attack on Afghanistan—its men, women, and children—in order to apprehend a band of criminals
was in whole or in part illegal and immoral. And we must pass judgment and take a stand, or be
vulnerable to the accusation of insincerity or pusillanimity. Can the US be excused from adhering to its
own laws and the laws of nations? Does the myth of US exceptionalism permit such double standards
when judged by international law? (Perceiving ourselves as a peaceful people, we are deluded by the
conviction that our international conflicts are not of our making.) (Bacevich ). I believe the case set
forth above allows us to reply NO to these questions, and in addition supports the moral and legal
arguments with numerous other reasons why we must leave Afghanistan.
EFFECTS OF DEPLETED URANIUM, A CHEMICAL WARFARE
CPTnet (Christian Peacekeeping Team) 29 May 2007
JOHNSON CITY, TN: "Depleted Uranium--the gift that keeps on giving"
by Murray Lumley
"Congenital Deformities: the Gift That Keeps on Giving," is the title of a
chapter in Dr. Mohammed Daud Miraki's book, Afghanistan: After Democracy,
the Untold Story Through Photographic Images. [NOTE: I have not read this book, but am seeking it.
DB]
Dr. Miraki was one of the presenters at the "Stop-DU" conference, Saturday,
19 May 2007, attended by the Christian Peacemaker Team Depleted Uranium (DU)
delegation at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. Dr.
Miraki left Afghanistan with his family in 1982 during the Soviet
occupation.
He gave a scathing condemnation of the U.S. bombing of innocent civilians in
Afghanistan soon after the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. He told us that most
Afghans live in abject poverty after experiencing nearly thirty years of
war. "Afghan civilians are still dying from thousands of mines left by the
Soviet army," he said. Dr. Miraki has revisited Afghanistan several times
in a personal quest for the truth behind the U.S.'s stated goal of bringing
democracy to Afghanistan.
Various reports indicate that some of the U.S. ordnance used in attempts to
destroy the Taliban and Al Quaeda consisted of DU munitions. Tons of DU,
from bunker buster bombs used on the caves in the eastern mountains and from
rapid fire machine guns of A-10 Warthogs or Apache helicopters, have left
the beautiful Afghan landscape littered with the graves of whole and
extended families plus a radioactive nightmare for those left alive. The DU
burns when fired from a weapon or exploded, leaving fine, radioactive waste
everywhere the wind blows, and causing increased rates of cancers, childhood
leukemia and other illnesses for the people who breathe it in.
Dr. Miraki showed slides demonstrating the dramatically increased rates of
birth defects - nauseating photos of Afghan newborns with swollen heads, red
tumours where lips and eyes should be; frog-like babies with no brain;
abdominal and head organs left outside the body; babies with one eye in the
middle of the forehead; club hands and feet and more.
Dr. Miraki told us, "Tiny radioactive particles, inhaled by Afghan men and
women of child bearing age, have altered the DNA of their sperms and eggs."
Since DNA damage is inheritable, the increased incidence of birth defects
will pass on to future generations. He also said, "Since the radioactive
dust from DU has a half life of 4.5 billion years (the age of the Earth)
this means that Afghans (and others people living where DU has been used -
Iraq and the former Yugoslavia) will be suffering for an unforeseeable
time."
U.S. and NATO veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who may have been exposed
to DU dust also return home with fear of having babies with birth defects.
Truly, the use of DU munitions is the gift of death - that keeps on giving.
As part of a civilization that would use such weapons on other people and
the Earth, I had an urge to put on sackcloth and ashes.
CODE PINK'S VALENTINE FOR AFGHANISTAN
Dear Dick,
Thank you to everyone who contacted Obama last week, asking
him to send diplomacy, not unmanned drones, to Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
Now, we want to shower the White House with valentines--
valentines that speak to both the hope in our hearts and to
our heartbreak over Obama's furthering of Bush's tragic
legacy in the Middle East by bombing Afghanistan and
Pakistan and by appointing hawkish Dennis Ross to be in
charge of diplomacy with Iran. Listen/Watch Democracy Now's
report from earlier this week titled, "Obama Continues Bush
Policy of Deadly Air Strikes in Pakistan."
It is said that the definition of insanity is to repeat the
same action but to expect a different result. President
Obama is a deeply intelligent man, but it is crazy for him
to stay on Bush's course of empire building, and all the
devastation and loss of life it leaves in its wake. Obama
promised change; well, sometimes the best way to change is
to STOP.
Let's send Obama hearts that say: STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE,
STOP IN THE NAME OF CHANGE. Click here to download and send
a Valentine, or create one with paper, glue and your own
crafty ingenuity and wit, and send it to the White House.
Send it this week so it gets to him by Valentine's Day--
Congressional mail is slow!
Send your Valentine today and remind Obama to keep his
promises to the American people by creating true and
lasting change, not more of the same failed policies.
As we speak from our hearts, we also need to educate our
minds. Learn more about the volatile situations in
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gaza by visiting our PinkTank
blog, full of articles, interviews and talking points about
these complicated crises. PinkTank is updated with
insightful commentary on a regular basis--including
CODEPINK Co-founder Medea Benjamin's on-the-ground updates
from her harrowing and courageous trip to Gaza--so be sure
to read, comment, spread the stories and come back for
more. The more informed we can be, the more effective we
can be as activists.
Thank you for filling our hearts and engaging our minds
every day. You are our true Valentines!
Audrey, Dana, Deidra, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jean,
Jodie, Liz, Lori, Medea, Nancy, Paris, and Rae
End of Afghanistan Newsletter 2-18-09
By Dick Bennett
On the occasion of OMNI's February 7, 2009 Demonstration against the Invasions and Occupations of
Iraq and Afghanistan, an Appeal to President Obama to Leave Afghanistan.
INTRODUCTION
We, the People, a nation of, by, and for the people—in the peace and justice movement for
nonviolence, world peace, human rights, social and economic justice, stewardship of land and species,
among many values. OMNI's numerous activities already demonstrate what can be done by resisting
individuals banding together for change. We can truly say we have the potential power for change.
Yet we are thwarted by the enormous established power exercised to control information. The
Corporate-Pentagon-Mainstream Media Complex with its influence over Congress, blunts the peace,
justice, and ecology movement. The consequences are disastrous to millions of people. To promote
the invasion of Afghanistan, President Bush and his officials invoked patriotic retribution not merely
against bin Laden's Saudi Arabian bombers but against the Afghanistan nation. Every member of
Congress except Barbara Lee, in a frenzy of revenge, voted quickly to invade Afghanistan. The public
trembled with righteous anger while its brain clamped shut, spurred on by the mainstream media
beating the drums and gongs of war!
Eight years later we are still there. Below is the case for leaving.
But before commencing let it be clear that criticism of the invasion and occupation is not intended to
diminish the sacrifice of the US soldiers who returned home physically and mentally injured and of
their families. Criticism of the brutality, illegality, impracticality, and waste of the invasion and
occupation does not detract from their physical bravery. (Further comment in Addenda.).
Note: Each item has received intense and elaborate attention in published essays and books and on the
Internet.. My intent is to suggest in short space how extensive and rational is the opposition to the US
invasion and occupation of Afghanistan. Main sources are cited in text and given fully at the end.
Note 2: My newsletter on Afghanistan, like all of the OMNI special subject newsletters, is intended to
invite participation from readers, for we are together, of, BY, and for the people Building a Culture of
Peace. Together I expect we will find at least 50 good reasons for stopping the Afghanistan operation
of the permanent "War on Terror" that is generated by the permanent "War on Terror."
1. The invasion and occupation VIOLATED INTERNATIONAL LAW. That is, the U.S.A.
Congress approved and the President signed agreement to the U. N. Charter, an international
treaty, which then became U. S. law. The Charter affirms seven principles: in the third the
member nations agree to the settling of their disputes peacefully, and in the fourth they agree
not to use force or the threat of force against other nations, except in self-defense. The object
of the invasion, to inflict revenge upon the perpetrators of the 9/11 bombings of the World
Trade buildings, was a criminal matter to be pursued through normal criminal channels. The
U.S. was not attacked or threatened by attack by the government of Afghanistan. (U.N.
Charter). (See Hornberner in Notes). One member of OMNI's Steering Committee wrote the
following: "The OMNI Steering Committee agrees that war is not the answer either in
Afghanistan or anywhere on the planet. We are against warmongering when we see it and
where we see it not only in Obama but elsewhere. There are no justifications for war and no
justifiable or good wars. Feel free to individualize your signs and specify a war of your choice
on Feb 7. Blame and criticism are not the answers nor is lament and mourning. Negotiation
and diplomacy based on respect for our differences and similarities as well as international law
are the only answers in Afghanistan and elsewhere. --
2. WAR ON TERRORISM FEAR MONGERING. Nor does the so-called "war on terrorism"
justify the invasion and occupation. US leaders reflexively blame others for our own bombings,
invasions, and occupations: Others are determined to destroy us. Fear-mongering is integral to
recent US history. The communists, the drug lords, and now the terrorists are everywhere against
us, and so we must have permanent war. Let us ask ourselves why we are in conflict all around
the world. Is it because of Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden? Surely not, for they are only
symptoms of US policies, of jingoism, of desire to control energy resources, of militarism, of state
terrorism, of the National Security State. We have two wars with no exits, one with a distant
deadline and the other none. Why? Look at our foreign policies since WWII. Connect the dots
between those policies and US domestic values, urges, and fears. Confront the contradictions that
make our society dysfunctional. Not bin Laden, not the Taliban, not the "terrorists," not the over
forty countries we have invaded or intervened into illegally during the last five decades have
caused our perpetual state of war. (Blum). Then what? As so often is the case, objects of
veneration escape critical examination. In our case it is the idea—or the abuse of the idea-- of
"freedom." "Freedom" has so arrogantly deluded and entangled us globally to our disadvantage,
that we have in the name of freedom sought to dominate the world. Now we have ended in
bankruptcy. (Bacevich).
3. The illegal occupation of Afghanistan has led to THE ILLEGAL BOMBINGS OF
PAKISTAN, despite its government's repeated protests against violations of its sovereignty
that often kill civilians and undermine its own campaign against terrorists. The US has
staged more than 30 missile strikes inside Pakistan since August 2008. "At leastd 263
people...have been killed in the strikes since last August." (Brummitt) The militants retaliate.
For example, in Dec. 2008 near Peshawar, Pakistan, they killed a guard and torched 160 US
vehicles, including 70 Humvees (costing about $100,000 each), on their way to Afghanistan
for US forces. (Khan). Imagine Mexico firing rockets into the US to kill its enemies, which
resulted in their enemies killing US police guarding equipment on the way to Mexico.
4 The invasion KILLED AND DISPLACED MANY CIVILIANS and the occupation continues
killing them, some 6000 in 2008 alone, and some four million Afghans have been displaced since
2001. We properly opposed the invasion, for we saw the human suffering coming, permitted by
the violation of civilized treaties our best have struggled to establish (from Hague IV of 1899, the
Convention Regarding the Laws and Customs of War on Land to the Geneva Convention of 1949
and its protocols protecting civilians in time of war). And we should continue to oppose the
occupation on this basis—on this basis alone is enough--of defending noncombatants, innocents,
children, the elderly, the injured and ill, and noncombatant women (Grayling). Focus on the
weddings , that Afghans love . US forces "bombed such a party in July, killing forty-seven. Then,
in November, warplanes hit another wedding party, killing around forty. A couple of weeks later
they hit an engagement party, killing three." (Gopal). On humane grounds alone the invasion
should not have occurred and the occupation should not be continuing. President Karzai has
repeatedly expressed concern over civilian deaths, and the forthcoming increase of 30,000 more
troops caused him to demand that his government should be consulted about prior US operations
and missions. (Grayling, Straziuso). Yet the Obama administration continues the Afghanistan
policies of the Bush administration, with Vice-President Biden leading the way. (Abrashi,
Wallsten) These considerations raise certain questions. . Can the US be excused from the treaties
passed by Congress and signed by the President making terror and indiscriminate death a moral
crime? We must ask further: Are there ever circumstances in which killing civilians in wartime is
not a moral crime, and do those circumstances apply to the US war against Afghanistan? Are
there ever circumstances that would justify or at least exonerate those who have done the killing
and those who planned and ordered the killing
5. BOMBERS NOT CAUGHT, OCCUPATION FAILING. The excuse given by the Bush
administration for the invasion, to punish the bombers, failed. To satisfy his own and the public's
desire for revenge, the Bush administration aggressively pushed to achieve early, highly visible
successes, without a long-term strategy in the "war on terror," except for the idea of "regime
change." Bin Laden escaped and the Pentagon was left with the occupation of the nation of
Afghanistan. (Smucker) The occupation has also failed. "Bush, Karzai Talk about Troubles in
Afghanistan: Problems Include Worsening Security, S. Korean Hostages, Resurgent Taliban."
ADG 8-6-07. "The Security Situations in Afghanistan over the past two years has definitely
deteriorated,' Karzai said." Taliban controls most regions outside Kabul, violence has worsened
every year since Bush's "victory" declaration in 2002, soldier and civilian casualties have risen
dramatically, and the country is in a "downward spiral." All despite 8 years of military
occupation by 60,000 troops, costing US taxpayers $2 billion a month, and NATO $1 billion a
month.. (Hightower). These killings and the refugees have incited violent opposition to the U.S.
throughout Afghanistan and the world.
6. WELFARE OF WOMEN NOT THE PURPOSE OF THE INVASION. After the failure to
capture bin Laden, the Bush Administration came up with another justification for the illegal
invasion and occupation—the humanitarian defense of the WOMEN and children of
Afghanistan from the brutal treatment women suffer from men. The flaws in this argument
are plentiful. For example, many women in other nations, such as Bangladesh and Ethiopia,
are beaten, sexually assaulted, or suffer compelled genital mutilation. Why have they not
been invaded? No evidence has been presented that the safety of women has improved under
the occupation, or would in Bangladesh if the US invaded that country. But a method for
protecting Afghan women is available and is within the power of the people of the U.S. It is
expressed by the U.N.'s Refugee Convention of 1951, signed by the U.S., which established
guidelines for deciding who should be offered asylum. We can and should give haven to the
Afghan victims of domestic violence who can prove serious abuse and their government is
unable or unwilling to protect them. Britain and Canada already grant such asylum.
(Kotlowitz) In 2008 Ms Chayes was living in Kandahar where she started and supervises a
co-op to help Afghanis, especially women. She says that the US/Canadian military operations
in support of the totally corrupt Afghan government are just creating more Taliban. (Moyers).
7. CHILDREN especially are victims of invasions and occupations. A study of wartime through
the voices of children in Bosnia, Israel, Rwanda, and Northern Ireland tell of atrocities they
have witnessed, the losses they have suffered, and the traumas they have experienced that will
last their lifetimes. And we learn how many have been killed: 15,000 in Bosnia, and the war
lasted only three years, compared to the eight years of the Afghanistan war. The indifference
to what is happening to the children, as the result of US rush to revenge, is reflected in the US
failure to sign the CEDAW Rights of the Child Treaty. (Raymond). A story: the scientist
Salk sought a rapid method of producing vaccine for polio. Risk was involved, but Salk
believed that speed was essential because children were dying. US leaders sought revenge
regardless of the sufferings of the children. And the killings continue, not against al Qaida,
but against Taliban and the people, the children, of Afghanistan.
8. Children especially but all Afghanis are endangered by "DEPLETED URANIUM," which as
chemical warfare is prohibited by Geneva conventions signed by the U.S. Dr. Miraki was
one of the presenters at the "Stop-DU" conference, Saturday, 19 May 2007, attended by the
Christian Peacemaker Team Depleted Uranium (DU) Delegation, who wrote this report, at
East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. He gave a scathing condemnation
of the U.S. bombing of innocent civilians in Afghanistan soon after the 9/11 attacks on the
U.S. Various reports indicate that some of the U.S. ordnance used in attempts to destroy the
Taliban and Al Quaeda consisted of DU munitions. Tons of DU, from bunker buster bombs
used on the caves in the eastern mountains and from rapid fire machine guns of A-10
Warthogs or Apache helicopters, have left the beautiful Afghan landscape littered with the
graves of whole and extended families plus a radioactive nightmare for those left alive. The
DU burns when fired from a weapon or exploded, leaving fine, radioactive waste everywhere
the wind blows, and causing increased rates of cancers, childhood leukemia and other
illnesses for the people who breathe it in. Dr. Miraki showed slides demonstrating the
dramatically increased rates of birth defects - nauseating photos of Afghan newborns with
swollen heads, red tumours where lips and eyes should be; frog-like babies with no brain;
abdominal and head organs left outside the body; babies with one eye in the middle of the
forehead; club hands and feet and more.
9. OPIUM. Instead of capturing the villainous al Qaida or bringing peace and protection to
women and children, the US invasion and occupation have reversed Taliban successful
reduction of opium. Afghanistan is now the main world source of opium. Afghanistan's
foreign minister, for example, objected to a report in the Financial Times that Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton had called Afghanistan a corrupt narco-state, but did admit the
government was not in control of Helmand, the country's largest drug-producing province.
("Rangin") In fact, much of the country is outside the control of Karzai's government. What
is the US doing to provide alternatives to Afghani farmers? The first military unit, from the
Missouri National Guard, just returned from its "pioneering mission in Afghanistan." After
seven years of occupation, this was the first effort by the military to help revive a farming
sector in order to wean farmers off the illegal crop and to wheat and other legal crops, by
building wells, enhancing soil, and improving marketing. Seven years of the occupation's
devastation too late. ("Agribusiness").
10, But the drug wealth is not distributed. There is a WIDENING GAP BETWEEN RICH AND
POOR, which has created additional desperation, providing another reason for Afghanis to
accept Taliban insurgents. And it's not only in the countryside. In the capital, Kabul,
startling contrasts of wealth abound. Hungry children beg near the mansions of the elite
enriched by foreign aid and contracts and official corruption. Hundreds of tattered men
compete at dawn for 50-cent jobs hauling construction debris. Seven years after the fall of the
Taliban, Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, "with rates of
unemployment, illiteracy, infant mortality, and malnutrition on a par with the most
impoverished nations in sub-Saharan Africa." This winter "threatens to be Afghanistan's most
desperate in nearly two decades." (Constable). Seven years of war, minimal reconstruction
and relief, Taliban attacks on supply routes, drought, and food prices rising, the people of
Afghanistan need help. Thus the Pentagon's new report urging Obama to shift his strategy in
Afghanistan from nation, "democracy" building to "targeting Taliban and Al Qaida
sanctuaries in side Pakistan" (Burns and Jelinek).seems astonishingly disconnected from
reality, since precious little building has taken place.
11, These conditions are related. They are compounded in their harm by the FAILURE OF
MAINSTREAM MEDIA to tell the full truth about the invasion and occupation, as Ed
Herman and Marc Herold argue. Herman: "For years Herold has been documenting the
U.S. bombing of Afghanistan, and he has shown repeatedly that the Pentagon kills civilians on
a large scale, often uses new barbaric weapons in areas where civilians are numerous, and
regularly lies about it. They are using Afghanistan with especial ruthlessness and as a
weapons experimental zone, because it is far away and out of media sight, so that they can get
away with it. But the immorality involved here is staggering. If pictures like those shown here
by Herold were available to the U.S. public this murderous policy would come to a screeching
halt. But the [mainstream—DB] media protect the Pentagon. This recalls to my mind the fact
that the Pentagon only used napalm in South Vietnam during the Vietnam war, not North
Vietnam, although we were allegedly saving the south from aggression. The reason for this
was that napalming the North would have led to global publicity of this ugly method of
warfare—but in South Vietnam the US was an occupying power and had a puppet
government, as in Afghanistan, and the media here kept quiet on this matter." See below for
Herold's full essay.
12. AFGHANISTAN PART OF THE US GLOBAL PRISON GULAG. The moral and legal
black hole that is Guantanamo is not alone. The some 270 prisoners there are but the tip of the
iceberg, for the US has been and is holding thousands more prisoners around the world as
"enemy combatants" as part of the immoral black hole of the global "War on Terror"--possibly
as many as 27,000. Afghanistan is part of this global gulag, particularly at Bagram Air Base,
the center of US operations in Afghanistan. Bagram "is one of the most infamous US prisons
anywhere." Parallel to plans to continue the war in Afghanistan, there are no plans to close
Bagram, but in fact the Pentagon plans to replace the current prison with a $60 million, 40-
0acre prison because the prison is overcrowded. Leaving Afghanstan will close that and other
US prisons in that country. For extensive analysis see "Prisons Beyond Guantanamo" by Matt
Vogel, The Catholic Worker (Jan.-Feb. 2009). Jim Hightower reports (from Huffington Post)
that "about 800 cases of detainee abuse" have been reported at some 50 Army firebases. And
the CIA operates its own secret detention centers.
13. ILLUSION OF "SAFE HAVENS" ONLY IN AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN. WHO IS
THE ENEMY? Pres. Obama has committed us to an open-ended war ("I do not have yet a
timetable") against terrorist "safe havens" in Afghanistan and Pakistan, despite the reality that
the motive of al Qaida (opposition to US imperial over-reach) is global, wherever our 900
military bases are located, but especially in the Middle East. Also, many commentators think
"the most dangerous part of the world is Afghanistan and Pakistan" with its nuclear weapons
and growing Islamic radical ascendancy. (McFeatters). The larger matter is that al Qaeda is
not close to the several homegrown insurgencies inside and outside the Taliban. "Foreign
fighters, especially Al Qaeda, have little ideological influence on most of the insurgency, and
Afghans keep their distance from such outsiders....Al Qaeda's vision of global jihad doesn't
resonate....the major concern...is intensely local: personal safety." (Gopal). So who are we
fighting? Does our government know? "...the US military has identified at least fourteen
separate insurgent organizations in Afghanistan" and "there are as many as fifty separate
Islamist formations in neighboring Pakistan." (Dreyfuss, Gopal). We need a surge of
knowledge and negotiation.
14. ADDITIONAL TROOPS AND BILLIONS MORE DOLLARS BUT NO EXIT PLAN
CONTINUES BUSH PLAN. Obama's Bushhawk advisors (Jones, Blair, Gats, Holbrooke,
Lynn) drum for an intensified war. Many Democrats—including Rep. Jim McGovern, Sen.
Russ Feingold-- are wary about sending more troops because "they could become further
entrenched in an unwinnable war." Three more brigades will go soon, and more soon after, to
double US combat presence to 60,000. More than 130 US personnel died in Afghanistan in
2008, compared to 82 in 2007. And all the old Bush/Pentagon slogans: more effective effort to
root out safe havens, more effective coord. with NATO, etc. And the challenges are daunting:
"The country is one of the poorest in the world. Opium production....Corruption is rampant.
Terrorist fighters move freely across the Pakistan border. European voters want their armies to
leave." And Kyrgyzstan threatens to shut down the US base there from which troops and
supplies are flown into Afghanistan. (Flaherty, Hightower) Complicating matters is that the
insurgency is multiple and yet simple: multiple because there are "a host of insurgent groups in
addition to the Taliban"; simple because although the "factions have competing commanders
with differeing ideologies and strategies," they "agree on one essential goal: kicking out the
foreigners." (Gopal).
15. AFGHANS VERSUS US TROOPS
According to a report by Amy Goodman 2-10-09, at least a quarter of the people of Afghanistan
supports "attacks on US troops." The cause of this animosity is largely our killing of civilians
—, since 2006 a drastic increase in bombings, "tripling the number of civilians killed," and up
to 500 monthly from US cluster bombs. The bombings "have inspired a surge in the
recruitment of Afghan suicide bombers." (Hightower). Obama would curtail the indiscriminate
use of air power and advocates negotiations with the "enemy," but he also is repeating Bush's
plan to "surge" in Afghanistan. (Dreyfuss).
16. HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES UNDER US/KARZAI REGIME. Interview by Amy Goodman
2-10-09: UN official Prof. Cherif Bassiouni in 2004-05 accused US troops of torture, rape,
killings, breaking and entering and other war crimes, and was forced out of the UN by the US.
Especially indicted private contractors.
17. FAILURE TO PROVIDE ECONOMIC SOLUTION. Interv. Democracy Now 2-10-09 of
Prof. Cherif Bassiouni, former UN official in Afghanistan. After the invasion he found "very
little peace dividend or economic development." An economic solution to Afghan. Violence
was possible, but probably too late now. A military solution is hopeless. Now the Afghan
people have more to gain lby supporting Taliban. Why is Obama increasing the war?
Showing himself tough on terrorism/al Qaida. "It's a mistake."
18. WAR PROFITEERING. US spent $5 billion over 6 years on reconstruction (training police,
roads, etc.) and is spending $24 billion a year on killing and destruction, most of the money
given to private companies—DynCorp, Bearing Point, Louis Berger Group, KRB. The result
is shoddy work, misappropriated funds, and Afghan anger. For example, DynCorp was paid
nearly a billion dollars to train 30,000 Afghan police, and the effort, according to Richard
Holbrooke was "an appalling joke": incompetent and corrupt officers, Taliban resurgence, rise
in opium production. Despite this record the Bush admin. gave DynCorp $317 million to
continue the "training."
19. WARLORDS RULE. Because of 8 years of military occupation, Afghanistan is warlord state,
with political power carved up into hundreds of fiefdoms ruled by tribal leaders. There is no
legitimate national leader, not centralized state. President Hamid Karzai, handpicked by the
Bush admin. in 2001, remains a US puppet (nominated by Bush for the Nobel Peace Prize in
2002), but he has no authority outside Kabul. Afghanistan's police officers are renowned for
incompetence and venality. Its army requires years to make it a useful force, and anyway the
country lacks the money for a standing army.
20. The US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan repeats
the SOVIETS in the 1980s: Invasion and overthrow of
government, war against warlords, Taliban. "Many Afghan
watchers consider the war unwinnable and they pOint out that in
the 1980s the Soviet Union, with far more troops, had engaged
in a brutal nine-year counterinsurgency war—and lost." British
Ambassador to Afghanistan Serard Cowper-Coles warmed against
the Obama-Petraeus escalation: Sending more troops "'would
have perverse effects: it would identify us even more strongly
as an occupation force" and inspire more resistance.
(Dreyfuss).
21. BRUTALIZATION OF US SOLDIERS AND CITIZENS. Boudreau,
Tyler. Packing Inferno: The Unmaking of a Marine. See his
article "To Kill or Not to Kill," The Progressive (Feb. 2009),
30-32. "To master one's reluctance to take life, one must stop
revering life so much, particularly that of an enemy. This
unseemly dimension of war...was almost universally taken for
granted within the Marine Corps." In military
desensitization training "the enemy's death is meant to be
regarded with indifference and sometimes with amusement." And
who are the enemy in Iraq and Afghanistan? What about
civilians? "...on the battlefield...'objectives' always supersede
life....in our headlong pursuit to deliver freedom and democracy
and to expel an oppressive regime and combat terrorism, we had
inadvertently lost sight of the very people we'd been deployed
to help." Boudreau served 12 years in the Marine Corps
infantry. And many of the public back home are also
desensitized. Sure, they say they dislike war, but they do
nothing about the slaughters caused by one US war after
another, and devote themselves to the limitless diversions
offered by US affluence and commercialism. General Eisenhower
summed it up: "I hate war, as only a soldier who has lived it
can, as only one who has seen its brutality, the futility, the
stupidity." 1946.
22. CALLOUSNESS OF US LEADERS. Secretary of State Madeline
Albright, in response to the question: Was the death of a half-
million Iraqi children as the result of the Clinton/Blair
embargo and bombings during the '90s worth it? She replied:
yes. Democrat or Republican, the people who seek and win high
office feel no empathy with the innocent victims shot and
bombed by soldiers under their orders. The soldiers have been
trained to harden their hearts. But the civilian leaders?
They can feel sympathy with no victim of their bombs? They
have read nothing about the human beings of Afghanistan—by
Khaled Hosseini, for example? Their upbringing in compassion,
the religious precepts and stories, the literary vicarious
identification with the feelings and thoughts of others, did
nothing take? Did they become, as they seem, stone-like
mechanicals in pursuit of empire and "national security"?
NOTE: Twenty-Two reasons. You and I know more reasons. Will you carry on? Twenty-three?
Thirty? Fifty?
CONCLUSION
Reinhold Niebuhr's concept of "concurrence" between national and international self-interest if
peaceful policies are to be achieved among world nations applies to Afghanistan under US
occupation. Nations satisfy their interests more easily when those interests are compatible with the
interests of others. But what are Afghanistan's interests? What do the people feel and think, want and
need? In pursuit of bin Laden the US used all elements of its national power regardless of the people of
Afghanistan. The consequences have been mass death and cruel suffering. (Alas, immediately
following the announcement by Iran of its new satellite, President Obama announced the US "will use
all elements of its national power" to protect the US from [undefined] danger.). But the Taliban is not
a monolithic, ideologically obsessed, evil gang, but diverse and changing, full of niches of opportunity
for influence and change. (Gopal.). We should ask: What are their legitimate concerns? How might
we find rapprochement? Instead, we bombed, invaded, shot, occupied, bombed. Now, tit for tat, they
shoot and bomb in endless killing, both surging to kill..
Do we have alternatives? We can end the occupation that births and nourishes enemies. We can
escalate our diplomacy, development aid, and international cooperation toward Afghanistan and the
world. We can double the number of well-trained State Department personnel and strengthen civilian
crisis prevention and response capabilities. We can create a Department of Peace. We can strengthen
the US Agency for International Development and appoint humanitarian officers to reassert civilian
control over all foreign assistance. And we can rebuild US/UN relations, pay off the US debt to the
UN, and increase support for UN prevention and peacebuilding efforts. .("The Responsibility").
These reforms would bring help to the world instead of armed threatening and invading. We can stop
painting the world with a broad, too often black, brush. We can reduce the 900 military bases abroad,
and bring these troops home too. We can stop trying to control the Middle East militarily. We can
insist on an independent Palestinian state. The suffering people of the world—and all species—need
these changes and more.
NOTES
Abrashi, Fisnik. "Biden Vows Long-Term U.S. Support for Afghanistan." ADG (Jan. 11, 2009). (See
Wallsten).
"Agribusiness Unit Returns from Afghanistan." TMN (Dec. 28, 2008).
Bacevich, Andrew. The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. Holt, 2008.
Brummitt, Chris. "Missile Strikes Leave 18 Dead in Pakistan" (AP; ADG 1-24-2009)
Burns, Robert and Pauline Jelinek. "Study: US Should Pare Goals." TMN (Feb. 4, 2009).
Constable, Pamela. "Widening Gap Between Afghanistan's Rich, Poor Stirs Discontent." ADG (Jan.
18, 2009).
Dreyfuss, Robert. "Obama's Afghan Dilemma." The Nation (Dec. 22, 2008).
Flaherty, Anne. "War Foes Urge Caution." TMN (Feb. 9, 2009).
Gopal, Anand. "Who Are the Taliblan?" The Nation (Dec. 22, 2008).
Grayling, A.C. Among the Dead Cities: The History and Moral Legacy of the WWII Bombing of
Civilians in Germany and Japan. Walker, 2006.
Herold, Marc. ""The Bomb Drop was reported to have Good Effects' by the U.S. Air Force: Bombing a
Village Market in Baghran, Helmand on August 2, 2007"
Hightower, Jim, ed. The Lowdown (Feb. 2009). "Team Obama's Plan for Afghanistan Is a Disaster in
Search of a Strategy."
"The War on Afghanistan Was Wrong, Too" by Jacob G. Hornberger* (click for article)
Khan, Riaz. "Militants Burn U.S., NATO Vehicles." TMN (Dec. 8, 2008).
Kotlowitz, Alex. "Asylum for the World's Battered Women." The New York Times Magazine (Feb. 11,
2007), 32-35.
Lumley, Murray. CPTnet (Christian Peacekeeping Team) 29 May 2007
Johnson City, TN: "Depleted Uranium--the gift that keeps on giving" See at end for the full report.
McFeatters, Ann. "Recent News Out of Iraq [and Afghanistan] Remains Grim." TMN (2-15-09).
Miraki, Dr. Mohammed Daud, Afghanistan: After Democracy, the Untold Story Through
Photographic Images. "Congenital Deformities: the Gift That Keeps on Giving" is the title of a
chapter in the book,
Moyers' Journal Interview of Sarah Chayes (2-22-08)
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/02222008/watch2.html
Niebuhr, Reinhold. World Crisis and American Responsibility.
"Rangin Dadfar Spanta." ADG 1-18-09, 1A.
Raymond, Alan and Susan. Children in War. 2000.
"The Responsibility to Prevent." Washington Newsletter (Jan. 2009), Friends Committee on National
Legislation.
Smucker, Philip. Al Qaeda's Great Escape: The Military and the Media on Terror's Tail. 2004.
Straziuso, Jason. "Afghan Chief Prods U.S. on Plan for Added Forces." ADG (12-23-8).
Straziuso, Jason and Rahim Faiez. "Afghans Condemn US Raid." TMN (Jan. 26, 2009).
"USIP Afghanistan Projects Address Critical Needs," United States Institute of Peace, Peace Watch
(Dec. 2008).
Vogt, Heidi. (AP). "Afghans Go Hungry." TMN (Nov. 28, 2008).
Wallsten, Peter. "Biden Predicts Higher Casualties." TMN (I failed to note the date, but it was very
late Jan. or very early Feb.).
ADDENDA
BRAVERY OF THE TROOPS AND MORALITY OF THEIR ACTIONS
But if the actions that required such courage amounted to complicity with leaders from President Bush
on down in the commission of wrongs, particularly the killing of innocents, the courage with which
they were carried out does not alter the fact that the killings were wrong. The excuse that the leader,
the "commander in chief," has absolute authority and that subordinates must unhesitatingly and
unquestioningly obey (the Fuhrerprinzip) was not acceptable even before the Nuremberg Trials. Nor
does the public popularity of the invasion and the occupation transform wrong into right. Nor the
belief by the troops that their cause was just, for that belief must be tested by law and morality, for a
war must be both just and justly fought. (Grayling).
A peace organization committed to the values I listed in the introduction must then question whether
the attack on Afghanistan—its men, women, and children—in order to apprehend a band of criminals
was in whole or in part illegal and immoral. And we must pass judgment and take a stand, or be
vulnerable to the accusation of insincerity or pusillanimity. Can the US be excused from adhering to its
own laws and the laws of nations? Does the myth of US exceptionalism permit such double standards
when judged by international law? (Perceiving ourselves as a peaceful people, we are deluded by the
conviction that our international conflicts are not of our making.) (Bacevich ). I believe the case set
forth above allows us to reply NO to these questions, and in addition supports the moral and legal
arguments with numerous other reasons why we must leave Afghanistan.
EFFECTS OF DEPLETED URANIUM, A CHEMICAL WARFARE
CPTnet (Christian Peacekeeping Team) 29 May 2007
JOHNSON CITY, TN: "Depleted Uranium--the gift that keeps on giving"
by Murray Lumley
"Congenital Deformities: the Gift That Keeps on Giving," is the title of a
chapter in Dr. Mohammed Daud Miraki's book, Afghanistan: After Democracy,
the Untold Story Through Photographic Images. [NOTE: I have not read this book, but am seeking it.
DB]
Dr. Miraki was one of the presenters at the "Stop-DU" conference, Saturday,
19 May 2007, attended by the Christian Peacemaker Team Depleted Uranium (DU)
delegation at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee. Dr.
Miraki left Afghanistan with his family in 1982 during the Soviet
occupation.
He gave a scathing condemnation of the U.S. bombing of innocent civilians in
Afghanistan soon after the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. He told us that most
Afghans live in abject poverty after experiencing nearly thirty years of
war. "Afghan civilians are still dying from thousands of mines left by the
Soviet army," he said. Dr. Miraki has revisited Afghanistan several times
in a personal quest for the truth behind the U.S.'s stated goal of bringing
democracy to Afghanistan.
Various reports indicate that some of the U.S. ordnance used in attempts to
destroy the Taliban and Al Quaeda consisted of DU munitions. Tons of DU,
from bunker buster bombs used on the caves in the eastern mountains and from
rapid fire machine guns of A-10 Warthogs or Apache helicopters, have left
the beautiful Afghan landscape littered with the graves of whole and
extended families plus a radioactive nightmare for those left alive. The DU
burns when fired from a weapon or exploded, leaving fine, radioactive waste
everywhere the wind blows, and causing increased rates of cancers, childhood
leukemia and other illnesses for the people who breathe it in.
Dr. Miraki showed slides demonstrating the dramatically increased rates of
birth defects - nauseating photos of Afghan newborns with swollen heads, red
tumours where lips and eyes should be; frog-like babies with no brain;
abdominal and head organs left outside the body; babies with one eye in the
middle of the forehead; club hands and feet and more.
Dr. Miraki told us, "Tiny radioactive particles, inhaled by Afghan men and
women of child bearing age, have altered the DNA of their sperms and eggs."
Since DNA damage is inheritable, the increased incidence of birth defects
will pass on to future generations. He also said, "Since the radioactive
dust from DU has a half life of 4.5 billion years (the age of the Earth)
this means that Afghans (and others people living where DU has been used -
Iraq and the former Yugoslavia) will be suffering for an unforeseeable
time."
U.S. and NATO veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who may have been exposed
to DU dust also return home with fear of having babies with birth defects.
Truly, the use of DU munitions is the gift of death - that keeps on giving.
As part of a civilization that would use such weapons on other people and
the Earth, I had an urge to put on sackcloth and ashes.
CODE PINK'S VALENTINE FOR AFGHANISTAN
Dear Dick,
Thank you to everyone who contacted Obama last week, asking
him to send diplomacy, not unmanned drones, to Pakistan and
Afghanistan.
Now, we want to shower the White House with valentines--
valentines that speak to both the hope in our hearts and to
our heartbreak over Obama's furthering of Bush's tragic
legacy in the Middle East by bombing Afghanistan and
Pakistan and by appointing hawkish Dennis Ross to be in
charge of diplomacy with Iran. Listen/Watch Democracy Now's
report from earlier this week titled, "Obama Continues Bush
Policy of Deadly Air Strikes in Pakistan."
It is said that the definition of insanity is to repeat the
same action but to expect a different result. President
Obama is a deeply intelligent man, but it is crazy for him
to stay on Bush's course of empire building, and all the
devastation and loss of life it leaves in its wake. Obama
promised change; well, sometimes the best way to change is
to STOP.
Let's send Obama hearts that say: STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE,
STOP IN THE NAME OF CHANGE. Click here to download and send
a Valentine, or create one with paper, glue and your own
crafty ingenuity and wit, and send it to the White House.
Send it this week so it gets to him by Valentine's Day--
Congressional mail is slow!
Send your Valentine today and remind Obama to keep his
promises to the American people by creating true and
lasting change, not more of the same failed policies.
As we speak from our hearts, we also need to educate our
minds. Learn more about the volatile situations in
Pakistan, Afghanistan and Gaza by visiting our PinkTank
blog, full of articles, interviews and talking points about
these complicated crises. PinkTank is updated with
insightful commentary on a regular basis--including
CODEPINK Co-founder Medea Benjamin's on-the-ground updates
from her harrowing and courageous trip to Gaza--so be sure
to read, comment, spread the stories and come back for
more. The more informed we can be, the more effective we
can be as activists.
Thank you for filling our hearts and engaging our minds
every day. You are our true Valentines!
Audrey, Dana, Deidra, Desiree, Farida, Gael, Gayle, Jean,
Jodie, Liz, Lori, Medea, Nancy, Paris, and Rae
End of Afghanistan Newsletter 2-18-09
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