Ellsberg, Swanson, Nader & Benjamin- On Iraq, Afghanistan, Manning & Wisconsin

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Activist Resources

Daniel Ellsberg

On March 18, Daniel Ellsberg, David Swanson, Ralph Nader, Medea Benjamin, and others gave moving speeches on the need to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and on the strategies that they would encourage us to follow.  On March 19, at the White House, 1,500 people demonstrated, calling for an end to the wars and for justice for Bradley Manning.  More than 100 people were arrested.  The same day, Continue reading →
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Stop Big Oil. Strengthen Our Democracy. End the Wars. Create Jobs. Save the Planet.

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Activist Resources
Power Without Petroleum (PWP) is an important campaign, launched by the Brave New Foundation.  As you might know, this is the organization that brought us the excellent Rethink Afghanistan campaign and film.
There are two outstanding short videos that I want to share with you, created by the PWP campaign.  The first video is called, “Stuck on Stupid: Big Oil Says NO To Green Jobs.”  In this three-minute video, we learn that, if Congress supports it, we could create, in the next few years, 110,000 new jobs in the field of solar energy. The video indicates the numerous types of jobs that would be created.  These would include, for example, jobs for sheet metal workers and jobs for civil engineers, if we construct wind farms and expand our systems of mass transit.  The video points out that we could create 185,000 new wind energy jobs.  In fact, the video notes, over the next twenty years, we could create over 37,000,000 renewable energy jobs.
Of course, to accomplish all this, we need Continue reading →
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Wisconsin Would Be The First Domino – We Are All Wisconsinites

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Activist Resources
The crisis in Wisconsin has the potential to drastically diminish the rights, salaries, and working conditions of Americans throughout the country.  Whether they are public employees, private sector employees, union members, or non-union workers, America’s working families will suffer if the conservative efforts in Wisconsin are successful.
Public-sector employees are entitled to collective bargaining rights, as we all are.  This is essential to a healthy democracy. The accomplishments of labor unions Continue reading →
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Barbara Lee & Bernie Sanders: War in Afghanistan & War on the Middle Class

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Activist Resources
Earlier this week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D- CA) submitted a proposal to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), asking the DNC to pass a resolution “Supporting Ending the War in Afghanistan and Transferring the Funding to Job Creation, other Crucial Domestic Priorities and Deficit Reduction.”  Also, recently, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called for an end to “The War on the Middle Class.”  Both wars, of course, must be ended; and the two are certainly related.
The war in Afghanistan, fiscal issues aside, is immoral and illegal.  We need to begin the process of bringing the troops home.  We need to complete the withdrawal as quickly as possible.  The war is wrong. It is also severely draining our country of the resources we need to create jobs, to transition to the use of sustainable and safe energy, to rebuild our infrastructure, and to reduce the federal deficit.
Congresswoman Lee’s resolution before the DNC states that “the mounting costs of the war in Afghanistan, now totaling over $100 billion a year, have constrained efforts to invest in job creation and in strengthening our country and our economy.” It asserts that “a diplomatic solution in Afghanistan that emphasizes economic development, political reconciliation and inclusion, the engagement of regional and global stakeholders, and the safeguarding of basic human rights is essential to ensure long-term stability in Afghanistan and the surrounding region.”  The resolution calls for Continue reading →
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Tom Hayden on “The Long War;” Sign up for Tom’s Free Online School of Activism

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Activist Resources
Long-time antiwar activist Tom Hayden recently taught the first of four sessions in his School of Activism.  The session was both informative and inspiring.  Tom describes this series as a “workshop on the long war and our future.”  He explained that the long war is projected to last fifty to eighty years.  He described it as “a war against Muslims in many countries.”  He discussed what can be viewed as “a sequence of wars in the context of the long war.”  He said that we must end the long war.  He said that it does not make us safer, that the wars are “strangling our ability to invest in our domestic priorities,” and could lead the country to being pushed “farther to the right and into a deeper national security state.”
Tom told us, “The long war … requires a long peace movement.”  When speaking of local peace activists that he has met, across the country, he says Continue reading →
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End the Wars! Move the Money! And A Video: Mike Zweig on Democracy Now

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Activist Resources

Code Pink Says Bring Our War Dollars Home

I support the national “Move the Money Campaign.” The campaign calls for an end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a substantial reduction in the military budget.  It calls for the monies saved to be used to fund our needs here at home.  I believe that it is essential, however, to emphasize that these wars must be ended, not simply for fiscal reasons.  If the wars were not costly, and if our economy were not in such a terrible state, the wars would still be wrong and should still be ended.

Simply put, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are both illegal and immoral.  There are, no doubt, many reasons for these wars.  Corporate and imperial influence, I believe, are two of the factors that fuel these wars.  It is notable that Continue reading →

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Military Recruitment in Our Schools- Students’ Rights and an NYCLU Guide

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Activist Resources

High School Junior ROTC
The New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU) reports, “The US Military is aggressively recruiting young people for military service.”  “Recruiters,” the NYCLU states, “often target immigrants, students from poor families and people of color.” The targeting of teens in low income and minority communities is an acknowledged and accepted practice, according to a former military recruiter with whom I spoke.
The military often assigns recruiters to meet with students at local high schools. Schools must allow this, by federal law, if they permit job or college recruiters to meet with students.
High schools routinely provide the military the names, addresses, birthdates, and telephone numbers of their students. This, too, is required by law.  However, students or their parents can choose to “opt-out,” preventing the school from providing this information.  Additionally, schools must Continue reading →
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Conversations with Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers- With Inspiring Audio

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Activist Resources

Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers

On New Year’s Day, I had the opportunity to join peace activists from all over the world, in a conference call and on a Skype call, with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers (AYPV) and their mentor, in Kabul.  It was truly inspiring.  These young people told us how they continue to work for an end to the violence in their country.  They told us how much they appreciate our efforts to achieve an end to this terrible war.
The members of AYPV asked me what we do here, to help to end the war.  They asked if we get much media coverage.  They asked if our efforts influence our government.  I told them that thousands of us demonstrate to end the war, and that many peace groups hold weekly vigils, as well.  I told them that many activists write to their members of Congress, and many visit their Representatives.  I pointed out that there is sometimes good local media coverage, but that national coverage in the mainstream media is not nearly as extensive as it should be.
I asked if there was a difference in opinion about the American and NATO forces, among people in Kabul, as compared to people in the rural areas of Afghanistan.  They said that throughout the country, the Afghans are “suspicious of any foreign presence.” They said that, in rural areas, the Afghans are “not sure of why the Americans are there.”  They said that, in Kabul, Continue reading →
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Afghans for Peace Releases Video

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Activist Resources
Afghans for Peace (AFP) is an alliance of Afghans from a wide variety of backgrounds, calling for “a democratic, all inclusive, just and peaceful Afghanistan.”  AFP demands an end to military operations in Afghanistan, conducted by the United States, NATO, and other foreign forces.  AFP calls for the expulsion of Al-Qaeda and the cessation of Taliban atrocities. Continue reading →
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Kathy Kelly Urges, “A New Year’s Call for Peace”

Posted on December 29, 2010 by Activist Resources

Kathy and Friends in Afghanistan

Kathy Kelly, of Voices for Creative Nonviolence, has issued a letter, urging “A New Year’s Call for Peace.”  Kathy writes, “While the US may be the world’s single super power in military terms, it faces another super power: the voices of war-weary millions who detest violence and killing. In Afghanistan, in the United States, and among the populations of countries whose governments have joined the NATO coalition, millions of people are calling for an end to war in Afghanistan.” Continue reading →
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