'Asia must prepare for dollar collapse'
East Asian economies need to prepare for a possible collapse of the US dollar, the Asian Development Bank says.
http://tinyurl.com/pphhx
East Asian economies must prepare for possible sharp US dollar slide
With the US trade deficit at a record high and global interest rates rising, East Asian economies need to be prepared for a possible sharp slump in the value of the dollar, the Asian Development Bank warned here. http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2006/03/28/afx2625991.html
Friday, March 31, 2006
Neocon ambitions and the spectacular disaster of Iraq
By Eric Margolis
In reality, the Bush Administration went to war to attain two objectives:
1. Seizing Iraq’s vast oil reserves, and turning Iraq into a base to dominate the Middle East;
2. Destroying one of Israel’s two main enemies (Iran being the other).
http://tinyurl.com/zlvsz
Imperial overreach is accelerating the global decline of America
The disastrous foreign policies of the US have left it more isolated than ever, and China is standing by to take over http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12532.htm
By Eric Margolis
In reality, the Bush Administration went to war to attain two objectives:
1. Seizing Iraq’s vast oil reserves, and turning Iraq into a base to dominate the Middle East;
2. Destroying one of Israel’s two main enemies (Iran being the other).
http://tinyurl.com/zlvsz
Imperial overreach is accelerating the global decline of America
The disastrous foreign policies of the US have left it more isolated than ever, and China is standing by to take over http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12532.htm
Halliburton’s Performance Worsens
Halliburton “tried to inflate cost estimate by $26M.” In a third example, Halliburton claimed costs for laying concrete pads and footings that the Iraqi Oil Ministry had “already put in place.”
http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1032
Halliburton “tried to inflate cost estimate by $26M.” In a third example, Halliburton claimed costs for laying concrete pads and footings that the Iraqi Oil Ministry had “already put in place.”
http://www.democrats.reform.house.gov/story.asp?ID=1032
Iraqi Documents Are Put on Web
American intelligence agencies and presidential commissions long ago concluded that Saddam Hussein had no unconventional weapons and no substantive ties to Al Qaeda before the 2003 invasion.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12534.htm
American intelligence agencies and presidential commissions long ago concluded that Saddam Hussein had no unconventional weapons and no substantive ties to Al Qaeda before the 2003 invasion.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12534.htm
Soldiers flee to Canada to avoid Iraq duty
Hundreds of deserters from the US armed forces have crossed into Canada and are now seeking political refugee status there, arguing that violations of the rules of war in Iraq by the US entitle them to asylum.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12531.htm
Hundreds of deserters from the US armed forces have crossed into Canada and are now seeking political refugee status there, arguing that violations of the rules of war in Iraq by the US entitle them to asylum.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12531.htm
US living on borrowed time - and money
By Julian Delasantellis
Buried deep in the arcanum of some recently released economic statistics are indications that the world is tiring of its role as America's charge card. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12537.htm
Pillaging the Treasury and the Constitution
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
President Bush passes himself off as a conservative Republican and a born-again Christian. These are disguises behind which Bush hides. Would a Christian invade another country on false pretenses, kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians, and show no remorse or inclination to cease the aggression?
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12536.htm
The Perils of Economic Ignorance
By Ron Paul
Last week in this column I wrote of a perfect economic storm facing America, caused by a federal government that spends, borrows, and prints so much money that our dollars are eroding in value at an alarming rate. http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul311.html
By Julian Delasantellis
Buried deep in the arcanum of some recently released economic statistics are indications that the world is tiring of its role as America's charge card. http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12537.htm
Pillaging the Treasury and the Constitution
By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
President Bush passes himself off as a conservative Republican and a born-again Christian. These are disguises behind which Bush hides. Would a Christian invade another country on false pretenses, kill tens of thousands of innocent civilians, and show no remorse or inclination to cease the aggression?
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12536.htm
The Perils of Economic Ignorance
By Ron Paul
Last week in this column I wrote of a perfect economic storm facing America, caused by a federal government that spends, borrows, and prints so much money that our dollars are eroding in value at an alarming rate. http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul311.html
Long Live The 9/11 Conspiracy!
Anyone still care about the heap of disturbing, unsolved questions surrounding "9/11"?
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12562.htm
Explosive Testimony: Revelations about the Twin Towers in the 9/11 Oral Histories: An interview with Professor David Ray Griffin http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12564.htm
Sheila Samples : 9/11 -- Eliminating The Impossible.
I said I'd never do it -- say what I think about that terrible morning of September 11, 2001. I've seen what happens to those who question the elaborate, tangled explanations the Bush administration offers about what happened, how it happened, who did it.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12571.htm
Rare Video Footage From Inside The World Trade Center On 9/11
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article6932.htm
Anyone still care about the heap of disturbing, unsolved questions surrounding "9/11"?
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12562.htm
Explosive Testimony: Revelations about the Twin Towers in the 9/11 Oral Histories: An interview with Professor David Ray Griffin http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12564.htm
Sheila Samples : 9/11 -- Eliminating The Impossible.
I said I'd never do it -- say what I think about that terrible morning of September 11, 2001. I've seen what happens to those who question the elaborate, tangled explanations the Bush administration offers about what happened, how it happened, who did it.
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article12571.htm
Rare Video Footage From Inside The World Trade Center On 9/11
http://informationclearinghouse.info/article6932.htm
Monday, March 20, 2006
Milosevic dies in NATO prison
Click here for the full story:
Yugoslav leader exposed U.S. war crimes in Balkans
By John Catalinotto
U.S. imperialism and its corporate media made a concerted effort to demonize Slobodan Milosevic while he was alive, charging him with crimes in a war of their making........
Milosevic turned the tables on the court and showed that Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, Gen. Wesley Clark and the rest of the NATO heads of state and government and their generals were the real “butchers of the Balkans” and the ones who deserved to be on trial for war crimes.
Sara Flounders of the IAC pointed out the ICTY had reason to desire Milosevic’s death:
“As the case was drawing to a close [Milosevic’s effective defense] presented a terrible dilemma for the court.”
...the ICTY failed miserably when it tried to prove to the world that Slobodan Milosevic was guilty of any of the crimes committed against the people of the Balkans in the 1990s.
For this reason, the IAC has joined the International Committee for the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM) to help carry out “an international, independent inquiry into the circumstances and cause of his death” and to ensure that “his family, his party and his supporters be party to that inquiry.”
Click here for the full story:
Yugoslav leader exposed U.S. war crimes in Balkans
By John Catalinotto
U.S. imperialism and its corporate media made a concerted effort to demonize Slobodan Milosevic while he was alive, charging him with crimes in a war of their making........
Milosevic turned the tables on the court and showed that Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, Gen. Wesley Clark and the rest of the NATO heads of state and government and their generals were the real “butchers of the Balkans” and the ones who deserved to be on trial for war crimes.
Sara Flounders of the IAC pointed out the ICTY had reason to desire Milosevic’s death:
“As the case was drawing to a close [Milosevic’s effective defense] presented a terrible dilemma for the court.”
...the ICTY failed miserably when it tried to prove to the world that Slobodan Milosevic was guilty of any of the crimes committed against the people of the Balkans in the 1990s.
For this reason, the IAC has joined the International Committee for the Defense of Slobodan Milosevic (ICDSM) to help carry out “an international, independent inquiry into the circumstances and cause of his death” and to ensure that “his family, his party and his supporters be party to that inquiry.”
Milosevic’s death: A political assassination blamed on the victim
By Sara Flounders
No one who has met with President Milosevic over the past four years would believe he would risk killing himself rather than finish his trial. And no one who visited Scheveningen in The Hague would believe the outlandish claims that somehow he was able to smuggle in unprescribed medications on a regular basis. They would instead suspect that the authorities were desperately trying to cover up their own crimes.
......
Now the world is asked to believe that Milosevic is responsible for his own death. It is a scenario so incredibly complex, an elaborate suicide story that is as improbable as the charges he was facing.
The bought-and-paid-for corporate media are accepting and propagating the story of his death in the same servile fashion they accepted the very existence of this illegal court and the justification for the destruction of Yugoslavia.
Milosevic is now gone. But his summation, answering two years of the prosecution case, and his opening defense speech live on. He has left a ringing indictment of U.S. and European big-power intervention in the Balkans in a historic document that follows an “I accuse” format. His speech, which contains extensive documentation and factual detail, has been published in Serbian, Greek, French, Russian and English.
This response, “The Defense Speaks—for History and the Future” (IAC 2006), will stand long after the tawdry war propaganda has collapsed.
The Defense Speaks - for History and the Future
Opening defense statement at The Hague
By President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic
With an introduction by former US
Attorney-General Ramsey Clark.
Available at leftbooks.com
By Sara Flounders
No one who has met with President Milosevic over the past four years would believe he would risk killing himself rather than finish his trial. And no one who visited Scheveningen in The Hague would believe the outlandish claims that somehow he was able to smuggle in unprescribed medications on a regular basis. They would instead suspect that the authorities were desperately trying to cover up their own crimes.
......
Now the world is asked to believe that Milosevic is responsible for his own death. It is a scenario so incredibly complex, an elaborate suicide story that is as improbable as the charges he was facing.
The bought-and-paid-for corporate media are accepting and propagating the story of his death in the same servile fashion they accepted the very existence of this illegal court and the justification for the destruction of Yugoslavia.
Milosevic is now gone. But his summation, answering two years of the prosecution case, and his opening defense speech live on. He has left a ringing indictment of U.S. and European big-power intervention in the Balkans in a historic document that follows an “I accuse” format. His speech, which contains extensive documentation and factual detail, has been published in Serbian, Greek, French, Russian and English.
This response, “The Defense Speaks—for History and the Future” (IAC 2006), will stand long after the tawdry war propaganda has collapsed.
The Defense Speaks - for History and the Future
Opening defense statement at The Hague
By President of Yugoslavia Slobodan Milosevic
With an introduction by former US
Attorney-General Ramsey Clark.
Available at leftbooks.com
An empire running on empty
By Milt Neidenberg
The empire has run out of money.
Right now, the Bush administration can’t borrow to pay the bills.
The national debt hit $8,291,957,000,000-plus on March 13 and growing daily by $2,170,000,000, according to the National Debt Clock, already exceeds the legal borrowing limit of $8,018,000,000,000 ($8 trillion, 18 billion).
By Milt Neidenberg
The empire has run out of money.
Right now, the Bush administration can’t borrow to pay the bills.
The national debt hit $8,291,957,000,000-plus on March 13 and growing daily by $2,170,000,000, according to the National Debt Clock, already exceeds the legal borrowing limit of $8,018,000,000,000 ($8 trillion, 18 billion).
Sunday, March 19, 2006
The Real Story of AWB Wheat Bribes Scandal
Please watch this new advertisement now, then send it to 5 email addresses - or preferably to as many people as possible!:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/AuthorisedBribes
Under the Howard government, Australia's monopoly wheat exporter paid Saddam Hussein's government almost $300 million in bribes, a rort of the oil-for-food program that Saddam used to get around UN trade sanctions, and buy weapons.
The Howard government received at least 24 clear warnings of these bribes, but instead of investigating the allegations, it chose to vigorously defend AWB to our allies and the UN.
It is crucial that people understand the seriousness of this scandal.
Australians deserve to understand why AWB matters.
Please watch this new advertisement now, then send it to 5 email addresses - or preferably to as many people as possible!:
http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/AuthorisedBribes
Under the Howard government, Australia's monopoly wheat exporter paid Saddam Hussein's government almost $300 million in bribes, a rort of the oil-for-food program that Saddam used to get around UN trade sanctions, and buy weapons.
The Howard government received at least 24 clear warnings of these bribes, but instead of investigating the allegations, it chose to vigorously defend AWB to our allies and the UN.
It is crucial that people understand the seriousness of this scandal.
Australians deserve to understand why AWB matters.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
The New Issue Of Traveling Soldier Is Out!
This issue features:
1. “We definitely needed something more, more armor than just plywood and sandbags because that wasn’t really going to stop much” says Iraq vet Joseph Woods in the first installment of a three part interview with Traveling Soldier's T Barton.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.woods.php
2. “I have not heard a worthwhile nor just reason for staying the course” says Iraq veteran Captain Justin Gordon.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.gordon.php
3. “The government had a plan, but it did not include the poor black people of the south” An active duty soldier speaks out about the war on Iraq and the abandonment of Katrina victims.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.soldiermedic.php
4. Media Chatter Ignored Soldiers for Cindy Sheehan
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.sheehan.php
5. How the Soldiers Stopped the Vietnam War: a book review of the newly republished classic,
Soldiers in Revolt.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.cortright.php
6. Download the new Traveling Soldier to pass it out at your school, workplace, or at nearby base.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/TS12.pdf
This issue features:
1. “We definitely needed something more, more armor than just plywood and sandbags because that wasn’t really going to stop much” says Iraq vet Joseph Woods in the first installment of a three part interview with Traveling Soldier's T Barton.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.woods.php
2. “I have not heard a worthwhile nor just reason for staying the course” says Iraq veteran Captain Justin Gordon.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.gordon.php
3. “The government had a plan, but it did not include the poor black people of the south” An active duty soldier speaks out about the war on Iraq and the abandonment of Katrina victims.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.soldiermedic.php
4. Media Chatter Ignored Soldiers for Cindy Sheehan
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.sheehan.php
5. How the Soldiers Stopped the Vietnam War: a book review of the newly republished classic,
Soldiers in Revolt.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/2.06.cortright.php
6. Download the new Traveling Soldier to pass it out at your school, workplace, or at nearby base.
http://www.traveling-soldier.org/TS12.pdf
The US Military Project
Contact: Thomas F Barton
editor: GI SPECIAL
thomasfbarton@earthlink.net
MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY PROJECT:
* Do not “support the troops” in the abstract. We focus on support for Armed Forces resistance, giving aid and comfort to those who are against the war.
* Are for the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of all occupation troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
* Believe that oppressed peoples and nations have the right to self-determination and the right to resist Imperial invasion and occupation.
* Do not require others to be in complete agreement to work together with them towards common objectives.
* Reject the idea that organizations working together on a common project must not debate differences about the best way forward for the movement. On the contrary, we encourage debate and discussion as the most useful method to arrive at the best course of action.
* May choose to support candidates for elective office who are for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, but do not support candidates opposed to bringing our troops home now.
* Are committed to organizational democracy. This means control of our organization by the membership, through freely elected delegates to any coordinating bodies that may be formed, whether at local, regional, or national levels. Any member in good standing may run for any position, with or without a slate. Coordinating bodies must report their actions, decisions and votes to the membership who elected them for approval or rejection.
* Are committed to putting in time taking action in an organized way to reach out to members of the armed forces, including local community Reserve and National Guard units.
* Are not present or former commissioned officers in the armed forces, members of the military police, or any law enforcement agency.
I understand and am in agreement with the above statement, and pledge to defend my brothers and sisters against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
The Military Project:
George Bush:
A Domestic Enemy Of The United States
November 20, 2004
To: George W. Bush
From: SGT Kevin M. Benderman
When are you going to tell the truth to the people of the United States?
Why don't you tell them why you want to be in Iraq so bad?
I was there for six months and I did not see the first weapon of mass destruction. I did receive orders from the company commander to shoot children if they threw small rocks at us and that was when I figured out that the entire thing was way over the line.
Over 1200 soldiers have died in Iraq so that you can have a couple billion more dollars, that should make you feel very good about yourself.
The soldiers that have died for this sham that you have put over on the American people are so much more deserving than that. You are not worth the dust off of their boots.
If you truly had respect for the military and the people that serve then you would not continue to kill them in your war.
I joined the Army to protect my country and not to be a mercenary for a political despot.
If you wish to put me in prison because of my views then you should make room for about 75% of the military.
And while you are at make some room for yourself and about half of your administration. You are responsible for what happened at Abu Gharaib and you are shirking your responsibility.
The commander in chief is not above the UCMJ, as you would like to believe.
I want to fulfill my contract that says I joined the Army to protect my country against all enemies foreign and domestic, and as far as I am concerned you are a domestic enemy of the United States.
You care nothing for this country; you just care about the profits that are to be made from the oil in Iraq. That much is evident to me from the way the contracts were passed out to Halliburton and KBR. It must be nice to have the deck stacked in your favor by the president of the USA.
Since your are raising the debt ceiling of America so that we can pay the bills that you have run up, why don't you forgive the debts of every one in the armed forces since they are the ones that are making it possible for you to make billions from the oil from Iraq.
Sincerely,
SGT Kevin M. Benderman
“People Need Not Be Helpless Before The Power Of Illegitimate Authority”
[Based on a statement by David Cortright, Vietnam Veteran and armed forces resistance organizer.]
In the final analysis the stationing of American forces abroad serves not the national interest but the class interest of the corporate and political elite.
The maintenance of a massive, interventionist-oriented military establishment is based on the need to protect multinational investment and preserve regimes friendly to American capital.
Imperialism is at the heart of the national-security system and is the force fundamentally responsible for the counterrevolutionary, repressive aims of U.S. policy.
Only if we confront this reality and challenge it throughout society and within the ranks can we restore democratic control of the military.
Of course nothing can be accomplished without citizen involvement and active political struggle.
During the Vietnam era enlisted servicemen created massive pressures for change, despite severe repression, and significantly altered the course of the war and subsequent military policy.
To sustain and strengthen this challenge we must continue to build political opposition to interventionism and support those within the armed services, including national guard and reserves, who defy the goals and program of Empire.
The central lesson of the GI movement is that people need not be helpless before the power of illegitimate authority, that by getting together and acting upon their convictions people can change society and, in effect, make their own history.
Contact: Thomas F Barton
editor: GI SPECIAL
thomasfbarton@earthlink.net
MEMBERS OF THE MILITARY PROJECT:
* Do not “support the troops” in the abstract. We focus on support for Armed Forces resistance, giving aid and comfort to those who are against the war.
* Are for the immediate, unconditional withdrawal of all occupation troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.
* Believe that oppressed peoples and nations have the right to self-determination and the right to resist Imperial invasion and occupation.
* Do not require others to be in complete agreement to work together with them towards common objectives.
* Reject the idea that organizations working together on a common project must not debate differences about the best way forward for the movement. On the contrary, we encourage debate and discussion as the most useful method to arrive at the best course of action.
* May choose to support candidates for elective office who are for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, but do not support candidates opposed to bringing our troops home now.
* Are committed to organizational democracy. This means control of our organization by the membership, through freely elected delegates to any coordinating bodies that may be formed, whether at local, regional, or national levels. Any member in good standing may run for any position, with or without a slate. Coordinating bodies must report their actions, decisions and votes to the membership who elected them for approval or rejection.
* Are committed to putting in time taking action in an organized way to reach out to members of the armed forces, including local community Reserve and National Guard units.
* Are not present or former commissioned officers in the armed forces, members of the military police, or any law enforcement agency.
I understand and am in agreement with the above statement, and pledge to defend my brothers and sisters against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
The Military Project:
George Bush:
A Domestic Enemy Of The United States
November 20, 2004
To: George W. Bush
From: SGT Kevin M. Benderman
When are you going to tell the truth to the people of the United States?
Why don't you tell them why you want to be in Iraq so bad?
I was there for six months and I did not see the first weapon of mass destruction. I did receive orders from the company commander to shoot children if they threw small rocks at us and that was when I figured out that the entire thing was way over the line.
Over 1200 soldiers have died in Iraq so that you can have a couple billion more dollars, that should make you feel very good about yourself.
The soldiers that have died for this sham that you have put over on the American people are so much more deserving than that. You are not worth the dust off of their boots.
If you truly had respect for the military and the people that serve then you would not continue to kill them in your war.
I joined the Army to protect my country and not to be a mercenary for a political despot.
If you wish to put me in prison because of my views then you should make room for about 75% of the military.
And while you are at make some room for yourself and about half of your administration. You are responsible for what happened at Abu Gharaib and you are shirking your responsibility.
The commander in chief is not above the UCMJ, as you would like to believe.
I want to fulfill my contract that says I joined the Army to protect my country against all enemies foreign and domestic, and as far as I am concerned you are a domestic enemy of the United States.
You care nothing for this country; you just care about the profits that are to be made from the oil in Iraq. That much is evident to me from the way the contracts were passed out to Halliburton and KBR. It must be nice to have the deck stacked in your favor by the president of the USA.
Since your are raising the debt ceiling of America so that we can pay the bills that you have run up, why don't you forgive the debts of every one in the armed forces since they are the ones that are making it possible for you to make billions from the oil from Iraq.
Sincerely,
SGT Kevin M. Benderman
“People Need Not Be Helpless Before The Power Of Illegitimate Authority”
[Based on a statement by David Cortright, Vietnam Veteran and armed forces resistance organizer.]
In the final analysis the stationing of American forces abroad serves not the national interest but the class interest of the corporate and political elite.
The maintenance of a massive, interventionist-oriented military establishment is based on the need to protect multinational investment and preserve regimes friendly to American capital.
Imperialism is at the heart of the national-security system and is the force fundamentally responsible for the counterrevolutionary, repressive aims of U.S. policy.
Only if we confront this reality and challenge it throughout society and within the ranks can we restore democratic control of the military.
Of course nothing can be accomplished without citizen involvement and active political struggle.
During the Vietnam era enlisted servicemen created massive pressures for change, despite severe repression, and significantly altered the course of the war and subsequent military policy.
To sustain and strengthen this challenge we must continue to build political opposition to interventionism and support those within the armed services, including national guard and reserves, who defy the goals and program of Empire.
The central lesson of the GI movement is that people need not be helpless before the power of illegitimate authority, that by getting together and acting upon their convictions people can change society and, in effect, make their own history.
Unity for Peace
National peace activists’ conference
Melbourne, May 27 2006
NoWar is sponsoring this conference, along with many other peace activist groups across Australia. Several other groups have endorsed the conference.
We are pleased that Melbourne has been able to organize such an event, because NoWar had hoped to do so ourselves, since we as well as many others, recognize the strong need for a united country-wide effort by those who seek peace.
This conference is designed to bring people together to plan for peace and to network to that end.
We encourage you to consider attending, or at the very least to consider contributing financially to the organising of the conference.
Regards
Jeanie Lucas
SecretaryNOWAR
nowar@ihug.com.auwww.nowar-sa.net
Ph: 0414 77 3918
Unity for Peace
National peace activists’ conference
Melbourne, May 27
The US and its allies are trapped in their illegal war in Iraq – exacting an enormous human, environmental and financial cost.
Australia was one of only three countries to participate in the invasion of 2003. That places a special responsibility on those of us concerned for peace in Australia to mobilise to end this crime against humanity.
That need becomes all the more urgent as the government sends more troops, not just to Iraq, but to Afghanistan. At the same time, in the name of fighting “terror”, the government is attacking civil liberties and demonising Muslims in our community. It is also arguing for more uranium mining, which lays the basis for more nuclear weapons, radioactive leaks and use of depleted uranium. And Australia is becoming more deeply enmeshed in the US alliance, through the use of Pine Gap and Shoalwater Bay by the US military.
The Unity for Peace conference is a chance for all peace activists to come together, to discuss the issues and to lay the basis for a new, nationwide movement to turn the tide. All organisations that support this initiative are welcome to send delegates. Individuals are welcome, too.
Speakers at the conference include:
Cindy Sheehan: Gold Star Families for Peace, USA, whose son died in Iraq
Hassan Juma’a: president, Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions
Sabah Jawad: Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation
Anas Altikriti: Muslim Association of Britain and Stop the War Coalition
Dr Salam Ismael: Doctors for Iraq
Kerry Nettle: Greens senator;
Joumanah El Matrah: manager, Islamic Womens Welfare Council of Victoria;
Donna Mulhearn: former human shield;
Keysar Trad: Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, Sydney;
Anna Samson: Stop the War Coalition, Sydney;
Kevin Bracken: Vic state secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia;
Jarvis Ryan: Stop the War Coalition, Sydney;
David Spratt: Victorian Peace Network;
Associate Professor Tilman Ruff: Medical Association for the Prevention of War
Thursday, May 25, 7pm Public meeting,
Storey Hall, RMIT, Swanston St, city
Saturday, May 27, registration from 9am
Maritime Union of Australia, 46 Ireland St, West Melbourne
10am: Plenary “The long war” – Iraq and the US imperial project
noon: Panel discussion
1) Defending civil liberties and the Muslim community
2) Keep it in the ground: burying the nuclear myths
3) Australia as military base – from Pine Gap to Shoalwater Bay
2.30pm: Plenary Australia in the world – rebuilding the peace movement
4.30pm: Plenary
Adoption of conference statement
There will be a conference dinner on the Saturday.
Tickets are $20 waged, $15 unwaged.
Please book us ..... tickets at $20/$15.
Add the cost to your registration.
Contact the conference organising committee
Phone: 0418 316 310
Email: dglanz@optusnet.com.au
Mail: GPO Box 1473, Melbourne 3001
For the full agenda and regular updates, email
Together, in Melbourne, the Australian peace movement can declare peace on the world.
Yes, I want to register for the peace activists’ conference.
Delegates
Cost $50 (for one or two delegates)
includes entry to the Thursday night public meeting
Name of group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Names of delegates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. Does your group want an information table?
. Does your group wish to stage a display?
Observers
Cost $20 (waged), $10 (unwaged)
includes entry to the Thursday night public meeting
Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Return to Unity for Peace, GPO Box 1473,
Melbourne 3001.
Cheques payable to Unity for Peace.
VENUES
Storey Hall is on Swanston Street, near the corner with Latrobe Street, in central Melbourne.
The MUA offices are at 46 Ireland Street, West Melbourne – just a couple of minutes from the North Melbourne railway station.
For the full agenda and updates, email dglanz@optusnet.com.au
Conference also endorsed by: The Quakers, Nuclear Free Australia, Women for Peace, Irregular Gippsland Peace Newsletter, The Hills Peace Group, Randwick Peace Group, Leichhardt Peace Group, Rainforest Information Centre (Lismore), World Dreams Peace Bridge, Socialist Alternative, New Community Quarterly, Friends of the Earth, Newtown Peace Group, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Western Suburbs Peace Group Melbourne Victoria (Inc)
National peace activists’ conference
Melbourne, May 27 2006
NoWar is sponsoring this conference, along with many other peace activist groups across Australia. Several other groups have endorsed the conference.
We are pleased that Melbourne has been able to organize such an event, because NoWar had hoped to do so ourselves, since we as well as many others, recognize the strong need for a united country-wide effort by those who seek peace.
This conference is designed to bring people together to plan for peace and to network to that end.
We encourage you to consider attending, or at the very least to consider contributing financially to the organising of the conference.
Regards
Jeanie Lucas
SecretaryNOWAR
nowar@ihug.com.auwww.nowar-sa.net
Ph: 0414 77 3918
Unity for Peace
National peace activists’ conference
Melbourne, May 27
The US and its allies are trapped in their illegal war in Iraq – exacting an enormous human, environmental and financial cost.
Australia was one of only three countries to participate in the invasion of 2003. That places a special responsibility on those of us concerned for peace in Australia to mobilise to end this crime against humanity.
That need becomes all the more urgent as the government sends more troops, not just to Iraq, but to Afghanistan. At the same time, in the name of fighting “terror”, the government is attacking civil liberties and demonising Muslims in our community. It is also arguing for more uranium mining, which lays the basis for more nuclear weapons, radioactive leaks and use of depleted uranium. And Australia is becoming more deeply enmeshed in the US alliance, through the use of Pine Gap and Shoalwater Bay by the US military.
The Unity for Peace conference is a chance for all peace activists to come together, to discuss the issues and to lay the basis for a new, nationwide movement to turn the tide. All organisations that support this initiative are welcome to send delegates. Individuals are welcome, too.
Speakers at the conference include:
Cindy Sheehan: Gold Star Families for Peace, USA, whose son died in Iraq
Hassan Juma’a: president, Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions
Sabah Jawad: Iraqi Democrats Against Occupation
Anas Altikriti: Muslim Association of Britain and Stop the War Coalition
Dr Salam Ismael: Doctors for Iraq
Kerry Nettle: Greens senator;
Joumanah El Matrah: manager, Islamic Womens Welfare Council of Victoria;
Donna Mulhearn: former human shield;
Keysar Trad: Islamic Friendship Association of Australia, Sydney;
Anna Samson: Stop the War Coalition, Sydney;
Kevin Bracken: Vic state secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia;
Jarvis Ryan: Stop the War Coalition, Sydney;
David Spratt: Victorian Peace Network;
Associate Professor Tilman Ruff: Medical Association for the Prevention of War
Thursday, May 25, 7pm Public meeting,
Storey Hall, RMIT, Swanston St, city
Saturday, May 27, registration from 9am
Maritime Union of Australia, 46 Ireland St, West Melbourne
10am: Plenary “The long war” – Iraq and the US imperial project
noon: Panel discussion
1) Defending civil liberties and the Muslim community
2) Keep it in the ground: burying the nuclear myths
3) Australia as military base – from Pine Gap to Shoalwater Bay
2.30pm: Plenary Australia in the world – rebuilding the peace movement
4.30pm: Plenary
Adoption of conference statement
There will be a conference dinner on the Saturday.
Tickets are $20 waged, $15 unwaged.
Please book us ..... tickets at $20/$15.
Add the cost to your registration.
Contact the conference organising committee
Phone: 0418 316 310
Email: dglanz@optusnet.com.au
Mail: GPO Box 1473, Melbourne 3001
For the full agenda and regular updates, email
Together, in Melbourne, the Australian peace movement can declare peace on the world.
Yes, I want to register for the peace activists’ conference.
Delegates
Cost $50 (for one or two delegates)
includes entry to the Thursday night public meeting
Name of group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Names of delegates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. Does your group want an information table?
. Does your group wish to stage a display?
Observers
Cost $20 (waged), $10 (unwaged)
includes entry to the Thursday night public meeting
Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Phone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Return to Unity for Peace, GPO Box 1473,
Melbourne 3001.
Cheques payable to Unity for Peace.
VENUES
Storey Hall is on Swanston Street, near the corner with Latrobe Street, in central Melbourne.
The MUA offices are at 46 Ireland Street, West Melbourne – just a couple of minutes from the North Melbourne railway station.
For the full agenda and updates, email dglanz@optusnet.com.au
Conference also endorsed by: The Quakers, Nuclear Free Australia, Women for Peace, Irregular Gippsland Peace Newsletter, The Hills Peace Group, Randwick Peace Group, Leichhardt Peace Group, Rainforest Information Centre (Lismore), World Dreams Peace Bridge, Socialist Alternative, New Community Quarterly, Friends of the Earth, Newtown Peace Group, Greenpeace Australia Pacific, Western Suburbs Peace Group Melbourne Victoria (Inc)
From the Department of Peace - Australia
Dear Friends of Peace
The enclosed statement is from the Peoples Initiative for Departments of Peace. This is the current world body of the Dept. of Peace initiatives from thus far, 12 countries- Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Netherlands, Palestine, Romania, Spain, USA, UK- who like us here in Australia are working to lobby Federal Governments to put in place a cabinet level Dept of Peace having equal status with the Department of Defence.
The tensions between USA UK IRAN RUSSIA CHINA FRANCE GERMANY and the UNITED NATIONS are escalating and in this statement which has been sent out by all 12 countires to Governments, Media , Religious Leaders and the general public, we are calling on Governments to approach this situation with a cool head, a loving heart and an understanding that they need not be deprived of good advice on how to resolve this peaceably as we have the men and women experienced in successfully facilitating the non-violent resolution of conflict between nations and states.
You will help the cause of peace greatly, if you pass this onto your friends and those on your email lists.
In the spirit of Peace
Biannca Pace
Chairperson Dept of Peace - Australia
www.departmentofpeace-australia.org
2 March 2006
A FRESH APPROACH TO RESOLVING INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT
The International People's Initiative for Departments of Peace calls urgently for the non-violent resolution of the growing conflict involving China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the United States of America.
As Earth's climate warms up at an alarming rate, threatening widespread global devastation, humanity faces the biggest challenge to its survival in history.
For our children, our children's children and the planet, we must now avoid wasting our precious resources engaging in costly, destructive wars and instead employ well-tried, non-violent methods of resolving conflicts around the world.
We can then focus our energy, creativity, wisdom, and prudence on providing for a sustainable, and thus safe and secure, future.
While recognising the efforts of all parties to resolve this dispute through negotiation, we are also aware that frustration at the lack of agreement can lead to increasing polarisation, harsh language and even the extreme violence of military action.
As with past conflicts, this is likely to produce a similar result – war, chaos and suffering. It is therefore time for all of us – private citizens, civil society organisations, and governments – to call for a change in the manner in which conflict is dealt with so as to meet the fundamental needs of all humanity for security, mutual respect and justice.
The good news: non-violent conflict resolution is possible and already happening. Indeed, we have within the human family many men and women experienced in successfully facilitating the non-violent resolution of conflict within and between nations and states.
We call on all governments involved to seek immediately their input and action.
We can all help bring about this change and we encourage everyone to take action now. Please talk with your friends, family and community members, and encourage everyone to call on political leaders to settle for nothing less than a non-violent resolution to this conflict.
Suggestions as to specific actions you can take are listed at www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org.
It is time to create a world in which we all pursue the non-violent resolution of conflict. The stakes are too high for any other course of action.
For further information, please contact info@peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org
The International People's Initiative is working towards the formation of ministries and departments of peace in all governments so that national ministers of peace may meet on a regular basis, especially during crises, with a mandate to seek and maintain an ongoing focus on reaching peace by peaceful means.
Dear Friends of Peace
The enclosed statement is from the Peoples Initiative for Departments of Peace. This is the current world body of the Dept. of Peace initiatives from thus far, 12 countries- Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Netherlands, Palestine, Romania, Spain, USA, UK- who like us here in Australia are working to lobby Federal Governments to put in place a cabinet level Dept of Peace having equal status with the Department of Defence.
The tensions between USA UK IRAN RUSSIA CHINA FRANCE GERMANY and the UNITED NATIONS are escalating and in this statement which has been sent out by all 12 countires to Governments, Media , Religious Leaders and the general public, we are calling on Governments to approach this situation with a cool head, a loving heart and an understanding that they need not be deprived of good advice on how to resolve this peaceably as we have the men and women experienced in successfully facilitating the non-violent resolution of conflict between nations and states.
You will help the cause of peace greatly, if you pass this onto your friends and those on your email lists.
In the spirit of Peace
Biannca Pace
Chairperson Dept of Peace - Australia
www.departmentofpeace-australia.org
2 March 2006
A FRESH APPROACH TO RESOLVING INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT
The International People's Initiative for Departments of Peace calls urgently for the non-violent resolution of the growing conflict involving China, France, Germany, Iran, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and the United States of America.
As Earth's climate warms up at an alarming rate, threatening widespread global devastation, humanity faces the biggest challenge to its survival in history.
For our children, our children's children and the planet, we must now avoid wasting our precious resources engaging in costly, destructive wars and instead employ well-tried, non-violent methods of resolving conflicts around the world.
We can then focus our energy, creativity, wisdom, and prudence on providing for a sustainable, and thus safe and secure, future.
While recognising the efforts of all parties to resolve this dispute through negotiation, we are also aware that frustration at the lack of agreement can lead to increasing polarisation, harsh language and even the extreme violence of military action.
As with past conflicts, this is likely to produce a similar result – war, chaos and suffering. It is therefore time for all of us – private citizens, civil society organisations, and governments – to call for a change in the manner in which conflict is dealt with so as to meet the fundamental needs of all humanity for security, mutual respect and justice.
The good news: non-violent conflict resolution is possible and already happening. Indeed, we have within the human family many men and women experienced in successfully facilitating the non-violent resolution of conflict within and between nations and states.
We call on all governments involved to seek immediately their input and action.
We can all help bring about this change and we encourage everyone to take action now. Please talk with your friends, family and community members, and encourage everyone to call on political leaders to settle for nothing less than a non-violent resolution to this conflict.
Suggestions as to specific actions you can take are listed at www.peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org.
It is time to create a world in which we all pursue the non-violent resolution of conflict. The stakes are too high for any other course of action.
For further information, please contact info@peoplesinitiativefordepartmentsofpeace.org
The International People's Initiative is working towards the formation of ministries and departments of peace in all governments so that national ministers of peace may meet on a regular basis, especially during crises, with a mandate to seek and maintain an ongoing focus on reaching peace by peaceful means.
Monday, March 06, 2006
How Johnson got Senate approval to escalate war
This article, “How Senate voted for escalation and called it a ‘motion to table,’” is reprinted from the Workers World of March 10, 1966.
It explains how the administration of Lyndon Johnson, through a parliamentary maneuver, was able to escalate the Vietnam War with the support of many in the Senate who wanted to be known to their constituents as doves....
This article, “How Senate voted for escalation and called it a ‘motion to table,’” is reprinted from the Workers World of March 10, 1966.
It explains how the administration of Lyndon Johnson, through a parliamentary maneuver, was able to escalate the Vietnam War with the support of many in the Senate who wanted to be known to their constituents as doves....
Every member of the U.S. Congress, whether they’re for or against the illegal Iraq War should back Ohio Democrat and outspoken critic of the war, Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s Resolution of Inquiry, demanding documents pertaining to contracts signed by the Bush administration in an effort to "sell" the war.
"The taxpayers of this country have a right to know whether or not their tax dollars were, or are, being used to manipulate the news, falsify intelligence or mislead the public," Kucinich was recently quoted as saying.
Supporters of Iraq War, apologists for this war, defenders of this war, as well as the U.S. war allies who participated in the war and still pledge support to Washington in the quagmire it created there, all should open their eyes to the set of evidences uncovered day after day that this war was ILLEGAL.
The U.S. taxpayers’ tens of millions of dollars were paid to numerous public relations companies such as the Rendon Group and the Lincoln Group which were hired by Dictator U.S. government to sell the war to the public, the Congress and the entire world. They were paid to run a marketing campaign to lobby support over the American President’s unwise decision to invade Iraq.
Karen Kwiatkowski, a retired USAF lieutenant colonel, after serving at the Pentagon for four and a half years, said she accelerated her retirement due to "ethical difficulties brought on by witnessing the misuse of intelligence in order to support an agenda for an unnecessary, unwarranted war of choice against Iraq," describing the current Washington and the U.S.-backed leadership in Iraq as "politicized, emasculated, obedient to the bureaucracy and ignorant of the Constitution," according to Uruknet.com article.
The speech made by Colin Powell’s to the UN a few weeks before 20 March 2003 Iraq War, sought to justify the impending war against Iraq, was "a hoax on the American people, the international community, and the United Nations Security Council," Lawrence Wilkerson, a former colonel in the U.S. Army, Vietnam veteran, and a life-long Republican who served as chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, was recently quoted as saying, adding that "there were major doubts inside the intelligence community about everything that was being said about the Iraq threat, even as Powell's speech was being planned and delivered," however no action whatsoever was taken to stop the President’s mad decision.
Also Lieutenant General William Odom (Ret.) describes invading Iraq as "the greatest strategic disaster in our history, not in terms of its present body count, but rather because of its radiating consequences for the region and the world."
Representative John Murtha (D-PA), a decorated Marine combat veteran and the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress, who has recently launched a severe campaign against the Bush administration calling for the withdrawal of the American forces from occupied Iraq, as the war has increased both terrorism and instability in the Middle East, lately described Washington’s actions there as "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."
• Impeach Bush
Veterans for Peace, which brings under its umbrella veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and other conflicts, as well as peacetime veterans, is calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney.
In a letter sent to each member of Congress, the groups stated that "this administration’s war on Iraq, in addition to being increasingly unpopular among Americans, is an unmistakable violation of our Constitution and federal law which you have sworn to uphold. In our system, the remedy for such high crimes is clear: this administration must be impeached."
"We believe that when our government conducts a war of aggression on Iraq and commits a growing and appalling series of what must legally be considered war crimes and crimes against humanity in the execution of that war, it violates Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the War Crimes Act of 1996, and numerous international treaties which are legally binding on our nation."
• Illegal war
Iraq War is illegal within the framework of the laws of the U.S. Constitution and the United Nations Charter.
Numerous analysts have repetitively explained that the war was planned for many years by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), founded by a small group of right wing political ideologues and corporate seeking to promote American global leadership, who hold powerful positions in the current administration and other highly influential political offices.
Most of the members of the current U.S. government, lead by President George W. Bush, are convicted criminals.
Holding it's culminating session in Istanbul in June 2005, The World Tribunal on Iraq declared that the Bush Administration was guilty of starting a War of Aggression, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity as indicated in their Declaration of the Jury of Conscience.
Also in August 2004, a War Crimes Tribunal found that many members of the Bush Administration are guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and high crimes and misdemeanors for which they are impeachable.
Back to 2003, The International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan convened in Tokyo, found that the Bush Administration is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the invasion of Afghanistan.
Those in control of the current U.S. government are the very same people who control the means of production, the means of communication, and the military-industrial complex, benefiting from this war and many future wars.
Waging Iraq War under a false pretext is an example not of democracy but criminality.
"The taxpayers of this country have a right to know whether or not their tax dollars were, or are, being used to manipulate the news, falsify intelligence or mislead the public," Kucinich was recently quoted as saying.
Supporters of Iraq War, apologists for this war, defenders of this war, as well as the U.S. war allies who participated in the war and still pledge support to Washington in the quagmire it created there, all should open their eyes to the set of evidences uncovered day after day that this war was ILLEGAL.
The U.S. taxpayers’ tens of millions of dollars were paid to numerous public relations companies such as the Rendon Group and the Lincoln Group which were hired by Dictator U.S. government to sell the war to the public, the Congress and the entire world. They were paid to run a marketing campaign to lobby support over the American President’s unwise decision to invade Iraq.
Karen Kwiatkowski, a retired USAF lieutenant colonel, after serving at the Pentagon for four and a half years, said she accelerated her retirement due to "ethical difficulties brought on by witnessing the misuse of intelligence in order to support an agenda for an unnecessary, unwarranted war of choice against Iraq," describing the current Washington and the U.S.-backed leadership in Iraq as "politicized, emasculated, obedient to the bureaucracy and ignorant of the Constitution," according to Uruknet.com article.
The speech made by Colin Powell’s to the UN a few weeks before 20 March 2003 Iraq War, sought to justify the impending war against Iraq, was "a hoax on the American people, the international community, and the United Nations Security Council," Lawrence Wilkerson, a former colonel in the U.S. Army, Vietnam veteran, and a life-long Republican who served as chief of staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, was recently quoted as saying, adding that "there were major doubts inside the intelligence community about everything that was being said about the Iraq threat, even as Powell's speech was being planned and delivered," however no action whatsoever was taken to stop the President’s mad decision.
Also Lieutenant General William Odom (Ret.) describes invading Iraq as "the greatest strategic disaster in our history, not in terms of its present body count, but rather because of its radiating consequences for the region and the world."
Representative John Murtha (D-PA), a decorated Marine combat veteran and the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress, who has recently launched a severe campaign against the Bush administration calling for the withdrawal of the American forces from occupied Iraq, as the war has increased both terrorism and instability in the Middle East, lately described Washington’s actions there as "a flawed policy wrapped in illusion."
• Impeach Bush
Veterans for Peace, which brings under its umbrella veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and other conflicts, as well as peacetime veterans, is calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney.
In a letter sent to each member of Congress, the groups stated that "this administration’s war on Iraq, in addition to being increasingly unpopular among Americans, is an unmistakable violation of our Constitution and federal law which you have sworn to uphold. In our system, the remedy for such high crimes is clear: this administration must be impeached."
"We believe that when our government conducts a war of aggression on Iraq and commits a growing and appalling series of what must legally be considered war crimes and crimes against humanity in the execution of that war, it violates Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, the War Crimes Act of 1996, and numerous international treaties which are legally binding on our nation."
• Illegal war
Iraq War is illegal within the framework of the laws of the U.S. Constitution and the United Nations Charter.
Numerous analysts have repetitively explained that the war was planned for many years by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), founded by a small group of right wing political ideologues and corporate seeking to promote American global leadership, who hold powerful positions in the current administration and other highly influential political offices.
Most of the members of the current U.S. government, lead by President George W. Bush, are convicted criminals.
Holding it's culminating session in Istanbul in June 2005, The World Tribunal on Iraq declared that the Bush Administration was guilty of starting a War of Aggression, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity as indicated in their Declaration of the Jury of Conscience.
Also in August 2004, a War Crimes Tribunal found that many members of the Bush Administration are guilty of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and high crimes and misdemeanors for which they are impeachable.
Back to 2003, The International Criminal Tribunal for Afghanistan convened in Tokyo, found that the Bush Administration is guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity for the invasion of Afghanistan.
Those in control of the current U.S. government are the very same people who control the means of production, the means of communication, and the military-industrial complex, benefiting from this war and many future wars.
Waging Iraq War under a false pretext is an example not of democracy but criminality.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
