Activism

HELL COMES HOME
By Robert C. Koehler | Tribune Media Services

it certainly reflects the ignorance and arrogance of militarism, which perpetually organizes itself around an “enemy” somewhere out there stalking us. Those trapped in this mindset can imagine security only in relation to their power over this enemy, which leads them, and everyone else, into a vicious spiral of armed preparation, violence and counter-violence. What we fail to notice in our rage and fear is that violence — not the violence we endure but the violence we perpetrate — dehumanizes us. Killing is the ultimate traumatic experience. “In the military, you’re trained to shoot at a target, but sometimes the humanity of that target intrudes, and people come to question what they’ve done,” said Dr. Shira Maguen (putting it, I would say, mildly).

There’s no armor, it turns out, for conscience.

So our men and women are coming home from the killing fields wounded in their heads, used up, greeted only by the military’s own meat grinder of inadequate health care and intolerance for “weakness.”

“Frankly, in my more than 25 years of clinical practice, I’ve never seen such immense emotional suffering and psychological brokenness.” This is what whistleblower psychiatrist Kernan Manion wrote recently to President Obama about his experience counseling Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, as reported by Salon.

In September, Manion, having been told to “cease and desist all further correspondence with the government,” was fired by the Navy for his urgent, outspoken communiqués about the mental-health minefield the military has on its hands.

UPDATE: Women released from jail! Update on CIGNA protest arrestees. Click "Read more" below, then this Update link.
Below the update Bill Crosier of the Progressive Action Alliance provided some single payer links.

From Houston Code Pink regarding two women arrested Wednesday at Cigna offices while protesting. Below this action call is an eyewitness report from Bill Crosier of the Progressive Action Alliance.

Subject: Help us get Cigna protest arrestees out of jail

Here's what I've learned, and what we need you to do TODAY, about the two women, our friends, who were arrested in front of CIGNA's Houston headquarters because they would not leave before getting to speak with CIGNA executives:

Action:

Call the Houston mayor's office, your city council person, and the police chief's office TODAY (phone numbers below) and:
1. Say you are calling about the two women arrested outside the CIGNA office building on Tuesday.
2. Tell them they were improperly arrested by the police department on a bogus trespassing charge during a peaceful, non-violent demonstration.
3. The women are declining to give their names, so don't say their names if you know them. Please respect their right to remain anonymous. They should not have to give the police or a judge their names so they can tell the CIGNA execs their concerns. They are being held as "Jane Doe" and "Janet Doe."
4. The women went before a judge this morning, who increased their bail to $50,000 each (!) and transferred them to the Harris Co jail. I don't think they had an attorney with them then.
5. MOST IMPORTANT -- Ask that these two women be released immediately. They were not doing anything illegal, they were not blocking the building entrance, there were no signs posted prohibiting trespassing. All they were doing was sitting outside the building with signs, waiting to talk with CIGNA execs about their concerns.

Joy First writes:

Below is a brief filed with the Federal Court in Madison, WI by our good friend Brian Terrell. Brian was arrested with a group of activists at an action at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin on August 10, 2008. We went to court, were found guilty, and ordered to pay a fine. Brian has not paid the fine and so the prosecutor filed a motion with the court asking for 30 days in jail for Brian and others who did not pay the fine. This brief is Brian’s response to the court.

We returned to Fort McCoy this past August 2009 and were arrested again. Following this arrest, four of us were illegally transported by military personnel to the Dane County jail in Madison and held overnight. We are pursuing this as a violation of Posse Comitatus. We have not been arraigned or heard anything from the court regarding our arrest in August 2009.

The statement from Brian is powerful and moving and inspires me to continue my work for peace and justice. Please share this with others.

Peace,

Joy

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF WISCONSIN

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

v.
Case No. 08-po-1008-slc

BRIAN TERRELL

Defendant

_________________________________________________________________________________

OPPOSITION TO MOTION FOR RE-SENTENCING

On November 5, 2008, the United States of America, through Acting United States Attorney Stephen P. Sinnott, moved the court for an order re-sentencing me to a 30-day term of imprisonment, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §3614. The grounds offered by the United States in support of its motion are clearly insufficient and the court is requested to deny the motion. My response to each of the grounds as listed by the United States, are as follows:

By Dave Lindorff

If you are sitting in class taking a test, and you’ve chosen to sit amongst your bone-headed, slacker friends, don’t turn to them for help when you can’t figure out of any of the answers. They may all tell you the same thing, but they’ll all be wrong.

That’s the situation President Obama finds himself in today in the White House. Having surrounded himself with the very Wall Street con men who set up the crooked game that led to the current financial crisis and economic collapse, and finding that the lousy advice they have been giving him since last January has left the country still mired in deepening economic decline, with the banks still not lending and unemployment still mounting, and with growing signs that instead of bottoming out and starting to recover, the economy is threatening to fall a second time, to new lows and higher unemployment, Obama has turned to the same rotten advisors for answers.

We're calling on activists around the globe to organize an action between December 27th through December 31st to send Obama, the US State Department and Congress a message to pressure the Israeli government to Lift the Siege on Gaza Now!

The timing here is crucial. On December 27, 2008, Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip called Operation Cast Lead in which over 1400 Palestinians were killed, including as many as 300 children. In remembrance of these innocent civilians and to mark the fact that it has been one year since the Israeli assault began, some 1,000 people from around the world will join with 50,000 Palestinians in a massive nonviolent Gaza Freedom March on New Year's Eve, December 31, in Gaza. The International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza is calling on us to coordinate local solidarity actions to raise awareness and media attention for the big March and the need to end the illegal blockade. Will you join us?

Actions are already being planned in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Calgary, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington DC and other locations. You still have time to plan something in your community. It doesn't take a lot of people. Below are a few ideas, but whatever you do, make sure you write a press release and call the local media to encourage them to attend. The best way to spread the word is to get your event covered by the local press!

The important things:

• Do something public between the 27th through 31st.
• Register your event/action here.
• Tell the press about your action.
• Take a photo and upload it here beginning December 27th.

By David Swanson

I've been reading a brand new book called "The Battle of the Story of the Battle of Seattle," which is in large part an analysis of what worked in the protesting of the World Trade Organization 10 years ago. Why is it, I wonder, that activists were able to shut down the center of this major city in Washington state, but for years we have been unable to shut down the center of Washington, D.C., in opposition to wars.

North Alabama Peace Network says ... It's Obama's War Now!
By Linda Haynes

(Huntsville, Alabama -- Sat. Nov. 14, 2009) Today's North Alabama Peace Network rally focused on the fact that while President Obama inherited a bad situation, he has not pulled troops out of Iraq and has expanded the war in Afghanistan. He's even considering sending additional troops to Afghanistan in the coming weeks. And, Pakistan has become another war front.

These are President Obama's wars now. He owns them, over one year after winning the presidency. Alabama peace activists demand that President Obama bring our brave soldiers home now!

Images are copylefted and formatted to fit on a single sheet of letter sized postcard stock with no margins. Postage is only 28¢ each.

Universal, Single Payer Postcards-Front
Universal, Single Payer Postcards-Back

“Peace Mom” Cindy Sheehan to Speak at Central Connecticut State University, November 16, 2009

Her Protests Galvanized National Attention to the Human Cost of the War in Iraq

November 11, 2009 (New Britain, CT)--Cindy Sheehan is an internationally known peace and social justice advocate whose son, Army Specialist Casey A. Sheehan, was killed in action in Sadr City, Baghdad, on April 4, 2004. Sheehan is founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, an organization of Americans who have had loved ones killed in wars. As an act of protest against the war, in August 2005 Cindy took a stand outside of George Bush's home in Crawford, Texas asking what noble cause her son died for; this began the “Camp Casey” peace movement. Sheehan will be at Central Connecticut State University on Monday, November 16, to give two presentations. The events are free and open to the public. Campus map and directions available at www.ccsu.edu/visit. More below the fold.

Larry “Bill” Elliott is scheduled to be killed by the Commonwealth of Virginia at 9 p.m. on November 17th. He was convicted of the 2001 murders of Robert A. Finch and Dana Thrall.

Mr. Elliott has a strong claim of innocence. There is no evidence that he was ever inside the house where the murders occurred and there is DNA evidence that someone else was inside the crime scene. The jury was never told that an eyewitness saw a man of a different race running from the crime scene and the prosecution’s star witness failed a polygraph test regarding her involvement in the murders. She only came up with the story implicating Mr. Elliott when police told her that she was going to be charged with the murders. Additionally, Mr. Elliott’s trial attorneys failed to locate an alibi witness who would have testified that he saw Mr. Elliott at his workplace at a time that made it impossible for him to commit the murders.

Please take a few minutes to say "Enough!" and that Virginia should not execute a man where so many questions remain about his guilt remain. Help us stop the cycle of violence that state sanctioned killing perpetuates.

Please take one or more of the following actions - Details below:

Please help restore voting rights for former felons in Virginia.

The problem:

Virginia has an estimated 300,000 former felons who cannot vote. Virginia and Kentucky are the only two states that have this restriction.

The solution:

Former felons should have their rights automatically restored when they complete their sentence and probation. The Governor can establish this policy entirely on his own, with no permission required from the Virginia General Assembly. We need Governor Tim Kaine to sign an Executive Order to correct this injustice — before he leaves office.

What you can do:

Call Governor Tim Kaine at (804) 786-2211 or send an e-mail and ask him, “Please sign an Executive Order to restore voting rights for former felons so that their rights are automatically restored when they finish their sentence."

Thank you.

David Swanson Book Event: "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union"

New York City - December 1, 7:00 p.m.

With Mark Crispin Miller.
AND With John Nichols, author of the Foreword to "Daybreak".

At McNally Jackson books.
52 Prince St.
(b/t Lafayette & Mulberry)
New York, NY 10012
212-274-1160

Squadron13 and Oregon Veterans oppose manufacture of Drones in the Hood River Area | Press Release

What: Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space speaks and movie, "Rethinking Afghanistan."

Where: St. Mark's Church, 11th & Eugene in Hood River, Oregon

When: Tonight, Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 at 6:45 PM

In a new form of warfare, death is now being delivered by remote control from thousands of miles away. It's a new form of "Justice," It's a trial by Hellfire missile, quick and cheap. No need for expensive time consuming trials. No risk at all to American lives. Being a "suspect", or sitting next to one, is all the reason needed to murder anyone our government has designated as a "terrorist". No more PTSD damaged veterans to worry about, killing will become as easy as a push button video game. Just think of the career opportunities for our children in a world of unemployment, already pre-trained and desensitized to violence by years of exposure to violent video games and obscenely violent TV shows. Wages won't be high with such a large pool of skilled workers to pull from, but it will be comfortable work, a regular 8 to 5 type office job Our military shouldn't have any problem finding volunteers to 'serve' their county, and a large financial bonus offered by military recruiters for your child's commitment to military service will ensure a steady stream of young people.

Does this sound like a nightmare? It's not, it's our children's future and Oregon is becoming a part of making that nightmarish future come true. In fact, all of the above is already happening, much of it documented at the links below. The horrid plan is to greatly escalate this new form of warfare. It will be highly profitable for some Oregon businesses like InSitu who are gearing up to produce more surveillance drones. This is just a manufacturing hop, skip and a jump from producing the much larger armed versions which shoot a variety of extremely deadly weapons. Is it a stretch to think this could happen? Consider that InSitu got it's start designing drones to track schools of fish, now they are designing drones to track humans. We don't want to see this happen and are calling on concerned citizens from all over the United States to become aware of this new trend of war, "death by remote control". How can we stop this?

Tomorrow (Friday) in Hood River, Bruce Gagnon, one of our nations experts on space weapons will be speaking on these issues. His talk is titled, "Military use of Drones, how will it change our world?" The public is invited to attend the event with Gagnon who is scheduled to speak at 6:45pm at St. Mark's Church, 11th & Eugene in Hood River, Oregon. There will be a movie showing afterwards, "Rethinking Afghanistan" scheduled to start at 8pm. Please come and join us if you can. Armistice Day Vigil at 5pm. Full details at the first link below, including 11/13 event flyer and additional documentation links to support the nightmarish scene described above.

What: End the Fed Rally

When: Sunday, November 22, 2009, 1-4 PM

Where: Charlotte Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank, 530 E Trade St Charlotte, NC 28202

By David Swanson

If you have an interest in grassroots organizing, international alliance building, the peace movement, the labor movement, the conversion of the U.S. economy from weapons to human needs, the preservation of life on earth (come on, admit it), the weaponization of space, or the autobiographical insights of smart and determined people, then I cannot more strongly recommend that you get a copy of "Come Together Right Now: Organizing Stories from a Fading Empire," by my friend and ally Bruce Gagnon.

A group that has the name right.  Bring back habeas corpus everywhere!

ANTI-WAR SOLDIER ARRESTED: PROTEST NOW

Lance Corporal Joe Glenton, the soldier who faces desertion charges for refusing to return to Afghanistan, has been arrested and charged with five further offences for leading Stop the War's demonstration in London on 24 October and for expressing his opposition to the media in defiance of orders.

The new charges carry a maximum of ten years imprisonment in addition to the sentence of three to four years that Joe could get if the desertion charge is upheld.

Joe's mother, Sue Glenton, has spoken out against his arrest: "You've got government ministers, army commanders and MPs speaking every day in support of the war. What's so scary about a Lance Corporal having his say? My son is only speaking out for what he thinks is right."

EFF to Represent Yes Men in Court Battle Over Chamber of Commerce Action | Electronic Freedom Foundation
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP Also Joins in Free Speech Fight

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP, will defend the Yes Men and other activists in a lawsuit filed against them by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over political criticism of the Chamber's stance on climate change legislation.

In mid-October, the activists staged a "press conference" in which the Chamber of Commerce ostensibly reversed its position and promised to stop lobbying against strong climate change legislation -- a stance that has caused numerous Chamber members to leave the organization. As has been widely reported, before the press conference was even completed, a Chamber of Commerce representative rushed into the room and revealed that the Chamber's position on climate change legislation had not in fact changed.

"The action was a brilliant piece of political theater, but it had a serious purpose: calling attention to the Chamber's political activities," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Corynne McSherry. "This is core political speech, protected by the First Amendment. We're very pleased that Davis Wright Tremaine -- with its long, successful history of protecting free speech rights of Americans -- has joined us in helping these activists battle a transparent attempt at censorship."

"U.S. courts have recognized that political parody lies at the heart of the First Amendment," said Davis Wright Tremaine LLP partner Bruce Johnson. "Even if the party parodied refuses to giggle--or even panics and sues--free speech will ultimately triumph. We look forward to a prompt dismissal of this case and a reaffirmation of the rights of all Americans to poke fun at the pompous and powerful." Read more.

By BAR executive editor Glen Ford

READ THE REST AT BLACK AGENDA REPORT.