Category: Iraq

Those striking photos from the Peace and Justice Center at St. Norbert College in DePere, WI which held a Candlelight Prayer Vigil for peace in Iraq as part of Friday’s nationwide Iraq Moratorium actions, were submitted by Patti Cole.

Reports are coming in now from across the country — New York City, San Francisco, and points in between, like Wisconsin, which remains in the forefront of the movement, along with California.

You’ll find reports, photos and an occasional video on the Moratorium website, which serves as a clearinghouse for activists to exchange ideas and inspiration.  Check it out.

While you’re there, tell us what you did on Moratorium day to stop the war and occupation.  And if you’re willing and able to do so,  put something in the Moratorium tip jar.

Next event, the Third Friday, as always:  October 17.

There’s an Extremely Tragic episode of the possible results of serving in Iraq playing out in Caldwell County NC.

Not much known as yet, just one police officer killed, another shot three times but saved by his bulletproof vest, the cop killed was shot in the head according to reports.

This is all that’s out right now:

Lost Treasure ©2008 Emily Duffy Photo by Sibila Savage

Cross-posted at my blog.

Dimensions: 29″ x 29″ x 21″

Description: Small wood coffin filled with gold soldiers and coins. Inside, lid has an abused reproduction of the Bill of Rights (burned, torn, dragged through the mud, bled on) and an American flag on outside. Base has pertinent news clippings.

Materials: Wood, velvet, metal, paper, toy soldiers, gold coins (plastic) gold metallic paint, amber varnish.  

Today’s the day.  You know what to do.

The Iraq Moratorium marks its first anniversary.

The Moratorium is a simple idea.  It asks people to interrupt their daily routines once a month, on the Third Friday of every month, and do something to call for an end to the war and occupation of Iraq.

It can be something simple, like wearing a button or armband to work or school.  Or it can be dramatic, like taking part in some kind of major rally, march, occupation, die-in or other action.  Some choose to challenge authority and get arrested.  Others send an email to their Congress member.  There is room for all of that and everything in between.  There are no rules, and only one requirement to be part of Iraq Moratorium day:  Do something!

You’ll find lots of ideas for individual action and a listing of events at the Moratorium website.  You’ll also find reports, photos and videos from previous actions.

Operating on a shoestring and relying on volunteers, the Moratorium sparked at least 1,322 events in 42 states and 256 communities during its first year of operation. (Those were listed; many others just happen and are never added to the list or the count.)

Imagine what it could accomplish with a little money and even a tiny bit of media attention?

Help make it happen.   Donate something if you can, knowing that every badly-needed dollar will be put to immediate and effective use in the cause of peace.

But, more importantly, do something.

You may not end the war.  But acting can be its own reward.  Give it a try.

Last night the Rachel Maddow MSNBC show had a couple of clips about a very important legislative bill that passed in the House of Representatives on monday  Sept 15 ’08.

The bill is H. R. 5167 which had 38 co-sponsors with only 3 being Republican.

The bill’s name is: Justice for Victims of Torture and Terrorism Act

But watch a video, of which I combined two of her reports together, that will explain further.

The Iraq Moratorium marks its first anniversary on Friday, but it won’t be a celebration.

The goal when the Moratorium was launched in September 2007 was to put itself out of business by ending the war and occupation of Iraq.

Despite George Bush and John McCain’s belief that we are somehow winning, there are more US troops there now than there were a year ago.  The war itself is five and a half years old.  

If McCain becomes president, there is no end in sight.  If Obama does, we’ll eventually get out, but it will take continued pressure on him and the Democrats in Congress to do the right thing.  (We elected a new Congress two years ago to end the war; how’d that go?)

The Iraq Moratorium, inspired by the Vietnam Moratorium that helped end that war, was created to reach out to the two-thirds of the American public who say they oppose the war but don’t do anything to try to end it.  It’s what Nixon called the silent majority, except that now they are on the antiwar side.  But they are still silent.

The Moratorium is a simple idea.  It asks people to interrupt their daily routines once a month, on the Third Friday of every month, and do something to call for an end to the war and occupation of Iraq.

It can be something simple, like wearing a button or armband to work or school.  Or it can be dramatic, like taking part in some kind of major rally, march, occupation, die-in or other action.  Some choose to challenge authority and get arrested.  Others send an email to their Congress member.  There is room for all of that and everything in between.  There are no rules, and only one requirement to be part of Iraq Moratorium day:  Do something!

You’ll find lots of ideas for individual action and a listing of events at the Moratorium website.  You’ll also find reports, photos and videos from previous actions.

Operating on a shoestring and relying on volunteers, the Moratorium sparked at least 1,322 events in 42 states and 256 communities during its first year of operation. (Those were listed; many others just happen and are never added to the list or the count.)

Imagine what it could accomplish with a little money and even a tiny bit of media attention?

Help make it happen.   Donate something if you can, knowing that every badly-needed dollar will be put to immediate and effective use in the cause of peace.

But, more importantly, do something.

You may not end the war.  But acting can be its own reward.  Give it a try.

I want to point you to a friends website PTSD Combat: Winning the War Within if you hadn’t know about Ilona’s work and research, or if you’ve visited but not in awhile.

And point you to her recent post OEF/OIF Veteran Suicide Toll: Nearly 15% of Overall U.S. Military Casualties Result from Suicide

I’m only going to give you a small snippet of her post, visit and read the rest, for there are a number of link backs giving one an open window in the problems that war and occupation theaters inflict on those who serve in them, as well as the people of the occupied and destroyed countries.
 

Yesterday, two American helicopters were fired on and turned back by Pakistani troops after trying to enter a Pakistani village without the government’s permission. This only 12 days after the first known US ground incursion into Pakistan killed 20 civilians in the same village. The Pakistani people and their leaders are demanding  that Pakistan defend its land and people against foreign attacks.

President Zardari of Pakistan, is now on a diplomatic jaunt in the UK presenting what his aides call a “new Marshall Plan” for Pakistan’s northwestern border with Afghanistan. Will an Obama administration transplant the Bush administration’s policies that failed in Iraq to the homeland of the Taliban? Or will they commit to serious, long-term solutions?  

The New York Times, on 10 September, published this story about the Iraq Government canceling oil field development contracts with Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, Shell, Total and BP.

While not particularly lucrative by industry standards, the contracts were valued for providing a foothold in Iraq at a time when oil companies are being shut out of energy-rich countries around the world.

“Not particularly lucrative” might well be interpreted to mean, they were not production sharing agreements in which the contractors, the oil companies, get ownership of a share of the oil. Rather than a share of the oil the agreements were technical service contracts in which the oil companies would be paid set fees for their services. This is the usual contractual format for services used in the other oil rich countries in the Persian Gulf Region.

Topic: The American Widow Project We Regret to Inform You Chapter 1

Originally aired on September 10th, 2008

Led by Taryn Davis, a group of young military widows band together in a new peer support network called the American Widow Project.

Just prior to the Republican Convention Veterans For Peace held their annual convention, it to took place in the twin cities area, Minneapolis-St Paul. For those who might be interested you can take a look at some photo’s of the VFP Convention Here and Here

But this isn’t about the VFP Convention, it’s about what came out of.

Veterans For Peace adopted two resolutions last week effectively firing signal flares into the path of whoever wins this November’s election, regardless of party.