Tom Hayden's Blog, page 41

César E. Chávez National Monument

President Obama deepened his ties with the Mexican-American community and legacy on October 8, when he dedicated a US national monument to farmworkers' leader Cesar Chavez at La Paz, in Keene, California. Hundreds of farmworker families and friends attended the official event at the rural headquarters of the farmworkers' movement.

Citizen Diplomacy Against Drones Over Pakistan

A delegation of American peace activists has succeeded in directly engaging the US ambassador to Pakistan over the drone attacks, which have killed civilians and inflamed anti-US opinion in South Asia and around the globe.

U.S. Withdraws 33,000 Troops Without Taliban Peace Deal

As previously reported by the Peace and Justice Resource Center, the US combat presence in Afghanistan is winding steadily down while political gridlock in Washington is sabotaging the possibility of a negotiated settlement with the Taliban. Hell may lie ahead if purgatory cannot be negotiated.

Netanyahu Forced to Delay "Red Line"

The immediate threat of war against Iran appears to have lifted for the presidential election season, after months of pressure from Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Mitt Romney and many US neo-conservatives. In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly last week, Netanyahu pushed back his "red line" to next spring or summer.

Would Romney Waterboard Chris Hedges?

A federal judge has ruled in favor of Chris Hedges and several anti-war plaintiffs that they cannot be constitutionally detained for “substantially” or “materially” supporting Al Qaeda, the Taliban or “associated groups” in the course of their journalism or advocacy work.

Support Continues to Build for Salvador Gang Truce

Mainstream progressive groups in Washington are backing a Central American gang peace process for the first time, as an El Salvador truce between Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street continues into its sixth month. The Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) are sponsoring an October 2 seminar to hear an eyewitness report from a transnational group formed to promote the Salvadoran process.

Drug War Criticized at UN by Latin Leaders

Latin American leaders criticized the Drug War in their 2012 UN General Assembly speeches.  

Bolivia’s president Evo Morales condemned US drug policy in Latin America, and also criticized current Obama White House double standards when it comes to general foreign policy. Even the region’s top right-wing leaders agreed on the general consensus that the Drug War is a failure costing too many lives and too much money.

New York Times' Hawk Michael Gordon Keeps Spinning Iraq

US soldiers carry the body of a fellow soldier killed in a car bomb attack in Iraq in 2010. (Photo: Warrick Page)Ten years ago, Michael Gordon and Judith Miller of the New York Times helped the Bush case for war with Iraq by publishing frightening articles about Saddam Hussein's Iraq having “stepped up” its drive for nuclear weapons and chemical stockpiles. Miller later went to prison briefly for protecting her sources, left the Times under a cloud of embarrassment, and finally took a position as a neo-con-supporting commentator.

US Special Forces Deployed in Iraq, Again

Despite the official US military withdrawal last December, American special forces "recently" returned to Iraq on a counter-terrorism mission, according to an American general in charge of weapons sales there. The mission was reported by the New York Times, in the fifteenth paragraph of a story about deepening sectarian divides.

Triumphant Moment for Quebec Student Movement

Protesters opposing Quebec's student tuition fee hikes march during an August demonstration. (Photo: Graham Hughes) Quebec's student movement and their allies have succeeded in blocking regressive tuition hikes and a law aimed directly at suppressing their rights to mobilize and speak. The newly elected Parti Quebecois (PQ) granted both student demands on the first day of taking office after its September 3 election victory.

“All this has the right-wing in Canada pulling out their hair,” according to Derrick O'Keefe, editor of the online daily Rabble. “It is definitely a huge and significant win,” he affirmed.