Tom Hayden's Blog, page 44

Peace Activists Breach Secure Nuke Facility to Pray, Pour Blood

How could three pacifist senior citizens breach a secure nuclear weapons facility to pour blood on the spot where uranium was enriched for the 1945 Hiroshima bomb? What does it say about the risk of loose nukes in the world, except that the emperor has no clothes?

American Activists to Attempt Anti-Drone March Across Pakistan

A sixty-kilometer, Pakistani-led march against US drone attacks is being planned, starting September 23 from Islamabad to Northern Waziristan. Under the armed monitoring of drones above and military forces on the ground, the caravan will be led by Pashtun villager victims, the independent presidential candidate Imran Khan, and CODEPINK and British anti-war activists.

Romney's Uncovered Mormon Roots

The Republican inquisition into Barack Obama’s family roots is in total contrast to the avoidance of Mitt Romney’s Mexican Mormon past. As recently as 2009, 72-year old Meredith Romney, a relative of the Republican nominee, was kidnapped by Mexican gunmen in a strange vendetta involving drug cartels, land disputes and private militias.

Obama’s Big Green Building Blocks

It is a historic fact that the Obama administration has done more for green energy than all previous presidencies combined. The facts are recounted in Michael Grunwald's fascinating The New New Deal, but as the author notes frequently, facts do not matter in politics anymore.

Ryan a Pawn in Neo-Con Return

The neo-conservatives have consolidated their plan for control of US foreign policy with the vice-presidential nomination of Paul Ryan.

Ecuador Grants Assange Asylum Against UK, Swedish Pressure

The British has made a "huge mistake" in threatening yesterday to extract Julian Assange from Ecuador's London consulate after the Latin American country granted political asylum to the WikiLeaks founder yesterday, according to an international human rights lawyer. "They over-stepped, looked like bullies, and made it into a big-power versus small-power conflict,” said New York-based Michael Ratner in an interview with The Nation.

Republicans Block Release of US Soldier Held by Taliban

Republican opposition to diplomatic compromise with the Taliban is blocking the release of a captured U.S soldier held since 2009 and broader negotiations aimed at a resolution of the decade-long war.

20 Million Gallons of Agent Orange

August 10 marked the dark anniversary of the first US spraying of Vietnam with Agent Orange, containing the carcinogen dioxin, a defoliant that fell on millions of human beings, including American soldiers, causing a legacy of cancers and birth defects.

Paul Watson Seeks Safest Harbor From Japan Extradition

Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd and longtime crusader against Japan's whaling industry, may surface in the next week after he has explored options for the safest haven from extradition charges he believes will lead to imprisonment in Japan.

Can the Caravan for Peace End the War on Drugs?

A new peace movement to end the US-sponsored drug war begins with buses rolling and feet marching from the Tijuana–San Diego border on August 12 through twenty-five US cities to Washington, DC, in September.