David Swanson's Blog, page 171
August 9, 2012
Soldiers Who Refuse to Kill
One of the most inspiring events thus far at the Veterans For Peace National Convention underway in Miami was a presentation on Thursday by several veterans who have refused to participate in war. Typically, they have done this at the risk of significant time in prison, or worse. In most cases these resisters avoided doing any time. Even when they did go behind bars, they did so with a feeling of liberation.
Gerry Condon refused to deploy to Vietnam, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, escaped from Fort Bragg, left the country, and came back campaigning for amnesty. President Jimmy Carter pardoned resisters as his first act in office. Condon never "served" a day, in either the military "service" or prison.
August 7, 2012
Talk Nation Radio: Hidden History of the War on Iraq and Its Oil
Greg Muttitt, visiting from the U.K., is the author of a new book on Iraq that is making a lot of news. It's called Fuel on the Fire: Oil and Politics in Occupied Iraq. Noami Klein calls Muttitt's book "nothing short of a secret history of the war." Muttitt uncovers new and authoritative evidence that the war was, from initial conception through to the current day, driven by interest in oil. And he tells a story of successful nonviolent resistance in Iraq, led by the oil workers, that has prevented the enactment of an oil law aimed at benefitting foreign corporations at the expense of the Iraqi people.
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Engineer: Christiane Brown.
Music by Duke Ellington.
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Best Southern Corporate Editorial Ever
One cannot always count on words of wisdom from the editorials published by corporate newspaper chains in the Southern United States, or anywhere else. This one is far from perfect, but remarkably great. This was published by the Charlottesville Daily Progress on Tuesday and adapted by them from their corporate sister the Richmond Times Dispatch. Possibly numerous other Media General (Warren Buffet) newspapers printed the same or similar:
August 6, 2012
Slow Democracy
Susan Clark and Woden Teachout's new book, "Slow Democracy," offers the civil equivalent to slow food. The goal of both is not slowness for its own sake, but quality, health, sustainability, and the pursuit of happiness.
We all know that the federal government ignores us most of the time, state governments nod in our direction once in a blue moon, and local governments listen to us quite often. So, there is an argument to be made for moving decision-making powers to the local level and engaging there.
KPFT's The Monitor Takes on Violence
The theme of this week’s show: Guns and Media
RootsAction.org and Just Foreign Policy have launched a campaign targeting NBC’s new program, “Stars Earn Stripes,” a reality show co-hosted by retired U.S. General Wesley Clark and co-starring Todd Palin, which the network is advertising during the Olympics. We discuss this with David Swanson
Another mass shooting, this time in Wisconsin, has people wondering what can be done about gun violence, the gun lobby and the debate about second amendment protections. We discuss this with Ladd Everitt
More about this week’s guests:
David Swanson
David Swanson holds a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Virginia. He has worked as a newspaper reporter and as a communications director, with jobs including press secretary for Dennis Kucinich’s 2004 presidential campaign, media coordinator for the International Labor Communications Association, and three years as communications coordinator for ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.
He blogs at http://davidswanson.org and http://warisacrime.org and works as Campaign Coordinator for the online activist organization http://rootsaction.org
In April 2012, Swanson began working for Veterans For Peace. Swanson hosts Talk Nation Radio.
Quote: “NBC is marketing its new show during the Olympics as the next big sport, featuring former Olympic athletes, but the sport is war, with — so they tell us — real bullets, real explosives, and real danger. If NBC is really risking blowing off the head or arm or leg of Sarah Palin’s husband and the other stars, then we’ve regressed to ancient Rome. Bread and circuses are now Big Macs and NBC war-o-tainment shows. I suspect and hope that in fact NBC is not putting these people at risk and nobody is going to die on Stars Earn Stripes (note, link does not take you to the NBC show page). And I am certain that the 95 percent of casualties in U.S. wars who rarely get mentioned on any NBC program, namely the non-Americans, will not be featured. We will not see children and grandparents blown to pieces. We will not see cluster bombs picked up as toys. We may see doors kicked in, but not the screaming terrified families behind them. NBC is sanitizing and normalizing war as a sport. Gone is any concept of war as an emergency, any notion of war time as separate from peace time. We are into permanent war, and war for its own sake.”
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Ladd Everitt
Ladd Everitt is the Director of Communications of Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. He has served as the Director of Communications of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence since May 2006. In this position, he is responsible for developing and managing a wide range of communications activities in support of the organization’s overall mission.
Mr. Everitt has served in a volunteer capacity with the D.C. Crisis Response Team, a group which offers comfort, support and referral services to victims and survivors of homicide in the District of Columbia. From 2002-2007, he served as the volunteer President of the D.C. Chapter of the Million Mom March. Under his direction, the chapter conducted events for victims and survivors of gun violence, published letters and editorials in local and national periodicals, participated in press conferences and demonstrations calling for sensible gun laws, networked with other community groups who are interested in stemming the tide of gun violence, and authored a comprehensive resource book for victims and survivors, which was used by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Ladd relocated to the District of Columbia from New York in September of 1993 to pursue a Masters degree in U.S. Foreign Policy at American University. After completing his degree, he worked as a Research Associate with the U.S.‑Saudi Arabian Business Council in Washington, DC, and as a Chief of Policy Development for the Air Force Association in Arlington, Virginia.
A statement from Coalition to Stop Gun Violence issued in the wake of the incident in Colorado read in part: “Reports indicate that the shooter, 24-year-old James Holmes wore body armor and was armed with two Glock handguns, a tactical shotgun, and an AR-15 style assault rifle. He also released some type of chemical gas into the theater during the massacre. Twelve fatalities have been reported so far, with approximately 38 moviegoers injured, including 16 critically. “Sadly, there is nothing novel about this tragedy. It is yet another massacre perpetuated by a homicidal maniac who was given easy access to lethal, military-style firepower. “The pro-gun movement has told us that bloodbaths like Aurora are the price we must pay to guarantee freedom and individual liberty in the United States. Rational Americans should reject such radical ideology and demand immediate reform of our gun laws. “The truth is that there is no greater threat to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ than the wanton gun violence that continues to destroy American families and communities. Until our legislators stand up to the extreme leadership of the National Rifle Association and enact laws to assure the thorough screening of gun buyers, tragedies like Aurora will continue to haunt America. It is long past time to put public safety back on the agenda in the U.S. Congress, and in our state legislatures.”
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has also released a statement about the shooting in Wisconsin. You can read it here.
Beyond the Two-State Solution
Fast forward to 2048. The world is greatly changed, and in this year China invades France, occupying Paris and a good portion of the nation. The French are massacred, evicted, raped, chased, and terrorized. Towns are destroyed. Every town and village has its name changed to a Chinese name, and its prior existence erased from any history books produced from then forward.
Military Industrial Complex= the top opponent of all that is good & just
Podcast Show #91: the Military Industrial Complex= the top opponent of all that is good & just
The Boiling Frogs Presents David Swanson
Author and peace activist David Swanson joins us to discuss our nation’s perpetual war status, the latest in the peace activists’ movement, and the disappearance of Anti-Republicans from peace movement since Barack Obama’s presidency. He talks about the need for overcoming Americans’ understanding of the war machine as a jobs engine and militarism as a normal way of life, and for broader understanding of the Military Industrial Complex as the top opponent of all that is good and just, broader-based opposition to not only domestic surveillance drones but also our killer drones abroad, and more!
David Swansonis an activist, blogger and author, and a founder of WarIsACrime.Org. He was press secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential campaign, is co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, and a board member of ProgressiveDemocrats of America, the Backbone Campaign, and Voters for Peace. Mr. Swanson has authored several books including Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union,War Is A Lie, When the World Outlawed War, and The Military Industrial Complex at 50. To learn more about David Swanson visit http://davidswanson.org
Here is our guest David Swanson unplugged! http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/2012/08/06/podcast-show-91-the-military-industrial-complex-the-top-opponent-of-all-that-is-good-just/
Sibel Edmonds
August 5, 2012
Tell It Like It Is: Kateri Tekakwitha Peace Conference
Aug. 2, 2012
Hosted by Christina Malisoff.
Interviews with John Amidon, founder and co-facilitator of the of the upcoming 14th Annual Kateri Tekakwitha Peace Conference. Keynote speaker John Horgan, a lauded science writer, Scientific American editor and author of "The End of War" along with David Swanson, peace activist and author of "War is a Lie",
Click here for the file (audio/mpeg)
August 17, 18, 2012, Fonda, N.Y., Kateri Tekakwitha Peace Conference
When the World Outlawed War -- In German
When the World Outlawed War has been translated into German. Now we need a German publisher.
About the translator:
Jochen Lembke, Europe´s cab-driving writer
Born ´61 in Germany, finished school with the Abitur, did studies in politics and medicine and a vocational training as a masseur. Drove a cab in four cities, in three countries, France will be next. Began writing in 2001, written 6 books, translated 5, (not counting this one) one of which was a yet unauthorized version to the Hitch-Hiker´s Guide to the Galaxy, first written in German.
August 1, 2012
Veterans For Peace National Convention in Miami to Feature Alice Walker, Phil Donahue
Veterans For Peace
216 South Meramec Ave
St. Louis MO 63105
http://veteransforpeace.org
(314) 725-6005(office)
(314) 725-7103 (fax)
For Immediate Release - August 1, 2012
Veterans For Peace will hold its 2012 National Convention in Miami, Fla., August 8-11. The event, which includes speeches, films, workshops, and musical entertainment, is open to the public and will feature prize-winning novelist Alice Walker, film producer Phil Donahue, activist Roy Bourgeois, and many other speakers. The text of a public service announcement follows the list of speakers below.
