David Swanson's Blog, page 187
February 28, 2012
Virginia Nullifies NDAA
Good things do come out of the Virginia state legislature. That normally reprehensible body has just stood up to the federal outrage that has come to be known as the NDAA. The letters stand for the National Defense Authorization Act, but at issue here is not the bulk of that bill. Virginia's state government has no objection to dumping our grandchildren's unearned pay into the pockets of war profiteers while our schools lack funding. At issue is the presidential power to lock people up without a trial, which was slipped into the latest military funding bill late last year and signed into law by President Barack Obama on New Year's Eve.
Un-Cheating Justice: Two Years Left to Prosecute Bush
Elizabeth Holtzman knows something about struggles for justice in the U.S. government. She was a member of Congress and of the House Judiciary Committee that voted for articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon in 1973. She proposed the bill that in 1973 required that "state secrets" claims be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. She co-authored the special prosecutor law that was allowed to lapse, just in time for the George W. Bush crime wave, after Kenneth Starr made such a mockery of it during the Whitewater-cum-Lewinsky scandals. She was there for the creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 1978.
February 26, 2012
Preaching Peace
Sermon by David Swanson on February 26, 2012, at Unitarian Universalist church in Hilton Head, SC. Video by Alan Ammann.
February 25, 2012
Lifting the Shadow of War
David Swanson on February 25, 2012, in Hilton Head, SC, with HiltonHeadForPeace.org. Video by John King.
February 24, 2012
Newt Gingrich Says Withdraw from Afghanistan
Even a broken radioactive timebomb is right twice a day.
Here's Newt:
"And, candidly, if Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, doesn't feel like apologizing then we should say good bye and good luck, we don't need to be here risking our lives and wasting our money on somebody who doesn't care."
Now, this was preceded by the declaration that one must not apologize for burning Korans. And Newt's point is not that the military should be cut or the bombs stop falling on foreign nations.
But he does have a point, and it is the right one: Nothing is being accomplished on the terms of the warmakers themselves by staying in Afghanistan another minute. Nothing ever was. Nothing ever will be. Karzai cannot support night raids, bombs, helicopters shooting children, Nazi flags, urination on corpses, or burning Korans. He cannot and he will not and he should not.
If you're going to get out, and you're just wasting more blood and treasure first, then get the hell out. Even if Newt Gingrich agrees with you.
UVA Still Not Paying Living Wage -- UVA Students Still Not Eating
From MichaelMoore.com
'Why I'm Hunger Striking at UVA'
"... in our 'caring community,' hundreds of contract employees may make as little
as $7.25/hour ... I have experienced many periods of economic hardship in my
life. Growing up, I moved over 30 times – including various stays in homeless
shelters, the homes of family friends, and church basements. I know firsthand
what the economic struggle is like for many of these underpaid workers."
– Joseph Williams, third-year student at the University of Virginia
and player for Virginia Cavaliers football
Get the Facts
UVA would need to spend $4.2-5.8 million to pay all direct employees at least
$13/hour – or less than 0.25% of the university's $2.487 billion annual budget
'Same Thing, Different Century'
"I still view the University as a plantation ... the field workers aren't going
to speak out." – Grace, former UVA employee
self-actualization." – Teresa A. Sullivan, The Social Organization of Work
UPDATES: @UVALivingWage | LivingWageAtUVA.org | Facebook
DO SOMETHING in Charlottesville, VA Friday:
Join the Living Wage Rally at 12:00 Noon
University of Virginia Rotunda, street side, University Avenue (MAP)
DO SOMETHING Anywhere:
Politely Tell the People Who Run UVA to Act Like Decent Human Beings
Their email addresses are publicly available right here
Sign the Living Wage Campaign Petition
February 22, 2012
Palestine on Talk Nation Radio
Christopher Allen-Doucot on his 2011 experiences in Palestine, where a peaceful protest movement continues.
U.S. Catholics are celebrating a holy week and it seemed appropriate to reair our special with this prominent Catholic peace activist. Chris Doucot talks about what he saw in Palestine of a growing protest movement as he puts the occupation in perspective. We hear about the impacts of the right wing religious movement, Christian Zionism, on the lives of Palestinian Muslims, Christians and Jews, through recent history.
While peace talks between Israel and Palestine remain stalled, a growing number of peace activists from around the world are visiting Palestine to observe or participate in a growing protest movement there. At stake are the illegal Israeli settlements and separation wall, and a lack of access to Jerusalem where many holy sites are now blocked off for both Jewish and Christian Palestinians. The event was organized by the Israel/Palestine Peace, Education and Action Group of N.E. CT. They invited Chris Allen-Doucot to discuss his recent visits to Palestine and Afghanistan.
(First aired April/May 2011, still very fresh and relevant. Meanwhile, David Swanson tools up for continued great programming. He is forming a production team.)
Total Run Time: 29:28
Host: David Swanson
Producer: David Swanson
Download at Pacifica's Audioport here http://audioport.org/index.php?op=program-info&program_id=40426&nav=&
Or at Archive.org here http://www.archive.org/details/ChrisAllen-doucotOnVisitToPalestineSettlersBothJoinInProtestsCause
February 21, 2012
Imperial Presidents
Launching A War (3:40)
In The Hands Of One Person (3:40)
Weapons And Concerns (3:30)
Collapse (3:06)
The Fix (3:02)
Military Budgets (5:30)
After The Speech (2:50)
This is a free release. If you like it, please donate!
Paypal to nf@normanfairbanks.com. Thank you.
February 20, 2012
The 10 Most Excellent Reasons to Attack Iran
1. Iran has threatened to fight back if attacked, and that's a war crime. War crimes must be punished.
2. My television says Iran has nukes. I'm sure it's true this time. Just like with North Korea. I'm sure they're next. We only bomb places that really truly have nukes and are in the Axis of Evil. Except Iraq, which was different.
3. Iraq didn't go so badly. Considering how lousy its government is, the place is better off with so many people having left or died. Really, that one couldn't have worked out better if we'd planned it.
