Just a quick reminder that this is the final week to nominate an individual or organization working for peace -- deadline this Sunday at midnight!

Each year, the Fellowship of Reconciliation awards three peace prizes -- international, national, and local -- to individuals or organizations whose commitment to peace, justice, and reconciliation is recognized as extraordinary.

Make a nomination for the FOR Peace Awards by the end of Sunday!

There is no requirement that you or the nominee have any affiliation with FOR, so please share this announcement with your networks of peace and justice advocates!

Awards are made in three categories -- you can browse the list of past winners to see who's won before.

International Pfeffer Peace Award: Established in 1989 by Leo and Freda Pfeffer, the award honors an individual or organization working globally for peace and justice.

Martin Luther King Jr. Award: Established by FOR in 1979, the award recognizes a person or group working in the United States in the tradition of Reverend Dr. King's nonviolent approach to transforming racial, social, and economic injustice.

Nyack-Area Peace Award: Established by FOR in 2006, the award honors an organization or individual involved in significant peace and justice work in the Nyack, New York area, where FOR's national headquarters is located.

Make your nominations now, before submissions close on Sunday at midnight!

In peace,

Mark C. Johnson, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation

Image: "Dove of Peace," 1727, presented by Pope John Paul II to the United Nations in 1979. (Wikimedia, public domain.)

By Dahr Jamail, TomDispatch

Back then, everybody was writing about Iraq, but it’s surprising how few Americans, including reporters, paid much attention to the suffering of Iraqis.  Today, Iraq is in the news again. The words, the memorials, the retrospectives are pouring out, and again the suffering of Iraqis isn’t what’s on anyone’s mind.  This was why I returned to that country before the recent 10th anniversary of the Bush administration’s invasion and why I feel compelled to write a few grim words about Iraqis today.

Please join the Washington Peace Center for a dance party to celebrate our 50th year of working for peace and justice. Plus celebrate May Day with our community!

What: Dance party and celebration!
When: Sat, May 4th, 9pm-midnight
Where: St. Stephen's Church, 1525 Newton St NW (near Columbia Heights Metro -green/yellow line)
Tickets for the dance party are $5-50, sliding scale, payable at the door.

Dance the night away and celebrate 50 years of working for peace and justice. DJs, drinks and great company! View our interactive timeline of the past 50 years and record the moment in our photo booth.

Limited tickets for dinner and program earlier in the evening are available. Click here http://washingtonpeacecenter.net/node/8850 for info and tickets for the dinner and program.

May Day is a holiday for all! Come celebrate with our community.

Click here to RSVP for the dance party on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/events/524820254235566/?ref=ts&fref=ts

As you’ve probably read by now, a man apparently trying to impersonate a pilot on a US Airways flight in Philadelphia now faces federal and state charges.

Expanding Guantanamo

by Stephen Lendman

In 2008, candidate Obama promised to close Guantanamo. Straightaway as president, he issued Executive Order titled "Review and Disposition of Individuals Detained at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base and Closure of Detention Facilities."

Obama Spurns Palestinian Rights

by Stephen Lendman

He frankly doesn't give a damn. He spent three days in Israel. He showed one-sided support. He gave Palestinians short shrift. He spent token time in Ramallah. 

He told Israelis "so long as there is a United States of America, Ah-tem lo lah-vahd (You are not alone)." He left no doubt what he means. 

Arms Airlift to Syrian Rebels Expands With C.I.A. Aid, Size of the Shipments and Degree of Distributions are Voluminous - NYTimes.com

Syrian Jihadist Fighters Getting Western Anti-tank Weapons Meant for FSA groups - VOA

Russia Seeks to Join Probe of Syria Chemical Attack Reports - RIA Novosti

Defected Syrian pilot says he made trips to Russia and Iran to ‘collect cash’ - Alarabiya.net 

Rebel mortar fire hits Damascus killing at least two people, army gunners retaliate - Reuters

U.N. to move some staff out of Syria after mortar blasts near hotel - Reuters

Jordan closes main border crossing with Syria - Reuters

Residents of Syria's Aleppo sell belongings to survive - Ahram Online

Tunisian Jihadists fighting in the ranks of Jabhat al-Nusra and FSA, According to newspapers they are funded by Qatar and trained in Libya -  Al-Monitor

VIDEO: Rebels target Syrian State TV & Radio With Rockets - LiveLeak.com

VIDEO: A new toy for Syrian rebels: U.S. ACOGs? - LiveLeak.com

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Syrian rebel army founder's leg blown off by car bomb - Reuters

VIDEO (GRAPHIC): FSA founder Riad al-Asaad in Turkish hospital having his shredded leg amputated - YouTube

PHOTO: Photo showing Riad al-Asaad's amputated leg - LiveLeak.com

VIDEO: FSA founder Ryad El Asaad crying "I want to die" after becoming amputee - YouTube

VIDEO (Arabic): Riad Al-Asaad praising the indepedence and fighting spirit of Jabhat Al Nusra and condemning the political hacks and opportunists who are controlled by foreign powers - YouTube

VIDEO (Arabic): FSA statement about assassination attempt on al Asaad - LiveLeak.com

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Syria rebels win Arab League seat despite rifts - AFP

Iraq: Giving Syria seat at AL to Doha Coalition violation of Charter - SANA, Syria

Syria's Alkhatib to address Doha meeting despite quitting - Reuters

VIDEO (Arabic): Opposition leader Michel Kilo accuses the Muslim Brotherhood and Sabbagh’s Qatari-backed faction of choosing PM Hitto in a non-consensual manner - Youtube

VIDEO (Arabic): Ghassan Hitto, Syrian National Coalition PM visits Aleppo - YouTube

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

Whistleblower Bradley Manning has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and he should receive it. 

No individual has done more to push back against what Martin Luther King Jr. called "the madness of militarism" than Bradley Manning. The United States is the leading exporter of weapons and itself spends as much preparing for more wars as the rest of the world combined.  Manning is the leading actor in opposition to U.S. warmaking, and therefore militarism around the world.  What he has done has hurt the cause of violence in a number of other nations as well.

And right now, remaining in prison and facing relentless prosecution by the U.S. government, Manning is in need of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Alfred Nobel's will left funding for a prize to be awarded to "the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses."

The intent of the prize was to fund this work. As a result of enormous legal expenses, Bradley Manning is in need of that funding, unlike some other peace prize recipients.  In addition, his secret trial -- with a potential death sentence -- could use all the attention that can be shined on it.

The people of the United States and the rest of the world have learned more about the intentions of the U.S. government from Bradley Manning than from anyone else.  "Thanks to Manning's alleged disclosures, we have a sense of what transpired in Iraq and Afghanistan.  We have an image of how Washington operates in the world," author Chase Madar wrote in his book about Manning's whistleblowing.

"Thanks to those revelations we now know just how our government leaned on the Vatican to quell opposition to the Iraq War. We now know how Washington pressured the German government to block the prosecution of CIA agents who kidnapped an innocent man, Khaled El-Masri, while he was on vacation. We know how our State Department lobbied hard to prevent a minimum wage increase in Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest nation."

Manning revealed a secret U.S. war in Yemen, U.S. records of massive civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, video of a U.S. helicopter attack on civilians and their rescuers in Baghdad, and facts about the corruption of numerous governments including those of the United States, Tunisia, and Egypt.  In those last two nations Manning's revelations contributed to nonviolent pro-democracy movements.

Among the revelations made by Manning through WikiLeaks is the extent of time and energy the U.S. State Department puts into marketing U.S. weapons to the world's governments.  We all have a better understanding of the work that is needed for peace as a result of this exposure of "diplomacy" as consisting so greatly of weapons selling.

The Guardian newspaper and BBC Arabic detailed last week how the United States armed and trained Iraqi police commando units that ran torture centers and death squads.  Maggie O'Kane, executive producer of the documentary, said: "I hope this film will be a legacy that actually says, 'If you want to go to war, this is what war means. It means 14-year-old boys being hung up and tortured. It means men being turned on spits. And that's called counter-insurgency. . . .'  This would not be coming to light if it hadn't been for Bradley Manning."

Not only has Manning done the most to resist militarism, but he has done it for its own sake, and not by chance or for any ulterior motive.  This is made clear by his recent statement in court and by his earlier communications in the chat logs that have long been a part of his case.   Manning was horrified by crimes and abuses.  He believed the public should know what was happening.  He believed democracy was more important than blind subservience in the name of a "democracy."

Manning has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by the Movement in the Icelandic Parliament, the Pirates of the EU; representatives from the Swedish Pirate Party, and the former Secretary of State in Tunisia for Sport & Youth.  The nomination states, in part:  "These revelations have fueled democratic uprisings around the world, including a democratic revolution in Tunisia. According to journalists, his alleged actions helped motivate the democratic Arab Spring movements, shed light on secret corporate influence on the foreign and domestic policies of European nations, and most recently contributed to the Obama Administration agreeing to withdraw all U.S. troops from the occupation in Iraq."

The Norwegian Nobel Committee (send them a note) can either begin awarding the peace prize to opponents of war or continue on its current course -- one which already has many questioning, not whether Manning is worthy of the prize, but whether the prize is worthy of Manning.

Cyprus Update

by Stephen Lendman

It's all over but the post mortems. Eurocrats demanded their pound of flesh. Cypriot officials surrendered. 

They sold out their people. They deserve better. Expect greater than ever hard times. Expect growing poverty, unemployment and despair. Expect public anger. At issue is whether it'll bubble up and explode.

A full five years after the TSA began installing airport scanners and forcing people through them, and almost two years after it was ordered by Congress and the courts to hold a public comment period on them, the agency is finally complying.

Never mind that logic and common sense dictate that an agency would take public comments before implementing a new, invasive procedure.

What Follows Turkish/Israeli Reconciliation 

by Stephen Lendman

A separate article called it grand betrayal. Aggrieved families were denied justice. What's ahead matters most. Be concerned. Be very concerned.

Shameless NYT Defense of Obamacare

by Stephen Lendman

Obamacare is a healthcare rationing scheme. It enriches insurers, drug companies and large hospital chains.

Universal, single-payer coverage alone works. Obama and complicit Democrats spurned it. 

Upcoming Events

http://www.alternet.org/world/10-years-after-invasion-america-destroyed-iraq-our-war-crimes-remain-unacknowledged-and

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney
Photo Credit: Cherle A. Thuriby/Dept. of Defense

March 15, 2013  |  

 

 

 

 

Since the end of the Second World War, American political leaders and opinion-makers have led the public to believe that the aggressive use of overt and covert military force are essential tools of US foreign policy.  As we reel from one military disaster to the next, sending our loved ones off to war, killing millions of innocent people and destabilizing one region after another, each new administration assures us that it has learned the lessons of the past and deserves our support and sacrifice for its latest military strategy.

By Linn Washington, Jr.

The HISTORY channel is catching righteous hell for crafting the character of Satan in its miniseries “The Bible” to bear an uncanny likeness to U.S. President Barak Obama.

Is it just coincidence that the dark-skinned Satan in this HISTORY channel miniseries looks hauntingly similar to the first black man to occupy the Oval Office seat in America’s White House?

To sign onto the following letter, write to mobuszewski at Verizon.net

National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218
Email mobuszewski at Verizon.net
Phone 410-366-1637

John Brennan, Director
The Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, D.C. 20500
xxxx xx, 2013
Dear Mr. Brennan:

We followed with great interest the progress of your nomination by President Obama to be head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Now that the United States Senate has confirmed you as CIA director and you were sworn into office, we must write to you about our deep concerns regarding the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, also known as drones, by the CIA in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and other places.

CIA-operated drones have been used to kill people who have not been convicted of any crime, including US citizens.  As you know, in 2011 in Yemen CIA drone attacks were used to kill, first, Anwar Al-Awlaki and weeks later his son.  They were U.S. citizens, who were never charged, brought to trial, or convicted of any crime.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Constitutional Rights brought a lawsuit in US federal court against the Obama Administration regarding the assassination of Al-Awlaki.  The suit was lost on procedural grounds, however, the judge in the case stated "Can the executive order the assassination of a US citizen without first affording him any form of judicial process whatsoever, based on the mere assertion that he is a dangerous member of a terrorist organization?"

 We find this case to be alarming as it goes directly to important constitutional issues, due process, and international law.  We concur with Michael Ratner, recent president of the Center for Constitutional Rights, who stated “The dire implications of this killing should not be lost on any of us. There appears to be no limit to the president's power to kill anywhere in the world, even if it involves killing a citizen of his own country. Today, it's in Yemen; tomorrow, it could be in the UK or even in the United States.”

In addition, the CIA drone program has been used to kill political opponents of foreign governments the US supports.  This happened in 2010 in Yemen, when a state governor who opposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh was labeled as a leader of Al Qaeda and killed by CIA drones. We do not see actions like this as promoting peace or stability in this troubled region. In fact, violent actions like this on the part of the US military and the CIA in sovereign countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Yemen will only promote more terrorism directed at the US.

We are also disturbed by the lack of transparency and oversight by our congress. In spite of positive statements about you and the drone program by members of the US Senate Intelligence Committee, there appears to be lack of oversight and understanding of the CIA drone program. For example, committee chair Senator Diane Fienstein recently said, on the first day of your nomination hearing, that she didn’t know that all combat age males were considered targets by the US drone program. This particular fact of targeting of combat age males had been reported over a year ago by The New York Times and other news organizations.  If facts like this are public knowledge and members of congress are still unaware, then how much more ignorant can they be of the CIA drone program if they aren’t informed by your agency?

In spite of assurances from President Obama that the victims of drone strikes are surgical targets, it has been reported that hundreds of victims who are innocent of crimes against the US have been killed including civilian men, women, and children. These people have names and families who love them.  Furthermore, people attending funerals in Pakistan have been killed by drone strikes. Reporters with the United Kingdom based Bureau of Investigative Journalism have reported that “…between 282 and 535 civilians have been credibly reported as killed including more than 60 children. A three month investigation including eye witness reports has found evidence that at least 50 civilians were killed in follow-up strikes when they had gone to help victims. More than 20 civilians have also been attacked in deliberate strikes on funerals and mourners. The tactics have been condemned by leading legal experts.”

 We hope that you will take our concerns seriously as it is our position that the use of these drones to kill alleged criminals or terrorists without trial and conviction of any crime is illegal and immoral and increases the ill will directed toward the United States.

 We have written to President Obama and the Secretary of Defense several times in the past with our concerns. We must state again in this letter to you what we said to President Obama: “As members of peace and justice organizations opposed to your continuation of the Bush administration’s failed wars, we are writing to condemn your use of unmanned aerial vehicles (or drones) to kill citizens in at least seven countries. Besides opposing your war policies, we have great concern for people caught up in conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia and Yemen. The use of drones is wrong on many levels: the illegality and immorality of assassinations, the violation of international law and the Constitutional protection of due process, the targeting of civilian populations, and the disregard of sovereignty. We are especially troubled by your refusal to release the flawed document which purportedly gives you legal cover to determine who is on the kill list…We believe U.S. wars and drone attacks have been demonstrable failures. Now is the time to take the risks of peace. Imagine leading a country which has denounced the madness of war, and instead wants to assist and make friendship with the people of the Middle East and Central Asia.”

We believe the US killer drone program by the CIA and the use of drones to kill by the U.S. military must be brought to an end immediately.

Because we take seriously our Nuremberg obligations, we ask that you respond and meet with us to discuss the termination of the use of drones by the CIA and the U.S. military. We would be prepared to meet with relevant policy-makers from the CIA, the Pentagon, and the Obama Administration to discuss our proposal to immediately end killer drone strikes and to start a process of healing with the victims of U.S. wars. Please give serious consideration to our proposal of reconciliation and diplomacy rather than pernicious killer drone strikes.

We look forward to your response. Rejecting our proposal will mean more death and destruction abroad. We will then continue to protest, risk arrest, and denounce the CIA and U.S. military use of killer drones and a foreign policy of endless wars.

In peace,

Malachy Kilbride, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance

(Signatures to follow in alphabetical order by last name, along with affiliation)

 

Syrian National Coalition leader Moaz al-Khatib resigns, citing lack of international support for the rebels - guardian.co.uk

Translation of Syria opposition chief Ahmad Moaz al-Khatib's resignation speech- NOW

Syria's opposition National Coalition says it refuses leader's resignation - NOW

FSA: Syria insurgents refuse to recognize new rebel PM Hitto - NOW

Al Nusra and other groups 'seize Jordan-Syria border area' - FRANCE 24

A militant Islamist/jihadi nexus is emerging in northern & eastern Syria, led by Harakat Ahrar al-Sham al-Islamiyya and Jabhat al-Nusra - twitlonger.com

VIDEO: Thousands gather in Damascus for funeral of assassinated Syrian cleric - RT News

VIDEO: Evidence Of Jabhat al-Nusra With Croatian Weapons - Brown Moses Blog

VIDEO: Mujahideen arrive at Tartus - LiveLeak.com

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Syria chemical weapons report: finger pointed at jihadists as responsible of the Aleppo attack - Telegraph

Chemical Weapons Probably Used by the Syrian Regime, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rogers Says - Bloomberg

Israel says concerns militants will get Syria chemical weapons factor in restoring Turkey ties - The Washington Post

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EU urges political solution in Syria amid fears of spillover, There is little to no appetite for the push by Britain and France to arm the rebels - NOW

Maliki resists Kerry's call to halt flow of Iranian arms to Syria - latimes.com

Clashes in Lebanon as PM Mikati’s resignation accepted - DAWN.COM

Israeli military in Golan Heights responds to fire from Syria - Fox News

Kurds in Syria Celebrate Their New Year with Hope and Defiance - VICE United States

Kurdish rebels declare formal ceasefire with Turkey - Yahoo! News

Palestinians in Syria register to vote for PNC - Maan News Agency

UN condemns killing of five Palestinian children in Syria - The Boyne City Gazette

To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com

Cyprus Seeks 11th Hour Deal

by Stephen Lendman

When politicians conspire with bankers, ordinary people suffer most. Cypriot crisis conditions continue. One bad plan follows others.

The latest is unprecedented. Cypriot and Eurocrat officials are close to agreement. At issue is levying a one-time 20% tax on Bank of Cyprus deposits over 100,000 euros. Similar amounts in other banks will be assessed 4%.

Grand Betrayal

by Stephen Lendman

Turkey and Israel reconciled. Headlines announced it. They reflect grand betrayal. It's duplicitous. It's too little, too late. More on that below.

Israel bears full responsibility. Officials ordering nine cold-blooded murders remain unaccountable. Corpses won't be reborn. Family survivors aren't assuaged. They deserve better. They were promised justice. They're denied it.

Payday Loans: Modern Day Usury

by Stephen Lendman

Payday loans let predatory lenders rip off unwary borrowers. They provide short-term unsecured quick cash. It comes at a high price. It matches the worst of loan shark practices.

By Dave Lindorff

The American media is full of praise for President Obama for “brokering” a detente between Israel and Turkey, two former allies who have been at loggerheads since May 31, 2010 when heavily armed Israeli Defense Force fighters boarded the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish-flagged vessel seeking to break Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza with non-military supplies, and killed nine unarmed peace flotilla activists.

If they scanned and groped the unskilled workers (hired with cursory vetting by the TSA) before they left the airports, think of all the crimes they’d discover. In yet another of so many TSA-worker-perpetrated crimes, an Orlando TSA agent was arrested after he took home the computer that some honest traveler turned in to him.

Read the rest at TSA News.

High Noon in Cyprus

by Stephen Lendman

The Wall Street Journal said "Cyprus braces for a long weekend." It's not over 'till it's over. What's ahead bodes ill for Cypriots. 

By Popular Resistance

Sign: US leads terrorism (Raad Adayleh)

Obama in Jerusalem 

by Stephen Lendman

Rhetoric doesn't reflect policy. What matters most is what Obama means, not what he says. His agenda affirms one-sided Israeli support. He spurns Palestinian rights. He's done so throughout his tenure. 

He's not about to change now. Palestinians have no friends in Washington. For sure they have none in high places. 

Lawless NYPD Spying on Muslims

by Stephen Lendman

Post-9/11, America declared war on Islam. Muslims became public enemy number one. They're stereotypically portrayed as culturally inferior, dirty, lecherous, untrustworthy, religiously fanatical and violent.

Doing so turns truth on its head. It also violates the Constitution's First Amendment. It guarantees religious freedom. It means free from persecution.