Only 10% support military involvement in Syria
The citizens of this country are in no mood to see U.S. military involvement in Syria. Of course, it has already begun. Consultation, secret assistance, and money given for “communications” (which allows other money for weapons) all contribute to the military effort. For months, Hillary Clinton demanded that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad leave the country. He hasn’t cooperated. What does the toughest guy on the block do when you won’t cooperate?
Hostility Toward a Nation: What is the Source?
Two recent, but seemingly unrelated, news articles are worth reviewing more carefully, to see a common thread.
The first concerns remarks made by special rapporteur with the UN Human Rights Council, Richard Falk. Following the horrific bombing at the Boston Marathon, Mr. Falk said this: “…the United States has been fortunate not to experience worse blowbacks, and these may yet happen, especially if there is no disposition to rethink U.S. relations to others in the world, starting with the Middle East.”
Syria News May 3
Assad forces on the offensive from Damascus to Mediterranean - Yahoo!7
Syrian Forces Strike Rebels in Wide-Ranging Assaults - NYTimes.com
Syrian forces tighten noose on Homs rebels - Yahoo!7
Fractured Syrian rebels scramble for cash as private sponsors dwindle - The Washington Post
For Some Syrian Rebels, It’s a Battle of the Brands - WSJ
The Free Syrian Army is being taken over by groups of jihadist thugs - The Spectator
VIDEO: FSA allegedly attacks Turkish border security - YouTube
Kidnappers say will release Lebanese Shiite pilgrims in exchange of 6000 female prisoners - NOW
Charbel: Release of Lebanese Shiite hostages in hands of Turkey, Qatar - THE DAILY STAR
Shia Muslims flee Damascus as death squads kill religious leaders in street - NZ Herald News
VIDEO: Syrian rebels destroy tomb of Prophets companion - LiveLeak.com
Dispute Flares between Nusra Front and Other Militant Group in Aleppo - almanar.com
VIDEO: Syrian rebel-held Raqqa under attack - Yahoo! News
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POLL: In Middle East, public rejects arming Syrian rebels - CSMonitor.com
Even With U.S. Guns, Syria's Rebels Still Might Lose - Wired.com
U.S. delivers first non-lethal aid shipment to Free Syrian Army - The Cable
Syria chemical weapons evidence 'too degraded' for proof - guardian.co.uk
Syrian Rebels Face Hurdles Proving Chemical-Attack Claims - WSJ.com
Erdoğan: Assad forces used chemical weapons, not opposition - TODAYSZAMAN
Where Are Syria’s Chemical Weapons? - The Daily Beast
Al Arabiya Exclusive: Syria's peace envoy Brahimi to resign end of May - Alarabiya.net English
To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com
First Inside Account of 4/13 US attack on Guantanamo Hunger Strikers
by Debra Sweet. From Reprieve, UK: Tear gas and shotguns – Guantanamo detainee gives first inside account of raid. Younous Chekkouri, a detainee who has been cleared for release but remains held in Guantanamo, has given the first inside account of the raid carried out by prison authorities on Saturday 13 April.
Radicalize For Peace
Radicalize for Peace
The official storyline on the Boston Marathon bombing paints a picture of Tamerlan Tsarnaeva being "radicalized".
The official storyline also ignores the fact that neither Tamerlan's all black backpack nor his brother Dzhokar's mostly white backpack resemble the blown up backpack which was black with a white rectangle on the top (probably a logo). The official storyline also refuses to ask or answer any questions whatsoever about the presence of at least 7 individuals near the bombing site dressed as Craft International mercenaries. At least two of these individuals are wearing black backpacks and at least one of these black backpacks has a white rectangle on the top similar to the one on the backpack that held one of the bombs. This has all been documented by independent journalist David Lindorff at ThisCantBeHappening.net
http://www.thiscantbehappening.net/node/1718
The Downwinders: Fracking Ourselves to Death in Pennsylvania
By Ellen Cantarow, TomDispatch
More than 70 years ago, a chemical attack was launched against Washington State and Nevada. It poisoned people, animals, everything that grew, breathed air, and drank water. The Marshall Islands were also struck. This formerly pristine Pacific atoll was branded “the most contaminated place in the world.” As their cancers developed, the victims of atomic testing and nuclear weapons development got a name: downwinders. What marked their tragedy was the darkness in which they were kept about what was being done to them. Proof of harm fell to them, not to the U.S. government agencies responsible.
A War Criminal’s Final Chapter: The George W. Bush “Lie-Bury”
"Accountability For The Past, Democracy For The Future."
Release Lynn Stewart
RELEASE LYNNE STEWART from WE WILL NOT BE SILENT on Vimeo.
On April 26, 2013, people gathered outside the gates of the U.S. Federal Prison in Carswell, Texas where Lynne Stewart is being held.
STAND WITH THE MANY
NOT WITH THE FEW
WHAT WILL WE DO?
1. Sign the petition for a Compassionate Release for Lynne Stewart. lynnestewart.org/
2. Post photos linked here on Facebook (on.fb.me/11D3nfa) and Twitter, with links to the petition. Raise awareness about Lynne's case, her appeal for a Compassionate Release and encourage people you know to sign the petition. lynnestewart.org/
3. Write a letter to Judge Charles Samuels, who is looking at Lynne's case. Write that Lynne Stewart should be discharged on Compassionate Release grounds.
Charles E. Samuels, Jr. Director
321 First Street NW
Federal Bureau of Prisons
Washington, DC 20534
4. We will come out next week in May 8, 2013 in New York City, Lynne's city and stand up for her. We will create a public presence from Carswell, Texas to Times Square, New York to stand for compassion, for love, for justice for Lynne Stewart and ask others to stand with us. (Facebook Event on.fb.me/ZnwqC5)
5. Join together on May 9, 2013 for a Rally for Lynne Stewart at the Theater 80 Saint Marks, 80 Saint Marks Place, NYC at 7pm.
We will be part of this wave of humanity... to get justice done to bring Lynne home.
We will not delay. Time is of the essence.
SIGN THE PETITION
AND
SPREAD THE WORD
In Lynne's own words, "until my feet are planted like the Tree that grows in Brooklyn and I am around my friends, family and comrades... we must continue. Fight On!!"
Communications Giants in Good Hands with Tom Wheeler
Communications Giants in Good Hands with Tom Wheeler
by Stephen Lendman
Obama's expected to pick Tom Wheeler as new Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman. More on him below.
Tiptoeing Toward War on Syria
Tiptoeing Toward War on Syria
by Stephen Lendman
Events in Syria resemble the run-up to Obama's Libya war. Victims are called aggressors. Pretexts are created for intervention.
Syria News May 2
Obama hasn’t made decision on arming Syrian rebels, W.H. says - WashingtonExaminer.com
Text of the Idriss letter to Obama - scribd.com
Too risky to fund Syrian rebels, Canada says - Money Jihad | Combating terrorist financing
VIDEO: FSA chief Salim Idriss Take A Trip To Syria - Brown Moses Blog
Russian Navy ships ready to evacuate Russians from Syria - Russia & India Report
Russian plane wasn’t targeted in Syrian airspace – state news agency - RT News
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Kidnapped Syrian bishop in need of medicine - Catholic News Agency (CNA)
Syria's other war: Intra-rebel skirmishes - NOW
As Fighting Rages in Damascus, Kurds Flee Their Neighborhoods - Rudaw
Syria’s Opposition Hopes to Win the War by Selling Oil - Yahoo! News
VIDEO: Syrian Rebels Eye EU Oil Trade - YouTube
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VIDEO: Lebanese Sheikh al-Assir filmed fighting in Syria - LiveLeak.com
Director of Syrian Refugees Office in Tripoli Says Escaped Assassination Attempt - Naharnet
VIDEO: Syrian rebels burn Palestinian flag in Aleppo - YouTube
To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com
International Peace Delegation to Syria, May 2-10
Former U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead
Maguire from Northern Ireland are two of twenty participants from seven
countries that will participate in an international delegation to Syria May
2-10, 2013. The purpose of the delegation is to meet with communities
affected by the fighting, with a view towards facilitating peace and
reconciliation in Syria.
More than 70,000 Syrians are estimated to have died and millions have been
displaced in the conflict, which began in March, 2011. It started with
nonviolent protests against the regime of President Bahar al-Assad, but now
pits a loose coalition of armed rebels calling itself the Free Syrian Army
(FSA) against the Assad regime.
Although the U.S. has so far refused to send arms directly to the rebels,
many rebel arms are made in the U.S. and supplied by U.S. allies Turkey,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and others in the region. Nevertheless, the U.S. is
worried that rebel arms are increasingly in the hands of al-Qaeda and its
allies, who form a powerful fighting force in the FSA. Arms to the regime
come mainly from Russia and Iran, with a smaller number from China.
"It's a very difficult situation," says Dr. Paul Larudee, a participant
from the San Francisco, California area, "but we have to do what we can to
end the suffering and achieve reconciliation. The Syrian people deserve
the opportunity to resolve their differences amongst themselves and without
foreign interference, which is a large part of the problem. If the U.S.
and Russia agree to end the flow of arms to all sides, the death toll will
fall and it will open greater opportunity for peaceful resolution."
The delegates were invited by Mussalaha, a Syrian organization that tries
to broker local peace accords in different parts of Syria and which
provides humanitarian relief to all in need. Mussalaha, which means
"Reconciliation", considers itself non-political and is one of the few
Syrian groups that has good relations with most sides in the conflict.
Although mainly Christian, Mussalaha includes persons from most of Syria's religious
and ethnic communities.
The delegation will meet civil, religious and government representatives,
tour conflict areas and visit refugee camps insofar as possible. They will
also visit Lebanon to meet with Syrians that are currently living outside
Syria.
Talk Nation Radio: Here Comes Corporate Nationhood
And you thought corporate personhood was bad enough! Lacey Kohlmoos, Senior Field Organizer, Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, tells us that the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership) will create corporate nationhood by empowering corporations to sue and overrule real nations, as well as incentivizing the offshoring of jobs, hurting food safety, damaging environmental protections, enriching drug companies at the expense of human health, banning some generic drugs, further deregulating banks, forbidding the breaking up of too-big-to-fail financial firms, and creating SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) despite its failure in Congress as a result of strong public opposition.
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Music by Duke Ellington.
Download or get embed code from Archive or AudioPort or LetsTryDemocracy.
Syndicated by Pacifica Network.
Please encourage your local radio stations to carry this program every week!
Past Talk Nation Radio shows are all available free and complete at
http://davidswanson.org/talknationradio
Rep. Keith Ellison, the Personification of the Phony, Pro-War “Progressive”
By Keith Ellison, Black Agenda Report
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen Ford
Hard right Republican Senator John McCain and Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Keith Ellison both support no-fly zones over Syria. That's because, on U.S. imperial policy, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between between the pro-war Left and the Right.
Rep. Keith Ellison, the Personification of the Phony, Pro-War “Progressive”
A Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen Ford
“Ellison is part of the pro-war Left, whose primary mission is make self-described liberals and leftists comfortable supporting imperial wars.”
Keith Ellison, the Black U.S. House member from Minneapolis who is co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, says the U.S. should push for a no-fly zone over rebel-held areas in Syria. Ellison, who is also one of only two Muslim members of Congress, appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, as did Republican Arizona Senator John McCain. It is a measure of how far to the right the Democratic Party has come under President Obama, that McCain, the war monger who likes to sing about bombing Iran, and Ellison, who claims to be a progressive, are in basic agreement over Syria. Both McCain and Ellison want no-fly zones, and both claim to prefer that there be no U.S. “boots on the ground” in country. Both are raving American imperialists who believe that the U.S. has not merely the right, but the obligation to intervene in the internal affairs of other countries. As Ellison, the phony progressive, puts it, “I don’t think the world’s greatest superpower, the United States, can stand by and do nothing” – which is, essentially, John McCain’s position.
Ellison has been advocating a no-fly zone for Syria for at least a year. Last May, he told U.S. News and World Report that so-called “safe zones” should be set up by the U.S. and its allies around the borders of Syria. Ellison made it quite clear that he sees such zones as a prelude to regime change. “I think the Libyan action was a good example of that,” he said.
“Both are raving American imperialists.”
On U.S. imperial policy, there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between McCain, the hard-right Republican, and Ellison, who purports to be a progressive Democrat. Neither gives a damn about international law or the rights of smaller people’s to shape their own destinies. Ellison went to Saudi Arabia, the most socially backward rich country on the planet, and described the King as a “visionary leader.” He rejected George Bush’s troop “surge in 2007, by calling it “too little, too late.” Like Obama, he quibbles about whether U.S. wars are smart or dumb, too late or right on time, but never about the inherent right of the United States to wage war against the weaker nations of the world.
Ellison is part of the pro-war Left, which includes Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, whose primary mission is make self-described liberals and leftists comfortable supporting imperial wars. McCain can’t do that, but Ellison can. Amnesty International is shameless enough to use women’s rights as an excuse to support continued occupation of Afghanistan.
Much of the pro-war left has been forced by events to recognize that the U.S. and its allies are backing jihadist Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in Syria – people they wouldn’t like to have brunch with. Therefore, they now demand that the U.S. intervene to make sure that the jihadists don’t get their hands on chemical weapons. Thus, the pro-war left starts off by advocating U.S. intervention to facilitate the coming to power of the rebels, but in the end winds up demanding that the U.S. do whatever it can to stop these guys from taking power. Either way, it ends with U.S. intervention. John McCain and Keith Ellison pretend to be on opposite ideological ends, but they are like Jack and Jill walking up the same hill when it comes to the obligations and privileges of U.S. imperialism.
For Black Agenda Radio, I’m Glen Ford. On the web, go to BlackAgendaReport.com.
BAR executive editor Glen Ford can be contacted at Glen.Ford@BlackAgendaReport.com.
TSA’s John Pistole shovels the sh*t yet again
If you’re of a literary bent, you may already know the following statement. It was famously said by writer Mary McCarthy of fellow writer Lillian Hellman:
“Every word she writes is a lie, including ‘and’ and ‘the’.”
Read the rest at TSA News.
Institutionalized Spying on Americans
Institutionalized Spying on Americans
by Stephen Lendman
Big Brother no longer is fiction. It hasn't been for some time. It's official US policy. According to ACLU's Technology and Liberty Program director Barry Steinhardt:
What's Ahead for Syria?
What's Ahead for Syria?
by Stephen Lendman
Syria's being systematically destroyed. Washington planned doing so years ago. Sovereign independence isn't tolerated. It's longstanding US policy.
Numerous states learned the hard way. Syria is America's latest victim. It's falsely blamed for Washington's war. The pattern by now is familiar.
Syria News May 1
VIDEO: On Syrian chemical weapons, we need "the facts," Obama says - CBS News Video
POLL: American Public Opposes Action in Syria and North Korea - NYTimes.com
VIDEO: Syrian UN envoy Bashar Ja'afari on the situation in Syria - LiveLeak.com
Iran says use of chemical arms by anyone in Syria is "red line" - Yahoo! News
No agreement yet on chemical weapons probe in Syria: UN - Xinhua | English.news.cn
VIDEO: Aftermath of the Sheikh Maqsoud alleged chemical attack - globalpost.com
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Hezbollah Leader Nasrallah Hints at Possible Syria Intervention - ABC News
VIDEO: Lebanon Hezbollah leader Nasrallah hints at possible Syria intervention - YouTube
Lebanon's Hezbollah faithful ready to die in Syria - FRANCE 24
Lebanon condemns deadly bombings in Damascus - PressTV
VIDEO: Interview With Lebanese Fighters of Hezbollah On The Borders | Syria War - YouTube
Israeli reserves called up for Syrian, Lebanese borders. Military drill starts Sunday - DEBKAFILE
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Deadly blast rocks central Damascus (VIDEO) - AFP
Russia Bans Commercial Flights Over Syria To Avoid To Be Targeted By Rebels - RIA Novosti
Religious leaders push for kidnapped bishops’ release - The Washington Post
Battle over army helicopter base in northern Syria kills 15 rebels, activists say - Fox News
European outlets report journalists missing in Syria - Committee to Protect Journalists
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VIDEO: Salafi extremists torture Alawi civilian.... He was found beheaded - YouTube
Syrians deserting the FSA: Faust wants his soul back - openDemocracy
Albanian Islamists Join Syrian War - Al-Monitor
To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com
Protecting Drone Crimes - Report on Hancock Air Field Civil Resistance
By Bruce K. Gagnon, www.space4peace.org
I was honored to be involved in the weekend drone conference and protest in Syracuse, New York organized by the Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars. I've just returned home after spending Sunday night in jail (with maybe one hour of sleep) and the long eight-hour drive back to Maine. So my mind is slipping a few gears, my wrists still hurt after about 11 hours of wearing handcuffs, but my heart and soul feel strong from the experience.
The drone conference began on Friday evening at a local community center in the Syracuse black community. More than 200 folks showed up for the event that featured some of the great activists from around the county like Col. Ann Wright, Kathy Kelly, David Swanson, Dr. Margaret Flowers, Kevin Zeese, Charley King, Mark Johnson, Elliott Adams, Howie Hawkins, Nick Mottern, Joe Lombardo, the Grady sisters, Tighe Barry, Debra Sweet and a large delegation of Veterans for Peace members from many states.
I spoke Saturday morning on a plenary panel along with Kathy Kelly and David Swanson. This gave me the chance to put drones into the larger context of US strategy and space technology development that is being used to advance the "interests" of corporate globalization and their effort to control resources around the planet. I suggested that we might think of military space satellites as being the "triggers" that makes it possible for drones to fire their deadly "Hellfire" missiles that frequently kill innocent civilians in places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen.
In addition I did a workshop entitled "Full Spectrum Dominance" that allowed me the time to thoroughly cover the nuclearization and weaponization of space issues.
On Sunday morning we gathered for a meeting on the planned civil resistance action later that day at Hancock Air Field from where the "Reaper" drone is flown over Afghanistan by military personnel sitting in front of computer terminals at the base - all hooked up by military satellites and Space Command down-link stations spread around the world.
Two degrees of Separation: Tsarnaev Brothers had a CIA Connection
By Dave Lindorff
Let’s do a little exercise. Forget nationalities and identities for a moment.
Syria and sarin gas: US claims have a very familiar ring
By Robert Fisk, The Independent
Is there any way of escaping the theatre of chemical weapons? First, Israeli "military intelligence" says that Bashar al-Assad's forces have used/have probably used/might have used/could use chemical weapons. Then Chuck Hagel, the US Defence Secretary, pops up in Israel to promise even more firepower for Israel's over-armed military – avoiding any mention of Israel's more than 200 nuclear warheads – and then imbibing all the Israeli "intelligence" on Syria's use/probable use/possible use of chemical weapons.
Then good ol' Chuck returns to Washington and tells the world that "this is serious business. We need all the facts." The White House tells Congress that US intelligence agencies, presumably the same as Israeli intelligence agencies since the two usually waffle in tandem, have "varying degrees of confidence" in the assessment. But Senator Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee – she who managed to defend Israel's actions in 1996 after it massacred 105 civilians, mostly children, at Qana in Lebanon – announces of Syria that "it is clear that red lines have been crossed and action must be taken to prevent larger-scale use". And the oldest of current White House clichés – hitherto used exclusively on Iran's probable/possible development of nuclear weapons – is then deployed: "All options are on the table."
Another woman detained by TSA over false positive
I suppose we can say it till we’re blue in the face and it still won’t make a dent.
The so-called explosives trace detection machines, like the strip-search scanners, alarm on false positives all the time. All the time.
Simpson-Bowles 2.0
Simpson-Bowles 2.0
by Stephen Lendman
Both men represent the nation's ruling class. They want more wealth transferred from ordinary people to corporate America and privileged elites like themselves. They're back with plan B. More on that below.
Syria: Upping the Stakes
Syria: Upping the Stakes
by Stephen Lendman
Things appear heading closer toward full-scale US intervention. The fullness of time will have final say.
On April 28, The New York Times headlined "Lawmakers Call for Stronger US Action in Syria," saying:
Syria News Apr 30
Obama calls Putin, tells him concerned over Syria chemical arms - AFP
White House Says "Much More" Work Needed to Verify Syria Chemical Use - Bloomberg
Hagel: "Wait to get the facts" before acting on Syria - CBS News
Republicans urge Obama to enforce Syria 'red line,' oppose deploying troops - Fox News
France FM says Syria's use of chemical arms "uncertain" - China.org.cn
Syria chemical weapons: British MPs demand evidence of sarin use by Assad - Telegraph
Israel takes pressure off Obama to act on 'red line' for Syria - The Hill's Global Affairs
Strike on Syria chem weapons `very complex’: Israel envoy - zeenews
Syria access essential for credible chemical weapons inquiry - U.N - Reuters
Syria poses challenges for chemical weapons inspectors, expert says - AFP
Expert: Doubt cast Syrian chemical attack (VIDEO) - 3 News
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U.S. Analysis of Syria's Russian-Made Air Defenses - WSJ
Pentagon steps up planning for potential military intervention in Syria - CNN.com Blogs
Syria's neighbours cautious about U.S.-led intervention - Reuters
Syrian troops recapture villages near strategic city of Qusayr - McClatchy
Assad's Army, Militias Go On the Offensive - Israel National News
Lebanese in Syria border towns defending themselves: Ambassador to Lebanon Ali - THE DAILY STAR
Russia denies urging Hezbollah to withdraw from Syria - THE DAILY STAR
Russia and Japan Stress on Dialogue for Finding Political Solution to Crisis in Syria - SANA, Syria
Examining Qatar's Arab Spring Largesse - VOA
Guardian Twitter accounts hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army - Naked Security
The Syrian Electronic Army: Bashar al-Assad's shadow warriors - The Guardian
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Syrian prime minister survives assassination attempt, several killed state media says - Fox News
VIDEO: Blast Misses Syrian PM al-Halqi, Next to a School in Mazzeh Area of Damascus - LiveLeak.com
Oil Wars in Syria—Nusra's Expanding Reach—Syrian Taliban - Syria Comment
Conversations with the FSA General - Foreign Policy
Sheikh Assir Declares Arrival of His Mujahideen in Syria - Al Akhbar English
To contact Bartolo email peaceloversingle@gmail.com
The Revolution That's Not Being Televised
Hundreds gathered in Dallas to reject the Bush Lie Bury, and three went to jail. I flew from Dallas to Syracuse, where hundreds protested Obama's drone-murder program, and 32 went to jail and are still there (and will stay until trial unless bail can be raised) -- some of them risk major jail time because they violated a protective order that the commander of a U.S. military base gained to protect himself from nonviolent peace activists. Another drone protester in Missouri, Brian Terrell, is just finishing a six-month sentence. Climate activist Tim DeChristopher just got out. The people locked in Guantanamo are refusing to eat, and groups around the world are making plans to fast with them. The people of Vieques are rallying on May 1st to demand that the U.S. military truly depart their island. Big plans are being made to rally for Bradley Manning on June 1st. This week I'm heading to the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee's meeting in North Carolina, after which -- just over in Tennessee -- three courageous activists go on trial, facing major time in prison, for having entered and protested a nuclear weapons facility.
The revolution will not be televised.
Oak Ridge, Tenn., was created during World War II as a secret city (actually two, it was segregated by race) for producing nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons have a history that marches hand-in-hand with U.S. human experimentation programs. I just had a chance to read Susan Griffin's A Chorus of Stones, and she recounts a nuclear test in 1957, when the U.S. government was still marching Marines to various distances from nuclear explosions in Nevada to find out what would become of them. Marines with their eyes closed saw the bones in their hands. They died of leukemia years later, but not before speaking about what else they saw: 10 or 12 people in a stockade formed by chain link fence and barbed wire, their faces and hands deformed, their hair falling out, their skin peeling off. Or this: men on the ground in agony, the smell of burning flesh, blood running from mouth, ears, and nose, a man trying to tear away wires that had been attached to his head.
In the late 1960s, Oak Ridge Associated Universities did radiation experiments on cancer patients, children of military personnel. NASA provided the funding, wanting to know how much radiation would produce nausea, in preparation for sending astronauts to the moon. And, boy, having sent astronauts to the moon has sure allowed us to take care of poverty and illness and environmental destruction. I don't know how we'd survive at all if we hadn't killed those children to send astronauts to the moon.
On July 28, 2012, Michael R. Walli (63), Megan Rice (82), and Greg Boertje-Obed (57) entered the Y-12 nuclear weapons plant in Oak Ridge undetected. You can't walk down the street without being filmed, but these three senior citizens were able to walk at night right up to a nuclear weapons facility. They hung up banners that read "Transform Now Plowshares" and "Swords into Plowshares Spears into Pruning Hooks–Isaiah." They strung up red crime tape. They hammered on the cornerstone of the newly built Highly-Enriched Uranium Manufacturing Facility (HEUMF), splashed human blood and left four spray-painted tags on the recent construction which read: "Woe to the empire of blood," "The fruit of justice is peace," "Work for peace not for war," and "Plowshares please Isaiah." When finally confronted by guards, they offered the guards bread and roses. They sang while forced to kneel for a long period of time.
"We come to the Y-12 facility because our very humanity rejects the designs of nuclearism, empire and war," the activists said in a statement. "Our faith in love and nonviolence encourages us to believe that our activity here is necessary; that we come to invite transformation, undo the past and present work of Y-12; disarm and end any further efforts to increase the Y-12 capacity for an economy and social structure based upon war-making and empire-building."
Vigils and other events are planned in Knoxville as the trial begins.
While the revolution is not televised, there is a calendar of events: http://warisacrime.org/content/upcoming-events
Video of Sunday's Drone Protest at Hancock
The thirty one arrestees were arraigned in De Witt Town Court before Judges Benack, Gideon, and Jokl, who imposed bails ranging from $500 - $3500, totalling $34,000. Some of the defendants were released with appearance tickets Others are refusing to post bail and will be held in jail until the next court date of May 7th & 8th. Donations may be sent to the Syracuse Peace Council, with checks made out to Syracuse Peace Council,note : Upstate Drone Action Bail Fund. 2013 E. Genessee St., Syracuse, NY 13210.
