A Conversation With Alice Slater and David Swanson
Six Reasons Julian Assange Should Be Thanked, Not Punished
By World BEYOND War, September 18, 2020
1. The effort to extradite and prosecute Julian Assange for journalism is a threat to future journalism that challenges power and violence, but a defense of the media practice of propagandizing for war. While the New York Times benefitted from Assange’s work, its only reporting on his current hearing is an article about technical
What Does WWII Have To Do With Military Spending
By David Swanson, September 16, 2020
“I’m going to perform a magic trick by reading your mind,” I tell a class of students or an auditorium or video call full of people. I write something down. “Name a war that was justified,” I say. Someone says “World War Two.” I show them what I wrote: “WWII.” Magic![i]
If I insist on additional answers, they’re almost always wars even further in the past than WWII.
Peace Crimes
Photo by Kristian Laemmle-Ruff
By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, September 16, 2020
A new book by Kieran Finnane has the title “Peace Crimes.” It refers to acts of civil disobedience against war, or civil resistance to war. My hope is that the phrase continues to sound as absurd as it does now, and that someday the phrase “war crimes” joins it in sounding outrageously ridiculous. “Peace crimes” should sound ludicrous because acting peacefully for peace is the most anti-criminal action
Unvanquishable Number
On September 21, the International Day of Peace, you will be able to watch online the new film “We Are Many,” and you darn well should. The topic is the single biggest day of activism on earth: February 15, 2003 — an unprecedented statement against war, too often forgotten, and far too often misunderstood.
On every continent (yes, Antarctica included) in 72 countries and 789 cities people turned out by the tens of millions. In many cases, this was by far the largest demonstration ever seen
Talk Nation Radio: Tunde Osazua on the U.S. Militarization of Africa
Tunde Osazua is a member of the Black Alliance for Peace’s Africa Team and the coordinator of the U.S. Out of Africa Network, which is the organizational arm of the Black Alliance for Peace’s campaign to shut down AFRICOM and end the U.S. invasion and occupation of Africa. See:
https://blackallianceforpeace.com
Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
Music by Duke Ellington.
Download from LetsTryDemocracy.
Download from Internet Archive.
Pacifica stations can also
Kevin Zeese: Irreplaceable
Kevin Zeese was a major constant reliable presence in the movement for peace and justice. He used writing, editing, online and all other forms of communication. He organized events, protests, occupations. He risked arrest. He ran for office. He was an attorney and used the courts and shared his expertise. He thought independently. He acted collaboratively. He maintained good relations with those he disagreed with — even those he disagreed with over that most disagreeable of topics in a collapsing
Both Dangerous: Trump and Jeffrey Goldberg
If we were to look beyond words to actions, there would be no doubt that virtually all U.S. politicians have, in effect, taken the Trump/Kissinger view of U.S. troops for as long as there have been U.S. troops.
“Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” –Donald Trump, according to Jeffrey Goldberg.
“Military men are just dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy.” — Henry Kissinger, according to Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
It we were to let the
I Will Not Be Part of Harming Any Child
By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, August 31, 2020
I highly recommend watching this video:
I will not be a part of the killing of any child no matter how lofty the reason.
Not my neighbor’s child. Not my child. Not the enemy’s child.
Not by bomb. Not by bullet. Not by looking the other way.
I will be the power that is peace.
The above video and promise are from a group called Fields of Peace that is highlighting one of the least welcome facts on earth. Since World War
Speaking of Things That Should Be Torn Down
I lean more toward moving offensive monuments out of central squares and providing context and explanation in less prominent locations, as well as favoring the creation of numerous non-offensive public artworks. But if you’re going to tear anything down (or blast anything into outerspace), shouldn’t the bust of Wernher von Braun in Huntsville, Alabama, be considered for inclusion on the list?
Out of a long list of major wars there are only a few the United States claims to have ever