War Criminals Watch's blog

by Debra Sweet, Drector, World Can't Wait              Two recent stories powerfully capture the illegitimacy of the US "global war on terror." 1. The former Obama press secretary says he was told to deny US drone program existed.  For four years, the President has been expanding U.S. use of drones, while developing the execution and legal justification for the targeted killing policy. A military drone program has finally been admitted, and there is fierce struggle over the CIA drone program, delaying the confirmation of John Brennan as CIA Secretary.

by Debra Sweet, Director, World Can't Wait           Today, at Ft.

Check out to see if there any actions against these war criminals in your area.  If not, you might think of planning one. Contact us if you need our assisstance.  Please post a note and some photos of you protest on our Facebook.  There are reproducible flyers and posters on our website in the resources box on the left.  Click on Downloadable Material and then on Flyers and Posters.

George Bush

Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait                          It happened on The Hollywood Walk of Shame. World Can't Wait joined with ICUJP and other groups in a march and vigil that took over the intersection at Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave for about 45 minutes on Sunday, Feb 17. This is the famous scene where Oscars will be awarded in one week. Actor David Clennon spoke at a nearby church and then led the group of about 40 people, all ages, down to the Avenue of the Stars. 

by Debra Sweet                            It’s a good thing that tens of thousands of people, many young, braved the cold Sunday and marched around the White House demanding that Barack Obama turn against the Keystone Pipeline.  The pipeline is already a disaster for Canada, and for the ultimate recipients of the oil, whether that’s the U.S.

by Debra Sweet                 Tuesday night we heard from Barack Obama that climate change demands immediate action, but the solution appears to also be the problem:

"The good news is, we can make meaningful progress on this issue while driving strong economic growth.  I urge this Congress to pursue a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change, like the one John McCain and Joe Lieberman worked on together a few years ago."

by Debra Sweet               I really encourage you to view Raymond Lotta's presentation and the interesting discussion from this past Sunday's webcast. Lotta went into the history of political opponents of governments targeted in 1930's Germany, and in the U.S. in the 50's, 60's and 70's, as well as what he called the "disturbing turn" in the lawsuit against the NDAA, Hedges v.

by Debra Sweet                    With the kind of "kabuki theater" questioning the Senate gave John Brennan last week during a public hearing, it's certain they will confirm him as Director of the C.I.A. This should not be any surprise. Diane Feinstein, Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee hasn't met a national security "concern" yet that didn't trump the rights of the people; we know she was one of the select few briefed by the Bush regime when they began torture, or excuse me, "enhanced interrogations."

by Chicago Chapter World Can't Wait                  Haven't we all felt outraged and frustrated when we read another horror story about the devastating impact of climate chaos on life around the planet? Yet decades of international conferences and non-binding 'agreements' have done nothing to moderate the spreading destruction.

Instead, our government has sabotaged those talks and passed draconian laws to brand environmental activists as "terrorists." We must and can come together to consider this situation, deeply, and dedicate ourselves to reversing it  - because humanity and the planet come first. And we're doing that, here in Chicago, at the Climate Crisis Conference on February 16!

2/17/13 -12-4PM (Arrive at 11:30am)-Rally at the National Mall and March to the White House. The climate crisis is creating weather patterns that aren't just extreme -- they're downright freaky. Our leaders can't sit around and twiddle their thumbs anymore, and it's up to activists like you to make sure they get the memo.

The climate crisis is creating weather patterns that aren't just extreme -- they're downright freaky. Our leaders can't sit around and twiddle their thumbs anymore, and it's up to activists like you to make sure they get the memo.

by World Can't Wait, Hawai'i Chapter                 Friday night was the first night of the Chinese New Year Celebrations in Chinatown. Lions danced in the streets. Drumming bounced off the walls of surrounding buildings, and tens of thousands of firecrackers created constant noise. Thousands of residents, tourists and GI's filled the streets. Our huge grey drone replica hovered over the celebration - a sober reminder of U.S. warfare in 2013.

by Debra Sweet                Tuesday on Democracy Now, Daniel Ellsberg pointed out that President Obama is "thinking like John Yoo." The White Paper leaked just as the drone-in-chief/assassination czar John Brennan begins hearings to become the new head of the C.I.A. doesn't rise to level of the more sophisticated memo like the one Yoo wrote to justify torture (download PDF) but it's just as chilling. Apparently the Obama administration is giving the memo which this White Paper is based on to Congress today.

by Debra Sweet
World Can't Wait's focus on stopping the use of armed and surveillance drones by the U.S. is principally based on our opposition to the immorality of attacking vast populations, and linked to our mission to bring people to see that U.S. occupations are not legitimate.

Poisonous gas in the first "world war;" nukes in the second; napalm against the Vietnamese people; and white phosphorous in the Gulf War are technologies so heinous that at least millions of people recoiled, and removed their support from the imperialist belligerents.

U.S. war criminals are speaking and promoting their latest books in various cities around the country in January and Feb. 2013. Check this out to see if any are in your area. We will help and publicize your protest. Reproducible leaflets and posters are available on:  http://warcriminalswatch.org/index.php/downloadable-materials

by Debra Sweet               Washington was strangely quiet yesterday, in contrast to 2009. Though hundreds of thousands came out to the Mall to celebrate another term for Barack Obama, there wasn't bubbling, hopeful excitement in the air this time.

By Debra Sweet            While we walked from the Supreme Court, past the US District Court, the FBI, and to the White House last Friday to protest eleven years of illegitimate imprisonment at Guantanamo, Hamid Karzai was meeting inside with Barack Obama. As my friend Anna, who lives in Kabul, said while walking beside me, "Karzai has his list of requirements to stay on the job."

by Debra Sweet, Director World Can't Wait    We strongly encourage you to get out to showings nationwide of Zero Dark Thirty, opening Friday January 11.  We are making use of the irony that the film opens as the twelth year of the illegal prison at Guantanamo begins.  Downloade a flyer here and go talk to people!  Here are various events:

At a December meeting to plan the Network to Stop Drone Spying and Warfare, a few people thought the graphic, below left, was over the top. How do we think the rest of the world sees the Nobel Peace Prize Commander in Chief now?

Ironies of living in the post-Bush world: by Debra Sweet Director World Can't Wait
1. The only CIA operative connected to waterboarding and torture during the Bush regime to be jailed, John Kiriakou, will go to prison for giving an agent's name to reporters in connection with an investigation aimed at exposing enhanced interrogation techniques. The agents who did the torture face no sanctions at all, and in fact are glorified in popular culture, like the new film Zero Dark Thirty.

Andy Worthington has spent the last seven years researching and writing about Guantánamo,and the men held there.Based in London, he is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America's Illegal Prison, and the co-director, with Polly Nash, of the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo.”

by Debra Sweet Director World Can't Wait         Things are starting to break open in protest against the film Zero Dark Thirty which opens nationally Friday on the anniversary of Guantanamo.  Amnesty International projected the message TORTURE IS WRONG at a special showing to Congress last night.  Right on to that!

By Debra Sweet, Director World Can't Wait

Greetings to all of you on the new year. 
In spite of the news I'm conveying today on continued crimes of the U.S. I am hopeful. I'm not hoping that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, those who run this government will somehow decide to do the right thing. My hope is based on knowing the tens of thousands of people like you on this list, on knowing the courageous, bright people who are acting to stop these crimes, and most of all, on knowing it does not have to be this way. And we are the ones to change it.

Please Print out this leaflet below and distribute where "Zero Dark" Thirty is playing in your neighborhood.

ZERO DARK THIRTY

What's wrong with the CIA's World View?

por Debra Sweet, Directora del Mundo No Puede Esperar          “Zero Dark Thirty” (La hora más oscura) crea un retrato del mundo según la CIA y pinta la tortura falsamente como necesaria para encontrar a Osama bin Laden.

Lo que pasó el 11 de septiembre de 2001 fue un horror. Las fuerzas que atacaron el World Trade Center (las Torres Gemelas) son totalmente reaccionarias.

NO OBSTANTE, lo que Estados Unidos hizo en nombre del 11 de septiembre ha sido un horror muchísimo mayor:

by Debra Sweet, Driector World Can't Wait

Next month, many organizations are coming together to protest in Washington and nationwide against indefinite detention and drone strikes, and for the closure of Guantanamo. We had not anticipated the relevance — and outrageous content — of the new film Zero Dark Thirty entering the public sphere at the same time.  But, it's here... what are we going to do about it?