War Criminals Watch's blog

We Are Not Your Soldiers is up to a good start this fall semester visiting high schools and colleges with veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.  We have been to several schools in NYC and northern California and have plans in the works for Chicago, Hawaii and other locations.  Students learn about the vets' experiences and why they should not enlist to fight in these ongoing wars.

Starting tonight in Honolulu, through the weekend and into next week, protests against the ELEVENTH anniversary of the invasion of Afghanistan are happening all around the country. Don't sit this out—find a protest near you and raise your voice against the crimes of your government.

Here's the October list of U.S. war criminals appearances and protests. Let us know if you are planning something in your area so we may help promote it or assist you in any way.

Protests against U.S. drone killing and drone surveillance are breaking out all over -- there are events happening in state after state, and just about anyone who agrees it's time to say ENOUGH! can find others near them that are actively protesting the drones. Live in the Midwest? Get together with protesters in Ohio - who were bird-dogging Barack Obama and picketing Congressman Mike Turner about their support for drones this week ... or Occupy Chicago, which deposited coffins representing drone victims at the doorstep of Obama 2012 Campaign HQ last week ...

Plans by the U.S. to maintain a Special Forces occupation of Afghanistan until 2024 are being severely tested. But only press from other countries reports what the two main reasons why the people of Afghanistan demand that U.S. forces just leave are:  • Continued aerial bombing by NATO/US forces. Sunday, NATO claimed it killed 45 "insurgents" in an airstrike in a remote province east of Kabul. But villagers brought the bodies of 8 women, including a girl 10 years old, to the governor's office. They were shouting "death to America.  They were condemning the attack," said an Afghan official, according to Agence France Presse.  How many times has this happened in almost 11 years?  The U.S. NATO commanders dismiss it as necessary "collateral damage." People who are allegedly being "saved" are expendable.

Two anti-war activists were convicted in federal court Monday of trespassing at central Missouri's Whiteman Air Force Base to protest the use of unmanned military drones.  A four-hour U.S. District Court hearing in Jefferson City ended with Magistrate Judge Matt Whitworth finding the pair guilty. Sentencing will occur at a later date.

 Obama expanded the U.S. war on the people of Afghanistan begun 11 years ago by the Bush regime, now the longest war in U.S. history. The U.S. occupation is fought not only with military personnel, and mercenaries for hire, but increasingly by Special Forces and unmanned drones.  The U.S. continues to imprison and indefinitely detain people without charges, conducting night house raids that terrorize innocent people, and conditions leave women worse off than when the U.S. invaded.

                                                        NOT IN OUR NAME

1.  Admit you are in a self-destructive relationship with the Democratic Party.

2.  Remove conflicting bumper stickers from your collection.  “Shut Down Guantanamo” and “Obama 2012” are mutually exclusive.

3.  Understand that kill lists and more unjust war is the wrong kind of change to believe in.

• I haven't answered all of you yet, but I will. Thanks for writing, even if you don't agree with the message.
• No, I don't wish for Romney to win. To me, the Democrats and Republicans are both "worse," though in different ways.
• I can't tell you who to vote for.
  

 On Sunday September 2nd the World Can’t Wait hit the streets of Charlotte, NC. A small but determined crew participated in the March On Wall Street South. World Can’t Wait was there to protest Obama’s drone wars and challenge the “lesser of two evils” argument.  The crew of activists had a drone replica which they wheeled through the streets of Charlotte. The drone replica drew much attention, press, and conversation.

 On September 6,protesters will gather in support of the soldier accused of leaking classified records to WikiLeaks, Pfc Manning.

 On Sunday September 2nd the World Can’t Wait hit the streets of Charlotte, NC. A small but determined crew participated in the March On Wall Street South. World Can’t Wait was there to protest Obama’s drone wars and challenge the “lesser of two evils” argument. The crew of activists had a drone replica which they wheeled through the streets of Charlotte. The drone replica drew much attention, press, and conversation. The activists chanted “When Drones Fly, Children Die!” and “Obama, Romney, All the Same, No More War Crimes in Our Name!” For a time a group of young people marched along with the World Can’t Wait crew and on the spot came up with the chant “Drone Strikes Are War Crimes, Obama Should Do Prison Time!”

Check out whether U.S. war criminals are speaking and promoting themselves in your area this September.  Let us know how we may help with any demonstrations you might be organizing.Take a look at our website visual materials for your flyers. Send us photos and a story that we may put up on our Facebook page.

We Are Not Your Soldiers is gearing up for the fall semester to visit more high schools and colleges with veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Students will learn about the vets' experiences and why they should not enlist to fight in these ongoing wars. As the occupation of Afghanistan and "sanitized warfare" through kill lists and drone-bombings continues n o matter who will be president, we need to intervene in the lives of young people before they are signed away to the war machine. See wearenotyoursoldiers.org.

Find out more about the We Are Not Your Soldiers tour—watch this overview:

To mark the beginning of the next phase of accused whistle-blower
Bradley Manning's pre-trial hearings and noting that he has spent 825
days in prison, some under torturous conditions, World Can't Wait
organized an activity on August 27, 2012 at Grand Central Station in NYC.                                                           

OAKLAND, Calif. — Six out of seven protesters were arrested Thursday night after they held a peaceful sit-in inside President Obama's campaign headquarters and refused to leave.

The protesters marched to the headquarters after a 5 p.m. rally in Frank Ogawa Plaza in support of Bradley Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst accused of leaking classified information to WikiLeaks.

On Thursday August 16, as news broke that Ecuador was giving political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, World Can't Wait in NYC quickly put together a plan to demonstrate support for this brave decision. About 10 people who understand the significance of Wikileaks got together in front of the Ecuadorian Consulate with signs supporting the courageous stand of the Ecuadorian government:  "small country - high ethics - big heart," "hands off Ecuador and Assange," and "thanks for standing up for law and morality."

World Can't Wait will be in Charlotte, NC September 1-6 to protest these crimes.

• Join our contingent of orange jumpsuits and model drones to represent those who have been victims of these crimes for the mass march on Sunday, September 2. Rally 11:00 am, March 1:00 pm from Frazier Park, Charlotte NC
• Join us for street outreach and theater throughout the week. Help bring the message Humanity and the Planet Come First: Stop the Crimes of Your Government before the eyes of the world in Charlotte!
  

Chicago will witness the annual Air & Water Show this weekend. Weapons of mass destruction will screech across the sky and military recruiters will prowl for 'warm bodies' among the hundreds of thousands who come for an afternoon at the beach.

On Saturday, Aug 18, Chicago World Can't Wait, Occupy Chicago, No Drones Illinois, Protest Chaplains, Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ and many friends will challenge this glorification of war for empire and engage thousands who will be there. Dynamic political theater, interactive art, and the counter-recruitment message of We Are Not Your Soldiers will turn the biggest day of the year for military recruiting into a day for mobilizing to stop these wars for empire.

This week Mitt Romney picked a possible Vice President who believes peoples' rights are "derived from God;" abortion doctors should be prosecuted, while zygotes have "personhood;" and the public sector of government should be destroyed. 

All of which is feeding the addiction — including of some people I work shoulder to shoulder with and respect — to the lesser of two evils. What's up with that addiction? Can it be overcome? Stay tuned as we focus on that problem, among others.

Early in September, Obama and the Democrats, who have carried forward some of the very crimes so hated under Bush, will gather at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC to affirm, bless, and continue US aggression around the world and unjust policies at home.

If you believed that wars of aggression, indefinite detention, torture, drone bombings, a presidential “kill list,” the outrageous suspension of core civil liberties, and the wars on immigrants and women were wrong under Bush, then they are just as wrong under Obama.

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 Monday, July 23, 2012, as Obama came to the Bay Area for multiple campaign fundraising appearances, a large protest crowd was in the streets of downtown Oakland for hours.  An anti-war action was called by World Can’t Wait, Afghans for Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Code Pink, the Bradley Manning Support Network and Courage to Resist and we were there with banners and signs aloft.  Near the Fox Theater (the Obama rally site) we gathered with more groups: Occupy Oakland and Redwood City, Vets for Peace, students.  There were other clusters of protest scattered around the area at different times: youth protesting for immigrant rights, Occupiers, environmentalists.  Also there were lots of people who had earlier been at a large rally for medical marijuana  (the feds have raided major Oakland dispensaries despite their le

 Protest Obama and On-Going Wars 

 7.23.2012 -  3:00 - 9:00 PM  

Starting at Oscar Grant Park & Going to Fox Theater, Oakland, CA.

Why does World Can't Wait deserve your ongoing financial support? There are a billion needs humanity has, and especially at this time, you're asked to give to charities and candidates' campaigns constantly.  Why put $5 to $200 a month to World Can't Wait as our sustainers do? (And thanks to those of you who are new sustainers, we're off to a good start on our 3 week drive for 40 new sustainers.) 

Check out the July - August appearances and protests of war criminals around the country. See who's coming to your area. On the list, click on a date to find out the details. We're happy to help you plan and publicize your demonstation. Get in touch with us at  www.warcriminalswatch.org.

George Bush

7/24/12 - Boston MA

8/27/12 - Columbus GA