The U.S. Military Is Registering 15-Year-Olds for the Draft

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 18, 2021

Most U.S. states still have excuses when asked to make voter registration automatic, but in various states — including here in Virginia — draft registration is automatic even for 15-year-olds who want a learner’s permit to drive a car. (This is still only for males, as Congress did not, in the end, extend draft registration to females, at least until read more

Rusty Whistles: The Limits of Whistleblowing

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 17, 2021

I’ve been reading a book called Whistleblowing for Change, edited by Tatiana Bazzichelli, a beautifully put-together volume with numerous articles about whistleblowing, about art and whistleblowing, and about building a culture of whistleblowing: of supporting whistleblowers, and of making better known the outrages they’ve blown the whistle on. I want to focus here on the sections of this book written by whistleblowers (or in one read more

U.S. Hypocrisy Exposed As It Massacres Civilians Abroad

By By Any Means Necessary, December 16, 2021

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by David Swanson, activist, journalist, radio host, Executive Director of World BEYOND War and author of the new book “Leaving World War II Behind” to discuss the recently revealed “Talon Anvil” unit which is responsible for killing of civilians in Syria beyond what was already allowed by the military, politicians spreading the mythology of drone warfare read more

Check Out the Check List to End Tyranny

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 15, 2021

Whether or not you’re familiar (as everyone should be) with Peter Ackerman’s book and film “A Force More Powerful” about successful nonviolent activism campaigns, or his other books and films on the same theme, if you have any interest in changing the world for the better you’ll probably want to check out his short new book, The Checklist to End Tyranny. A webinar on this book would have accomplished radically more than the read more

Reducing the Need for Poetry

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, December 15, 2021

Edward Tick’s book, Coming Home in Vietnam, is made up of lovely and powerful poems. But I can’t help wishing they weren’t needed. Just as some members of Veterans For Peace talk about honoring veterans by ceasing to create any more veterans, I wish we could honor these poems by eliminating the need — and it clearly is a need, not a desire — for anyone to write any more of them. Other types of poetry would be welcome!

The poems take read more

Audio: Cover-Up in Kabul Strike

By Political Misfits, December 15, 2021

LISTEN HERE.

David Swanson, activist, journalist, radio host and author of the book “Curing Exceptionalism,” talks to us about how the Pentagon “cover-up” in the Kabul drone killing of a family continues, with the news that no US troops will be punished for deadly Kabul strike, how impunity is rampant in the military, and war crimes accusations only apply to our opponents. We also talk about the strike force Talon Anvil, which operated in Syria from 2014 to 2019 and is responsible for countless civilian deaths and how the burden of responsibility gets shifted across the board.

Tomgram: Jane Braxton Little, Living Through the Dixie Fire

This article originally appeared at TomDispatch.com. To receive TomDispatch in your inbox three times a week, click here.

This was certainly the year of the fires — from the Turkish coast and the Greek Island of Evia to the American West. But it’s also been the year of record-breaking floods — sometimes, as in British Columbia and parts of the state of Washington, in the very same places that had earlier burned so devastatingly (releasing, by the way, yet more carbon into the atmosphere).

Yes, read more