Smedley Butler’s Speech Against War in Charlottesville in 1937

I didn’t know until recently that Smedley Butler had ever been to my town. Then I heard that he’d spoken at the University of Virginia here in Charlottesville in 1937. The University of Virginia had the speech tucked away in its stacks and was kind enough to dig it out. It’s pasted below.

If you haven’t heard of Smedley Butler and don’t know why he’s a major hero to Veterans for Peace and peace advocates in general (as well as having been a Major General), I can try to summarize his read more

For the First Time in My Life I’m Against Impeaching the President

I had hoped to make the above statement after electing a president whom I did not consider a vile mass-murderous warmongering climate-destroying threat to humanity. I’m saying it early. I’m saying it while Trump is president.

But I’m not saying it because I’ve come to share any of the common views of the matter. I do not think it matters more who is president than whether presidents can be held accountable, so I’m not quaking in read more

Tomgram: Andrew Bacevich, Ending War, American-Style

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

Years ago, a man drove me around Vietnam, day after day, taking me to villages where I interviewed people about their experiences during what they called the American War. They told me about how they had lost eyes or legs or siblings or parents. They told me about being shot or raped, about surviving artillery shelling, helicopter gunships, or even a massacre.

Most knew very read more

Antiwar Billboards Are Up in Ireland

Limerick, Ireland, now has billboards up at Clare Street, John Street, John Street in Waterford, and Dublin Road in Singland. The billboards are part of the promotion of an upcoming global antiwar conference and rally. They’re also part of a global campaign by World BEYOND War to spread peace and antiwar messages everywhere. Here are images:

Of course, we use other means of promotion, such as bulletin boards, too:

But it’s billboards that grab people’s attention.

Here’s one we put up in New read more

Talk Nation Radio: Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff on Protesting War in Ireland

Ken Mayers and Tarak Kauff are out on bail and forbidden to leave Ireland. They attempted to inspect a U.S. plane for weapons in supposedly neutral Ireland. They will be taking part in #NoWar2019 (https://worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2019).

Ken Mayers was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island prior to attending Princeton University. Upon graduation in 1958 he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corp, eventually rising to the rank of major. He resigned his commission read more

Limerick at Peace

Green Ireland has a peaceful blue sky.
Shannon Airport’s full of war planes; Here’s why.
When Emperor Trump
Tells Ireland to Jump
Ireland bows down and asks him “How high?”

Neutral Ireland takes no part in war
Except that troops carry weapons galore
Through the airport at Shannon
While mass slaughters they’re planning
For far off from their two-dollar

Do you want to hear more?

If you ask me the Irish know better.
They’ve seen dead that could not have been deader.
read more

The media war-machine is kicking in: US Media Keep Saying Iran is ‘In Violation’ of a Nuclear Agreement the US Withdrew From

 By Dave Lindorff

Yes, Iran is increasing the number of centrifuges it is using to refine nuclear fuel, and yes, it is refining that fuel to a higher percentage of U-235, the isotope that allows the uranium to begin a chain reaction necessary for both fueling a nuclear reactor and for creating an atomic bomb.

But in taking these steps, Iran is not, and indeed cannot be “in violation” of the agreement on its nuclear program that read more

Tomgram: Nick Turse, How to Read a Broken Body

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

There may be nothing more human than the urge to tell stories. All societies, however ancient, have told themselves tales about how the world and humanity began — and might end. And when it comes to endings, storytelling in just about every imaginable form has never ended. In our time, from the novel to the comic, read more

Zombie Zombie Zombie

CNN is outraged that Trump was too friendly with Russians, supposedly endangering an honorable spy snooping into the Russian government.

The New York Times doesn’t want any peace settlements in Afghanistan that could involve “getting in bed with killers swathed in American blood.”

U.S. mercenaries who murdered a bunch of people in Iraq have had their sentences reduced because they did it in a war.

The United States just accidentally dropped white phosphorus on itself.

The Pentagon would like read more