War Is A Crime

On January 20, 2018, in Columbia, Missouri, more than 1600 people participated in the Solidarity Rally and March, hosted by Our Revolution: Mid-Missouri. I was one of five speakers invited to address the gathering, my contribution on the topic of foreign policy. This is, more or less, what I said-

Friends, I am honored to be here with you today as we rally to “oppose the Trump agenda,” one year into his extraordinary and even terrifying administration. Not for generations has the public discourse read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD5uMFbxDkQ&feature=youtu.be

Colman McCarthy is a former Washington Post columnist, from 1969 to 1997, and the director of The Center for Teaching Peace in Washington DC. He teaches courses on nonviolence at Georgetown Law, Georgetown undergraduate, American University, the University of Maryland and Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. He’s a pacifist, a vegetarian, and the author of several books including I’d Rather Teach Peace.

Total run time: 29:00
Host: David Swanson.
Producer: David Swanson.
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Having spent years going to events organized by peace groups, at which people tell each other they should stop “preaching to the choir,” I’ve started doing another kind of event. I debate war supporters in front of mixed crowds that include lots of war supporters, as well as people who haven’t really formed an opinion yet on the question of whether war is ever justifiable.

The first one of these I did was in Vermont. It was to be a debate with a just-war-theory professor. I sent him my read more

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

More than three decades ago, my aunt Hilda wrote an account of her father’s voyage to and life in America for my daughter to read “someday.”  She began it this way: “Your great grandfather, Moore Engelhardt, a boy of 16, arrived in New York from Europe in March 1888.  It was during the famous blizzard and after a sea voyage of about 30 days.  He had no money.  He read more

Rebuffing US Erdoğan says Turkey will not step back from Afrin operation, “We will take control of Afrin, as we did in the Syrian towns of Jarabulus, al-Rai and al-Bab” – Daily Sabah

Erdogan slams US and allies for sending “planeloads of arms” to “terrorists” ahead of emergency UN session – Zero Hedge

Erdogan says he secured a go-ahead for the Afrin campaign from Russia, “We discussed this with our Russian friends, we have an agreement with them” – swissinfo.ch

VIDEO (English subtitles): Erdogan warns to the USA saying don’t interfere our operation, otherwise your soldiers also would be killed in these land – YouTube

VIDEO (English subtitles): Erdoğan: U.S. support to PYD/YPG forced Turkey to intervene – anews

Turkey’s Afrin operation to create 30 km deep safe zone, PM Yıldırım says – Daily Sabah

Turkish military extends Afrin operation to Azaz – Daily Sabah

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ : Turkey gave no guarantee that operation would be limited to Syria’s Afrin – Daily Sabah

Turkish army also targeted SDF in Tel Halaf, SW of Serêkaniyê/Ras al-Ayn – baco on Twitter

White House urges Turkey to exercise restraint in Syria’s Afrin region – VOA

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By Dave Lindorff

            The mainstream US media, when it comes to the idea of talks between the governments of North and South Korea, are focused on the idea that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is trying to drive a wedge between the Republic of Korea and the United States. No doubt that is true, but this focus misses a major part of the story.

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

On January 6, 1941, at the edge of what would become a terrible global war, Franklin Delano Roosevelt addressed Congress and spoke of a better future “founded upon four essential human freedoms.” These were, as he saw it, freedom of speech and expression, freedom read more

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

Honestly, how many times in your life have you ever run across a headline like this: “Top general says he would resist ‘illegal’ nuke order from Trump”? That was Air Force General John Hyten, head of the U.S. Strategic Command, the present commander of read more

World Beyond War joins with Just World Educational in promoting Earth Day events for on or about April 22, 2018, that will challenge the greatest destroyer of the earth: the war industry.

World Beyond War’s Coordinating Committee member Gar Smith has edited the anthology, The War and Environment Reader, which makes an excellent guide to this issue.

Here are some preliminary ideas from Just World Educational:

• Work with you or others you might suggest to organize one or more dedicated “War Hurts Earth” events in your community.
• Plan good outreach to local media so that the fact and content of these events get well covered—and also, contribute Opinion pieces or Letters to the Editor around these issues to local or national media.
• Create and make freely available a basic fact-sheet providing data on issues like the contribution the Pentagon makes to carbon emissions, the number of acres deforested during the US-Vietnam War, etc.
• Create and make freely available a series of graphic images (such as the above one), that people can use in their publicity.
• Work with Just World Books to make discounted copies of The War and Environment Reader or other print resources available for sale at your events.
• Help out with networking in communities nationwide, to maximize engagement with your local initiatives.

Hashtag: #WarHurtsEarth.

Here are some resources from World Beyond War:

Work with or form read more