War Against Our Rights

Last Wednesday, Thomas Cadmus, National Commander of the American Legion declared war on anti-war protestors at the Legion's national convention in Honolulu. "The American Legion will stand against anyone and any group that would demoralize our troops, or worse, endanger their lives by encouraging terrorists to continue their cowardly attacks against freedom-loving peoples," said Cadmus. The delegates voted to use whatever means necessary to "ensure the united backing of the American people to support our troops and the global war on terrorism."

In his speech, Cadmus declared: "It would be tragic if the freedoms our veterans fought so valiantly to protect would be used against their successors today as they battle terrorists bent on our destruction."

He explained, "No one respects the right to protest more than one who has fought for it, but we hope that Americans will present their views in correspondence to their elected officials rather than by public media events guaranteed to be picked up and used as tools of encouragement by our enemies." This might suggest to some, however, that American freedoms are worth dying for but not exercising.

Mr. Cadmus would do well to remember the words of his predecessor, former American Legion National Commander Harrold L. "Butch" Miller, regarding US intervention in Yugoslavia. In a letter to President Clinton, Miller urged the immediate withdrawal of American troops participating in "Operation Allied Force." He further stated that, "the United States Armed Forces should never be committed to wartime operations unless the following conditions are fulfilled:

  • That there be a clear statement by the President of why it is in our vital national interest to be engaged in hostilities;
  • Guidelines be established for the mission, including a clear exit strategy;
  • That there be support of the mission by the US Congress and the American people; and
  • That it be made clear that US Forces will be commanded only by US officers which we acknowledge are superior military leaders."

Personally, I perceive Mr. Cadmus' declaration of war against anti-war protestors, and the resolution to use whatever means necessary to carry out this war, as a threat to my civil liberties. I am not concerned for my physical safety, even though "whatever means necessary" may be understood by some to include violence. As Benjamin Franklin said, "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."


Posted at Sunday, August 28, 2005
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Friday, August 26, 2005
Imagine This

You may say I'm a dreamer... But I'm your worst nightmare!

Imagine This! Bush sings "Imagine" by John Lennon!
(6.2 mb audio file)

Posted at Friday, August 26, 2005
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Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Be Prepared


Bill Moyer, 73, wears a "Bullshit Protector" flap over his ear while President George W. Bush addresses the Veterans of Foreign Wars. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

Posted at Wednesday, August 24, 2005
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Wednesday, August 17, 2005
The Box

This evening I recited the following poem, written by British World War I veteran Lascelles Abercrombie, at the downtown Lansing candlelight vigil in solidarity with Cindy Sheehan:

The Box
Once upon a time, in the land of Hush-A-Bye,
Around about the wondrous days of yore,
They came across a kind of box
Bound up with chains and locked with locks
And labeled "Kindly do not touch; it's war."
A decree was issued round about, and all with a flourish and a shout, and a gaily colored mascot tripping lightly on before.
Don't fiddle with this deadly box, or break the chains, or pick the locks.
And please don't ever play about with war.
The children understood. Children happen to be good
And they were just as good around the time of yore.
They didn't try to pick the locks or break into that deadly box.
They never tried to play about with war.
Mommies didn't either; sisters, aunts, grannies neither
'Cause they were quiet, and sweet, and pretty
In those wondrous days of yore.
Well, very much the same as now, and not the ones to blame somehow for opening up that deadly box of war.
But someone did. Someone battered in the lid
And spilled the insides out across the floor.
A kind of bouncy, bumpy ball made up of guns and flags
And all the tears, and horror, and death that comes with war.
It bounced right out and went bashing all about,
Bumping into everything in store. And what was sad and most unfair was that it didn't really seem to care
Much who it bumped, or why, or what, or for.
It bumped the children mainly. And I'll tell you this quite plainly,
It bumps them every day and more, and more,
And leaves them dead, and burned, and dying
Thousands of them sick and crying.
'Cause when it bumps, it's really very sore.
Now there's a way to stop the ball. It isn't difficult at all.
All it takes is wisdom, and I'm absolutely sure
That we can get it back into the box, and bind the chains, and lock the locks. But no one seems to want to save the children anymore.
Well, that's the way it all appears, 'cause it's been bouncing round for years and years In spite of all the wisdom wizzed since those wondrous days of yore
And the time they came across the box,
Bound up with chains and locked with locks,
And labeled "Kindly do not touch; it's war."

Posted at Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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Reduced Expectations

The Bush Administration continues its public repositioning with their “War on Terror.” The repositioning started a few weeks back when Secretary of Defence Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Cheifs of Staff General Richard Myers introduced their new marketing campaign for the war. Calling it the “struggle against violent extremism” the new terminology is a strong indication that the Administration is becoming concerned about the constant decline in public support for the war.

The latest move by the Administration has been to lower expectations in Iraq. Over the past few months Bush has been describing the pullout in terms of the Iraqi security forces. It has been quite some time since he has insisted that we will defeat the insurgency outright. Sticking close to the playbook, Bush responds to all questions about troop withdrawal by explaining that as the Iraqi’s become more self-sufficient and able to defend against the insurgency the US will reduce forces correspondingly. Sunday the Washington Post broke a story about the administration “shedding unreality that dominated at the beginning” of the invasion (Full article here).

This story marks the beginning of the Bush Administration’s admission that Iraq is not and probably will never be the rosy picture of representative democracy and security they have been selling the American people. “What we expected to achieve was never realistic given the timetable or what unfolded on the ground,” admits the senior official interviewed in the Washington Post article. I certainly hope the Bush Administration is not surprised by this. They had the best advice from military leaders, intelligence leaders, the United Nations etc. All these sources came to the conclusion that invading and occupying Iraq was not good for the Iraqis, the United States or the international community. Millions and millions of people stood up and protested world wide prior to the US invasion. President Bush’s own father realized that occupation of Iraq would have been a nightmare situation with no way out and said so publicly during the first Gulf War.

During the 2004 Presidential debates Bush was asked to name three mistakes which his administration made and he replied with the impossible claim no mistakes have been made. The candid report in the Post, finally admits that they were completely unrealistic in the invasion. Unfortunately no matter how many times one says “I told you so” it won’t undo the damage. What’s even worse is the fact that now that the Administration agrees that Iraq will not be secure, they continue to insist that we are on the right track and doing the right thing in Iraq. So I ask how is a society gripped by fear and oppression on the right track?

Posted at Wednesday, August 17, 2005
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Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Cindy Sheehan (A much needed discussion)

The story of Cindy Sheehan has been widely reported. Cindy, the mother of Casey Sheehan who was killed on duty in Iraq, has been staging a peace vigil outside the President’s Texas ranch. I applaud her efforts and her determination as I am sure many people do. She is requesting to meet with the president. She feels that he was insensitive and unresponsive when they met shortly after her son’s death. Her mission is to bring an important discussion to the table. It is a discussion GLNAWI has been working for and developing since its creation. Cindy, along with a growing number of American citizens is asking for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

One thing that Cindy has going for her is widespread media coverage of her efforts. Throughout Bush’s presidency mainstream media has shied away from coverage of the peace movement. The Bush Administration has made media favoritism common place. If the administration does not approve of the way a news agency is reporting its facts they simply won’t get as many facts (or interviews or question opportunities etc.) from the administration. The effect of which has been an overall strangling of the media when it comes to reporting the peace movement.

Cindy and her vigil outside the President’s ranch is breaking that trend and receiving wide coverage from all media outlets. President Bush held a press conference at his ranch to respond to the growing media coverage of Cindy’s vigil. The President said that he thinks the withdrawal of troops would be “a terrible signal to the enemy” that the United States is weak and easily intimidated. One should question then if we are occupying Iraq in part to merely look tough to the enemy.

But who is the enemy? Some may scoff at the question simply stating… “the terrorists” and thus applying the same black and white rhetoric as is used by the Bush Administration. Others may apply the new terminology recently coined by the administration, calling the enemy “violent extremists.” For me the saying “One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist” comes to mind. As a peace activist and a non-violent advocate, I can hardly sympathize with the tactics used by terrorists. I also cannot sympathize with the tactics used by the US government. After all violence begets violence begets violence. It is important to understand what brings people to the point of terrorism. The cookie cutter response is that they are evil people, driven by hatred, once again invoking the black and white view of this gray world.

For a majority of Iraqi citizens and for 100% of the terrorists, the United States is an unwanted occupying force. They have watched as the US toppled Saddam in a matter of weeks and then failed and continue to fail with the reconstruction. They saw the United States stand by as looters dismantled and destroyed public buildings, universities and museums. Many people are still waiting for basic services such as clean water and electricity to be restored to their pre-invasion levels. Iraqis sit by and watch the US build permanent bases, becoming more and more embedded in their country.

One thing everyone can agree on is that Iraq needs security in order to achieve economic, political and civil stability. The methods by which to achieve this security are another issue all together. It is however increasingly obvious that the Bush Administration’s approach to “hunt and kill the terrorists where ever they are” is not working and will not be successful in the long run. Alternative methods must be discussed and it is this discussion Cindy Sheehan is bringing to the public. It is a discussion which everyone and most importantly the Iraqi people need to be included in.

Posted at Tuesday, August 16, 2005
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Sunday, August 14, 2005
GLNAWI's Namaste in Jerusalem

GLNAWI member Sayrah Namaste is currently in Jerusalem representing Michigan Peace Team at the 12th Annual Coalition of Women for Peace International Conference in Jerusalem.

As one of our most informed, articulate and active members, Sayrah's presence at this conference is an honor for all of us. It is a wonderful opportunity to have a resource in our own community linked to those on the front line of a struggle for a just peace that we have chosen to support.

The following is her first email update from Jerusalem, sent yesterday:


Hello Friends,

I have a few minutes at an internet cafe to send you a note. This is my second day at the women's peace conference in Jerusalem, and it's been very intense. Thank you for all the support you've given me so that I could be here.

We 700 women from more than 30 countries gather each day outside under a tent on the Mount of Olives. Women from each country to stood up as their country was called: Cambodia, Austria, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Italy,Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, France, UK, Spain and the Basque, Balkans, Russia, Chechnya, Phillipines, Japan, Australia, India, Canada, US, Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Nigeria, South Africa, Burundi, Palestine and Israel. There are 5 Nobel Peace Prize nominees and women who are ministers in the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Parliament. I was moved to tears to just see each of the groups of women stand when their country was called out, and a story shared--about the women's struggle against sexual violence in the Balkans or assasinations in Colombia, etc.

Two women from Spain, one from Finland, one from the Congo, one from Kenya, and one from Rwanda were prevented from joining us. Ten of us were detained--I was interrogated for about 2 hours by 3 soldiers and strip searched, but still allowed in.

"My sisters!" said Gila Svirsky, Israeli activist and the conference organizer, "this is the revolution! We are everywhere, despite the politics and the profits keeping us apart."

I will write more on the content of the workshops, but I wanted to share this brief story:

I and six others walked to and from the conference and my hotel--a beautiful walk, about 40 minutes. On the way back, we came across a 'flying checkpoint'. In other words, it was not there in the morning. Almost fifty soldiers armed with M-16s were there. I approached them and said Lion's Gate (the entrance to the city) and they nodded their heads and let us in.
But a few meters up the hill, I saw a Palestinian mother and her 3 year old daughter. When they saw the checkpoint, the mother froze. The child began to cling to her mother, who did not speak but just stared. I could see she was contemplating what to do. I decided to stop and sit down on the sidewalk to watch and see if my presence could be of any help. She called her brother on her cell phone, then hung up and stood waiting, conflicted.

I approached her and we began to talk. Her name is Claire, she is a strong woman, very direct. She told me she was worried about getting back home with the checkpoint there--would they let her back in? Should she cancel her plans? She wouldn't be back until 10pm and her brother was going to escort her. But his ID doesn't let him into this side of the city when there is a checkpoint. I offered to accompany her and she gratefully accepted. My heart went out to her, and her daughter so close in age to my own. Claire grabbed my arm and linked it in hers, and held her tiny daughter's hand, and down the hill we went into the midst of these soldiers.

When we got to the checkpoint, the little girl was right up against the butt of their guns. It pained me to see her having to be a child in this. The woman, Claire, tried to negotiate with the soldiers to allow her back in tonight and her brother. They were noncommittal. After a while, she gave up and walked out, her arm still linked in mine. We talked for a while. Her hope was her brother will be able to escort her back in at 10pm, but I worry tonight about if that happened.

You see, tonight and tomorrow, 200,000 settlers and their supporters are coming to Jersualem. The Palestinian family that runs the hotel I am in say they are here to show that although they are not in Gaza, they will show that they "own Jerusalem". The threats of terrible violence tonight and tomorrow are great. The Women in Black organizers actually warned us that we could be killed if we went anywhere near the demonstration tonight. The city is in lockdown, with the military everywhere. It feels everyone is holding their breath, gathered around their TVs watching the settlers.

I don't know if you are getting the news there about this? Please know that I am safe and fine, and glad to be with 700 feminist peacemakers at this time.

Will write more later,
Sayrah

Glad you made it to Jerusalem safely, Sayrah. It's so ironic to me that a town named, in English, "city of peace" could be anything but a peaceful place. I can't wait for your safe return and the work waiting for you back home. Enjoy your trip, and watch your six.

Posted at Sunday, August 14, 2005
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Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge.

Yesterday, in a letter sent to the City of Lansing, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan and the ACLU Lansing Branch, advised city officials to reconsider their decision to censor a Shakespeare in the park production.

Todd Heywood, a Lansing resident, and his theater company, Sunsets with Shakespeare, requested permission to perform a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" at a Lansing city park. Their request was denied by the Department of Parks and Recreation citing the reason that the stage blood might be offensive to viewers.

While "Titus Andronicus" is definitely one of Shakespeare's darkest works, with 35 people dying in the play and at least 10 major murders committed in view of the audience, it is less violent than his other works. There is more death portrayed in Richard III. Over the years, many literary critics have given "Titus Andronicus" a bad reputation because its spicy mixture of black humor and bloody revenge offended their sensibilities. In Shakespeare's time, the play was a big hit, with an effect on audiences similar to modern films such as Pulp Fiction, A Clockwork Orange, and Silence of the Lambs, where one moment the audience is amused and the next moment horrified.

While "Titus Andronicus" contains violent scenes, Sunsets with Shakespeare's updated production hopes to use the play to make a political statement about our society's acceptance and glorification of violence in entertainment and other media. They have taken steps to ensure that audience members are aware of the production's violent content before coming to the show. All advance publicity has contained a notice that the production is rated "PG-13". In addition, an announcement about the violent content will be made before the show. They have also offered to have the play produced in a secluded part of a Lansing park, post additional signs warning of the "PG-13" nature and host "talk-backs" following the Lansing shows.

"It is disappointing that a city such as Lansing cannot see the benefit of using the arts to create dialogue about social issues such as violence," Heywood added.

Update 8/15:

According to Sunsets with Shakespeare's blog, the censorship conflict has been resolved. "The Titus Andronicus Experience" will take place at Valley Court Park in East Lansing August 21-24 and August 26-29 at 6:30 PM. Lansing performances are scheduled to take place in Washington Park on August 31 and September 1 at 6:30 PM.


Posted at Wednesday, August 10, 2005
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Saturday, August 06, 2005
Stay the Course???

Recently Ayman al-Zawahri’s, deemed al-Qaida’s second in command, released a tape making reference to the London Bombings and threatening further attacks on the US and Briton. As always the Bush Administration response was to ‘up the ante’ by framing the Iraq situation in terms of withdrawal signaling failure. Using the usual rhetoric “We will stay the course. We will complete the job in Iraq.” In some ways it is a relief that the official response from the White House wasn’t “Bring ‘em on!” as we have seen in the past. Rather than praising this response for its lack of direct provocation, take a moment to analyze what stay the course actually means.

The US military death toll now sits above 1,800. The number of wounded is upwards of 13,000, most of these injuries are life altering. (Iraq Casualties) The Iraqi civilian death toll has been somewhat of a controversial issue. The website Iraq Body Count puts the number somewhere between 23,000-27,000. A now dated but more likely estimate is provided by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Their widely reported estimate puts the count upwards of 100,000. The statistic gathering on the negative impact of the war and the ongoing occupation can go on indefinitely.

Iraqi quality of life under the occupation has been greatly reduced with no signs of short term improvement. Disease, and infant mortality rates have increased, while life expectancy has decreased during the occupation. Cancer and birth defects have increased due to the use of depleted uranium weapons used by the United States in urban areas. Farm lands have been destroyed and Iraqi oil production has slowed to a trickle. These are only a few of the impacts US occupation has had on Iraqi daily life.

In light of these and many other horrifying facts about the continued occupation, US citizens are beginning to tire of Bush’s “stay the course” approach. A recent Associated Press poll shows that a full 50% of Americans believe that Bush has not been truthful with the public. Approval of his handling in Iraq is now at 38%. His overall approval rating has also been in constant decline since the election. For a president who built his reelection campaign on resolute decision making and firm political stances it is far past the time that Bush needs to reconsider this “stay the course” approach.

Withdrawal is not failure. Evidence suggests that most in the insurgency would lay down their arms if the US were to pull out. The US does have responsibilities when it comes to Iraqi reconstruction and those issues need to be addressed. However US troops on the ground are only encouraging insurgency recruitment, and adding to the violence. US war profiteers are not building the Iraqi economy or providing work for the Iraqi people. Staying the course does not lead to a successful Iraq. The president needs to commit to a withdrawal plan for the sake of both the US and Iraq.

Posted at Saturday, August 06, 2005
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Monday, August 01, 2005
Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism

The Bush administration has stopped using the slogan "War on Terror" and begun using the phrase "global struggle against violent extremism" (see New York Times Article, 7/25/05 by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker), in an attempt to reframe its efforts to combat terrorism as an ideological conflict rather than a military conflict.

While differing ideologies play a large role in the violent conflicts we see in the world, the underlying cause of these conflicts is not ideological. The main reason the US has become a target of violent extremists is because of its disproportionate consumption of global resources, and the oppressive imperialistic practices it engages in to support such consumption.

The US consists of 4.59 percent of the world's population, yet it consumes 25 percent of the world's petroleum. There is evidence to suggest that Saudi funds are supporting the insurgency in Iraq to keep the world's second largest petroleum supply from reaching the market, in an effort to keep oil prices high. According to Craig Unger, author of House of Bush, House of Saud, Saudi investments in the US may be as high as $860 billion, which accounts for six to seven percent of the US economy.

Eric Robert RudolphThis is not to say that there aren't other factors influencing terrorism. Many people blame Islam as a strong influence, but every religion has its dangerous fanatics. For example, Eric Robert Rudolph confessed to the bombing of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, bombings of abortion clinics in Atlanta and Birmingham, Alabama, as well as a gay and lesbian nightclub in Atlanta in 1997 and 1998.

When he was finally arrested in 2003, Rudolph was scavenging for food in a garbage can behind a grocery store in North Carolina. He was clean shaven with a trimmed mustache, and wearing new sneakers, indicating that he may have spent some of his time on the run being harbored by supporters. Many Christian Identity adherents are outspoken in their support of Rudolph. The Anti-Defamation League notes that "extremist chatter on the internet has praised Rudolph as a hero and some followers of hate groups are calling for further acts of violence to be modeled after the bombings he is accused of committing."

Posted at Monday, August 01, 2005
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