Stop Drone Strikes - Stop the Assassinations

Lie-bury: Protesters Say George Bush Library Should be a Pile of Rubble

• by Medea Benjamin

Several thousand people lined up to see George Bush, Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice shovel dirt into a hole at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, the site slated to become the George Bush Presidential Center housing a museum, library and archives.

Over 100 peace activists showed up to protest, including New York City artist Laurie Arbiter, who helped organize a March of the Dead and carried a sign asking "Does America Have a Conscience?" "Rather than build a library, we should leave the broken ground and just fill it with a big pile of rubble," said Arbiter. "That would truly represent the catastrophic results of the Bush Administration."

As part of the March of the Dead, protesters dressed in black, wore white death masks and had signs around their necks representing dead Iraqis, Afghans and U.S. soldiers. The dramatic March stopped traffic and provoked strong emotions in passers-by, participants and even the police. Renee Schultz, who drove from Indianapolis to join the protest, wore the death mask and a sign representing a 23-year-old female U.S. soldier killed in Iraq. "When I first put on the mask, I just stood there and cried. I kept thinking, ‘I am 23 years old and had my whole life ahead of me. Why did I die?'" Schultz looked over at the riot police and noticed that one of them also had tears streaming down his eyes.

When the marchers attempted to reach the public viewing area, the police forced them back to the designated "protest pen" far from the ceremony. One of the protesters, a wheelchair-bound veteran of the Korean War and World War, angrily told the police that he did not fight in two wars to be told that his freedom of speech would be confined to a "protest zone."

The gathering was part of a three-day People's Response, filled with rallies, marches, teach-ins, and exhibits of crosses and soldiers' boots to represent the war dead. Organized by Texans for Peace, The Dallas Peace Center, CODEPINK and Veterans for Peace, among others, the speakers included former FBI agent Colleen Rowley, former CIA agent Ray McGovern, retired Colonel Ann Wright, professor Robert Jensen, CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin and Texas State Representative Lon Burnam.

Among the protesters was also Cindy Sheehan, the Gold Star mother who led a prolonged protest outside Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas in 2005. "Bush should not be allowed to profit from war crimes, crimes that he has even admitted to," said Sheehan. "It's not right that he will make millions from his book and speaking engagements, while millions have been killed, displaced, tortured and had their lives ruined because of him."

The protesters focused on the lies Bush told the American public to justify invading Iraq, his authorization of torture and the need for accountability. "Accountability is the sign of a true democracy," said former CIA agent Ray McGovern. "No one should be above the law and the truth must not be buried or rewritten."

Protesters were also concerned about the policies the new Bush Center will promote. President Bush said the Center would include an "action-oriented institute" to advance the principles his administration stood for, including the "benefits of limiting the role of government in people's lives." According to local organizer Leslie Harris of CODEPINK, "this really means promoting the same kinds of disastrous policies that brought us pre-emptive war, economic crisis, environmental disaster, unprecedented presidential power, and diminished civil and human rights. We can't let one of America's worst presidents shape our future policies."

The peace activists who came to protest Bush also discussed their disappointment with the Obama administration and the difficulties they anticipate in pushing the new, more conservative Congress to stop funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Among the actions they encouraged were:

• supporting the Midwest anti-war activists whose homes were raided by the FBI and supporting the January 15 FBI protest in Washington DC;
• promoting local campaigns, including citywide resolutions, to bring our war dollars home;
• reaching out to allies, particularly groups victimized by the economic crisis, but also reaching out to members of the Tea Party who want to see cuts in Pentagon spending;
• pressuring the State Department to stop using private security contractors;
• supporting the December 16 veteran-led civilian disobedience in Washington DC;
• organizing a delegation to Iraq to take testimonies from Iraqis about George Bush and the legacy of the US invasion;
• building on the new calls by Amnesty International and the ACLU to prosecute Bush for war crimes;
• stopping John Yoo, author of the "torture memos", from teaching law at the UC Berkeley law school.

For some light entertainment after long days of protest, a group stopped by local Barnes and Noble to reshelve-and photograph--Bush's Great Decisions in a more appropriate place in the store. These included placing the book next to:

• The Murder Business in the 'True Crimes' section,
• Wing Nuts in the 'Fantasy Section',
• When Law Fails: Making Sense of Miscarriages of Justice in the 'Legal Section'
• and our favorite in the 'Children's Section', Dr. Seuss' Will You Please Go Now?

With the renewed media attention on George Bush, including his sanctioning of torture, Bush might do well to take Dr. Seuss' advice.

Shut Down the School of the Americas! November 19-21, 2010 - Converge on Fort Benning, Georgia!

Written by Janice Bennett, Raising Kane Productions

Join thousands from across the country at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia for the November Vigil to close the SOA.

more info HERE

short interview with the Plowshares Five "Disarm now" They were being honored at the WPSR dinner in Seattle.

Plowshares Five "Disarm Now" interviews from toddboyle on Vimeo.

Veterans Say: "Take a Stand for Peace", November 16th

print poster HERE

VETERANS SAY, "TAKE A STAND FOR PEACE"

During the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King called our government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” True then—and even more so today."



A few years before that, in 1964 Mario Savio made his great speech at Berkeley; at the end he says:

“There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part; you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop. And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”



There are children being orphaned, maimed or killed every day, in our name, with our tax dollars; there are soldiers and civilians dying or being maimed for life, in order to generate profits for the most odious imperialistic corporate war machine ever, again in our name. How long are we going to let this go on? Until it is too late, until this destructive machine destroys all of us and the planet to boot?



We believe that the power of courageous, committed people is greater than that of corporate warmongers. But we will only see our power when we use it collectively, when we stand together.



With courage, persistence, boldness and numbers, we can eventually make this monstrous war machine grind to a halt, so that our children and all children everywhere can grow up in a peaceful world.


Join us at the White House on December 16th!

Thanks to Veterans For Peace

and Stop These Wars

First Meeting of the War Resisters Support Campaign of Niagara

War resisters are American soldiers, who after experiencing the horrors of the Iraq war, had to get out. They deemed military desertion their only option. Canadians have spoken clearly through polls and through Parliament that the majority want US war resisters to be allowed to stay in Canada. There are war resisters here in the Niagara region who want to tell their stories and are looking for community support and encouragement. Come out and meet a local war resister family at the first meeting of the War Resisters Support Campaign of Niagara. The group will be planning events in the next several months.

Thursday, November 18 · 7:30pm - 9:30pm

The Hub (inside the Guild Hall)

72 Charlotte Street

Port Colborne, ON

-thanks to Michelle Robidoux (WRSC)

Josie Forcadilla, mother of a Canadian soldier in Afghanistan calls for an end to the war."Withdrawal is the only solution to this cycle of violence."

-thanks to Laura for showing us this clip

Thank you Phil, for standing up and actually serving us and the people of the world.

The soldiers who fought in US Wars of aggression don't need wikileaks to tell us what happens there. But evidently much of the rest of the country does. I would like to believe it was a case of 'needing to see it to believe it' rather than being extreme 'not caring'. But that's a stretch for me.

As ignorant as it might be, possibly the American people just couldn't bring themselves to accept the stories of thousand upon thousands of soldiers - back from Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq - and needed more proof. The stories were too horrible and they couldn't believe they had been condoning and supporting it by remaining silent.

But I know if I believe that, I am the ignorant one. I have spent much of the last 40+ years talking to all kinds of people about the wars and occupations and my conclusion is they know.

However, for those who would argue they didn't realize what was going on, the wikileaks will confirm the stories.

If they aren't affected by the the stories the soldiers brought back from the occupations or the fact that more active duty soldiers are dying from suicide than combat and the fact that over 7,000 veterans committed suicide last year, then they might not be affected by wikileaks either.

Wake up!

It is what the US military does.

It is what the American people pay for.

It is what we try to ignore and/or justify again and again.

Here is a clip of an American war resister, Phil McDowell, a good man living in Canada. He shares his view of what wikileaks shows us about the Iraq War (occupation).

Thank you, Phil, for standing up and actually serving us and the people of the world.

Why is the US military persecuting resisters who refuse to return to the occupations? I guess that's obvious.

The real question is, "why do Americans allow them to be persecuted?"

IVAW's Operation Recovery: Stop Sending Traumatized Troops Back to War

IVAW'S Jason Hurd & Aaron Hughes being interviewed

Listen to the interview here

Facts

IVAW Operation Recovery: 10 Reasons Traumatized Troops Need a Right to Heal

1. Suicide rates among active-duty troops are twice as high as that of the civilian population, and veterans with PTSD are six times more likely to attempt suicide.1

2. 20% to 50% of all service members deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan have suffered Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): this translates to 350,000 to 900,000 current GIs or recent veterans that have suffered or are suffering from PTSD.2

3. By 2008, nearly 33% of troops had served 2 tours to Iraq or Afghanistan, while 10% had served 3 tours. Today over 11,000 troops have served 6 tours. Each tour greatly increases a service member’s chances of PTSD. Almost 30% of troops on their third deployment suffer from serious mental-health problems. 3

4. 15% of women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have experienced sexual assault or harassment. 20% of women using VA services have reported Military Sexual Trauma (MST). 4

5. Post-deployment costs to taxpayers resulting from PTSD and major depression range from $4 billion to $6.2 billion, depending on the cost of the more than 2,100 service members’ lives lost to suicide.5

6. Troops with PTSD and major depression are seeking help, but most are getting less than adequate treatment. Half of the service members with a probable PTSD diagnosis or major depression have sought help6

7. A third of soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq say they can't see a mental health professional when they need to.7

8. Nearly 20% of service members are taking some kind of psychiatric drug. Among service members currently in combat, 12% in Iraq and 17% in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping meds. Yet the military has no way of tracking prescription drug use in combat.8

9. The DOD cannot establish that service members are mentally fit to deploy or ensure that it can accurately assess mental health conditions when they return.9

10. A service member deemed ineligible for deployment by a military mental health professional can be forced to deploy with severe trauma by a commanding officer. 10

“Suicide and PTSD”, Department of Veterans Affairs, http://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/pages/ptsd-suicide.asp, Armen Keteyian “Suicide Epidemic Among Veterans”, CBS News, November 13 2007, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/11/13/cbsnews_investigates/main3496471.shtml and Mark Thompson “Invisible Wounds: Mental Health and the Military” CNN, August 22 2010, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2008886,00.html

2 Seal, K. H., Bertenthal, D., Maguen, S., Gima, K., Chu, A., & Marmar, C. R. (2008). “Getting beyond “Don't ask; don't tell”: An evaluation of US Veterans Administration post-deployment mental health screening of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.” American Journal of Public Health, 98, 714–720. See also “Comparisons of PTSD rates” Journal of Traumatic Stress-Volume 23, Issue 1, Feb, 2010 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jts.20486/pdf

3 The Alaska Army National Guard: A “Tremendous Shortfall”, A Report of the Veterans For America National Guard Program, October 15, 2008 http://www.veteransforamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/vfa-alaska-ng-report.pdf and Mark Thompson, “America's Medicated Army” Time, June 5th, 2008 http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1811858-2,00.html

4 http://www.mentalhealth.va.gov/docs/MilitarySexualTrauma-new.pdf and “Responding to Military Sexual Trauma - Still A Long Way to Go” Marcia G. Yerman, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcia-g-yerman/responding-to-military-se_b_594683.html

5 Terri Tanielian and J. Cox et al “Invisible Wounds of War: Addressing Psychological and Cognitive Injuries” RAND 2008, p. 12 http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG720.pdf and Mark Mueller, “Military suicides increase as U.S. soldiers struggle with torment of war” http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/us_military_suicides_increase.html

6 Terri Tanielian and J. Cox et al “Invisible Wounds of War: Summary and Recommendations Addressing Psychological and Cognitive Injuries” RAND 2008, p. 12 (of introduction) http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG720.pdf

7 Terri Tanielian and J. Cox et al “Invisible Wounds of War: Addressing Psychological and Cognitive Injuries” RAND, 2008, p. 251

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG720.pdf

8 Mark Thompson, “America's Medicated Army” Time, June 5th, 2008 http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1811858-2,00.html See also, Bob Brewin, Nextgov, 06/08/2010, Defense unable to track deployed troops' use of psychiatric drugs, http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20100608_2900.php and “Medicating the military” By Andrew Tilghman and B. McGarry, Army Times, 03/17/2010 http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/03/military_psychiatric_drugs_031710w/

9 GAO-07-831, “Comprehensive Oversight Framework Needed to Help Ensure Effective Implementation of a Deployment Health Quality Assurance Program”, June 2007, pg 1 http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d07831high.pdf

10 DDI 1332.14(8)c Updated: March, 29, 2010. http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/133214p.pdf

The Issue

Thousands of troops are being sent to war despite suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), and Military Sexual Trauma (MST). Many of us within IVAW have faced or are currently facing deployment as we try to recover from the severe trauma we have already experienced.

While we recognize that we must stop the deployment of all soldiers in order to end the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, we see the deployment of soldiers with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Military Sexual Trauma as particularly cruel, inhumane, and dangerous. Military commanders across all branches are pushing service members far past human limits for the sake of 'combat readiness.' We cannot allow those commanders to continue to ignore the welfare of their troops who are, after all, human beings.

There is a problem, a basic right is being denied, and we will organize to get it back.

This issue affects all of us. Everyone needs to recognize that the improper standards of care in the military and VA are harming our brothers and sisters, our nation, and only furthers the cycle of dehumanization and destruction of these wars.

Service Members have the Right to Heal

Because the military is desperate for warm bodies in the field, and the VA doesn't have the resources to serve all those in need, too often service members are conveniently denied care or access to quality mental health screenings. We say, service members with PTSD, TBI, MST, and combat stress have the right to high quality health care. They have the right to seek care and pursue treatments in the best interest of their health and well-being.

Service members have the right to receive medical care and advice from medical professionals.

A commander's orders always supersede the opinion of military medical professionals when it comes to the well-being of our troops. We say, no military authority shall override the advice of medical professionals regarding the health of service members.

Service members who experience PTSD, TBI, MST, and combat stress have the right to exit the traumatic situation and receive immediate support, and compensation.

Too often, service members are forced to redeploy back into dangerous combat, or train in situations that re-traumatize them. We say, individuals suffering from trauma have the right to remove themselves from the source of the trauma. Service members who are not physically or mentally healthy shall not be forced to deploy or continue service.

• We will support service members standing up for their right to heal, and we will stand against those responsible for violating them.
• We will expose those responsible for the deployment of traumatized troops. Those responsible will do everything they can to hide the truth, but Operation Recovery will expose the truth.
• We will demand those responsible for the deployment of traumatized troops end this inhumane practice, and back our demands up with collective action.
• We will end these wars by winning our Right to Heal. We know that without the repeated use of traumatized soldiers on the battlefield, the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan could not continue

Take Action

Join IVAW's campaign now by making a Pledge of Support.

-thanks to IVAW for info above

Protesting the Body Snatchers in downtown Buffalo

It's a wonderful thing to drive by the recruiters' offices in downtown Buffalo and see protesters out there every week. It's nice to see warm, passionate people on cold days in front of the cold, deathly offices of the military - week after week.

Their lively, whitened, painted faces pronounce and counter the death and murder deviously hawked from behind the windows of the ticket offices for the military crypts - mausoleums for burying the innocence of our youth.

Offices allowed to operate in the heart of a city - signing up kids to learn to kill.

The blinds are often closed on these large-windowed crypts on the sidewalk. Are the men and women inside embarrassed to show their faces to the public? They know that many of the kids they have recruited from these very offices have died or been inured beyond repair or participated in some odious occupation and international war crimes.

What a place to call "the office" or "work". "Bye kids, daddy's got to go to work."

I feel bad that they have to live with that. Hopefully they will see the light and refuse to continue contributing to deadly corporate and militarist demands. Maybe they can find a job that will make their kids proud of their mom or dad. Make them proud of themselves.

-Photo's from Rob Gould's photo album