August-September 2024
How can leaders of a democracy conduct an extended war on behalf of a repressive, unpopular regime when the human costs are enormous and defeat seems likely?
From Fire and Rain
By Carolyn Eisenberg
Webinar: Ending the 'American War' in Vietnam: The Impact of the Antiwar Movement and Lessons for the Present: Professor Carolyn Eisenberg discusses her book, Fire and Rain: Nixon, Kissinger and the Wars in Southeast Asia - September 19, 8 p.m. EDT; 5 p.m PDT
Drawing on documents declassified in recent years, Fire and Rain explores how management of the war and of U.S. diplomacy by Nixon and Kissinger shaped U.S. foreign policy in ways that still resonate. Professor Eisenberg also provides insights on the impact of the anti-war movement, including how it was viewed from the White House. Carolyn "Rusti" Eisenberg, a founder of UFPJ member group Brooklyn for Peace and a former member of our Coordinating Committee, is uniquely suited to help us reflect on the Vietnam War, the impact of the anti-war movements, and the lessons we might draw for today. Cosponsored by Brooklyn for Peace, Peace Action, Historians for Peace and Democracy, Massachusetts Peace Action, and Veterans for Peace. REGISTER HERE.
9/11 Pre-Trial Hearings at Guantanamo: a "Trainwreck and a Serious Embarrassment for the Government"
On July 31, three of the men accused of planning the 9/11 attacks, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, signed pretrial agreements and pleaded guilty. The agreements included lengthy "stipulations of fact" describing each man's actions related to 9/11. In exchange the government agreed to forego the death penalty. Then, barely two days later, Secretary of Defense Austin overruled the prosecuting attorneys, who had worked for months to craft the agreements, and the convening authority who approved the agreements. The developments have been described by legal scholars as a "train wreck and a serious embarrassment for the government." How the issues will be resolved, whether the agreements will stand or Secretary Austin will prevail, is unclear. When pre-trial hearings resume following the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, there will be lengthy litigation on the issues. READ MORE.
We Are the Swing Vote! Join the Poor People's Campaign GOTV team! Get Out The Vote!
"Poor and low-wage people now make up 30 percent of the electorate in every state. In so-called battleground states, they make up over 40 percent. If just 5 to 10 percent of those who are infrequent voters were to vote, they could determine election outcomes in every battleground state."-- Bishop William J. Barber II, National Co-Chair, the Poor People's Campaign for Moral Revival (PPC). The PPC is mobilizing 15 million poor and low-wage workers and people to GET OUT THE VOTE (GOTV) this November. The PPC's moral and just economic agenda "commit(s) to a moral and just economic agenda" of "abolishing poverty as the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S." and includes "an immediate cease fire in Gaza that allows humanitarian relief, the release of all hostages, and peace with justice to be pursued." SIGN THE PLEDGE TO GOTV.
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What's in Your Wallet?
Why are You Carrying around Portraits of Slaveholders?
Pull out a $20 bill and you'll see Andrew Jackson, a slaveholder and instigator of the "trail of tears" -- the forced displacement of nearly 50,000 Native Americans. Pull out a $1 bill and you'll see George Washington, the first President of the United States, also a slave holder. Get those portraits of dead white slaveholding men out of your wallet and put them to work for peace and justice! If you appreciate this newsletter, please donate now! If you can make a monthly pledge -- just $10, $5, or even $3/month, will make all the difference in the world!
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United for Peace and Justice Gaza War Resources: Voices Outside the Walls, War Data in the Cloud
The horrors and risks of the Israeli government's war on Gaza have reached the point where they provoke outrage even from the New York Times. Nonetheless the U.S. political classes don't want to hear about it. Despite thousands marching outside, the Democratic Party conventioneers refused even a short speech from a representative of Uncommitted (read what they planned to say here). Meanwhile, big tech companies are reducing the war to digital business as usual; +972 Magazine reports that the Israeli army is using cloud storage and AI services provided by the tech giants in its war on Gaza. Find these and other resources at the UFPJ Gaza War Resources page.
Image: Rousseau Diderot, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Back from the Brink: The Imperative of Nuclear Abolition!
Some 100 people gathered at the Westgate entrance to the Livermore, CA Nuclear Weapons Lab on Aug. 6, 2024, to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. A wonderful slate of speakers provided compelling insights and actions. Speakers included Maylene Hughes, Back from the Brink Campaign; Norman Solomon, journalist and author; Patricia Ellsberg; and Reverend Monica Cross, CA Poor Peoples Campaign. Participants were then led in a traditional Japanese bon dance to remember the ancestors including the nearly quarter million dead as a result of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Lastly, 23 people took part in nonviolent civil disobedience by blocking the gate to the Lab after the Police issued a call to disperse. They were cited and released. CLICK HERE for photos and video. READ MORE.
Nuclear Power is Not the Solution to Climate Change: Podcast and Book by M.V. Ramana
Nuclear power is being touted by governments and the nuclear industry as a central element of building a post-fossil fuel economy. Yet in addition to its connection to nuclear weapons and the well-known accident risks and long-term ecological hazards posed by nuclear power and nuclear waste storage, the purported promise of nuclear power as an economically viable alternative to other, fast developing renewable energy technologies is largely illusory. The costs of nuclear power plants have proved difficult to reduce, and their very long construction timelines means that their climate benefits come online far more slowly than other options. M.V. Ramana, a leading expert on the technology and economics of nuclear power, explores these issues in a Counterpunch Radio podcast, and in his new book, Nuclear is Not the Solution.
United for Peace and Justice Ukraine Resources: The Long-term Impacts of Industrialized Warfare
The dangers posed by high-intensity modern warfare to Ukraine's nuclear plant in Zaporizhzhia--and now to Russia's nuclear power plant in Kursk--have been headline news. But even if the war ends without a major nuclear accident, the people of Ukraine likely will be left with an immense post-war cleanup burden. Minefields cover thousands of square miles of land, and removing them is slow and dangerous. Both sides may be using munitions that contain depleted uranium. The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons notes that DU contamination "poses a long-term health threat to civilians and military alike, hinders the reconstruction of conflict-ravaged areas, spreads fear, and the consequences are difficult and costly to resolve." Find these resources and more at the UFPJ Ukraine Resources page.
2024 Golden Rule Voyage Begins!
The Golden Rule project of Veterans For Peace (VFP) aims to advance VFP's opposition to nuclear weapons and war in a dramatic fashion. VFP has recovered and restored the original peace ship, the Golden Rule, that set sail in 1958 to stop nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands and inspired many peace makers and peace ships that followed. The reborn Golden Rule is sailing once more to show that nuclear abolition is possible, and that bravery and tenacity can overcome militarism. The Golden Rule departed from Humboldt Bay in northern California on July 28. She is headed for the Pacific Northwest, and will stop in 16 Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia ports over two months. Click HERE to see the interactive map of the ship's voyage, updated every 10 minutes. READ MORE about the Golden Rule's 2024 Pacific Northwest Voyage.
What Does the U.S. Election Mean for Its Nuclear Weapons?
"US national security policy has been remarkably consistent in the post-World War II and post-Cold War eras.... If Kamala Harris is elected in 2024, we can expect more of the same," writes Western States Legal Foundation's Jackie Cabasso in the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament's (UK) August magazine. "Donald Trump's likely nuclear policy is spelled out in a manifesto by Project 2025, a coalition of far-right groups led by the Heritage Foundation," which "proposes that a second Trump administration.... increase funding for the development and production of new and modernised nuclear warheads; and prepare to test new nuclear weapons." Cabasso concludes: "A Harris administration would be far more progressive on domestic issues in the US, but whoever wins the presidency, our continued work for nuclear abolition remains a necessity." READ MORE.
Summary Report: 2024 World Conference Against A & H Bombs held in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gensuikyo's World Conference against A- & H-Bombs, held annually since 1955 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, is a keystone event for the Japanese nuclear disarmament and peace movement. In addition to bringing several thousand activists and students for conferences, rallies, workshops, and the official Hiroshima ceremony, it also brings together diplomats whose countries advocate nuclear weapons abolition, and leading movement figures from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. The conference's Hiroshima Declaration serves as the foundation for activities across Japan for the coming year and provides some direction, and certainly inspiration, for the international participants. Joseph Gerson, President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament & Common Security, is a regular participant. Read his detailed Summary Report of this year's Aug. 2 -- 9 Conference.
Bell Ringing for Peace and Disarmament in Western Massachusetts
As the dangers of nuclear war grow, vigils, protests and commemorations were held across the country to mark the 79th anniversaries of the U.S atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and to vow, "Never Again!" On Aug. 6, the Western Massachusetts Hub of the Back from the Brink Campaignorganized bell ringing throughout the area, commencing at 8:15 am. They also joined other peace groups at remembrances in Greenfield (Traprock Center for Peace and Justice) and Springfield, Mass. (Pioneer Valley Physicians for Social Responsibility). Four churches rang their bells for certain, with as many as seven more joining in. Two opinion pieces were published in the primary newspapers of the region along with letters to the editor. Next year the organizers intend to start planning earlier and to double the number of bells rung.
Photo: Paul Franz
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