"Students" put red paint on the steps of a UNC building in protest this weekend, according to NPR just now (are they certain who did it and why?).
On to the NATO anniversary in DC, the RNC, and the DNC this summer, and then the fall? – www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/01/if-this-is-1968-over-again-more-popular-upheaval-is-on-the-way/
mondoweiss.net/2024/03/opposition-to-palestinian-rights-shaped-u-s-anti-terror-laws/
www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/10/medicide-in-gaza-the-killing-of-dr-adnan-al-bursh/
consortiumnews.com/2024/05/10/whistleblowers-further-expose-israels-torture-of-detainees/
www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/09/palestinian-writers-have-long-explored-the-horrors-of-amputation/
A mass grave with headless bodies found at al Shifa Hospital, one of several recent mass graves found at Gaza hospitals so far: diario-octubre.com/2024/05/09/descubren-otra-fosa-comun-en-gaza-y-se-encuentran-cuerpos-sin-cabeza/
consortiumnews.com/2024/05/10/analysis-97-of-campus-gaza-protests-nonviolent/
consortiumnews.com/2024/05/07/blackout-imposed-on-israeli-military-aircraft-in-u-k/
consortiumnews.com/2024/05/04/enforcing-silence-on-genocide/
www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/08/the-distortion-of-campus-protests-over-gaza/
www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/03/the-iron-heel-of-the-state-at-ucla/
portside.org/2024-05-07/police-let-violent-mobs-attack-ucla-students-what-lawlessness-looks
In Chicago: www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/05/06/fnyn-m06.html
mronline.org/2024/05/08/suppressing-pro-palestinian-speech-is-the-new-mccarthyism/
No BDS allowed in Arkansas, a Jewish NC dermatologist finds out: mondoweiss.net/2023/05/the-shift-it-looks-like-apartheid-to-me/ , but he was paid the money owed in the end, and gave it to JVP. He is running for Congress in NC's 10th District.
Biden endorses Israel's assault on Rafah: www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/05/08/fchg-m08.html
Rule by the NYPD: www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/05/08/rdba-m08.html
Against AOC and the DSA: www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/05/07/ljud-m07.html
Voting non-committed in Spain? – www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/05/06/vazu-m06.html
Rightist Virginia Foxx's letter against Rutgers: edworkforce.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=410349
portside.org/2024-05-10/why-im-not-calling-police-my-students-encampment
www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/04/rachels-children/
www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/02/american-intifada-for-gaza-what-should-we-expect/
Instead of Eurovision: falastinvision.com/streaming/
The PLO on the occupied Rafah border crossing: diario-octubre.com/2024/05/09/palestinos-rechazan-cualquier-control-extranjero-sobre-el-paso-fronterizo-de-rafah/
Statement from the government of Colombia: diario-octubre.com/2024/05/09/colombia-condena-ataque-israeli-contra-rafah/
Are there plans to bomb Yemen? – diario-octubre.com/2024/05/09/yemen-se-prepara-para-un-ataque-masivo-aereo-y-terrestre-de-estados-unidos/
Fire in Ethiopia? – www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/03/ethiopia-beyond-pretoria-is-another-war-imminent/
On Ben Linder, a young, secular Jewish US engineer, killed April 28, 1987 by the US government's rightist Contras in Nicaragua: www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/01/ben-linder-37-years-presente/ and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Linder
Legs amputated blocking a train carrying material support for the Contras in 1987: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Willson
For Victory Day, May 9th: cynthiachung.substack.com/p/song-of-the-volga-boatmen-and-the
pluralia.forumverona.com/en/a/the-rules-of-blinken-the-diplomat/
www.theamericanconservative.com/georgias-foreign-influence-law-is-reasonable/
Birding in Palestine: www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/02/celebrating-links-across-species-amid-a-nightmare-of-war/
www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/03/has-the-war-against-palestine-killed-jewish-comedy/
RIMPAC June 29th-August 4th, just before the Hiroshima and Nagasaki anniversaries: www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/07/the-2024-nato-summit-rimpac-2024-and-the-filipino-peoples-struggle-for-peace/
cindysheehan.substack.com/p/mothers-day-for-peace-7ef
On Arizona: www.counterpunch.org/2024/05/01/arizonas-1864-abortion-law-was-made-in-a-womens-rights-desert/
5/9 – from NC-based Voices for Justice Palestine:
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On Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian –
Israel arrests and mistreats its own dissenting citizens and US citizens, not only Palestinians (there is a petition):
scholarsagainstwar.org/actions/immediate-protection-for-prof-nadera-shalhoub-kevorkian/
To: US Department of State
From: [Your Name]
The Honorable Antony Blinken
Secretary of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
Immediate Protection for Prof. Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian
Dear Mr. Secretary,
Professor Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian, a world-renowned scholar, distinguished Palestinian feminist theorist, esteemed Jerusalem grassroots community activist, and a dual US/Israel citizen, was detained and interrogated by Israeli police on April 18, 2024. She was held overnight until a court ordered her release on April 19th. Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian was held on meritless grounds based on an egregious distortion of statements she made in her scholarly articles and on a podcast hosted by respected university professors in the U.S. Subjected to state intimidation geared towards undermining her freedom of speech, she was inappropriately questioned about academic concepts and theoretical frameworks she uses in her research, details of case studies in her peer-reviewed academic articles, as well her positions on international law and colonialism.
Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian was strip searched in a humiliating and invasive way and she was handcuffed and legcuffed for a long time. The cuffs were placed very tightly, affecting her blood circulation and leaving wounds on her body. Israeli Police officers denied her drinking water, and they moreover refused to allow her to take hypertension medication even though it was readily available in her bag. This led to an increase in her blood pressure, which caused ear bleeding and put her at risk of a heart attack or a stroke. She was only allowed to take her medication shortly before she was released. Throughout her detention, Israeli police officers addressed her in a very demeaning and dehumanizing way and hurled sexualized insults at her. Moreover, she was kept in a cold prison cell infested with insects. To stay warm she was given nothing more than a urine- soaked blanket.
We, the undersigned scholars, professionals, and concerned citizens, condemn in the strongest possible terms the detention, ill treatment, and continuing targeting of Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian. We are extremely worried for her safety, not the least because she has been personally targeted by Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was previously convicted for supporting terrorism and inciting racism. This came on the heels of a smear campaign launched by the administration of the Hebrew University, designed to silence intellectuals, like Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian, objecting to the ongoing Gaza Genocide.
We demand that the US State Department take the following urgent steps to protect this US citizen:
1. Put immediate pressure on the Israeli Government to close the politically motivated and baseless criminal investigation against Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian.
2. Condemn in the strongest possible terms the detention of Prof. Shalhoub-Kevorkian.
3. Demand an urgent investigation into the circumstances that led to the decision to open the investigation, including interference by the Minister of National Security.
4. Demand a prompt investigation into, and an apology for, the abysmal detention conditions to which Professor Shalhoub-Kevorkian was subjected.
**Institutional affiliation for purpose of identification only
Sincerely,
ADC – Take Action: Demand Biden, World leaders Stop Israel Invasion of Rafah
Washington, DC | adc.org | May 11, 2024 – The ongoing genocide and invasion of Rafah has placed the lives of millions of Palestinians at risk. The Biden Administration, as well as other global leaders have empowered Israel to act with impunity and no accountability. We are calling on our members to take immediate action and send a message to the Biden Administration, Congress, and the Ambassadors of France, Germany, and the U.K. to the U.S., demanding that immediate global action be taken to end the genocide.
Over 1 million Palestinians, among them 600,000 children, face an immediate forced transfer out of Rafah. This escalation and impending full-scale invasion of Rafah is a direct result of the Biden administration's unwillingness to end Israel's seven-month long genocide in Gaza. Longstanding U.S. policy of impunity and unconditional support for Israel has empowered the horrific devastation that we see daily.
Take action now and demand the Biden Administration and world leaders do more to bring an immediate end to the genocide. Over 1 million Palestinians, among them 600,000 children, have been forced to seek shelter in Rafah where they live in tent cities and are suffering from a humanitarian catastrophe. The consequences of the Israeli invasion into Rafah are cataclysmic. Already we have seen occupation forces on the ground as they seized the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, a vital entry point for aid to Gaza on the Egyptian border. Israel has now taken complete control over the provision of aid, and stopped all movement at the crossing.
Take Action Now: Contact Your Member of Congress, Global Leaders Now
The U.S. plays a critical role in providing support to a genocidal regime that is hellbent on continuing its policy of engineered famine, forced displacement, and genocide. The Biden Administration, and world leaders must take action that leads to an immediate, permanent, and unconditional ceasefire, and use any measures available to force Israel to pull out of Rafah.
ADC Statement on Violent Crackdowns on Campus Encampments
Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | May 8, 2024 – ADC is outraged at the continued reckless endangerment of university students by the very administrators responsible for their well-being. Early this morning, we witnessed another excessive show of force against student protestors, this time in Washington, D.C. at the George Washington University (GWU) Gaza solidarity encampment. This follows the military-style invasion of hundreds of NYPD officers into Columbia University. Across the country police officers have physically assaulted students, torn hijabs off Muslim students, violently thrown students down stairs, used mace from point-blank distance, and choked students with their knees as they were handcuffed.
Thousands of Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, and Jewish students have been arrested across the country for simply demonstrating in solidarity with the innocent Palestinians in Gaza who have been murdered, starved, and displaced from their homes for over 200 days.
At GWU, President Ellen Granberg refused to engage in good faith negotiations with peaceful student protestors. Instead she abandoned her responsibilities to protect students by twice calling in the notoriously brutal D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to clear the peaceful demonstration. Her initial requests were rejected by Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. President Granberg, her administrators, and the Republican-led House Oversight committee amped up the pressure and forced Mayor Bowser and MPD Chief Pamela Smith into using violent force to avoid testifying in Congress today.
Actions taken by elected officials and law enforcement across are highly reminiscent of the censorship and brutality of the McCarthy Era. These brutal repression tactics are taken straight from the pages of past crackdowns on peaceful protesters – from the anti-war and anti-apartheid movements of decades past to the Black Lives Matter movement just a few years ago. University administrators are blatantly bending to the will of genocide apologists, including members of Congress, instead of considering how they might act on their students’ demands. Some universities have engaged in good faith negotiations which led to compromise and non-violent conclusions.
The Gaza solidarity encampment movement is inherently peaceful and has proven to be so in all universities across the country. This excessive show of force and administrative backlash is an unjust attempt to restrict freedom of expression. Students must be allowed to use institutions of higher learning for free exchange of speech and thought without threat of physical and mental harm.
A GW Arab American student, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation from zionist bullies and university administrators, said, “The DMV SJP Gaza solidarity encampment at GWU was a love letter to the brave children of Gaza. As students of all religious, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds studying in the nation’s capital, we at GWU understand that free exchange of ideas is at the heart of the missions of our institutions of higher learning. The pathetic response by GWU administration has stained a university which long marketed itself as a haven for activists and free thinkers. That President Granberg would make an active decision to bring heavily armed police onto GWU campus rather than engage in good faith negotiations with the peaceful student protestors represents a clear complicity in the very injustices of which we demand an end.”
ADC has established an emergency fund to protect our students. With your help we will bring the full range of legal support that is needed to serve our students, protect their rights, and ensure their safety.
5/7 – Stodden Cholensky 2024 Statement On Student Protests
www.spusa2024.org/stodden-cholensky-2024-statement-on-student-protests/
Around the country, multiple campuses are experiencing a new wave of student protests against the active role being played by the US in the War against Gaza. Not only do students conscientiously protest the ongoing genocide, human rights violations, and illegal territorial dispossession being conducted by the State of Israel against the people of Gaza, but they also engage in civil disobedience to protest the immoral use of money, materiel and diplomacy by the United States to support of Israel. Protests in support of the People of Palestine are being routinely represented in the mainstream media as “antisemitic”, who are being “manipulated” by “professional agitators.”. These terms are employed to invalidate any legitimate issue that students are protesting, to personally demonize the protestors in the minds of Americans and to run cover for US support for the murder of more than 35,000 people in Gaza since October 7th by the State of Israel, in one of the largest campaigns of state-sponsored terror witnessed in the 21st century. In response to this demonization and invalidation, our local and state governments deem it reasonable to respond to civil disobedience and calls for divestment and sanctions with violence, conducted by armed and armored riot police, deploying military grade equipment, and followed by mass arrest and detention.
We, as a campaign, stand firmly on the side of these student organized and led protests. We have seen this script before: In the early 2000s, when socialists and workers joined students and peaceful protestors in the US to protest the US’ invasion of Iraq and occupation of Afghanistan, we were met by many of the same responses from the media, reactionaries in US society, and the police force. When millions, from all walks of life, all races, and all classes turned out in the 2010s for protests against police brutality against black Americans in the streets of our cities, we were met with the same responses from the media, reactionaries in US society, and the police force. Now this is just another episode of people standing up for a righteous cause, in this case standing for solidarity with the people of Gaza, and opposing US and College investment in institutions that fund genocide, and being demonized, invalidated, and brutalized for it. But as the previous episodes of this same program demonstrated, these student protestors today are just in their actions. History will vindicate them in the minds of the rest of America.
We call on Students to continue to protest, and we call for those protests to spread across the country. The protests should continue to focus not only on the ongoing genocide in Palestine, and calls for US institutions to stop directly or indirectly funding the Government that is committing the atrocities in Gaza, but they should expand their calls to include a critique of the systems of imperialism that make war both permissible and necessary for the survival of capitalism. At its root, all modern war is not only based in feelings of race and nationality, but also rooted in the economic imperatives of capital: War uses weaponry produced in capitalist factories owned by capitalist profiteers but staffed by members of the working class, to arm members of the working class to kill other members of the working class. It does not discriminate between militant and civilian, and in this war in particular, evidence points to the deliberate and planned targeting of civilians by Israel, as a matter of policy. Protesting that, even if it means wide scale disruption of civil order in the US, occupation of college campuses, and strife between peaceful protestors and the State, is ethical. And we stand with this movement.
We call on all Americans to endorse and support these protests as far as you can. If you are able, do one or more of the following things:
- Join the students in their encampments and swell their ranks;
- Start protests in your own area to increase their numbers;
- Contribute to defense funds, or food funds, or strike funds;
- Organize boycotts not only of products that are tied to the State of Israel (there are excellent online resources produced by the BDS movement) but also boycott American companies that continue to do business with that Government, as well as media outlets who insist on tarring this movement as “antisemitic,” call peaceful protestors “terrorists” and “professional agitators”, or seek to invalidate the demands of the protests;
- Write letters to your newspaper in support of the protests;
- Bring the matter before your City Governments, your Unions and your Student Associations, and ask them to pass resolutions and conduct actions in support of the Protests;
- Organize sympathy walk outs, strikes, or other direct action in support of the protests.
This movement will only succeed if the heretofore localized protests become a more general protest, not only against the way these protests are being responded to by the institutions of capitalism (including the State and the media), but also in how these institutions drag us all into immoral acts both at home and abroad. We as a campaign believe that the time is yesterday for the people of this country to stand up, and in one voice, say “Enough!” We have had enough of being ignored and demonized when we demonstrate for justice. We have been beaten too many times, we are tired of having peaceful protests broken up by billy clubs, riot gear and tear gas employed by those who bring violence into our movements for peace. The time for talk is over. It is time for action, and we as a campaign call on all who are able to be as active as they can afford to be, in this movement, and in support of these protests, and in a broader, more generalized, anti-racist, anti-imperialist, and anti-capitalist movement. We are the only ones who can liberate ourselves, and it will take work, effort, and struggle. But this is a new opportunity, and we as a society ought not squander it.
[The SPUSA's 2024 presidential ticket]
5/7 – Stop Washington's Anti-Freedom Bill!
www.veteransforpeace.org/pressroom/news/2024/05/07/stop-washingtons-anti-freedom-bill
The House recently passed H.R. 6408: “An Act To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to terminate the tax-exempt status of terrorist supporting organizations.” It is headed to the Senate as S. 1436.
Like most titles to legislative acts, it sounds benign enough, but the reach of this legislation goes well beyond any narrowly defined or momentarily intended targets. If enacted into law, it can be used against any non-profit which engages in any issue not favored by whatever Administration is in power in the future.
The Act details procedures for the Secretary of the Treasury to designate organizations as having provided material support to groups deemed to be terrorist organizations. Section (C) (ii) provides “Opportunity to Cure” procedures. In addition to this being “guilty until proven innocent,” Section (F) states “ the United States district courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction to review a final determination with respect to an organization’s designation as a terrorist supporting organization…” Thus, if the Administration desires that some voices be silenced, they can just do it. H.R. 6408 passed the House and is positioned to pass the Senate on the consent calendar. It is expected to pass and be signed into law.
This bill is aimed at legislating broad Executive authority to suspend normal due process so as to permit the Secretary of the Treasury to strip US groups of their non-profit status in a peremptory manner, with virtually no limitations, accountability, or meaningful recourse. The immediate support for the bill comes related to the present crisis in Gaza, but it can be used in any manner in the future. It also has a three year look back feature, which means if the bill becomes law, our government can designate an organization or country as "terrorist," and then look back at any non-profit which has donated or supported that organization or country in the last three years. The definition of "support" is also vague. If a non-profit calls for a mutual ceasefire and negotiations in Gaza (or any other future conflict), is that support for only one side such as Hamas (or any future group anywhere in the world)? Some in Washington and elsewhere are currently framing it that way.
Here's the text of the bill: https://www.congress.gov/118/bills/s4136/BILLS-118s4136is.pdf
Here's a sign on letter opposing the bill, by numerous organizations: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScICili7mzBYpeE2cZk4AWcSlo5QNj7CeSzH_Ti66uhjqbpRg/viewform
There’s a much larger context here. Some quotes from a recent Veterans For Peace statement:
“California Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi's recent claims that Code Pink and other peace protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza are either Russian or Chinese funded is absurd and insulting, and Veterans For Peace calls on her to withdraw such allegations and apologize. In October of 2023, Pelosi told a group of Code Pink protesters (all of whom were White American women), to "Go back to China where your headquarters is." Then in January of 2024, Pelosi said in an interview, “I think … some of these protesters are spontaneous and organic and sincere ..... Some, I think, are connected to Russia. And I say that having looked at this for a long time now, as you know.” When asked whether she thought some pro-Palestinian protests were Russian plants, the responded, “I don’t think they’re plants.... I think some financing should be investigated... and I want to ask the FBI to investigate that.”
"Go back to China!" is a common racial insult that historically has been hurled at Asians, but now Pelosi has crossed racial lines and thrown the insult at Whites….
Now that the US has declared Russia and China to be our latest enemies, she's trying to connect dots that simply aren't connected…..
On August 5, 2023, the New York Times attacked Jodie Evans and Code Pink and other peace groups in an article entitled, “A Global Web of Chinese Propaganda Leads to a U.S. Tech Mogul.” But if one reads the article carefully, the evidence provided actually shows that the headline was false, the American tech mogul in question made all his money in America, and is donating his American money to American and international peace organizations…… following the NYT article, Republican US senator Marco Rubio asked the United States Department of Justice to open an investigation into Code Pink and other entities for potential violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Then in November of 2023, ten Republican House members of Congress signed a letter saying that they are 'deeply concerned' with Code Pink's ties to the Communist Party of China and requesting documentation.”
Looking back in recent history, it gets worse. The federal government has expanded its use of FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act) to target Black liberation activists and Chinese Americans working for peace with China. Examples include the African People’s Socialist Party and the Uhuru Movement, where three individuals were charged with acting as foreign agents of Russia based only on normal international exchange and collaboration between peace and justice advocates from different nations, something Veterans For Peace and other organizations have often done. Businesses and trade organizations also do this all the time, it is normal human communication and networking. In another example, Boston-area trade unionist Li Tang “Henry” Liang, a Chinese American activist and union member and advocate for peace between the US and China, has also been arrested and indicted under FARA. The US has used FARA to repress peace and justice organizers going all the way back to the 1951 prosecution of W.E.B. DuBois and the prosecution of the Cuban Five.
One should also note the establishment looking the other way when violent right wing counter-protesters using weapons physically attack peaceful protesters against the Gaza genocide, the cops let the attacks happen, then go in and arrest the peaceful protesters.
Now the Washington politicians are developing a bill to strip organizations of their non-profit status if they happen to cross the people in power, even three years retroactively.
Remember Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller’s famous poem about Nazi Germany, which began, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out…?”
Today, first they came for the Black Socialists, then they came for the Chinese, then they came for the White Code Pink women, now they are coming for the peace non-profits…
Either we will all stand together, or we will all fall separately.
5/6 – Veterans Support Students Protesting Genocide in Palestine
“The students are absolutely right, and may be saving our humanity.”
Veterans For Peace applauds the students who are protesting against the US/Israeli genocide in Palestine. These courageous young students are doing the right thing at the right time.
“The students are absolutely right, and they may actually be saving our humanity,” said Veterans For Peace president Susan Schnall. “Peace-loving people should applaud them, help them and join them. We are grateful that many people – including veterans – are doing just that.
Nonviolent student encampments on hundreds of college campuses in the U.S. and around the world are providing a light of hope in an otherwise hopeless and shameful moment in human history. The U.S. and European governments are complicit in Israel’s daily crimes against humanity in Gaza, while the world’s governments and the United Nations are unable or unwilling to act.
As much as we are grateful for the young people taking the lead in resisting genocide, Veterans For Peace is equally appalled at the violent repression of peaceful protesters by university administrations in collusion with local and state police. We remember the massacres of antiwar students at Kent State and Jackson State University in 1970. We absolutely reject House Speaker Mike Thompson’s call for the National Guard to be deployed to the campuses.
We categorically reject the slander and lies from our so-called political leaders that are being faithfully broadcast by corporate media. We have heard all this before: baseless charges of violence, ”chaos,” “outside agitators” and “anti-Semitism.”
We note that many Jewish students and organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace have taken a leading role in these protests, along with Palestinian-Americans and students of many backgrounds, creeds and faiths. While we condemn hate speech against any human beings, we know from first-hand experience that these protests against genocide and war crimes have been powerful expressions of love, unity and mutual understanding.
As military veterans who swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, we cherish the First Amendment – freedom of the press and freedom to speak our minds. These Constitutionally-guaranteed rights are now under attack by university administrators and also in the U.S. Congress, where the House just passed a bill officially describing criticism of Israel as “anti-Semitsm,” and threatening to defund universities that do not crack down on campus protests.
In the meantime, Israel’s genocide in Gaza continues unabated. Benjamin Netanyahu, who seems to care nothing at all for the fate of the Israeli hostages, is promising the worst massacre of all, in Rafah on the border with Egypt in the days to come. Children are being blown up – 14,000 children murdered – thousands missing legs and arms, and babies are being starved to death. This is absolutely unacceptable.
All over the world, the experts agree: only the United States government has the power and influence to stop this genocide. Instead, the Biden Administration makes weak noises about protecting civilians, while continuing to provide Israel with 2,000 pound bombs to continue the massacre.
So God Bless the Student Protesters. Veterans For Peace stands with you. Many of our members are already supporting you. This week, we are putting out a Call to Action to all veterans. Stand with the students and against the genocide. This may be the last chance to save our humanity.
-end-
Chapter 102 members visited the encampment at UW-Milwaukee
4/30 – Letter of Support for Larry Hebert
www.veteransforpeace.org/pressroom/news/2024/04/30/letter-support-larry-hebert
Email Larry's commander, Colonel Charles D. Cooley, Wing Commander, 521st AMOW at
M-RO-NAVSTA_Coastline [at fe navy mil ]
Also contact the public affairs office:
Ramstein ~~~~~~~~~~
86 Airlift Wing Public Affairs office:
Email: 86AW.PA [at us af mil ]
Mail: Bldg 2201, Unit 3300, APO, AE 09094
Phone: 49-6371-47-9108
Rota~~~~~~~~~~
Public Affairs Office
Naval Station Rota PSC 819 Box 1 Rota, Spain 09645
Email: M-RO-NAVSTA_Coastline [at fe navy mil ]
Commercial: 34-956-82-1680
To: Colonel Charles D. Cooley, Wing Commander, 521st AMOW
Public Affairs Office, 521st AMOW.
The undersigned urge you to refrain from disciplining Airman Larry Hebert for allegations related to his free speech activities.
He has had an exemplary service record to the Air Force of over five years. Recently he, like millions of people around the world, found he could no longer ignore the suffering and death the U.S. is sponsoring in Gaza, nor his part in it.
As a career military professional, you can surely recognize the integrity and courage Airman Hebert exhibited by following his conscience, whether you agree with his views or not.
Taking authorized leave, he traveled to Washington, D.C., and courageously made his concerns known, strictly following DoD Instruction 1325.06, the primary regulations that govern free speech activities by active duty servicemembers. Unfortunately, his command revoked his authorized leave and his security clearance. Airman Hebert is now waiting to find out if he will be further punished for his lawful free speech activities.
Airman Hebert’s acts of lawful protest should be heard, not merit punishment, particularly given what Airman Hebert was protesting: the unlawful transfer of weapons to the state of Israel at this time by the US, in violation of federal statutes and international treaties, including:
The Foreign Assistance Act forbids the provision of assistance to a government which "engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”
Arms Export Control Act says countries receiving US military aid can only use weapons for legitimate self-defense and internal security. Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza goes way beyond self-defense and internal security.
The U.S. War Crimes Act forbids grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions, including willful killing, torture, or inhuman treatment, willfully causing great suffering or serious injury to body or health, and unlawful deportation or transfer perpetrated by the Israeli Occupying Forces.
The Leahy Law prohibits the U.S. Government from using funds for assistance to units of foreign security forces where there is credible information implicating
that unit in the commission of gross violations of human rights.
The Genocide Convention Implementation Act, which was enacted to implement U.S. obligations under the Genocide Convention, provides for criminal penalties for individuals who commit or incite others to commit genocide.
As in so many of our past conflicts, time will prove that our official policy was in error, and we will celebrate the brave people in our military who recognized it at the time and had the integrity and compassion to speak out and not ignore their consciences.
We urge you to do the following: 1. Recognize the fact that Airman Hebert’s free speech activities were in fact, lawful and remove all negative statements about these protests from his military records,
2. Honorably discharge Airman Hebert from the US Air Force.
Most Sincerely,
4/25 – www.veteransforpeace.org/pressroom/news/2024/04/25/veterans-begin-600-mile-walk-gaza-ceasefire
Contact: Tarak Kauff 845-706-0187
Will Hopkins 603-254-4727
VETERANS BEGIN 600 MILE WALK FOR PEACE & PLANET, JUSTICE & DEMOCRACY
Gaza ceasefire in spotlight all the way
Kickoff news conference: May 7, 9:00 AM, Ogunquit Beach
Reviving the historic tradition of walking for peace, Veterans For Peace (VFP) will kick off a 600-mile "Walk for Peace and Planet, Justice and Democracy," May 7, in Ogunquit, Maine, arriving in Washington, DC, in early July.
The reasons for the walk are many as walk organizer Tarak Kauff explained, “All of us on this planet are faced with frightening threats to life on Earth. Climate and environmental destruction, much of it caused by our military misadventures and the very real threat of nuclear war, prompted us to organize this walk. Since then, we’ve begun witnessing a genocide in real time in Gaza. We must focus on it and demand it end. Americans are spending hundreds of billions in genocide taxes that we need here at home for healthcare, education and environmental protection.”
Kauff, a former U.S. Army paratrooper and a lifetime member of VFP, said he was actively searching for a way to spread the message of nonviolence and peace. “Having engaged in many
long-distance journeys on foot, it seemed like a peace walk would be an excellent way to reach everyday people. As the genocide in Gaza continues with children being killed and starved, it’s more important than ever to dramatically say that violence and war is not the way.”
Walk organizer Ellen Davidson, a VFP director, spoke about root causes. "We are walking to expose the undemocratic power of corporations like Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Dynamics and the other Madmen Arsonists who are setting fires around the globe.”
“They are reaping enormous profits from war and genocide,” the editor of Peace and Planet News added. Corporations are not people and if we want a real functioning democracy, it can’t be run by big money corporations that actually determine policy.”
Davidson concluded that, "Ultimately, we are walking for people, peace and life on this beautiful planet we all cherish.”
Eric Wasileski is a veteran of eight years in the military and a lifetime member of VFP, a poet and a chaplain in the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He plans to walk the entire route and is organizing for it in Massachusetts. He keeps it profoundly simple, "Peace is an inherently spiritual topic. We are walking for the Soul of America."
Volunteer organizers from the nine states along the route have been working for months, securing lodging, food and plenty of band-aids for blisters. Also in the planning are programs for the overnight stops featuring musicians, poets and speakers. One such program will be at the well-known House of Peace in Ipswich, Massachusetts on May 11th.
The Walk for Peace & Planet, Justice & Democracy is dedicated to the memory of Daniel Ellsberg, a national treasure. It is a project of VFP, which since 1985 has worked to expose the true costs of war and abolish war as an instrument of national policy. VFP has over 100 chapters around the country.
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5/9 –
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Dear [ ], Thank you for contacting me about anti-Semitism in the United States. It is an honor to represent the people of North Carolina. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue. I strongly oppose anti-Semitism and the increasing attacks against Jews in the United States. During my time in Congress, I have supported legislation rejecting anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred in the United States and around the world. I have also supported a resolution encouraging education in public schools about the history of anti-Semitism and the Holocaust and the historic significance of the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel in 1948. I am grateful for the efforts of state and local law enforcement who work to hold perpetrators of anti-Semitic attacks accountable and bring such perpetrators to justice. If you are interested in learning more about what is going on in Congress and my work in Washington D.C. for North Carolinians, you may visit my website at budd.senate.gov. My office stands ready to assist you with issues related to Social Security, Medicare, veteran benefits, visas, or other items involving a federal agency you may call my office at 202-224-3154. Sincerely, |
4/23 –
Dear [ ],
Thank you for contacting me about Israel’s ongoing counterterrorism campaign against Hamas. It is an honor to represent the people of North Carolina. I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue.
As you know, on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprovoked and brutal series of terrorist attacks inside Israel from the Gaza Strip. At least 1,400 people, including 33 Americans were killed, and more than 3,400 others were injured in this brutal attack. Countless innocent men, women, and children were tortured in the initial attack. At present Hamas is still holding about 130 people hostage, including eight Americans—one of which is a North Carolinian.
I recently returned from a bi-partisan, bi-cameral delegation to Israel, including a visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the communities devastated by the attacks on October 7th. If you could have seen what I saw, you would be clear eyed about the evil of Hamas’s attacks and the need to support Israel’s goals of destroying Hamas, demilitarizing Gaza, and deradicalizing the Palestinian population.
I support Israel as it responds to this brutal attack on its nation and will do all in my power to ensure the United States stands by Israel as it seeks to accomplish these three important goals.
I, like many of you, am deeply grieved by the ongoing violence. My prayers are with the friends and families of those killed and wounded, including innocent Palestinians. We must look forward to the day that this conflict is over and to what’s necessary for a sustaining peace into the future.
Be assured, I will continue efforts to secure the release of American hostages, provide lethal aid and intelligence support to Israel, and continue to support U.S. military strength and defense capabilities. Now more than ever the United States must project peace through strength.
If you are interested in learning more about what is going on in Congress and my work in Washington D.C. for North Carolinians, you may visit my website at budd.senate.gov. If you need assistance with issues related to Social Security, Medicare, veteran benefits, visas, or other items involving a federal agency, you may call my office at 202-224-3154.
Sincerely,
Ted Budd
United States Senator
3/25 –
Dear [ ],
Thank you for contacting me about the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). It is an honor to represent the people of North Carolina and I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you on this issue.
I am concerned about UNRWA’s history of providing employment to individuals affiliated with Hamas, an Iranian-backed terrorist group, and the proliferation of antisemitic rhetoric in UNRWA schools. United States taxpayer dollars should not fund individuals or organizations with ties to terrorism or that proliferate anti-Semitic rhetoric.
For that reason, I am proud to be a cosponsor of S. 431, the UNRWA Accountability and Transparency Act. This legislation withholds funding for UNRWA unless the Department of State makes several certifications concerning the UNRWA’s staff, partners, and funding. Most importantly, none of the UNRWA staff and partners can be affiliated with terrorism or disseminate certain hateful rhetoric. The State Department must also certify that terrorists are not using UNRWA facilities.
If you are interested in learning more about what is going on in Congress and my work in Washington D.C. for North Carolinians, you may visit my website at budd.senate.gov. If you need assistance with issues related to Social Security, Medicare, veteran benefits, visas, or other items involving a federal agency, you may call my office at 202-224-3154.
Sincerely,
Ted Budd
United States Senator
[There might be more to add here or in a future post.]
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