Afghan Citizens Protest “Middle of the Night” raids by foreign troops that kill innocent civilians Picture this Your Town, Your Neighbors, Your Friends. For What? End the War(s) Now. All life is precious and with the same value, yours and theirs, your loved ones and their loved ones. With each innocent death, the whole family and their relatives must seek REVENGE. The cycle of violence has no end unless the US gets the troops out of Central Asia Now. Sign up here to support the March 20 March on Washington to End the War(s).
* * * “March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
Show your support on March 20. A day for Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan. Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
President Zardari of Pakistan is now under high pressure as the Supreme Court asks the Swiss government to reopen money laundering charges against Zardari. Consitutional Crisis Next?
Sen. Carl Levin, Jack Reed, Edward Kaufman and Pres. Zardari Photo by AAP
LAHORE: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that his government respected the judiciary and its decisions and had decided to immediately implement the Supreme Court’s verdict on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).
“I had a meeting with legal experts this morning on matters pertaining to the detailed judgment of the Supreme Court. I have given instructions to the ministry of law and justice for implementation of the court’s directives forthwith,” he told reporters on his arrival here from Islamabad. The prime minister said President Asif Ali Zardari enjoyed immunity from criminal proceedings during his tenure under Article 248 of the Constitution, which could be revoked only by parliament. The constitutional immunity had been given to the president by parliament which alone had the power to revoke it, he said.
…While striking down the NRO, the court ordered the government to approach the Swiss government for resumption of proceedings in money laundering cases against President Zardari. The court also ordered reopening of cases against all beneficiaries of the ordinance. Some legal experts, including Aitzaz Ahsan, former chief of the Supreme Court Bar Association, say that the president enjoys constitutional protection against any criminal proceedings. But others argue that the president may have immunity from criminal proceedings, but not in civil cases.
Here’s five Posts that give you a good idea of the range of problems and why the war(s) must be ended. Too many innocent people maimed and killed, and too many soldiers wounded and killed. For What?
* * * “March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
Show your support on March 20. A day for Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan. Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
US to supply ‘Shadow’ drones to Pakistan: Defence officials
[Ed. Note: India is very nervous about this. India has Drones in the air now, provided by Israel. One of the first Drones India purchased was a Harrop Suicide Drone (see below for video). They have more advanced Drones in the air also. The US supplying Pakistan with the Shadow Drone is the first step to either being supplied with more advanced systems, or Pakistan altering the Shadow Drone to carry weapons. Here’s what is in the planning stages by the US Military for the Shadow Drone, make it a Killer Drone, read below.]
New DOD Effort Arms Low-Flying Unmanned Aircraft With Precision Weapons
The Defense Department is planning a new pilot program to arm low-flying unmanned aircraft with precision weapons, a move to emulate strike capabilities of higher-flying Predator UAVs that Pentagon officials believe could point toward an entire class of small, unmanned systems capable of killing targets they locate. U.S. Special Operations Command will launch in fiscal year 2009 a technology demonstration effort to equip Shadow unmanned aerial vehicles with laser-guided munitions, according to Pentagon officials. . .“We’re going to weaponize Shadow for SOCOM,” John Wilcox, director of the joint concept technology demonstrations office in the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s Advanced Systems and Concepts shop, disclosed. “We’re also going to look at weaponizing a couple more small UAVs.” With one-to-five-pound weapons, these tny killers could take out high-value targets — “or hold a target at risk until bigger and better operational platforms with more ordnance get onto the battlefield.”
ISLAMABAD: The United States plans to provide Pakistan with a dozen unarmed drone aircraft that will help bolster its military as it takes on Taliban militants, US defence officials said.
Details of the drones emerged late Thursday during a visit to Pakistan by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was asked in an interview with Pakistani television if Washington would supply Islamabad with the unmanned aircraft.
“There are some tactical UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) that we are considering, yes,” Gates said. Defence officials in his delegation afterward confirmed funds had been set aside to secure 12 Shadow aerial drones for Pakistan. The Shadow drones, smaller than the armed Predator and Reaper aircraft, are about 11 feet (three metres) long and have a wing-span of 14-feet, with sensors and cameras feeding video images back to operators on the ground.
The Pakistani military already had some less sophisticated drones for surveillance but would need to heavily invest in training specialists to be able to take advantage of the new hardware, said US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The US employs armed drones for missile strikes against Al-Qaida and Taliban figures in Pakistan, fuelling anti-American sentiment and drawing public condemnation from the government in Islamabad.
Pakistani officials have previously called for Washington to provide its military with armed drones.
Harop Suicide Drone purchased by India from Israel (Watch the video below)
Harop-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle loitering munition. Can be launced for sea and land based target upto 1000km range @ speed of 182kmph with 6hrs endurance. Harop can also be used against suspected ballistic missile sites before its launched. IAI first exposed its drone in India before Aero India 2009. IAI developed the Harop for suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) missions.
* * * “March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
Show your support on March 20. A day for Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan. Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
Get it While You Can: Afghanistan (Iraq and Pakistan also) Corruption of U.S. Aid Monies. This story was first posted here December 30, 2009, and is reposted because of the upcoming President Obama’s request for 35 BILLION more dollars for the War(s). Say “NO” to more funds at the bottom of this post, pass this to your friends. We can get Out of Central Asia Now !!
One of the biggest reasons the U.S. can’t leave Afghanistan is that we spend so much money there, without our presence, there will be no money circulating to anyone. The upper-class, connected people (and warlords lead this group) will not allow the U.S. to leave. The U.S. is holding up the Karazi Government with Billions of U.S. Dollars.
Over $40 Billion in U.S. Aid Dollars spent on non-military projects in Afghanistan since 2003. Over $10 Billion to be spent this year. Where does the money go? In this Al Jazzera video, the Inspector General of the U.S. says that when the U.S. sends one dollar to Afghanistan, by the time it gets used in a project it is 20 to 30 cents, the rest disappears into people’s pockets. If you live in the U.S., see what the War(s) cost your state and local governments at costofwar.com Most U.S. states are in deep trouble, cutting essential services to support the War(s). Pass this to your friends. Want services, End the War(s).
ASSESSMENT OF CORRUPTION IN AFGHANISTAN a study prepared for the United States Agency for International Development is here for your reading. The following is a short excerpt outlining the overall problem:
The Dimensions, Causes and Impact of Corruption in Afghanistan
The domestic and international consensus is that corruption has become pervasive, entrenched, systemic and by all accounts now unprecedented in scale and reach. This view is apparent in the country’s declining (worsening) ranking in the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. Afghanistan fell from a ranking of 117th out of 159 countries covered in 2005, to 172nd of 180 countries in 2007, and finally to 176th out of 180 countries in 2008 – the fifth most corrupt country in the world.
Seven years after the fall of the Taliban government, corruption has become more than the standard issue bribery, nepotism, and extortion in government. Corruption has become a system, through networks of corrupt practices and people that reach across the whole of government to subvert governance. Particularly perniciously, these networks ensure that the guilty are not brought to justice; often the officials and agencies that are supposed to be part of the solution to corruption are instead a critical part of the corruption syndrome. Over and over, interview and survey respondents noted the failure of the Afghan National Police (ANP), Attorney General’s Office (AGO), and court system to detect, prosecute, judge, and punish corruption at any level. Read the full report here.
Ed. Note: This is Reposted below as a tribute to Malalai Joya and her Cause. President Obama wants 33 BILLION MORE and Congress can say “NO”. Malalai Joya tells us why we should ‘get out’, and the March on Washington on March 20 will show members of Congress and the Administration we mean it, Get Out of Central Asia NOW. Take action below please.]
The symbol of the spirit of the Afghan people is present in Malalai Joya’s body and words. She is not afraid. All her life (32 years) has been surrounded with War. We have reported many times on Out of Central Asia Now about her work and her appearances. Please take the time to view this interview and pass it along to your friends. Then join the March 20 March on Washington to End the War(s) below the video. Thank you, with your help, we can End the War(s) NOW.
First, read this story about Malalai Joya: “Afghanistan’s soft-spoken rebel, The voice from the back of the room” by Andrew Oxford (Full story Click Here) Malalai Joya is only 32, but she has been an exile, a refugee, a teacher of girls in the Taliban’s Afghanistan, and now that country’s youngest member of parliament. She’s still on the run though, and still threatened with assassination. Now view the video of Amy’s interview with Malalai Joya.
“March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
Show your support on March 20. A day for Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan. Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
This was first posted here on Dec. 11, 2009. For this day honoring the life of Martin Luther King, Jr., listen to his words about what is wrong with WAR and what it does to humans everywhere. Then read about Malalai Joya, the voice of Afghanistan’s underrepresented, a brave 32 year old member of Afghanistan’s Parliament, but has been suspended by the Afghan Government because of her outspoken charges against the government and the warlords and her opposition to the U.S. Occupation. Then join the March 20 March on Washington to End the War(s). There will be much news on this in the next two months, so get ready to show your opposition to the war(s) for all the government and congressional authorities to see. Demand the End of the War(s) and Get Out of Central Asia Now.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a leader, a voice for those never heard, a human for Peace and Justice.
Times have changed since the Viet Nam war, but Martin Luther King, Jr. laid it all out as what war does to us, the common U.S. citizen and we are posting this video as it directly applies to our Central Asian wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and yes, in Pakistan. Please listen in segments if you don’t have the time to listen in one sitting. Martin moved a nation, we need to pick up his spirit and do it again.
Why I am Opposed to the War in Viet Nam, Martin Luther King, Jr. speech “The greatest purveyer of Violence in the World today, our own Government”
Ed. Note: This is Reposted below for the Weekend. President Obama wants 33 BILLION MORE and Congress can say “NO”. Malalai Joya tells us why we should ‘get out’, and the March on Washington on March 20 will show members of Congress and the Administration we mean it, Get Out of Central Asia NOW. Take action below please.]
The symbol of the spirit of the Afghan people is present in Malalai Joya’s body and words. She is not afraid. All her life (32 years) has been surrounded with War. We have reported many times on Out of Central Asia Now about her work and her appearances. Please take the time to view this interview and pass it along to your friends. Then join the March 20 March on Washington to End the War(s) below the video. Thank you, with your help, we can End the War(s) NOW.
First, read this story about Malalai Joya: “Afghanistan’s soft-spoken rebel, The voice from the back of the room” by Andrew Oxford (Full story Click Here) Malalai Joya is only 32, but she has been an exile, a refugee, a teacher of girls in the Taliban’s Afghanistan, and now that country’s youngest member of parliament. She’s still on the run though, and still threatened with assassination. Now view the video of Amy’s interview with Malalai Joya.
“March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
Show your support on March 20. A day for Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan.Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
The American Civil Liberties Union files for all US government information regarding Predator and Reaper Drone use and attack information. This is the beginning of the end of the use of Drones in the battlefield. THANK YOU ACLU.
US Assassination Predator Drone firing a Hellfire Missile
Finally, the information necessary to declare the use of U.S. Assassination Drones illegal is being asked for by the American Civil Liberties Union in a Freedom of Information Act Request. We have posted many stories at Out of Central Asia Now regarding Predator and Reaper Assassination Drones, and continue to do so. One of the claims of the ACLU is that the U.S./CIA operatives are using Hellfire missiles fired from these Unmanned Aircraft (Drones) in countries that we are not at war against (Pakistan and Yemen). How is this legal? How is the firing of Hellfire missiles to kill a suspected “Terrorist, or Taliban leader” legal when it can not be proved that this target is even at the location of the attack? Also, guilty of what? Maybe the Obama Administration will now show its “Change” from past actions of Presidents (fighting the release of information) and have true “Transparency” and open this up to C-Span coverage for all of the World to see what “Change we can believe in” really means. You can read and download the whole Freedom of Information Act request by the ACLU here in pdf. Below you will find the ACLU story in full from their website http://www.aclu.org:
ACLU FOIA Request Seeks Info on President Obama’s Use of Drones
Today, the ACLU’s National Security Project filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking information about the U.S. government’s use of armed drones to target and kill individuals in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere. As has been widely reported in recent investigative pieces and news articles, the Obama administration has stepped up the use of drones to target individuals not only in Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan and perhaps other countries that are not active theaters of war. The strikes are reportedly being carried out both by military forces and the CIA.
The use of unmanned drones to target and kill individuals is a profoundly new way of waging war. For the first time, military and intelligence officers can observe, track, and launch missiles at targeted individuals from control centers located thousands of miles away, without any significant U.S. presence on the ground. The technology also permits the United States to target individuals nearly anywhere in the world.
Currently, reports of the number of civilian casualties vary widely, from the dozens to the hundreds. There is also growing concern that drones could be used to target individuals who are criminal suspects who should be arrested and tried in civilian courts rather than legitimate military targets, and could thereby amount to unlawful extrajudicial killings. Serious issues have also been raised about the wisdom of using drones on policy and moral grounds.
The ACLU believes that the use and proliferation of this tactic must be the subject of public scrutiny and debate. But the government has released essentially no information about the legal basis of and limits on the drone program, or its scope and consequences. The public has been kept in the dark and is therefore unable to assess the wisdom or legality of the strikes. Commentators on all sides agree that these are not questions that should be decided solely by technocrats behind closed doors.
In order to fill this void, the ACLU is asking the government to release basic information about its use of drones to execute targeted killings. In particular, we are seeking information about the legal basis for the drone program, including who may be targeted and the geographical limits on where drone strikes may occur. We are also asking for information about the scope and consequences of drone strikes, including a breakdown of the number of people killed, including the civilian casualty toll and the number of people killed who were fighters of the Afghan Taliban, al Qaeda in Afghanistan, or who had some other affiliation or status.
An Assessment on Drone Attacks making MORE Terrorists, view this video:
Readers, remember there is a March on Washington on March 20 to End the War(s). Read how you can get involved below:
“March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan.Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
Pakistan is likely to drift further away from the west in the years ahead as pressure from Islamist groups and anti-Americanism undermine the traditional moorings of the secular pro-western elite, according to a report just released by the Legatum Institute. The report rules out the possibility of a Taliban takeover or of Pakistan becoming a failed state, predicting it is most likely to ”muddle through” with the army continuing to play a powerful role behind the scenes in setting foreign and security policy. “Rather than an Islamist takeover, you should look at a subtle power shift from a secular pro-Western society to an Islamist anti-American one,” said Jonathan Paris, the author of the report. Read the full report here pdf.
Scott Ritter writes “Obama’s Alternate Universe”
Scott Ritter, photo by David Shankbone
…The “war on terror” into which Obama seems to have thrust himself (the most recent manifestation being Yemen) remains the largest obstacle for any rational resolution of America’s problems in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Simply put, so long as the United States seeks an enemy that does not exist, it will always be looking for an enemy in its stead.
The “war on terror” has the United States combing the world in search of enemies, and because American policymakers are responsive not to the reality that exists in the world today, but rather the perceptions of an American people largely ignorant of the world in which they live, and paralyzed by the fear such ignorance generates, there will always be countries and causes America will anoint as foe.The “war on terror” becomes a self-perpetuating problem for which there is no solution. Worse, it is a problem that ultimately will destroy America, not from any actions undertaken by whatever manifestation of “enemy” America conjures up, but rather from the actions undertaken by America itself.The asymmetrical nature of the “war on terror” allows an individual, or group of individuals, using a thousand dollars worth of explosives and airline tickets to generate a response from America that costs billions of dollars and further erodes the very system of ideals and values that ostensibly define the United States, all the while doing nothing to resolve the original issue.
As America enters 2010, one does not require a crystal ball to forecast that issues pertaining to Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the “war on terror” will dominate the headlines throughout the year. And here’s one thing that is less clear but every bit as certain: So long as President Obama fails to recognize that there is no “war on terror” for America to fight, and that the problems in the Middle East and Central Asia cannot be resolved without recognizing the paramount roles of Palestine and Kashmir, respectively, then not only will there be no solution to America’s problems but these problems will only get progressively worse, creating the conditions for the formulation of a series of new “solutions,” none of which will address the problems they are designed to resolve.
…Sadly, if this prediction comes true, 2010 will be a very bad year for the American people, and the world as a whole, simply because those who can make a difference are operating in an alternative policy universe governed by the self-serving interests of those who use politically induced fear as a mechanism of placating a public oblivious to the fact that they are sleepwalking ever closer to a demise of their own making. For this we have no one to blame but ourselves.
The symbol of the spirit of the Afghan people is present in Malalai Joya’s body and words. She is not afraid. All her life (32 years) has been surrounded with War. We have reported many times on Out of Central Asia Now about her work and her appearances. Please take the time to view this interview and pass it along to your friends. Then join the March 20 March on Washington to End the War(s) below the video. Thank you, with your help, we can End the War(s) NOW.
First, read this story about Malalai Joya: “Afghanistan’s soft-spoken rebel, The voice from the back of the room” by Andrew Oxford (Full story Click Here) Malalai Joya is only 32, but she has been an exile, a refugee, a teacher of girls in the Taliban’s Afghanistan, and now that country’s youngest member of parliament. She’s still on the run though, and still threatened with assassination. Now view the video of Amy’s interview with Malalai Joya.
“March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
Show your support on March 20. A day for Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan.Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
After 3000 days in Afghanistan, Brave New Films contrasts the US occupation with the Soviet invasion 30 years earlier. “I think that our experience deserves attention” – Mikhail Gorbachev, 2009. View this video, then join in on March 20 March on Washington below the video.
“March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” was first Posted on January 2, 2010. It is being Re-Posted today because we all must participate on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends.
Show your support on March 20. A day for Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now. Personally endorse the March 20 March on Washington, click here.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan.Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
In a story in July 2009, it was reported that 250,000 of 2 Million displaced Swat residents returned to their homes after the attack by the Pakistani Military (More here).
We at Out of Central Asia Now have been calling on the Pakistani press to SHOW US SWAT VALLEY NOW, let’s see the damage done to the homes, farms, roads, public buildings, but no one will show us. Here’s an article about what is described as the conditions in Swat Valley today, but again, it is not in any detail. Where’s the photos, the TV crews? If it is all so good, show us (more of our “displaced person” stories here)
Swat Valley War Damage, June 2009, after Pakistan Army began assault
After Swat Valley, the Pakistan Army went to South Waziristan and displaced 2.5 Million people, and again, show us the damage. Show us the people returning to their bombed out villages. Now North Waziristan gets hit weekly by U.S. Assassination Predator/Raptor Drones with HellFire missiles being used to destroy “Taliban Terrorists and their training camps”. Today, 17 “Terrorists” killed by U.S. Assassination Drones (read story here) Show us. Even President Zardari says “Drone attacks not helping war on terror”. Also, for the first time, a local government is calling on Islamabad: “Drone attacks ‘arrogant violation’ of Pak sovereignty: JI, and that the government had not even formally protested over the “persistent and arrogant violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty”. And finally, a MUST READ: Prime Minister Gilani announces relief package for NWFP, FATA. Tax Relief? Don’t pay for utilities? This is in the “Package”. The Pakistan Government and Military declared “Civil War” on their own people at the insistance of the U.S. Government, attack Swat Valley, South Waziristan next, now U.S. Assassination Predator Drones killing people in North Waziristan and throughout the FATA and MWFP areas.
[Ed. Note: Bold wording not part of the original article. This Swat Valley story shows how hard it is to “rebuild” and to give aid to people “displaced” upon their return. It is an example of what faces “reconstruction” and “rehabilitation” throughout Central Asia War Zones. U.S. must End the War(s) NOW]
It is said that each child at the government primary schools will get a certain amount of food items for some years. The reason behind this is of course to tempt them to enrol, and discourage dropping out. This may be counter-productive as many parents would send their children to schools to get the ration only. A complete rehabilitation of terrorism and counter terrorism hit areas of Pakistan, particularly the scenic valley of Swat, will probably take years if not decades but, nevertheless, a thorough and speedy initiative needs to be launched immediately. To demand an immediate rehabilitation is sane but to demand a realistic and well planned rehabilitation is critical. Society and its infrastructure in the areas are severely devastated. It is not a single area of human living that can be termed the most hit but an overall damage to every aspect is now well evident from the impacts and debris. By now some of the rehabilitation work is underway; and some of the non-governmental agencies have turned to Swat to intervene. It is a welcome move and should be applauded. But the concern the local expertise expresses is the haphazard rehabilitation activities by the non-governmental agencies; the governmental agencies have yet to find a space in the area or they are too lazy to move on. What is feared here is a replication of what has been done in the areas that had been hit badly by the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan.
After the earthquake a large number of international organisations came and gave their input in the rehabilitation work in the areas. This rush was indeed to succour. Billions of dollars were spent in the affected areas but recent studies on the socio-economic situation in the areas do not show very good results. Those were times when lots of relief items were distributed among the people of the areas. Many organisations carried situation analyses, and based on these, got funds from the international donors. Most of the organisations opted to focus the easily accessible areas where they could carry out their projects with ease. Thus the remote areas were left as they were while the nearby towns got multiple projects in the same sector. A lot of funds went to waste, and the net result remained bleak. Another lapse the international and national organisations were guilty of was to rely on the expertise of outsiders. These outsiders did not have the local context in their expertise. The local expertise was not deemed worthy of participating. Thus the development in these areas lacks sustainability and endurance. Besides, it lacked the need-based approach. The influx of the relief items in the areas, though needed in most cases, have turned the people into mere beggars. Many inhabitants had by then abandoned their work in other places in Pakistan, and in the Gulf states, and had come to settle in the areas in order to get the minimum cash relief of Rs 25,000 or maximum Rs 75,000. Civil society workers, who had rendered services in the earthquake areas, tell us shocking stories of how the people had been turned into mere dependents by providing them with relief without considering the far reaching social and psychological impacts. Not only this, the relief organisations had ignored the poor in the remote areas and poured money into the pockets of the influential figures in the area. This writer had witnessed an event in one of the affected localities where a single political figure managed to get 125 cheques of Rs 25,000 each. To avoid such a situation in Swat, a comprehensive coordination among all the stakeholders is a prerequisite.
This preamble is to highlight the need to plan and coordinate well before implementing any rehabilitation work in Swat and other districts of Malakand division. The local experts in the education and rehabilitation sectors fear that what had been done in the earthquake-affected areas would be repeated in Swat. Their concern that funds would be used for activities that might not have visible impacts in overall development cannot be simply ignored. The local experts need to be involved, otherwise sustainability will not be achieved. The national and international organisations must evolve an inclusive policy. They need to include the local workforce not only in the workers category but also in the planning and management tiers. Capacity of the local manpower is to be built rather than bringing outsiders on the pretext of their being experienced. This approach must be checked before it goes too far. To illustrate the point, take the example of distribution of food stuff in some areas in Swat. It is said that each child at the government primary schools will get a certain amount of food items for some years. The reason behind this is of course to tempt them to enrol, and discourage dropping out. This may be counter-productive as many parents would send their children to schools to get the ration only, and as soon as the ration stops, the child will stop going to school. The parents may also pull out their children from the private schools and send them to the government run schools. Many projects will focus their plans on children as children are more prone to radicalisation. But the most needed segment in education is the drop-outs, particularly those children who are in their teens and are not receiving an education. They should be focused on first as they are the manpower for the militancy to easily hire, and be lured. The youngsters who have left school after or at the matriculation level — in Swat most youth abandon education at this level due to the acute poverty in the area, especially the remote villages of Swat — should get more of the education projects than younger children as they are the most susceptible to indoctrination.
The main goals of education are described in the abbreviation KSA — Knowledge, Skills, and Attitude. Among these, attitude change is the most critical domain of education. This change can come by fostering critical thinking but our conventional education discourages it. Nevertheless, a higher education can help to keep the younger folk away from the militancy. On the one hand by continuing higher education the youth can be kept engaged, while on the other they can be useful for social development. But as stated earlier, the people of Swat, especially the inhabitants of the remote villages, cannot afford to carry on their education at the higher or secondary level. They cannot do so because the higher education facilities are beyond their reach. Education is usually the area most of the organisations would love to begin with but they should plan to offer scholarships for the students to carry on their education at the higher level. The government should build colleges, at least in each main town of Swat. The declaration of establishing a university by the NWFP Chief Minister, Amir Haider Hoti, has been hailed by the people of Swat. The work on this project must receive top priority.
Space does not allow presenting concerns over the construction of roads, hospitals, schools and other physical infrastructure, but in order to understand the issue the example of education is sufficient to begin with. No reasonable person would deny that there are pressing challenges on the ground but they can certainly be translated into opportunities by the will of the government and the people. The writer is a freelance analyst based in Swat, and coordinates Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi, i.e. Centre for Education and Development there. He can be reached at ztorwali@gmail.com
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan.Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
This Post “March on Washington on March 20, End the War(s)” has been left up for the past three days as this is what we all must participate in on March 20. Read all you can and organize locally if you can’t get to Washington on March 20. Come the week before as there will be events of protest leading up to the day of the march. Please pass this Post link along to your friends. In Peace…..
The time has come for your personal action to End the War(s). The date to show how you feel is March 20, 2010. There will be a March on Washington, led by the ANSWER Coalition. Spread the word. There will be a lot of news on this in the upcoming months. Organize your local town for action on March 20. Show the world WE CARE. Take action now.
We marched when Bush was President, now let's march when Obama increases troops. Come March 20 to Washington, DC and demand the End to the War(s)
A.N.S.W.E.R. The anti-war movement responds to President Obama’s speech Statement from the ANSWER Coalition Rhetoric and Reality: Masking War Escalation as a Withdrawal Plan
On Saturday, March 20, 2010, there will be a mass National March & Rally in D.C. We will march together to say “No Colonial-type Wars and Occupations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine!” We will march together to say “No War Against Iran!” We will march together to say “No War for Empire Anywhere!” Instead of war, we will demand funds so that every person can have a job, free and universal health care, decent schools, and affordable housing. A day of action and outreach in Washington, D.C., will take place on Friday, March 19, preceding the Saturday march. There will be coinciding mass marches on March 20 in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cindy Sheehan and a coalition of groups has announced a new initiative set to begin in March 2010 called Peace of the Action, ( Click Here for More) an integral part of which will be a camp that will be set up beginning March 13.
This camp will be a staging area for people coming to DC to take part in anti-war activities. Join Peace of the Action, Click Here.Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones, permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities.We will begin Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument, directly across the street from the White House and our actions will begin on March 22nd.
We need individuals who realize that time is running short for us to truly affect change through commitment and dedication to humanity through the end to the U.S. Empire (and its subsidiaries). March 20 is the seventh anniversary of the criminal war of aggression launched by Bush and Cheney against Iraq. One million or more Iraqis have died. Tens of thousands of U.S. troops have lost their lives or been maimed, and continue to suffer a whole host of enduring problems from this terrible war. This is the time for united action. The slogans on banners may differ, but all those who carry them should be marching shoulder to shoulder.
The initiators and endorsers of the March 20 National March on Washington (preceded by the March 19 Day of Action and Outreach in D.C.) include: the ANSWER Coalition; Muslim American Society Freedom; National Council of Arab Americans; Cynthia McKinney; Malik Rahim, co-founder of Common Ground Collective; Ramsey Clark; Cindy Sheehan; Medea Benjamin, co-founder of CODEPINK; Debra Sweet, Director, World Can’t Wait; Mike Ferner, President, Veterans for Peace; Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Heidi Boghosian, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild; Ron Kovic, author of “Born on the 4th of July”; Juan Jose Gutierrez, Director, Latino Movement USA; Col. Ann Wright (ret.); March Forward!; Partnership for Civil Justice; Palestinian American Women Association; MANA – Muslim Alliance in North America; Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines; Alliance for Global Justice; Claudia de la Cruz, Pastor, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas-UCC; Phil Portluck, Social Justice Ministry, Covenant Baptist Church, D.C.; Blase & Theresa Bonpane, Office of the Americas; Coalition for Peace and Democracy in Honduras; Comite Pro-Democracia en Mexico; Frente Unido de los Pueblos Americanos; Comites de Base FMLN, Los Angeles; Free Palestine Alliance; GABRIELA Network; Justice for Filipino American Veterans; KmB Pro-People Youth; Students Fight Back; Jim Lafferty, Executive Director, National Lawyers Guild – LA Chapter; LEF Foundation; National Coalition to Free the Angola 3; Community Futures Collective; Advocates for Indigenous California Language Survival; Companeros del Barrio; Barrio Unido for Full and Unconditional Amnesty; Michael Berg; Action Center for Justice – Charlotte, NC; Bay Area United Against War; Casa las Américas; Community Organizing Center, Columbus, Ohio; CT-SAW (Connecticut Students Against the War) ; Delaware Valley Veterans for America; Hawai’i Solidarity Committee; Malcolm X Center for Self-Determination; Texans for Peace; and many more.
* * * War causes death and serious injuries. The United States troops hurt or dead is over 70,000. WHEN IS ENOUGH ENOUGH? End the War(s) NOW.
End the War(s): U.S. Out of Afghanistan Now, AFP photo
* * * Stop the Assassination Drones:. Call Leon Panetta at (703) 482-0623, CIA headquarters, leave a message: No More Drone Assasination attacks, and don’t attack Quetta. End the War(s) NOW.
Call President Obama ALL WEEK LONG. Let’s keep his White House lines busy: Take Action Now ! ! Call President Obama: To reach the U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121 Leave a message: “You made the wrong decision. I do not support you on this. I feel betrayed.” Say NO to Escalation in Afghanistan.Sign the petition here. No funds from Congress for the troop escalation. Tell them now.
Today, please tell your member of Congress and U.S. Senators to End the War in Afghanistan, sign this petition. If you live outside the United States, write to your leaders, End the War Now.
Out of Central Asia Now 