Amy Goodman to Appear at WETS Fundraiser, April 7

Amy Goodman, host of the Pacifica radio and television program Democracy Now!, will speak at East Tennessee State University’s Culp Center Auditorium on Tuesday, April 7, at 7 pm.  This lecture is a benefit for ETSU’s public radio station WETS-FM (89.5 MHz) which airs Democracy Now! weeknights at 6 pm.

Tickets for the lecture are $10 and are available at WETS-FM and at the auditorium box office on the night of the lecture.  Tickets for the reception following the lecture are $25. The reception will be held in the East Tennessee Room on the third level of the Culp Center. Proceeds from this event will help support WETS-FM.

Goodman founded the program Democracy Now! on New York’s WBAI-FM in 1996. Since then, Democracy Now! has been called "probably the most significant progressive news institution that has come around in some time" by professor and media critic Robert McChesney. The Los Angeles Times describes Goodman as "radio's voice of the disenfranchised left." Michael Della Carpini, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication, said, "She's not an editorialist. She sticks to the facts. She's not a Rush Limbaugh-type who is simply letting her ideology drive what she does. She provides points of view that make you think, and she comes at it by saying, 'Who are we not hearing from in the traditional media?’”

Goodman has received acclaim for her exposés of human rights violations in East Timor and Nigeria, and is the first journalist to receive the “Right Livelihood Award.” Other awards include the Golden Reel for the Best National Documentary for 'Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship' in 1998, and the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Prize for 'Massacre: the Story of East Timor'. This story had almost cost her life: In East Timor, she survived a massacre in 1991 in which Indonesian soldiers gunned down 270 Timorese. 

Goodman and her brother, reporter David Goodman, have authored three books: The Exception to the Rulers (2004); Static: Government Liars, Media Cheer-leaders and the People who Fight Back (2006); and Standing up to the Madness (2008). She also syndicates a column to national papers.

Goodman credits the program's success to the mainstream news makers who leave "a huge niche" for Democracy Now! "It's just the basic tenets of good journalism that instead of this small circle of pundits, you talk to people who live at the target end of the policy," she said.

WETS-FM began airing Democracy Now! in July 2005, and since then it has become one of the most popular – and controversial – programs on the station. “Democracy Now! has been one of our most successful programs ever, in terms of listener support,” according to WETS station manager Wayne Winkler.  “This program covers topics and provides viewpoints that are simply not available from other media outlets in this region. We are thrilled to have this respected journalist visit Johnson City and we hope many people will take this opportunity to hear her perspectives on today’s events.”

Tickets will be available around April 1.  Contact Wayne Winkler at 423.439.6441 or winklerw@etsu.edu.

Candlelight Vigil to be Held Thursday, March 19 in Johnson City

Thursday, March 19, 2009 marks the 6th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. Concerned TN Citizens will host a peaceful candlelight vigil at the Kiwanis Park at Knob Creek Rd and Guaranda to mark the anniversary.  The vigil will begin at 7:30 near the pavilion.  

All are invited to participate as we reflect on the last 6 years, the sacrifices that have been made by those who have fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the sacrifices made by the people of those countries.

Bring a candle.  Participants are also welcome to bring prayers, readings, and stories to share.

Today a growing number of Members of Congress are questioning troop escalation in Afghanistan. It's important that we support them! Republican Representatives Ron E. Paul (R-TX 14th) and Walter Jones, Jr. (R-NC 3rd) initiated a bipartisan letter to the President expressing concerns about his decision to surge in Afghanistan. Here's a excerpt from the letter (Click here to read the full text): "...Afghanistan allowed military action 'to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States.' Continuing to fight a counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan does not appear, to us, to be in keeping with these directives and an escalation may actually harm US security… We are also concerned that any perceived military success in Afghanistan might create pressure to increase military activity in Pakistan." 1. Please call the congressional switchboard at (202) 224-3121 (they can tell you who your Representative is) and ask for the Foreign Affairs Legislative Aid.  2. Explain to them that you are a constituent and would like your Representative to sign Rep. Walter Jones letter asking the President to reconsider troop escalation in Afghanistan. 3. Call now as the deadline for congressional signatures is Noon Eastern this Wednesday, March 11th. 4. Click here to tell us how your call went. Democratic leaders Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA 6th) and Representative Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH 10th) also signed on with the encouragement of Peace Action and our coalition of non-governmental organizations. As the Organizing, Policy, and PAC Director I organized 17 groups to put pressure on Congress including: September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, Pax Christi USA, Win Without War, American Conservative Defense Alliance, American Friends Service Committee, New Internationalism project, Institute for Policy Studies, and NETWORK a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby. These partners have lobbied hard to prevent increased violence in Afghanistan. Whether opposing nighttime drone strikes in Afghani and Pakistani villages or speaking out in support of diplomatic and humanitarian aid, they are the most vocal opponents to the continuation of failed policies in the Middle East. While other groups have been criticized by the Progressive community for not taking a stand against a troop surge in Afghanistan, Peace Action has emerged as a leader on the issue. Support our efforts to promote new solutions for Afghanistan. Call your Representatives today and tell them to sign on to this letter to the President before Wednesday March 11th. We'll send you updates on this, and much more, as America struggles to find a proper path in Afghanistan. Sincerely, Paul Kawika Martin Peace Action  P.S. Have you signed our petition to stop the surge into Afghanistan? If not, please take this important action. If you've already signed, don't forget to tell your friends.

Introducing Open Pen

A new website has been launched for NE Tennessee!  Open Pen is a news and information site that was created by a group of concerned people who wanted an alternative to local newspapers, which tend to be a bit partisan, you might say.  

Here is what Open Pen has to say about itself:

OpenPen Media was founded February 18, 2009 by a group of volunteers that met in Johnson City, Tennessee during the Obama presidential campaign. We were overwhelmed by the areas lack of understanding of political issues, the rampant levels of poverty, cultural isolationism and racism and wanted to address the issues confronting this area. Historically the area has been governed by a culture that at its fundamental core is fear driven and a carryover of a time long since relegated to history as bleak and heavy handed.

Eastern Tennessee remains a cultural misfit in a world that has moved on from the socio-conservative, isolationist, hate wielding ,fear mongering ideology that once defined our nation, and yet, still defines this area.

All members of OpenPen and its authors are volunteers and are of all political,social and religious persuasions.

It is an ambitious project, and I am excited to be involved in it.  As a regular contributor, I will be writing every week or two on topics that concern and interest me and the people of this beautiful region.  As the site grows, you can look forward to locally produced podcast programs that reflect the real interests of people in the area, not just the interests of those selling newspapers.

I hope you will include Open Pen as a part of your daily routine.  

Criticism of Proposed Defense Budget Cuts Doesn't Add Up

President Obama announced this week that his administration plans to cut defense spending as a way to reduce the deficit.  One of the ways he plans to do this is to cut funding for the US F22 Raptor Fighter, a stealth fighter that costs close to $350 per plane.  True to form, those who believe that US Military Might Makes Right have lambasted the proposal.  The two central arguments are air superiority and jobs.  First, the Pentagon tells us that the planes are critical to maintaining our air superiority, which plays a central role in the "war on terror".  They also maintain that if we eliminate the manufacture of these war planes, we put as many as 95,000 jobs at risk across the country - 25,000 or so would be lost outright, they claim, while another 75,000 jobs held by suppliers would be threatened.

I wanted to look at the jobs issue, first, since jobs are a big concern, right now.  The US economic downturn cost us 600,000 jobs in January alone, after all.  So, here's the math I came up with.  Keep in mind, I am not an economist and not a particular whiz at math.  Still, I wanted to take a crack at it.  

So, I found the national average wage for 2005, the most recent year for which statistics are available.  It's $42,922.28 - let's just say $43K.  Trust me, all the word on the street is that it hasn't changed that much since 2005.  Take the cost of one F22 and divide it by that 43K and you get 8139.5.  That means that the money spent on one single F22 Raptor would pay 8139 and a half people the national average wage for one year.  The Pentagon wants 168 of these babies.  That is the equivalent of 1,367,436 jobs.  Almost one and a half million jobs for a year, or  95,000 jobs for 14 years.  Seems to me we can create a heck of a lot of jobs - or at least offset the loss of a lot of jobs by cutting the F22 Raptor from the budget.

Now, on to the issue of national security and our air superiority.  This is what the Air Force Times says about the F-22:

“The F-22 is extremely good at three things,” squadron commander Pilch said. “No. 1, it’s extremely good at defense, that’s what it was built for. It can defend an island, or a region or a country very, very well, better than anything I know. No. 2, it’s very good at offense. It can strike deep, fast and precisely, better than any other fighter in the inventory. Finally, it is great at situational awareness passing, just an overall awareness of the battlespace and making those around the F-22 better.”

Two lines later, though, is this: "None of this, however, has been tested in real combat."

In "The Quest for Air Dominance:  F-22 Cost vs. Capability" by Thomas W. Hampton, Major, USAF, we learn that our current air superiority is due to the F-15, a fighter plane designed in the 1960s and introduced into combat in the 1970s.  It quickly and easily gained superiority over Iraq in Desert Storm.  That should come as no surprise, given the Iraqi army's reluctance to meet the US challenge on the ground or in the air.  

Newly developed weapons from other countries, including Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs), threaten this superiority, however.   Does that mean the only option is a $350 million fighter plane?  Sure, you don't drive a 30 year-old car and expect it to be the best thing on the road, but then again, you don't go out and replace it with a Lamborghini.   Particularly in this economy.

Major Hampton's paper introduces (and quickly quashes) several alternatives.  One of his arguments is that since we've already paid for the research and development of the F-22, switching to alternatives would mean throwing good money after bad.  That is an oversimplification, and it assumes the need to buy that Lamborghini, when really, a new version of the old car might just be enough - for now, anyway.

Since the F-22 has yet to be used in Afghanistan or Iraq, what are the odds it will be required in future conflicts?  It is my hope the new administration is looking at that question right not.  And in the end, wouldn't it really be more cost effective to work very, very hard to prevent those conflicts?  Wouldn't it be best for all concerned to seek diplomatic solutions to the threat of a major conflict between say, Iran and Israel, which would inevitably draw us in, too?

These are tough times.  I'm not planning to purchase a $100 pair of clogs when I can get some at Payless for $10 that will last me until things get better.  The technology of the F-22 isn't going anywhere.  No one is asking the Pentagon to burn the plans.  Just put them in the drawer for a while and buy a few new F-15s (perhaps incorporating some of the new stealth technology of the F-22).  It would also be nice if we Americans could get over our superiority complex for a while, too.  

This Saturday: Tri-Cities Health Care Justice Town Hall

Aiming and Missing:

How Healthcare is off the Mark in Tennessee
Date: Saturday, May 03

Time: 3:00-4:30 p.m. (Sign-in begins at 2:30, and refreshments at 4:30)

Location: Northeast State Technical Community College Wayne G. Basler Library (Room L-106), adjacent to the Tri-cities Regional Airport, on Highway 75
With the ETSU Student Social Workers Association, the Tennessee Health Care Campaign invites all Northeast Tennessee's citizens, state legislators, and media to our Town Hall Forum.

The primary agenda points will include:
A. CoverKids (S-CHIP Medicaid) B. Spend-down (Medically Needy) C. Daniels/Supplemental Security Income (SSI) D. Hospital accountability E. Available, affordable and quality health care, “try & fail” tactics, prescription drug limits, lack of specialists, e.g., diabetes and arthritis, in the Tri-cities.

Email Sandra to request a copy of the Talking Points for this event.

April Action for Peace at Oak Ridge and Other Activities from Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance (OREPA)

This is from Bill and Ann Myers of Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance:

Friends of peace,
When's the right time to stand for peace and the abolition of nuclear weapons?
How about when you also get to listen to David Rovics, live and in person, Sean McCollough, Nick Boulet, Larry Osborne, Phil Pollard, and Ganasita?
Still not sure? How about when you also get entertained by the masterful theatre of the OREPA puppetistas AND the Eggplant Faeries?

It's all happening SUNDAY, APRIL 13, starting at 10:00am at Alvin K Bissell Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

It's OREPA's April Action for peace, back after a three year hiatus. This is our BIG peace action this year, shifting from August.

It's also our twentieth anniversary—did you march with OREPA on August 6, 1988? Our theme is simple: Claim the Future: Disarm NOW.

PLEASE COME TO THE APRIL ACTION TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE PLANS FOR A NEW NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPLEX AND TO DECLARE YOUR COMMITMENT TO A WORLD FREE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS!

This is a crucial time. Leaders around the world are beginning to talk seriously about concrete proposals to lead to nuclear disarmament. We have never heard this kind of talk before—it's important we show the depth and breadth of our desire for a world free of nuclear weapons.
The peace rally at Bissell Park should last until 1:00 or so, and then we'll march to the Y12 plant for an action there.

PUPPET WORKSHOP If you've admired the giant puppets and smart theatre of OREPA's puppetistas and said to yourself, "I wish I could do that…" YOU CAN! A weeklong puppet workshop will be held in South Knoxville from Monday, April 6 - Friday, April 11 with a rehearsal at Church of the Savior in Knoxville on Saturday the 12th (probably around 4:30). Everyone is welcome to join in, from complete novices to master puppeteers. Call 609 2012 for directions and details.

NONVIOLENCE WORKSHOP The full-fledged nonviolence workshop is back! Starting with registration at 9:30 am on Saturday, April 12 at Church of the Savior (934 N Weisgarber Rd, Knoxville) and going until 4:00. We'll do skills training, reflection, history, and role playing. We'll go over plans for Sunday's action in Oak Ridge. We'll have music and food and drink (lunch and dinner are being arranged). We'll have a wonderful community and great trainers. Everyone welcome.

PEACEKEEPER TRAINING We need volunteers who will help us keep things organized and peaceful for the action—peacekeepers. We'll do a peacekeeper training at 7:00pm on Saturday, April 12 at Church of the Savior (934 N Weisgarber). Veteran peacekeepers and first-timers are welcomed.

Hear About the Christian Peacemaker Teams, April 16

What would happen if Christians devoted the same discipline and self-sacrifice to nonviolent peacemaking that armies devote to war?Come learn about the work of:

Christian Peacemaker Teams

Wednesday, April 16 2008

Thompson Center-Emmanuel School of Religion

7:00-8:30PM

Cliff Kindy will share insights about his most recent trip to Iraqand the ongoing mission to stop the production and use of Depleted Uranium weapons(manufactured here in the Tri-Cities)
Call Tim Ross (926-1194) for details.

The Thompson Center is behind the main building at Emmanuel,

near the student village

This Skeptic Invites You To Help Create a Culture of Peace, April 18-20

I admit it: I am a skeptic. Those of you who know me well know this already. I check every email legend and forward against Snopes, challenge assumptions, question authority. I also tend toward the cynical. I am not a hopeless optimist. I might even be considered a hopeful pessimist. I also try to take advantage of opportunities – particularly when such opportunities are limited.

That's why, when the Peacemaking Committee of First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethton announced it was bringing a 3-day workshop called "Creating a Culture of Peace" to the area, I knew I wanted Concerned TN Citizens to support it. But at the same time, I was concerned that it would be a let-down, that we would spend most of our time asking each other "how does what he said make you feel?" I was not alone, and surprisingly, I wasn't even the most hardened cynic in the bunch. Others in the group expressed concerns including "it will be a waste of time" and "we'll sit around holding hands eating tofu". Others were concerned, particularly because of the location of the workshop, that it would be focused too much on Scripture or prayer.

Those fears were not realized – certainly not by me; and people whom I figured would drop out returned each day. Some of the exercises surprised me. In particular, learning how each of us viewed certain things as violent or non-violent was a real eye-opener. Pre-conceptions and constructs that we may hold onto dearly played a large part in that exercise, as it does in our daily lives. (As an aside, Dr. Bill Kirkwood spoke to this in his sermon "Before Abraham Was" on March 30, when he talked about hunting monkeys. You can listen to it here, if you like). Of course there was some hand-holding, and a little soul-searching, and a little dancing, role-playing, and meditation. There was also a lot of laughter, a good bit of silliness, lots of hands-on planning, and plenty of opportunity to practice the ideas we learned. I learned how much more effective I can be when I don't give in to anger or the notion that I have to convince the other person of my moral superiority. How freeing!

This IS training that can be utilized in daily life, be it with a member of the family, at work, or in a protest line. It IS a commitment of time and energy. It IS exhausting. Most importantly, it IS worth the time, and it IS worth sharing. There is one workshop left, and there are openings. I hope after you read this there won't be. Our community needs this! We need tools that will help us build our strength, whether it be the strength to get through another day with a pushy co-worker, or the strength necessary to get county commissioners to clean up their act, or to push our administration to end the war. We need it. And since each of you is a part of We, you need it, too.

Just give me a call at 543.7737 if you would like to attend. $20 per person. $30 per couple. $10 per young adult (14-18). The fees can be waived if necessary.

Waging Peace: Read This Book, or Else

I just listened to an interview with Scott Ritter on etown, broadcast on our own wonderful WETS FM. I was blown away, and have ordered his latest book, Waging War: The Art of War for the Anti-War Movement. He spoke honestly, with some anger and frustration in his voice, about what we have done to Iraq.

I hope you will listen to the show - which is great, always - and read the book. To help you, here is an interview with him on BookTV:




And don't forget, WETS begins their Spring On-Air Fundraising drive this week! Support this great resource for our community, please!

Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis to Present Lecture: Why We Can't "Win" in Iraq

On Wednesday, April 2, Concerned TN Citizens will present a lecture by Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis entitled "Why We Can't 'Win' In Iraq" at 7:00 pm at the Acoustic Coffeehouse (Next Door), 415 W. Walnut Street, Johnson City.

Dr. Fitsanakis holds a PhD in Political Science and is an author, lecturer, and activist. He is the founder of Democracy Now! Tri-Cities and a member of Concerned TN Citizens. He has lived and studied in four countries and has taught and lectured at King College in Bristol.

We hope you will join us for this noteworthy and enlightening event.

Many thanks to Jim & Lori Benelisha for allowing Concerned TN Citizens to use Next Door.

PFLAG Tri-cities Sets First Meeting

A brief departure from the war in Iraq to give you news of another project some of us are involved in:

PFLAG Tri-Cities Chapter Forms
Johnson City, Tennessee – A new chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) has formed to serve the Tri-Cities area. PFLAG Tri-Cities will hold its first meeting Thursday, April 17th at 7 p.m. on the ETSU campus in room #503 of the Warf-Pickel (College of Education) Building.

Several counselors, academics, and clergy persons have seen the need for education, support, and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning persons and their families in East Tennessee. This first meeting will brainstorm ideas and set the direction for PFLAG Tri-Cities.

PFLAG Tri-Cities is a support community for all individuals who are the parents, family or friends of a person who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning. Straight allies are also encouraged to take part in our work of making our community safer, more understanding and affirming of GLBT or questioning individuals. If you are a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning individual; PFLAG Tri-Cities is for you, too. The vision of PFLAG is:
“We, the parents, families and friends of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, celebrate diversity and envision a society that embraces everyone, including those of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. Only with respect, dignity and equality for all will we reach our full potential as human beings, individually and collectively. PFLAG welcomes the participation and support of all who share in, and hope to realize this vision.”
If you agree with this sentiment, we encourage you to join us. For more information about PFLAG Tri-Cities, visit the web log http://www.pflagtricities.blogspot.com/.

###
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is the nation’s foremost family-based organization committed to the civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender persons. Founded in 1973 by mothers and fathers, PFLAG has 200,000 members and supporters in more than 500 chapters throughout the United States. To learn more, please visit www.pflag.org or
PFLAG Tri-Cities at www.pflagtricities.blogspot.com.
###
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) is the nation’s foremost family-based organization committed to the civil rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender persons. Founded in 1973 by mothers and fathers, PFLAG has 200,000 members and supporters in more than 500 chapters throughout the United States. To learn more, please visit www.pflag.org.

Body of War: Documentary Opening in Theaters Soon

Body of War is an intimate and transformational feature documentary about the true face of war today. Meet Tomas Young, 25 years old, paralyzed from a bullet to his spine - wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week.
Body of War is Tomas' coming home story as he evolves into a new person, coming to terms with his disability and finding his own unique and passionate voice against the war. The film is produced and directed by Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro, and features two original songs by Eddie Vedder. Body of War is a naked and honest portrayal of what it's like inside the body, heart and soul of this extraordinary and heroic young man.

Click here to view the trailer.

Let's see what we can do to bring this powerful film to the Tri-Cities. To start, let's all call or write to Real to Reel Theater and request that they run it. Their number is (423) 282-3557. The address is 130 W Springbrook Dr, Johnson City, TN .

Iraq War Quiz from FCNL

1) What percentage of Iraqis, according to a BBC/ABC poll conducted in August (during the "surge"), are "opposed to the presence of coalition forces in their country"?

a. 15%
b. 36%
c. 52%
d. 79%


2) What percentage of Iraqis believe that the "surge" has made the security situation worse, according to a BBC/ABC poll conducted in August?

a. about 9% of Iraqis believe the security situation has gotten worse
b. about 17% of Iraqis believe the security situation has gotten worse
c. roughly half of Iraqis believe the security situation has gotten worse
d. about 70% of Iraqis believe the security situation has gotten worse


3) In 2006, the US-led forces dropped an average of almost 4 bombs per week in Iraq. In 2007, how many bombs per week were dropped in Iraq?

a. About 4 bombs per week: air strike levels have been kept
constant
b. About 7 bombs per week: air strikes increased during the surge
c. About 12 bombs per week: air strikes have tripled during 2007
d. About 28 bombs per week: air strikes have increased by a factor
of 5.


4) How many guns has the U.S. distributed in Iraq and then lost since the U.S. invasion in 2003?

a. 40,000
b. 80,000
c. 140,000
d. 190,000


5) How many Iraqis are currently held in US detention facilities without charge?

a. None, all Iraqis imprisoned have been charged with a crime
b. 1, 500 Iraqis
c. 6,000 Iraqis
d. 25,000 Iraqis


6) Fill in the blank: Approximately one out of every _____ Iraqi marriages was mixed along ethnic and/or sectarian lines (Sunni-Shia, Arab-Kurd, Christian-Turkmen, etc.) before the 2003 invasion.

a. one out of every three Iraqi marriages
b. one out of every five Iraqi marriages
c. one out of every ten Iraqi marriages

7) During the surge, how has the rate of Iraqis fleeing their homes been impacted?

a. The rate has decreased because of the increased security
resulting from the surge.
b. The rate has stayed roughly the same.
c. The rate has doubled.
d. The rate has quadrupled.


8). How many times has the US met with Iranian officials to discuss reducing the violence in Iraq?

a. never
b. three times
c. six times
d. over 20 times


9) In May of 2003, Iran made a proposal for negotiations with the United States. Secretary of State Powell, his deputy Richard Armitage, and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice took the proposal to President Bush, but Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney stopped the effort, explaining that "We don't speak to evil".

Which of the following items were on the agenda that Iran proposed?

a. "coordination of Iranian influence for activity supporting political stabilization and the establishment of democratic institutions and a non-religious government�"
b. recognition of Israel in exchange for a viable Palestinian state, through the acceptance of the Arab League Beirut declaration
c. cut off all support to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and to disarm Hezbollah
d. complete cooperation with the IAEA and transparency on its nuclear program
e. all of the above


10) Fill in the blank: As the British withdrew from Basra to this last fall, the violence against British and Iraqi security forces ___________:

a. increased by 90% as the withdrawal progressed
b. increased by 23% as the withdrawal progressed
c. decreased by 23% as the withdrawal progressed
d. decreased by 90% as the withdrawal progressed


Answers:

1) d. 79% of Iraqis are opposed to the presence of coalition forces in their ocountry according to a poll conducted in August by BBC, ABC, and the Japanese broadcast service NHK. This is the third poll conducted by this group, and each consecutive poll shows an increase in disapproval of US-led coalition forces.

2) d. About 70% of Iraqis believe the US “surge” of extra troops over the past six months has worsened the security situation. This is according to the aforementioned BBC/ABC/NHK poll conducted in August of 2007, and published last September.

3) a. About 28 bombs per week: air strikes have increased by a factor of 5.

4) b. 190,000 weapons are missing.
The Pentagon has lost track of about 190,000 AK-47 assault rifles and pistols given to Iraqi security forces in 2004 and 2005, according to a governmental report released last August.

5) e. 25,000 Iraqis are currently held in US prisons without charge. The number of detainees has greatly increased during the months of the “surge” and the number is expected to double through 2008. Some detainees are as young as 11 years old. It is estimated that there are 100 Iraqi orphaned children imprisoned and in US custody. There are another 60,000 Iraqis detained in Iraqi prisons, including 700 orphaned children.

6) a. one out of every three Iraqi marriages
While there are no official statistics, many sociologists estimate that up to a third of all marriages in Iraq were mixed along ethnic and sectarian lines prior to the US-led invasion of 2003.

7) a. The rate of Iraqis fleeing their homes has quadrupled during the surge.

The Iraqi Red Crescent Society released these finding this November, in an analysis of displacement rates inside and outside the country since the surge began in February. An estimated 2.3 million Iraqis were forced to flee their homes, becoming either refugees or IDP’s (internally displaced persons). 8 in 10 were residents of Baghdad, where there was the highest concentration of US surge troops. Over 83% of those refugees were women and children under 12.

8) c. The US has had 3 bi-lateral discussions with Iran. US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi held face-to-face talks in May, July, and August of 2007, the highest level public contacts between the two sides for 27 years. There has been no meeting since. Iranian officials said that a new round of talks would be held on March 6th in Baghdad and that the US cancelled the meeting, but both US and Iraqi officials denied that negotiations had been scheduled.

9) e. All of the above was the correct answer.

In this May 2003 “Grand Bargain”, Iran proposed to cooperate with the US on its nuclear program, stabilization in Iraq and counter-terrorism throughout the Middle East, and implicit recognition of Israel. In exchange Iran asked that the US offer a “security guarantee” and commitment to disavow all intentions of regime change, along with an abolishment of sanctions, and “recognition of Iran’s legitimate security interests in the region. Former Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ambassador Kharrazi reported that the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei as well as former President Khatami was active in the drafting of this proposal.

For more on the story of this proposal and the administration’s rejection of it, see New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof’s account of the events and links to the full text of Iran’s “Grand Bargain”.

10) d. decreased. As the British withdrew from Basra to this last fall, the violence against British and Iraqi security forces decreased by 90%.

As the International Herald Tribune reports: “The presence of British forces in downtown Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, was the single largest instigator of violence,” Maj. Gen. Graham Binns told reporters Thursday on a visit to Baghdad's Green Zone.
“We thought, 'If 90 percent of the violence is directed at us, what would happen if we stepped back?'” Binns said.

No Matter How We May Feel About the War

This is a touching story. Thanks, Doc!

Rees Shearer: Elect Someone Who Will End Bush's War

This Editorial by APEC's Rees Shearer appeared in a recent Roanoke Times Editorial:

I attended a candlelight vigil at Emory & Henry College on the first day of the sixth year of war. The group was small but entirely student-organized and led. Participants were encouraged to share their reasons for coming to the vigil. I thought we'd be done in about 15 minutes.
Instead, I was humbled and inspired by students who spoke out for an hour about struggling to live their Christian faith, but to live it with justice, not oppression; about hiking the Appalachian Trail and finding recently returned Iraq war veterans attempting to heal themselves by hiking the trail; about sadness for a cousin who lost his leg to an IED on the last day of his second deployment; about why the war is off the front page and out of the thinking for most Americans.
Each spoke from the heart with clear thinking and determination. Hope was there.
This is the people's season. Polls say opponents of the war are the clear majority. Let's courageously bring that message home to our leaders. Work for and elect candidates who adhere to the will of the people to end this president's endless war.
REES SHEARER
EMORY

Stop. The War

Thanks to John at Shuck and Jive for finding this:

"Why We Can't Win in Iraq" Lecture by Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis Rescheduled for April 2

Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 7:00 PM (Johnson City):
WHY THE US CANNOT "WIN" IN IRAQ (Acoustic Coffeehouse, 415 W. Walnut, Johnson City). By now it is clear that the US invasion of Iraq has been a reckless and catastrophic undertaking, with damaging consequences far greater than those of the Vietnam War. Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis, political scientist, author, lecturer, founder of Democracy Now! Tri-Cities, and a Concerned TN Citizen, will explain why, having invaded Iraq, the US can never hope to win the war, politically or militarily, in any meaningful sense. This event is free and open to the public. For more information on this event, contact Sandra of Concerned TN Citizens.

Regional Peace Vigils Make Channel 5 News!

Click on this link. The segment on the vigils at King College and in Johnson City start at about 3:34 in the telecast.

Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan: Rules of Engagement

What is Winter Soldier?

Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan was held this weekend. The four-day event brought together veterans from across the country to testify about their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan - and present video and photographic evidence. Winter Soldier provided a supportive environment for U.S. veterans who served in those occupations, allowing them to give an accurate account of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground.

In addition, panels of scholars, veterans, journalists, and other specialists gave context to the testimony. These panels covered everything from the history of the GI resistance movement to the fight for veterans' health benefits and support.

Attendance at Winter Soldier: Iraq & Afghanistan was not open to the general public because of limited space at the event site. Members of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Military Families Speak Out, and Gold Star Families Speak Out attended the panels at Winter Soldier. Jason Hurd, a Concerned TN Citizen and co-founder of the Asheville chapter of Iraq Veterans Against the War, was a panelist and also provided his testimonial, which can be read here and listened to here. Testimonials and panel discussions can be accessed at the IVAW Winter Soldier website.

I urge everyone to listen to these powerful, painful, often graphic and disturbing, but necessary testimonials. Since the main stream media has completely ignored this historic event, we must take it upon ourselves to find them. We owe these soldiers that much.

I challenge anyone to listen to these testimonials and say these people are weak, or were just not "good soldiers". How many of us are strong enough to say to our peers - much less to power, "What I did was wrong. What we all did was wrong"?


Light a Candle against the Darkness

These are discouraging times. The media has decided to ignore the war for more "important things". We often feel helpless in our struggles for peace and justice. Just yesterday a young woman who attends Emory and Henry said to me "I don't do candlelight vigils. Go hold a candle and change the world. Right." She has a point, but she is also wrong. It isn't enough to just sigh and say "I wish" or "I pray". We must force ourselves to do things we don't want to do - but unlike these brave soldiers, we don't have to question whether we are right or wrong. We know we are right.

So, what do you say to someone like this student? Well, Jason told me, this last fall, that he started talking about his experiences in Iraq because of Concerned TN Citizens. Now, CTNC is not looking to take any credit - Jason is the brave one. What I am saying is that you just never know when your little flame might just light someone else's. And that person may be the one who makes a difference.

One candle may be bright enough to just light the path for that next step. But remember, the next step may be taken by someone else - and that's okay. They might not have seen where to put their foot down if it hadn't been for your candle.

Be a Part of Something You Might Not Be Able to Finish - Attend an Iraq War 5th Anniversary Event. Help Create a Culture of Peace in your neighborhood. Write a letter. Talk. Vote.

David Davis Gets a Failing Grade from Middle Class. What a Surprise!

Since 2003, the non-partisan Drum Major Institute for Public Policy (DMI) has issued annual scorecards analyzing the impact of domestic legislation on America's current and aspiring middle class and evaluating Members of Congress based on their votes on this legislation. But once a year just isn't enough. We need to understand what Congress is voting on as they are voting on it if we truly want to hold them accountable. And so we've created themiddleclass.org, a dynamic site that will update throughout the year as members of Congress vote on legislation of significance to the current and aspiring middle class. On TheMiddleClass.org, you will find DMI's analyses of bills that would have a significant impact (positive or negative) on the squeezed middle class, as well as on the aspirations of low-income Americans who want to work their way into the middle class. Since we are also tallying legislators' votes on the bills, we look only at legislation that has received a roll call vote in at least one chamber of Congress. Notable bills that have not yet been voted on are briefly discussed in the "Pending Legislation" section. [...more at web site]

Not surprisingly, our US Rep. for the 1st Congressional District, David Davis, has recieved an "F" from the organization. You can see the breakdown here.

Thanks to Concerned TN Citizen Bob R. for bringing this new watchdog group to our attention.

Two More Candlelight Vigils Scheduled for Region

The Emory & Henry University (Emory, VA) Progessive Student Alliance (PSA) is sponsoring an Emory candlelight vigil and SPEAK OUT on the sad occasion of the 5th anniversary date of the Iraq War. The event will be Wednesday, March 19th, 5-7PM.

Micah Morris, a leader of the PSA, has given an invitation to those who spoke at the APEC Speak Out at E&H a year and a month ago and to any other community folk who would like to speak out against the war. The SPEAK OUT portion of the vigil will be from 6-7 PM and the whole gathering will meet in front of VanDyke Student Center (across from the Duck Pond on the E&H campus). Remarks should be limited to 2-3 minutes. Please email Heather Taylor (htaylor07@ehc.edu) by Sunday if you plan to speak out, so the planners will know to how to adjust the time accordingly. Of course you don't have to speak to attend.

Sevier County Courthouse Plaza. Sponsored by Episcopal PeaceFellowship/Sevier County Organization for Peace and Equality, a non-partisan and non-denominational group in Sevier County. The Sevier County Courthouse plaza is on the front side of the Courthouse which faces Court Avenue in Sevierville. For more information call (865) 453-0943.

Please check the calendar on the sidebar for additional events around the region.

Well, Well, Look What We Have Here!

Thanks to my good friend, John Shuck, the Tri-Cities is well on its way to having its very own chapter of PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays)! I am proud to be one of the charter members of the group. The paperwork for non-profit status is complete and should be on its way to DC for the final step in the process. We have a website for local use, and about a dozen members already. I'm looking forward to being involved with this great group of people, and of helping make the Tri-Cities a welcoming, inclusive place for a few more.

5 Years of War. Events to Participate In.

MARCH 19, 2008, WILL MARK five years since the beginning of the Iraq War. Last March, peace-loving people all over the Tri-Cities organized simultaneous vigils to draw attention to this painful anniversary. Democracy Now! Tri-Cities and Concerned TN Citizens, along with students, churches, and others have planned various events to commemorate the dead on both sides, renew calls for peace, and question the injustices of war and occupation.

Below is an initial list of events. To add more events to this list, send an email. Please help spread the word about these events, and help keep the issue of the Iraq War on the political agenda.

Thursday, March 13: KILLING OUR OWN: DEPLETED URANIUM MUNITIONS IN THE IRAQ WAR.
King College Campus, Sells Hall 108, 7:00 p.m.
Depleted uranium (DU) is a radioactive material used by the US Pentagon to encase munitions fired in Iraq and elsewhere. However, upon impact, DU particles scatter in the atmosphere and are then inhaled by non-combatants and US troops alike. Scientific studies show significant linkage between DU inhalation and various cancers. King College student group “King World Awareness and Activation Campaign” (KWAAC) has invited Linda Modica, anti-DU campaigner and Sierra Club National Radiation Committee Chair, to discuss this critical issue affecting both Iraqi civilians and US troops. Admission is free and open to the public. For directions to the venue please click here. For more information, contact 423-652-4707.

Saturday, March 15: DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR:
Abingdon, VA Federal Court House (Cummings and Main), 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.
Please join Appalachian Peace Education Center in demonstrating against the Iraq War and occupation in front of the Abingdon Federal Court House (Cummings and Main) from 10:00 a.m. to noon. As the presidential primaries progress, let's continue our effort to remind American politicians and voters alike, that the Iraq War must remain on the political agenda. For more information call 423-218-0350.

Wednesday, March 19: VIGIL FOR PEACE IN IRAQ
King College Oval, 6:00 p.m.
The public is invited to join King College faculty, staff and students in observing the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war with a candlelight Peace Vigil. Readings and prayers centered around on ending conflict war and promoting healing for all those affected will be offered. Candles will be provided for all attendees. The event, which is organized by “King World Awareness and Activation Campaign” (KWAAC), will take place on the King College Oval. For directions to the venue click here. For more information, contact 423-652-4707.

Wednesday, March 19: PRAYER VIGIL FOR PEACE IN IRAQ
Elizabethton, First Presbyterian Church, 7:00 p.m.
The Peacemaking Committee of First Presbyterian Church will host a candlelight vigil on the grounds of the church, or in the Sanctuary, depending on the weather. First Presbyterian Church is located at 119 W. F Street, near downtown Elizabethton. Call 423-543-7737 for more information. Directions to First Presbyterian Church can be found here.

Wednesday, March 19: CANDLELIGHT VIGIL FOR PEACE IN IRAQ
Johnson City, Kiwanis Park (Knob Creek Road between Pactolas and Guaranda, near Ashley Academy), 7:00 pm.
Join others from the region who wish to gather and commemorate the 5th Anniversary of the start of the war in Iraq. Bring appropriate poetry, reading selections, or your own thoughts to share with the group. Candles are good, too. We will gather at the stone archway, unless it rains, in which case we will move to the pavillion.

Saturday, March 22: DEMONSTRATION FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
Johnson City, North Roan at Mountcastle (near Target and Bank of Tennessee), 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Bring signs and your voices! Gather on the sidewalk (DO NOT park in the Bank of Tennessee lot) for a peaceful demonstration against the ongoing war in Iraq. Suggested themes include the 5th anniversary, supporting the troops through diplomatic efforts, and the upcoming election as a road to peace in Iraq (now, wouldn't that be a change?).

Thursday, March 27: A CATHOLIC NONVIOLENT RESPONSE TO WAR
King College Campus, Sells Hall 108, 7:00 p.m.
How should Christians respond to the reality of war in Iraq and elsewhere? Jesus asks us to love our very enemies, in a way that often seems to exceed human capacities and threaten an unjust status quo. Is Jesus' proposal realistic? How can we get ourselves to believe this? Join “King World Awareness and Activation Campaign” (KWAAC) for a frank and open discussion on this very timely subject. Our speaker will be Sister Jackie Hanrahan, Director of the Appalachian Office of Justice and Peace of the Catholic Diocese or Richmond. This event is free and open to the public. For directions to the venue please click here. For more information, contact 423-652-4707.

Wednesday, April 2: WHY WE CAN'T "WIN" IN IRAQ.
Acoustic Coffeehouse, 415 W. Walnut, Johnson City 7:00 pm.
Dr. Fitsanakis, political scientist, author, lecturer, founder of Demoncracy Now! Tri-Cities, and a Concerned TN Citizen, will give a presentation on the difficulties surrounding the current mindset of "staying to win" in Iraq. This event is free and open to the public, although seating is limited. Email Sandra with questions.

Thursday, April 3 : VIGIL TO COMMEMORATE IRAQ WAR VICTIMS
Bristol, VA, Virginia Intermont Quad, 6:00 p.m.
The community is invited to join Virginia Intermont students and staff in commemorating and mourning for the American and Iraqi men, women, and children killed in the Iraq War. For more information call 423-218-0350.

Friday, April 4 through Sunday, April 6: CREATING A CULTURE OF PEACE Workshop.
Friday, April 18 through Sunday April 20: CREATING A CULTURE OF PEACE Workshop.
Elizabethton, First Presbyterian Church. Click here for times and details.
Unlike trainings that focus only on anti-war protest, Creating a Culture of Peace training is an incubator for participants to raise issues which most concern them --- group controversy and conflict, neighborhood violence, domestic violence, climate change, war and militarism, discrimination, video games, homelessness, peace education, and lack of health care.

The training is highly participatory and does not depend on reading a book or lectures. It draws upon the wisdom, ex-perience and talents of all the participants and on the skills and knowledge of trainers. Mutual learning occurs through storytelling, meditation, small group sharing, brainstorming, role plays, thought-provoking exercises, music and movement. CCP offers training on nonviolence principles, analysis of social change and community-building, skills for peacemaking and resources. Every group chooses and plans concrete projects for change.

Within its first four years, Creating a Culture of Peace has traveled to 36 states and Palestine, trained thousands of participants and 300 trainers, and was adopted by national and regional faith groups and Veterans for Peace.

Click here to download a registration form. Seating is limited to 30 people per workshop.

Care to Host a Candlelight Vigil on March 19th?

More than 400 Concerned TN Citizens throughout the region held 9 separate candlelight vigils last year to commemorate the 4th anniversary of the Iraq War. These events were positively received by the various communities in which they were held, and were well reported by the media.



Sadly, the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War is upon us. Concerned TN Citizens is asking members of the community to host vigils again this year. If you are interested in hosting a vigil, please contact Sandra. It is a simple yet profound statement in support of our military personnel and in support of peace.


Here's all you need to do:

Choose a location. It could be a park, a memorial, a church, a home, etc. (you may need a permit, depending on the location; these are often free or require a nominal filing fee).


Send Sandra the information on location - name of park or memorial, street address, etc. Ideally, all vigils will begin at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, March 19. If you cannot start at that time, please let me know the start time of your event. Sandra will create a flier with the vigil information on it and email it to you.


Print out the flier and distribute it as you see fit. Sandra will contact your local media outlet with information about the vigil, and a request to have coverage of the event. Note: if you want to host a private event, be sure to let me know about it. I will not make a flier, but I will include limited information in a press release.


Get a few candles to pass out since some folks will forget to bring them, while others will be compelled to stop and join the vigil once they see it.

Bring a broom, dustpan, and trash bag or two to clean up afterward.


It's really that simple! Of course, you can do more, as time, creativity, and energy allows. Local clergy can be invited to lead a prayer (although this may be difficult, as the anniversary is on Wednesday this year), participants can be encouraged to speak before the group, read poetry or prose related to peace, etc.


If you are not able to host an event, but would like to participate in one, please check this website regularly over the next few weeks. It will be updated with events as they are determined.

ETSU Social Work Students Organization Meeting Around 5th Anniversary of War on Iraq

From Linda Modica of First TN Progressives:

ETSU Social Work students have organized a Peace & Justice Group, and are beginning to plan their activities for the 5th Anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Assisting the students in their work for peace is First Tennessee Progressives, a member group of United for Peace & Justice (UFPJ) which is providing an organizer for Sunday's meeting. George Friday, who had served as the MC at the Peace Rally in Jonesborough on October 27th, will be speaking on "Students Mobilizing for Peace". Her perspective on campus actions for peace throughout the Southeast will be enlightening.
Would you be able to join ETSU students, George Friday from UFPJ, me and other fellow peacemakers at the Acoustic on Sunday at 3:00 pm?

Looking forward to seeing you on Sunday,
Linda.

Praise for Midwives or "Liberation, If We Listen..."

Following is the tail-end of the sermon delivered today by Rev. John Shuck, at 1st Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton.

The Bible does tell us if we will listen about enduring principles of justice and human dignity. It tells us again and again and again that the Pharaohs of this world who oppress others end badly.
It tells us that oppression, imprisonment, torture, and lies will be exposed.
The Bible tells us that it is the people, the midwives, the Shiphrahs and the Puahs of this world, who are the ones who begin to make the changes.
They make the changes because they begin with a simple question.
What is right and what is wrong?
Who will we obey?
Once they know the difference between justice and injustice…
Once they realize whose side they are on…
they refuse to participate in injustice.
and once they make that choice, we read:
So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.

To read the entire sermon, click here.

Creating a Culture of Peace, March 7-9 at 1st Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton

Do you want to replace violence with peace --- at home, in your community, across our country and around the world?

Did you know that YOU have the power to make these changes?

There is a program on the spirituality and practice of active nonviolence that helps us discover our own power for change and that teaches peacemaking skills and principles.

The training program is available nationwide.

It offers training to schools, civic organizations, veterans, congregations, and other groups
seeking peaceful personal and social change.

It is coming to our community!

Click here for more information and to download a registration form.

APEC to Host 21st Annual MLK Celebration

APPALACHIAN PEACE EDUCATION CENTER is pleased to announce its 21st Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration. The Celebration will be held on Saturday, January 19th with the march starting at 1:30 pm at Charles Wesley Methodist Church in Abingdon, VA. and the celebration starting at 2:00 pm at Abingdon United Methodist Church. Ted Delaney, Director of African-American Studies at Washington and Lee University will be a featured speaker. Local choirs and youth groups will also perform. To see a flyer with the program of events, please click here.

Middle America Speaks (and Sings)!

Getting My Act Together

Well, I have not been able to get things together as I wanted to for tomorrow's Iraq Moratorium. So, there will be no organized action, for which I apologize. That does not mean you cannot and should not do something on your own. Please go to www.Iraqmoratorium.org for ideas, or do the one I had hoped to do more publicly, the "Help Iraq Draw the Line" action, wherein each person sends a letter to our Congress persons, enclosing a pen, pencil, or my personal favorite, a crayon, to help them "Draw the line" on the war in Iraq. You can find useful information about war funding here, here, and here.

Now, about me trying to get my act together. I've been struggling lately to find the energy to do what I know I should be doing to build this organization. With the exception of the great help I was given while working on the Sept. 22 END THE WAR March and Rally (which I never would have considered doing without the great assistance and support from a number of you!), I have been trying to do most of it alone. I can't do it. I just don't have the "activist" personality that allows some to carry on, no matter what. I admire those people greatly. People like Linda Modica of First TN Progressives, Rees Shearer and Buckey Boone of APEC (they've been doing this stuff for decades!), Joseph Fitsanakis at DNTC, and the whole litany of progressives around the country and the world. I am pretty good at organizing, but I'm not much for sustaining - myself or others, it seems. And I find myself reacting badly to the bad news I spend so much time reading - something I had hoped would not happen, but it has.

So, with that in mind, I am taking some time off, starting now. I am going to take a breather, readjust my thinking, and look into some more positive ways that Concerned TN Citizens can work to make our voices heard above the din of war, here in our little corner of the world. One of those ways I mentioned last week - No More Victims. I am happy to tell you that the national organizations Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War are fully behind Jason and Jimmy and have endorsed the WNC Chapter of IVAW, AND have endorsed the coalition Jason and Jimmy hope to build with No More Victims. Like I said before, I want CTNC to be a part of that. I think it is a good direction for us to take at this point.

We have made great strides in helping people in this area learn to constructively communicate their feelings to members of Congress, as well as others in the community. The END THE WAR March and Rally as well as the ongoing dialogue that it has generated in the local press are indicative of that progress. And simply the number of people who are now willing to speak out to friends, family, neighbors, candidates, and the press is so much greater than it was a year ago. Thank yourselves for the work you have done. Each time one of you made the move to contact the press or just say "No, I don't agree with this war," at the dinner table or coffee house, you've helped others open up and do the same.

Still, it is time for change. I still have hopes of a winter lecture/documentary series, and would love to have some of you work with me on getting that organized and set up, but not for a while. I hope you will all understand that I am not giving up this fight, and I am not giving up Concerned TN Citizens. Perhaps it is only the season, and some primordial urge to "button down the hatches" against the winter. But, I don't want to let you all down, either, and that is exactly what I fear will happen if I continue to push myself to do things I simply cannot do.

I encourage you all to continue to work together - get back out on North Roan with signs and wave at traffic, send those letters to Congress and the press, do what you can to speak out. And, if anyone would like to take up the slack here at CTNC, just let me know. I am all in favor of having more people involved in the organizing end of things.

Have a great fall, everyone, and keep in touch. I will do the same with whatever news I have about No More Victims and the work Jason and Jimmy are doing in this region.

Peace Out!
--
Yours in true democracy,
Sandra



In case the links above don't work, here they are in full:

http://www.iraqmoratorium.org/
http://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=737
http://www.truthdig.com/interview/item/20061116_kucinich_cut_off_funding/
http://vcnv.org/brother-can-you-spare-a-dime-iraq-war-spending-in-fiscal-year-2007-0
www.vetsforpeace.org
www.ivaw.org
www.nomorevictims.org

Onion News Network Analysis of Presidential Polling

Language Advisory: this ONN video segment only uses one swear word, but uses it well. Consider yourselves advised. Thanks to niece Rachael for this one.


Poll: Bullshit Is Most Important Issue For 2008 Voters

No More Victimes Co-Founder Cole Miller to appear on Democracy Now! this Thursday, Oct. 18

Cole Miller, co-founder of No More Victims, is scheduled to appear on Democracy Now! this Thursday, October 18. The program is aired locally at 6:00 p.m. on WETS-FM. No More Victims works to obtain medical sponsorships for war-injured Iraqi children and to forge ties between the children, their families and communities in the United States. Those of you who heard Jason Hurd speak at our END THE WAR March and Rally learned about one of the children, Salee, whom NMV helped to bring to the US for treatment and after-care. Salee and her father currently reside in Greenville, South Carolina.

Mr. Miller is expected to talk about, among other things, an exciting new alliance with several groups, including Veterans for Peace and Iraq Veterans Against the War. This alliance includes the Asheville chapter of VFP, the newly formed Western NC chapter of IVAW, started by our own Jason Hurd and Jimmy Massey ("The Ground Truth"). I am proud and excited to announce that Concerned TN Citizens will also be a part of that alliance. Look for more on this as it develops!

Please tune in to DN! this Thursday, Oct. 18 to listen to Cole Miller and learn about No More Victims.

New! END THE WAR March & Rally video

Southern Appalachian International Film Festival to Include The Ground Truth

The Southern Appalachian International Film Festival (SOAPIFF) will take place this weekend, beginning October 11. The festival features dozens of films with connections to Southern Appalachia, including films by Appalshop, which brought us such films as The Ralph Stanley Story, one of the featured films. This years' line-up also includes the important documentary The Ground Truth. This powerful film includes Appalachians who have been affected by the war in Iraq, beginning with the process of Basic Training and navigating through the bureaucratic tanglings that too many wounded vets have experienced.

The SOAPIFF will take place at various locations in Johnson City as well as Jonesborough. Please check the SOAPIFF website for a complete listing of films, locations and times.

October 27 Depleted Uranium Action in Jonesborough

United for Peace and Justice has called for mass actions in 11 cities throughout the United States on Saturday, October 27 to call for an end to the War in Iraq. Jonesborough has been selected as one of those 11 cities, with the focus for this event being Depleted Uranium.

Please visit the UFPJ Oct. 27 Jonesborough page for more information.

Letter to the JC Press: Peace Rally a Disgrace

This letter was published in Tuesday's JC Press. William asked what I thought of it. My comments are in the comment section of the previous post. What do you think of this letter?

Peace Rally a Disgrace

I never thought it would happen in East Tennessee, especially in Upper East Tennessee. The newspaper headline read on Sept. 23 read: “Hundreds march in peace rally.” Somewhere in this mess people were carrying a puppet of President Bush with one hand holding a bag of money and the other a pistol. Our president is in a tough spot. We were attacked. That much ought to be clear even to a bunch of crazed idiots.

I believe President Bush is a good man, well intentioned — trying hard to do an incredibly difficult job. Further, he is our president and he is due the respect that ought to be accorded his office. To portray him as a greedy gunslinger is both grossly incorrect and a disgrace to our East Tennessee heritage. Then there comes the big lie, we “absolutely support our American troops.” How in heaven’s name can our troops feel supported by this disgraceful conduct? We see this nonsense in Washington and I suppose in time that we may even learn to view it as acceptable.

The awful tragedy is that it has the potential to become self-fulfilling. Were we to have had this view some decades ago, those of us who now live east of the Mississippi would be speaking German and those on the West Coast would speak Japanese. Maybe these kinds of demonstrations have a place in Washington, New York, Boston and San Francisco. Please, not in my beloved East Tennessee. I am so ashamed.

CHARLES N. MONTGOMERY

Letter to the East Tennessean: Puppet Was Peaceful

The article "Anti-War or Anti-Bush" in the Sept. 27 issue of the East Tennessean was pretty disturbing in my opinion. The author remarked upon the march that took place on Saturday, Sept. 22. Josh Mckinney states, "I can't think of anything more heartbreaking than a soldier going to war and never coming home." In the next paragraph he states "what angers me is the puppet." Basically saying that dead soldiers are not anger worthy but a puppet is.

The creators of the puppet were "using the war in Iraq as a platform to attack President Bush." I would ask the author, "why not attack President Bush?" He did start the war after all, even after the United Nations declared that it would be a mistake. He was the one who said that they had weapons of mass destruction, and that we would be greeted as liberators. He was the one who stood on an aircraft carrier in his flight suit (playing soldier) and declared an end to major military operations. How many lives and how many dollars have been lost since then?

The author states, "The puppet became the main event of the march." He states that "two pictures of it were featured in the East Tennessean." The author fails to mention that one of those pictures was of the march in general. The headline of the Johnson City Press read "Hundreds March in Peace Rally." The headline was not, "Massive Puppet Paraded through Streets, One Man Outraged."

The author relays what he calls "a visual," where he compares the puppet at an anti-war march to piling up dead soldier's bodies and dancing on top of the pile, all while holding a "stupid, grinning, puppet." I thought this image was completely absurd. The puppet was an image of George Bush, you know, the guy who started the war. That's right, the same war that was being protested, this is completely different than piling up bodies and dancing on them, which is quite disturbing.

Mckinney calls the puppet "crude, shameless, and demeaning." Strong words to describe a work of art made of papier-mâché and wire. I believe what is more "crude, shameless, and demeaning" is an unjust invasion and occupation of a sovereign nation.

The author calls on "those responsible" for the puppet to apologize. I see this as a glaring contradiction. The author wishes to hold the artists responsible, why then does he not wish to hold George Bush responsible for the war? I happen to believe that the one who should apologize is George Bush. After all, the puppet was only an expression of someone's opinion of the man who started the invasion.

May I remind Mckinney that the puppet did not send those soldiers to an early grave, George Bush did. The puppet has never killed anyone, but the hubris and stupidity of George Bush has killed hundreds of thousands.

-Jesse Ball

A Response from Wendy Gilliland

To the members of the Concerned Tennessee Citizens:

The letter I wrote to the Johnson City Press expressed my heartfelt emotions concerning the celebration of the International Day of Peace. I did not, at any time, say that I disagreed with your efforts or the march that you led. Instead, I wrote to the Editor because I did not feel that it was appropriate to label the rally as a "protest" in the context of peace.

Since my letter appeared in the newspaper, I have received emails from people who do not even know me, making statements that were unfair and untrue. I have been misquoted and assumptions have been made that are not accurate in any way.

Our studio held events throughout the weekend in conjunction with the Global Mala Project, an international event celebrating unity and peace throughout the world. It was not political or religious. It was simply an act of coming together for a common cause, just as you were doing that Saturday. Our events were free. There was no wish to drum up business for our studio through the events. That is not our mission or goal.

Please take time to look at our website or visit our studio for a class. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the warm, compassionate environment we have there. Once you have had the opportunity to get to know me, you are welcome to say whatever criticisms you wish, but please take the time to get to know me before judging me.

I do sincerely wish you success with your efforts and peace in your journey.
wendy

From the Minneapolis Star Tribune Letters to the Editor: Supporting the troops should mean more than a hill of beans

On the home front, our sacrifice rarely goes deeper than coffee and magnetic ribbons.

Ed Murphy
Published: October 02, 2007

The barista had her spiel down pat. "Support our troops by buying a bag of coffee and we'll send it to Iraq." Everyone wins: The coffee shop sells another bag at retail, the troops get the same caffeinated start to the day as we here in the homeland, and best of all, you, the customer, have the satisfaction of fulfilling your duty to support the troops. Far be it from this coffee aficionado to deny our fighting forces the same French Roast that I enjoy each morning, but I can't help but wonder why some tiny fraction of the $3 billion a week the war costs, or perhaps of the annual earnings of the coffee conglomerate promoting the sale, can't be directed to ensure that our soldiers start their day off right without counting on the random generosity of those back home.
But I want to support the troops, so I buy into the pitch and my beans (ground in case the government doesn't offer grinders) end up in the barrel.

This is how sad the "Support the Troops" mantra has become, and how removed Americans are to the sacrifices young women, men and their families are making to preserve our way of life. To be sure, reasonable people can disagree as to the wisdom of this war. But whatever the belief, there clearly is a desire to support the troops, whether it means continuing to endorse the surge, bringing the troops home as soon as possible or something in between.

Buying our troops a cup of coffee and placing a magnet on the back of the family SUV are painless ways to show support, but might I suggest a few others? With the campaign season in full swing politicians are listening, so insist on the following:

• Don't use "support of the troops" to promulgate your own political position on war or to accuse others of being unpatriotic or war mongers.

• Those serving who are not U.S. citizens should receive citizenship. Could there be a more
certain way to prove your worthiness than to lay your life on the line?

• Ensure that they have best equipment available.

• Guarantee that troops receive first-class medical care for war disabilities. No congressman should tolerate the bureaucratic maze that wounded veterans routinely suffer.

• Take financial care of military families. That any family should suffer financial ruin because the breadwinner is serving his or her country is unacceptable.

• Raise taxes. This war is being paid with borrowed money. It is unconscionable that we will burden future generations, including young soldiers, with the cost of this war.

• Understand that sending soldiers to die should be an absolute last resort. Whatever the folly or merits of the Iraq war, Americans did a miserable job of debating the need and understanding the consequences of this fight.

• Be clear as to what we want our military to achieve and how we will know when it is done. After four years, it still is not clear exactly what we want our soldiers to accomplish.

By all means, buy that bag of coffee, but realize that true support means sacrifice. The soldiers and their families have carried this burden virtually alone, and that's disgraceful.

Ed Murphy, Minneapolis, is a consultant and writer.

U.S. Still Top Supplier Of Weapons To The Developing World

Jessica Pupovac - AHN Writer
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The United States maintained its position as the foremost supplier of weapons to the developing world in 2006, according to a Congressional study released Monday.
The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service updates the report, "Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations," annually. Its 2006 totals were released Monday.
The report details a vast market for American-made weapons, with faithful clients spanning the globe. Overall, the U.S. arms industry controlled 42 percent of the global weapons market in 2006. America signed $16.9 billion of contracts with foreign nations, $10.3 billion of those in the developing world. It marked a significant increase since 2005, when the U.S. sold $6.5 billion of weapons to developing countries.
Russia came in second, selling $8.1 billion of weapons to countries in the global south, and the U.K. was third at $3.1 billion. All three nations surpassed their 2005 totals and overall, the three arms giants controlled over 70 percent of the international arms trade.
Contrasting today's arms sales with those during the Cold War, the report stated that nowadays, the "motivation may be based as much on economic considerations as those of foreign or national security policy."
However, it was clear that the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with the traditional rivalry between India and Pakistan, played a significant factor in purchasing trends. Pakistan ranked number one in arms purchases last year, concluding $5.1 billion dollars worth of transactions, while India purchased $3.5 billion in arms. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, an uneasy neighbor of both Iraq and Iran, ranked third with $3.2 billion in agreements.

Where's Democracy, Waldo?

Check this link for a tongue-in-cheek (though not really funny) look at how we're doing in the war to bring democracy to all the countries we think should have it, today.

Anti-War or Anti-Bush? Is There a Difference?

Josh McKinney, an ETSU student and contributor to the ETSU school paper, The East Tennessean, wrote this recent commentary about the End The War March and Rally. If you would like to respond to Mr. McKinney's comments, you may do so here.


Anti-War or Anti-Bush?
by Josh McKinney

I was going to write something nice for my first Viewpoint column. Honest. I had it planned out, you see. The headline was, "What's Wrong with Leaning Right ... or Left?" It was a nice, gentle piece about overcoming stereotype. It wouldn't have upset anybody. I was going to point out how not all conservatives are hypocritical, pious, gay-hating, morals-slinging, irrational, need-a-life, absolute morons (although there are a few conservatives who fall into this elite category). At the same time, I was going to try to break the stereotype of the freaky, sex-driven, pink hair-wearing, atheist, immoral, hate-spewing, full-of-crap liberal (although I've met one or two of these elites as well).

I was going to point out that we shouldn't be afraid to express our views, because there are very few who are all-out liberals or conservatives like the examples above. We usually don't have to worry about being attacked - in fact, some times there can be a silent respect between the two camps because each hold to their views without swaying. Together, perhaps, the liberal and the conservative could have chuckled aloud at the column, then danced away into a field of sunflowers.

Then I saw the puppet, and I decided to write something a bit more inflammatory. As you may know, there was an anti-war march this past weekend. The ETSU College Democrats were involved, as well as the Initiative for Clean Energy and an off-campus group called Concerned Tennessee Citizens. More than 200 people attended the march with signs and opinions opposing the war. Also, someone brought a large puppet. This puppet was a representation of President Bush wearing a cowboy hat, carrying a pistol, and grinning like he's got a secret. It took three people to operate it, and was apparently loved by the crowd.

Now, I don't mind the march. I'm anti-war too, you see. I can't think of anything more heart-breaking than a soldier going to war and never coming home, leaving a family with a hole that can never be filled. I'm all for a reasonable withdrawal from Iraq, to get our soldiers home and back with their families. What angers me is the puppet. By carrying that puppet at the anti-war march, someone was using the war in Iraq as a platform to attack President Bush. I know what the speakers talked about. I know what the band that played sang about. I acknowledge that most marchers were there for one purpose - to protest the war in Iraq. All of this, in my opinion, is fine.

But the puppet. The puppet became the main event of the march. Two pictures of it were featured in the East Tennessean. What do you think bystanders watching the march will tell everyone about? What do you think other media outlets will report on first? That's right. The puppet.

What's so wrong with the puppet? Again, by displaying that puppet at an anti-war march, the individuals involved with getting that puppet there were using the war in Iraq as a platform to attack and make fun of President Bush. Still don't see the problem with that? Let me give you a visual.

If you're at an anti-war rally and you use the war as a platform to attack President Bush, you might as well be piling up the bodies of 3,846 U.S. soldiers, climbing to the top of the mound and dancing around with a stupid, grinning puppet. I bet they thought they were clever. In fact, in any other circumstance, I'd have to admit that they were. The puppet was well-made and more than slightly humorous. It's perfect for events without dire connotations, debates, and especially anti-Bush marches. Having that puppet at an anti-war march, however, was crude, shameless and demeaning. In my estimation, it undermines all the good the event might have done and should offend a whole lot of people. Indeed, anyone who has lost a loved one to this war should be especially offended.

Someone should apologize. However, it's not my place as a journalist to call for that apology. The best scenario would involve those responsible to offer that apology without someone demanding it. We'll see what happens. In the future, however, try not to turn the caskets of American soldiers into soap boxes from which to preach your anti-Bush propaganda. Sigh. Maybe I'll write that nice article next time.


A Response from the Puppeteer

Dear Editor:

As the designer of the George W. Bush puppet used in the peace march, I feel I should respond publicly to Josh McKinney's demand for my apology, and try to explain my intentions for building the aforementioned puppet.First, I should point out that the idea isn't all that original. There is a precedent for over-sized puppets used in the context of political activism. Personally, I was inspired by the artistry of the Vermont-based activist group Bread and Puppets whose work I had the opportunity to admire at anti-war rallies in Boston and Washington, D.C. I thought their large-scale figures, manned by teams of puppeteer-activists, were extremely effective in conveying their message and hard - if not impossible - to ignore. I think a puppet used in this way becomes political theatre of sorts - a kind of giant walking editorial cartoon.The signs I painted for those protests and others have always been visual in nature, with few or no words, because I feel I often express myself better with images. I also used to draw political cartoons for my college newspaper, The Berkeley Beacon, during the run-up to and early months of the war. One of the cartoons, published before we invaded Iraq, also depicted Bush as a cowboy: the caption underneath reads "George W. Bush, President and Gambler;" he wears a Stetson hat and clutches a hand of cards, looking nervously over his shoulder; his thought bubble reads "Here goes nothin'..."I have no intention of trying to ridicule Mr. Bush's private life. But as a public official who makes public policy, he is subject to satire, which is often the only tool left to the powerless against those who control power - an attack comprised not of bombs and bullets, but pen and ink, as well as chicken wire and papier-mache. If Mr. McKinney hadn't been so angrily transfixed by the puppet, he would have noticed an abundance of "anti-Bush" sentiment expressed among the marchers. And rightfully so: I believe that to be critical of the rationale for this war, the planning for this war, and the prosecution and management of this war, is to be critical of the Bush administration. The proverbial "buck" ultimately stops at the Oval Office - as far as Iraq goes, anyway.In closing, I don't feel like I need to offer an apology to anyone - except, perhaps, to a small child who may have been frightened by the puppet, in which case I would lay down my crude effigy and gently explain that it is, after all, just a puppet.-Bradley Foster Smith, Artist

A Response from Jim Benelisha

I would like to thank the East Tennessean for their excellent coverage of the local anti-war march and rally. Hopefully there will be more public events where people locally can express their desire to have this war end as soon as possible, and to make the point that the only person who had the authority to send our soldiers into harms way in Iraq, and who is also the only person who can give the order to bring them back, is the Commander-in-Chief, who also happens to be our elected president: George W. Bush.

Yes, Josh McKinney, in case you didn't know, the responsibility for sending our soldiers into war lies directly with President Bush. Many people feel that he is not the architect of this war; that he is following the direction of others. If this is the so, he might be considered a "puppet". In any case, as he himself has said, he is "the decider". This is why there was a puppet of him at the march, because we all have to wait until he gives the order to bring our soldiers home. There are more soldiers who are going to lose their lives every week and month that this war continues. Why is our president continuing on this course? Has he made any kind of a convincing case to us as to why we went to war initially, and why we are still there? Doesn't the person who sends our sons and daughters to be killed in foreign lands owe us a coherent explanation as to why this is necessary?

It is ridiculous to say that by "carrying that puppet …someone was using the war in Iraq as a platform to attack President Bush" (McKinney). The truth is that carrying the puppet was a way of saying that President Bush is the one person responsible for sending our troops to this war, and demanding that he bring them home. Anyone who is really against this war, as McKinney says he is, should be looking for ways to convince our Commander-in-Chief to change his mind and bring our soldiers home.

Jim Benelisha
Owner – The Acoustic Coffeehouse


A Response from me, Sandra:

As one of the organizers of the End The War March and Rally, I would like to respond to Josh McKinney’s commentary. First, I wish to comment on what he didn’t write about. He poses a few well-worn stereotypes of the so-called left- and right-wing "elites". These are not elites. They are a minority. While the elite are often the minority, it is erroneous to conclude they are one and the same. These stereotypes were conveniently created to gain an advantage by one group over the other (take your pick of which group is on top, depending on which way you lean) and to prevent people from seeing each other. Make fun of the "elite" stereotype in each group and you don’t actually have to defend your arguments.

Now, on to the puppet: I am fascinated at how someone will take as a symbol one image, such as the puppet of George W. Bush, and then claim it "was crude, shameless and demeaning" to those who are fighting and who have died or been catastrophically injured by this war – Bush’s war. Talk about climbing onto a pile of bodies! Every person who has fought in this war has been used by George W. Bush – the puppet or the decider (again, take your pick), and those who defend the war.

Mr. McKinney also claims that by having the puppet there, participants in the rally were "using the war in Iraq as a platform to attack and make fun of President Bush". That is correct, Josh. We were. And here’s why: this war would not be happening if it were not for George W. Bush. He is the "decider". He decided to either be used by the New American Centurions or to exact some notion of revenge (for his father or on his father for not having gone far enough, I cannot tell), or to simply play war with real people. He decided to use over 800 signing statements that place him outside the laws he decided to enact. He decided to thrust a conveniently packaged Patriot act at a scared and nervous Congress in the middle of the night. He decided to leave all children behind unfunded mandates and inadequate health care in order to pay for his little war game. He decided to stay the course, then stay the course, then stay the course some more.

But, I do have to admit one thing: he should not be alone in the lineup. We should have had other puppets in the rally as well. But even though it was the largest anti-war turnout here since the Vietnam War, we just didn’t have enough people to carry the puppets of Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, and the members of the 109th and 110th Congresses who have helped him along the way.

Video from 9/22 END THE WAR March and Rally

The Power of Peace

This is a letter to the editor that was published in Monday's Johnson City Press. Below is a response, also sent to the editor of the JC Press, from Mike. John Shuck has sent a personal letter to Wendy. If you feel the need to respond to Wendy's letter, and would like to have it posted here, please send it to the Concerned TN Citizens mailbox. I will send response to Wendy, later.

Power of peace

In 2001, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a new resolution declaring Sept. 21 of each year as the International Day of Peace. The resolution “Declares that the International Day of Peace shall henceforth be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day ...”

It was with great sadness that I read the article in Sunday’s paper regarding the “Peace Protest.” Growing up outside Washington, D.C., in the 1960s, I had plenty of opportunities to see people protesting. While I understand the current frustration with the state of our world, much the same as it was during that turbulent time, let us please remember that the words “peace” and “protest” do not go hand in hand.

During this same weekend, our yoga studio offered many opportunities to gather in unity to promote peace on our planet. Unfortunately, we did not draw the huge number of people who attended the protest. What does this say about our focus in our community?

It is my sincere hope that hostilities throughout the world, as well as in our very own community, can be resolved through a desire to provide peace for our children and the future. Peace exists within each heart, regardless of faith or ethnicity. Let us not forget the power of peace and the division of protest.

WENDY GILLILAND

Here is Mike's response:

Ms Gilliland's September 25th letter about the "Power of Peace" resonated--partially--with me. I am one of the people who began the organization, Concerned Tennessee Citizens, that helped organize the march and rally she referred to. It was not, a "Peace Protest", whatever that phrase might mean. The three invited speakers did not advocate for "peace." They advocated for action. The goal of the event was not to foster interpersonal “peace”, but to get people agitated and brave enough to act their conscience. The call to action was not for a generic "peace," but for a specific end to a naked and deceitful act of aggression by our government against 25 million people on the other side of the world.

I can only guess at what saddens Ms Gilliland about the political act of protesting injustice and abuse. She says it is divisive. I suppose so. So would be standing up out of a crowd of people watching in horror as someone is abused by a thug. When one acts, they separate themselves from those who don't.

The world is not a peaceful place and I doubt it ever will be, but it's not hard to point to advances in our history that made a better life for great numbers of people: the endings of slavery, child labor and the carpet-bombing of Indochina are a few. Individuals who acted to help end
those horrors may have been guided and strengthened by inner peace and clarity, but it was organized action that brought political change. Deciding what to do as a citizen in the face of government violence is to me difficult, but I don’t think one can “promote” an end to this war. You have to act.

Namaste.

Regional Premiere of "Morristown" Documentary this Thursday

The regional premiere of "Morristown," a new documentary from Appalshop that focuses on nearly a decade of change in Morristown, Tenn., will be held on Thursday, Sept. 27, as part of the Arts Array Film Series.

The film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. in the Executive Auditorium of the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center on the Virginia Highlands Community College campus.

"Morristown" chronicles the struggles of displaced and low-wage workers, Mexican immigrants, and workers and families impacted by globalization. The film shows how working-class people in Mexico and eastern Tennessee are caught in the throes of massive economic change, challenging assumptions about work, family, nation, and community. "Morristown" brings the complex issue of globalization down to its human level-where workers on both sides of the border, men and women, struggle to survive.

Derek Mullins, Appalshop filmmaker, will introduce and discuss the film.

Appalshop is the media cooperative based in Whitesburg, Kentucky, which for 40 years has been making films about social issues in the central Appalachian region and recording the folk culture of the area.

The showing is sponsored by the Arts Array cultural outreach series of Virginia Highlands Community College. It is free of charge and open to the general public.

For more information, contact Ben Jennings, Arts Array coordinator, at (276) 739-2447 or email him at bjennings@vhcc.edu.

CALL YOUR SENATORS RIGHT NOW AND DEMAND THEY VOTE DOWN THE LIEBERMAN-KYL AMENDMENT

One quick thought before you read this: The US is escalating its rhetoric by claiming that Iran is arming the Iraqi insurgents. The truth is that the US, through its blatant neglect or blatant corruption (or both) is the single largest supplier of weapons AND CASH to the insurgents. It has been estimated that half the Iraqi police signed up for the job simply to get money, training, and arms so they can fight against the very soldiers we sent there to train them. There is also talk that the Sunni sympathisers like tribal leader Abdul-Sattar Abu Reesha, who was assassinated last week, are merely using their new friendship with the US to gain weapons and money, so they can turn around and fight our soldiers.

Okay. Read on. Then act, please!
Sandra

From The Pen:

In case you thought it was just an aberrant moment of lunacy last week when Lieberman pressed General Petraeus for an attack on Iran, just before the weekend he introduced an amendment to the defense bill to authorize exactly that. No, we are not kidding. He has drafted language that any impartial observer would interpret as a DECLARATION OF WAR against Iran, and he is pressing for a vote as fast as possible.

ACTION PAGE: http://www.usalone.com/no_iran_war_declaration.php

Here is the language from the amendment:
(3) that it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies;
(4) to support the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power in Iraq, including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments, in support of the policy described in paragraph (3) with respect to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies.

The policy of the U.S should be to "combat" Iran with "all" "military instruments"?!?
You can be absolutely certain that those are the ONLY words Dick Cheney and George Bush will see or care about.

ACTION PAGE: http://www.usalone.com/no_iran_war_declaration.php

We need every warm body we can muster to call and email their senators RIGHT NOW, before they pull another fast one and sneak this one through in the dead of the night. Call them toll free at 800 828-0498, 800 614 2803 or 866 340 9281, and the submit the action form below to make sure your message gets through. Just yesterday, Newsweek reported that Cheney had recently made overtures to Israel to get them to launch an attack against Iran, to try to provoke an all out conflagration. It seems every day there is a new story leaked about their aggressive preparations for The Debacle, Part 2. And just as in the lead up to the Iraq invasion, they will keep lying, lying and lie some more about their intentions until they've shot off every cruise missile in the military inventory. We need your voice, and the voices of everyone else you know, and we need them now.

We need to absolutely flood the Capitol with phone calls and email. Please believe your voice counts. Please believe that when enough of us raise our voices together at one time they do have an impact. Cheney and his minions are absolutely not going to stop pushing for an even bigger disaster unless we stop them by speaking out with a louder voice. So we cannot let up even for an instant.

Mountain Mandy Talks About the 9/22 March and Rally

This is what Lonny and I did last Saturday. Now, to those of you who don't agree, don't call me unpatriotic, or say I don't support our troops, because nothing could be farther from the truth. This is about supporting our troops and freedom. This is what Democracy looks like! Read what I have to say, and what the newspaper article says, then think, with an open mind. It is way too important than to just brush it under the rug. This is life and death. This is about our Democracy that my fathers fought for in WW II.

We understand as a small group of only 200 or so will not change the way things are in DC today, but, they may change the way people think here in Johnson City. Heck, I was marching last January in Washington DC, with hundreds of thousands, and Congress, Cheney or Bush didn't listen then, why would they now? I have to start thinking locally. You can't change the world, but you can try to change people, one at the time.

I must tell you about Jason. He's a young 26 year old Iraqi Army Vet, and is active in "Iraqi Vets Against the War". He is a true patriot, exercising his democratic freedom. If you call me unpatriotic, you have to call him unpatriotic too. He wore the uniform. He is a patriot. He is supporting the troops by speaking out about bringing them home. This is his story...
Jason was a speaker at the rally after the march Saturday. He also rode to Washington DC with me last January for the big march up there. He told me about a "checkpoint" he was working at in Iraq...They had to stop each vehicle and clear them before they could go any further. It was at night, dark, and they couldn't see inside this vehicle as it was approaching. None in his unit could speak the Iraqi language, and the people in the vehicle couldn't speak English. Seems fair, since it's an Arabic country. It is their home, not ours... Jason and other soldiers almost opened fire inside this vehicle. He had his hands on the trigger, and he was about to shoot when the car finally got under the light under where he was standing, and he saw mostly little children, and 2 young women in the car. It was a whole family, about to be killed because they couldn't understand the English language. This happens all the time, but we don't hear about it. Our young soldiers die, or are injured for life in these situations, as well as innocent Iraqi families. Jason said he knew from that point, and may points after that, they shouldn't be there. Another young veteran friend of his who lives in Asheville, and has also become part of the group of vets against the war, did kill 20 innocent civilians. Now this young vet has to live with this the rest of his life. He killed 20 innocent, unarmed people, many who were children because he was told to. I'm telling you, this is NOT RIGHT! Plus, it's not fair for our troops to be put in the situation, and certainly not fair to these Iraqi's. Our soldiers are doing the dirty work for the rich and powerful (e.g.Cheney and Halliburton). Jason tells me when he would talk to the Iraqi citizens, they would tell him they do not want the Americans there, and they were safer before we were there. Jason tells me he met a little Iraqi girl in North Carolina that has been brought over here with her cousins. This little 10 yr. old girl lost both of her legs, her brother, and her parents when a U.S. missile hit their house. It was Jason, and other young soldiers like him who did these things under the orders of people like Petraeus, Rumsfield, Cheney, and of course Bush (who started this whole mess). Now, Jason and thousands of our military, both active and retired, have to live with this. They are noble, and I support and admire them, but not the people who are pushing the buttons from a safe place like the White House. Soldiers like Jason and his friend need our support. Think... Saddam Hussein was a dictator, and a bad man, but he and Osama Bin Laden were enemies, and Al Qaeda was NOT in Iraq. Now it is everywhere over there, and getting stronger because of this war. It's NOT getting better! Some say "they will come over here if we don't fight them there." If they were going to come here and strike again, don't you think they would do it NOW when all our troops are over there??? What are they waiting for? All our troops are gone!
Our friends, Frog and Karen (Hey Frog and Karen) said their nephew, who is leaving for Iraq next month as an army ranger, has to buy his ammunition and body armour. They had to lend him money. Is this called support? I think not! The media won't tell you about these hidden little facts, will they? The media is controlled and biased. Journalists that know too much and print too much are being silenced... Our First Amendment is being taken away.
This little email doesn't even begin to talk about other reasons that America is in danger of loosing it's freedoms. Try the throwing away of Habeus Corpus in the judicial system. Read about the "Military Commissions Act" of 2006. Our country is forever changing, I mean in a bad way. Bush is slowly taking away The Bill of Rights; your rights. You could be arrested at anytime, for nothing, no evidence, and put away until they seem fit. No lawyer, no rights. It's true. It's happening.
I'm reading a book called "The End of America", by Naomi Wolfe. It's a book of facts. Undisputed changes the Bush admin. has made in the last couple years. Get it and read it. We have to act now. That's what this march was all about. You can't change America by sitting on your couch watching American Idol, or Blue Collar TV. You have to act. Bush is getting away with murder; both American and Iraqi. He is successfully tearing our nation and our world apart.

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS! BRING THEM HOME!

Yes, This IS What Democracy Looks Like!

Links to blogs and media coverage of the END THE WAR March and Rally held 9/22 in Johnson City.

Blogs*:
Monkey Mucker. There are two posts (maybe more by now)

Shuck and Jive. There are two posts or more, inclduing the transcript of John's wonderful speech.


Just Wondrin What Happened

CTNC Online albums, including pictures of the march 4th Anniversary Vigils, our trip to DC in January, and more.

Amatuer Video from the Acoustic Coffeehouse

Media Coverage:

East Tennessean (ETSU Newspaper)

JC Press

Here's a brief news item from WCYB-TV 5. Start at 4:46 for the quick mention.

To all of you who took pictures, if you would like to share them, please send them here. I will add them to the online album. Also, don't forget we will have a video of the marchers and the rally, and hope to have podcasts as well!

Keep that energy! Keep speaking out!

Sandra

* Some blogs may have adult or objectionable content. Please don't let that stop you from hearing the messages they offer.

How Does It Feel to be Condemned?

Yesterday, Republicans blocked Virginia Senator Jim Webb's bill that would have required the military to give soldiers a decent leave before being redeployed to Iraq.

Today they blocked a bill that would have tied funding with an exit strategy.

But, they DID pass this resolution:
S.AMDT.2934
Amends: H.R.1585 , S.AMDT.2011
Sponsor: Sen Cornyn, John [TX] (submitted 9/19/2007) (proposed 9/19/2007)
AMENDMENT PURPOSE:
To express the sense of the Senate that General David II. Petraeus, Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Iraq, deserves the full support of the Senate and strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.

In other words, they passed a resolution condemning criticism of General Petraeus and President Bush.


How does it feel to be condemned by Congress? If it feels to you the way it feels to me, I hope to see you on Saturday!