Scarry Thoughts

Limbering Up for May

2012-02-29T05:30:00.006-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, Occupy Chicago sprang back to life at LaSalle and Jackson. It was wonderful to turn the corner onto Jackson and hear the drums and the chants!

The occasion was a nationwide day of action to STOP! the Suppression of the Occupy Movement. Chicago was one of the major action centers, and the Chicago action was unanimously endorsed by Midwest Antiwar Mobilization, Cangate, and others. The February 28 action was widely publicized on places like Twitter (#F28); high-profile endorsements included a video message from Noam Chomsky.

I learned three things on #F28:

First and foremost: getting out into the public square and protesting is like a muscle that must be exercised in order to remain healthy. There have been other actions in which Occupy Chicago has protested in recent months -- like the Bradley Manning protest in December, the January 11 protest against Guantanamo, indefinite detention, and the NDAA, the February 4 protest against U.S. war moves on Iran, and others -- but #F28 was all about getting back to Occupy Chicago basics. It felt great to be back at LaSalle and Jackson, and to be marching through the Loop.

Second: passersby took note. There were looks of recognition, and lots of smiles -- and LOTS of honks. It was almost as if people in the street were saying, "Where you been?" And, yes, the people who have always felt threatened by Occupy Chicago -- the people who act dismissive of it, the ones who brush by and can't be bothered -- were back to flexing those muscles on #F28. Which is exactly why the wake-up call must continue . . . .

Third: the police were out in force and acting very peculiar. As the NLG speaker who reviewed the recent "Sit Down and Shut Up!" ordinances pointed out, there were all kinds of ordinance violations going on right there -- starting with the very fact that we were assembling in public without a permit. Of course, a fact that was brought out into the blinding light of day during the ordinance hearings -- and that the speaker emphasized last night -- is that Chicago's modus operandus is to have TONS of ordinances that it can then go ahead an enforse selectively. Kind of makes a mockery of equal protection, doesn't it?

Last night, the Chicago Police Department was on their best behavior. I imagine that they were under orders that went something like this: "OK, these people are out calling attention to the fact that we've been suppressing their free expression and walking all over their Constitutional rights. Whatever you do, DON'T arrest anyone!"

It is this last point that bears further thought. Just how long will it be before Rahm Emanuel changes direction once again and cracks down on free expression in Chicago? Certainly no one has any illusions that he is going to allow people to criticize NATO/G8 when they are in town. So it's just a matter of time, isn't it?

And another thing: How long will it be before the members of the CPD get fed up with the ridiculous position that Rahm has put them in: arranging for a hugely unpopular summit in Chicago, stirring up righteous indignation across the city and across the country, attracting the attention of every activist who has a pulse, putting in place draconian prohibitions on free expression, beefing up the police force ... and then telling the police to keep a lid on protest but don't create any headlines? WTF!!!

It feels good to be getting limbered up. May, 2012, can't come soon enough!

"Dangerously Unreliable" in Afghanistan

2012-02-27T07:10:00.009-08:00

Suddenly everybody is noticing the violence in Afghanistan.

It's about time.

In the wake of the Koran-burning incident, Americans have been shocked -- SHOCKED -- to discover that tensions are running high in Kabul.

This statement in the New York Times coverage of the latest incident in Afghanistan caught my eye:

Despite an American-led training effort that has spanned years and cost tens of billions of dollars, the Afghan security forces are still widely seen as riddled with dangerously unreliable soldiers and police officers. The distrust has only deepened as a pattern of attacks by Afghan security forces on American and NATO service members, beginning years ago, has drastically worsened over the past few days.

Wait a minute: so the problem is that it is the Afghans who are "dangerous"? And "unreliable"? What has the US and NATO submitted Afghanistan to for the last DECADE?

This reminds me of the article I previously critiqued, which suggests that it is everybody ELSE's nuclear weapons that are threatening, while the U.S. is treated as a benign presence (!) .

Let's face it: the U.S. and NATO are running for the exits in Afghanistan. I won't even belabor the point here about how DANGEROUS and DESTABILIZING the combat presence in Afghanistan has been. So let's just focus on the additional work -- beyond just removing combat troops -- that the U.S. and NATO need to do. Stop for a moment to consider the full range of actions that must be taken in order to DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan ... and to remove the DANGER and INSTABILITY that has been introduced by the U.S. and NATO!

* * * * *

Photo from Out of Central Asia Now website "Where's my home? After a U.S. Predator Hellfire missile attack in Afghanistan"

* * * * *

Dissent: PRICELESS!

2012-02-24T12:33:00.010-08:00

This blog post was inspired by my high school friend who always comes at me like an attack dog every time I post something remotely political on Facebook -- in other words, pretty much every day. (He knows who he is.)

Most recently, in response to my post about the need to stand up against the suppression of the Occupy movement, he posted this message: "I think Boston decided to cap the expense to taxpayers at $3 Mil.." And as I thought about it, it occurred to me, "Well, if we're putting a price tag on things . . . what's the value of having people stand up to change what's wrong?"

And I thought about those commercials -- you know the ones -- where some string of ordinary purchases are capped with the word "priceless," such as:

Flowers: $35
Lunch: $47.50
Carriage ride around Central Park: $25
Finding out the magic is still there like the day you first met: Priceless

(I know, gag me . . . . )

So let's talk about something really important. How about:

Posterboard and markers: $21.79
Leaflets: $7:50
Bullhorn: $99.99
Standing up for peace and justice when everyone around you is saying "Get a job!" and "GO F**K YOURSELF!": Priceless

"Priceless."

I sure hope "Priceless" hasn't already been copyrighted to the point where it's off limits to the movement.

On second thought, who cares?

OCCUPY "PRICELESS" !

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Image: Jeff Ball art
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The Most Important Place to Be in America on 2/28

2012-02-22T15:20:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, February 28, 2012, people all over the country will protest the suppression of the Occupy Movement. Demonstrations will take place in New York City, L.A., Minneapolis-St. Paul, Cleveland, and other cities. But the most important one will be in Chicago. Here's why . . . .

Clearly, the U.S. government is terrified of what the Occupy Movement everywhere represents: a new tendency among Americans to meet in the public square and insist on finding solutions to the things that are broken in our country. But the government is particularly terrified of what it might mean if dissent and resistance takes hold in Chicago at the very moment when our country's oligarchs prepare to meet here to engage in one of their periodic spoils-sharing and occupation-planning exercises -- the NATO/G8 meetings taking place May 19-21. (Not to mention the peremptory coronation of the the second Obama presidency, on the home turf of Obama's chief enforcer, Rahm Emanuel.) That is why the City has made sure to arrest every occupier in sight, and dangle charges over their heads to frustrate their rights to protest and dissent when NATO/G8 is in Chicago.

There have been shameful attempts to suppress the Occupy movement in city after city. But if there is one city in which the push-back must be IMMEDIATE and MASSIVE, it is Chicago. We need to make it clear that this is not the end of the resistance to U.S. wars and impoverishing policies ... it's the beginning of the end for NATO/G8.

Stand with Occupy Chicago on February 28 to "STOP the Suppression of the Occupy Movement!" -- "Join" the February 28 event on Facebook and invite ALL your friends! Email them. Call them. Let's make sure we have TEN people in the street on February 28 for every one who has been arrested* !

*P.S. - For more on this concept, see "Never Try to Silence a Tuesdayista"

March 18: Chicago to Protest Ongoing WARS!

2012-02-21T06:13:00.001-08:00

A march will take place on March 18 in Chicago's leading South Asian neighborhood to protest ongoing U.S. wars:

3 PM, Sunday March 18
Devon Avenue & Hoyne Street
Chicago

The event is cosponsored by: Pakistan Federation of America, Pakhtun Jirga, Pakistan United Parade Committee and the Midwest Anti-War Mobilization. Please "join" the Facebook page for this event and "invite friends" as widely as possible!

A particular focus of this march will be the militarization of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and other countries by U.S. drones. I have written frequently about the threat of drones:

The Obamoid and the Eva Test
Obama Nobel Peace Prize - REVOKED!
VAU Afgh 101: Extrajudicial Executions
Not Your Father's Antiwar Movement
I { love | hate } the Chicago Air & Water Show
Drones, Dronespeak, and Death TV: "Intense"
The Drone-Pandora Connection (and I'm not talking about music)
Drones, 1984, and Foucault's Panopticon

So ... on March 18 ... please plan to participate in this important event!

* * * * *

And DRONES are just part of the larger problem: the urgent need to DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan!

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THE ARCHIPELAGO: U.S./NATO's Parting Gift to Afghanistan

2012-02-19T07:10:00.000-08:00

When I was growing up, we were giving a very searing image of what was wrong with the Soviet Union -- and, by contrast, what was supposed to be right about the United States -- by a book by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. "The Gulag Archipelago" referred to the chain of prisons throughout the U.S.S.R to which enemies of the state were sent, and from which they never returned. You didn't have to actually read the book to get the point; the title said it all.

After several years of working with the film about Guantanamo -- "The Response" -- I've become aware that the U.S. also engages in the same practice -- setting up places to which enemies of the state are sent, and from which they never return. It's called "indefinite detention." And the highly visibly symbol of Guantanamo is just the tip of the iceberg of a chain of prisons and black sites around the world. A huge number of those prisons are in Afghanistan.

We all know the name "Bagram" -- the detention site controlled by the U.S. in Afghanistan. But much of the detention of people in Afghanistan is a joint undertaking by the U.S. in combination with the Afghanistan government, which operates the actual sites. As reported in the New York Times, a recent investigation "found evidence of routine human rights abuses and torture at 16 detention centers" in Afghanistan. That's out of 47 detention facilities, in 22 provinces, that were reviewed. It is these detention centers to which the U.S. consigns prisoners.

(And in case you thought Bagram itself was closing, see "U.S. Super-Sizing Afghan Jail It Promised to Abandon")

Beyond the question of proven abuse in these sites is the fundamental question: who are the detainees and what are the terms of their detention? Are they civilians? Or P.O.W.s? Or something in-between? Do they have a future? Or is their future indefinite detention?

What is the total number of prisoners held in the detention archipelago set up by the U.S. in Afghanistan? Five thousand? Ten thousand? More?

The U.S. (and its NATO partners) will not be done in Afghanistan until it has undone the damage that it has done by filling an archipelago of prisons -- hidden from sight -- with the "enemies" that the U.S. wants to make disappear.

* * * * *

The ARCHIPELAGO is just a part of the larger problem: the urgent need to DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan!

* * * * *

DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan

2012-02-18T08:02:00.001-08:00

This is a short blog post, but a big request.

In May, NATO will meet in Chicago. Big protests are planned. But what exactly will the point of the protests be?

It looks like the top priority for NATO in May will be Afghanistan. (Iran is an issue that may overshadow it, but that's very hard to tell moment to moment.)

NATO wants to discuss the question of how to extricate itself from Afghanistan, particularly how to withdraw combat troops. Clearly, this must be done, and much more quickly than NATO will likely want to do so. But there's more . . . .

To quote Tom Engelhardt, "what remains doggedly remarkable, as Nick Turse reports in the latest post in his TomDispatch series on the changing face of empire (supported by Lannan Foundation): the U.S. military continues to build in Afghanistan as if modest progress were indeed the byword, limited success a reality, and corners still there to be decisively turned -- if not by a giant army of occupation, then by drones and special operations forces. Go figure." [emphasis added]

For more on this, see the article by Nick Turse, "Prisons, Drones, and Black Ops in Afghanistan"

I propose that protesters in Chicago need to demand that NATO must fully DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan, including:

no more drones

no special forces "trainers"

close the proliferation of bases

withdraw contractors/mercenaries

clean up the detention mess

and much more ....

NATO must do more than just withdraw combat troops. Even Afghanistan President Karzai is pushing back against the U.S., demanding an end to night raids and the handover of control of detention centers.

Afghanistan is but a single problem at which NATO is the root. However, successfully demanding that NATO demilitarize Afghanistan -- fully -- would be a significant first step in starting to confront NATO and the full range of damage that it has done.

The Obamoid and the Eva Test

2012-02-11T06:50:00.000-08:00

The path-breaking computer scientist Alan Turing defined a fundamental divide in thinking about artificial intelligence. He asked us to think about a device which, when a human interacts with it, cannot be distinguished from a human. This gave rise to the notion of the "Turing test" - in which a person interacts with a counterpart and tries to tell whether it is a computer or a person.

My mother had her own version of the "Turing test" -- let's call it the "Eva test" -- in which someone would try to lie to her face, and she would look down, and then say hesitantly, "That doesn't sound true to me." You see, her problem was that she just couldn't understand the idea of a "little" lie.

I thought of Mom the other day when I read some quotes from an interview with Barack Obama that appeared on Youtube. For instance, the New York Times quotes the President as saying, "I want to make sure that people understand: actually, drones have not caused a huge number of civilian casualties.... For the most part they have been very precise precision strikes against Al Qaeda and their affiliates.... a targeted, focused effort at people who are on a list of active terrorists.” Yet the same article cites a report "by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism, [which] found that at least 50 civilians had been killed in follow-up strikes after they rushed to help those hit by a drone-fired missile. The bureau counted more than 20 other civilians killed in strikes on funerals." Further, the bureau "counted 260 strikes by Predator and Reaper drones since President Obama took office, and it said that 282 to 535 civilians had been 'credibly reported' killed in those attacks, including more than 60 children."

"[A]ctually, drones have not caused a huge number of civilian casualties" ???

Actually? Actually, I shudder to imagine Mom's discomfort in the face of such mangling of the truth.

In another report, the the New York Times quotes the President as saying, "I’ve been very clear that we’re going to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating an arms race, a nuclear arms race, in a volatile region."

"[C]reating an arms race" ? Iran is creating an arms race?? Really? You can say that with a straight face? (I refer -- once again -- to the real numbers behind the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world today ... which I believe must form the basis of any meaningful discussion of how we are to avoid the next war.)

We can see how Barack Obama is doing on the "Eva test." It makes you wonder how he would do on the Turing test. Perhaps it's not a coincidence that in an age in which we have been lulled to sleep by the assurances that drones and robots can do all the fighting, and shield us from the consequences of or responsibility for violence and injury, we are becoming more and more insensitive to the inhuman proportion of the lying going on all around us.

Maybe it's time for more of us to start administering "Eva tests" of our own -- and start demanding truth from our leaders.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Graphic: From "Obama Robot to be Set Loose in Central Florida"
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Why Does Iran Arouse So Much Hostility?

2012-02-08T11:35:00.000-08:00

If we are going to stave off a U.S. war against Iran, we are going to have to have some very difficult conversations with other Americans. Some people are extremely hostile. It's confusing and a bit frightening, but we're going to have to confront it.

HOSTILITY AGAINST IRAN
When we protested U.S. war moves against Iran in Chicago on February 4, I felt an unusually high level of hostility from some people. Of course, we found the usual number of people who just didn't want to face what we were talking about. But other people were outright hostile. For instance, how can someone respond to, "Excuse me, would you like to take a quiz about Iran?" by saying, "GO F**K YOURSELF!" ??

Similarly, the image of a very irate SUV driver shaking his fist at the demonstrators and shouting at us, even as he sped up Dearborn, is hard to shake.

And then there was the middle-aged man who sputtered in incredulity as he watched us marching against the idea of war: "This is unbeLIEVable! What the -- ? How can you -- ?

I noticed the report from Hawaii about the February 4 protest there described similar reactions: "[A] shocking number of people (mainly older men) responded with comments like: "kill 'em all," "they're going to nuke us...are you crazy?," "bomb 'em" and worse."

(I wonder if people elsewhere have encountered the same level of hostility? Comments please ....)

PREJUDICE: A TOOL OF PERMAWAR
What happens in the popular culture in countries that are getting ready for war?

I've been reading a new book about the Japanese war against China a hundred years ago (The Sino-Japanese War and the Birth of Japanese Nationalism, by Saya Makito). It's amazing to me how some things never change: in Japan in the 1890s -- as in the U.S. today -- the public support for war against China was fed by all kinds of expressions of disdain and prejudice against the "culturally inferior" and "backward" Chinese.

Today, islamophobia and other forms of cultural prejudice against people in Iran is a handy tool for getting Americans to support yet another in the endless series of American wars: "permawar".

A first step in resisting "permawar" is to reject prejudice against people from other countries and cultures. Maybe when we look honestly at ourselves, instead of spending all our time finding fault with others, we will start to realize that we have many areas of similarity with the people we have been demonizing.

I can't think of a better way for people to push back against existing prejudices of Iran than to go see, think about, and discuss the current movie, "A Separation". I have very little doubt it will win the Oscar for best foreign film. That provides an excellent opportunity for us to have a serious national conversation about the simple fact that Iranian people are people, too; they live lives strikingly similar to our own; and it is time to get rid of our ugly prejudices.

For more on this and related issues, see my blog post on seven big reasons people should be VERY wary of any and all statements about how Iran is "asking for it".

THE NUCLEAR PARADOX
I think the ultimate American hypocrisy lies in its nuclear stance. Consider this logic:

* Iran doesn't have nuclear weapons, and has not been proved to be working to obtain nuclear weapons, but may harbor a desire to have nuclear weapons.

* Nuclear weapons exist because the U.S. invented them.

* Nuclear weapons are abundant because the U.S. has produced large numbers of them.

* Most people in the world despair of ever getting rid of the threat of nuclear weapons because the countries that have nuclear weapons -- led by the U.S. -- are not moving convincingly to get rid of them.

* The world knows the awful consequence of nuclear weapons because the U.S. has used them to injure civilian populations.

* ALL OF THE ABOVE NOTWITHSTANDING ... if Iran does, in fact, harbor a desire to have nuclear weapons, it makes THEM despicable and worthy of being attacked by the U.S.

When did Americans become so illogical?

CONVERSATIONS NEEDED
Are Americans capable of confronting their own illogic?

I've stated elsewhere that what has to come after February 4 is conversations -- a lot of them.

Do we still have time?

Is the SOA Coming to Afghanistan?

2012-02-06T09:45:00.001-08:00

I read the description in yesterday's New York Times of how the U.S. is planning to escalate withdrawal of regular combat troops from Afghanistan, and rely on Special Forces (Green Berets) to guide the work of local troops and police.

I don't know how this strikes other people, but it seems to me like the School of the Americas (SOA) model transferred to Afghanistan. The SOA model is to use U.S. money and ideas to enable power holders in another country to persecute and kill ideological enemies, while denying that the U.S. is engaging in violence in that country, much less exposing U.S. combat troops to violence in that country, and making every effort to disavow the consequences of U.S. guidance of the violence (and crimes) being carried out in that country.

As the New York Times explains, "Created by President John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, the Green Berets have as one of their core missions what is called 'foreign internal defense' — using combat, mentoring, language and cross-cultural skills to train local forces in rugged environments, as they are today in missions conducted quietly in dozens of nations around the world."

In other words, "It's just 'training'!"

I've written elsewhere about how the use of unmanned drones is part of a morally dangerous trend toward making war injury-free for Americans while making it more deadly than ever for people everywhere else. The type of "outsourcing" of fighting -- of the type long carried out through the SOA and now being talked about for Afghanistan, under the guise of "foreign internal defense" -- is also wrong and must be stopped.

When NATO meets in Chicago in May, a major issue on the table will be involvement in Afghanistan. It seems to me that now is our moment to say that taking the SOA model to Afghanistan is unacceptable.

I'd like to hear what other people have to say about this.

* * * * *

The Afghan SOA is just a part of the larger problem: the urgent need to DEMILITARIZE Afghanistan!

* * * * *

Photo Credit: COIN Central Website ("U.S. Green Berets training Pakistani Frontier corpsmen")

The Children Are Waiting

2012-02-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thinking about Alanna.

* * * * * *

When Alanna was a little girl, we would go to the Art Institute of Chicago together and draw. Sometimes we took part in organized drawing classes, where groups of kids and their parents would troop up to the galleries to study some work of art or the other. Sometimes we would just wander around and find something interesting and start to sketch.

One of our favorite games was to sit in one of the galleries and each sketch something in the room. Then the other person had to figure out which painting or sculpture was being copied.

Sometimes one of us would sketch something, and then the other would color it in. I still like to go back and page through those drawings. ("Here's one that she drew, and then I colored it in with watercolors!")

Sometimes we would just wander from gallery to gallery, and say, "Remember this one?" Sometimes one of the galleries would be reorganized, and one of Alanna's favorites would be missing, and she would put her hands on her hips and frown, as if to say, "What the -- ?"

Below is an example of one of Alanna's sketches from one of our trips to the Art Institute; she must have been about 7 at the time she drew it.

* * * * * *

The sketch above is of a sculpture by Giovanni Maria Benzoni. Here is what Benzoni's sculpture looks like:

Unless you do sketching yourself, you may not realize that this is a very challenging composition to sketch. In fact, it's probably one that most adults should not take on. You probably have to be a child to be fearless enough to tackle it. Ideally, about 7 years old.

The title of the sculpture is "Flight from Pompeii." Once you know the title, it's easier to make out what's happening -- the two figures are trying to cover their heads as they escape, and the woman is holding a child. The flying sparks and hot ash from the volcano have to be imagined.

I've always loved looking closely at Alanna's rendering of this family:

The father is looking at the mother; he seems to be saying, "Don't worry, I'm here." The mother is looking at the father; she seems to be saying, "It's going to be alright, isn't it?" The baby is hanging out of the mother's arms, the way squirmy babies do.

I'm not sure I saw all this in the original sculpture. But Alanna did. Alanna is always watching very carefully.

* * * * * *

Oh, and one more thing about Alanna's sketch. She filled in the background that Benzoni left to the imagination:

I don't think Alanna and I ever talked about what it must be like to be trying to escape a shower of sparks and hot ash. But she seemed to know that the sparks and hot ash are too important a part of the picture to be left out.

* * * * * *

Alanna's middle name is Skye. I'm not sure exactly why we picked out that name for her, except that it sounded beautiful -- and we knew she would be beautiful -- and it sounded boundless -- and we knew she would be unlimited.

* * * * * *

The paintings and sculptures at the Art Institute weren't the only things that Alanna was watching. From time to time I would say something or do something, and Alanna would say, "Dad, before you said ...." It was kind of reassuring to know that someone was watching.

One time, though, I had a shock. I was talking about some anti-war activity that I was involved in -- hoping, I think, to "set a good example" for Alanna -- and she said, "Dad, before you said there have to be wars because countries have to be able to work out their problems that way."

( ! ! )

I told her I had thought some more about it and decided I had been wrong.

The look on her face said, "About time ...."

* * * * * *

It guess it's kind of reassuring to know that someone is waiting for you to get it right. But you can't expect people to wait forever. Today, Alanna is 16 and I reckon she's got more important things on her mind than waiting around for me to see clearly. She looks my way from time to time, but I can't expect her to be watching me at every moment! I guess I'll have to start taking responsibility for myself. And I think I'm ready.

* * * * * *

I think a lot of children are waiting. The sparks and hot ash are very visible to them, and it is very clear to them that everything hinges on whether the grownups really know what they're saying when they say, "Don't worry .... " and "It's going to be alright .... " Maybe it's time for us to start taking responsibility for ourselves. Maybe we have to start working to put an end to war like we really mean it.

The children are waiting.

Happy Birthday, Alanna.

What Comes After February 4?

2012-02-01T05:58:00.000-08:00

Following a call to resist U.S. war moves against Iran, there has been a tremendous response, with over 50 rallies scheduled on February 4 around the U.S. and Canada to say "No Iran War!"

What happens after February 4?

In my opinion, February 4 should be used to make it clear that this is just the beginning ... and that Americans have embarked on sustained resistance to the attempts of the U.S. government to start yet another war!

One way for this to happen is for the organizers of the February 4 rally in every city to put a stake in the ground -- to announce there and then that a follow-up action will be taking place, within just a few weeks, and to call on those present to commit to work to make it TEN TIMES AS BIG!

I hope the need to do this is self-evident to everyone reading this, and I am confident that readers here have plenty of understanding of how to make this happen. But for the avoidance of doubt . . .

YOU ARE BEING WATCHED
The New York Times Magazine made it very clear in "Will Israel Attack Iran," published on Sunday: Israel stands ready to attack Iran, and it is just waiting for a nod of approval from the United States.

If the question is what signals Obama and Congress will be sending, I think few people hold out any hope that Israel will not perceive a green light. And no one has any illusions that Obama or Congress will be responsive to wiser counsel or the preponderance of public opinion. (And as for the mainstream media -- fuggedaboutit!)

So the challenge before us is to create public demonstrations of disapproval that are strong enough to outweigh the appearance of consent that is being transmitted by our "leaders." What is required is not just your run-of-the-mill antiwar demonstration; even the largest of the Occupy actions are just not enough. We need Tahrir Square levels of participation, and we need it to be sustained.

If we cannot do this, the politicians and generals are going to start another hot war. With nuclear weapons in the mix. It's as simple as that.

WHAT'S IT GONNA TAKE?
I would like to be able to say that with email and Facebook and Twitter, we will be able to turn out big numbers. Unfortunately, I think it's going to take more than that. I think we are actually going to have to talk to people.

I have a friend who has this question appended below his name on every email:

P.S.: Have you called a stranger
with the sole purpose of discussing
the difficult situation we're all in?
( I ask all the time .)

It's embarrassing to have to contemplate, but I fear we have forgotten how to talk with our neighbors. All of our social media (yes, even blogs like this) make us soft, because we never have to come face-to-face with someone who might disagree with our views.

It's time to brace ourselves for conversations with real people again.

GETTING THE TRUTH
I believe that the key to seeing eye-to-eye with our neighbors on the need to avoid war lies in sharing some simple facts. There seems to be a great deal of "controversy" over Iran these days, but what I believe most people will grasp very easily are a small number of key, uncontroversial facts.

In my view, a great deal of progress can be made -- whether in one-on-one conversations or in larger settings, such as teach-ins* -- by putting certain facts on the table in non-argumentative ways. People find common ground based on shared facts, not by wearing each other down about differences of opinion.

Several types of fact need to be much more widely distributed, considered, and discussed.

(1) What are the real numbers? Most people are aware that there are already several countries that have nuclear arsenals, but most have lost track -- if they ever had any accurate sense -- of what the real numbers are. It is impossible to have a rational discussion about reducing nuclear threat without a baseline understanding of the current nuclear threat.

(2) What's the "deal" with non-proliferation? I have just started reading Mohamed ElBaradei's book, "The Age of Deception: Nuclear Diplomacy in Treacherous Times". It made me realize that most of us don't know the facts about what various nations have agreed to with respect to non-proliferation, and what the quid pro quo's are. Without a serious consideration of those facts, it is truly impossible to contemplate certain nations forgoing nuclear weapons development.

(3) How are we doing? As U.S. citizens, our expectation that the future will be free of nuclear conflict cannot but be highly conditioned on the evaluation of others of nuclear arms reduction treaties that have already been carried out. Are we giving the world a basis for confidence?**

* * * * *

If we are able to avert war with Iran, it will because we have made a commitment to develop a large resistance to U.S. wars . . . and done the difficult work of having real conversations with many, many people . . . starting with an effort to get some basic facts in front of a much larger number of people than currently are aware of them.

* More resources for teach-ins on avoiding war with Iran.

** "Are we giving the world a basis for confidence?" Enough facts. Here's my opinion about how we look to the rest of the world.

#NoIranWar: #AfghanistanTuesday times TEN!

2012-01-27T11:22:00.000-08:00

This week I'm encouraging all the top #AfghanistanTuesday tweeters to focus on getting the word out about #NoIranWar. Here's why:

* Saturday, February 4 is a National Day of Action to Stop a U.S. War on Iran. Over 25 cities in the U.S. and Canada already have #NoIranWar rallies planned!

* If we really want to get the U.S. out of Afghanistan, the very best thing we could do is to act NOW to PREVENT the U.S. entry into ANOTHER war. The sooner the talk of war against Iran stops, the sooner we can return to the difficult problem of getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan.

* This is an opportunity to build the #AfghanistanTuesday network. We've talked a lot about the need to dramatically increase the number of Tuesdayistas and get the antiwar word out. This is an opportunity to make that real.

That's why I'm reaching out to top #AfghanistanTuesday tweeters to look at the three important links below and ask yourself, "How can I use my Twitter network to increase the reach of the #NoIranWar effort by a factor of TEN?"

> > > National Day of Action to Stop a U.S. War on Iran -- Rallies EVERYWHERE!

> > > Will the Occupy movement take a leading role in saying NO to war against Iran?

> > > Find friends participating in #NoIranWar on Facebook! And invite more!

THANKS EVERYONE!

Why OWS Should Lead the "No Iran War!" Resistance

2012-01-26T08:41:00.000-08:00

A national call went out just a week ago for a National Day of Action to resist U.S. war against Iran. Will the Occupy movement be the leading voice saying "No Iran War!" ?

COURAGE TO THINK DIFFERENT
Some people might argue that the problem of preventing the newest U.S. war is not squarely within the area of concern of Occupy. I would argue that, in fact, there is no one better-positioned to take up this resistance than the biggest group of people in the U.S. who have gotten first-hand experience of U.S. government threats and repression.

It is not a coincidence that legislation that aimed at both Iran and at the Occupy movement was signed into law on New Year's Eve. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) provides sanctions on Iran, and it also has sweeping provisions for indefinite detention of U.S. citizens that amount to "Guantanamo for EVERYONE!" and are clearly aimed at the Occupy movement (among others).

The Occupy movement is not the first group within the U.S. to find itself in the federal government's cross-hairs -- but it's quite clearly the one that's there right now. It takes courage to stand up to that, and that's why every day more and more people are signing on to the call to support OWS and help it resist its suppression.

It also takes courage to talk sense when a large part of the U.S. population has been convinced that another country is full of "bad" people, and is "asking for" a confrontation with the United States. This situation needs mass courage of the kind that few but OWS today possess.

COURAGE TO THINK DIFFERENT
OWS is a movement that is about ideas and debate and analysis. There is no problem as urgently in need of ideas and debate and analysis in American life today, as the threatened war with Iran. Consider some of the issues I raised in early December in my #NoIranWar blog post:

(1) "WMD?" Haven't we see this movie before?
(2) Where does the real threat of nuclear weapons lie?
(3) What is the role of oil in this conflict?
(4) What is the role of the U.S. military enterprise in the Mideast in this conflict?
(5) How do we evaluate the role of Israel in this conflict?
(6) Are we proceeding from a deeply flawed understanding of the Iranian people?
(7) What role does history play in this conflict?

OWS should lead the "No Iran War!" resistance because OWS is prepared to tackle the range of ideas that the current threat of war against Iran poses.

COURAGE TO THINK DIFFERENT
To me, the most important reason that the Occupy movement must take a leadership role in pushing back against the current demonization of Iran is that the idea of accepting people -- even those who look different from oneself -- is so central to the entire Occupy movement.

Over the course of many teach-ins that I have attended at Occupy Chicago, and many conversations with people there, I have come to recognize the power of the idea that we are NOT isolated knots of people who have to be at odds with each other. We have a common humanity, and that's what allows us to have a movement together.

At Occupy Chicago, we've talked about the way the prison industrial complex lures people into thinking that there is an isolated group of people called "prisoners" who are "different" ... we will never be able to understand each other, and so I should just think and behave as if they don't count. We've talked about how people get recruited into the military, and the rest of the society writes them off ("we will never be able to understand each other, and so I should just think and behave as if they don't count . . . "). We've talked about people on every part of the sexual orientation and gender spectrum -- how many times are people written off on these grounds ("we will never be able to understand each other, and so I should just think and behave as if they don't count . . . ")? Pretty soon, I and other people at these events started to realize that people aren't really that different from each other; or, at least, 99% of them aren't, anyway . . . .

If the Occupy movement has taught me one thing, it is that every time I hear some person or group of people being described as "different," I should stop and think. And think again.

Would it really be possible for U.S. leaders to be talking about war with Iran if people here stopped to think about how different people there aren't?

* * * * *

At this writing, there are nearly two dozen "No Iran War!" rallies planned for February 4, and more are being announced every day. Will you be there?

The Bankruptcy of U.S. Nuclear Doctrine

2012-01-25T13:43:00.000-08:00

An analysis in today's New York Times, characterized as a "diplomatic memo" and entitled, "Sanctions Against Iran Grow Tighter, but What's the Next Step?" by Helene Cooper, shows just how bankrupt the United States' nuclear doctrine is.

The central, abhorrent idea of Cooper's analysis is that, while there is a distinction between possessing nuclear technology and pursuing military power based on nuclear weapons, the only acceptable model for that distinction is Japan, "which has a deep aversion to nuclear weapons dating to the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki." It is outrageous that such a suggestion could be made in a United States newspaper, and even more outrageous that it almost certainly reflects the nuclear doctrine of the United States government.

In other words, the stability of the world hangs on three axioms: (a) one nation -- the United States -- and its allies control the ability to wield nuclear death; (b) other countries have nuclear technology but have already tasted nuclear devastation at the hands of the United States, so they know their place; and (c) everyone else must be prevented from having nuclear technology. How long does anyone imagine the rest of the world is going to put up with that model of stability?

It is in this context that so many of the other suggestions in the article would be laughable, if they were not so disgusting. It is Iran that must "demonstrate that it could be trusted" and it is Iran that must "drop its veil of secrecy." Cooper speaks cavalierly of tactics which, oh, just happen to be war crimes: "What could also shove Iran to the negotiating table are the kind of covert programs that have slowed its development of a nuclear program," such as the assassination of nuclear scientists.

Over and over, Cooper talks in the most naive terms: about how to "calibrate the impact of sanctions" . . . "tightening the noose" . . . officials who have "gamed out" the possibilities . . . choosing between more or less "unpalatable" alternatives . . . . It is terrifying that, when war is in the balance, a publication with the level of readership of the New York Times could engage in such irresponsible talk.

With the New York Times publishing "analysis" like this, is it any wonder that Americans can say things like . . . "It won't be a war. We're just going to drop a few well placed bombs on them" . . . "the object of fighting a war is to 'cause devastation'" . . . "my finger is on the button. Run back to your mud hut or I am going to press it!" . . . "when war is devastating, then people will do everything possible not to get into it!" . . . as some of my high school classmates wrote on Facebook today?

No Iran War Rallies EVERYWHERE!

2012-01-25T09:37:00.000-08:00

After a call to resist U.S. war moves against Iran went out just a few days ago, the list of February 4 rallies to say "No Iran War!" is growing FAST.

To date, actions are listed in:

U.S. NORTHEAST
CONNECTICUT: New Haven
D.C.: Washington
MARYLAND: Baltimore
MASSACHUSETTS: Boston, Fall River
NEW HAMPSHIRE: Plymouth
NEW JERSEY: Jersey City
NEW YORK: New York City, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Saratoga Springs, Delhi, Patchogue
PENNSYLVANIA: Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Lewisburg

U.S. SOUTHEAST
ALABAMA: Huntsville
ARKANSAS: Little Rock
FLORIDA: Tampa, Pompano Beach, Gainesville
GEORGIA: Atlanta, Athens
LOUISIANA: Baton Rouge
NORTH CAROLINA: Raleigh, Brevard, Tarboro
SOUTH CAROLINA: Rock Hill
TENNESSEE: Nashville
VIRGINIA: Norfolk, Richmond, Blacksburg

U.S. MIDWEST
ILLINOIS: Chicago, Bloomington, Champaign
INDIANA: Highland
IOWA: Des Moines
KANSAS: Wichita
MICHIGAN: Detroit, Kochville (Saginaw, Midland & Bay City), Kalamazoo, Lansing
MINNESOTA: Minneapolis
NEBRASKA: Omaha
OHIO: Columbus, Defiance, Cincinnati
WISCONSIN: Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Racine

U.S. - TEXAS & SOUTHWEST
ARIZONA: Phoenix, Tucson
COLORADO: Colorado Springs
NEW MEXICO: Albuquerque
OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma City, Tulsa
TEXAS: Austin, Dallas, Houston, Waco, Amarillo
UTAH: Salt Lake City

U.S. WEST
CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Truckee, Vista, Sacramento
HAWAII: Honolulu
OREGON: Portland, Astoria
WASHINGTON: Seattle

CANADA
ALBERTA: Calgary, Lethbridge
BRITISH COLUMBIA: Vancouver

. . . and the list just gets longer, almost by the hour.

Please check out the list of February 4 "No Iran War!" rallies and encourage organizers you know to add their events to the list. Let's show that this is a NATIONAL movement to stop the next war before it happens!

* * * * *

Related "No Iran War!" rallies:

Dublin - call for Feb 4
London - January 28
Leeds
Oslo - February 4

J'ACCUSE: The Beneficiaries of Permawar

2012-01-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan ... and now Iran. It's clear the United States pursues permanent war: "permawar." For whose benefit?

THE PRIME BENEFICIARIES
In contrast to people who focus on war profiteers and the military-industrial complex, and those who focus on the corporatocracy (i.e. capitalist system) that thrives in the shadow of permanent war, I believe that we must look first at the people who benefit much more directly from permawar.

More than anyone else, the beneficiaries of permawar are the politicians who thrive on the power to make and control wars.

* The number one prime beneficiary is the President, as well as presidential aspirants.

* The second set of prime beneficiaries are the President's cabinet members: National Security Advisor, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney General, and others.

* The third set of prime beneficiaries are the leading members of Congress whose power comes from the eternal wrangling over just how much war the U.S. is going to make in the current period.

* The fourth set of prime beneficiaries are the leading party supporters -- both Democratic and Republican -- that draw energy and power from their involvement with these war gangs.

* The fifth set of prime beneficiaries are the politicos -- including political consultants, lobbyists, journalists, and pundits -- that draw energy and power from their involvement with these war gangs.

* The sixth set of prime beneficiaries are the executive branch and congressional aides that draw energy and power from their involvement with these war gangs.

Until the American public shows its willingness to cut this group of prime beneficiaries of permawar off ruthlessly, we will never be free of U.S. war-making.

It's virtually axiomatic that a candidate cannot be "antiwar." For anyone who cares about ending war, the only choice is to REJECT the election charade being carried out in 2012, and to help others understand why they should do so, too.

* * * * *

TOMORROW: Who else benefits from permawar?

Feb 4 - Resources About Iran

2012-01-24T08:02:00.002-08:00

Below is a working list of resources that might be used during Feb 4 "No Iran War!" actions and teach-ins scheduled around the U.S. and around the world.

SHORT INTRODUCTORY VIDEOS
IRAN Documentary Yesterday and Today : Rick Steves - Light travelogue and historical intro. Good for helping people get a first glimpse into the human side of Iran. (60 minutes)

Thanks to Bob Bossie for the following video suggestions:

The Folly of Attacking Iran: Lessons from History (6 minutes)

Democracy Now interview with Stephen Kinzer - Kinzer is the author of All the Shah's Men, listed in the "Books" section below. (26 minutes)

Iran: the side you don't see - Short video with Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens "Peace Train") (4 minutes)

FILM RESOURCES
Persepolis -Contemporary Iran introduced through the eyes of a little girl, based on Marjane Satrapi's graphic novel.

BOOKS
All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror by Stephen Kinzer - Contemporary history of Iran, centering on the 1953 overthrow of Iran's democratic ruler, Mossadegh, in a CIA-backed coup.

ARTICLES
Israel vs. Iran: The Truth Slips Out (Thanks to Bob Bossie for this suggestion.)

WEBSITES
Code Pink: We Need Diplomacy with Iran, Not War
Peace with Iran
Fellowship of Reconciliation: Iran
Thanks to Mary Dean at Voices for Creative Nonviolence for sharing the three websites above!

RESOLUTIONS
Charlottesville, VA, has passed a City Council resolution opposing war against Iran.

THE VOICE OF THE PRO-DEMOCRACY OPPOSITION - Thanks to Danny Postel for the following links!

In "Raising Their Voices: Iranian Civil Society Reflections on the Military Option," the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran presents the viewpoints of 35 prominent Iranian civil society and cultural figures living inside Iran. Those interviewed are people outside the ruling establishment; many have faced censorship, harassment, and imprisonment for their opinions or activities. The interviewees unanimously expressed their grave concern that a military conflict would exacerbate the human rights situation and provide a pretext for the full militarization of the Iranian state, all the while increasing civil and political repression. The report concluded that a pre-emptive attack would be ruinous for human rights and democratic change in Iran.

View interactive website

View full report (PDF)

See also the works of Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council and author of the new book A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran as well as Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States

#Permawar

2012-01-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

The United States perpetuates a state of permanent war. The names change -- hell, sometimes they change by just a single letter -- but the result is the same. Call it "permawar."

The fatal error of all those who oppose these wars is to focus on individual outrages: U.S. out of Iraq! Rethink Afghanistan! No Iran War!

When are we going to step back and see the forest for the trees? All of the wealth and power of the United States is dedicated to perpetuating a state of permanent war, and we are all swept along in it.

In my opinion, the vast majority of Americans have internalized this reality, and that's why, confronted with the suggestion that they oppose the wars, they look the other way. "What do you expect me to do about it?" they seem to say. Most people have been rendered helpless.

That would tend to explain why so few people vote.

Of course, there are still a minority of people who will proffer counter-arguments when you suggest that they should oppose war, say, against Iran. "Oh, but those guys in Iran are really bad guys!" I'm becoming more and more certain, however, that those arguments are just a cover for helplessness: "I know my voice isn't heard, and I'm sure my vote doesn't count; perhaps I can still retain a shred of self-respect by repeating the government line; maybe then this person will leave me alone ...."

Now, this theory of "permawar" only makes sense if there is somebody -- or some group of somebodies -- who benefit from perpetuating a state of permanent war. Who might that be?

* * * * *

TOMORROW: Who benefits from war? and who benefits from "permawar"?

The Midwest Protests Guantanamo Detention

2012-01-21T05:34:00.000-08:00

January 11, 2012 -- the 10th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center -- was a global day of action to protest indefinite detention, unfair trials, and torture by the U.S. in Guantanamo, Bagram, and other prisons around Afghanistan and around the world.

Major protests were held in Washington, D.C. Below is information on protests in Chicago and other Midwest cities. Please post links in the comments section to other Midwest J11 actions!

CHICAGO
January 7 teach-in
January 11 rally - Federal Plaza, Chicago
VIDEO: January 11 rally - Federal Plaza, Chicago
January 14 screening - Andy Worthington and "Outside the Law"
Other J11 events in Chicago

MINNEAPOLIS
Minneapolis January 9 protest - including focus on Guantanamo memo co-author Robert Delahunty, now a St. Thomas Law School professor

#IranTuesday: Obama's Moment of Truth?

2012-01-20T16:13:00.000-08:00

Next Tuesday, January 24, President Obama will give the State of the Union Address.

On Tuesdays, many of us in the antiwar community attend to resistance to the war in Afghanistan. This week, however, I propose that we substitute #IranTuesday for #AfghanistanTuesday. February 4 is a National Day of Action to prevent U.S. war against Iran; we have arrived at a moment of truth.

What can we expect on #IranTuesday?

One possibility is that the President will indicate that he has come to his senses, and that he will eschew saber-rattling against Iran in lieu of a course of seeking peace. This is the course that his Republican opponents fear the most, because it gives Obama the opportunity to appear "presidential," to take the high road, to place some real distance between himself and everyone else in this election year.

Such a course would come as a welcome relief the many, many people who previously voted for Obama but have now lost faith in him. A sensible pronouncement by Obama is their last hope for a saving grace that will allow them to support him again. (Of course, some people have figured out that Obama is a lost cause.)

Unfortunately, a far more likely possibility (in my opinion) is that Obama will issue stern talk about Iran. The silver lining in that possibility is that it would offer the Republicans a chance to upstage Obama by talking sense in their "response." Just imagine: Republicans could paint the young president as reckless, the kind of person who should be gently but firmly ushered out of his position of power. The Republicans could achieve a kind of political miracle by appearing more presidential than a sitting president, simply by showing forbearance. (And I'm not even talking about something that might actually rise to the level of responsible governance, like hearings into the assassinations in Iran!)

The irony is that, although there is one Republican who is prepared to use a peace platform to go on the offensive, the official Republican respondents could never, ever be expected to retreat from a position of absolute belligerence.

So just what good can come out of #IranTuesday? Just this: it will serve as proof, for anyone who still needs it, that the mainstream U.S. parties constitute a distinction without a difference, and offer no kind of choice for people who want to change the future direction of the country.

Election 2012 is a joke. The answer lies in the streets. Spread the word.

The Revelations of "Beneath the Blindfold"

2012-01-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

"Beneath the Blindfold" is a film about torture survivors. It is an important film, and I encourage everyone to look for an opportunity to see the film as soon as possible, and to share it with others in their community. This is especially important in light of the recent unanimous vote in Chicago City Council to make Chicago a torture-free city and the opportunity it provides to advance an anti-torture platform to many, many other places.

Much will be written about "Beneath the Blindfold." Below is a quick sketch of several elements of the film that were particularly revelatory to me.

SENSORY DEPRIVATION
A critical part of "Beneath the Blindfold" is the information it provides about sensory deprivation and how it constitutes torture.

I have only recently confronted the truth that solitary confinement -- so widely practiced in the United States -- constitutes a form of torture.

In the hearings on the resolution to make Chicago a torture free city, there was ample first-hand testimony about the fact that "solitary confinement" is a misnomer -- that what is really being practiced is sensory deprivation, and that the result is to destroy minds and bodies.

In fact, for those who have been paying attention, the truth about solitary confinement/sensory deprivation has already begun to intrude into mainstream culture. See, for instance Atul Gawande, Hellholes, in The New Yorker - "The United States holds tens of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture?"

"Beneath the Blindfold" provides additional information about the effects of sensory deprivation. In particular, I was struck by the information provided in the film about how the effects of sensory deprivation have been well-known since the '50s -- particularly as a result of the "Hebb experiments". Under the circumstances, the terrible impact of sensory deprivaiton on prisoners can only be intentional. As one speaker summarized those experiments, "It became clear that within 48 hours of sensory deprivation, the mind starts to break down."

TRAUMA
One common thread among the torture survivors profiled in "Beneath the Blindfold" is the continuing trauma of those who have experienced torture. It is perhaps the signal achievement of the film that it portrays four different survivors, each of whose experience of torture was distinct from that of any of the others, and each of whom has an otherwise unique personality, and yet each makes clear that they share a long-lasting trauma. One leaves the film with a deeply-felt sense of the lasting trauma caused by torture of any kind.

In addition to the testimony of the survivors themselves, the witness provided by medical and psychological professionals -- notably Dr. Frank Summers and Mary Fabri of the Kovler Center -- begins to lay the foundation for the viewer of an understanding of the trauma that follows torture.

FORGETTING/NOT FORGETTING
For me, a telling statement was that survivors simultaneously yearn to forget torture experiences, and yet, at the same time, are desperate that their experiences not be forgotten. I think part of what that refers to is a purely internal battle -- to hold on to experience or discard it? But another part of that, I think, refers to social memory, and perhaps it is easier for us to know how to attend to that.

If "desperate that those experiences not be forgotten" means that it is important that society know what happened, and take responsibility for it, and assure that it never happens again, then I think that is something all of us can and should agree to participate in. It is certainly a goal that is ably supported by "Beneath the Blindfold."

Feb4 - RESIST U.S. war against IRAN!

2012-01-19T11:38:00.000-08:00

February 4 has been declared a National Day of Action to resist U.S. war against Iran.

Take action to work with others to stop this coming war BEFORE it starts!

LOCATE LOCAL ACTIONS AT http://bit.ly/Feb4Rallies and add YOURS today!

"Join" the Facebook event page and invite friends! (The Chicago Feb 4 rally has its own Facebook page!)

Read more about why it is so important to resist the U.S. move toward war against Iran.

See the list of resources about Iran for use in Feb 4 actions and teach-ins!

The map above of U.S. military bases surrounding Iran is from the Democratic Underground discussion board.

Other links:

IN CHICAGO
Jan 21 3 pm discussion at Revolution Books (1103 N Ashland) U.S.-Israel Threats on Iran: Danger of War Grows

Midwest Antiwar Mobilization meets Sunday 22 at 1 p.m. - Kent College of Law 565 W. Adams. room 520. The Feb 4 mobilization will be on the agenda.

(Click here to view the Emergency Response resolution adopted Sunday, December 18, 2011, by Midwest Antiwar Mobilization.)

IN THE U.K.
UK antiwar coalition call for a protest outside the US embassy in Grosvenor Square on Saturday 28th January from 2-4pm.

OTHER ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
Click here to ACT NOW to oppose the dangerous "Iran Threat Reduction Act."

World Can't Wait: Day of Mass Action to Stop a U.S. War on Iran

UNAC “No War, No Sanctions, No Internal Interference in Iran!” statement.

Ask Congress to investigate: Who is behind assassinations in Iran?

Charlottesville, VA, has passed a City Council resolution opposing war against Iran.

THE VOICE OF THE PRO-DEMOCRACY OPPOSITION - Thanks to Danny Postel for the following links!

In "Raising Their Voices: Iranian Civil Society Reflections on the Military Option," the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran presents the viewpoints of 35 prominent Iranian civil society and cultural figures living inside Iran. Those interviewed are people outside the ruling establishment; many have faced censorship, harassment, and imprisonment for their opinions or activities. The interviewees unanimously expressed their grave concern that a military conflict would exacerbate the human rights situation and provide a pretext for the full militarization of the Iranian state, all the while increasing civil and political repression. The report concluded that a pre-emptive attack would be ruinous for human rights and democratic change in Iran.

View interactive website

View full report (PDF)

See also the works of Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council and author of the new book A Single Roll of the Dice: Obama’s Diplomacy with Iran as well as Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States

Twin Specters of Repression in America

2012-01-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

As we prepare to protest the "Sit Down & Shut Up" ordinances at City Hall tomorrow, it must be stressed: that this is not just about Chicago. If there was any doubt before, Obama's signing of the NDAA -- with all its detention provisions -- makes it clear that everyone in the U.S. live in a police state. And Rahm -- long after ending his stint as Obama's chief of staff - is still Obama's Number One hatchet man.

Places like Guantanamo exist to remind the public, "this is what we have in store for you if you get out of line." And that message is nicely supplemented by the specter of Chicago police wearing their riot gear and carrying truncheons.

Guantanamo & Chicago '68 live in the public's subconscious, where they lurk in the shadows, threatening anyone who has a dissenting thought. It's time we dragged those images out into the open, forcing people to consciously address the way people are being intentionally terrorized by our government. Only if we can do this -- put a name to the threat -- will the ordinary Chicagoan wake up and say, "You expect me to be intimidated? HELL NO!"

Personally, I think any Chicago mayor low enough to dredge up the specter of '68 in order to cow the American public all over again deserves to be recalled.

N-O-101: Keep Your Opinions TO YOURSELF!

2012-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

[This is the first installment in N-O-101: Introduction to NATO/G8. Look for additional installments in the days ahead.]

Lesson Number One: Keep Your Opinions TO YOURSELF!

If you only know one thing about NATO and G8 -- which will be meeting May 19-21 in Chicago -- it should be this: NATO and G8 will decide what's best, and your opinions are not wanted. Keep Your Opinions TO YOURSELF!

Think your consent is required before the U.S. can engage in acts of war? Think again!

Got ideas of your own about economic justice and reducing income inequality? Fuhgedaboutit!

Do NOT get involved with efforts to demonstrate and protest when NATO/G8 meets in Chicago.

And while we're on the subject, do NOT try to assert your civil liberties in the City of Chicago.

Do NOT bother to learn about the handful of powerful countries that have agreed to work together to control the balance of power. It won't make a difference.

Do NOT inform yourself about how eight countries think they know what's best for the pocketbook of every other country in the world. They just do.

So . . . NOW what do you think about NATO/G8?

BZZZZZ! That was a trick question. You're not supposed to think ANYTHING about NATO/G8. Your opinions don't count.

And if you do have opinions -- KEEP THEM TO YOURSELF!

* * * * *

Coming soon ... N-O-101 Lesson Number Two: "Weapons for Peace"

Congress: Who Is Behind Assassinations In Iran?

2012-01-14T08:00:00.001-08:00

NOTE: February 4, 2012, has been declared a National Day of Action to RESIST U.S. war moves against Iran.

Yet another Iranian scientist has been assassinated.

In an environment in which the U.S. is beating the drums of war against Iran, we do not have the option of closing our eyes and acting as if we don't know what's going on.

The U.S. government carries out extrajudicial executions and it does its work in secret. We can't wait for the whole truth to emerge all by itself.

The U.S. Congress has the power to call hearings and compel U.S. officials to testify, under penalty of perjury, as to the U.S. role in these assassinations.

Congress did an enormous amount of damage to peace through the aggressive Iran Threat Reductions Act. Under the guise of "prevention" it put in place measures that hasten war.

If Congress truly opposes war, it should make that clear TODAY by stepping in forcefully to demand TRUTH and signal that NO U.S. (or allied) provocation of Iran will be tolerated.

Why Chicago Must Become a Torture-Free Zone

2012-01-13T07:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day of moving testimony before the Committee on Human Relations of the City Council of the City of Chicago on a resolution to make Chicago a torture-free city.

More than any other part of the day, I was moved by the assurance with which Alderman Joe Moore, the resolution's sponsor, stated, "I expect this resolution will pass UNANIMOUSLY." [PS - Chicago City Council voted UNANIMOUSLY on January 18, 2012, to make Chicago a torture-free city.]

What might we be able to accomplish if we could hold the unanimous passage of this resolution up as an example to people in other cities, to encourage them to take similar action? Can we start a movement for a torture-free WORLD?

Below are additional notable excerpts from testimony at the hearing.

Attorney Flint Taylor set the stage at the pre-hearing press conference by holding up the edition of the Sun-Times that featured Rahm Emanuel's statement "TIME WE END IT!" One of the most significant parts of Taylor's testimony was his insistence that the City stop protecting torturers on the police force, and produce former Mayor Richard M. Daley for deposition.

Similarly, Alderman Joe Moore had opened the hearing with a stark statement: "WE are COMPLICIT if we stand by while torture happens."

DePaul law professor and UN war crimes investigator Cherif Bassiouni was explicit: torture is a crime and we need to prosecute it. He stressed "how important it is for citizens to raise their voices and be heard" about torture. And he expressed dismay that, while torture used to be something Americans blamed on other countries, it's now become institutionalized US practice. Echoing a theme touched on by many witnesses, Bassiouni said that we can only hold on to our moral authority if we see and hear what is going on, and speak out to end torture. Answering a question from the chair about current U.S. practice, he said that the Obama administration has taken steps to eliminate the open commission of torture, to assure that U.S. "fingerprints" are not on acts of torture.

Activist Mario Vanegas, a torture survivor from Chile, explained the history of US export of torture via the School of the Americas (SOA), and gave moving testimony about his own experience. Urging Chicago City Council to pass the resolution, he said, "The entire world is watching!"

CHICAGO TORTURE: EXCRUCIATING DESCRIPTIONS
During the hearing, Taylor showed video of Chicago police torture survivors Darrell Cannon and Anthony Holmes describing their experience. Cannon spent 24 years in prison for a crime he confessed to after torture by Chicago police. In the video, Cannon recounted, "They told me I was in for the hardest day of my life," and then he gave an excruciating description of a mock execution, such as when a shotgun was placed in his mouth, and he was tortured using an electric cattle prod applied to his testicles.

Taylor stressed that the John Burge police torture case has cost Chicago taxpayers $53 million.

Anti-death penalty activist (and Chicago police torture survivor) Mark Clements asked, "How can #Chicago pass a resolution to renounce torture without addressing the issue of the twenty-three Burge torture victims still unfairly in prison?"

SOLITARY = TORTURE
Activists who oppose Tamms supermax prison emphasize the need to end the use of solitary confinement and sensory deprivation, because of the way it destroys minds and bodies.

Activist Gregory Koger emphasized that thousands of people are subjected to torture in the form of extended solitary in the state of Illinois alone; the U.S. leads the world in the use of this practice. He exhorted Chicago to follow the courageous example of Pelican Bay hunger strikers to oppose imposition of torture through the use of extended solitary confinement.

Dr. Frank Somers of the Kovler Center stressed: "It's not 'solitary,' it's sensory deprivation, and the outcome is breakdown of the mind. This was a point that other witnesses testified to from their personal experience being subjected to solitary confinement.

MORAL AUTHORITY? A "HUMANE" CITY?
Other testimony from a representative of the Kovler Center emphasized, "Torture is NOT committed to 'obtain information'! It is done to break bodies & minds - to terrorize!!"

Prof. Adam Green of the University of Chicago, a key proponent of the Chicago Police Torture Memorial Project underlined the importance of taking a stand: "Burge was held up as a leader (!) We must loudly RENOUNCE this." He went on to say, "Can Chicago clain to be a humane city? NOT UNTIL we repair the legacy of using terror and isolation towards African-American people by means of police torture."

Amnesty International Midwest Regional Director Debra Erenberg stressed how important it is to make the connection between ending torture in Chicago & issue of ending indefinite detention and closing Guantanamo, the subject of worldwide protests just one day prior to the hearings. She also emphasized that extended solitary confinement IS torture. Erenberg proposed that for the upcoming Chicago conference of Nobel Peace Prize winners, the city should be torture-free.

Explaining the need to put an end to torture, Congressman Danny Davis put it quite simply: "The Constitution demands it." Davis stated that an anti-torture bill he has sponsored together with other Illinois congressmen will go before Congress shortly. In his testimony, Davis emphasized that "there should be no statute of limitations to prosecuting torture."

* * * * * * *

We owe a debt of thanks to all of these witnesses for, in Koger's words, "giving voice to the voiceless."

Chicago Manifesto for a Torture-Free World

2012-01-13T07:03:00.000-08:00

[The following was inspired by a conversation with Cherif Bassiouni and by testimony given at a hearing on Thursday, January 12, 2012, before the Committee on Human Relations of the City Council of the City of Chicago on a resolution to make Chicago a torture-free city. As Sister Benita Coffey has said, "Chicago's ban on torture should spur others to act too."]

[PS - Chicago City Council voted UNANIMOUSLY on January 18, 2012, to make Chicago a torture-free city.]

(1) I pledge to work with others in my community to make MY community torture-free.

(2) I pledge to encourage others to adopt the Manifesto, including working to make THEIR communities torture-free.

(3) I recognize that the reason people engage in torture is, in general, NOT to obtain information, but to injure the bodies and minds of those they subject to torture, and to instill fear and to terrorize others.

(4) A torture-free zone provides absolute rights of habeas corpus, and protects against indefinite detention.

(5) A torture-free zone guarantees every person due process and a fair trial, without exception.

(6) A torture-free zone guarantees everyone the absolute right to remain silent.

(7) A torture-free zone outlaws all forms of torture, of both mind and body, including extended solitary confinement.

(8) A torture-free zone prosecutes violators of its anti-torture laws, without exception and without limitation.

(9) A torture-free zone provides absolute legal protections to dissenters and whistleblowers.

(10) A torture-free zone performs an educational mission to share ALL of its experience and practices with others to hasten the achievement of a torture-free WORLD.

(11) I pledge to make my community a place that offers healing to survivors of torture.

(12) I support the collaboration of all those living in torture-free zones on the 1-year anniversary of this initial manifesto to update this manifesto to become a Global Manifesto for a Torture-Free World.

J11 Real Time

2012-01-11T10:55:00.000-08:00

Early photos from January 11 demonstrations in Washington, D.C., on the 10th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center:

See also:

London Guantanamo protest images
Berlin Guantanamo protest images
Paris Guantanamo protest images

Occupy Palm Sunday!

2012-01-10T05:21:00.000-08:00

Palm Sunday falls on April 1 in 2012.

In Chicago the following weekend, besides being Easter, people who have been looking to the Occupy movement as a source of community will gather on Saturday to "Occupy Spring".

And Chicago has a longstanding tradition of getting into the street during Holy Week, with the Good Friday Walk for Justice.

I've been thinking about the Occupy movement and what it has to do with Christian witness. The conclusion I've come to is: a lot! In fact, I think it's central to our understanding of what Christ's life and death meant. What would Jesus do? Occupy!

So I propose that churches across Chicago -- and elsewhere! -- plan on a real Palm Sunday this year -- and Occupy it!

What will people be doing when they Occupy Palm Sunday? It could be anything really, but for starters I'm imagining they will:

* get outside their churches and into the public spaces in their communities

* celebrate Jesus' teachings

* enjoy a meal at which everyone in the community is welcome

* talk with each other about what's really important

Who knows? There may even be palms .... ;-)

Those are my ideas for how to Occupy Palm Sunday. Anyone else got any ideas?

SHARE IDEAS ON "Occupy Palm Sunday!" FACEBOOK PAGE!

Tell Your Alderman!

2012-01-09T05:16:00.001-08:00

CONTACT YOUR ALDERMAN ON TWITTER!
1st - Joe Moreno @Alderman_Moreno
2nd - Robert Fioretti @FiorettiChicago
3rd - Pat Dowell (not on Twitter)
4th - William Burns @Ald4_WillBurns
5th - Leslie Hairston (not on Twitter)
6th - Roderick Sawyer @RoderickTSawyer
7th - Sandi Jackson @SandiJackson1
8th - Michelle Harris (not on Twitter)
9th - Anthony Beale (not on Twitter)
10th - John Pope @AldermanPope
11th - James Balcer (not on Twitter)
12th - George A. Cardenas @ald12
13th - Marty Quinn (not on Twitter)
14th - Ed Burke (not on Twitter)
15th - Toni Foulkes (not on Twitter)
16th - JoAnn Thompson (not on Twitter)
17th - Latasha Thomas (not on Twitter)
18th - Lona Lane (not on Twitter)
19th - Matthew O’Shea @mattoshea19
20th - Willie Cochran @ALDERMANWBC
21st - Howard Brookins Jr.(not on Twitter)
22nd - Ricardo Munoz @AldermanMunoz22
23rd - Michael Zalewski (not on Twitter)
24th - Michael Chandler (not on Twitter)
25th - DanielSolis @AldermanSolis
26th - Roberto Maldonado (not on Twitter)
27th - Walter Burnett, Jr. @AldermanBurnett
28th - Jason Ervin @AldermanErvin
29th - DeborahGraham (not on Twitter)
30th - Ariel E. Reboyras @Ald_Reboyras
31st - Ray Suarez (not on Twitter)
32nd - Scott Waguespack (not on Twitter)
33rd - Richard F. Mell (not on Twitter)
34th - Carrie Austin (not on Twitter)
35th - Rey Colon (not on Twitter)
36th - Nicholas Sposato @AldermanSposato
37th - Emma Mitts @EmmaMittsAld37
38th - Timothy M. Cullerton (not on Twitter)
39th - Margaret Laurino (not on Twitter)
40th - Patrick J. O'Connor @40thWard
41st - Mary O’Connor @OCONNORfor41
42nd - Brendan Reilly (not on Twitter)
43rd - Michele Smith @MicheleSmith43
44th - Thomas M. Tunney @AldTomTunney
45th - John Arena @johnarena445
46th - James Cappleman @jamescappleman
47th - Ameya Pawar @alderman_pawar
48th - Harry Osterman (not on Twitter)
49th - Joseph A. Moore @joemoore49
50th - Debra Silverstein @Debra4Alderman

Names in red are members of the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation.

Does Obama have a Rahm Problem?

2012-01-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

As a January 11 collision in Chicago approaches -- an incumbent president "coming home" to rally his supporters on the very day that Chicago is at the forefront of a national mobilization to challenge the acceleration of detention and civil liberties violations under Obama -- a crack in the Obama re-election campaign narrative is emerging.

Up to now, the story has been that of a too-good-for-his-own-good President who needed his backbone stiffened by political tough guys. Exhibit A: Rahm Emanuel. In other words, the good-cop, bad-cop narrative.

But in recent days, there have been signs that the re-election campaign sees the need to cut the bad cop adrift.

First came an op-ed piece Friday in the Chicago Tribune by Marilyn Katz, a prominent promoter of Obama's political ascendancy ("Reining in those pesky protesters: Ironies of history and lessons for the future"). Katz took Emanuel to task for "restriction of citizen voice and making a mockery of transparency" in a series of ordinance changes that affect freedom of expression in Chicago.

Then came a Saturday New York Times story that posited a sharp divide between President Obama and Emanuel, due to mishandling of interactions with the first lady Michelle Obama ("Michelle Obama and the Evolution of a First Lade"). According to the story, Emanuel had so antagonized the First Family that he felt the need to offer his resignation as Chief of Staff in 2010. According to the new revisionist history being peddled by the Times, "Later Mr. Emanuel would glide into the Chicago mayor’s office, partly on the basis of his strong ties to Mr. Obama, but by a year into the administration, his relationship with the president had grown strained. While he relied heavily on Mr. Emanuel, especially in dealing with Congress, Mr. Obama told advisers that he had concerns about his chief of staff’s overall management and planning skills, along with his outbursts toward staff members. Mr. Emanuel openly said that he thought the health care overhaul had been a bad idea, and after accounts of his views began to surface in the news media in early 2010, he went into the Oval Office and offered his resignation to Mr. Obama, according to several colleagues."

The idea that Rahm is on the outs with Obama would sure come as news to most people in Chicago, where the fires of the Obama-Rahm Democratic political dynasty myth are stoked daily. (Surely it will come as news to Rahm.)

Why has the Obama re-election campaign decided to cut Rahm loose?

It has long been known that Rahm Emanuel was front and center at some of the most troubling decisions of the Obama administration. Take, for instance, Obama's promise to close Guantanamo Bay Detention Center and "restore the rule of law." As a winter 2010 analysis of Obama security policy ("Obama’s War Over Terror") pointed out, Emanuel is "said to think that the politics of these decisions were being mishandled and that fights over detention policy used up political capital better spent on priorities like health care and the economy." In other words, the Consitution is important, but not as important as getting health care passed. And, in fact, for a very long time, the conventional wisdom has been that the American people only care about their own health care and their paychecks -- civil liberties and human rights be damned -- and the Rahm Emanuel worldview was been viewed as, well, sadly accurate.

Now, however, Rahm appears to be turning what was supposed to be a prime Presidential Moment -- the May 2012 Chicago summit of NATO and G8, at which Obama will preside, in the President's own "home town" and headquarters of his 2012 re-election campaign, no less -- into a fiasco. The anti-liberty ordinances that Emanuel has introduced, far from laying the foundation for a uniquely peaceful & robust civic event in May, threaten to provoke a replay of the mayhem of Boss Daley's 1968. Civil liberties activists in Chicago -- and, presumably soon, the rest of the country -- are up in arms.

Now that civil liberties are becoming the talk of the town, can Obama possibly maintain ties to the man who has made himself the lightning rod for progressives in what was supposed to be Re-election 2012's home base?

After all, wasn't he set up to be the fall guy all along?

Or is it too late for that? The January 11 protests are rapidly turning into a referendum on Obama's support for the N.D.A.A. and its provisions to detain anyone, anywhere, anytime. People around the country are waking up to the civil liberties threat they live under in Obama's U.S.A.; it's not just a Chicago problem.

It's beginning to look like maybe Obama can't jettison his baggage fast enough.

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Photo/Image Credits:

Rahm Emanuel from MSNBC.
Scott Stantis cartoon from Chicago Tribune, Sunday, January 8, 2012.
The Maltese Falcon fall guy Wilmer Cook (played by Elisha Cook, Jr.) from IMDB.
**********************************************************

Chicago Opposes Anti-Liberty Ordinance

2012-01-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Mayor Rahm Emanuel has redefined the extent of your freedom of expression in Chicago:

NOwhere! . . . NOtime! . . . NOhow!

A new ordinance -- originally billed as pertaining to the three day period during which the NATO/G8 summit will be held in Chicago in May, 2012, but now known to be PERMANENT and WITHOUT LIMIT -- would impose drastic restrictions on freedom of expression and dissent in Chicago.

Have we got your attention yet?

Action Steps
The Ordinance
Contact Your Alderman on Twitter!
Key Background

ACTION STEPS
You CAN make a difference and protect free speech in Chicago, but it will take ACTION:

(1) Attend the Tuesday, January 17, 1 p.m. hearing in room Room 201A before the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation. Your in-person support is vital. Be prepared to speak about why YOU oppose the ordinance.

Join the event page on Facebook "Defend our right to dissent: Jan 17 Chicago City Council Hearings" and click on the button to invite friends

(2) Protest at City Hall when the ordinance comes before City Council for a vote on January 18.

Join the event page on Facebook "Chicago City Council: Stand up for our rights! January 18" and click on the button to invite friends

(3) Lobby your alderman. Call or write your alderman to tell him/her that this ordinance is INTOLERABLE to you. (Want to make some noise? Most Chicago aldermen are now on Twitter, so you can tell them in public!)

Check out the group on Facebook "Tell Your Chicago Alderman: We Want Our Liberty!" to find out about specific aldermen meetings and tell your friends!

(4) Tell your friends! Email, Facebook, Twitter, you know the drill! (Just think about the impact if each person who opposes this ordinance told just ten friends!)

(5) Mobilize your organizations! We need organizations in Chicago to come forward with resolutions to emphasize:

* this new ordinance is an intolerable encroachment on the civil liberties of all Chicagoans.

* this new ordinance constitutes a direct interference in the work of YOUR organization, and the work of its constituent organizations and individuals.

* your organization resolves to oppose this and all encroachments on dissent.

* your organization calls on its constituent organizations and individuals, and the general Chicago community, to actively work between now and January 18 to defeat this ordinance.

THE ORDINANCES
Read the detailed critique of Chicago's anti-liberty ordinance changes by Andy Thayer, published January 6, 2012. Highlights:

* 20-fold increase in fines for violations. "The maximum fine would double to $2000 and potentially include 10 days in jail."

* "Resisting arrest" defined as by language stating "'resist' shall mean passive as well as active resistance" [for instance, going limp].

* Micro-control of all assemblies, including requiring the registration of constituent groups participating in protests, restrictions on sidewalk protests, and prohibitive insurance requirements.

Additional details of the ordinances are provided below:

O2011-9742, “Amendment of various sections of Municipal Code regarding parades, athletic events and public assemblies”
*Empower McCarthy to forge agreements with “public or private entities concerning placement, installation, maintenance or use of video, audio telecommunications, or other similar equipment.” Participating agencies and their personnel would be “held harmless.”
*Empower the mayor or his designees to purchase “goods, work or services” needed to host the event without City Council approval, so long as there’s no existing city contract that could be used;
*Loud noise, amplified sound and music at parades, athletic events and public assemblies would be allowed only between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Rules on the use of sidewalks and streets also would be tightened.

SO2011-8863, “Amendment of Municipal Code regarding various fines and fees.”

CONTACT YOUR ALDERMAN ON TWITTER!
1st - Joe Moreno @Alderman_Moreno
2nd - Robert Fioretti @FiorettiChicago
3rd - Pat Dowell (not on Twitter)
4th - William Burns @Ald4_WillBurns
5th - Leslie Hairston (not on Twitter)
6th - Roderick Sawyer @RoderickTSawyer
7th - Sandi Jackson @SandiJackson1
8th - Michelle Harris (not on Twitter)
9th - Anthony Beale (not on Twitter)
10th - John Pope @AldermanPope
11th - James Balcer (not on Twitter)
12th - George A. Cardenas @ald12
13th - Marty Quinn (not on Twitter)
14th - Ed Burke (not on Twitter)
15th - Toni Foulkes (not on Twitter)
16th - JoAnn Thompson (not on Twitter)
17th - Latasha Thomas (not on Twitter)
18th - Lona Lane (not on Twitter)
19th - Matthew O’Shea @mattoshea19
20th - Willie Cochran @ALDERMANWBC
21st - Howard Brookins Jr.(not on Twitter)
22nd - Ricardo Munoz @AldermanMunoz22
23rd - Michael Zalewski (not on Twitter)
24th - Michael Chandler (not on Twitter)
25th - DanielSolis @AldermanSolis
26th - Roberto Maldonado (not on Twitter)
27th - Walter Burnett, Jr. @AldermanBurnett
28th - Jason Ervin @AldermanErvin
29th - DeborahGraham (not on Twitter)
30th - Ariel E. Reboyras @Ald_Reboyras
31st - Ray Suarez (not on Twitter)
32nd - Scott Waguespack (not on Twitter)
33rd - Richard F. Mell (not on Twitter)
34th - Carrie Austin (not on Twitter)
35th - Rey Colon (not on Twitter)
36th - Nicholas Sposato @AldermanSposato
37th - Emma Mitts @EmmaMittsAld37
38th - Timothy M. Cullerton (not on Twitter)
39th - Margaret Laurino (not on Twitter)
40th - Patrick J. O'Connor @40thWard
41st - Mary O’Connor @OCONNORfor41
42nd - Brendan Reilly (not on Twitter)
43rd - Michele Smith @MicheleSmith43
44th - Thomas M. Tunney @AldTomTunney
45th - John Arena @johnarena445
46th - James Cappleman @jamescappleman
47th - Ameya Pawar @alderman_pawar
48th - Harry Osterman (not on Twitter)
49th - Joseph A. Moore @joemoore49
50th - Debra Silverstein @Debra4Alderman

Names in red are members of the Committee on Special Events, Cultural Affairs and Recreation.

KEY BACKGROUND
Chicago Tribune: Parade ordinance power grab: City Hall proposal for new rules and harsher penalties for violations, allegedly occasioned by anticipated NATO and G-8 protests, would restrict all future demonstrations in Chicago By Kristen Mack

Chicago Tribune: Emanuel admits he erred on describing G8, NATO parade rules as temporary By Hal Dardick and Kristen Mack

Chicago Tribune op-ed: Reining in those pesky protesters: Ironies of history and lessons for the future by Marilyn Katz

Rahm's Three "NOs"

2012-01-05T09:06:00.000-08:00

Rahm Emanuel - the mayor who was given the chance to change Chicago history by changing the Daley "boss" legacy - has instituted a new regime. It's called "the three NOs". It lays down a new line with respect to the traditional care with which "time, place, or manner" restrictions of free expression in civil society are put in place. Rahm has a simple formula for free expression:

NOwhere!

NOtime!

NOhow!

(Got a problem with that?)

Details are in the ordinance pending before City Council to drastically reduce the ability of Chicagoans or anyone else to express themselves. (Welcome to Chicago! You're under arrest.)

If you think it's time to stop being quiet, and to start resisting, get involved in fighting this Chicago anti-liberty ordinance.

*********************************************************
Photo: THE GUARDIAN photo of two great Constitutional theorists conferring.
*********************************************************

Obama's Three "ANYs"

2012-01-05T08:17:00.001-08:00

Barack Obama - the president we thought was going to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center and restore the rule of law - has instituted a new regime. It's called "the three ANYs". The U.S. government can detain:

ANYone!

ANYwhere!

ANYtime!

(Got a problem with that?)

Details are in the newly minted "National Defense Authorization Act" (NDAA). (got police state?)

If you think it's time to stop being quiet and resist, get involved in the national mobilization against indefinite detention.

If you live in Chicago, COME OUT and SUPPORT the events taking place now through January 11 (and beyond) and spread the word!

*********************************************************
Photo: President Obama signs order to close Guantanamo Bay Detention Center within one year, January 22, 2009.
*********************************************************

#resist2012

2012-01-02T12:59:00.000-08:00

What are YOU going to do in 2012 to #RESIST US #NATO #war #murder #torture #detention #Afghanistan #Iran etc etc etc RSVP

(Happy New Year!)

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Join the ranks of people who are saying "No Iran War!" -- before it happens!

Take action to turn "Torture-Free Chicago" into a "Torture-Free World."

Do something -- every week! -- to bring about the end of U.S. war in Afghanistan.

Continue the struggle to close Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, end indefinite detention, and fight "Guantanamo for EVERYONE!" under the NDAA.

. . . AND ESPECIALLY . . .

Oppose the anti-liberty ordinance that Mayor Rahm Emanuel is trying to foist on Chicagoans!

Police Violence in Chicago

2011-12-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

On January 1, people in Chicago will be protesting incidents of police violence here and in other cities. The event is sponsored by Occupy Chicago, Occupy the Southside, and Occupy El Barrio. The event begins at 2 p.m. at the 95th Street Red Line terminal.

The event on January 1 protests the shooting of Michael Pleasance, and is in solidarity with Occupy Oakland and its protest of the Oscar Grant shooting.

I wrote about police violence in a blog post several months ago: "Chicago Justice: Connecting the Dots".

Chicago has a notorious history of police violence and police torture. There will be hearings on a Chicago City Council resolution to make Chicago a torture-free city on Thursday, January 12, 2012.

Police violence and persecution by the police is not just a Chicago issue. Under new legislation, EVERY American can be subjected to the same lawless indefinite detention and torture that has been used on countless people in the so-called "war on terror," initiated under the Bush administration but continued and expanded under the Obama administration.

We can no longer look the other way while members of our community are subjected to police violence. See you at 95th Street.

******************************************************
Photo 1: john-conroy.com
Photo 2: Revolutionary Frontlines blog
******************************************************

Scarry Signs

2011-12-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

This past fall, a friend said to me, "It's good that you came to the demonstration; it would be even better if you brought a sign!"

That was the start of something I've enjoyed a lot. And a lot of those signs have found their way into my blog posts.

Below are some of my signs - "Scarry signs" -- linked to some of the blog posts that relate to them!

2011: Scarry Thoughts That (Maybe) Made A Difference

2011-12-28T11:23:00.000-08:00

Looking back over my blog posts for the past year, it's interesting to discover that some definitely had a bigger impact than others. Is it because they were on subjects people care a great deal about? Or because they were well-written? Or simply because they were well-promoted? Food for thought ....

Here are the blog posts that got a lot of traffic and/or on which people spent a lot of time:

#NoIranWar
I'm A Tuesdayista!
#AfghanistanTuesday
Afghanistan Protests
Chicago: All Signs Point to Revolution
Oldies but Goodies
My Personal Favorites

(1) #NoIranWar - Published just a few weeks ago, this blog post about seven big reasons people should be wary of the growing talk of war with Iran has been the sixth most viewed post over the past four months. The high level of traffic may have to do with active promotion on Twitter, and with links from Antiwar.com.

More interestingly, the average time spent reading the post is over 6 minutes. Clearly, people are deeply interested in the threat of U.S. military action against Iran.

This blog post has become closely associated with the #NoIranWar tag on Twitter, and I hope it continues to be an important part of the movement to resist war with Iran.

(2) I'm A Tuesdayista! - This page -- about being one of the dedicated participants in #AfghanistanTuesday -- was viewed more than any other page over the past four months. I think this is mainly because many people were invited individually via Twitter messages.

Considering the large number of views that seem to be attributed to direct invitations, it is somewhat surprising that people spent an average of over 3 minutes reading the Tuesdayista blog post. I think it is because people understand how important it is to not just participate in tweeting about ending the war in Afghanistan, but also to attract additional people to do so, too. That's what being a "Tuesdayista" is all about.

(3) Making an Impact on #AfghanistanTuesday - This was the page that launched a thousand tweets -- or, anyway, became the explanation for #AfghanistanTuesday back when it was a new idea. Since this page was first published in August, I've published dozens of other #AfghanistanTuesday pages. But this is still one of the most viewed -- and, if the length of time people spend on the page is any indication, most thought about -- guides to the topic.

Here are two other posts about #AfghanistanTuesday that people have viewed a lot:

#AfghanistanTuesday - Top Tweets List - Understandably, this gets viewed a lot, because it is a growing list of the top tweets for each list, AND a list of the top tweeps, AND a list of important #AfghanistanTuesday hash tags.

#Occupy Tuesday! #UNoccupy Afghanistan! - This is one of the newest posts, and is taking #AfghanistanTuesday to the next level: how do we go beyond Twitter?

(4) The Hour is Approaching: Make a Commitment! - This was one of many posts that dealt with protests marking the 10th Anniversary of the war in Afghanistan. It asked, "What can YOU do to be an active participant in driving toward COMMITMENT on the part of millions of people to end our wars?"

Many people clearly have been -- and continue to be -- asking themselves, "What am I prepared to do?" Other big traffic pages involved the actual October 8 protests themselves, and other similar protests:

Chicago Antiwar March: October 8, 2011 - This post included links to information about all the speakers on October 8, plus press coverage and follow-up activities.

Chicago - Dec 10 Human Rights Day Protest - This post talked about the main protest on December 10, plus film screenings and talks taking place later the same weekend.

(5) Chicago: All Signs Point to Revolution - Ever since October, the Occupy movement has been a growing subject of blog posts. This one got an especially large amount of attention, and it seems to have made people think (judging by the fact that they spent an average of more than five minutes on the page!).

This was one in a series of blog posts associated with hand-drawn "Scarry Signs" that I made for protests in Chicago.

(6) Oldies But Goodies - Several posts continued to get views long after they were published. They deal with issues that people continue to be curious about, and frequently search on Google.

Holocaust Museum: "Those Nazi Bastards!" - This is a heavily-viewed piece, with a lot of organic traffic generated by the search terms "Nazi" + "dog".

Drones, 1984, and Foucault's Panopticon - This continues to get a surprising number of hits. Apparently, a lot of people search on the terms "Foucault" + "panopticon"! (Who knew?)

Flag Symbolism in Hong Kong - This was one of a series of posts about protest images from Hong Kong that I wrote about in early 2010, and they continue to get traffic!

(7) My Personal Favorites - My favorite posts aren't always the ones that are viewed most heavily. These five are very close to my heart:

Why Weren't People Talking About It? - What I learned from my mom. (I need to write a lot more posts about Mom!)

Never Try to Silence a Tuesdayista - A rare opportunity to combine two of my greatest loves: activism and botany!

Obama Nobel Peace Prize - REVOKED! - People seemed to have no trouble believing that the King of Norway made a special trip to Chicago to revoke the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama in 2009.

Seven Little Words in Kuwait I've been involved with the film, "The Response," for several years now. This piece described the most exciting development yet.

WWJD? Occupy! - The last shall be first? Expect to be hearing a lot more on this subject in 2012!

Can Chicago Walk Like an Egyptian?

2011-12-24T09:46:00.000-08:00

Description below of December 23 action in support of Egyptian protesters. The Global Day of Support for the Egyptian Revolution on January 21 will be EVEN BETTER!

* * * * *

Yesterday, people in Chicago marched in solidarity with protesters in Egypt and other countries that are part of the Arab Spring - including Syria, Yemen, Bahrain, and Palestine.

It was a day for sharing the message of solidarity with the Arab Spring with people up and down Michigan Avenue.

It was a day for interrupting the flow of Miracle Mile shopping with a rally in front of the Egyptian Consulate.

It was a day for delivering a message to the representatives of the current government in Egypt.

It was a day to hear the latest updates from Tahrir Square.

It was a day to express respect.

On the day that Chicago was standing in solidarity with Egypt, Egypt was once again standing up for its rights.

By coincidence, the day before had seen a press conference about threats to civil liberties in Chicago. Mayor Rahm Emanual has introduced changes in local law to sharply limit the rights of Chicagoans and others to express dissent.

In Chicago, we talk a good game. We talk as if we're not going to let anyone push us around. But when push comes to shove, will we insist on our right to free speech and free expression, or will we cower in our our homes and apartments?

Chicago can talk the talk. Now it's time to find out: can we walk the walk?

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Photos courtesy FJJ. (Tahrir Square dailycaller.com)

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Chicago Protests Guantanamo Detention

2011-12-23T07:07:00.000-08:00

Chicago was the site of major protests against U.S. detention practices in Guantanamo, as well as in Bagram, other prisons throughout Afghanistan, and elsewhere in the world, on and around January 11, 2012. We called for an end to indefinite detention, unfair trials, and torture.

Rally and action in Federal Plaza (Wed Jan 11)
Teach-in and related activities (Sat/Sun Jan 7/8)
Daily vigils (Jan 2-11)
Andy Worthington - film screening & talk (Sat Jan 14)
January 11 in D.C. & the rest of the world
"The Response" - a film about Guantanamo
See also actions in OTHER MIDWEST CITIES

RALLY & ACTION - JAN 11
On January 11, 2012 -- the 10th anniversary of Guantanamo -- we met at 3 pm in Federal Plaza (Dearborn and Adams) for a rally, march and human chain.

VIDEO: January 11 rally - Federal Plaza, Chicago
See full description and photos of the January 11 Chicago demonstration!

The January 11 action in Chicago was sponsored by Chicago World Can't Wait, Witness against Torture, 8th Day Center for Justice, the Midwest Anti-War Mobilization, Christian Peacemaker Teams, and Amnesty International.

TEACH-IN: Saturday
A teach-in was held on Saturday, January 7 2012, at Grace Place (637 S. Dearborn) in Chicago. Topics included:

* Torture in U.S. and Illinois Prisons, with ICAT and Gregory Koger
*Torture laws and State of Guantanamo, with a viewing of the film “The Response” and lawyers representing Guantanamo detainees.
* Stories from Victims and Survivors of Torture
*Political repression and Prosecuting war criminals, with Chicago World Can’t Wait.

View the full report about the January 7 teach-in.

Gregory and Mario shared some of their reflections and experiences as survivors of torture. Melinda and Eldon gave us a history, update and opportunity to sign the petition for a Torture Free Chicago Resolution (info for the hearing is below). We had a viewing of the Reponse with a discussion led by Joe and two Guantanamo detainee lawyers: Len and Candace. We got to hear in detail how the Habeus Corpus hearings work and what conditions are like for prisoners interacting with their lawyers. After a vigil on Michigan Ave and meal of soup, we reconvened through songs, led by Chris Inserra and Jim Manzardo. Matilde then shared her heartbreaking/hopegiving journey of healing and activism. To end our day, Jay, Gregory and Bill engaged us in a conversation about the prosecution of war criminals and it's historical precedents, an update on the grand jury subpenoas and raids that happened last year in Chicago and Minnesota, and the NDAA. It was an amazing day of learning and sharing information and confirming our urgency to gather on Jan 11.

CHURCH SERVICE & TEACH-IN: Sunday
Date & Time: Sunday, January 8, 2012 - 10:30 am-8 pm
Location: Wellington Avenue United Church of Christ, 615 W Wellington

Activities:
10:30am-noon: Special worship service on the theme of torture, followed by coffee hour
1:00-4:00pm: Nonviolence training for social movements with Pace e Bene and the White Rose Catholic Worker
5:00-8:00pm: Planning for the January 11 National Day of Action with Christian Peacemaker Teams and 8th Day Center for Justice

Read more about Sunday worship service on the theme of torture followed by non-violence training.

We gathered for an moving worship service at UCC Wellington. We sang a White Rose favorite (Woke up this morning with my mind stayed on Justice) to start off. Susan and Dan took it from there, incorporating poems from the men in Guantanamo, a reading from Matthew about the massacre Herod ordered, and a history of Wellington's activism around ending torture. After a great meal, prepared by Gerald, Ken and John led us in a nonviolence training, asking us to explore our motivations, fears and hopes in direct action, but also teaching us about the stages of a social movement and the different roles we must play in our movements. After diner, we got down to planning our action on Wednesday with our Christian Peacemaker Team friends, which Kryss and Julia facilitated. We came up with some creative and awesome ideas so please join us on Wednesday for the rally to witness them!

DAILY VIGILS
Dates: January 2 through January 10
Daily Times & Locations:
Monday, Jan 2: We had our opening vigil at State St. and though only a small group of us, had some good interactions with passersby there by DePaul. We also had the opening of our exhibit at Mess Hall: "A Movement to End Torture". Come make your own art project, or write a letter to a detainee. It's all set up, and we hope you come check it out this week (every day from 3-5pm, Friday until 8pm). We also survived our first day fasting! We are mindful of those who have been on hunger strike while detained.
Tuesday, Jan 3: We enjoyed joining 8th day and some Occupiers on a frigid morning in front of the Board of Trade to say no to war and terror, as people were rushing to work. It felt good to be with other folks, and who have been doing a weekly vigil for more than 10 years (since 9/11)! Afterwards we gathered at 8th day for a refreshing discussion, where we got to learn about the history of this sustained vigil from some who have been there since the beginning, and shared reflections and encouraging words on the importance of faithfulness not effectiveness, the karma of small numbers, persistence, and how, because of these things, the Tuesday vigil has been able to reach out to folks in a personal way, and connect with them and even get to know them in a way that is not possible in a larger one-time rally. People come to expect them to be there.
Wednesday, Jan 4: noon - Boeing Headquarters (100 North Riverside Plaza) Profound apologies for the mix-up of Wednesday's vigil. I know several of you came to 400 S. LaSalle and we missed each other! We were confused trying to find the Boeing sign-- turns out there isn't one because it has moved, which we weren't able to put together until later. They are now located at 100 N. Riverside, at Washington + Canal (on the river). Don't know if we can blame that one on the fasting. Sorry for the inconvenience. Nonetheless, when we were finally settled into the wrong place, we made a good witness I think. Some good conversations with security guards and police- one said "I do not trust the government" when hearing about rendition flights. Another passerby said, "what the hell are rendition flights?" and then continued a 20 minute conversation with John and was very supportive of what we were doing. Lots of people asked what rendition flights were, in response to our sign that said "Boeing: Stop Rendition Flights".
Thursday, Jan 5: noon - Metropolitan Corrections Center (Clark & Van Buren) Several people joined us in handing out leaflets and holding signs calling for an end to torture, islamaphobia and the closing of Guantanamo. In the evening, a dozen of us gathered with John Neafsey and Meg Marshall who are therapists at Kovler (Center for victims of torture), for some time to reflect on the crucified Christ and our 10 days of fasting and vigiling. "Why is this issue so important to us as citizens, as human beings, and also as Christians?" and "How does it move us to witness?" were some of the questions we sat with during our time.
Friday, Jan 6: 7:15 a.m. Broadview Detention Center We then joined UCC Wellington for a conversation about the history of this vigil and the work they have done to create laws that provide for some sort of human dignity and push for their implementation in Chicago. In the evening, 8 of us participated in a dramatization of a play relaying the stories of 3 men in Guantanamo, as well as their family members, lawyers, and other policy makers. It was followed by a powerful discussion on the existence of Guantanamo Bay and the NDAA.
Monday, Jan 9: noon - Illinois Building (Randolph & Clark) We had a great vigil at the Illinois State Building where Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office is. It was probably one of our most interactive vigils- lots of people who had never heard of the Jon Burge torture cases, others who were very supportive, many with questions- one woman asked if we were here to end torture by police in their homes- John said we are against that- it turns out she was married to a police and abused for 20 years- and said it ruined her. A telling remembrance that all suffer when torture happens. Tuesdaywe joined 8th day and friends at the Occupy site, it was great be in the presence and be there to say 'good morning' to people rushing to work and their days, hopefully putting a little pause in their step or at least their mind.

See also the transcript of the wrap-up roundtable.

ANDY WORTHINGTON
Chicago World Can't Wait was excited to bring to Chicago for the first time independent journalist and renowned expert on American detention practices and issues relating to Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, Andy Worthington, on January 14, 2012. He screened his film, "Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo".

Read the full description for the Chicago Andy Worthington event.

JANUARY 11 IN D.C. & ELSEWHERE
See the Witness Against Torture January 11 page for complete information about the D.C. actions and others across the country and around the world.

"THE RESPONSE"
"The Response" is a courtroom drama based on the actual transcripts of the Guantanamo Bay military tribunals [officially known as Combatant Status Review Tribunals, or CSRTs]. In the film, three military officers must decide the fate of a suspected enemy combatant. Is he guilty of providing material support to Al Qaeda and responsible for the deaths of several American soldiers? Or is he an innocent victim of circumstances as he claims?

For complete information -- including official movie trailer and DVD purchase info -- see the official website for "The Response".

You can also read my blog post about how I became affiliated with "The Response" -- and how we all need to get involved in rectifying the abuses represented by Guantanamo and U.S. practices of indefinite detention!

Welcome to Chicago! You're Under Arrest.

2011-12-23T05:36:00.000-08:00

It's hard to imagine someone aspiring to rerun Mayor Richard J. Daley's 1968 playbook, when he unleashed police repression on antiwar protesters and others. Daley's actions made "Chicago" synonymous with "brutality" for a generation. And yet that seems to be exactly what Rahm Emanual is doing.

The mayor has arranged for NATO and G8 to hold their summits in Chicago in May, 2012.

Emanual has now introduced changes in local law to sharply limit the rights of Chicagoans and others to express dissent. (See list below of specific measures being taken to limit free speech in Chicago.)

There is a silver lining. Emanuel's obvious disdain for civil liberties is obvious to everyone, and it is bringing out the best in the activist community. Watch this tremendous performance at yesterday's press conference at City Hall, in which Ron Schupp updated "A Christmas Carol" to show what a modern day Jacob Marley would be telling "Rahmenezer" Scrooge.

Watch for more updates on the plans for free expression in Chicago during the May, 2012, NATO/G8 summits in Chicago at the website of the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War & Poverty Agenda.

The more they try to shut us up, the louder we're going to get!

PENDING ORDINANCE CHANGES TO RESTRICT FREE SPEECH IN CHICAGO

* Raise fines for resisting police or aiding someone escaping arrest, minimum fine from $25 to $200 and double the maximum fine to $1,000;
* Close parks, playgrounds and beaches from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am, from the current 4:00 am opening;
*Empower Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy to “deputize law enforcement personnel,” including members of private security companies;
*Empower McCarthy to make cooperative agreements with a host of state, federal and local law enforcement agencies;

*Empower McCarthy to forge agreements with “public or private entities concerning placement, installation, maintenance or use of video, audio telecommunications, or other similar equipment.” Participating agencies and their personnel would be “held harmless.”
*Empower the mayor or his designees to purchase “goods, work or services” needed to host the event without City Council approval, so long as there’s no existing city contract that could be used;
*Loud noise, amplified sound and music at parades, athletic events and public assemblies would be allowed only between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Rules on the use of sidewalks and streets also would be tightened.

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Photos 2 & 3 courtesy FJJ

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Mobilizing #AfghanistanTuesday to #closeGITMO

2011-12-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

We've been talking about how to have an even bigger impact on #AfghanistanTuesday.

What if we could get everyone who was ever involved with #AfghanistanTuesday to help us build a huge wave of support for the January 11 national (and international) mobilization to stop American detention practices at places like Guantanamo, Bagram, and many other prisons? What if we could turn the holiday hibernation into midwinter mobilization??

Now is the time for all of us to become modern day Paul Reveres. There are already hundreds of people planning to converge on Washington, D.C., on January 11, 2012, and to participate in solidarity protests in other cities. Let's use the power of Twitter to turn that into thousands and tens of thousands (or more)!

We already have widespread recognition of the #AfghanistanTuesday tag, and growing awareness of the #closeGITMO tag. Now we just have to generate a tsunami of activity!

Here is how we are going to do it:

(1) Top tweeps have to become recruiters. The people who are putting in a huge amount of effort, week in, week out, to do lots of great tweets on #AfghanistanTuesday need to take it to the next level and help pull other people into the process.

If each of our several dozen "top tweeps" could figure out a way to really pull in more of their followers, think about how much greater our reach would be!

(I've started to organize some of the people who have been at least somewhat active in #AfghanistanTuesday in the past onto lists - and if we all work at it we can get the people on all these lists to be much more active!)

(2) Casual tweeps have to become top tweeps. There are many people who do a single tweet every #AfghanistanTuesday. Imagine how much more impact they would have if they committed to doing two, or three, or five really thoughtful tweets! What would the cumulative impact of that be?

(3) Retweeters have to become full-fledged tweeps. There are lots of folks who retweet #AfghanistanTuesday tweets -- and that's great! -- but imagine how much more exciting Tuesdays would be if all of those people committed to writing an original tweet of their own! And what if they actually took the opportunity to engage in conversation with some of the other #AfghanistanTuesday tweeps? (After all, look at how many tweets are posed as questions, and invite true conversation!)

(4) Lurkers have to become retweeters. We have no real way of knowing how many people read #AfghanistanTuesday tweets without interacting with them in some way - e.g. retweeting. Imagine how word would spread if just a fraction of the people who notice those tweets made the tiny extra effort to retweet and share them with friends!

(5) Have we left anybody out? Certainly there are people who are not yet even aware of #AfghanistanTuesday. But if we start doing the things above, there will be MANY fewer people who will be able to say, "#AfghanistanTuesday? What's that?"

January 11 is just around the corner. Let's get to work!

Chicago Says "Free Bradley!"

2011-12-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, December 17, 2011, Occupy Chicago and Midwest Antiwar Mobilization held a rally and march to support Bradley Manning and call for justice for him.

Members of Chicago World Can't Wait, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Campaign to End the Death Penalty, Chicago Gay Liberation Network (GLN), and others came out in support.

(See the expanded report of the Chicago rally to save Bradley Manning on the Chicago World Can't Wait website. Photos courtesy FJJ.)

This is just one of many demonstrations held in support of Bradley Manning. For instance, see this album of Bradley Manning demonstrations held at locations in Iowa and Kansas, including at the gates of Fort Leavenworth , where Bradley Manning was held until recently.

PS - If you haven't seen this amazing short film by Kyle Broom - "Prevention of Injury (POI)" - stop what you're doing right now and take 20 minutes to watch it and think about what is being done to Bradley Manning.

Bradley Manning is an American hero. As one of the speakers said at the International Human Rights Day protest in Chicago, "Would there have been an Arab Spring without Bradley? Would there have been an Occupy movement? We should be giving him the Congressional Medal of Honor! We should give HIM the Nobel Peace Prize!"

What are people doing in YOUR community to demand, "Free Bradley!" ??

What if the U.S. Attacks Iran or Syria?

2011-12-19T06:02:00.001-08:00

Below is an advance posting of the resolution that was adopted by the Midwest Antiwar Mobilization yesterday (Sunday, December 18, 2011).

[See also the #NoIranWar blog post - seven things to think about when the U.S. talks about an attack on Iran.]

1. MWAM commits to an Emergency Response demonstration at Federal Plaza in the event of a military attack by land, sea, or air by the U.S. or its proxy Israel or NATO on Syria or Iran. If news of the attack comes in the morning, before noon Central time, assemble the same day at 5 p.m. at Federal Plaza. If news of an attack comes after noon Central time, assemble the following day at 5 p.m. at Federal Plaza.

2. MWAM commits to mobilizing in advance maximum other groups and individuals to endorse and participate in this Emergency response. [See alert below.]

3. MWAM commits to an educational campaign about the importance of opposing U.S. attacks on Syria and Iran since the efforts of the U.S. government to lie about and demonize the leadership, government, system, and culture of these two countries make a lot of people unclear about what stand to take in case of a U.S. attack.

4. MWAM also commits to opposing threats of U.S. aggression on any other sovereign countries around the world.

The following alert was adopted by the Midwest Antiwar Mobilization yesterday (Sunday, December 18, 2011).

ALERT--
BE PREPARED FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO LAUNCH ATTACKS ON IRAN OR SYRIA!

The government has been escalating its threats against both Iran and Syria--and has imposed more and more sanctions, tried to destabilize both of them, and more.

We need to protest this and also prepare for a big demonstration of outrage if the U.S. government or one of its proxies (such as Israel or NATO) openly launches a military attack. We should be ready to come out for an emergency protest.

It is the responsibility of Americans to try to stop U.S. aggression against any sovereign nation that has not attacked the U.S.

The U.S. claims to uphold democracy and the rule of law, but in fact international law in the UN Charter and elsewhere condemns such aggression as a crime. Regardless of what excuse the U.S. gives for attacking another people, we must firmly oppose such U.S. slaughter of human beings.

The U.S. has no right to prowl around the world, looking for opportunities to gain control of more countries. We know from long experience of unending U.S. wars that they are only for the benefit of the super-rich who want to expand the U.S. empire and get control over other peoples’ resources, markets, labor power and strategic locations, while blocking their rivals.

The corporate media is constantly used to demonize those the U.S. government targets and to promote hysteria in a buildup to war. Meanwhile, they omit or downplay what the government really wants in its reckless military assaults. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the heads of other governments or their systems and culture, it is our duty to try to hold back the bloody hands of the U.S. government. This is how we fight for peace and justice--against the world’s greatest terrorist.

If an attack begins in the morning, before noon our time, everyone should assemble that day at 5 p.m. at the Federal Plaza. If the attack comes later, we will protest at 5 p.m. the next day.

THE CALL TO COME OUT WILL BE GIVEN ON LINE. BUT THE LATEST NEWS WILL TELL YOU WHEN TO COME OUT TO FEDERAL PLAZA. SEE YOU THERE. ORGANIZE YOUR TELEPHONE TREES NOW.

#AfghanistanTuesday - Top Tweets - Dec 13

2011-12-17T11:31:00.000-08:00

Weekly tweeting about Afghanistan continues to go strong, even at the height of the U.S. holiday season. On December 13, a lot of people were focusing on the pending National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) - especially its provision for military detention of U.S. civilians.

(And remember: tweeting about the upcoming Guantanamo mobilization in January is now happening in a big way every Wednesday: see #closeGITMO!)

These are some of the #AfghanistanTuesday tweets from Tuesday, December 13, 2011, that were most highly retweeted:

War: The American Way
From @Scarry: #SomebodyLetMeKnowWhen the US gets done invading every country in the #Mideast / #AfghanistanTuesday #NoIranWar

From @Jesssica_Rabbit: US trained binLaden/AlQueida & put Saddam Hussein in power Great results huh? Time 2 bring everyone home & stop meddling #AfghanistanTuesday

NDAA: Guantanamo for Americans, War for Everyone Else!
From @lg0021: Stop the U.S legacy of detention, rendition, torture. Shame on us. CLOSE GITMO #AfghanistanTuesday PEACE

From @JanetRWeil: #AfghanistanTuesday. So many reasons to oppose the #NDAA. Like, 662 BILLION... dollars for killing, spying & hurting. And oh yeah, detention

From @angelsavant: RT @codepink: About $2 BILLION/week for US/NATO war in Afghanistan in #NDAA! #AfghanistanTuesday

From @volksmenner: What's the wars in Afghanistan cost us? What've we purchased w/ blood our soldiers, of Afghan civilians? A police state! #AfghanistanTuesday

End U.S. Wars!
From @wardollarshome: #AfghanistanTuesday Read and use this great tool - 10 Facts about US Withdrawal from Afghanistan: j.mp/sTg8Ug #endwar

Costs of War
From @outpostof: I'm sick of Afghanistan occupation. But not as sick as those that have lost family, loved ones in phoney war on terror..#AfghanistanTuesday

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

Yueyang Pavilion and Permanent Resistance

2011-12-17T06:01:00.000-08:00

Back in the days when I traveled frequently to China, I had an opportunity to visit a historic site called Yueyang Pavilion, on the banks of Lake Dongting.

Yueyang Pavilion is famous for inspiring one of the most famous essays in Chinese history, about the obligations of leaders. The key line in the essay is: “Before anyone else thinks to worry, you are worrying; only after everyone else is enjoying joy, do you experience joy."

I thought of it yesterday when people who have been working hard as part of the resistance to U.S. wars and aggression met up in Chicago's Federal Plaza to address the winding down of the war in Iraq.

One group of people saw a need to celebrate. They saw the need to focus on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq as a reminder that Barack Obama rose to prominence on a promise to reverse the Bush march to war in Iraq, and that Obama was elected with the support of many antiwar activists.

This was billed as a celebration, but do these people look like they're having a good time?

When I look at the picture of the "celebrators," it makes me realize: it's just not possible to look back on war and turn it into a "feel good" moment -- especially not for anyone who is still involved in the resistance to continuing U.S. wars.

Another group of people saw the need to use the occasion to emphasize the need for continued resistance. Yes, a lot of U.S. troops are coming out of Iraq, but what about the ones who are staying? And the contractors? And the ones staying in the region? And what about continued U.S. occupation in Afghanistan? And drone attacks there and in Pakistan, and Yemen, and other countries? What about what the U.S. did in Libya? And is threatening to do in Iran? And what about the extension of the possibility of indefinite detention by the military (a la Guantanamo) to all U.S. citizens?

These people look, well, kinda scraggly. They don't look particularly joyful, either. However, they weren't making any claims of joy for the day.

All in all, this occasion made me realize that celebrating the success of politicians in ending wars is not likely to be something we are going to have the opportunity to do, at least not with a clear conscience. Instead, those of us who see the need for permanent resistance are going to stay focused on the work that remains to be done.

When I watched the ABC coverage of the event, I got the distinct impression that they thought the questions of the permanent resisters were very important. They dwelled for a long time on this sign, and I don't think any viewer could miss the message:

We're not done yet, not by a long shot. The resistance must be permanent.

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Photos: ABC coverage of Chicago event marking U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq, December 16, 2011.
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Obama Nobel Peace Prize - REVOKED!

2011-12-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

[This turned out to be one of my favorite blog posts of 2011. Check out my other 2011 favorite "Scarry Thoughts" blog posts here!]

The following is a transcript of remarks by King Harald V of Norway, delivered during his visit to Chicago on Saturday, December 10, 2011, at the invitation of Chicago World Can't Wait. The day marked both the global celebration of International Human Rights Day, as well as the second anniversary of the day on which the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize was presented to Barack Obama in Oslo, Norway. Read the full account of the International Human Rights Day 2011 protest in Chicago.

In awarding the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama, we cited his words:

"Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Our award to Barack Obama was filled with hope:

"Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population."

And in speaking of values and attitudes, we pointed especially to:

> Using "Dialogue and negotiations [as the] preferred instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts."
> "strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
> "Democracy and human rights [are to be strengthened.]"

Now with the deepest regret I must note the recipient's actions:

> failure to close Guantanamo
> expansion of indefinite detention at Bagram and other detention centers throughout Afghanistan
> assassinations, including assassinations of U.S. citizens, among other violations of due process
> virtually unlimited use of drone technology & drone warfare to remove the last vestiges of democratic involvement in the implementation of foreign affairs and conduct of war
> widening of the war of terror into Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia
> arrogation of war power to himself in the NATO attack on Libya
> threats of war against Iran

SADLY, we must conclude that under Obama:

> Dialogue and negotiations have been abandoned in favor of pre-emptive attack
> Diplomacy and cooperation have been discarded, as the United States resorts again and again to its weaponry
> Democracy and human rights are nowhere in sight as the United States fills a bigger and bigger pipeline with detainees and prisoners

NOW THEREFORE, by the power vested in me, and on account of the actions on the part of the recipient today described, as well as others, I hereby declare the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize award to Barack H. Obama officially revoked.

Let this unprecedented action, taken only with the most profound regret, stand as an example to ALL who abandon the values and attitudes of PEACEMAKING under the allure of POWER and VIOLENCE.

Thank you.

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Photos courtesy FJJ

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Compose #AfghanistanTuesday Super-Tweets!

2011-12-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Want to compose #AfghanistanTuesday tweets that people read, retweet, reply to, think about, emulate ...? Want to really start something with your #AfghanistanTuesday tweets?

I looked through the week-by-week list of #AfghanistanTuesday top tweets and came up with a few observations about the tweets that really seem to grab people's attention.

(1) Where's our moral courage?
More striking to me than anything else has been the degree to which #AfghanistanTuesday is not so much about what's happening in Afghanistan as it is about what's failing to happen here in the United States. When you see how many people retweet the tweets that call out the utter failure of the moral courage of of people here in the U.S., you realize how deep the yearning is to turn this trend around.

For instance, check out these tweets from @volksmenner and @MidwestAntiwar.

What's also surprising is the relative lack of interest in engaging with politicians and candidates, and the 2012 election. There seems to be a pretty strong feeling that politicians are not going to be the ones to get us out of this.

I think it's a good thing that people are seeing the need for every individual to step forward and actively oppose war. How can we do even more to tap this deep desire to reclaim our moral courage?

(2) It's all about the conversation ....
We often think of Twitter as a place to push out information -- news links, for instance -- but based on the retweet rate we can see that people are even more interested in it as a place to invite conversation.

Check out what happens, for instance, when @codepink poses a question for discussion.

What are the conversations that you would like to stimulate?

(3) People REALLY see the "Occupy" connection
People see that the U.S. military occupation of Afghanistan (and other countries) is in sharp contrast to the activity of progressive people occupying cities across the United States and elsewhere around the world

Check out how @EvanTKelly, @amadorlicea, and @Antiwarcom put it!

And people also really respond to the truth about US non-withdrawal from Afghanistan - the "Afghanistan Forever" problem. Check out this tweet from @Antiwar2.

The exploration of this Occupy-UNoccupy coupling is a good thing for #OWS and a good thing for #AfghanistanTuesday.

(4) People are angry about the human costs of war
By and large, the fact that the Afghanistan War -- and war in general -- is expensive does not seem to grab most people's attention. But people get really worked up about the human cost -- particularly among the civilian victims -- of war.

See what @USDayofRageIN and @Zwicky3 tweeted.

This is a topic that many, many people respond to. Perhaps that's why people also tend to respond to calls for war crimes prosecution; see, for instance this tweet from @futureup2us.

Another sign of concern about the human costs of war is the anger about the scandal of military recruiting in the United States. See, for instance, this tweet from @khaake.

(5) "It's the military-industrial complex, stupid!"
People may not see the high cost per se as the most important thing about the Afghanistan War, but they do seem to be waking up to the enormity of the problem of the military-industrial complex, war profiteering, and the degree to which our government is subverted by the war economy.

See, for instance, this tweet from @MoralOutrage1.

Again, this is closely tied to the #OWS conversation.

(6) Conversation about the conversation
Finally, I can't help observing that people truly sense the importance of spreading the news about all the conversation itself! People want to be part of a robust conversation, and they seem to respond to requests to help pull as many people as possible into the discussion.

Check out, for instance, tweets from @thereisawayjose about expanding the #AfghanistanTuesday conversation and @codepink about getting a big turnout for the #NDAA conversation.

So there's some food for thought about how to compose "super-tweets" on #AfghanistanTuesday! Don't just take my word for it. Check out the list of #AfghanistanTuesday top tweets for yourself. What do you think will grab people's attention?

#AfghanistanTuesday - Top Tweets - Dec 6

2011-12-09T10:02:00.001-08:00

Our weekly tweet-a-thon is on an upswing! We had an especially busy day on #AfghanistanTuesday on December 6, and I'm tickled "pink" to see the heavy participation by folks from Code Pink!

(And remember: tweeting about the upcoming Guantanamo mobilization in January is now happening in a big way every Wednesday: see #closeGITMO!)

These are some of the #AfghanistanTuesday tweets from Tuesday, December 6, 2011, that were most highly retweeted:

War: The American Way
From @codepink : Why is there always plenty of $ for war, never enough $ for diplomacy? #NDAA #AfghanistanTuesday

From @info_from_vcnv : Suicide bombing did not exist in #Afghanistan before US/NATO invasion http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2011/12/201112674650869183.html #AfghanistanTuesday #StopWar

From @ATMLincolnNE : Militarism is a cancer inflicting our society. We must fight it. #AfghanistanTuesday

Our Moral Failure
From @Human___Rights : How can our president receive the nobel peace prize but continue to fight wars? Raise awareness, inform someone #afghanistantuesday

From @sethfreytag : #bombs don't care if you're a child #AfghanistanTuesday

From @UnifiedLeft : Wars in Afghanistan & Iraq, drones in Pakistan, Yemen, & Iran need to end now! #NotInMyName http://bit.ly/vq4p38 #afghanistantuesday

From @JanetRWeil : Can't wait for #AfghanistanTuesday to say this: National "Defense" Authorization Act pours our $$ to kill wound & spy on Afghans. Shame!

NDAA: Guantanamo for Americans, War for Everyone Else!
From @codepink : About $2 BILLION/week for US/NATO war in Afghanistan in #NDAA! #AfghanistanTuesday

From @codepink : #peopleneedtoknow how they will be affected by #NDAA, join conversation this Thursday at 10 AM/PST #AfghanistanTuesday

From @codepink : Join us this Thursday at 10 AM/PST to jam the twitter waves with #NDAA facts: #peopleneedtoknow #AfghanistanTuesday

From @codepink : Truth about #NDAA: war profiteers continue to make out big, Afghans continue to suffer, your rights gone! #AfghanistanTuesday

From @codepink : Help us trend #NDAA conversation this Thursday at 10 AM/EST: #peopleneedtoknow #AfghanistanTuesday

End U.S. Wars!
From @SmoochArt : Heres the plan: Leave Afghanistan and keep the hands off Iran. #afghanistantuesday #horriblerhymes

Spread the Message!
From @UnifiedLeft : if the message has a high reproduction rate can it go viral and effect real change. http://bit.ly/vq4p38 #afghanistantuesday #OWS #oO

War Profiteers
From @codepink : War Is a Force That Pays the 1 Percent: Occupying American Foreign Policy http://ow.ly/7QFke #AfghanistanTuesday #NDAA #ows

From @codepink : US domestic economy has been ravaged by a decade of war in Afghanistan: #enoughisenough! #AfghanistanTuesday #NDAA

From @AlliMcCrack : War Is a Force That Pays the 1 Percent: Occupying American Foreign Policy http://ow.ly/7QFke #AfghanistanTuesday via @codepink #occupydc

#Prosecute #WarCrimes
From @volksmenner : Bush cancels visit to Switzerland over fears he could be arrested on torture charges http://bit.ly/tPGHcN #AfghanistanTuesday #warcrimes

#RESIST!
From @info_from_vcnv : In Iowa, occupiers picket a #drone factory http://shar.es/ozWup #StopWar #OWS #OccupyChicago #AfghanistanTuesday

From @sethfreytag : Its #AfghanistanTuesday and I cant think of a creative tweet this week so here: We need to end the war. Its a waste of human lives and money

Costs of War
From @outpostof : Cost of war #Afghanistan 2,823 International Troops killed; $482,018,200,000 cost, so far, so bad @costofwar #afghanistantuesday @Antiwar2

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

Chicago: A Torture-Free City?

2011-12-08T04:56:00.001-08:00

NOTE: Chicago City Council voted UNANIMOUSLY on January 18, 2012, to make Chicago a torture-free city.]

What might we be able to accomplish if we could hold the unanimous passage of this resolution up as an example to people in other cities, to encourage them to take similar action? Can we start a movement for a torture-free WORLD?

* * * * *

On January 18, 2012, Chicago City Council will vote on a resolution to make Chicago a torture-free city. This vote will be a CRITICAL MILESTONE in the movement in Chicago and throughout the Midwest to resist the abuses of our government (including the national mobilization for the closure of Guantanamo, Bagram, and other sites, and the end of illegitimate detention practices, January 11, 2012). YOUR SUPPORT of UNANIMOUS PASSAGE at the January 18 Chicago City Council meeting can make the difference in getting the resolution passed!

Action Steps
The Resolution
Contact Your Alderman on Twitter!
Key Background

ACTION STEPS
We are on our way to making Chicago the first city in the United States to publicly oppose torture. This is great and it could not have happened without your work and support! Now we need you to stick with it to get the resolution passed!

(1) Review the notes on the January 12 hearing on the resolution. Note that the resolution's sponsor, Alderman Joe Moore, has stated that he expects the UNANIMOUS passage of this resolution.

(2) Lobby your alderman. Call or write your alderman to tell him/her how important this resolution is to you. (Want to make some noise? Most aldermen are now on Twitter, so you can tell them in public!)

(3) Sign the petition. Thousands of people have already signed this ICAT petition to urge passage of this resolution (including hard copy and online versions). Please join them!

(4) Tell your friends! Email, Facebook, Twitter, you know the drill! (Just think about the impact if each person who supported this resolution told just ten friends!)

(5) Attend the January 18 vote! City Council meets at 10 a.m., January 18, 2012, to vote on the resolution. Come early to be assured a seat in Council chambers.

RESOLUTION PROCLAIMING CHICAGO TO BE A TORTURE FREE ZONE
WHEREAS, the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Convention) defines torture as: “Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”; and

WHEREAS, the United States signed the Convention in 1988 and the United States Congress ratified the Convention in 1994, thereby making it a law; and

WHEREAS, torture violates our nation’s and our city’s most cherished ideals and violates the rights of all individuals, in contravention of the Convention and provisions of the United States Constitution, including the Fifth Amendment ban on self-incrimination, the Eighth Amendment ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of equal protection under the law; and

WHEREAS, incidents of torture and degrading practices perpetrated by agents of or on behalf of the United States government have been documented in Abu Ghraib, Bagram, Guantanamo Bay and elsewhere abroad since the signing of the Convention; and

WHEREAS, many Chicagoans are being held in prolonged solitary confinement in Illinois prisons in conditions which often lead to physical and psychological breakdown and are a form of torture; and

WHEREAS, former Chicago Police Commander Jon Burge and Chicago police officers under his command tortured scores of African-American men, which resulted in false confessions leading to wrongful convictions and imprisonment; and

WHEREAS, the City of Chicago and its taxpayers have paid and continue to pay millions of dollars to defend lawsuits arising from those torturous acts; and

WHEREAS, torture survivors require comprehensive care and assistance, such as that provided by the Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center; and

WHEREAS, torture degrades everyone involved—perpetrators, survivors of torture, their families and communities, and officials and the public which turn a blind eye to such practices; and

WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Chicago in 2002 declared June 26th a day of support for torture survivors in accordance with the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Chicago stand firm against all forms of torture and inhuman treatment, and hereby proclaim Chicago to be a torture free zone; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Chicago voice their strong and unwavering support for all survivors of torture, and will hold all perpetrators accountable for their actions; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Mayor and the City Council of the City of Chicago support and will take all necessary steps to enact the following: 1. The City of Chicago declares that it will not tolerate, support or allow torture to be practiced by its employees or residents. 2. The City of Chicago affirms that all prisoners under city, state or federal governmental control are entitled to have their human rights respected, including their right to be free from torture. 3. The City of Chicago supports the observance of December 10th, International Human Rights Day, as a day to reaffirm that the human rights of all people must be respected and to publicly denounce the practice of torture, wherever it occurs.

CONTACT YOUR ALDERMAN ON TWITTER!
1st - Joe Moreno @Alderman_Moreno
2nd - Robert Fioretti @FiorettiChicago
3rd - Pat Dowell (not on Twitter)
4th - William Burns @Ald4_WillBurns
5th - Leslie Hairston (not on Twitter)
6th - Roderick Sawyer @RoderickTSawyer
7th - Sandi Jackson @SandiJackson1
8th - Michelle Harris (not on Twitter)
9th - Anthony Beale (not on Twitter)
10th - John Pope @AldermanPope
11th - James Balcer (not on Twitter)
12th - George A. Cardenas @ald12
13th - Marty Quinn (not on Twitter)
14th - Ed Burke (not on Twitter)
15th - Toni Foulkes (not on Twitter)
16th - JoAnn Thompson (not on Twitter)
17th - Latasha Thomas (not on Twitter)
18th - Lona Lane (not on Twitter)
19th - Matthew O’Shea @mattoshea19
20th - Willie Cochran @ALDERMANWBC
21st - Howard Brookins Jr.(not on Twitter)
22nd - Ricardo Munoz @AldermanMunoz22
23rd - Michael Zalewski (not on Twitter)
24th - Michael Chandler (not on Twitter)
25th - DanielSolis @AldermanSolis
26th - Roberto Maldonado (not on Twitter)
27th - Walter Burnett, Jr. @AldermanBurnett
28th - Jason Ervin @AldermanErvin
29th - DeborahGraham (not on Twitter)
30th - Ariel E. Reboyras @Ald_Reboyras
31st - Ray Suarez (not on Twitter)
32nd - Scott Waguespack (not on Twitter)
33rd - Richard F. Mell (not on Twitter)
34th - Carrie Austin (not on Twitter)
35th - Rey Colon (not on Twitter)
36th - Nicholas Sposato @AldermanSposato
37th - Emma Mitts @EmmaMittsAld37
38th - Timothy M. Cullerton (not on Twitter)
39th - Margaret Laurino (not on Twitter)
40th - Patrick J. O'Connor @40thWard
41st - Mary O’Connor @OCONNORfor41
42nd - Brendan Reilly (not on Twitter)
43rd - Michele Smith @MicheleSmith43
44th - Thomas M. Tunney @AldTomTunney
45th - John Arena @johnarena445
46th - James Cappleman @jamescappleman
47th - Ameya Pawar @alderman_pawar
48th - Harry Osterman (not on Twitter)
49th - Joseph A. Moore @joemoore49
50th - Debra Silverstein @Debra4Alderman

KEY BACKGROUND

Chicago Police Torture
Chicago Police Torture Archive
Chicago Police Torture Justice Memorials

Solitary Confinement as Torture
Atul Gawande, Hellholes, The New Yorker - "The United States holds tens of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture?"

Chicago as a Haven for Survivors of Torture
Heartland Alliance Marjorie Kovler Center

#Occupy Tuesday! #UNoccupy Afghanistan!

2011-12-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

There is now a robust community of people using Twitter every Tuesday to protest the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan - #AfghanistanTuesday.

But we still have a ways to travel ... because as things stand now, it is still possible for the vast majority of Americans to go about their business and never give a second thought to what's going on in Afghanistan. And politicians can run their campaigns without giving Afghanistan a second thought. Things could go on like this forever. In fact, that would fit right in with the U.S. government game plan: "Afghanistan Forever." However ...

... what if we could use #AfghanistanTuesday to shut down the other activities of the people who run this country until they start paying attention to Afghanistan and get the U.S. out of there? At least on Tuesdays? In other words ...

... what if people driving past LaSalle & Jackson every Tuesday saw "Honk if you want US OUT of Afghanistan!" signs among the "99%" and "Bankster" signs?

... what if speakers arriving at the Union League Club on Tuesdays encountered chants of "1-2-3-4 We don't want the US in Afghanistan any more!" ?

... what if every candidate who went on a call-in radio show on a Tuesday got nothing but questions about "What are you doing about getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan?"

... what if the Republicans held a debate on a Tuesday and all of the questions were about getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan?

... what if President Obama gave his State of the Union Address on a Tuesday and everyone wore t-shirts that said, "But what about getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan?"

... what if there was an election on a Tuesday and ... well, you get the point!

Perhaps it would be difficult to do if we were talking about carrying out this type of resistance all day, every day. But we're just talking about Tuesdays! How hard can that be?

To successfully Occupy Tuesday, we would need to do five (5) things:

(1) Decide where to focus our energy. Some activities of the governing class are more worthy of interacting with than others. But if we spend a little bit more of our Mondays checking out what's scheduled for Tuesday instead of reading about what happened on Sunday, it should quickly become pretty obvious where we should put our attention.

(2) Make a commitment to go beyond Twitter - every Tuesday! Each of us needs to supplement our tweeting with something else - be it calls, letters, emails, picketing, leafletting -- you name it! Whatever it is we do, we need to tell others what we're doing through our tweets, and encourage them to take action, too! > > > (#AfghanistanTuesday - what are YOU doing?)

Some people are getting out of their houses and apartments and taking the message to their local Occupy movements!

Some people are working with groups like We Are Not Your Soldiers to help kids resist military recruitment!

(3) Get read. Not all tweets are created equal. Check out the tweets of our #AfghanistanTuesday top tweeps to get an idea of how many people will read and retweet your tweets as you learn to compose better and better tweets.

(In other words, start composing #AfghanistanTuesday super-tweets!)

(4) Go viral. The best #AfghanistanTuesday message is one that doesn't just get read but also gets passed along ad infinitum. We've tried to address this a few different ways in the past. But the fundamental concept is: you've got followers; what are you going to say that is going to get your followers to pass your message on to their followers? and get their followers to pass it along to their followers (and so on and so on ....) ? The difference between a message -- nay, a movement -- that peters out, and one that soars, is pass-along. So pass-along can't be left to chance.

For a deeper understanding of this issue, check out this great discussion of "going viral" from @UnifiedLeft!

(5) Want to do it. More important than anything else, we need to want to take Afghanistan and move it from the far back burner to the blazing hot spot at the front of everyone's consciousness. Everything else is an implementation detail.

So: #Occupy Tuesday! #UNoccupy Afghanistan! (What's it worth to you?)

#NoIranWar

2011-12-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

You would have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the fact that the Obama administration is beating the drums of war against Iran.

NOTE: February 4, 2012, has been declared a National Day of Action to RESIST U.S. war moves against Iran.

Here are seven big reasons people should be VERY wary of any and all statements that about how Iran is "asking for it" . . . why they are tweeting every Friday with the #NoIranWar hashtag . . . and why they are reaching out every day to members of Congress to resist the "Iran Threat Reduction Act" . . . .

(1) "WMD?" Haven't we see this movie before?
(2) The U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons.
(3) "It's the oil, stupid!"
(4) Zero sum military deployment.
(5) You can't let Israel do your dirty work.
(6) Iranian people are people, too.
(7) If only it weren't for the hostage crisis....

Join others who want to raise awareness of the need to resist U.S. aggression toward Iran by tweeting every Friday with the #NoIranWar hashtag!

(1) "WMD?" Haven't we see this movie before? It is unbelievable that, even after the fiasco of U.S. aggressive war against Iraq based on false accusations of weapons of mass destruction development, a U.S. administration has the audacity to lead the country to war again based on similar tenuous accusations.

(2) The U.S. monopoly on nuclear weapons. Even if U.S. accusations against Iran are all correct -- which is far from having been verified -- what gives the U.S. -- by far the biggest nuclear threat to everyone else in the world -- the right to decide that any other sovereign country does not have the right to develop a nuclear capability?

(3) "It's the oil, stupid!" The watchword of the successful Clinton campaign team in 1992 was, "It's the economy, stupid!" Similarly, anyone watching Mideast affairs should condition themselves to cut through the excuses (weapons, elections, diplomacy) and face the central importance of oil. How do you feel about being lied to so that the U.S. can go to war for oil?

(4) Zero sum military deployment. The remaining U.S. forces in Iraq are on the verge of withdrawal, and yet the Obama administration is hastening to install a big new contingent of U.S. troops in Kuwait. It's as if it is a mathematical impossibility to actually achieve a net reduction in U.S. forces in the region! Similarly, the pressure is mounting to draw down forces in Afghanistan. Perhaps this is why the Obama administration thinks it must find its next major target for U.S. troop deployment.

A picture is worth a thousand words:

"Each star marks a US military base, but just so we're all clear: Iran is threatening us."

(5) You can't let Israel do your dirty work. A major component of the current aggressive U.S. posture toward Iran is the premise that the U.S. won't really have to do the bulk of the activity, because Israel will do the "unpleasant" acts that we don't want to take responsibility for. In the first place, such an approach is morally bankrupt; in the second place, it is naive: be assured that the U.S. will be involved massively once hostilities begin.

(6) Iranian people are people, too. One of the most pathetic consequences of the U.S.-Iranian rift in recent years and the regime of sanctions has been the demonization of the Iranian people as extremist Islamists who only wear black and are part of an axis of evil. No one should listen for a moment to war talk against Iran without taking the time to use film, literature, music, and the other arts as a window into the tremendous human connections that are possible between the people of the U.S. and the people of Iran.

(7) If only it weren't for the hostage crisis.... Most of the people of my generation (50+) have clear memories of the 1979 hostage crisis, when radical Iranian students held Americans hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. However, we should all put that crisis in the perspective of an earlier, larger crisis. I once heard Stephen Kinzer talk about an Iranian friend who said to him, "We held your diplomats hostage? You came to Iran in 1953 and held our entire country hostage!" (For more on that, see the story of the overthrow of Mosadegh by the CIA .... )

To be continued . . . .

Join others who want to raise awareness of the need to resist U.S. aggression toward Iran by tweeting every Friday with the #NoIranWar hashtag!

(#NoIranWar is part of the #PeaceDecember Twitter campaign.)

**************************************************
Images:

Nuclear missile launch from U.S. submarine from News That Matters: "US Nuclear Missiles in danger of being hacked"

Iran oil complex from PSECO Group description of projects

Map of U.S. military bases in the Iran region from Democratic Underground discussion board.

"Garden scene" from the award-winning film Women Without Men by Shirin Neshat.

**************************************************

#closeGITMO - Top Tweets - Nov 30

2011-12-02T11:36:00.001-08:00

For months, we've been building a wave of antiwar activity every Tuesday as we tweet against the Afghanistan War on #AfghanistanTuesday ...

... and now we're tweeting in support of the upcoming Guantanamo mobilization in January every Wednesday: see #closeGITMO!)

These are some of the #closeGITMO tweets from Wednesday, November 30, 2011, that were most highly retweeted:

Guantanamo for Everyone!
From @info_from_vcnv : McCain says American Citizens Can Be Sent to #Guantanamo | Common Dreams: http://bit.ly/s3VMeh #CloseGitmo

From @aishaf786 : http://rt.com/usa/news/congress-torture-aclu-ayotte-593/ Congress on the move to legalise torture!! #closeGITMO

From @MidwestAntiwar : #NDAA - EVERYONE in line for #Guantanamo! And NOW we see: in this US #policestate, RESISTANCE is the only answer! (Yes? Pls RT!) #closeGITMO

Every Wednesday: #closeGITMO!
From @MidwestAntiwar : http://twitter.com/#!/MidwestAntiwar/status/141898940147703809

What are we gonna do?
From @DiscordiAnon : #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO

From @2Mockeries : #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO

From @nighbe : #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #fixndaa #ndaa

From @gnudarwin : #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #closeGITMO #fixndaa #ndaa

Our Moral Failure
From @aishaf786 : How is torture and imprisoning without trial acceptable?! How have Americans let this happen in their name?! WAKE UP USA! #CloseGITMO #USA

Petition for Change ...
From @Sherstar : @TheRealRoseanne pls RT @BarackObama Mr. President: Close Guantanamo now! It is the shame of our nation. Torture is EVIL #closeGITMO #Obama

From @ShaggyBull : @BarackObama Mr. President: Close Guantanamo now! It is the shame of our nation. #closeGITMO #Obama #ACLU #dems #p2 #p2b #antiwar pls RT

From @justloveoutloud : I just asked the #President to veto the bill that allows indefinite detention of US citizens. Join us. http://bit.ly/vVoqca #closeGITMO

From @linaoctober : Never releasing innocent ppl? #closegitmo! Join @MidwestAntiwar @worldcantwait in Chicago to protest Dec 10 & beyond http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicago-dec-10-human-rights-day-protest.html

From @gnudarwin : I just asked the President to veto the bill that allows indefinite detention of US citizens. Join us. http://bit.ly/vVoqca #closeGITMO #ndaa

From @gnudarwin : If you value your #liberty, you will send a message to Congress today. - #closegitmo #ows #opblackout #occupyla #opdx #usdor #ola #ndaa

... Before It's Too Late
From @gnudarwin : First they detained someone else. Then, they detained YOU! Fight indefinite detention/rendition now, while you still can. #closeGITMO #ndaa

From @gnudarwin : It will be difficult for you to oppose indefinite detention/rendition after you have been detained. Fight it NOW. #closeGITMO #ndaa

Protest Today ...
From @MidwestAntiwar : #OWS speaking out loud & clear against US policy of #Guantanamo #EVERYWHERE joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupy… #occupychi #occupywallst #closeGITMO #NDAA

From @MidwestAntiwar : In #Chicago the #protest starts Dec10 - #HumanRights Day http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicago-dec-10-human-rights-day-protest.html #closeGITMO #OWS #occupychi @worldcantwait @jilreb

From @MidwestAntiwar : VITALLY IMPORTANT for us in #Chicago to #protest #humanrights violations Dec10 http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicago-dec-10-human-rights-day-protest.html ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! #closeGITMO #occupychi

From @Scarry : #PROTEST PLANNED! #Chicago #closeGITMO & end #indefinitedetention actions Dec10 + 1.11.12 - see joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/11/chicag… #ows #occupychi

From @TheResponseFilm : On #HumanRights Day - Dec10 - What should #OurResponse be to U.S. violations? #closeGITMO #Guantanamo #Bagram #torture #indefinitedetention

... Protest Tomorrow ...
From @xposeWarCrimes : Jan 11, 2012 – #Guantanamo Nat'l Day of Action http://ow.ly/7GyG6 #closegitmo

From @MidwestAntiwar : The NATIONAL #closeGITMO mobilization is gearing up NOW! http://www.amnestyusa.org/events/sign-up-day-of-action-against-guantanamo #humanrights #Guantanamo #torture #indefinitedetention

... And Permanent Resistance!
From @Scarry : I GET IT NOW. It's going to take PERMANENT RESISTANCE! #resist #US #policestate http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/12/got-police-state.html (Have YOU gotten it yet?) #closeGITMO

From @MidwestAntiwar : GOT POLICE STATE? http://joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/12/got-police-state.html #NDAA #closeGITMO (If YOU now see the need for PERMANENT RESISTANCE by each of us - Please RT!)

From @MidwestAntiwar : #OWS speaking out loud & clear against US policy of #Guantanamo #EVERYWHERE joescarry.blogspot.com/2011/11/occupy… #occupychi #occupywallst #closeGITMO #NDAA

#AfghanistanTuesday - Top Tweets - Nov 29

2011-12-02T08:02:00.000-08:00

After a lull in activity in recent weeks,we had an especially busy day on #AfghanistanTuesday!

(And tweeting about the upcoming Guantanamo mobilization in January is now happening in a big way every Wednesday: see #closeGITMO!)

These are some of the #AfghanistanTuesday tweets from Tuesday, November 29, 2011, that were most highly retweeted:

End U.S. Wars!
From @JanetRWeil : BIG sign @OccupyPhilly: STOP THE WAR ON THE WORLD. Let's start by stopping US/NATO war on Afghanistan. #AfghanistanTuesday #OWS

From @peoplematterint : STOP the WARS!! NOW! STOP the #Dronewars! #Netherlands stop the wars! @MidwestAntiwar @minbuza #AfghanistanTuesday

Spread the Message!
From @ComeHomeAmerica : Who to Tweet for #AfghanistanTuesday http://wp.me/p1lhlo-lt

From @thereisawayjose : Stop the madness say no to war RT @MidwestAntiwar: help us set up a huge RT wave to encourage #AfghanistanTuesday participation

From @Antiwar2 : Stop the madness say no to war RT @MidwestAntiwar: help us set up a huge RT wave to encourage #AfghanistanTuesday participation

From @Scarry : PRECISELY! On #AfghanistanTuesday, it would be great if everyone could say what they are doing to SPREAD AWARENESS! Thanks @Human___Rights

Our Moral Failure
From @Antiwar2 : The fruits of liberation: 6 more Afghan children extinguished as the responsible nation yawns. #AfghanistanTuesday http://is.gd/fWexBl

From @Zwicky3 : At least 919,967 civilians killed in Afghanistan/Iraq based on lowest credible estimates. http://alturl.com/9fjwy #AfghanistanTuesday #Iraq

From @UnifiedLeft : #Iraq & #Afghanistan wars: 1,000,000 people dead millions more seriously injured. #AfghanistanTuesday @bisping

From @MoniqueFrugier : Not a single town or village, not a single street, without an amputee – a man, a woman, or a child http://tinyurl.com/bvf5ml7 #AfghanistanTuesday

From @info_from_vcnv : Before US/NATO invasion of #Afghanistan, suicide bombings did not exist there. #EndWar #AfghanistanTuesday

From @Human___Rights : Gitmo is a disgrace, a slap in the face. #AfghanistanTuesday #humanrights

From @ATMLincolnNE : Militarism is a cancer inflicting our society. We must fight it. #AfghanistanTuesday

War Profiteers
From @volksmenner : War profiteers steal billions http://youtu.be/R9LSGGFqQg8 via @RT_America #antiwar #AfghanistanTuesday #ows

From @volksmenner : War, what's more modern military conflict, is the economic bubble of all bubbles. Lawless exploitation. #Antiwar #AfghanistanTuesday #OWS

#TroopsHome Now!
From @WinWithoutWar : There's still time to ask your Senator to support Merkley amdt to accelerate drawdown of US troops from #Afghanistan. #AfghanistanTuesday

From @katpen6 : @Scarry Time to audit military spending and bring the money home as well as the troops! #AfghanistanTuesday

#PeaceDecember
From @lg0021 : Close GITMO! @Antiwarcom @MidwestAntiwar @ATMLincolnNE @americantorture #OWS #AfghanistanTuesday PEACE ON EARTH

From @TRTears : I want to see Afghanistan.. The one that Khalid Hosseini wrote about in his novels. #AfghanistanTuesday #AntiWar

#RESIST!
From @aishaf786 : Patience is the key, One day soon you shall be free! #AfghanistanTuesday #Iraq #Palestine #Kashmir #Somalia

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

got police state?

2011-12-01T06:58:00.001-08:00

Some things just go naturally together.

For instance, cookies and ... milk! ( ... got milk? ... )

And when you have a permanent war economy ... you get ... a police state!

Yesterday the U.S. Senate voted to include provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that authorize the detention of any U.S. citizen using the same unconstitutional and unconscionable measures that have been institutionalized under the Bush-Obama "war on [of] terror."

People are beginning to get it: Guantanamo is for EVERYBODY!

The people who are being subpoenaed by federal grand juries on account of their antiwar activism? They get it ....

The Occupy movement? They get it ....

People taking part in the 1.11.12 national mobilization against U.S. detention policies on the 10th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center? They get it ....

Hopefully, enough people will get it before there are too few of us left to do anything.

People are now beginning to understand that the solution is not to delegate our well-being to our political "representatives." We all have to take part directly, and we all have to keep at it. It will take sustained resistance to stop the abuses of our government. If you've read this far, you've probably realized that you now need to be part of the resistance, too.

What are you prepared to do?

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Chicago - Dec 10 Human Rights Day Protest

2011-11-30T06:38:00.000-08:00

On International Human Rights Day
Protest Human Rights Violations by U.S. Government!

Date/Time: Saturday, December 10 1:00 p.m.
Location: Federal Plaza (Dearborn & Adams) Chicago, with procession to Occupy Chicago, State Street shopping district, and Obama 2012 HQ
On Facebook: Please "join" on the FB event page ... and invite LOTS of friends!!

Saturday, December 10th, is International Human Rights Day. Chicago World Can't Wait will lead a group of individuals and organizations in dramatizing U.S. human rights violations and publicizing the upcoming worldwide protests of the 10th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay Detention center on January 11th, 2012 (*See key links below).

Planned activities:

meet at Federal Plaza at 1PM in orange jumpsuits and black hoods

procession to LaSalle and Jackson for rally with Occupy Chicago about the Declaration of Human Rights and the sharp contrast with U.S. human rights violations

procession on multiple paths, converging on State St. shopping district (State & Washington) (leafletting along the way)

procession to Obama 2012 Headquarters (Michigan & Randolph) for "Nobel Revocation Ceremony"

The culmination of the action will take place at Obama 2012 Headquarters, where the "King of Norway" will revoke the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded exactly two years previously (December 10, 2009) to Barack Obama, on account of his violations of human rights and crimes against peace, including:

failure to close Guantanamo
expansion of indefinite detention at Bagram and other detention centers throughout Afghanistan

assassinations, including assassinations of U.S. citizens, among other violations of due process

widening of the the war of terror into Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia

arrogation of war power to himself in the NATO attack on Libya

threats of war against Iran

Please join Chicago World Can't Wait and others in this very important demonstration of opposition to war crimes by the U.S. government as the U.S. continues to wage illegitimate wars and widen the so-called "war on terror" (war OF terror!).

Please "join" on the FB event page ... and invite LOTS of friends!!

Contact: Jill McLaughlin jilreb [at] yahoo.com

AND ... Sunday, December 11th, screening of "The Response" in Logan Square

Everyone is welcome to attend the free screening the next day at St. Luke's Logan Square of the award-winning film about Guantanamo, "The Response." Sunday, December 11th, noon, 2649 N. Francisco, Chicago.

*More information on January 11th, 2012 worldwide protests of Guantanamo Bay Detention Center anniversary:

Coalition of nationwide groups led by Amnesty International, World Can't Wait, and Witness Against Torture to assemble 2,700 orange-jumpsuited protesters in Washington D.C.

Parallel protests across USA, plus international protests (London, Paris, Finland, others)

Chicago action being organized by Witness Against Torture Chicago and fully supported by Midwest Antiwar Mobilization

Occupy the NDAA! Oppose Indefinite Detention!

2011-11-29T09:52:00.001-08:00

Occupy Chicago has come out with a strong resolution against measures for indefinite detention in the pending National Defense Authorization Act:

Occupy Chicago opposes the language featured in the National Defense Authorization Act, which if passed would allow for the indefinite detention of American citizens by the military without charge or trail anywhere in the world. This expands and codifies tactics from the War on Terror of illegal detentions condemned by international law and our own constitution. We urge senators Durbin and Kirk to oppose this type of legislation in any form. (See original post at occupychi.org)

Occupy Wall Street also opposes this pending legislation.

This is also under discussion at Occupy Oakland, Occupy LA, and Occupy Seattle.

Occupy's in every city should resist this legislation, and antiwar people in every city should work with them to help spread that resistance and make it effective!

And EVERYONE should become part of the national mobilization in the days ahead to end indefinite detention and violations of human rights at US detention centers in Guantanamo, Bagram, the rest of Afghanistan, and throughout the world!

WWJD? Occupy!

2011-11-27T05:46:00.000-08:00

[This turned out to be one of my favorite blog posts of 2011. Check out my other 2011 favorite "Scarry Thoughts" blog posts here!]

My friend had given me the floor and it was my chance to explain (within a reasonable amount of time) what I think is the essential meaning of the life of Christ, and the force underlying Christianity. As usual, what I always think of as something that is very clear in my mind got very muddy when I tried to share it with someone else.

On this particular day, I was hung up on the question, "So tell me again how Christ dying adds up to redemption for everyone else??"

A couple of days later, I picked up a copy of a recent book by Paul Johnson - an author I love on account of his wonderful explanations of the way the world changed in the years 1815 to 1830 in "The Birth of the Modern". The new book is "Jesus: A Biography from a Believer". I saw it and thought, "Johnson's pretty good; let's see what light he can shed on this topic . . . .

With my recent discussions in mind, I decided to dip right into the chapter near the end, "Jesus's Trial and Crucifixion." As usual, Johnson took facts that we all know -- or think we know -- and put a rather fine point on them. In describing how Jesus was viewed by the authorities like the high priest Caiaphas in Jerusalem, Johnson writes:

A Jewish popular preacher whom he [Caiaphas] did not control was a threat to his authority, and if his teaching turned out to be revolutionary, there could be a tumult, for which he would be blamed. As Jesus's fame spread, and the number of people he could attract increased, so the threat appeared to grow. News that he had persuaded more than five thousand people to ascend a mountain and hear him preach there, and then by a "miracle" fed them heartily with fishes and loaves, filled the ruling priests with terror. What if he did this in a city? Could he not then take it over by force? What if he did it in Jerusalem itself? Then he could occupy it, proclaim himself another King David, and become priest-king. The Romans would then pull out, except from the Antonia fortress, return with reinforcements from Syria in massive strength, take the city, massacre all its Jewish inhabitants, including and especially the priests, and raze it to the ground. (Jesus: A Biography from a Believer, p. 180-1)

This passage helped me get a concrete fix on what Jesus found himself in the middle of. The last thing this fellow who was saying "render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render unto God what is God's" wanted was to have a power confrontation with worldly authority -- he was seeking a much more global conversation. And yet he had to admit to himself that he was sure starting to look like a threat to temporal power.

And so he found himself praying in the garden: "Can't I just walk away from this? Save this confrontation for another day? Why not just slip out of Jerusalem? Do I really have to step up to the plate?"

With hindsight it is so easy to propose that coming into Jerusalem was somehow qualitatively different -- a "different" type of activity, something that Jesus could have re-defined for himself as off limits, "too political." But are those lines really so easy to draw, especially in the moment? Are those lines really real at all?

What I have come to understand is that the answer -- "Yes, you really have to step up to the plate!" -- was part and parcel of the larger meaning of Christ's life: "Yes, you really are part of this human mix and it always comes with death at the end and along the way you are just going to be crossing the line every day and never really knowing whether this is the day when 'you've gone too far' ...."

So I understand how Christ ended up on the cross: not by crossing the line one time too many, but by the fundamental decision to say "yes" to living and crossing the line every day.

Johnson describes Jesus as having a "unique combination of authority and gentleness." This simple description helped me envision a person who was crossing the line -- threatening the status quo -- with every move he made. Not taking the place by storm; just riding in on a donkey, in communion with the ordinary people and their palm "banners."

Faced with chorus of voices saying, "Isn't it time for you to tone it down? Can't you be more reasonable? What is it you want, anyway?" Jesus kept right on doing what he was doing. And that was a sign to us about how to live our lives, a reminder that our lives are not "lived" as a single block whose perfection can be sought in the impossible hope of not dying, but rather in the crossing of those lines moment by moment by moment . . . .

Does that reminder constitute "redemption"? It does for me

What would Jesus do? Occupy . . . !

#AfghanistanTuesday - Top Tweets - Nov 22

2011-11-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

As in other weeks,we had a very busy day on #AfghanistanTuesday! Although it was Thanksgiving week, with all the distractions of the holidays upon us, we still had a lot of participation!

(And we got a start on a new weekly activity, taking place every Wednesday: tweeting about the upcoming Guantanamo mobilization in January!)

These are some of the #AfghanistanTuesday tweets from Tuesday, November 22, 2011, that were most highly retweeted:

End U.S. Wars!
From @ShaggyBull : #AfghanistanTuesday Here's to 10 years in an unconquered land. American lives wasted on toothless, warmongers folly. When will we learn?

From @katpen6 : Reverse the Tide. Say NO to Global Warfare/US out of #Afghanistan now! #AfghanistanTuesday http://t.co/xF5MEksn

From @JanetRWeil : On this #AfghanistanTuesday let's remember US govt propaganda against #Iran: http://j.mp/uRRpnH As if we didn't have enough to worry abt!

From @LibertyWebA : haven't enough died from all sides? #AfghanistanTuesday

Bread and Circus
From @ChristinaDLC : Beyonce's pregnancy gets more coverage than the progress of the overseas troops. Problem. #AfghanistanTuesday

From @MidwestAntiwar : "Black Friday" ? We're not in charge of our own days in America. EVERY day is a #WAR day! Today is just another #WarDay: #AfghanistanTuesday

From @MidwestAntiwar : Who among us will have courage on Thurs to say "I am #UNthankful that US continues killing innocents in #Afghanistan"? #AfghanistanTuesday

#freeBradley
From @jilreb : @midwestantiwar Don't Let U. S. Convict Manning 4 Allegedly Exposing U. S. Crimes. On 12/16 Pretrial Demand He B Freed #afghanistantuesday

Veterans
From @JanetRWeil : #AfghanistanTuesday @MFSpeakOut How Can We Prevent Military Suicides http://t.co/I3Z3C4HO

Prosecute War Crimes
From @futureup2us :
BushBlair guilty of Iraq war crimes http://bit.ly/tTAvq1 Not like at #GitmoFail. When does trial 4 Afghanistan start? #AfghanistanTuesday

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

#PeaceDecember

2011-11-25T05:31:00.000-08:00

We've been having a lot of success with #AfghanistanTuesday -- a weekly conversation on Twitter about getting the U.S. military out of Afghanistan.

Now Wednesdays are devoted to raising awareness of U.S. detention practices in Guantanamo, Bagram, and other places, and publicizing the national mobilization to protest the 10th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center on January 11, 2012: see #closeGITMO.

There is rapidly growing concern about U.S. saber-rattling about Iran, and so Fridays have now been devoted to figuring out how to head off the rush into another U.S. war: #NoIranWar.

December is a time when we talk a lot about "Peace on Earth." Let's do a little less shopping and little more tweeting. And organizing. And protesting!

#PeaceDecember

Chicago: All Signs Point to Revolution

2011-11-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

I really, really, really don't understand why the mayors of U.S. cities and the federal government are so hell-bent on preventing the assembly of Occupy groups. What are they afraid of? Do they think that the prospect of sitting in a tent in a park in Chicago (or New York or Oakland or ... ) all winter will be so attractive that people will abandon their homes and families and society as we know it will fall apart? Is it really possible that they can't tolerate the idea of people spending time together and talking about how to bring about a better future?

I can't help thinking that a lot of people who otherwise wouldn't be giving too much thought to the Occupy movement are now attracted to it principally because of the way the government is trying to repress it. "An encampment is so intolerable ...? Hmmm ... maybe I need to give this another look ...!"

And so, because they couldn't tolerate an encampment, they are getting something much bigger ....

The picture above is of a sign that I made for the Occupy Chicago visit to the office of the Chicago mayor to deliver petitions demanding assembly rights. A lot of people commented on it, and the media even ran some clips of it on TV. Thinking about the idea embodied in the sign, and making and showing the sign itself, has helped me get a better understanding of a basic idea of society and politics: one thing leads to another ... things happen for a reason ... expect consequences ....

Where did this sign come from? It wouldn't have happened without the friend who said to me, "It's good to go demonstrate, but it would be even better to have a sign." And from another friend who said, "That thing about 'don't like encampment?' - that's got a beat - put that on a sign!" And even the friend who, years ago, said, "Your artwork doesn't have to be perfect -- people like seeing another person's hand in a sign!"

But most of all, it came from the mayors who got on the phone together and coordinated raids against Occupy groups in New York, Oakland, and other cities. It came from the police in Davis who pepper-sprayed protesters. It came from the Chicago mayor who is spending millions to assemble NATO war-makers and G8 plutocrats in OUR city but thinks he can prevent US from assembling and formulating our own future!

That's right: Most of all, it came from YOU, Mayor Emanuel. It came from you ....

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Seven Little Words in Kuwait

2011-11-21T04:48:00.000-08:00

[This turned out to be one of my favorite blog posts of 2011. Check out my other 2011 favorite "Scarry Thoughts" blog posts here!]

I've been working with the film about Guantanamo, "The Response," for over two years now.

By now I know the dialog by heart; sometimes I recite it as if I wrote it myself. And it has always seemed to me as if everyone else should be thinking about that dialog, too.

But I never thought I'd see the day that the dialog from "The Response" was being adopted by activists in countries as far away as Kuwait to challenge U.S. detention practices.

The message above came in the context of a public information campaign in Kuwait to push for the liberation of two Kuwaitis who are still held in Guantanamo: Fahiz Al-Kandari and Fawzi Al-Odah. It recites the central challenge of "The Response": "the response matters; our response defines us."

(See additional coverage at Arab Times Online.)

We are all learning in real time about how politics is conducted in the Mideast. In recent months, the words "Tahrir Square" have fundamentally changed our understanding of politics everywhere. (See: "the Occupy movement.")

And now add one more concept to the list: diwan. "Diwan" and "diwaniya" are the places that people in Kuwait gather to discuss and debate current affairs. (What they do after they meet in the diwan/diwaniya depends on circumstances .... )

Diwan + film + Twitter = ?

It's a new world.

People in Kuwait Raising Their Voices Against Guantanamo

2011-11-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

The defense team for the Guantanamo detainee Fayiz al Kandari was in Kuwait this week, publicizing the case and encouraging people there to demand that the United States government release the two Kuwaitis held at Guantanamo.

As part of the information campaign, "The Response" was broadcast twice on the Kuwait network Al Rai, and Al Rai followed up with a 90-minute interview segment including attorneys and members of the team that made "The Response."

The next day -- just hours ago -- a crowd estimated at between 1,000 and 1,500 gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City. They called on Barack Obama to keep his promise to close Guantanamo, and demanded that the U.S. government to free Fayiz al Kandari and the other Kuwaiti detainee.

Below are additional images from that protest.

#gitmoFAIL!

2011-11-18T11:18:00.000-08:00

January 11, 2012, marks the 10th anniversary of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility ("Gitmo").

People from across the country will converge on Washington, D.C., to protest U.S. detention policies and its abandonment of due process. Actions will take place locally in Chicago and many, many other cities.

Between now and then, we'll be getting the message out:

Because Gitmo represents all the ways the U.S. government commits human rights violations and commits war crimes with impunity.

Because Gitmo stands for the cynical exploitation of islamophobia to pit us against each other.

Because Gitmo symbolizes all the failures of the current administration.

Because ....

#gitmoFAIL!

Join us!

Can the People Stop the Wars?

2011-11-17T07:35:00.000-08:00

Today is a National Day of Action.

By coincidence, there was a nationally-coordinated effort to shut down the Occupy movement in the past few days.

Today, massive protests are expected in cities across the country.

What does all this mean for people who have been earnestly trying to end U.S. wars in Afghanistan and other places?

When we raise our voices again next Tuesday on #AfghanistanTuesday, what will be different?

Are we getting any closer? Are we learning anything?

How do we get results? Can we stop settling for anything less than an end to all this war-making?

#AfghanistanTuesday - Top Tweets - Nov 8

2011-11-10T09:18:00.000-08:00

As in other weeks,we had a very busy day on #AfghanistanTuesday! Tomorrow is a Veteran's Day with somewhat mystic connotations ... 11.11.11 ... and the war continues.

@susanhogarth made my day with her tweet: Dear Obama, please use the money you stole from me to GTFO of Afghanistan. Buy some transport 'copters. Ktxbye. #AfghanistanTuesday

These are some of the #AfghanistanTuesday tweets from Tuesday, November 8, 2011, that were most highly retweeted:

VETERANS DAY
From @llambertschmidt : #AfghanistanTuesday 1831 US military dead, 18 vet suicides/day, uncounted wounded: Afghanistan. Chicago's Vietnam Memorial 11/11/11 at 11.

AFGHANISTAN FOREVER
From @Antiwar2 : Think all the troops will be out of #Afghanistan by 2015? Think again. #AfghanistanTuesday

From @info_from_vcnv : US to Have Military Presence Well Past 2014 #AfghanistanTuesday http://bit.ly/uQ6x8b #Afghanistan

From @MidwestAntiwar : V @info_from_vcnv @antiwarcom @antiwar2 http://bit.ly/uQ6x8b The "Forever Plan" for #Afghanistan - and it is disgusting. #AfghanistanTuesday

A CRIMINAL WAR-AND-POLICE STATE
From @amadorlicea : #AfghanistanTuesday whether War on Terror, preventive wars started with Clinton or Bush; It's still unconstitutionally alive.

From @EvanTKelly : How the #WarOnTerror (#WarOfTerror) has #Militarized the #Police - http://bit.ly/vC2zY8 via @TheAtlantic #AfghanistanTuesday

From @amadorlicea : It's #AfghanistanTuesday I invite you to the conversation. #Guantanamo and detention Centers will be our priority. #HumanRights

From @nat_riverascott : #AfghanistanTuesday Gov should go after the ones who commit #Warcrimes #NoMeVengasConChingaderas #Peace

OUR MORAL FAILURE
From @VoiceOf1776 : "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." -Thomas Jefferson #ows #afghanistantuesday

VICTIMS OF WAR
From @Antiwar2 : "We have shot an amazing number of people, but none has ever proven to be a threat" Gen. McChrystal #AfghanistanTuesday

From @Zwicky3 : Danger Room: CIA Drones Kill Large Groups Without Knowing Who They Are http://alturl.com/sed8f #AfghanistanTuesday #drones #war #Endwar

CUT MILITARY SPENDING
From @Antiwar2 : "End the wars when we already said, save $200 billion against what the Pentagon wants to do." #AfghanistanTuesday

From @peoplematterint : #AfghanistanTuesday Stop the wars NOW! Stop the greed that leads to wars! Stop the war in Afghanistan, Iraq. Peace Now! @MidwestAntiwar

Thanks to these tweeps, and here's to all of our #Tuesdayistas! THANK YOU!

PLUS . . . Check out the master list of #AfghanistanTuesday blog posts!

Chicago Justice: Connecting the Dots

2011-11-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was a day of juxtapositions. It was a day where I saw incredible courage, incredible thinking, and incredible sadness.

IT TAKES A PROTEST
At 1:30, I was in Daley Plaza as the parents of Flint Farmer, a young man killed by a Chicago police officer, held a press conference demanding that State's Attorney Anita Alvarez prosecute the shooter for murder. Farmer was shot in the back three times as he lay face down on the ground. Video from a police car dash cam caught the flashes from the shots.

Surprisingly, major media in Chicago turned out to cover the event. All the cameras and microphones and reporters made an impression on me - their appearance suggested to me that it does make a difference to take a stand for justice. And maybe the fact that some of us thought this was important enough to come out, hold signs, chant, and march, helped back up that message.

My mind reeled as I watched Emmett Farmer, Flint's father, dealing with the press. What courage it must take to suppress the pain of losing one's son in order to do the work that it takes to get justice!

IT TAKES EDUCATION
At 3 o'clock, I was at LaSalle and Jackson, where Occupy Chicago held a teach-in on "How Are Prisoners Part of the 99%?" The focus was the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) -- "the overlapping interests of government and industry that use surveillance, policing, and imprisonment as solutions to what are, in actuality, economic, social, and political problems."

Participants each studied a specific demand by advocates for prisoners and ex-prisoners, and then engaged in conversation to understand each other's demands. Learning happened.

A major source of information was Critical Resistance - a national grassroots organization committed to ending society's use of prisons and policing as an answer to social problems.

A key take-away for me was that groups of people who have formerly been isolated and suffered persecution in isolation -- people of color, immigrants, LGBT, women, the young, the old -- are recognizing that they can fight persecution and injustice together. Overcoming the divide takes work, and at Occupy Chicago you can see people doing that work before your eyes.

IT TAKES PRAYER
At 5:30 I was back up at Daley Plaza, this time in a service at the Chicago Temple as part of "Urban Dolorosa" - Healing Youth Violence in the Sorrowing City - a series of prayer vigils to try to address the problem of Chicago youth who have died in recent years in neighborhood violence.

It was painful to sit still as name after name after name of Chicago youth who have died in neighborhood violence was solemnly read. And it was moving to hear the chorus swell over and over with this refrain:

Pour out your heart like water
For the lives of your children
Let justice roll down like waters
Righteousness like an ever flowing stream

Most of all, it was eerie to participate in a candlelight procession back out onto Daley Plaza, where I had begun the day. I was struck by the disconnect between the two groups that gathered in Daley Plaza that day: one was massive, well-dressed, polite, and deeply meditative; one was sparse, scraggly, insistent, and angry. One found hope in the exposure of unfairness, the assertion of justice, and the active pursuit of a truly changed world; the other found hope in the bonds of community, in the healing power of art, and of prayer, and in the assertion of the will to just go on living. Between the two events at which these two disparate groups assembled was the educational event, at which a third group -- a group of seekers -- tried to understand the root causes of the breakdown in our justice system.

What will it take to bring these groups -- and aims, and means -- together?

Prosecute U.S. War Crimes

2011-11-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

I've talked elsewhere about the huge backlog of unprosecuted U.S. war crimes.

It's time to prosecute U.S. war crimes.

How about starting right here in Chicago? How about in May, 2012, when many of the war criminals will gather in Chicago for the NATO/G8 meeting?

I can't think of a more fitting welcome mat to put out for them . . . .

A new post on the Wisconsin Network for Peace & Justice blog stresses the idea that even if U.S. troops are withdrawn as promised from Iraq at the end of 2011, our involvement in Iraq isn't over until we prosecute those responsible for U.S. war crimes. Perhaps that can provide guidance for how the 9th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war is recognized in March, 2012: let's mark it with a war crimes tribunal . . . .

VAU Afgh 101: Collective Punishment

2011-10-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

This is part of a series of eight "virtual teachins" on U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

The crime of Collective Punishment is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Here, we will look at the specific legal basis for charging perpetrators as war criminals for Collective Punishment , and list sources reporting relevant U.S. actions in Afghanistan.

Viewers of this page are strongly encouraged to contribute comments and additional sources in the comments section!

If the American public knew the nature of the crimes that its government was committing in Afghanistan, could it possibly sit still and not force an end to the war, and the removal of U.S. military, intelligence, and contractors from Afghanistan?

LEGAL BASIS
THIS TOPIC is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes.

REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN

Return to the main VAU Afghanistan 101 page.

VAU Afgh 101: Discrimination Based on Nationality, Race, or Religion

2011-10-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

This is part of a series of eight "virtual teachins" on U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

The crime of Discrimination Based on Nationality, Race, or Religion is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Here, we will look at the specific legal basis for charging perpetrators as war criminals for Discrimination Based on Nationality, Race, or Religion, and list sources reporting relevant U.S. actions in Afghanistan.

Viewers of this page are strongly encouraged to contribute comments and additional sources in the comments section!

If the American public knew the nature of the crimes that its government was committing in Afghanistan, could it possibly sit still and not force an end to the war, and the removal of U.S. military, intelligence, and contractors from Afghanistan?

LEGAL BASIS
The crime of Discrimination Based on Nationality, Race, or Religion is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes.

REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN

Return to the main VAU Afghanistan 101 page.

VAU Afgh 101: Failure to Prevent Torture

2011-10-25T06:52:00.000-07:00

This is part of a series of eight "virtual teachins" on U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

The crime of Failure to Prevent Torture is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Here, we will look at the specific legal basis for charging perpetrators as war criminals for Failure to Prevent Torture, and list sources reporting relevant U.S. actions in Afghanistan.

Viewers of this page are strongly encouraged to contribute comments and additional sources in the comments section!

If the American public knew the nature of the crimes that its government was committing in Afghanistan, could it possibly sit still and not force an end to the war, and the removal of U.S. military, intelligence, and contractors from Afghanistan?

LEGAL BASIS
The crime of Failure to Prevent Torture is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes.

REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN

Return to the main VAU Afghanistan 101 page.

VAU Afgh 101: Torture

2011-10-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

This is part of a series of eight "virtual teachins" on U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

The crime of Torture is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Here, we will look at the specific legal basis for charging perpetrators as war criminals for Torture, and list sources reporting relevant U.S. actions in Afghanistan.

Viewers of this page are strongly encouraged to contribute comments and additional sources in the comments section!

If the American public knew the nature of the crimes that its government was committing in Afghanistan, could it possibly sit still and not force an end to the war, and the removal of U.S. military, intelligence, and contractors from Afghanistan?

LEGAL BASIS
The crime of Torture is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes.

REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN
Read this important blog post on U.S. complicity in torture in Afghanistan as captured prisoners are turned over to prisons that are known to torture them. "[E]ven though our coalition partners had already stopped transferring detainees to Afghans known to use torture in interrogations, the US continued doing so until last month."

Torture and other outrages against detainees is the focus of the mass action in Washington, D.C. and around the country on the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the detention center at Guantanamo - taking place January 11, 2012.

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Return to the main VAU Afghanistan 101 page.

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VAU Afgh 101: Outrages Upon Personal Dignity

2011-10-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

This is part of a series of eight "virtual teachins" on U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan.

The crime of Outrages Upon Personal Dignity is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes. Here, we will look at the specific legal basis for charging perpetrators as war criminals for Outrages Upon Personal Dignity, and list sources reporting relevant U.S. actions in Afghanistan.

Viewers of this page are strongly encouraged to contribute comments and additional sources in the comments section!

If the American public knew the nature of the crimes that its government was committing in Afghanistan, could it possibly sit still and not force an end to the war, and the removal of U.S. military, intelligence, and contractors from Afghanistan?

LEGAL BASIS
The crime of Outrages Upon Personal Dignity is described on the website for Mike Haas' book, George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration’s Liability for 269 War Crimes.

Of the array of war crimes considered as part of VAU Afghanistan 101, this particular one challenges all of our platitudes about being "civilized." Do we really need to argue over whether it is an outrage on human dignity to engage in sexual humiliation? To taunt someone on account of and by way of their religion? To threaten them with attack by an animal? Not to mention the infliction of physical pain . . . .

REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN

It was outrages upon personal dignity that first shocked a broad swath of the American public into confronting our country's criminal behavior: Abu Ghraib.

Most recently, we have seen the conviction of members of U.S. Army "kill teams" that murdered and otherwise engaged in outrages upon Afghanistan people, including "playing with the corpse of [a murdered] teenager 'as if it was a puppet'" . . . keeping a "victim's skull as a trophy" . . . "slicing off body parts from Afghans, including the fingers of a man, and keeping them or giving them to other soldiers as trophies."

Is there any way that we can begin to estimate the magnitude of the crimes that have been committed in-between? More important, do we think for one minute that the commanders and leaders who have fomented, welcomed, and covered up ALL of these outrages have been held responsible?

Return to the main VAU Afghanistan 101 page.