Winter Waking Planet Chronicles- Looking forward Realistically and with Hope

Winter Issue 2010

 

Looking Forward, Realistically and with Hope

I’ve been writing a newsletter called Waking Planet Chronicles for over 7 years. I began with a short “Don’t Invade Iraq” Special Edition in October of 2002. I did it to keep my sanity when I saw our corporate media censoring stories and viewpoints the rest of the world saw and heard and to hopefully, in some small way, contribute a little more truth, light and love to the planet.

I realize I have been very short on love in writing about Bush and Cheney for these long years (they made it hard)! But this is the beginning of a new decade and I feel I must really challenge myself to write from a more optimistic perspective, one more aligned with my true nature (I will soon be launching WakingPlanet.com- a hub for global and local good news; a place to remember that although the problems we face are great, they are not as great as what is inside us!).

But once again, sadly, some would say predictably, we are not being given the whole story. Only 118 people make up the Boards of the top ten media giants in our country. They also sit on the boards of 288 corporations representing the moneyed elite- those who profit from war, monopolies, deregulation, and keeping Americans ignorant and divided. The corruption and dysfunction of Congress, especially the Senate, has reached a new low. The needs and will of the people continue to be ignored and the mega-transfer of wealth from hard working Americans to the very richest continues unchecked. Bankruptcies, foreclosures and unemployment climb while CEO’s rake in obscene amounts (Aetna’s CEO in 08 make over $467,000 a week) and thousands of millions of our tax dollars go for death and destruction. We really have our work cut out for us! Our strength is in our numbers, our passion, our ability to seek the truth, speak up for the underdog and transcend differences for the common good of liberty, peace and human rights.

We can start with our president. My friends are about evenly divided between those who believe we must stand by President Obama and “give him time” and those who have been disappointed one time too many and have given up on him. I find both positions potentially a little scary. I think blind faith and a lack of constructive criticism is a death knell to a president, or at the very least, it confines him or her to mediocrity. I don’t think we have the “luxury” of giving up- there is too much at stake. I think that just as Lincoln had his abolitionists pushing him to end slavery, FDR had the labor movement helping him to pass the New Deal (he once told an activist- “Make me do it!”) and Johnson had the civil rights movement to fight for the passage of that landmark legislation- Obama needs us to push him to live up to his campaign promise of hope and change we can believe in. He needs us bad.

Let’s start with the comparatively easy stuff- health care reform. Right now our president is backing the Senate bill that has no public option, no expansion of Medicare and no checks on the stranglehold the profiteering insurance industry has over us. He also favors paying for “reform” (please note the Senate bill is NOT reform) by taxing “Cadillac plans” that will end up effecting the middle class. Please, will you call the White House? 202 456-1111. They need to hear from millions of us. Say you want a Public Option or expansion of Medicare, the protection of women’s reproductive rights and a small surtax on the wealthiest to pay for real reform. Remind your elected representatives 202 224-3121 too. Many of us have rallied in the streets for months for reform that would provide competition, choice and lowered costs. Don’t give up now!

OK, so now the tough stuff- the war being waged against five (one by proxy) Muslim countries. We still have 142,000 troops in Iraq, and Obama plans a residual force of 50,000; Obama already sent two surges of 21,000 and 13,000 to Afghanistan and now another 30,000 are being deployed; we are striking Pakistan and Yemen with Hellfire missiles from pilotless drones controlled from half a world away and the Palestinian people continue to suffer a siege that has lasted for over 2 ½ years. The attack on Gaza last December killed over 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians, while 13 Israelis died, mostly soldiers. To get a sense of the wanton destruction and lack of respect for human life in that assault read the testimonies from Israeli veterans at Breaking the Silence. The doctor who recently killed our seven CIA agents had vowed to take up arms “to avenge the killing of children and women in Gaza.” Obviously that is not justification- there can never be justification for killing any civilians, ever, by anyone. It is just a fact and so is this- The US annually gives Israel at least $3 billion, mostly for military aid and most of their weapons say “made in the USA”.

Informing ourselves of what is being done everyday in our names is critical. I wonder how many are aware that two days before those CIA agents were killed, Afghanis took to the streets shouting “Death to America”, burning an effigy of Obama, carrying photos of dead children and holding signs asking, “Enduring Freedom or Unending Massacre?”. They were reacting to news that in “a Western operation” (BBC) men helicoptered to a village in Kundar province in the dead of night, rounded up 10 civilians, including 8 school children, 12 to 14 and shot them. Although this story was in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, I have yet to see any mention of it on CNN or any other broadcast media. We are also not hearing much about the drone attacks (more under Obama than Bush) that are killing hundreds of civilians and that the Pakistan prime minister said are “boosting anti-American resentment throughout the country” nor the fact that private contractors (aka mercenaries) now outnumber our troops, and the negative impact they are having on our ability to win hearts and minds. “What You May Not Have Heard” continued below.

My goal is to try to strike a balance of providing information, (even if it is disturbing) and inspiration (recounting stories of “people power” changing the world). I hope with time, with all of us working together, I can emphasize the latter.

What You May Not Have Heard

One US commander in the Army Times recently said, “Everybody knows somebody who has been shot by contractors.”


In Maynard district alone in Afghanistan, mercenaries are responsible for killing and wounding over 30 innocent civilians in the past 4 years. Locals see them as part of the coalition. The district chief there described them as “heroin addicts armed with rocket-propelled grenades and assault rifles”.




A Pentagon report in June of 2009 said the US had 242,657 private contractors in action; 119,706 in Iraq, 73,968 in Afghanistan and 50,061 in other US CENTcom locations. The second quarter of 2009 saw a 23% increase in security contractors in Iraq and 29% in Afghanistan.




I really think when historians study the military debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan they will see how the use of private contractors sabotaged our efforts to win over the people, decreased the morale of our troops (contractors get paid much more for often doing the same work) and put too much control in the hands of those who profit from endless war.

In addition to this major problem, Major General Michael Flynn recently blasted US Intelligence in Afghanistan as “ignorant and flawed”. He said the intelligence gathering focused on the enemy and was “disengaged” from the people, their economy and their needs.

This past Christmas, was the 3,000th day of war in Afghanistan. Almost 1,000 young Americans have lost their lives there and almost 5,000 have been wounded. 2009 was the bloodiest year yet with casualties doubling over ’08. It was also the 30th anniversary of the Soviet invasion. They were there for 10 years with troop levels of a half million. Former Soviet commanders said they won nearly every battle, but that it did not matter- the next day there were more insurgents as though nothing had ever happened.

BRING THEM HOME!

Just the Facts

Senior US officials are pushing to expand CIA drone strikes beyond Pakistan’s tribal area and into a major city of 850,000. Pakistani officials have warned the fall out would be severe. LA Times 12/14

The US government plans to develop “new generations of tiny ‘nano’ drones that can fly after prey like a killer bee through a window.” guardian.co.uk 8/22

The US is alone among NATO allies in refusing to sign a 10 year treaty to ban landmines. Last year, landmines killed or injured over 5,000. The vast majority were civilians. Inter Press Service 11/26

The EPA and USDA are encouraging farmers to put coal ash that contains mercury and arsenic on their crops. Huffington Post 12/21

The CDC has pushed hard for swine flu vaccines. The doctor who headed the CDC from 2002- 09 has landed a lucrative job as president of the vaccine division of Merck. npr.org 12/21

On 9/10/01, Rumsfeld announced that Pentagon could not account for 25% of its funds, $2.3 trillion. CBS News 12/28

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula behind the thwarted Christmas attack said it was in retaliation for US/Yemen missile attacks on 12/17 and 12/24. Philadelphia Inquirer 12/29

99% who have a problem eating gluten (protein in wheat and other grains) don’t know it. 30% of people of European descent carry the gene for gluten sensitivity that increases susceptibility for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, migraines and more. Huffington Post 1/2

Sprint fed GPS data on its wireless customers to local police departments 8 million times without them having to demonstrate probable cause to a judge. buzzflash 12/1

In the past two years, the number of American households living on food stamps alone went up 50%. NY Times 1/2

Wall Street is expected to pay employees $140 billion in 2009- a record high. Wall St Journal 12/14. Goldman Sachs is paying $23 billion in bonuses, double 2008. The company pays a tax rate of about 1%. Rawstroy.com 12/13

From 98-08, the finance industry made $1.7 billion in contributions to DC politicians (55% to Republicans, 45% to Democrats) spent $3.4 billion on lobbyists and won deregulatory victories that led to the meltdown. Wallstreetwatch.org

To Do-
March 20- mark your calendar to Protest the War in Afghanistan in DC! Call your elected officials- 202-224-3121. Demand more humanitarian aid and development for Muslim countries, not bombs.

Join the eight year long running Women in Black Peace Vigil any Saturday from 12:30-1:30 PM in front of the Elting Library, New Paltz, NY. All are welcome!

Good News!
Fourteen local residents were part of the Gaza Freedom March- joining with 1,300 other international participants to break the siege of Gaza by bringing humanitarian aid. Hudsontogaza.blogspot.com

Brazil has made greenhouse gas emission targets legally binding. They will reduce emissions 36-39% from projected 2020 levels. Deforestation will be reduced in the Amazon by 80% and 70% overall.

For the first time, the US EPA said greenhouse gas pollution imperils the health and well-being of present and future generations.

Check out people from 156 countries singing All You Need Is Love at the same time on youtube. Uplifting! It is part of a Starbuck’s program to bring help to AIDS patients in Africa.

The Hudson Valley Progressive Coalition will mark its first anniversary in February- become a member! hudsonvalleyprogressives.org

There is a bi-partisan effort to resurrect the Glass- Steagall Act that would prevent Wall Street from using your deposits in a commercial bank for risky investment schemes.

MoveYourMoney.info encourages Americans to take money out of the rapacious Wall Street Banks and invest in community banks. Watch their great 4 minute video.

Winslow T Wheeler who worked on Capitol Hill for 31 years says to call the Republicans bluff on filibustering. He said it used to take skill to pull off (the other party could end it if rules were not followed exactly) so they were rare. The filibuster was never meant to be threatened for every piece of meaningful legislation.

For the first time in 47 years of polling, the number of Americans who said they had a mystical experience (a moment of sudden awakening) was greater than the number who had not. Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life 12/9

Waking Planet Chronicles is published quarterly by Barbara Upton. Check out Wakingplanet.com- a place to connect, be energized and inspired. Keep the faith!