Support Brad, Stop TTP, Greet Boehner In Liberty, Day 25 of Hunger Strike by 30,000 in US

 Vigil for Bradley Manning

Last Saturday, New Paltz Women in Black held a special vigil for Bradley Manning as part of an International Day of Action that happened in 40 cities. Here was another-

Now we know he has been acquitted on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy, but many other charges could still bring him life in prison. This is a travesty. Manning, who wore dog tags that said "humanist" was appalled at the war crimes he saw and felt he could not in good conscience not let the American people know what was being done in their name. There will most likely be an appeal and he still needs our support and funds. Please go to http://www.standwithbrad.org

Here is the flyer we passed out:

            Support Bradley Manning Rally

By New Paltz Women in Black

Bradley Manning is facing life in prison for being a truth teller and exposing war crimes:

The Iraq War logs-  showed that between 2004- 2009, there were 109,000 deaths in Iraq and a shocking 2/3 of them were civilians.

A video showed a US helicopter gunship crew firing on and killing 12 civilians, including two Reuters reporters and two who stopped to help.

 An order in 2004, directed US troops to not investigate 1000s of reports of prisoner torture in Iraq.

US taxpayer money was used for child trafficking. DynCorp, a US contractor, threw parties for Afghan security recruits featuring boys dressed as women who were sold for sex to the highest bidder.

And there is much more information- embarrassing to the US to say the least- but not threatening our national security in any way- 2.5 million had access to the “secrets” Bradley shared with Wikileaks.

Join the international campaign to support Bradley Manning- www.bradleymanning.org

Sign the petition at www.StandwithBrad.org

Follow “Save Bradley” on twitter and facebook.

Speak out in support of whistleblowers!

They are essential to democracy.

                                                      --------------------------------------------

 Want Clean Water and Air? Want Workers' Rights Protected? Want Jobs to Stay in the US?

Then You Do NOT Want TPP

About the TPP and Senator Elizabeth Warren's Petition to Stop It:

For three years, a group of some 600 multinational corporations and trade associations have been quietly negotiating a trade pact IN SECRET that could void American laws that protect workers, jobs, health, and the environment. During negotiations here last summer, news leaked of some of the provisions U.S. trade officials were prepared to approve, and a public outcry derailed the talks. Trade Representative Ron Kirk resigned. Now that Michael Froman has been confirmed as the new U.S. Trade Representative he is pushing to renew "fast track" authority so President Obama can sign the agreement first, and then force a quick vote in Congress without any public scrutiny, floor debate, or revisions.

Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, one of just four U.S. Senators who voted against Froman's confirmation, said of TPP: “I have heard the argument that transparency would undermine the Trade Representative’s policy to complete the trade agreement because public opposition would be significant,” Warren explained. “In other words, if people knew what was going on, they would stop it. This argument is exactly backwards. If transparency would lead to widespread public opposition to a trade agreement, then that trade agreement should not be the policy of the United States.”

The only TPP language made public was leaked in 2012 and shared by Public Citizen. Since then trade officials have kept a tight lid on the negotiations, only recently allowing members of Congress to view (not copy) the text, which remains "classified." Among the most disturbing revelations in last year's leaked TPP language, that seems to be mirrored in the Atlantic version as well: Foreign companies would have "preferred status" – granting them greater rights within our borders than our own companies enjoy. U.S. companies would have more incentives to offshore jobs, and foreign companies would not be bound by the minimum wage and could sue the U.S. if our health, safety, or environmental regulations interfered with their profits. Jurisdiction over such suits would rest not in the hands of elected officials or judges, but with an international business tribunal. Their decisions, which would be binding upon all member nations, would supersede our own laws – including our Constitution.

Please sign Senator Warren's petition here - http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-dont-renew-fast?mailing_id=14329&source=s.icn.em.cr&r_by=1662546

Our local Ulster County MoveOn is making it a priority to stop TPP, AKA The Terrible Plutocratic Plan. If you would like to know more, come to our next meeting, or learn how you can be a member of the TPP Team- there will be trainings, power points and more- email me at clearstreammedia@gmailcom. Please share the petition with all you know and talk this up- It is a corporate global coup and we have to stop it! Thanks.

Action Alert

Tell John Boehner and Chris Gibson- Do Your Job!

John  (Don't judge us by the bills we pass, but the bills we repeal- Number repealed- ZER-O) Boehner is coming to Ulster County to raise funds for Rep Chris Gibson and we would like many to come out to welcome him with a message he can't ignore and will never forget! Sign up here- https://www.facebook.com/events/621362001231545/?notif_t=plan_user_invited

1 Cablevision Center Liberty, NY August 6, 4:30PM

Join us to tell Boehner and Gibson:
VOTE for Immigration Reform & a Roadmap to Citizenship NOW!
Stop budget cuts that hurt our families!
Make big corporations and the rich pay their fair share!

Jobs, jobs, jobs

We will be meeting at the entrance along Old Rt 17
(Across from the NYS DOT Barn)

For more information, please contact:
Mary Clark 607.723.0110
Kat Fisher 845.637.0174
KFisher@citizenactionny.org

Day 25 of Hunger Strike by 30,000 Inmates

This video begins with a woman talking about her brother who has been in solitary confinement for almost 30 years! She says she last was able to touch him in 1982. Solitary confinement for decades is torture, it is barbaric and a terrible stain, as much as Abu Ghraib was, on who we are as a nation. 

When an inmate needs immediate medical attention, others yell "Man down!" This happened recently at Corcoran State Prison. The guards ignored the plea for help and hunger striker, Billy "Guero" Sill died July 22. People are dying for sunlight, fresh air and human contact.

Prisoners describe solitary as being "buried alive". They are in windowless, concrete boxes approx 11 x 7 for 221/2 hours a day. In Pelican Bay where the strike originated, 500 have been in solitary confinement for over 10 years, 80 for over 20 years and 2 for 40 years. The UN says solitary confinement for more than 15 DAYS is torture.

Call Gov Jerry Brown today- 510 289-0336 and tell him to end this inhumane practice and to negotiate with prsioners on their legitimate demand to end long-term solitary confinement, and three others, like not denying food as punishment.

Go to http://prisonerhungerstrikesolidarity.wordpress.com/ to learn more on how you can stand in solidarity and amplify the voices of the prisoners on hunger strike and sign the open letter to Brown here.

                                                    --------------------------------------------

I'll leave you with a victory-

The Non-GMO label for meat and eggs has been approved for US use!

 http://www.nationofchange.org/huge-victory-non-gmo-label-meat-eggs-approved-us-use-1374935368

This brings us one step closer to labeling foods that are GM. Also helping that to happen was the public hearing for GMO labeling in NYS- first hand account here- http://hv4nogmos.blogspot.com/2013/08/first-hand-account-of-public-hearing-on.html

 We have the power- let's use it! Keep Faith.

Let's Honor Trayvon Martin's Memory

Peaceful, multiracial, multi-generational protests have sprung up all over the country in the wake of George Zimmerman's acquittal on all charges for killing Trayvon Martin. The one above took place Sunday in Poughkeepsie. On Wednesday, people will gather in Kingston outside the Ulster County Court House at 285 Wall Street at 5:30PM and our New Paltz Women in Black vigil this Saturday, 12:30-1:30 in front of the Elting Library, will be dedicated to demanding change in Trayvon's memory. Also, just learned there will be another rally at Mansion Square Park in Pok, this Saturday at noon. Sorry it conflicts with our vigil but hope many turn out for it.

I personally feel I do not have all the facts to condemn the jurors in this trial. I think attorney Lisa Bloom is correct when she says the prosecution's case diverged from the evidence (ie letting the defense repeatedly say Zimmerman's gun was on his side when it was hidden behind layers of clothes behind him) and they failed to present an alternate theory of what happened that night. Also, why didn't they bring up the fact that Zimmerman had made over 40 calls to the police to report "suspicious" behavior and every single time he was targeting an African American man? This was a case about race and the prosecution's claim it was not, was baffling. Ms Bloom did say that she felt the evidence, if properly presented, could have led to a guilty verdict.

So I think the system, from the shoddy police work, to a less than stellar case by the prosecution failed Trayvon. To declare that these jurors are all racists would be as bad as Zimmerman seeing all black men as "up to no good."
(Update- If more talk out like the juror B37- who made some shocking admissions- ie she thinks Trayvon "played a huge role in his own death" and that Zimmerman was "egged on" by the 911 operator to follow Trayvon-  there may be enough information to come to a different conclusion.)

Our Broken Justice System 
But all of this is NOT to say that we live in a post-racial society. Sadly, nothing could be further from the truth. Our justice system fails black people every single day.

Just compare the Zimmerman case to what happened last year in Florida to a black woman named Marissa Alexander. She was given a 20 year sentence for firing warning shots into a wall (no one was even hurt) to defend herself against her abuser husband. The judge said that he could not lessen the sentence, even though her husband had a record of abuse and Marissa had no record at all. Her 11 year old daughter said, "I really was crying in there. I didn't want to cry in court, but I just really feel hurt. I don't think this should have been happening." Please sign the petition to right this travesty and free Marissa.

That is just one case, but injustice to people of color happens everyday in our criminal justice system, in the school to prison pipeline (10 year olds have been put in jail for minor offenses) in the horrendous conditions in our prisons, including decades of solitary confinement and in "stop and frisk" that targets African American young men nearly 90% of the time.

Nearly one million of the 2.3million mass incarcerated in the US are people of color. They are jailed six times the rate of whites. If current trends continue, one in three black males can expect prison time in his lifetime. Five times as many whites use drugs as African Americans, yet African Americans are sent to prison for drug offenses at 10 times the rate of whites. Sentences are harsher for people of color. They can expect to spend 58.7 months for nonviolent drug offenses, while whites serve 61.7 months for violent offenses. Read Michelle Alexander's the New Jim Crow for an eye and heart opening look at the racial caste system in our country that uses mass incarceration as the new means of disenfranchising people of color.

In Trayvon's name and to honor his memory, we must demand change.

"Stand Your Ground" a Recipe for More Senseless Bloodshed

Although Zimmerman did not use the "Stand Your Ground"law in his defense, I think it is clear that it emboldened him and it is the reason he was not arrested for over 40 days after the killing. * Just in- the jurors used Stand Your Ground to come to their verdict- The jury instructions said  Zimmerman was entitled to "stand his ground" with "no duty to retreat."

A report last year, showed that in Florida one third of the 200 Stand Your Ground cases involved the defendant initiating the fight, sometimes even shooting someone in the back- yet they still were not charged with any crime. 73% of those who killed a black person were able to walk away scot-free. 59% who killed white people were.

Critics said this law would lead to more racially motivated killings, promote deadly escalations in arguments and increase violent vigilantism. All have proven true.

Yesterday, Michael Bloomberg called for an end to "Stand Your Ground" laws saying "Such laws -- drafted by gun lobby extremists in Washington -- encourage deadly confrontations by enabling people to shoot first and argue 'justifiable homicide' later."

Say enough is enough, no more needless killings. Add your name to demand an end to "Stand Your Ground".

The Justice Dept may bring federal, criminal civil rights charges against George Zimmerman. Sign the letter to Attorney General Eric Holder to demand an investigation. 450,000 have done so already! This has been done successfully in other cases and a thorough investigation could reveal new evidence.

I wrote about Trayvon last year comparing him to Emmett Till, a young black man who was brutally murdered for whistling at a white woman in 1955. I mentioned that most activists who fought against Jim Crow had one thing in common- they had all seen the picture of Emmett's mutilated body as his mother wanted the world to see what they had done to her baby.

Something large and important must also come out of Trayvon's murder: an end to "Stand Your Ground", an end to racial profiling, common sense gun reform, a national dialogue about the very real problem of racial inequity in our country and our collective determination to make the changes needed to ensure this will never happen again and that justice can be restored for all.

The Disastrous, Secret, New Trade Deal - Join New Movement for NO GMOS!

The TPP, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is being drafted with the help of 600 multinationals and with no input from consumers, farmers, or even Congress! Obama is trying to fast track it so there will be little or no debate. First personhood,and now nationhood for corporations! This would give them the ability to sue nations for anticipated loss of profits. For instance, if a country rejects genetically modified seeds, Monsanto could sue and overturn that country's ban on them.

It also "harmonizes" food safety standards that countries set, which is a pretty way to describe an ugly truth. If one country allows more e-coli to be present in meat, then all who sign this treaty will have to lower their standards and allow imports of the tainted meat, or risk being sued. This is so outrageous. Please take action- http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8036&track=FB&tag=FB

From Roots Action-
The U.S. government is secretly negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with Pacific nations. Here are a few highlights of what whistle blowers have revealed is in the treaty:

Corporate nationhood. The TPP will empower corporations to take real nations (including the U.S.) to court and overturn their laws.
Job offshoring. The TPP will create incentives for more exporting of jobs.
Damage to food safety.
Damage to environmental protections.
Enrichment of drug companies at the expense of human health.
Banning some generic drugs.
Further deregulating banks.[3] (Read that one twice if you have to! We're not making this up!)
Forbidding the breaking up of too-big-to-fail financial firms, making them legally too big to fail.
Censoring the internet by effectively creating SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) despite its failure in Congress as a result of strong public opposition.

Here is what Organic Consumers has to say about it- "Consumer Alert: Secret Trade Agreements Threaten Food Safety, Subvert Democracy"

And here is an OP-Ed in the NY Times- "Obama's Covert Trade Deal" 

Say NO to this plutocratic give-away!
http://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=8036&track=FB&tag=FB




Here in New Paltz, NY we were proud to be a part of the global March against Monsanto on May 25 to say NO to the genetic modification of our food supply.

The rest of the world woke up on this before we did. Sixty four countries already demand the labeling of GMOs and many ban them outright. But the US is catching up. After all, it was Tami Monroe Canal, of Rancho Cucomonga, CA, a stay-at-home mom and first time activist who organized the global march! She thought 3,000 participating would be a victory- she got two million! Like other moms and dads and concerned citizens across our country, she wants safe, non-toxic food and clean air and water for her family. On Maslow's hierarchy of needs- we are talking the most basic. That is why we cannot allow profits to be more important than the health of the people and the planet.

There has only been one study on how GMOs effect humans. Even though it was short-term, it showed that the new protein produced by RoundUp Ready GM soy transfers to gut bacteria and continues to function in our bodies- no follow-up studies were done. Some animal feeding studies show sterility by the third generation. Many more prove organ damage, immune dysregulation, infertility, increased mortality and many other problems. Yet, all the media does is to parrot Monsanto's claims that their products are "substantially equivalent" to other natural foods. This is why Monsanto says no human clinical trials are necessary. On their webpage they also explain that forcing DNA from an unrelated species into another is safe because "all plants have DNA" - never mind that they have changed the genetic structure of the plant permanently and in a way never found in nature in billions of years of evolution- Monsanto says "Trust us. It is safe." Reminder- they told us PCBs, DDT, Bovine Growth Hormone, Aspartame and RoundUp were safe too.

Please visit us on our new page- Hudson Valley for No GMOs and be a part of this new grassroots group born out of the March against Monsanto! Join us on Facebook at GMO? OMG! Hudson Valley for No GMOs. You don't have to be a Hudson Valley resident to benefit from the information and sharing there. If you want to be on a list for future events and to stay more involved write to hvnogmos@gmail.com.

The tide is turning. Here are "Six Recent Events that Show Beginning of the End for Monsanto". And we can add to that Maine's House of Representatives just voted overwhelmingly to label GMOs. Momentum and truth are on our side- together we can prevail.

Criminal Congress, Toxic Water, Single Payer and March against Monsanto!

                                                                                 Photo: Occupy Wall Street

Bought and Captured Congress
Congress is at it again. This week the House voted and passed nine bills that all do the bidding of Wall Street. It will allow them to continue their reckless Wall Street gambling with derivatives and ensures that Wall Street will get another bailout if they make the economy go bust again. There were only 6 on the Financial Services Committee who dared say no to Wall St. They are:Rep Maxine Waters (@MaxineWaters) (D-CA), Rep Keith Ellison (@keithellison) (D-MN), Rep Steven Lynch (@RepStephenLynch) (D-MA), Rep Velazquez (@NydiaVelazquez) (D-NY), Rep Mike Capuano (@mikecapuano) (D-MA), and Rep Al Green (@RepAlGreen) (D-TX). Send them a tweet to thank them. Read more on the 53 who sold us out.
http://occupywallst.org/article/congress-still-corporate-still-criminal-still-capt/

Mountaintop Removal's Toxic Legacy

                                                                                                                                      Photo: Appalachia Rising

"Years of mountaintop removal coal mining have buried 2,000 miles of local streams with waste from Big Coal’s destruction — many of the streams that are left are devoid of life. Well water in the area isn’t safe either, and it’s making people sick." From Ilovemountains.org

It is heartbreaking to see whole families having to protest in front of the EPA, that has continually failed them, with samples of the dirty water that they are forced to use. Please join their fight and sign the petition to protect the drinking water of families in Appalachia from mountaintop removal pollution.

Healthcare for All
From Kathie Aberman, Sullivan Co MoveOn

From a Healthcare for All Vigil in New Paltz in 2008                       B Upton

 Speak up for New York State Health on May 21st!

New York’s cost benefit analysis on securing state sponsored, quality health insurance for all New Yorkers revealed that only a single payer system like New York Health provided both universal comprehensive healthcare and reduced healthcare spending by $20 billion annually by 2019.

New York Health would significantly reduce the cost of by eliminating the estimated 30% of costs generated by high administrative overhead, excessive executive compensation, and the profit-driven practices in the private health insurance industry. New York Health would provide high quality, comprehensive health care for all New Yorkers, with access to medical services and providers of their choice, without regard to age, income, health or employment status.

In adopting New York Health, NY would be joining with Vermont, Maryland, Oregon, Montana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and California in developing a universal health care alternative with better health coverage at significantly less cost than the one offered through recent federal legislation.

On Tuesday, May 21, we will travel to Albany to urge our legislators to support the New York Health Bill, A.5389-A(Gottfried)/S.2078-A(Perkins).

We have received a generous, anonymous donation of a bus; all we need now are the people to fill it so we can WOW!!! our legislators with our presence.  They need to know that we support this legislation and they should take it seriously.

We have to hear from you soon if you can come.  PLEASE let us know by Friday,

May 10, and tell us where you’re coming from so we can figure out the best stops. Email me at:  kmaberman@gmail.com

And PLEASE pass this on to anyone you think will support the New York Health Bill.

Thanks for reading, and I hope I hear from you,

Kathie

The Rising Tide against GMOs!

It is heartening to see that on May 25, protests are planned in nearly 300 cities in 30 countries against Monsanto and the genetic modification of our food supply.

Labeling initiatives are underway in 37 states, including New York! Please visit GMO Free NY

to contact your state assembly member and senator to ask them to co-sponsor legislation that would require labeling of GMOs.

And, best of all, sign up on FB for a Rally and March at 2PM at Peace Park in New Paltz! Organizer Beth Dulay has almost 150 already signed up! More information to come. And if you are still not quite sure why you should avoid GMOs for your health and that of your family- check this out- GMO? OMG! Ten Reasons to Never Eat GMOs

Keep faith!

Drones- A Threat to Our National Security and Civil Liberties!

 

About 40 people joined in a spirited anti-drone protest on April 13 in New Paltz, NY. It was part of a nationwide day of action called for by ANSWER- "US Drones Out of Africa, Middle East, Asia and Everywhere".  Jack Smith (pictured on the right) and Donna Goodman from the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter were the organizers.

Drones are robotic, killing machines that now make up 1/3 of US warplanes. They are terrorizing civilians and wounding and killing children and innocent people around the world. It is estimated that over 4,000 have been killed by US drones and only 2% of them have been high level terrorists. At least 180 children have been killed by our drones. Many kids in Pakistan have stopped going to school for fear of being killed by one.

"Drones have replaced Guantanamo as the recruiting tool of choice for militants."
                                      5/29/12 New York Times

They also pose a real threat to our civil liberties here at home. It is estimated that by 2020 there will be 30,000 of them flying in US airspace. Consider the Argus drone which can fly three miles up and can zoom in on a candy-bar sized object on the ground with its 368 cameras with 1.8 billion pixels! Manufacturers also boast that these drones can be weaponized to deploy tear gas, rubber bullets, tasar technology and more.

Drones represent the murder of innocents,  war without time or geographical limits, illegal targeted assassinations, a permanent war economy and the end of freedom as we have known it.

People are rising up to say NO to these weaponized, intrusive spying machines.  Charlottesville, VA was the first city to outlaw them. In Seattle, the mayor and chief of police returned their two drones to the vendor after a public outcry.

Be a part of the outcry! Join the No Drones Network and get involved with ANSWER.

This event was co-sponsored by New Paltz Women in Black, Occupy Southern Ulster, Mideast Crisis Response, Real Majority Project, Dutchess Peace, Dutchess Greens, and other groups.

photo by Donna Goodman- all others by Barbara Upton

From our No Drones Action last October

Terrorism, Heroism and the Long Suffering of War

From the Occupy Wall St Light Brigade and the Illuminator Collective

The rest of that quote from Martin Luther King is: 

"Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

Although my heart is still heavy after Monday's terrorist attack, I am drawing some hope and inspiration from the overall response from the American people and how it is different from the uber- patriotic, angry and aggressive tone after 9/11. With the exception of a handful of haters hurling anti-Muslim epithets, most are focusing on helping and honoring the victims, building community, caring for one another and helping each other to be strong and resilient. The emphasis is on healing, peace and love.

One of the Many Vigils in Boston and Around the Country       AP Julio Cortez

Alexander Brian (aka Carlos) Arredondo in his cowboy hat helping the injured

The face of caring in this tragedy is Alexander Brian (aka Carlos)  Arredondo, dubbed the Boston Cowboy. He was one of the first to leap over barricades to get to the injured and apply tourniquets from his own clothing to save lives.

Interestingly, I had written about Mr Arrendondo in 2004 because his story at that time was so dramatic and so moving.

On his 44th birthday, he saw a van of Marines pulling up to his house and thought it was a birthday surprise and that he'd soon be reunited with his son. When, instead, Carlos heard that Alexander had been killed in action in Iraq, he fell apart. He poured gasoline on himself and lit it. He suffered burns on over a quarter of his body and had to attend Alexander's funeral on a stretcher. After 10 months of recuperation, Carlos found a channel for his overwhelming grief- he began going around the country with a portable memorial to his son including a coffin covered with Alex's photos. He became a well known and respected peace activist taking the memorial to over 30 states. At an anti-war demonstration in DC he was attacked and beaten by counter-protestors, Gathering of the Eagles, but that did not stop him from raging against war and the terrible toll it takes on the troops and their families.

Mr Arrendondo traveling with the memorial to his son Alexander

It is hard to believe, but the tragedy did not end with Alexander's death. On the day the Iraq War ended, Alexander's younger brother Brian,who never got over his brother's death, killed himself. Today, Carlos says he and his wife are "broken people". He dedicates his life to honoring the memories of both of his sons. He did them proud on Monday.

I hear this story and think  about the shattered lives of the mothers, fathers, widows, widowers, the children and all who loved the 6,560 US troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. I think about the tens of thousands of veterans who suffer from PTSD, traumatic brain injury, missing limbs, and other grievous wounds and how it may affect them and their loved ones for the rest of their lives. I think of the fact that 22 veterans commit suicide everyday and am filled with sadness for all the grieving families who will never be the same. The suffering of war is long, deep and often invisible to most Americans.

After 9/11, we invaded Afghanistan and in a short time killed more civilians than died on 9/11. We also lost our moral compass and engaged in torture (on Tuesday, a report by a nonpartisan think tank said it was "indisputable" that the US tortured following 9/11 and that the highest US officials were responsible). As a member of New Paltz Women in Black, we began standing in a weekly peace vigil in November of 2001, calling for justice for the 9/11 attacks, not revenge. We have continued standing for peace every Saturday since then.

Many now see that a violent reaction to violence only breeds more violence. In Iraq, a country utterly devastated by our immoral and illegal war of choice, 60 were killed and close to 300 wounded in 30 separate bomb attacks on the same day as the Marathon bombing. Forty-five percent of Americans now say neither war was worth the terrible price paid in blood and treasure ($2 trillion and expected to rise to $4 to $6 trillion).

I hope we will have the courage this time to see where US policies result in unacceptable, civilian violence that alienates and radicalizes people in other parts of the world. Over 4,000 people (including over 160 children) have been killed by our drones; pilotless, flying, killing machines. It is estimated that only 2% of those killed were high value Al Qaeda leaders. Many children in Pakistan have stopped going to school for fear of being attacked. How would we feel if China was going after high value terrorists in this country and killed our children as they walked to school?

Honest exploration of what is being done in our name does not mean, in any way, that the people who were killed or wounded in Boston deserved what happened to them. Of course not. But, if we want a safer world, we have to draw on our greater wisdom, empathy and compassion and see the bigger picture. We need to open our eyes, get engaged and do all we can to ensure that our actions in the world bring no harm to innocents and that we hold our nation to the highest moral standards. This strengthens who we are, how we are perceived in the world and is where our true security resides.

My heart goes out to all who lost their lives, or were injured, or traumatized by the terrible attack in Boston and to their families. May the investigation uncover all those responsible and bring them to justice. May we all remember what it is that drives out hate.

Martin Richard the 8 year old killed in the Boston attack. May we honor his memory by heeding his words.

Update- Now that one suspect is dead and the other captured we find that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev "the 19-year-old suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings has told interrogators that the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan motivated him and his brother to carry out the attack."

Hundreds of thousands of people died in those wars and millions were displaced and injured.

The Boston Marathon attack happened days after an airstrike in Afghanistan killed 17 civilians, 12 of them children. It appears that the attack was carried out by a paramilitary group run by the CIA. The CIA agent who ran that group was also killed and 3 other CIA personnel were wounded. On Feb 16, a coalition airstrike killed 10 civilians, 5 of them children in the same province.

A former FBI Special Agent had this to say last month. "Iraq and other post-9 / 11 wars and war-crime abuses have only increased hatred of the United States, spawned new anti-American terrorist groups and served as a recruiting tool for existing ones. Recent polls show that more than 75 percent of Pakistanis view the United States as their enemy. Analysts estimate that during three years of drone bombing in Yemen, the Al-Qaida-inspired group there has grown from about 200 to more than 1,000."

Endless militarism kills innocents and imperils all of us.

Good News- Clean Energy, Fossil Fuel Divestment, Protests against Drones and Military Spending

The military represents 57% of all our discretionary spending!           sign by Shirley Warren, photo by B Upton

April 15 is the Global Day of Action on Military Spending

In 2011, while 21,000 children died needlessly every day from poverty, hunger and preventable disease, $1.74 trillion went to military spending worldwide. People are rising up on every continent to put an end to this immoral use of resources and the insanity of war. To find a global event near you-  http://demilitarize.org/

Look at what we spend compared to the next four biggest military spenders. There is clearly no existential threat to us from any country the way the USSR was in the Cold War. We could easily reduce spending without posing any threat to our security. Further, the Pentagon is rife with boondoggles like the F35 Joint Strike Fighter which cost US taxpayers $1.5 trillion and is still not deployed. This massive waste simply cannot be tolerated any longer.

Also, there is growing awareness that the costs of a war span generations. For instance, we spend over $40 billion a year on veterans benefits. Twenty-two billion of that is currently going to veterans from the Vietnam War and $5 billion is going, 68 years later, to families of WWII vets! Healthcare benefits for vets from Iraq and Afghanistan won't peak for another four decades. Our veterans deserve health care and all the benefits they need, but the next time cheer-leading begins for another war, we need to remember the long term costs in human suffering and in the economic devastation that war brings.  http://www.nationofchange.org/tax-day-consider-hidden-costs-war-1365608006

Guardian of the Forest                                  B Upton

More Trees in US Today than 100 Years Ago

Hard to believe, but true and encouraging. Do you see the guardian above?
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/more-trees-than-there-were-100-years-ago-its-true


Maryland Abolishes Death Penalty

Maryland became the 18th state to abolish the death penalty and six states have ended capital punishment since 2007. 

Of 300 exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing,  25% were convicted of murder. 

http://www.nationofchange.org/maryland-abolished-death-penalty-1365603116

Renewable Energy Leading in 2013

Renewable energy accounted for 82% of all new domestic electrical generating capacity so far in 2013! http://www.nationofchange.org/renewable-energy-provides-82-percent-all-new-us-electrical-generating-capacity-first-quarter-2013-13

 



Students Demand Divestment from Fossil Fuels across the Country

In just the last couple of weeks, students from American University, Brown, University of Massachusetts, University of Michigan, University of Florida, Northwestern and more, all voted overwhelmingly for their schools to divest from polluting, fossil fuel companies. Colleges and universities have over $400 billion in endowment funds to invest. 

Students, faculty and alumni are demanding that they use this financial power to responsibly invest in a way that is sustainable, socially just and in alignment with their school's values.

To invite The Responsible Endowments Coalition to your school, contact them at http://www.endowmentethics.org/resources-for-students/

Clean Energy Candidates Triumph!

2012 showed that candidates who ran on clean energy and protecting the environment defeated their dirty energy opponents. 

Voters want candidates who stand up to polluters, favor higher fuel efficiency standards and who reduce carbon pollution from power plants.

Read the full report here

Nationwide Actions to Protest Drones

Innocent children and adults are being killed by drone warfare and it is igniting hatred and a desire for revenge in many around the world. More Americans are waking up to the immorality of drones terrorizing innocent people in Pakistan and other countries and to the threat they pose to our civil liberties. No Drones Network is coordinating dozens of actions in April across the country to end drone surveillance and warfare. http://www.nationofchange.org/anti-drone-movement-takes-flight-1365609271   

ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) is calling for April 13 to be a National Day of Action to say, "U.S. Drones Out of Africa, Middle East, Asia and Here!" http://www.answercoalition.org/

If you live in the Hudson Valley, take part by attending this event in New Paltz!
 

Anti-Drone Collage                                                                              B Upton

From the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter

Saturday, April 13, NEW PALTZ: A demonstration against pilotless drone warfare abroad and intrusive domestic drone surveillance at home will take place today starting at 11 a.m. with a rally and vigil in front of the Elting Library (93 Main St.). At 12 noon the participants will march with signs and leaflets through the downtown area, returning to the library. Many will stand with signs visible to heavy weekend traffic until 1:30 p.m. The event is being organized by the Hudson Valley Activist Newsletter and is co-sponsored by New Paltz Women in Black, Occupy Southern Ulster, Middle East Crisis Response, Real Majority Project, Dutchess Peace, Dutchess Greens and other regional groups. Bring your own sign if you wish. Some signs and lots of leaflets will be available. There’s parking on Plattekill Ave., just south of main street and farther down the street at Village Hall. There will be nationwide anti-drone actions today, sponsored by the ANSWER Coalition. The largest will take place in Washington, with a White House rally and march. Information, jacdon@earthlink.net, http://activistnewsletter.blogspot.com/

SUNY Defend Women's Rights! Video, Jon Stewart on Monsanto

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