United for Justice with Peace - United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston

Drones: the New Frontier of Warfare and Spying

ujpadmin1 — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:10:56 -0500

Start: 2012 Feb 29 - 7:00pm

Bruce Gagnon – Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Nancy Murray – American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts
Matthew Hoey – Military Space Transparency Project

How should we Respond?

U.S. use of drones for warfare and spying has become routine. The use of drones has increased dramatically under the Obama administration. Pentagon funding for drones is scheduled to increase by up to 60 percent while other programs are being cut. Drones have been used for targeted killings in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen. One in three U.S. warplanes are now drone piloted. Drones have also been used for surveillance in the U.S.

Kept under a cloak of secrecy, this new tool for international warfare and domestic surveillance, has far-reaching legal, financial and social ramifications. Learn more about this new instrument of war and plan together about how we can respond.

Why are drones the US military's weapon of choice for the future?
Are drones invulnerable to budget cuts?
Can drone warfare be conducted without the consent of Congress?
How can drones be used to spy on all Americans?
Is drone warfare legal?

Sponsors:

Women's International League for Peace and Freedom - Boston Branch (617-244-8054)

United for Justice with Peace (617-383-4857)

Saint Patrick’s Peace Parade

Pat Scanlon — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:11:04 -0500

Peoples Parade for Peace, Equality, Jobs, Social and Economic Justice

Sunday, March 18, 2012, 2pm - Broadway MBTA Station, South Boston - look for VfP Flags

Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was a man of peace. Saint Patrick’s Day should be a day to celebrate Saint Patrick and the Irish heritage of Boston and the contributions of the Irish throughout American history. In Boston the parade should be a day to celebrate the changes in our culture, the ethnic and religious diversity, all points of view and the lively politics of our great City of Boston. For on Saint Patrick’s Day we are all Irish.

Saint Patrick Day parades have been held in Boston since 1737 (unofficial parades). In 1901 Evacuation Day was declared a holiday in the City of Boston. Because of the coincidence of the proximity of the two holidays, and in order to save a little money Mayor Curley combined the celebrations and handed organization of the parade off to the Allied War Veterans Council. For the past forty years, one man, Wacko Hurley of the Allied War Veterans Council has been organizing the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade, turning what should be the celebration of Saint Patrick, the Irish heritage and history into a military parade.

In 2011, the local chapter of Veterans For Peace, the Smedley Butler Brigade submitted an application to march in the traditional Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Veterans For Peace is a national veterans organization with 130 chapters across the country. The Smedley Butler Brigade has over 200 members locally. Its members range from veterans from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf, Iraq and the Afghanistan War. All Veterans For Peace wanted to do was to march in the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and carry their flags and banners. Their application was denied by the Allied War Veterans Council. When the organizer of the parade, Phil Wuschke, was asked why their application was denied, he stated, “Because they did not want to have the word Peace associated with the word Veteran.” They were also told that they were too political, as if the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade and other activities surrounding the parade are not political.

'Starve the Beast' -- The Pentagon

mikeprokosch — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:11:12 -0500

Published on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 by OtherWords

Instead of firing teachers, closing libraries and senior centers, and cutting bus routes, let's put the Pentagon on a diet.

Some Americans want to starve our cities, close our schools, and knock away the ladder that our children are supposed to climb to economic security. Your lawmakers may be among them.

The White House plans to release its proposed 2013 budget on Feb. 13. A free-for-all will ensue, as denizens of Capitol Hill compete for the titles of Biggest-Tax-Cutter and Baddest-Program-Slasher.

To appreciate how truly loony this is, consider how much we're already hurting.

U.S. cities and towns have fired half-a-million workers since 2008, and another quarter-million municipal employees may lose their jobs by the end of this year. Venice, Florida is losing its fire marshal, deputy fire chief, and fire inspector. San Jose, California may have to shut down all its libraries and community center programs. Gardner, Massachusetts has one clerk running its municipal grounds, parks, playgrounds, cemetery, forestry, flood control, insect control, golf course, and swimming pool. Fond du Lac, Wisconsin cut city inspectors, police, and crossing guards.

Los Angeles, like hundreds of other cities, is cutting back bus service and raising fares. Lincoln, Nebraska is deciding whether to close a fire station and leave one end of town without rapid fire and medical emergency responders. Baltimore has debated closing five of its firehouses. Other cities across the country are debating similar choices in their worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

Mitt Romney and the Shame of Guantanamo

Nancy Murray — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:09:25 -0500

Originally Posted at Boston.com

It is fitting that Mitt Romney consolidated his lead to be the Republican nominee for president on the day that Guantanamo Bay marked its tenth anniversary: January 11, 2012. Back on April 21, 2006, the Massachusetts governor spent a few hours touring Guantanamo to buttress his presidential ambitions.

"Some people have said we ought to close Guantanamo. My view is we ought to double Guantanamo," he proclaimed as he hit the campaign trail. Brandishing his strong-on-national-security credentials, he declared that Guantanamo was "a symbol of American resolve."

One way of telling the story of Guantanamo is through the numbers. No amount of "tough on terrorism" posturing by Romney and other politicians can disguise the profound injustice that these numbers represent.

Maintaining Hegemony

Joseph Gerson — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:11:54 -0500

The New Left Project intereviewed Joseph Gerson on the subject of U.S. foreign and military policies, published as “Maintaining Hegemony” on the NLP and ZNET web sites. Gerson will speak on similar themes on March 13 at the Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge.

1. The Pentagon’s new Guidance, 'Sustaining US Global Leadership: priorities for 21st Century Defense states that the US will focus on “rebalanc[ing] toward the Asia-Pacific region…empahsiz[ing] our existing alliances.” What accounts for the renewed focus on the Asia-Pacific region? And what policies are likely to flow from this reorientation?

Report on the UJP Strategy Meeting: “Getting It Straight on Iraq”

dmcfarland — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:16:44 -0500

UJP devoted its Jan. 14 strategy meeting to understanding what is happening in Iraq at this important yet confusing juncture. At the time of the runup to the Iraq War starting in Summer 2002 there was a huge expansion of the national peace movement; UFPJ was organized as the umbrella coalition. On Feb. 15 2003 antiwar demonstrations were organized in New York City and in many countries, the largest global protest in history. During the course of the next several years, Iraq was the major focus of countless events organized by UJP and UFPJ nationally. Is the Iraq War truly ending?

Raed Jarrar, political analyst from Iraq, spoke and made the following points: US combat troops were withdrawn as of Dec. 31, 2011 and military bases closed. The Iraqi parliament rejected the US sponsored oil law, which would have privatized Iraqi oil and in effect turned ownership to multinational oil companies. The US plan to establish a permanent, Korea-like military presence was defeated. This is a great source of joy to the Iraqi people who successfully defended their sovereignty. However, the US maintains a policy of interference and intervention by keeping 16,000 personnel in Iraq under State Department auspices, 8000 of whom are security forces. They guard several diplomatic offices including the US embassy, the largest embassy in the world. The US still seeks control and does not treat Iraq equally as a peer. Raed emphasized the need to downsize the US presence to a normal diplomatic mission of a few dozen people.

Terry Rockefeller, Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, spoke and joined Raed in emphasizing the need for reconciliation and rebuilding relationships by helping with reconstruction and demanding appropriate compensation for the vast destruction. Attending an international conference in Erbil sponsored by the Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative, Terry was particularly concerned with the terrible health effects of the war and occupation with greatly increased cancer rates and birth defects among children as one example. The Iraqis are seeking international help as they decide how to deal with these problems. There is talk of a Baghdad social forum in 2013 which could make international connections. Repatriation of the 5 million refugees is another major issue.