Peace and War

The Two Biggest Public Secrets, and How Bush Just Signing Statemented Iraq

By David Swanson

As noted by the uniquely vigilant Charlie Savage in the Boston Globe, President Bush in November issued a signing statement unconstitutionally overturning 10 sections of H.R. 3222, the "Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2008." Among the little technical details Bush just erased was the requirement that he not take funds appropriated to the Pentagon for one thing and use them for something else.

So, for example, were Congress to stop passing bills to fund the read more

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Nukes' Seventh Decade

By David Swanson

Jonathan Schell’s latest book “The Seventh Decade” places our current situation in the context of the past 62 years of the nuclear age, or the past 68 years as Schell might prefer to date it. It was 68 years ago that scientists concluded a nuclear bomb was possible. Scientists and politicians immediately began trying to develop nukes out of fear that someone else would do so first. And as soon as nukes had been developed in one country, spies began passing read more

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House Dem. Talking Points on New Iraq Bill

By David Swanson

Here’s the Iraq bill the U.S. House of Representatives will vote on, on Wednesday:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/bridgebullbill.pdf

Here are the actual talking points the Democratic misleadership thinks will coat this pig with lipstick:

“Iraq Redeployment Bill

1. “Requires the redeployment of US troops from Iraq to begin within 30 days of enactment, with a target for completion of December 15, 2008;”

No, the counter-recruitment movement and the read more

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Understanding the Next War Money Vote

By David Swanson

If I were a member of Congress, I would make this pledge:

I pledge to vote No on any bill, and to vote No on bringing to the floor for a vote any bill, that includes any funding to extend the occupation of Iraq. This pledge does not prevent me from voting for funding for a withdrawal, although such funding is clearly not needed by the Pentagon. It does not prevent me from voting for funding for veterans’ services or for the reconstruction of Iraq by Iraqis, or for relief for read more

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John Bruhns: A Veteran's Story

By David Swanson

John Bruhns came back from Iraq strongly opposed to the occupation he’d been a part of, believing the Bush administration had misused his patriotism. He began speaking out, and after he won Moveon.org’s Video Vets contest he was hired as the Legislative Representative of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq (AAEI). Bruhns met with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. He spoke at events with them in the Capitol and lobbied for legislation. read more

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Jonesborough Justice

By David Swanson

Of the eleven major peace rallies organized around the country by United for Peace and Justice last Saturday the smallest and most unusual took place in Jonesborough, Tennessee. Jonesborough is a town of about 4,000 people in the northeast corner of Tennessee, within a couple of dozen miles of both Virginia and North Carolina. The people of Jonesborough can imagine the number of U.S. troops who have died in Iraq by imagining their entire local population dead.

Rallying for peace read more

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