Peace and War

By David Swanson

In 1975 Dorothy T. Samuel published “Safe Passage on City Streets,” a book that examined the state of mind and behavior of people who tended not to get attacked on city streets or tended to walk away unscathed. She found that the safest people were not those who focused on the danger, not those who walked in fear, and not those who carried weapons – which, as often as not, were turned against them. The safest people – though there was no guarantee – were people read more

By David Swanson

Have you ever heard someone try to argue that the Iraq War was a mistake but that now the proper course is to continue the mistake a bit longer or to carefully end it in a long and complicated way that could take months or years? Have you ever wondered how such a position, if examined in detail, could possibly make any sense?

Wonder no more. Such a position, in various forms, actually makes no sense. In fact, such a position requires a stunning degree of illogic.

There’s read more

By David Swanson

I just read an excellent book from http://www.endthewartour.org called “10 Excellent Reasons Not to Join the Military.” Personally I was never attracted to the military because I could never stand having anyone tell me what to do – well, and because I had parents who helped me find other options in life.

The military glorifies the giving and obeying of orders as somehow something good for its own sake, something called “discipline” or “character.” read more

Video of DontAttackIran Rally and March to Rummy’s on May 18th by Chris Belcher
PLAY.

By David Swanson

This collection of photos is the most complete we are aware of. Many of them are being made public here for the first time. Many of them are extremely gruesome. These must not be censored, because this is what a war really looks like, and that is something citizens need to see in order to cast informed ballots and lobby our representatives for or against war.

Please copy all of these images onto your own website. No need to ask permission. Please simply give credit to AfterDowningStreet.org. read more

By David Swanson, http://www.opednews.com
A new poll conducted in Pennsylvania by Zogby International and commissioned by OpEdNews.com asked some of the questions the corporate media has failed to ask. The answers are surprising. One revelation is this: the single greatest predictor of an American’s political views is whether she or he watches Fox News. READ MORE: http://tinyurl.com/sxwcz

By David Swanson

Cindy Sheehan’s interviews, essays, and speeches get better with each passing month, as her pain continues, her passion and insight grow, and the war that killed her son goes on – as the president who killed her son goes on being president. Cindy’s latest book, “Dear President Bush,” is the best of the three books by or about Cindy Sheehan that I’ve read.

“Not One More Mother’s Child” was Cindy’s first collection of essays. read more