Author name: davidswanson

A Veteran's Declaration of Independence for July 4, 2008

By David Swanson

The Declaration of Independence is frequently cited but rarely read, and even more rarely updated. Remarkably, it needs very little updating to apply to the latest King George III. A couple of years ago, in preparation for July 4th events, Veterans for Peace (VFP) came up with the Declaration of Impeachment, which changes very few words from the original Declaration of Independence: http://afterdowningstreet.org/declarationofimpeachment

Now they’ve come up with a new Declaration read more

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Gee That's a Funny GI Bill

By David Swanson

Something called the “GI Bill” passed both houses of Congress with large majorities in recent weeks. It really would provide educational benefits to veterans, but it’s not a bill. It’s an amendment. It could be introduced as a bill, pass again with large majorities, and probably even override a veto. Or it could die from repeated vetoes after being passed repeatedly, a goal the Democrats have treated as their ideal dream outcome for all sorts of other read more

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Peace and Impeachment in Milwaukee on June 19th

Peace, Impeachment and Election Day: Which Comes First?

A leading national activist for peace and impeachment, David Swanson, will speak on “Peace, Impeachment & Election Day: Which Comes First?” in a Milwaukee appearance on Thursday, June 19.

Swanson will speak at 7 p.m. in Cudahy Hall, 1313 W. Wisconsin Ave., on the Marquette University campus. His talk is sponsored by the Iraq Moratorium, Peace Action-Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Impeachment Committee, and the Marquette University Center read more

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Goodnight Bush

By David Swanson

Goodnight room.

Goodnight refinery plume.

If you’ve ever been a child or a parent you’ve probably read a book called “Goodnight Moon.” I’ve just read a new parody version called “Goodnight Bush.” It’s wonderfully done, with endless bizarre and troubling and humourous details to spot on every page. It’s also an excellent example of a weird and disturbing phenomenon. While there is no serious massive civil disobedience in Washington read more

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How to Make a Citizen's Arrest of a War Criminal

1. Don’t announce that you’re coming, because the war criminal will escape.

2. Pick your war criminal. Here are their names, where to find them, and some of the charges against them.

Note: War Criminals travel frequently. Watch http://convictbushcheney.org for notice of when they’ll be appearing publicly near you. Below are their home locations.

CALIFORNIA

John Yoo: Professor of Law at Boalt Hall School of Law in Berkeley, California, (but a lawyer with the Pennsylvania read more

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Speak With Helena Cobban

By David Swanson

One of the best outlines I’ve seen of a post-Bush-Cheney foreign policy that makes sense and could make us all more safe, more free, and more prosperous can be found in a short new book called “Re-Engage: America and the World After Bush,” by Helena Cobban. Like Thomas Jefferson and most people with useful ideas for the world, Cobban lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, where we work together on the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice. She also writes read more

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In WHICH Times?

By David Swanson

An In These Times article by David Sirota gets the peace movement dramatically wrong. Sirota addresses the real peace movement, the organizers working for peace in every way they can, in his opening lines, just clearing his throat really, and dismisses everyone involved as creating a fringe image because not all participants brings the same signs and posters to marches. Sirota doesn’t talk to anyone involved, and gets his take on the peace movement from the corporate media. read more

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State and Local Prosecutors Can Take Down Bush

By David Swanson

Former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi’s new book “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder” is not just a particularly good addition to the ten-foot high stack of rants against Bush’s crimes and abuses of power. It’s also an argument that state and local prosecutors have the necessary jurisdiction to try Bush for murder and for conspiracy to commit murder, at least once he’s out of office.

This is not a scheme based on some harebrained theory read more

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Resistance and Revolution

By David Swanson

Remarks made on May 24, 2008, in Radford, Va., at the Building a New World Conference: http://www.wpaconference.org

Martin Luther King Jr. said:

“I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights, are considered more important than read more

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