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Segment 1 David Swanson, author Daybreak
Segment 2 Pastor Susan Smith, author Crazy Faith
Segments 3 and 4 Joe Madison, XM
Audio: David Swanson on Iraq and Afghanistan with Keith Murphy on the Urban Journal Read More »
For today’s five dollar friday I’ve given $5 to http://www.thiscantbehappening.net
This site has been expanded from Dave Lindorff’s unequaled blog to a news and blog site with four contributors: Lindorff, Charles Young, John Grant, and Linn Washington. And their writing is phenomenal.
Five Dollar Friday: This Can't Be Happening Read More »
By David Swanson
The peace movement, and the progressive blogosphere, can be very unpeaceful places, and it seems like I’ve spent the past day or two arguing with more people than I’ve communicated with pleasantly. This is not totally new, of course, but in this case I deserve a good share of the blame for it, so there may be an opportunity to learn a lesson.
The first thing I did was use a reckless headline. I titled an article “Obama Scraps Iraq Withdrawal.” Maybe I
Withdrawing Withdrawal Comment, and the Unpeaceful Peace Movement Read More »
By David Swanson
So, we elected a president who promised a withdrawal from Iraq that he, or the generals who tell him what to do, is now further delaying. And, of course, the timetable he’s now delaying was already a far cry from what he had promised as a candidate.
What are we to think? That may be sad news, but what could we have done differently? Surely it would have been worse to elect a president who did not promise to withdraw, right?
But there’s a broader framework for this
Obama Scraps Iraq Withdrawal Read More »
By David Swanson
Three of us constituents of Congressman Tom Perriello (D., Va.) talked with him for about 45 minutes on Tuesday, asking him to commit to voting against $33 billion to escalate war in Afghanistan. The congressman was polite, intelligent, and knowledgeable. He didn’t rant about evil Muslims or Mexicans or anything his predecessor might have done. He even agreed with us on many of the downsides to dumping another $33 billion into escalating a war opposed by a majority of
Rep. Perriello: I May or May Not Vote for $33 B War Escalation Read More »
Afghan Escalation Funding
More War, Fewer Jobs, Poor Excuses
By David Swanson, TomDispatch.com
Isn’t it time to call what Congress will soon vote on by its right name: war escalation funding?
Early in 2009, President Barack Obama escalated the war in Afghanistan with 21,000 “combat” troops, 13,000 “support” troops, and at least 5,000
Did You Say $33 Billion? Read More »
By David Swanson
Chris Hedges is one of the best, one of the most morally useful, writers we have. He’s free of loyalty to political party or dogma. He knows war first hand and describes it without flinching. He’s an almost ideal gadfly to our corporatocracy. But he has a hangup on religion that holds him back.
Hedges will tell you that he has no use for fantasies about life after death. He’ll profess no interest in gods or prayer or a divine plan or anything of the sort.
Chris Hedges' Hangup on Religion Read More »
By David Swanson
Tad Daley writes, in his new book, “Apocalypse Never: Forging the Path to a Nuclear Weapon-Free World,” that he would like his book to have the impact of “Common Sense,” “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” or “The Jungle.” Yeah, buddy, what author wouldn’t? But Daley has a unique argument for the moral necessity of sharing his goal and promoting either his book or others like it: our only alternative is the annihilation of all life on
Apocalypse Never: Read This Book or Die Read More »
I realize it’s not quite Friday yet, but I went ahead and gave my $5 Fridays five dollars to Woodstock International. Why? For producing the best newspaper I’ve seen in . . . well, ever.
Jumping the Peace Sign on $5 Friday and Giving to Woodstock International Read More »
Congressman David Obey
2314 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-4907
(202) 225-3365
Dear Congressman Obey,
In recent years you’ve expressed your opposition to war spending. I’d like to encourage you to cap off your congressional career by actually refusing to provide the funding for the current escalation in Afghanistan, and by simultaneously introducing a bill to spend $33 billion on green energy jobs, including for former soldiers.
You know better than I do that the
Dear Congressman Obey, Don't Leave Us the Bill Read More »
David Swanson talked about the upcoming congressional vote to increase troops and funding to Afghanistan.
From CvillePodcast.com
Audio: David Swanson and Coy Barefoot on $33 Billion to Escalate Afghan War Read More »
By David Swanson
North Carolina house candidate Marcus Brandon defeated a 30-year incumbent tonight, by 60% to 40%, to become the Democratic nominee in an overwhelmingly Democratic district in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Brandon has pledged to introduce a bill to create single-payer healthcare in North Carolina, and now he’ll be able to do it.
Brandon has promised that the first piece of legislation he will introduce will be the “North Carolina Healthcare Act” which will provide
Single-Payer Candidate Wins NC Primary Read More »
By David Swanson
Corporate persons aren’t like you and I. They have eternal life and legal immunity. No death, no taxes, no joy or pain or moral feeling. No sweat and no tears. When they move their mouths, out come dollars, and we call those dollars speech. But when they stub their toe and bleed, out comes thick black goo in a gusher that could turn the ocean into a dead black pit, and we call that goo petroleum.
Candidate Obama said he would free us from “the tyranny of oil.”
Gooey Black Corporate Greed Read More »
By David Swanson
If you were to call your congress member’s office at 202-224-3121 and ask them to vote against spending $33 billion to escalate the war in Afghanistan, they would give you one of several common excuses.
If they refuse to tell you what they plan to do, you can let them know that they work for you and that you are going to vote against them in November unless they commit to opposing the funding of this escalation now. Sure, their opponent could be worse, but not much,
33 Billion Dishonest Excuses for War Read More »
Wall Street’s gone wild and Congress seems disinclined to rein it in. The Justice Department may stray slightly from the president’s goal of “looking forward, not backward.” But there’s a weakness in the master plan for Goldman Sachs’ domination of the world: Wall Street is in New York State, and the leading candidate for New York State Attorney General is Elizabeth Holtzman.
If Liz runs on a campaign to clean up Wall Street, regulate it, and deter crimes by
Liz Holtzman for New York Attorney General (And Watch Out Wall Street) Read More »
By David Swanson
Is it that you don’t know what war costs, or that you don’t know that it makes us less safe?
We’ve spent $268 billion on making war on Afghanistan, and using Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz’ analysis of Iraq we need to multiply that by four or five to get a realistic cost including debt, veterans care, energy prices, and lost opportunities. Public investment in most other industries or in tax cuts produces more jobs than investment in military. In fact,
Dear Fiscal Conservative War Supporter Read More »
Josh Stieber described his experience in war of being trained and ordered to do evil things, and having religious authorities advise him to just trust the military. Ray McGovern asked him to speak more about this, and Chris Hedges and David Swanson offered their thoughts as well. This was during a Thursday, April 29, 2010, “Teach-In on Capitol Hill,” held in Room 2168 of the Rayburn House Building, in Washington, D.C., dealing with the question of what the U.S. Congress must do to
Panelists on Peace Asked About Religious Support for War Read More »
