Peace and War

The arguments made to “legalize” war, torture, warrantless spying, and other crimes by John Yoo and Jay Bybee and their gang are looking rational, well-reasoned, and impeccably researched in comparison with Obama’s latest “legalization” of the Libya War.

Here’s the key section from Wednesday’s report to Congress:

“Given the important U.S. interests served by U.S. military operations in Libya and the limited nature, scope and duration of the anticipated read more

When a national television program this week needed to find a spokesperson for the right of presidents to launch wars without congressional authorization, it turned — to the great shame of us University of Virginia alumni — to Robert Turner. He is the co-founder of the University of Virginia’s Center for National Security Law.

Turner worked as an attorney in the Reagan White House and behaves accordingly. His center is directed by John Norton Moore who unsuccessfully defended read more

Here’s a great sample of speeches from one of the best conferences I’ve ever attended: 

Over 300 attended the highly successful conference on ten years of the Afghanistan war, to hear speakers from abroad, including Arab Spring activists, students, artists, military family members, historians, and members of Parliament. Below are speeches given to the conference by Jemima Khan, Tariq Ali, George Galloway, Tony Benn, Jane Shallice, David Swanson, John Hillary read more

From Between the Lines

 RealAudio  MP3

Interview with David Swanson, co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org, conducted by Scott Harris

When President Obama announced his decision to deploy 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan in December 2009, he also pledged to begin a withdrawal of those troops beginning in July 2011. The promise to wind down the war in Afghanistan was politically necessary, with a growing number of U.S. citizens no longer supportive of a war that will be entering read more

The Pentagon Washington Post has yet to mention Section 1034 of the Defense Authorization Act of 2012, but you can expect it — if it passes the Senate — to show up in many a future editorial, as it will give presidents the “legal” (although unconstitutional) power to launch and continue wars, something the Washington Post adores.  A Post editorial on Monday demanded that no withdrawal of troops be made from Afghanistan.  Never mind these promises:

“After read more

If it won’t play here it will here.

LONDON — Before long public pressure might just lead Britain to drop out of participation in US wars, a move that would seriously damage future pretenses of acting as an international coalition.

I’ve spent the past few days here in London talking with leaders of the Stop the War Coalition, sitting in on a weekly planning meeting, and attending a day-long conference on building opposition to the Afghanistan and Libya wars. This movement is strong, smart, well-organized, and eager to read more

Remarks from a session at the Stop the War Coalition’s June 11, 2011, conference in London on “Afghanistan and the War on Terror: 10 Years On.”

I want to thank the Stop the War Coalition and Lindsey German in particular for having invited me here. And it is an honor to speak together with Steve Bell and Kevin Ovenden, and I’m sorry Joe Glenton was unable to be here. Kevin and I will be on “The Real Deal” with George Galloway tomorrow, so please watch.

Afghanistan read more

Remarks from a plenary at the Stop the War Coalition’s June 11, 2011, conference in London on “Afghanistan and the War on Terror: 10 Years On.”

I want to thank the Stop the War Coalition and Lindsey German in particular for having invited me here, and for having invited me to a similar conference five years ago. Maybe in 2016 we can meet under better circumstances. I’m especially glad to have come back to Europe because George W. Bush can no longer do so. He recently read more

By David Swanson

Opening Remarks at a Dialogue With Islam.

I want to thank Shahinoor Ali and http://dialoguewithislam.org for inviting me and I’m honored to speak together with Dr. Azzam Tamami.

I don’t know about the West, but I have some thoughts on the United States. I recently flew from California to Washington, D.C., and when the plane landed, the pilot came on the intercom to tell everyone to celebrate: our government had killed Osama bin Laden. This was better than winning the read more

Speaker of the House John Boehner is expected to bring to a vote on Friday a remarkable resolution called H. Res. 292. This document restores a damaged U.S. Constitution to its full glory in much the way that a spray-on sunless tanning product could restore a collaterally damaged victim who had been liberated by white phosphorous.

Boehner has delayed a vote on a straightforward resolution (H.C.R. 51) that would end U.S. war in Libya. Here’s the full text:

“Pursuant to section 5(c) read more

If the U.S. Constitution says one thing, a treaty ratified by the United States says another, a law passed by Congress yet another, and another law passed by Congress another thing still, while a signing statement radically changes that last law but itself differs with an executive order, all of which statements of law conflict with a number of memos drafted by the Office of Legal Council (some secret and some leaked), but a President has announced that the law is something completely different read more

Memorial Day is nice, I suppose. Veterans Day is all right. Patriots Day can be fun. Yellow Ribbon Day’s not bad. But you will be pleased to hear that on Thursday the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously voted, in pure bipartisan harmony, to add the following gem to the big war-funding, war-expanding, bill that now goes to the Senate:

“The President shall designate a day entitled a National Day of Honor to celebrate members of the Armed Forces who are returning from deployment read more