Merry Christmas

U.N. Declaration of Human Rights Turns 60

Today is the 60th anniversary of the United Nation's "Declaration of Human Rights." This is one of the great documents of the twentieth century. And, following the Bush administration's disdain for basic human rights and dignity it would be wise for all of us to remind ourselves of this document and the principles it sets forth. If you have never read the DOHR, please take this opportunity to do so... and spread the word!

Curtis Mayfield, "People Get Ready"

Curtis Mayfield is one of my absolute favorite musicians... soulful, spiritual, funky and conscious as hell! Here he is performing "People Get Ready." Dig it!

Costs of War

I found this little piece of video over at the Nebraskans for Peace website. Please take 1 minute and 30 seconds to watch:

John Legend, "Pride (In the Name of Love)"

Here is John Legend singing a new version of U2's classic song, "Pride (In the Name of Love)," which is about MLK. The song is featured in a new documentary on King to be aired on the History Channel.

(NOTE: Unfortunately, you need to endure a U.S. Air Force ad before the song. Sorry about that. It is supremely ironic on a story about King's life and legacy since he was an ardent critic of militarism. But, alas, to post the song, the ad comes along with it...)

The Peace Sign Turns 50!

It is supremely fitting in some kind of cosmically ironic way, that the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination is also the 50th anniversary of the peace sign. King was one of the greatest advocates for peace, love and justice of the 20th century and the peace sign is the greatest symbol of peace over the last half century!

Seriosuly, I hope you will take some time today to reflect on the peace sign and on peace, in general. Our world is in so much despair. As Dr. King said,

“We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not yet learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”

How might each of us play a part in creating a more peaceful planet? What might each of us do differently in our lives to help foster a more peaceful and just way of being?

Please, put down your iPod, your laptop, your cellphone, your PDA, and whatever other technology dominates your life, and think about it...

To help you along, here are a few timely resources:

Here is what the Washington Post wrote about the peace sign today. A choice quote:

Unveiled at a British ban-the-bomb rally on April 4, 1958, the peace symbol's peak of potency was in the 1960s, when it was the emblem of the anti-Vietnam War movement and all things groovily counterculture. (Said its late creator, British graphic designer Gerald Holtom: "I drew myself . . . a man in despair . . . put a circle around it to represent the world.") The symbol has marched in service of many causes over the years: civil rights, women's rights, environmentalism, gay rights, anti-apartheid, the nuclear-freeze movement and the latter-day antiwar crowd.

This website is dedicated entirely to the peace sign's 50th b-day!

Or, here are some crazy Euros creating a human peace sign:


And, of course, this anniversary would not be complete without a rendention of "Give Peace a Chance" by John Lennon, this one from Toronto in 1969:

The Winter Soldier Investigation (1971 and 2008)

Beginning today and lasting through the weekend in Silver Spring, Maryland, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are gathering to publicly discuss their experiences in war and to expose the darker side of the U.S.'s recent military efforts. The event is sponsored by Iraq Veterans Against the War and patterned after the original Winter Soldier Investigation, which took place in Detroit in 1971. Pacifica Radio will suspend regular programming for the entire three days to broadcast the hearings. To listen live via the web, click here. To watch live video, click here.

What was the original Winter Soldier Investigation...?

In 1971, members of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War gathered in Detroit to hold public hearings about the atrocities and brutality committed by U.S. troops in Southeast Asia. The event was an attempt to get out to the media what these soldiers believed was the truth of their experience in Vietnam in an effort to bring the war to an end. Discharged servicemen from each branch of military service, as well as civilian contractors, medical personnel and academics, all gave testimony about war crimes they had committed or witnessed during the years of 1963-1970. The purpose of the Winter Soldier Investigation was to prove that incidents like the My Lai massacre were not isolated and rare occurrences, as many government and military officials claimed, but were instead the frequent and predictable result of official American war policy. As one soldier stated, "We gathered not to sensationalize our service but to decry the travesty that was Lt. William Calley's trial for the My Lai Massacre. The U.S. had established the principle of culpability with the Nuremberg trials of the Nazis. Following those principles, we held that if Calley were responsible, so were his superiors up the chain of command — even to the president. The causes of My Lai and the brutality of the Vietnam War were rooted in the policies of our government as executed by our military commanders."

In the end, 109 vets gave testimony and more than 700 others attended. Here are a few brief excerpts:

• Stephen Craig: "...My testimony covers the maltreatment of prisoners, the suspects actually, and a convoy running down an old woman with no reason at all..."

• Rusty Sachs: "...my testimony concerns the leveling of villages for no valid reason, throwing Viet Cong suspects from the aircraft after binding them and gagging them with copper wire..."

• Scott Camil: "...My testimony involves burning of villages with civilians in them, the cutting off of ears, cutting off of heads, torturing of prisoners, calling in of artillery on villages for games, corpsmen killing wounded prisoners..."

• Kenneth Campbell: "...My testimony will consist of eyewitnessing and participating in the calling in of artillery on undefended villages, mutilation of bodies, killing of civilians, mistreatment of civilians..."

• Fred Nienke: "...My testimony includes killing of non-combatants, destruction of Vietnamese property and livestock, use of chemical agents and the use of torture in interpreting prisoners..."

Sadly, with the exception of Pacifica, the mainstream media outside of Detroit refused to cover this courageous event. There were camera crews in attendance, though, and a documentary of the proceedings was released in 1972 and recently rereleased on DVD. Ultimately, the full testimony was read into the Congressional record.

Go to the following YouTube playlist to watch the original Winter Soldier documentary, broken into nine parts, each running ten minutes, except the last part, which runs only 5+ minutes. I hope you will take some time to watch part or all of this historic and important documentary. I also hope you will seek out information on the new Winter Soldier investigation taking place this weekend...

Winter Soldier documentary

UPDATE: This all on the day after Gen. David Petreaus admitted, "Iraqi leaders have failed to take advantage of a reduction in violence to make adequate progress toward resolving their political differences, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said Thursday." Did you hear that? Petraeus, who is preparing to testify to Congress next month on the Iraq war, said in an interview that "no one" in the U.S. and Iraqi governments "feels that there has been sufficient progress by any means in the area of national reconciliation," or in the provision of basic public services.

"Let Me Be Clear... Do Not Be Confused"

This is a nice clip of Obama today in Wyoming addressing comments made by his former foreign policy aide, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Samantha Power, and distortions of those comments by Hillary Clinton. It is pretty powerful. Check it out and spread the word...

"We Must Name the System"

Paul Potter, former President of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), originally delivered this renowned speech at the April 17, 1965 March on Washington. Potter offers an insightful critique of our government’s use of the rhetoric of freedom to justify war, and calls for citizens of the United States to create a massive social movement to build a “democratic and humane society in which Vietnams are unthinkable.” Needless to say, it remains relevant today...

This reenactment is a part of the very cool The Port Huron Project, which stages reenactments of protest speeches from the New Left movements of the 1960s and '70s. Each event takes place at the site of the original speech, and is delivered by a performer to an audience of invited guests and passers-by. Videos, audio recordings, and photographs of these performances are presented in various venues and distributed online and on DVD as open-source media.

Check it out (it is well worth it) and spread the word...

Historical Cost of Wars

HISTORICAL COSTS OF U.S. WARS (In 2007 Dollars)

World War II: $3.2 trillion
Iraq and Afghanistan To Date: $695.7 billion
Vietnam War: $670 billion
World War I: $364 billion
Korean War: $295 billion
Persian Gulf War: $94 billion
Civil War (both Union and Confederate costs): $81 billion
Spanish-American War: $7 billion
American Revolution: $4 billion
Mexican War: $2 billion
War of 1812: $1 billion

Source: Congressional Research Service and Office of Management and Budget data.

Some are already estimating that the true cost of Iraq and Afghanistan will be in the neighborhood of $2-3 trillion when all is said and done... uh, that is if it ever, in fact, gets DONE. Geesh!

How much health care could be provided with that money? How many schools could that build? How many scholarships could it provide? How much innovative environmental research could it seed? How many job training programs could it establish? How many affordable housing units could it generate? How many bridges and roads could that fix? How many community arts grants could it fund? How many daycare centers could that support?

Brian DePalma's "Redacted" (on DVD Feb. 19)

See what they don't want you to see.

"An amazingly vigourous work" - TIME

A fictional story inspired by true events, REDACTED is a unique cinematic experience that will force viewers to radically reconsider the filters through which we see and accept events in our world, the power of the mediated image and how presentation and composition influence our ideas and beliefs.

Official Redacted Website

A Holiday Reminder...

For the full story of how this peace slogan and design was created back in 1967, click here: origin story

Graphic Resistance

Strawberry Fields Forever

This is one of my very favorite Beatles tunes. Always makes me feel a wispy kind of positivity about the universe. Perfect for a contemplative Sunday morning.

The Beatles classic version:


Ben Harper cover on Jay Leno:

A New War Strategy?

Perhaps the folks from the Sixties have something to teach us, after all...?

Thich Nhat Hanh - "Peace is Every Step"

Thich Nhat Hanh is an amazing buddhist monk from Vietnam. He came to prominence during the Vietnam war and has played a central role in bringing buddhist teachings to the West. Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the great global peace activists of the last 30-40 years. In fact, Martin Luther King, Jr., nominated him for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Below is the trailer for a new documentary on this profound man and his vision for a more humane way of being...

We could all use more of his compassion and love.

If you enjoyed this trailer, here is the entire documentary (52 minutes)

If you'd like to read one of Thich Nhat Hanh's books, you might consider starting with the one that shares the name of this documentary, "Peace Is Every Step."

Namaste!

☮ Demonstrating for Peace in Lincoln ☮

About 200 people came out this morning for a peace march and demonstration in the mall by the state capitol. It was a tough sell today, in part, because the Husker football team is playing #1 ranked USC tonight. Thousands of people have poured into our city to be a part of the "game of the week." Will Ferrell, Keanu Reeves, Rush Limbaugh and Larry the Cable Guy are all in the house to see the game. As we walked through the city with our banners and signs, chanting slogans of peace and justice, one football fan, decked out in red from head to toe shouted, "This is a football day. Nobody cares about that stuff." Sadly, that about sums it up...




Here are some shots I took (click any photo to enlarge):

A Day of Peace and Protest

Today is a national day of peace and protest across the U.S. In places big and small, from Washington, D.C., to Lincoln, Nebraska, ordinary citizens will be taking part in a series of demonstrations to lift their voices in support of an end to the Iraq War. I hope you will take some time today to make a stand for peace and justice.

Attack on Alex Svoboda!

Recently, a young woman from Lincoln, Alexandra Svoboda, was brutally attacked by police in Rhode Island during a peaceful workers rights demonstration. The photos of Alex, who is a member of Nebraskans for Peace, are horrific (see below image and/or press the link to other photos). Her leg is pointed in a very wrong direction from her knee. She has had three vascular surgeries to save her leg and has a number of upcoming procedures yet to go. She is also facing a number of serious legal charges. Please read on to find out more details and how you can support Alex.

PLEASE HELP. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD...

Here is a letter her dad sent out:

Our daughter, Alexandra Svoboda — who is a member of Nebraskans for Peace, has been is a step-down ward from Intensive Care in Rhode Island Hospital for over a week now. She was injured when three policemen “arrested” her in North Providence, RI during a peaceful demonstration for worker’s rights. (see attached articles). Alexandra has undergone three vascular surgeries on her left left; has an external fixator from her lower tibia to her pelvis; a detached left fibula and torn ACL/PCL/MCL ligaments in her left knee. We’ve yet to start on the orthopaedic reconstruction of her knee and fibula.

Alexandra, 22, was charged initially with three felony assault charges (on officers), one disturbing the peace and one charge of resisting arrest. (North Providence is a separate township than Providence). The charges are bogus and my wife, Jan Enstrom and I have retained excellent legal council for Alex. Our main goal is a healthy recovery and as for the court. We will not settle for anything less than all charges being dropped or acquittal.

The main pt is that Alexandra is a peaceful and sensitive young lady who would never “attack” any officer and eyewitness and photos back this up. Note: We have and have had federal, state and county law officers in our family and Alex would NEVER attack an officer. Period. You, who are parents, already have that protective instinct and when something like this happens, it raises everything to a new level of support and protection. I pray that you never receive a phone call at 6am from your child, half-in tears and drugged, explaining that she is in the hospital with a broken leg and had surgery the night before. You never expect it and, trust me, it’s not a good way to start the day.
We are dealing with some VERY serious (and bogus) charges and we are resolved to get a very good criminal law attorney and have the charges dismissed or acquitted in a court of law. The photos are below are gruesome. The police action, even more so.

I’m not pleased with the LJS’s coverage as it’s incomplete and dated and slanted to show (in my opinion) to favor the police/mayor of N.Providence.

I want to make sure that as many voices are heard in RI from NE as possible. For that matter, Nebraskans need to hear about this and I am NOT happy with the lackluster coverage that the LJS has provided thus far. Compare the two articles. “Google” my daughter’s name. There’s ample info out there and growing. WE NEED HELP IN SENDING A MESSAGE TO THE RI GOVERNOR and Attn General for a full, thorough and independent investigation.

Every letter and email will help, whether to the Lincoln Journal Star, Providence Journal or officials listed below. We need your help.

Scott Svoboda

Support Alex Svoboda website

Collection of Photos (WARNING: Some of these images are gruesome)

Recent Lincoln Journal Star article that does not do justice to the grave nature of Alex’s injuries — or even accurately reflect the information in the local Rhode Island paper!

North Providence, Rhode Island news story

A bank account to help with Alex's medical expenses has been set up at the following address, if you'd like to contribute:

Alexandra Svoboda Fund
c/o Citizens Bank
120 Waterman Street RI-018
Providence, RI 02906

Please write letters of concern to the following:

Governor:
Donald L. Carcieri
Office of the Governor
State House
Room 115
Providence, RI 02903
Telephone: 401 222 2080
Fax: 401 222 8096

North Providence Mayor:
Charles A. Lombardi
North Providence Town Hall
2000 Smith Street
North Providence, RI 02911
Telephone: (401) 232-0900, ext. 226
Fax: (401) 232-3434

State Attorney General:
Patrick Lynch
150 South Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
Phone: 800 852 7776

Police Chief:
Ernest C. Spaziano
North Providence Police Department
1967 Mineral Spring Ave.
North Providence, R.I. 02904
Business line: 401-233-1433
Fax number: 401-233-1438

Op-Ed: "The War As We Saw It"

A dissenting op-ed, written by several infantrymen and non-commissioned officers in the 82nd Airborne Division, appeared in the NYTimes yesterday (Sunday). It is extremely unusual for servicemen to write an opinion piece like this. The article takes dead aim at the increasingly rosy proclamations about Iraq emanating from the White House in recent weeks as we lead up to the September briefing by Petraus. In short, the authors argue, "To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched."

Here is a more extensive excerpt:

As responsible infantrymen and noncommissioned officers with the 82nd Airborne Division soon heading back home, we are skeptical of recent press coverage portraying the conflict as increasingly manageable and feel it has neglected the mounting civil, political and social unrest we see every day. (Obviously, these are our personal views and should not be seen as official within our chain of command.)...

In short, we operate in a bewildering context of determined enemies and questionable allies, one where the balance of forces on the ground remains entirely unclear. (In the course of writing this article, this fact became all too clear: one of us, Staff Sergeant Murphy, an Army Ranger and reconnaissance team leader, was shot in the head during a "time-sensitive target acquisition mission" on Aug. 12; he is expected to survive and is being flown to a military hospital in the United States.) While we have the will and the resources to fight in this context, we are effectively hamstrung because realities on the ground require measures we will always refuse — namely, the widespread use of lethal and brutal force....

Political reconciliation in Iraq will occur, but not at our insistence or in ways that meet our benchmarks. It will happen on Iraqi terms when the reality on the battlefield is congruent with that in the political sphere. There will be no magnanimous solutions that please every party the way we expect, and there will be winners and losers. The choice we have left is to decide which side we will take. Trying to please every party in the conflict — as we do now — will only ensure we are hated by all in the long run....

In the end, we need to recognize that our presence may have released Iraqis from the grip of a tyrant, but that it has also robbed them of their self-respect. They will soon realize that the best way to regain dignity is to call us what we are — an army of occupation — and force our withdrawal.

Add these gentlemen's names to the now long list of military people, from generals on down the line to enlisted men and women, who have harshly criticized the Bush Administration's execution of the war in Iraq and who see a bleak future ahead if we do not significantly alter our course. Who do you believe, the military people who are actually fighting and dying, or the neo-cons pushing the same old line from their comfortable armchairs along the sidelines?

For the full essay, see:
"The War As We Saw It"