[pjw] REPORT BACK: International lawlessness: Friday rally #127 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Iraq Affinity Group supporters

Last night at the Friday Rally for Peace and Justice we had eight people, 
including one new person, a second cross-over from a different weekly 
rally for Black Lives. Hooray! The signs from the BLM folks about police 
accountability and our living on stolen land got as much attention as one 
asking for people to honk for peace. So quite a lot of interest, including 
one person who went on a rant about good cops, without noting the 
misconduct that continues to persist without intervention from or anyone 
from the Bureau speaking out against it. Other people chanted in support 
of the sign.

So, what did we talk about this week?

--While the world continues to focus on Ukraine, the United States 
launched airstrikes in Syria three days in a row, in retaliation for 
strikes against US bases... which have no authorization to be in Syria.

  https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/25/politics/us-syria-airstrikes/index.html

--The US military has drawn up plans to harm fewer civilians, but it's by 
having "civilian experts" in the war room, not the obvious solution of NOT 
HAVING WARS.

  https://thehill.com/policy/3615973-pentagon-lays-out-plan-to-reduce-civilian-deaths-in-us-combat-operations/

--Protestors are now (I think) three weeks into the sit-in at Iraq's 
parliament building, staying in tents and having food provided to them as 
they hope to fix the broken political system there.

  https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/250820221

---Also in Iraq, unknown persons fire missiles at a Turkish military base 
in the north. Hmm. See my comment about the US bases in Syria and ask "why 
does Turkey have military bases in Iraq?"

  https://english.news.cn/20220825/6e48086c56da4d12a1c1ac36f5f77e9f/c.html

--More progress and stalling on the Iran nuclear deal, as Iran said both 
that it is no longer insisting that the Revolutionary Guard be dropped 
from America's terror list, but also won't accept expanding inspections.

  https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/iran-says-it-will-only-accept-inspections-agreed-2015-nuclear-deal-2022-08-24/

--At the anniversary of the attack on the Kabul airport that killed US 
military personnel and fleeing Afghans last year, the US is urging to 
block 6 of 13 Taliban leaders from traveling; others at the UN disagree.

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/8/20/divided-un-council-fails-to-approve-more-top-taliban-travel

In local news, the City Council put an agenda item on for Wednesday 
morning at the last minute using a process called "four-fifths agenda." It 
allows three particular officers, including one (James Nett) who killed a 
civilian in 2005, to retire and then be rehired again. This program means 
officers are "double dipping"-- getting their pension and a salary. 
Notably, Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty was out of town for this vote.

  https://www.portland.gov/council/documents/ordinance/passed/190977

Along the march route I noted that the UN will meet in September (usually 
the general assembly starts meeting on or around International Peace Day, 
Sept. 21), and Palestinians want to ask for statehood. The US in its great 
support for democracy said they would veto that effort.

  https://www.axios.com/2022/08/24/palestine-abbas-united-nations-membership-veto

And as we got close to the end of the march I asked the ralliers to guess 
how much it's going to cost to build two high-tech airplanes to be the new 
"Air Force One"s to carry the President around. The answer? $3.9 billion, 
while people are living in the streets and have no health care.

  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-12-newest-weapons-in-the-us-militarys-arsenal/ss-AAWmVj7?li=BBnb7Kz


The Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign turned off again outside the 
Gucci store, not long after I alerted our new participant to our theory 
about Pioneer Place Mall guards zapping the wagon when they see us roll 
by. On the other hand, at that same moment a person coming down the 
sidewalk said hello and called me by name-- it was KOIN-6TV's Ken Boddie, 
who probably hasn't seen me for 10-15 years, yet he recognized me wearing 
my face mask and everything. Still some remnants of Portland feeling like 
a small town.

So... as always if you feel up to it we hope to see you downtown one 
Friday. The humidity continues but allegedly things will be cooling down 
soon.

peace
--dan handelman
peace and justice works iraq affinity group