[pjw] REPORT BACK: War criminal confession: Friday rally #113 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Iraq Affinity Group Supporters

Thankfully dry, four of us met up at Pioneer Courthouse Square last night 
for the Friday Rally for Peace and Justice. We actually gave out a number 
of pieces of literature-- including one person who stopped me on the way 
in and another who grabbed stuff from the lit rack when I wasn't even 
looking while we marched. The newest piece of lit (which I'll send out as 
text tomorrow) is the IAG's statement on the war in Ukraine.

https://www.pjw.info/ukraine_statement0522.pdf

Lots of support once again including someone flashing a peace sign from 
the MAX as it went by. If there's so much support for peace why is our 
country constantly stoking war?

Here's some of what we talked about this week:

--Regarding George W Bush's "slip of the tongue" that I wrote about 
yesterday, his laughing about being a war criminal brought serious 
discussions about what it means.

  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/george-bushs-iraq-ukraine-gaffe-sparks-war-criminal-debate/ar-AAXsqZL

---Including from horrified military veterans r
  https://taskandpurpose.com/news/iraq-bush-joke-upsets-veterans/

By the way I thought he was giving some kind of gang sign when he said 
"Iraq... I mean Ukriane... and Iraq... 75." The 75 is him excusing his 
"mistake" (called a "Freudian confession" by some) on his age.

--The Senate passed the $40 billion mostly military aid package for 
Ukraine that was held up last week. The vote was 86-11, with only 
Republicans dissenting, meaning Wyden and Merkley both voted for it.

  https://thehill.com/news/senate/3494632-senate-passes-40-billion-ukraine-aid-package/

The three non-voting Senators were Brown (D-OH), Rosen (D-NV), Van Hollen 
(D-MD).

  https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1172/vote_117_2_00191.htm

--In terms of Sweden and Finland's quest to join NATO, did you know that 
Turkey, which opposes their membership, can veto the applications? The 
dispute has to do with the two countries' stance on the Kurdish 
independence fighters, not the threat expanding NATO poses to Russia.

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/erdogan-says-turkey-wont-pull-opposition-to-swedish-finnish-nato-bid/

--Elsewhere, the US has cleared itself of wrongdoing in the 2019 Syria 
airstrike that killed many civilians. Much like the police investigating 
themselves, this is not a surprise outcome. The military did not release 
the full report.

  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/17/us/politics/us-airstrike-civilian-deaths.html

--Israel is running simulated large scale airstrikes in Iran. Strangely, 
Vangelis, who composed the "Chariots of Fire" theme for that movie, died 
this week, and for some reason the exercise is dubbed "Chariots of Fire."

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-first-israeli-military-to-hold-drill-simulating-widescale-strike-on-iran/

--More good news from Yemen, where the first commercial flight out since 
2016 brings hope of the war's end.

  https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/first-commercial-flight-takes-off-sanaa-raising-yemen-peace-prospects-2022-05-16/

--Here in the US, the military is throwing money at people in an effort 
to boost recruitment levels, since due to minor criminal records and 
obesity only 1/4 of young people even qualify any more.

  https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/05/13/bigger-bonuses-pentagons-top-weapon-combat-recruiting-crisis-troops-head-exits.html

--In not-so-good news, one of Trump's few correct decisions was to pull 
750 troops out of Somalia, but now President Biden is sending 500 back in.

  https://thehill.com/policy/defense/3490045-biden-to-redeploy-up-to-500-troops-to-somalia/

In local news, while Multnomah County previously had a Black Sheriff in 
the 1970s, we will now have our first female Sheriff starting in January.

  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nicole-morrisey-odonnell-elected-as-multnomah-countys-first-female-sheriff/ar-AAXrZUX

Along the march route I gave two updates on Israel/Palestine:

--Israeli forces attacked the funeral of the Al Jazeera journalist they 
killed last week, and also the funeral of a  23 year old they also killed.

  https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/israel-arrests-50-after-attacking-second-palestinian-funeral

and

--The UN says the eviction of 1200 people from their homes in the West 
Bank may be war crime

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/18/forced-evictions-of-palestinians-in-masafer-yatta-un-alarmed

As we got to the end of the march, I noted that Glenn Greenwald (love him 
or hate him) wrote about the aid package to Ukraine that the $54 billion 
the US has spend in the last three months is just about the annual amount 
the US spent in Afghanistan, close to Russia's $69 B annual military 
budget, and 7% of the US military budget. In context, Greenwald wonders 
why even progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voted for the latest 
drawdown of US taxpayer money.

  https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-bizarre-unanimous-dem-support-426?s=r

No change in the Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign's behavior without 
the rain, it stopped working again in front of the Gucci store. However, 
it turned on again after we concluded the march and then stayed on the 
whole time I headed back to the parking garage.

As we wrapped up I reminded everyone about the Ann Wright livestream 
event focusing on the US and Nato's "pivot to Asia" on Monday June 20.

  https://pjw.info/ann_wright_livestream062022.html

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