[pjw] REPORT BACK: Kill then negotiate: Friday rally #136 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello again IAG supporters

Last night, four of us gathered, masked up and distanced, for the Friday 
Rally for Peace and Justice. While President Biden made an offhand remark 
about COVID being "over," there are two people who are part of Peace and 
Justice Works and one ally's partner who all got COVID in the last week or 
so (not at our events) ... so the message I'm getting is that being 
overcautious seems to still be in order.

We had quite a lot of positive feedback from people driving by and 
pedestrians, including thumbs ups and "I support what you're doing" and 
"thank you" from people along the route, some of whom were at drinking 
establishments. It's always uplifting that our message is resonating. It 
was overcast and may have drizzled a bit but we did not get much rain at 
all.

What happened this past week? Here's a sampling from the rally talk:

--Russia's Vladimir Putin explicitly ruled out using nuclear weapons in 
Ukraine, saying it makes no tactical sense. However, the US seems to want 
to keep that option on the table to help adding fuel to the fire.

  https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/27/russia-putin-nuclear-weapons-ukraine-00063801

---On a related note, 30 members of the so-called Progressive Caucus of 
the Democratic Party wrote a letter urging diplomatic talks with Russia to 
end the conflict. They got figuratively pummeled, claimed the statement 
was released in error, and said "obviously we mean to have diplomatic 
talks afer Ukraine wins the war" (paraphrase, but 100% true).

  https://progressives.house.gov/press-releases?ID=5E8128B9-75AC-4E00-8738-24D9951BB606

--This past week, Israel launched airstrikes three times in Syria, 
claiming it was to interrupt Iranian support for Hezbollah in Lebanon. 
They pledged to conduct more bombings. The international community said 
nothing.

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-israel-warns-syria-it-will-ramp-up-strikes-over-iran-weapons-transfers/

---Speaking of Syria, the US still has military bases there without any 
authorization from anybody, and one of them was the target of a drone 
strike. Nobody was hurt.

  https://thecradle.co/Article/News/17259

--After President Biden limited drone strikes outside of "war zones" in 
Iraq and Syria (!!??), Somalia is asking the US to loosen those rules and 
bomb their country some more. Weird world.

  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/27/us/politics/somalia-shabab-us-strikes.html

--In Yemen, fighting was ramping up after the cease fire ended earlier 
this month, but the Houthis conducted the first airstrikes this week. This 
is very sad as the ceasefire had appeared to be a path to a diplomatic 
solution.

  https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/yemen-rebels-attack-southern-oil-port-after-truce-breakdown

--Meanwhile in Iraq, the new government under Prime Minister Sudani is 
ready to get to work, but this article points out that not much is likely 
to change without support from Moqtada al Sadr.

  https://www.barrons.com/articles/iraq-s-new-government-unlikely-to-solve-crises-01666968909

In local news, about TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE testified at Council for about 7 
hours on Wednesday, mostly to oppose Mayor Wheeler's plan to open 
500-person "campuses" (rightly referred to by many as "concentrattion 
camps") for houseless people, then force folks into them if they refuse to 
go voluntarily. Commissioner Dan Ryan got the Council Clerk to bump up 
about 15 people from the business community so their testimony would go 
first. Gross.

https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2022/10/27/46159913/city-council-hears-public-feedback-on-proposal-to-criminalize-unsheltered-homelessness

This relates to our local military because, of course, it will be the 
Portland Police who will cite or arrest those who refuse to be interned.

Along the route, I told everyone that a UN Commission of Inquiry said that
Israel is violating internatioanl law by continuing to assert control in 
the West Bank. And... there seem to be no consequences.

  https://www.msn.com/en-ae/news/world/un-panel-says-israel-is-breaching-international-law-in-palestine/ar-AA13skmV

For the "money for human needs" part of the march I had some good news: 
The US is cutting a program to build sea-to-air missiles that can carry 
nuclear weapons. Neither article I found said how much money this will 
save, but we should applaud cutbacks to the military where we can.

  https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-scrap-sea-launched-nuclear-missile-despite-military-backing-2022-10-27/


The Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign froze up, then went out by the Gucci 
Store in the Pioneer Place Mall. They must really hate peace and justice.

But we know YOU support our message and our struggle, so please join us if 
you are up for it, we're downtown every Friday at 5 PM.

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