[pjw] REPORT BACK: Happy return: Friday rally #162 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Iraq Affinity Group supporters

Today's subject line refers to the re-appearance of a key Portland 
Peaceful Response Coalition member who led the Friday Rally for Peace and 
Justice for many years until the pandemic struck. I didn't ask but I think 
the recent lifting of mask mandates in hospitals helped with this 
decision. (Reminder, though, last week I sent an article where the World 
Health Organization reported 23,000 deaths and 3 million COVID cases 
worldwide in a 28 day period, saying "the COVID pandemic [is] still 
volatile, [and] there could be further trouble before the virus settles 
into a predictable pattern.")

Overall eight of us gathered to rally and seven marched. We had a lot of 
supportive honks from cars and interest from pedestrians, including some 
exchange students from Zimbabwe here to study acting who said we're doing 
good work! We handed out another 30 or so fact sheets; I will soon tally 
up how many we've gone through since the March 17 Iraq rally.

It was a beautiful day, and though record-breaking (--cough-cough climate 
change--) our route is all in the shade, so it was mostly comfortable.

Here are some of the headlines we talked about:

--While we still can't generally praise Rep. Matt Gaetz, he has now put 
forward two War Powers Resolutions to end US military actions... which 
unfortunately failed. The newer one on Somalia was voted down 102-321 
with Val Hoyle the only representative from Oregon voting yes.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2023/04/27/house-votes-down-resolution-to-withdraw-from-somalia/

--The US and the Philippines went ahead with their war games to push 
China's buttons, firing on a practice ship they floated out to destroy, 
saying it was "No Hollywood drill."

  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-12014561/US-Philippine-troops-fire-rockets-ship-largest-drills.html

--The UN Security Council unanimously condemned Afghanistan's ban on women 
from the UN working in that country. Good to see unanimity for women's 
rights, let's just hope the US doesn't use this as an excuse to re-invade 
the country, though. What would that be, imperio-feminism?

  https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/un-security-council-condemns-taliban-ban-afghan-women-working-un-2023-04-27/

--For the first time since the 1980s, America is sending nuclear armed 
submarines to South Korea to "defend" them against the North. Hey, maybe 
instead we can sign a treaty ending the Korean war once and for all? (This 
July will mark 70 years of an armistice with no peace treaty.)

  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-send-nuclear-submarines-south-korea-agreement-kim-jong-un-threats-rcna81510

--China has talked with the Ukrainian government, which may signal a 
willingness to find a diplomatic end to the war with Russia. Which is 
helpful since the US opposes a cease-fire (how else can we keep the war 
economy afloat???)

  https://archive.is/gxIcw
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/26/zelensky-xi-jinping-ukraine-china/

--Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido was whisked out of Colombia to 
seek refuge in Florida since he wasn't supposed to leave his country. He 
was trying to attend a summit on the Venezuela's future. His recognition 
by Western powers as the true head of state is kind of moot at this point.

  https://archive.is/2ZBYs
  https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/25/guaido-exile-miami/

--Iraq, which has one of the largest reserves of oil in the world, has to 
import many of its energy needs, especially from Iran, due to the 
devastation of the oil industry over the decades. They expect a new deal 
with France will give Iraqis energy independence in 3-5 years.

  https://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/26042023

In local news, the Portland Police, who had not shot anyone since 
November, worked with Clackamas County Deputies to shoot and kill a man on 
Monday.*

  https://www.opb.org/article/2023/04/25/clackamas-county-portland-police-shooting-use-of-force-crime-homicide-suspect/

Also, a law that protects Oregonians against police spying was amended by 
request of the City of Portland to allow officers to record "social, 
political or religious affiliation" information by accident if a body 
camera's 30-second buffer catches it. However, a version of the bill 
basically gutting the 40-year-old law passed the Senate last week (18-10). 
It is set to be heard by a House committee on May 9. Ruh roh.

  https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2023R1/Measures/Overview/SB614

Just as another tip of the hat to our returning PPRC comrade, they always 
used to talk about Israel/Palestine and then money for human needs at 
about the same places on the march that we've echoed these last 3 years+.

This week on the first topic, Norway has banned products labeled as 
"Israeli made" which are actually produced in the occupied territories.

  https://thecradle.co/article-view/24091/norway-bans-goods-services-from-israeli-settlements

On the second, a new study updated the well-known figure that US military 
spending is higher than the next 10 countries combined. Now it's higher 
than the next ELEVEN. (Russia and China are included in those 11 as 
distant 2nd/3rd highest.) What about health care, education, and housing??

  https://libertarianinstitute.org/news/record-american-military-spending-equals-total-of-next-11-countries/

This week I made the mistake of explaining the Ann Huntwork Peace 
Memorial Sign's quirks while we were standing in front of the Gucci store, 
and the sign conked out there (a block earlier than the last several 
weeks).

The weather's getting better and we'll soon know whether the imminent (May 
11)  federal end to the COVID emergency is premature. (My guess: Probably, 
as many of the decisions are made based on political and economic 
pressures rather than science.) Regardless, we're at SW Yamhill and 
Broadway every week at 5 PM, join us if you can.

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


*- at the rally we had copies of the new Portland Copwatch newsletter, 
which carries a headline about how Portland Police guns have been 
thankfully silent. Ah, well.