[pjw] REPORT BACK: principles over personalities: Friday rally #173 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Iraq Affinity Group supporters

Last night's Friday Rally for Peace and Justice had a total of seven 
people at it, and was slightly notable for the gender balance of four men 
and three women. Often the rallies have many more men at them. Hmm.

We remained relatively cool though the temperature was high. Traffic 
seemed a bit slow but we still received a lot of honks and waves of 
support from those driving around at "rush hour."

Here are some of the headlines we talked about:

--Ukraine is upset that NATO hasn't set a timeline for them to _apply_ for 
membership, much less become a member. But since they're in an active war 
with a major nuclear power, have lived under martial law for 1.5 years, 
wiped out some political parties and limited free press, and the very act 
of expanding NATO is part of what led to the war, maybe waiting's ok.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2023/07/11/zelensky-slams-natos-vague-commitment-on-ukraines-membership/

--On that expansion, Turkey has now said it's OK for Sweden to join 
NATO. Coincidentally (ha, NOT!) the US is now going to send F-16 fighter 
jets to Turkey.

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/13/turkeys-busy-nato-swedens-bid-f-16-jets-war-mediation

---For his part President Biden suggested treating Ukraine like Israel, 
which is to say giving them tons of military support but not entering into 
a formal alliance. If that's the plan, then the US should swap its support 
to the Palestinians whose land is being occupied illegally as is Ukraine.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2023/07/09/biden-suggests-israel-model-for-ukraine

---Of all people, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested an amendment to 
ban the US from sending cluster bombs to Ukraine. It lost 174-276. Reps. 
Bonamici, Hoyle and Salinas (all Ds) were for. Bentz (R), Chavez-Deremer 
(R) and... Blumenauer ??? (D) were against. The idea has to be more 
important than who said it folks.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2023/07/13/house-votes-down-amendment-to-block-cluster-bomb-shipments-to-ukraine/

--Meanwhile in keeping up its efforts to thwart diplomacy in favor of 
escalating tensions, the US flew a Navy spy plane over the Taiwan Strait. 
Yet China is still framed as the "aggressor."

  https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3227603/us-navy-patrol-plane-flies-over-taiwan-strait-amid-increased-pla-activity

--US "intelligence" is now affirming what most of the rest of the world 
already knew, that Iran is not, in fact, building nuclear weapons. 
Probably a lot of war hawks very sad about this "news."

  https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1znfy9k3

--For people who keep asking us what wars we're protesting, here are two 
tidbits from the week:

---The US conducted three airstrikes in Somalia this week, killing 10

  https://news.antiwar.com/2023/07/10/us-launches-series-of-airstrikes-in-somalia/

---...and used a drone strike to kill another alleged Islamic State leader 
in Syria. Even if we assume this wasn't another sheep herder, (a) why is 
the US in Syria, (b) is killing individuals going to stop the idea of 
fighting against perceived oppression and (c) drones.

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/9/us-says-it-killed-isil-leader-osama-al-muhajer-in-drone-strike

--Americans can rest easy, the country has supposedly destroyed the last 
of its chemical weapons. This article mentions other countries who have 
suspected undeclared stockpiles. Our government would lie to us would 
they? (And, PS, the police get to keep using tear gas in our own country.)

  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/afp/article-12276805/US-destroyed-chemical-weapons-Biden.html

--Iraq has gotten waivers to buy fuel from Iran without running afoul 
of US sanctions. But now they want to swap crude oil for Iranian natural 
and America's warning that would violate those sanctions. Everybody wants 
to rule the world. Well, just the US really.

  https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/iraq-iran-gas-for-oil-barter-would-likely-violate-us-sanctions-2023-07-14/

In local news, the first officer charged with on-duty use of force as a 
crime in over 50 years had his charges dropped as he engaged in 
restorative justice with the woman he hit in the head with a baton. It 
would be nice if civilians got the chance to use Restorative Justice 
before someone with so much power. But since the Rapid Response Team all 
quit when Officer Corey Budworth got charged, this was probably a 
political decision. By the way Budworth's confession is very robotic and 
not heartfelt at all.

  https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2023/07/12/46602743/portland-police-officer-apologizes-to-photographer-struck-in-the-head-with-baton-during-2020-protest

Along the march route I talked about experts who found (not surprisingly) 
that Israel's attack on Jenin last week was a war crime. They cited the 
attack on civilians and medical facilities, I'm not sure why they didn't 
mention the infrastructure that was destroyed. Now, who will prosecute?

  https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israels-jenin-operation-amounts-war-crimes-say-experts

House speaker Kevin McCarthy "poisoned" the defense spending bill by 
insisting that no money be used to help trans enlisted people, to help 
them travel to get abortions, or to teach diversity. I think we need Rod 
Serling to zap him into the body of a Black trans women with a uterus and 
see how he feels then. Anyway, he should be joining our complaint that 
money spent on war should be going to help house and educate people and 
fix the environment.

  https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4096784-gop-passes-amendments-that-threaten-to-doom-defense-bill/

The Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign made it around the order from 4th to 
Yamhill but went out between junction boxes #1 and 2 of three. The mystery 
continues.

We're always glad to have folks join us, even if it's just once a month or 
once in a blue moon, at SW Yamhill and Broadway any freaking Friday at 5 
PM, rain, shine, heat, hail, smoke, COVID, whatever.

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