[pjw] REPORT BACK: debt compromise: Friday rally #167 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello again fellow peaceful people

There were nine of us at the Friday Rally for Peace and Justice last 
night, met with a notably large number of positive reactions from car 
drivers and some of those walking through the Square and on the sidewalks. 
We did have one person who made rather vulgar suggestions and ranted 
something about Viet Nam, but it wasn't clear what he even was on about. 
One person along the march route encouraged us to go do property damage, 
which isn't really our style.

Along with the week's news I again talked about the livestream with Norman 
Solomon coming up on Tuesday June 27 at 7 PM; as noted yesterday there's a 
flyer for this event. We were able to hand out 55 of them at the 
rally/march!

  https://pjw.info/solomon_livestream062723.html

Also, the War Resisters League is hosting its annual rally against the 
warships at Rose Festival next Saturday, June 10 in waterfront park near 
Couch St (the Japanese American Historical Plaza), from 1:30-3:30 PM. I 
will send this info separately tomorrow as well.

So here's what we talked about:

--Drones struck Moscow this week and the Ukrainian government did not 
claim responsibility.

  https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-war-kyiv-6e50b9485a0608bbcf9420db7a6b6e3a

---It suspected it's a Russian insurrectionist movement based in Ukraine 
that's kind of a neo-Nazi group which also ran a cross-border raid.

  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/belgorod-raid-russian-volunteer-corps-freedom-russia-legion-rcna86168

---Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said there would be no ceasefire in 
Ukraine, claiming that will embolden Russia. Instead we embolden the war 
machine.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2023/06/02/blinken-dismisses-calls-for-a-ceasefire-says-us-must-build-up-ukraines-military/

--The US conducted military flyovers of the South China Sea in yet more 
provocative moves.

  https://archive.is/epYcD
  https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3222372/chinese-jet-made-aggressive-manoeuvre-near-us-military-plane-pentagon-says

--Iran was able to explain the high-level uranium found by the 
International Atomic Energy Agency, which agreed with the reasoning. 
Perhaps this is one less reason for the US and Israel to attack Iran.


https://apnews.com/article/iran-nuclear-program-iaea-uranium-enrichment-dded37dd0509ff0f469478b5db771027

--After Yugoslavia was broken up by the US/NATO war of 1999, one of the 
countries that emerged was Kosovo, trying to protect its residents from 
Serbian oppression. The US has now kicked Kosovo out of military exercises 
for its treatment of Serbs, how the oppressed become the oppressor.

  https://balkaninsight.com/2023/05/30/us-penalises-kosovo-after-unrest-in-serb-majority-north/

--The UN says that 70% of Syrians need humanitarian aid due to the 
fighting, earthquake and sanctions.

  https://reliefweb.int/report/syrian-arab-republic/ms-ghada-eltahir-mudawi-deputy-director-operations-advocacy-division-ocha-behalf-mr-martin-griffiths-usg-humanitarian-affairs-and-emergency-relief-coordinator-briefing-security-council-humanitarian-situation-syria

---As if that's not enough, Israel bombed syria for 17th time this year, 
this time in the capital of Damascus. And nobody says anything or does 
anything to stop it.

  https://thecradle.co/article-view/25341/israel-launches-midnight-attack-on-syrian-capital

--People who ask why we're out protesting each week should probably know 
that the US bombed Somalia again both on May 20 (so, last week and I 
must've missed that myself) and on the 26th.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2023/05/28/us-airstrike-in-somalia-targets-al-shabaab-after-attack-on-african-union-base/

--Despite increased international calls for Julian Assange's release, the 
FBI is now looking for more information on the journalist who revealed 
US military secrets.

  https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/fbi-restarts-julian-assange-probe-despite-hopes-of-release-20230531-p5dcoe.html

In local news, the City Council heard five hours of testimony about their 
plan to criminalize houselessness through a revamp of the anti-camping 
laws. The City claims it's to align with laws and court rulings, but when 
Commissioner Rubio asked to amend the law so it can't be enforced until 
there are places for people to go (which is what the court said), nobody 
voted with her. (The vote on the full ordinance is happening this 
Wednesday and written testimony is still being accepted.)

  https://www.portlandmercury.com/news/2023/06/01/46536193/critics-call-proposed-camping-ban-impossible-to-comply-with
  https://www.portland.gov/council/documents/ordinance/house-bill-3115-updates

On the other hand, the Mayor announced on Thursday that they're not going 
to go ahead with gunshot detection technology (known colloquially by the 
name of the main product of its ilk, ShotSpotter), instead relying on 
community based solutions to gun violence. So good news!

  https://www.opb.org/article/2023/06/01/portland-shotspotter-gunshot-detection-technology-police-firearms-crime/

Along the march route I delivered more good news: the global security 
company G$S, which helped train Israelis how to oppress Palestinians, has 
announced it is divesting from Israel. A victory for the Boycott 
Divestment and Sanctions movement-- which locally pushed to get G4S out of 
City Hall (which sort of happened on its own) and Trimet.

  https://www.palestinechronicle.com/bds-movement-declares-victory-as-g4s-decides-to-divest-completely-from-israel/

I forgot to say that a few of our folks chanted last week, and now this 
week, "Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel's 
crimes" at that juncture.

Nearing the end of the march, I talked about how the debt ceiling deal 
approved a pipeline horrible for the environment, makes people dependent 
on a social safety network for their money, and excludes the military 
budget, specifically allowing for more Ukraine war funding.

  https://rollcall.com/2023/06/01/senators-eye-ukraine-aid-bills-as-avenue-to-increase-dod-budget/

Here's the kicker for this overall bad news: While Oregon elected Reps. 
Bonamici and Hoyle and Senator Merkley voted against, Senator Wyden and 
Rep. Blumenauer voted for this pile of poop. Touted as bipartisan, it was 
really the Democrats giving away the store to the Republicans who've 
raised the debt ceiling for years with no such budgetary agreements.

  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/debt-ceiling-bill-house-senate-roll-call-votes/

After three weeks of the Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign lasting all the 
way around the corner of Pioneer Place mall, it went out as soon as we got 
to the Gucci store at 4th and Morrison.

OK, it's always an uplifting experience to get the word out for peace, so 
if you want to join us some Friday at 5 PM please do. The board and 
membership still haven't come to a conclusion about the future of our 
masking requirements but I'll keep you all posted, for now we still ask 
you to stay masked up and distanced.

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