[pjw] REPORT BACK: for Peace in Ukraine: Friday rally #185 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

People who believe in peace:

Despite the fact that we posted our special "peace in Ukraine" themed 
event on a national website as part of a national week of action, we only 
had eight people at last night's Friday Rally for Peace and Justice, seven 
of whom went on the march. One person was a friend of a regular who 
rallied marched with us for the first time after having stopped by a 
number of times before.

Some folks felt we were getting a lot of support, which is good; I felt it 
was pretty quiet comparatively speaking. (I also attended the BLM Arbor 
Lodge weekly rally at noon, which for now is at City Hall every week from 
12-2, and traffic response was quiet there too.) One person who walked by 
as we were wrapping up said "No war whoo hooo!"

I brought with me the Ukraine statement that the IAG put together last 
year and updated in May 2023, but didn't hand any out.

https://www.pjw.info/ukraine_statement0523.pdf

Before I begin the report on the rally talk, this morning there are 
reports of Palestinians from Gaza launching attacks in retaliation for the 
ongoing settler incursions/violence at the Al Aqsa mosque, deaths in the 
West Bank caused by Israeli military raids, and more. Since then Israel 
has declared war (interesting, since they don't believe Palestinians have 
a state...) and the US has claimed they will stand by Israel no matter 
what.

CNN has a running update here which as of a little while ago showed that, 
as usual, many more Palestinians have been killed than Israelis... but 
little is said about the US funding Israel's military.

  https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/07/middleeast/israel-hamas-rocket-attack-what-we-know-intl/index.html

OK, back to last night.

I started by giving the general context of the war in Ukraine:

--the US supported a coup in Ukraine in 2014

--NATO participants promised not to move their alliance closer to Russia's 
border after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, but did so anyway

--Russia's invasion was predictable based on these factors, which doesn't 
make it justifiable, but the US' own military history makes their 
condemnation an exercise in hypocrisy.

...and here are more recent related stories:

---Biden wants to use State department money for weapons to Ukraine while 
Congress is tied up in knots over the ouster of the Speaker of the House. 
I thought the state department was about diplomacy but apparently they can 
give out grants for countries to buy weapons.

  https://www.politico.com/news/2023/10/05/biden-state-department-fund-ukraine-00120199

---Only 41% of those polled in the US support more arms to Ukraine, which 
is down from 65% just a few months ago.

  https://thehill.com/policy/defense/4240664-fewer-americans-support-arming-ukraine-poll/

---As part of the national week of action, 100 people staged a sit-in at 
Senator Bernie Sanders' office since he's usually good on war/peace issues 
but not on Ukraine. Eleven people, mostly Code Pink activists, were 
arrested.

  https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2023/10/04/eleven-activists-arrested-in-sen-bernie-sanders-office-demanding-diplomacy-instead-of-funding-more-war-in-ukraine/

---In kind of related news, since this conflict could lead to nuclear war, 
Russia has "un-ratified" the global test ban treaty. The US slammed the 
move, even though our country signed but never ratified that treaty. In 
fact, Russia explicitly said this was to match the US position.

  https://www.reuters.com/world/nuclear-test-ban-body-concerning-if-russia-considering-quitting-treaty-2023-10-06/


Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world...

--A suspected rebel drone strike killed 100 people at a military ceremony 
in Syria. This article notes that Syrian rebels haven't had this kind of 
drone technology before, which leads me to suspect the US had a hand in 
the attack.

  https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/drone-attack-homs-military-college-causes-large-number-casualties-syrian-state-2023-10-05/

---Also, two Syrian soldiers were killed by Israeli airstrikes, and... 
nobody seems to stop Israel from bombing Syria. I guess that's because the 
US stands behind Israel 100% but unprovoked bombing is only bad when we 
say it's bad.

  https://apnews.com/article/syria-israel-airstrike-deir-el-zour-b5b636894fa09e54942450c5a053e35b

--The central Japanese government is suing the governor of Okinawa to 
force them to let US build a base there. The people of Okinawa are sick 
and tired of US military occupation going on for 78 years (since the end 
of WW II).

  https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2023/10/ee6a0a56a380-land-minister-sues-okinawa-gov-over-us-base-landfill-plan.html

--The UN Security Council, under pressure from the US, approved a
Kenya-led military mission in Haiti; Russia and China abstained.

  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/haiti-un-mission-international-force-kenya/

--Iraq will to stop allowing the use of US dollars in 2024, maybe another 
step toward freeing themselves from the de facto occupation that's 
continued even after most US troops left and the world stopped paying 
attention.

  https://www.newarab.com/news/iraq-end-all-dollar-cash-withdrawals-january-1-2024

--In our country, Congress is debating changing the Authorization for Use 
of Military Force passed in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. To put a deadline 
on it? No. To limit presidential power? No. Rather, to add more 
organizations other than Al Qaeda, possibly the Taliban and Iran-backed 
militias, to the list of who can be subjected to endless war.

  https://responsiblestatecraft.org/war-powers-act/

In local news, I reminded folks that City Council only has 60 days from 
September 21 (so, November 20) to forward changes needed for the US 
Department of Justice Agreement to meet the parameters of the new police 
oversight board proposed by the Police Accountability Commission. We 
should have an updated version of the Portland Copwatch fact sheet out in 
a few days, in the meantime here's the one we generated from before 
Council's vote:

  https://www.tinyurl.com/PDXoversight2023

Also, following up last weeks breaking news that police shot and killed 
Immanueal Clark-Johnson despite him being unarmed and the wrong person: A 
PCW member has been reading the grand jury transcripts. Apparently the 
police all started chasing the wrong car after an armed robbery at a 
convenience store. They haven't yet read the interview with Officer 
Christopher Sathoff, who used an AR-15 rifle to shoot Clark-Johnson in the 
back, but I bet the DA did not ask whether the officer would have fired if 
Clark-Johnson were white.

  https://www.mcda.us/index.php/news/grand-jury-transcripts-released-for-immanuael-clark-johnson-death-investigation

Along the march route (just after two of the seven on the march peeled off 
to head to another appointment), I noted that Israeli police have been 
given the go-ahead to use live fire to disperse protests by Palestinians. 
Seems to me they've already been doing that but I guess it's official now.

  https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-police-legitimise-killing-palestinian-citizens-open-fire-rule

....and instead of spending money on human needs, a recent news story says 
that the US is paying more in interest on $33 trillion national debt than 
on defense. The article deflates the military budget to $695 billion 
instead of $880 billion, and I think also doesn't make the point about how 
much of that debt is DUE TO military spending, but anyway, interesting 
(get it?).

  https://www.aol.com/finance/america-now-paying-more-interest-113000591.html

The Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign went out around the corner from the 
Gucci store, between two of the mystery boxes on SW Yamhill between 4th 
and 5th. I tried running past them with the wagon but the gremlins are 
faster than a weary peace activist pulling a 40+ pound load.

We're always open to more folks showing up if you feel safe (I just heard 
of another ally in the movement who recently got COVID... and now has to 
find assisted living they got so sick) and are willing to join us some 
Friday evening at 5 PM.

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