[pjw] REPORT BACK: campus crackdowns: Friday rally #215 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Hello Iraq Affinity Group Supporters

Last night at the Friday Rally for Peace and Justice we had six people at 
the rally and a seventh on the march. This is a person who initially 
wandered by to gather signatures for a petition but expressed enthusiasm 
at finding our ongoing event... and came back when it was time to march!

Though the heavens opened up and poured rain at about 6:30, we had, at 
most, some drizzle on the event as other pedestrians and passing motorists 
expressed their support. I was able to hand out a copy of three items: the 
1/4 pager about the Friday rally, the fact sheet about Iraq 21 years 
later, and the ALL-NEW Portland Copwatch newsletter, People's Police 
Report #92, which just went out in the mail on Thursday.

So, I kind of feel like the news continues to spiral out of control. 
Here's a sampling from the rally talk last night:

--Protests have cropped up around the country on college and university 
campuses. Police crackdowns have happened in California, Texas, 
Massachusetts, New York and... right here in Portland.

  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/25/students-arrested-in-california-texas-as-gaza-war-protests-in-us-intensify
  https://www.portlandmercury.com/good-morning-news/2024/04/26/47171423/good-morning-news-grizzly-bears-are-back-soon-in-the-northern-cascades-portland-camping-rule-changes-still-need-a-final-vote-and-por
  (second story down in local news)

The Portland Police sent a happy Tweet saying they support First Amendment 
rights... "when done lawfully!" Hey officers friendly, you don't 
break up legitimate protests claiming it's because the parks are closed!

---Biden and Netanyahu are doing their best to divert attention from the 
30,000+ dead Palestinians by calling the protestors anti-semitic. Similar 
encampments in the 1980s against apartheid in South Africa were, I guess, 
anti-white?

  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-condemns-antisemitic-protests-palestine-columbia-university/
  https://www.gov.il/en/pages/event-campuses240424

---The foreign aid bill sending $96 Billion to perpetuate war was signed 
by Biden on Wednesday. FYI in the House, the only Oregonian to vote no on 
any of the three bills (Ukraine, Israel, China) was Blumenauer, and it was 
only on the Israeli aid. Sen. Merkley voted against the whole package, 
which was recombined in the Senate I learned.

  https://www.npr.org/2024/04/24/1246839045/biden-signs-95-billion-military-aid-package-for-ukraine-israel-and-taiwan


--Speaking of Ukraine aid, the White House has been very frank that they
secretly sent long range missiles to Ukraine before the 
congressional vote. Seems kind of like Oliver North's name should be 
popping up soon. This was hidden in the $300 million package, I think the 
one we found out about in March that was from "savings" at the Pentagon.

  https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/24/us-long-range-missiles-ukraine-00154110

---In response to the billions of dollars of new weapons Congress just a 
approved, a Ukrainian on the front lines told a Daily Beast reporter "are 
you kidding? Now the war will just continue." Truer words have never been 
spoken-- and this was not an American peace activist saying it!

  https://www.thedailybeast.com/frontline-ukrainians-fear-new-aid-from-us-will-be-a-disaster

--Meanwhile, NATO and our Secretary of State Antony Warmonger told China 
they have to stop trading with Russia, with no evidence that China's 
actually supporting the war on Ukraine in any way. Maybe with global 
warming China will soon abut the North Atlantic so NATO has jurisdiction?

  https://news.antiwar.com/2024/04/25/nato-says-china-must-cut-trade-with-russia-to-have-good-relations-with-west/

--In "it's about time" news, the US has to withdraw troops from Chad at 
that country's request, at least temporarily, which followed reports 
that the US has stopped making excuses to remain in Niger and will take 
its 1000 troops out of that neighboring country. US out of Africa!!

  https://www.reuters.com/world/some-us-troops-set-depart-chad-least-temporarily-2024-04-25/
  https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/us-withdrawal-niger-driven-partly-by-discord-over-democratic-transition-us-2024-04-24/

--Here's a really weird one: There are apparently mobile oil rig platforms 
floating around the Pacific Ocean which the US is going to convert into 
military bases to confront China. ????

  https://www.thedefensepost.com/2024/04/23/us-navy-mobile-bases/?expand_article=1

--And this week brought the first attacks against US military bases in 
Iraq and Syria since local militants backed off in February at the request 
of the Iraqi and Iranian governments. US out of Iraq and Syria too!

  https://www.stripes.com/theaters/middle_east/2024-04-22/syria-iraq-rocket-attack-militants-israel-hamas-13625943.html

In local news, a court hearing was held Friday to determine whether the 
City's misleading version of the ballot title to overturn the new 
police oversight board, the Portland Police Association's original even 
more misleading version, or some other one will move forward if the PPA 
wants to gather signatures before July. No ruling was made.

MEANWHILE, the anti-camping ordinance led to a nearly four-hour hearing on 
Wednesday, where we unimportant human rights supporters got TWO WHOLE 
MINUTES EACH to speak, even though Council traded barbed insults at each 
other for 1.5 hours and then Commissioner Gonzalez invited a notoriously 
litigious attorney to testify in favor of his (Gonzalez's) version of the 
plan. Ultimately Council voted down that plan 2-3 (Commissioner Ryan 
supported it) and will vote on the final amended Mayor Wheeler version 
(which proposes $100 fines and up to 7 days in jail for camping on public 
land) sometime the week after next. They're still taking comments until 
then, check here for ways to submit testimony:

  https://www.portland.gov/council/agenda

Back to international news, along the march route I noted that warmonger 
Blinken originally said America will halt support for a specific unit of 
the US-backed Israeli Defense Forces which has been committing violations 
in the West Bank. He backed off after Netanyahu screamed that you can't do 
that while there's a war going on. Oh, so I guess that means if you keep 
waging war forever there can never be any sanctions. Horrifying.


  https://apnews.com/article/israel-us-military-aid-west-bank-abuses-515acf20ddfffd1b2838bcf55c9a7c73

As we headed back to the Square, I noted that a report says the world had 
a record 7 percent increase in military spending this past year. No big 
surprise, the US is the biggest spender, but our "defense" budget only 
went up by 2%. Meanwhile, people are living on the streets and being 
threatened with jail/fines, millions have no health care, and bridges are 
falling down.

  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/global-military-spending-saw-its-steepest-spike-in-more-than-a-decade-with-the-us-vastly-outspending-everyone-else/ar-AA1nw0gr

Pretty much any time a new person joins us I tell them the tale about hoe 
the Ann Huntwork Peace Memorial Sign goes out somewhere near Pioneer 
Place Mall every week. And... it did so again, at the exact same point 
across from the Apple Store as it so often does.

Please feel free to join us sometime at SW Yamhill and Broadway, any 
Friday at 5 PM. We'll be there!!!

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