[pjw] REPORT BACK: Got some attention: Friday rally #237 since stay-at-home orders

[Peace and Justice Works]

Iraq Affinity Group supporters:

Last night at the special Friday Rally for Peace and Justice asking "Why 
is Oregon's National Guard Headed to Syria 10 Years into the US War?", 
there were seven of us who rallied and five who marched. We got a two 
people who said "thank you for what you're doing" including one person who 
recognized me having gone to a Copwatch orientation many years ago! 
Several people asked questions about why we had so many signs about no war 
in Syria and were amazed the US has been there for 10 years. At least six 
people went so far as to ask for or take the fact sheet by their own 
motivation (!!!), which accounted for nearly half the ones we were able to 
distribute. One of the motivated people was actually not at Pioneer 
Courthouse Square, but rather standing at the office reading the flyer 
when I was unloading at the end, bummed that they had missed the event. 
They were amazed that the National Guard is allowed to be sent to foreign 
countries. There were also a lot of honking horns in support at the Square 
and along the march.

Get your own copy of the fact sheet here:

https://pjw.info/syria10ylfacts.pdf

So, it being a specially themed rally, I started out addressing the issue 
of the day (much of which is found in the fact sheet):

--The US first attacked Syria on September 22, 2014, then sent in people 
on the ground and set up as many as two dozen bases.

--In August, 230 Oregon National Guard headed to Oklahoma to prepare to be 
deployed to Syria and Iraq. There is no congressional or UN authorization 
for either country to have US troops there, though unlike (currently) in 
Iraq, the Syrian government has never OK'd the US presence.

--It's legitimate to be concerned for the Oregonians going there. For 
instance, three reservists were killed and 41 National Guard members were 
injured in a drone strike in Jordan this past January. There are also 
ongoing attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria, including one at "Base Camp 
Conoco" in NE Syria. That base is explicitly there to guard an oil field. 
Huh. Troops were also injured in Iraq in August when they aided a raid on 
militants, even though they're supposed to be there in an advisory role.

--The fact sheet also points out this is not to point the finger at one 
political party or another... war is a bipartisan issue in the US. The two 
major parties both love war, spending money on war, and avoiding 
confronting Presidents who make war without authorization.

--PJW organized a statewide letter to Governor Kotek asking for the Guard 
not to be deployed to undeclared war zones, and got no response.

https://pjw.info/guardhomeletter2024.html

--A side un-benefit (?) of the US being in Syria is that unlike their 
proxy war in Ukraine, US troops come face to face with Russian troops in 
Syria. There were a number of near misses or worse between Syrian planes 
and US planes/drones just last year.

--Meanwhile Turkey, a supposed US ally, continues to attack the Kurdish 
independence fighters in Northern Syria... the very same fighters the US 
US supporting because they also oppose the Syrian government. What a mess.

--The fact sheet also calls out the US for ongoing warfare in Yemen and 
Somalia, the financial devastation caused by the US holding onto $7 
billion of assets after withdrawing from Afghanistan, and America's 
obsession with supporting Israel and its warmaking.

This led to the recap of the week's news:

--Netanyahu spoke before the UN General Assembly and played victim 
claiming all the UN resolutions against Israel are because it's a Jewish 
state. Um, maybe it's because you seized territory by force and created an 
apartheid regime and built a secret nuclear arsenal and killed over 40,000 
people in just the last 11 months?

  https://news.antiwar.com/2024/09/27/netanyahu-israel-is-fighting-a-war-on-seven-fronts/#gsc.tab=0

---Despite all those factors against it, the US is going to give Israel 
another $8 billion to make more war.

  https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/israel-has-secured-8-7-billion-us-aid-package-to-support-ongoing-military-campaigns-defense-ministry/

---Israeli attacks in Beirut on Monday killed 558 people. While the UN was 
meeting and two days after International Peace Day. Stunning.

  https://news.antiwar.com/2024/09/24/lebanon-health-minister-majority-if-not-all-of-558-killed-by-israel-were-civilians/#gsc.tab=0

--Back to the 2500 US troops in Iraq... there was finally a formal 
announcement of sorts that the US will start removing some of those troops 
in the coming year and finalize their movements in 2026. They didn't say 
they'd remove all of them.

  https://apnews.com/article/iraq-us-troops-military-withdrawal-iran-a79aa83dca8f776f87a138bfe5697fa3


In local news, the Portland Police shot and wounded another person 
Thursday night, their fifth shooting this year... more than all of 2023. 
This also pushes the number of shootings in Oregon (which you may recall I 
said was 16 when we published the Copwatch newsletter in later August) to 
22 so far in 2024. The PPB hasn't released the man's name yet, and if they 
hold to their pattern won't say the three officers' names for two weeks.

  https://katu.com/news/local/portland-police-shoot-and-wound-someone-in-northeast-portland

Along the march route, I told the glorious story of how Secretary of 
No-Negotiating, er, State Antony Blinken got reports from two aid agencies 
reluctantly saying Israel is blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, so we have 
to enforce the law cutting off their weapons supplies. Blinken talked to 
the Israeli ambassador who said "we're not blocking aid," overrode the 
reports, and the bombs keep flowing. Some are now calling for Blinken to 
resign.

  https://www.newarab.com/news/calls-blinken-resignation-after-misleading-congress-gaza

And, in another bipartisan show of... something, Congress passed a 
temporary spending bill until December 20 by votes of 341-82 in the House 
and 78-18 in the Senate. Only Republicans opposed the bill, which keeps 
spending levels at current limits until this strangely timed expiration 
date. It's just over a month past the election, a few weeks before the 
new Congress comes in, and exactly a month before the next President takes 
office. This article indicates there seems to be a movement to cut more 
non-military spending instead of, I don't know, providing for human needs.

  https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/congress-moving-swiftly-to-fund-government-and-avert-shutdown-before-heading-home-to-campaign/ar-AA1r9PlE

This week I stopped in front of the Apple Store with the Ann Huntwork 
Peace Memorial Sign, which had already gone out, turned it back on 
(getting a few looks) and rolled it 10 feet up the sidewalk where... it 
went out again. Same thing when we marched that way (albeit across the 
street and in front of Louis Vuitton) along the march route, out it went 
at the mystery spot.

Last week the Saturday Alliance For Democracy signholding on the east end 
of the Burnside Bridge had 11 people at it, though its organizer was 
unable to attend due to health issues (no, not COVID). He's back and 
planning to be there today at 3 PM if you want to join them (and read this 
in time).

As always, you will find the IAG at the SW corner of the Square (SW 
Yamhill and Broadway) every Friday at 5 PM if you want to help us educate 
the community and spread the peace.

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