House approves $37 billion war-funding bill, 308-114.
(Click here to see who voted for it.)
War Is A Crime: SIGN THE END US WARS PLEDGE!
Please add your name and district by writing to sign [at] enduswars.org to be published on the Pledge page.
For All Voters:
I will actively oppose any candidate who has, during the current 111th Congress (2009-2011), voted for (or otherwise facilitated) appropriations to fund the criminal and illegal US military adventures in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, or Georgia; for kidnappings, assassinations, and other acts of war carried out by the US government on foreign territory; or for any bill or measure intended to support military actions and/or covert operations against Iran. I will make every effort to identify, recruit, fund, publicize, and support anti-war candidates of any party whatsoever. To earn my support, these candidates must pledge in public and in writing that they will vote and speak out against, and oppose by all available means any bill which includes funding for the policies and acts of aggression enumerated above.
For All Congressional Candidates:
I hereby pledge that if elected I will vote, speak out against, and oppose by all available means any bill which includes funding for all policies and acts of aggression including the criminal and illegal US military adventures in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, or Georgia; for kidnappings, assassinations, and other acts of war carried out by the US government on foreign territory; or for any bill or measure intended to support military actions and/or covert operations against Iran.
STOP THE BLEEDING!
CALL TO ACTION Stop War Funding! NO to $33 Billion for Afghanistan Escalation
Our government is We, the People, not corporate and foreign lobbies flush with defense dollars.
Demand that President Obama and Congress end the wars now: HERE and HERE.
Keep Track of Your Representative's Votes at DefundWar.org
UPDATE 88 Congressional Candidates, 30 Organizations Oppose War Spending
4/5/10 Example of democracy in action at local level:
Portland, Maine City Council Passes Resolution to Stop War Funding, 7-1
"NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the City of Portland, Maine respectfully requests that [its US Representative and two Senators] oppose all legislation brought before the 111th US Congress that provides further funding of the US warfare and US military occupations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan; and that the City of Portland, Maine also urges these members of Congress to take strong and forceful action to influence the US Congress to terminate funding of these military operations."
4/8/10 "Congressman, Vote No on Afghan War Escalation", by David Swanson
4/9/10 $33 Billion to Escalate a Quagmire, by David Swanson
4/10/10 Podcast PDA interview: Rep. Kucinich discusses the recent floor debate on Afghanistan, the pending supplemental vote and the importance of an engaged anti-war movement (21:50)
4/12/10 Rep. Delahunt's Forum on Not Funding Afghan War Escalation [videos included], by David Swanson
4/19/10 Ending Wars: The Flexible Waiverable Timetable Approach, by David Swanson
4/27/10 Kucinich Invites Colleagues to Teach In on War This Thursday
4/30/10 Seven Deadly Sins in Afghanistan (Remarks By David Swanson at 4/29 Teach-In on War)
5/4/10 33 Billion Dishonest Excuses for War, by David Swanson
5/25/10 Afghans believe US is funding Taliban Intellectuals and respected Afghan professionals are convinced the west is prolonging conflict to maintain influence in the region, by Daniella Peled, The Guardian (UK)
5/28/10 US Senate Passes $60B Funding for Afghan War
6/11/10 The Courage to Leave, by Bob Herbert, The New York Times
6/28/10 End Vietghanistan This Week by David Swanson
6/29/10 Rep. Delahunt To Oppose War Funding
7/1/10 Rep. Nadler: We Must End the War in Afghanistan Now
Julia Ward Howe: Mother's Day Proclamation (1870)
Mothers: Ending War Is The Source of Mother's Day. War Is Illegal. Mothers: Demand Justice, Peace by Carl Herman, 5/7/2010
ACTIONS & EVENTS
July 23-25: United National Antiwar Conference, Albany, NY
National Conference to Bring the Troops Home Now!
Thursday, April 29: Capitol Hill Teach-In
What Congress Must Do To End U.S. Wars And Help Secure A Peaceful Middle East
Description Educational briefing on the U.S. agenda in the Middle East, its consequences, and development of a strategy/plan to withdraw. Emphasis will be on constructive, interactive dialogue among panelists and attendees.
Moderator Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio)
Panelists
Chris Hedges, Jeremy Scahill, David Swanson,
Col. Ann Wright; plus Iraq War veteran Josh Stieber.
Video Teach-In on Capitol Hill on Ending U.S. Wars from William Hughes on Vimeo
Sponsors EndUSWars.org • AfterDowningStreet.org • Civilian-Soldier Alliance • Code Pink: Women for Peace • Democrats.com • Gray Panthers of Metropolitan Washington • The Humanist • Iraq Veterans Agaisnt the War • Jobs for Afghans • The Nation • Office & Professional Employees International Union Local 2 • Peace of the Action • Progressive Democrats of America • ProsecuteOfficials.org • Rethink Afghanistan • Seacoast Peace Response • United for Peace and Justice • U.S. Labor Against the War • Veterans For Peace • Voters For Peace • Washington Peace Center • WeThePeopleNow.org
RELATED STORIES
5/25/10 Is the Peace Movement Finally Awakening?, by Sheldon Richman, MWC News
WAR'S FIRST CASUALTY: TRUTH
Collateral Murder: Pentagon's attempted cover-up of reckless killing of Reuters news staff by U.S. forces in Iraq in 2007 revealed in classified military video
[Warning: graphic content]
4/5/10 "WikiLeaks has released a classified U.S. military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff. [The attack occurred on July 12, 2007.]
"Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun[sight], clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded....
"WikiLeaks obtained this video as well as supporting documents from a number of military whistleblowers. WikiLeaks goes to great lengths to verify the authenticity of the information it receives." [more], [video stills], [photos & resources], [transcript]
Above right Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, who resigned as Chief of Staff to former Secretary of State Colin Powell, reflects on the true reasons for the U.S. wars in the Middle East, and our path to tyranny.
RELATED STORIES
4/5/10 US special forces 'tried to cover-up' botched Khataba raid in Afghanistan, The Times (UK)
4/5/10 NATO to Look Again Into Deaths of Afghan Civilians—In Reversal, NATO Concedes Role in Deaths During Feb. Search for Insurgents, ABC NEWS
4/6/10 NATO Probes Fresh Civilian Deaths In Afghan Raid, NY Times
4/7/10 US-led soldiers kill five children in Afghanistan, Press TV
4/7/10 Gordon Duff: "Collateral Damage," Spining Away Murder in Iraq, Veterans Today
4/7/10 Iraq War Vet: "We Were Told to Just Shoot People, and the Officers Would Take Care of Us", Truthout
4/8/10 The Rules of Engagement vs. War Crimes, by Michael Glass (veteran of 1991 Gulf War and U.S. contractor for ordnance disposal in Iraq in 2006)
4/9/10 Podcast Rob Kall Speaks to Veteran of "COLLATERAL MURDER" Company WikiLeaks Reported
4/10/10 One drop in a sea of blood, by Michael Prysner, Iraq war veteran and co-founder of March Forward! (an affiliate of the ANSWER Coalition)
4/16/10 WikiLeaks Soldiers Write Open Letter to Victims' Families, MEDIAite
4/20/10 U.S. Soldier on 2007 Apache Attack: What I Saw, Interview with Iraq vet Ethan McCord, WIRED Magazine
4/23/10 Why soldiers get a kick out of killing, by John Horgan, Scientific American
4/27/10 The Real War Reporters, by William Rivers Pitt, Truthout
4/28/10 House subcommittee hearing questions legality of drone attacks, CNN Politics
4/28/10 US soldier in WikiLeaks massacre video: "I relive this every day", by Bill Van Auken World Socialist Web Site
5/18/10 PBS Frontline: The Wounded Platoon A powerful portrait of what multiple tours and post-traumatic stress are doing to a generation of young American soldiers.
7/18/10 From fighting a war to fighting war: Veterans more vocal in anti-war movement by Dennis Yusko, Albany Times Union
7/21/10 NEW! Feces, Urine, Blood, Smoke, and Something Indescribable by Ethan McCord, former member of Bravo Company 2-16, the ground troops involved in the now infamous "Collateral Murder" video released by Wikileaks in April of this year.
JUSTICE War Criminals: Arrest Warrants Requested for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Tenet, Rice and Gonzales at the International Criminal Court
Francis A. Boyle, Professor of International Law at the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, has filed a Complaint with the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (I.C.C.) in The Hague against U.S. citizens George W. Bush, Richard Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, George Tenet, Condoleezza Rice, and Alberto Gonzales (the "Accused") for their criminal policy and practice of "extraordinary rendition" perpetrated upon about 100 human beings...[which] constitute Crimes against Humanity in violation of the Rome Statute establishing the I.C.C. [more]. [Full text of Complaint]
Update, 1/25/10 Complaint received and docketed
Call for action Contact the Hague to insist they proceed with a criminal investigation:
The Honorable Luis Moreno-Ocampo / Office of the Prosecutor / International Criminal Court / Post Office Box 19519 / 2500 CM, The Hague / The Netherlands
Tel 31-70-515-8515 Fax 31-70-515-8555 Email here
RELATED STORIES
1/28/10 Moreno-Ocampo expects charges in Sudan & Kenya war crimes: "I'm collecting information. I will move fast. We have to define this year who will be going to justice."
2/3/10 Prosecutor: war crimes tribunal 'working well': "It is working very well because everyone agrees that these type of crimes cannot be tolerated, so at the end of the day no one is against this mission of the court."
2/6/10 Why We Can't Afford to Let Obama Give Bush's War Criminals a Free Pass, by Charlotte Dennett
2/12/10 Cynthia McKinney: Munich Peace Speeches
2/15/10 Cheney Admits to War Crimes, Media Yawns, Obama Turns the Other Cheek, by Jason Leopold
2/22/10 David Margolis Is Wrong, by David Luban
2/23/10 Lawyers and Journalists' Group Sees No End in Sight to the Controversy over Bush "Torture Lawyers", by The Justice Robert Jackson Steering Committee
3/1/10 How the Torture Lawyers Broke the Law, and Why They Must be Punished, by Steve Sheppard, Judge Enfield Professor of Law, University of Arkansas School of Law
3/3/10 Transcript: Jonathan Hafetz on GITMO lawyers, by Glenn Greenwald
3/4/10 The People v. Bush: How to Prosecute a President, by Charlotte Dennett
3/15/10 Cynthia McKinney: Leaders' lack of respect for rule of law makes us all victims of 9/11
3/20/10 Iraq Inquiry asks to question George Bush's senior officials, The Daily Telegraph (UK), Iraq: Bush team should talk, Boston Globe editorial (3/23/10)
3/23/10 Journalist attempts citizen's arrest of Blair in EU parliament, by Leigh Phillips, EUobserver
4/1/10 The Case for Impeachment of President Barack Obama, by David Lindorff
4/1/10 United States Should Join the International Criminal Court, by Amitabh Pal, The Progressive
4/2/10 Washington Post Warns That Prosecuting Crime of Aggression Might Deter It, by David Swanson
4/8/10 A duty to uphold the law, even in war, by Benjamin B. Ferencz, prosecutor at the Nuremberg war crimes trials after World War II.
4/9/10 Ramsey Clark chosen to head commission to investigate Bush crimes, Veterans Today
4/14/10 Crimes without punishment: The question of accountability for human rights abuses in the Bush era has not been resolved by the Obama administration, by J. Patrice McSherry, The Guardian (UK)
4/14/10 Wilkerson Demolishes Bush, Cheney, And Rumsfeld's Lies About Guantanamo, by Andy Worthington, The Public Record. Download Wilkerson affidavit, 3/24/10 (9 pages, 908KB PDF)
4/16/10 Secret CIA Documents: CIA Officers May Have 'Lied' About Permission To Destroy Torture Tapes, ABC News
4/21/10 Tony Blair stands accused, by Prof. Shad Saleem Farudi, The Star (Malaysia)
4/22/10 Why Were CIA Interrogation Tapes Destroyed?, by Robert Baer, Time Magazine
4/24/10 Tony Blair, Very Close to Being Indicted for War Crimes, by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky, GlobalResearch.ca
4/26/10 Members of U.S. Congress Circulate Anti-ICC Letter, by Mark Leon Goldberg, UN Dispatch
4/28/10 Drone Pilots Could Be Tried for 'War Crimes,' Law Prof Says, by Nathan Hodge and Noah Shachtman, WIRED Magazine
5/2/10 Bush and Blair Guilty of War Crimes and Genocide, by Peter Eyre, The Palestinian Telegraph
5/3/10 Prosecuting A Tortured Child: Obama's Guantanamo Legacy, by Andy Worthington, Eurasia Review
5/4/10 The Battle for Justice Heats Up, by Charlotte Dennett, The Huffington Post
5/20/10 Video (18:00) The People v. Bush Author Charlotte Dennett Interview on Chelsea Green TV (Extended) discusses her campaign to prosecute Geroge W. Bush for murder and the Accountability Movement
6/4/10 Bush admits to war crimes in Grand Rapids speech
6/14/10 Did CIA Doctors Commit War Crimes for Bush?
6/27/10 Obama won't charge Blackwater with violation of Sudan sanctions
6/28/10 Antitorture group demands probe of doctors' roles in experiments on detainees The Christian Century
7/6/10 Torture Complicity Under the Spotlight in Europe (Part One): The UK by Andy Worthington, The Public Record
7/9/10 Torture Complicity Under the Spotlight in Europe (Part Two): Germany and France by Andy Worthington, The Public Record
7/13/10 Rep. Nadler: Investigate torture or face road to 'tyranny' by Sahil Kapur, the raw story
7/13/10 Fox Host: Bush and Cheney 'Should Have Been Indicted' Judge Andrew Napolitano: "What President Bush did with the suspension of habeas corpus, with the whole concept of Guantanamo Bay, with the whole idea that he could avoid and evade federal laws, treaties, federal judges and the Constitution was blatantly unconstitutional and in some cases criminal.... They [Bush, Cheney] should have been indicted. They absolutely should have been indicted for torturing, for spying, for arresting without warrant." C-SPAN Video clip (2:27)
7/15/10 Author of Torture Memos Admits Some Techniques Were Not Approved By DOJ by Jason Leopold, truthout
7/26/10 NEW! WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange: Documents on 'thousands' of possible US war crimes in Afghanistan N.Y. Daily News
7/27/10 NEW! Hold U.S. Leaders Accountable for War Crimes: LEGAL AUTHORITY, by Sherwood Ross, Veterans Today
SEE ALSO
Updated Plan to Prosecute Government Officials and Provide Restorative Justice, a project of WeThePeopleNow.org.
Join the Disbar The Torture Lawyers Now Campaign
WAR CRIMINALS WATCH: No Sanctuary From Prosecution, a project of World Can't Wait
Vincent Bugliosi's The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder. See Video of opening statement before House Judiciary Committee 7/25/08 (6:44)
Charlotte Dennett's The People v. Bush
Michael Haas's George W. Bush, War Criminal? The Bush Administration's Liability for 269 War Crimes
INSPIRATION 2010 Academy Award® Nominee, Best Documentary (Feature)
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
10/25/09 (Video above, far right) "Ellsberg: From Vietnam to Afghanistan," Interview with Paul Jay, The Real News Network
2/12/10 The Washington Post: "I have some real hopes for this movie," Ellsberg said. "It could show people two things: one, that taking a risk in your personal life in order to expose a wrong or to tell the truth can have an effect. And two, that the voice in you that says 'Don't go against the crowd' is wrong."
Ellsberg is acutely aware that screening "The Most Dangerous Man in America" in Washington possesses special resonance — and potential. "I would like nothing better than having this movie shown in the Pentagon and CIA," he said, adding, "I really believe it has a chance of changing the lives of a fraction of the people who've seen it."
4/16/10 The Pentagon Papers Are Public This Time, by David Swanson
7/27/10 Video (59:05) NEW! Daniel Ellsberg speaks at the PDA Leadership Conference, Cleveland Ohio, 7/20/10
7/27/10 NEW! Pentagon Papers' Ellsberg weighs in on WikiLeaks, by John Nichols, The Capital Times
RELATED STORIES
4/11/10 One Marine's 'Liberty Walk' for the Rest of Us, by Chris Hedges, Truthdig
WAR PROPAGANDA: To understand how to end wars, we must understand how they are started
End US Wars calls upon our fellow war resisters to become disablers of war party mentality. To do this, we have to confront war propaganda.
Below left, long-time peace activist Dr. Graeme MacQueen, Professor of Religious Studies and founding director of the Centre for Peace Studies, McMaster University in Toronto, Canada, explains how he became aware of the "fraudulent trigger incident" (referring to 9/11) that allowed the American public to accept the October 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, which had been planned months in advance.
The 36-minute video presents a "Challenge to the Peace Movement" delivered by Professor MacQueen on September 13, 2009 at a conference in New York City. It is especially relevant now, as we see failed "terrorist" plots being overhyped by the media, such as the attempted airline bombing incident on 12/25/09, reportedly blaming al Qaeda in Yemen, and more recently the car bomb scare in New York's Times Square on 5/1/10, also tied to the same US-born Yemeni cleric (based on a "still unverified" notion, in spite of public disavowals by the Taliban) who allegedly inspired the 9/11 hijackers and the accused shooter in the Fort Hood, TX massacre on 11/5/09.
MacQueen: [above, at 31:15] " ... I watched the
official narrative dissolve before my eyes in two or
three days. I want to offer that same challenge to
the rest of the peace movement. This is important.
How can you claim to understand war if you don't
understand the events that trigger it?"
RELATED STORIES
1/8/10 "Conspiracy or Cock Up?" White House Reaction to Ersatz Bomber by Michael Collins
1/25/10 Flight 253 Cover-Up: "No Smoking Gun" Claims Undercut by New Disclosures by Tom Burghardt
2/2/10 Officials Warn al Qaeda 'Certain' to Try Attack Soon, The Wall Street Journal
2/8/10 Flight 253: Intelligence Agencies Nixed State Department Move to Revoke Bomber's Visa by Tom Burghardt
5/10/10 Holder & Company jump the gun on Shahzad by Jeff Stein, The Washington Post
5/14/10 Holder balks at blaming 'radical Islam' for terror attempts by Stephen Dinan, The Washington Times
5/16/10 The "Times Square Bomb" by Sajid Ansari, Veterans Today
5/23/10 Editorial: Tainted Justice The New York Times
5/26/10 Unless otherwise directed... by John Grant, This Can't Be Happening: "There is no indication Shahzad calculated becoming a citizen to pull off a terrorist act. His decision to kill seems to have come later, a combination of his life coming apart and anger at US drone attacks in northwest Pakistan where he was raised."
5/28/10 No Terror Evidence Against Some Detainees by Charlie Savage, The New York Times
6/14/10 Trial of Newburgh Men Accused of Terror Plot Delayed by William Glaberson, The New York Times: "...there would have been no plot without the informant. 'But for the insistence and persistence of the government's informant, this case never would have occurred,' he said. 'You never would have heard of our four guys.'"
6/24/10 'Manchurian Candidate' Shahzad confesses all by Jerry Mazza, Online Journal
7/9/10 Video (47:29) NATO's Secret Armies (2009) by Andreas Pichler. In 1990, alarming evidence of NATO-sponsored terrorist attacks came to light. This is the shocking story of Operation Gladio; a tale of espionage, conspiracy and political violence. This film shows how the Right subverts democracy by using fear to push a population in a certain direction.
COMMENTARY ON 9/11
5/26/04 Blueprint for World Domination, by Bruce K. Gagnon
8/10/09 Video (1:35) Veterans For Peace Support New 9/11 Investigation, Resolution Passed at 2009 VFP Convention
2/5/10 The Peace Movement versus the 9/11 Truth Movement, by Barrie Zwicker
2/25/10 The Road to Armageddon, by Paul Craig Roberts
3/3/10 Hitler's "Big Lie" reborn: US lies for war with Iran bigger, more Orwellian than war lies with Iraq, by Carl Herman
3/5/10 A Guide to the 9/11 Whistleblowers, by James Corbett
3/9/10 The Washington Post on "Lunatic" 9/11 "Conspiracy Theorists", by Jeremy R. Hammond, Editor, Foreign Policy Journal
3/28/09 Video (9:06) 9-11 Truth makes HUGE appearance at Los Angeles Anti-War March
4/5/10 Podcast Corbett Report: Interview with Barrie Zwicker on the 9/11 cover-up, false flag operations, and how agents of the state control the opposition to the war machine (1:30:11)
4/15/10 KSM + military tribunal = 9/11 cover-up? Russia Today
4/19/10 Video (7:33) When False Flags Don't Fly by James Corbett [transcript]
4/24/10 Gordon Duff: Stage Being Set For "Dirty Bomb" False Flag, Veterans Today
4/30/10 Did Osama bin Laden Confess to the 9/11 Attacks, and Did He Die, in 2001?, by Prof. David Ray Griffin
5/11/10 Video (10:02) Part 3 of a 5-part interview with Dr. Robert Bowman, recorded live on 4/13/2010, re the collapse of Building 7, nanothermite, and the peace movement's refusal to question what he calls the "9/11 lies"
6/25/10 Did 9/11 Justify the War in Afghanistan? Using the McChrystal Moment to Raise a Forbidden Question by Prof. David Ray Griffin, Global Research
7/5/10 Rethink 9/11: A Letter To Peace Activists, The Seminal
7/6/10 Left-Leaning Despisers of the 9/11 Truth Movement: Do You Really Believe in Miracles? An Open Letter to Terry Allen, Noam Chomsky, Alexander Cockburn, David Corn, Chris Hayes, George Monbiot, Matthew Rothschild, and Matt Taibbi by Prof. David Ray Griffin, Global Research
WELCOME! Who We Are and Who We Are Not
Hello Friends,
Thank you for your interest in our organization.
We came together in early November 2009 to oppose and end US wars. Our rally on December 12, which included over twenty speakers and four presidential candidates, was considered an historic occasion by the many hundreds in attendance that day in front of the White House, as well as the tens of thousands who have since followed us on the Internet, here and abroad.
Our distinguished speakers have been recognized for their lasting contributions to the peace movement worldwide. At our "NO YOU CAN'T!" anti-war rally, they delivered crucial messages to the American public and to the international community, in response to President Obama's call for intensified warfare in Afghanistan.
We ask for your participation and greatly appreciate your involvement in our organization. Together, we believe we are beginning to help shape a newly invigorated anti-war movement in this country. Our website will soon be expanding to include a blog and other ways to become more actively involved.
Our goals, which are clearly stated on our website, are non-ideological and non-partisan. We do not recognize, support or endorse any particular political party or candidate. What we are organized to provide is an inclusive forum among peace and justice groups, as well as political organizations, with a singular focus against these wars, as you will see by our demands and purpose. Our aim and our responsibility is simply moral: to end US wars – nothing more, nothing less.
Thank you,
Laurie Dobson
Director, EndUSWars.org
December 23, 2009
EMERGENCY ANTI-ESCALATION RALLY
Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 • 11am-4pm • Washington DC
Thanks to everyone who joined us for this momentous rally!
Click here for archive of original page, all videos and related links.
Historic occasion: Four former US presidential candidates unite to oppose President Obama's war.
(Photo above, L to R: Dennis Kucinich, Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Mike Gravel.
With Laurie Dobson, director of End Us Wars.)
We need your help! Thank you for whatever you can spare. (Tax-deductible)
