12-23-10 National Protests March 19

All out Saturday, March 19, 2011, for a
Day of Action to Resist the War Machine
As the war in Afghanistan expands, U.S. peace groups are organizing nationwide local demonstrations on the 8th anniversary of the Iraq war.

Hudson Valley readers: There will be a regional rally in New Paltz organized by the Activist Newsletter
and backed by co-sponsors as part of the March 19 effort.

From the ANSWER Coalition:

March 19 is the 8th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, a country that remains occupied by 50,000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousands of foreign mercenaries. There is no guarantee they won't stay for years longer.

The war in Afghanistan is raging and spreading, more then 9 years after Bush invaded. American troops have nearly tripled in size in the last two years. The U.S. is already bombing parts of Pakistan, and wants to send combat troops. Washington has also spread the war to Yemen. The U.S. is financing the repression against the people of Palestine, and threatening Iran and N. Korea.

While the United States will spend $1 trillion for war, occupation and weapons in 2011, 30 million people in the United States remain unemployed or underemployed, millions of families have lost their homes, and cuts in education, housing and healthcare are imposing a huge toll on the people.

Actions of civil resistance are spreading. On Dec. 16, 2010, a veterans-led civil resistance at the White House played an important role in bringing the anti-war movement from protest to resistance. Enduring hours of heavy snow, 131 veterans and other antiwar activists lined the White House fence and were arrested. Some of those arrested will be going to trial, which will be scheduled soon in Washington, D.C.

Saturday, March 19, 2011, will be an international day of action against the war machine. In the U.S., protest and resistance actions will take place across the country. Scores of organizations are coming together. Demonstrations are scheduled for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and many more cities and towns.

For more information, to endorse the event, and/or to make a contribution contact the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) at:
http://www.answercoalition.org/national/news/march-19-2010-announcement.html

To help us organize the Mid-Hudson regional protest in New Paltz March 19 and/or to endorse our local action,  contact the Activist Newsletter at jacdon@earthlink.net
http://activistnewsletter.blogspot.com/

12-13-10 Peace Prize to war supporter

FOR 2ND YEAR IN A ROW
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE GOES TO
AN INDIVIDUAL WITH PRO-WAR VIEWS
The following article appeared today at CounterPunch.org.
———————————————————————
Does Liu Xiaobo Really Deserve the Peace Prize?
By TARIQ ALI, Dec. 13, 2010

Last year's recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize escalated the war in Afghanistan a few weeks after receiving the prize. The award surprised even Obama. This year the Chinese government were foolish to make a martyr of the president of Chinese PEN and neo-con Liu Xiaobo. He should never have been arrested, but the Norwegian politicians who comprise the committee, led by Thorbjørn Jagland, a former Labour prime minister, wanted to teach China a lesson. And so they ignored their hero's views.

Or perhaps they didn't, given that their own views are not dissimilar. The committee thought about giving Bush and Blair a joint peace prize for invading Iraq but a public outcry forced a retreat.

For the record, Liu Xiaobo has stated publicly that in his view:

    (a) China's tragedy is that it wasn't colonized for at least 300 years by a Western power or Japan. This would apparently have civilized it for ever;


    (b) The Korean and Vietnam wars fought by the US were wars against totalitarianism and enhanced Washington's 'moral credibility';


    (c) Bush was right to go to war in Iraq and Senator Kerry's criticisms were 'slander-mongering';


    (d) Afghanistan? No surprises here: Full support for Nato's war.

He has a right to these opinions, but should they get a peace prize?

The Norwegian jurist Fredrik Heffermehl argues that the committee is in breach of the will and testament left behind by the inventor of dynamite whose bequests fund the prizes:

    'The Nobel committee has not received prize money for free use, but was entrusted with money to give to the pivotal element in creating peace, breaking the vicious circle of arms races and military power games. From this point of view the 2010 Nobel is again an illegitimate prize awarded by an illegitimate committee.'

— Tariq Ali’s latest book “The Obama Syndrome: Surrender at Home, War Abroad’ is published by Verso.