Category: anti-militarism

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FINAL STATEMENT: ANTICOP 2024

ANTICOP 2024 in Oaxaca, Mexico in November 2024I was fortunate in being able to attend ANTICOP 2024 in Oaxaca, Mexico a couple of weeks ago. Getting outside of the United States and being with other activists from around the world is always rejuvenating and renewing. Themes that were explored at ANTICOP included globalization, extractivism, militarism, land and water grabs, community displacement, government inaction towards climate change, and the commodification of nature. All this just before the 29th United Nations Climate Change conference, which will be recorded in the history books as one of the greatest ruses of all time.

Final conference statement (from the organizers)

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Battles Beyond the Horizon

“Since the bow and arrow humans have been distancing themselves from the horrors of war. Now with drones, robots and artificial intelligence, battles are being waged continents away and the decision whether to kill or let live is increasingly out of human hands. The feature-length documentary Battles Beyond the Horizon sets out to wrestle with the questions that arise as a future looms where we may hand over the most precious decision – who should live and who should die – to AI and machines.” – Nico Colombant, Producer

Here is a trailer of the now completed movie Battles Beyond the Horizon which is available for streaming on Amazon.

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I Have a Dream

I hope to live so long so as to see a comparable sign somewhere here in the USA having staked out territory free from the subjugating, precarious, dehumanizing, kleptocratic, capitalist, fascist, police state we are living in at present.

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British Court Approves Julian Assange Extradition to the US

File:Julian Assange - 9060712888 (cropped).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

The British court’s ruling to extradite Julian Assange to the United States to face charges there, boosts fascism and state secrecy, sending a chilling message to the practice of journalism everywhere. The vendetta against Julian, pursued by deranged actors inside the US government seeking revenge for his exposing their ‘secrets’, is being carried out.

Today is a low point in the history of press freedom and democracy. Without a free press reporting on state actions, government can perpetrate atrocities in our name, without our consent, undermining our safety and security.

Once regarded as a paragon of  press freedom supporting democracy in the world, with this act, the United States government is following in the tradition of the worst of fascist states in their destruction of a free press. Long live the free and unfettered press!

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Drone Program Whistleblower Receives Harsh Sentence

I personally wrote the judge about whistleblower Daniel Hale’s case requesting leniency in his sentencing. In my letter I stated “…how could a person of conscience not speak out? The impact of carrying out orders, carrying the burden of responsibility, would certainly wear a person down, questioning right from wrong, whether the ends justify the means, etc. Drone pilots are traumatized, with drug abuse, domestic violence and even suicide being the end result.” and “This young man strikes me as being an upstanding person of conscience who has suffered the ill effects of serving as a UAV pilot for targeted assassinations. I can well imagine Daniel obviously grappled with his conscience and decided to act on what in his estimation was the right, moral and just thing to do. I ask you to drop all charges against Daniel and not punish a young man for turning humane and for his actions of attempting to cease further harm.”

Daniel is a hero having provided the public with irrefutable proof that 90% of the victims of the US military drone strike program are innocents, striking wedding, funeral parties, agricultural workers, etc. e.g.  Loved ones buried after US drone strike kills 30 pine nut pickers in Afghanistan. We now know that the claims for precision are outright lies. The program is slaughtering innocents including women and children. In addition to being illegal and immoral, the US military drone program makes US citizens less safe as it foments anger and hate and the desire to strike back at the US for their slaughtering of innocents (another 911 anyone?). This is just simple common sense. Only the out-of-control heartless, evil, and immoral military industrial complex benefits.