Bush is on his way out!
... oh wait a minute...
He still has months to attack another country!
We must act now
Cheney’s
“Peace Keeping Mission” to Saudi Arabia
-The next day Saudi newspapers told the people to
prepare for nuclear fallout if the U.S. bombed Iranian nuclear sites
Demonization of Iran
-Declaring a threat of nuclear weapons even though the
“National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) reported in November 2007 the consensus of all the American intelligence agencies “with high confidence” was that Iran is not actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons. (Polk)”
-Statement from IAEA head says that this is a reminder of pre-war Iraq… “We have not seen any weaponization of their program, nor have we received any information to that affect — no smoking gun or information from intelligence. Based on the evidence, we have, we do not see ... a clear and present danger that requires that you go beyond diplomacy... For the last few years,we have been told by the Security Council ... that we needed to clarify the outstanding issues. We obviously had to welcome Tehran's decision to cooperate with the agency.”
-Declaring Iran a member of the “Axis of Evil” and labeling its military a terrorist
organization
-Blaming Iran for the rise in violence in the Iraq
Admiral Fallon's Resignation in March
-Fallon was said to be “a lone voice against taking military action to stop the Iranian nuclear program.” (Atlas)
-“Apparently, President Bush’s firing of Admiral Fallon was meant to signal to the Iranians that
“all options remain on the table.” This is the publicly proclaimed policy of the Bush administration and has also been adopted by the Democratic Party aspirants to the White House, notably even by Barack Obama who recently said, “all options, and I mean all options, are on the table.” (Polk)
Israel Bombs Syria
-Israel bombed Syria in what may be an attempt to force Syria to activate their anti-aircraft electronics. This would allow Israel to discover the gaps in their defenses and to be able to
develop a flight path to Iran
A major part of the U.S. Navy is deployed in and around the Persian Gulf.
- “The numbers are stunning and include not only a vast array of weapons, including nuclear weapons, cruise and other missiles and hundreds of aircraft but also
“insertion” (invasion) forces and equipment” (Polk)
As this is being written, more and more evidence of a massive build-up and preparation for an attack is being documented. See article by Larry Everest with many more details and information sources.
Are you ready to DO something about
this??
Noticing the beat of the war drums is only the beginning.
From here we need to own the responsibility and capability we have to fight this.
We will no longer allow people to die, countries to be destroyed, and lives to be ruined in our name.
We will not tolerate an escalation of militarization in the Middle East.
We will not be distracted by the glitter of the elections and will remain strong in our convictions.
We have truth and morality on our side and will not stand by to let this administration quietly destroy another country and its innocent civilians.
Come Thursday, May 22nd 6:30 PM, @1199/MLK Labor Center, 310 West 43rd Street, 7th Floor
Be part of Launching a mobilization to STOP impending war on Iran Proposal for forging city-wide No Attack On Iran Coalition, with teach-ins, protests, and forging of emergency response network, so that every major step towards the war is met immediately by the a growing wrath of the people. The Chicago chapter of World Can't Wait has worked with other to launched such a coalition. Check out their web site.
A 10-minute preview of forth-coming documentary movie: Iran is NOT the Problem will be shown.
Come, bring your friends, if you are part of an organization, bring representatives to be part of building this from the ground up and fast. Every person's action and every day counts!
***
Also reports on other parts of the plans for Resisting & Repudiating the Bush Program
which came out of recent World Can't Wait National Meeting, including No to Torture/Fire John Yoo action in Berkeley. Join outreach Wednesday, May 21st at NYU Law School Commencement.
by Larry Everest Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. has been on a reactionary, imperialist crusade to crush Islamic Fundamentalism, overthrow governments not under its thumb, and forcibly restructure the entire Middle East-Central Asian regions. Today the U.S. is targeting Iran, saying it is one of the biggest problems it faces globally. And in recent weeks U.S. threats against Iran have sharply escalated on many fronts. This points, at the very least, to an intensification of U.S. efforts to bully and isolate Iran—but may also portend preparations for an attack on Iran, perhaps coupled with possible Israeli attacks against Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, even Syria. Top Bush administration officials have ratcheted up the breadth, vehemence, and strategic character of their charges and threats against Iran. Defense Secretary Gates claims Iran is “hell bent” on getting nuclear weapons, adding to Israeli claims that Iran is actively pursuing nuclear weapons and could use them in a preemptive attack. General Petreaus charges that Iran is the main source of instability in Iraq, and on April 30, CIA Director Michael Hayden declared that Iranian policy, at the highest government level, is to help kill Americans in Iraq. A few days later, the New York Times (May 5) added another dimension to these charges by reporting that U.S. interrogators had elicited testimony from captured Shi’a fighters that “Militants from the Lebanese group Hezbollah have been training Iraqi militia fighters at a camp near Tehran.” The State Department recently labeled Iran the world’s leading sponsor of “terrorism.” Secretary of State Rice says Iran is waging a “proxy war” with Israel via Hamas in Gaza, Pentagon officials recently claimed Iran is arming Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, and on May 9, the Bush administration blamed Iran and Syria for the outbreak of street fighting in Lebanon between pro-U.S. government forces and Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran. The Bush regime is trying to build a case for possible war on Iran—like what they did with the claims that Saddam Hussein’s regime supported “terrorism” and had WMDs leading up to the invasion of Iraq. U.S. charges against the Islamic Republic are a mixture of lies, distortions, and exaggerations, along with reflections of the real necessity U.S. imperialism faces. The Iranian government is acting to counter U.S. moves and further its own reactionary interests and ambitions on many fronts. Iran’s influence has grown in the region, and this is intolerable to the U.S. rulers who are bent on unchallenged hegemony. This move-countermove dynamic is intensifying with many potentially explosive “trigger points.” On April 25, for the first time, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mullen stated that the Pentagon was actively considering military options against Iran and warned “it would be a mistake to think we’re out of combat capacity.” On April 29, CBS news reported, “A second American aircraft carrier steamed into the Persian Gulf on Tuesday as the Pentagon ordered military commanders to develop new options for attacking Iran.” (In March the U.S. had dispatched a nuclear submarine.) According to CBS, “Targets would include everything from the plants where weapons are made to the headquarters of the organization known as the Quds Force which directs operations in Iraq.” As the U.S. demands Iran halt its alleged interference in Iraq (this from the country that invaded Iraq in the first place!), the State Department has also, according to CBS, “begun drafting an ultimatum that would tell the Iranians to knock it off—or else.” On May 2, Andrew Cockburn reported, “Six weeks ago President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime that, according to those familiar with its contents, [is] ‘unprecedented in its scope.’ Bush’s secret directive covers actions across a huge geographic area—from Lebanon to Afghanistan—but is also far more sweeping in the type of actions permitted under its guidelines—up to and including the assassination of targeted officials.” Cockburn also reported, “A Marine amphibious force, originally due to leave San Diego for the Persian Gulf in mid June, has had its sailing date abruptly moved up to May 4.” The Sunday Times of London (May 4) reports, “The U.S. military is drawing up plans for a ‘surgical strike’ against an insurgent training camp inside Iran if Republican Guards continue with attempts to destabilize Iraq.” The recent U.S.-Iraqi assault on Basra, its current campaign against Shi’ite forces in Sadr City, the renewed fighting in Lebanon (reportedly provoked by the U.S.-backed government’s attempt to remove Hezbollah personnel from their airport positions and close down a Hezbollah-run phone system), as well as the September Israeli strike against a site in Syria may also be linked to military preparations for war on Iran. These U.S. moves to confront Iran and position itself for possible war are themselves acts of imperialist bullying and aggression. Any U.S. attack on Iran—no matter the scale and scope, no matter the pretext or justification—would constitute criminal aggression and a war crime. The potential consequences for the people of Iran and the region are horrific. It’s urgent that people condemn and protest these U.S. threats and war preparations, and sound the alarm—now!
Justice for Sean Bell! "YOUR GOVERNMENT enforces a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance."
(from the World Can't Wait Call) Sean Bell - an unarmed man shot 50 times and
now his killers are all acquitted! To all justice-minded people this verdict
should call us to action UPDATE:
We Are All SEAN BELL! The Whole Damn System is Guilty! THURSDAY - MAY 22ALL DAY IN SCHOOLS EVERYWHERE  TAKE IT TO THE STREETS 4 PM ASSEMBLE: RUFUS KING PARK- JAMAICA AVE AND 150TH STWhen the Judge lets the cops who murdered Sean Bell walk free, the system says to us: 50 shots at unarmed Black youth is no crime! when the police brutalize or murder Black and Latino people the victims, not the cops, get disrespected and treated as criminals in court! the police can kill again and again and again and we just have to learn to accept it. We say Enough! This must stop! Justice for Sean Bell! On May 22 many, many high school students and other youth need to say to the world: We Refuse to Accept the Future this System Says We Must Accept! We refuse to accept the murder of Sean Bell and a system that says his life and ours don’t count! We count and we will make our own future! MAKE THIS THE TOPIC FOR THE DAY: IN SCHOOL, IN THE STREETS THURSDAY, MAY 22 Hundreds of young people have taken to the streets in Queens to protest this verdict. Many, many older people from all over NYC, and from different walks of life and nationalities must join the youth. May 22: Wear Black! Take it to the Street! Count! ALL EYES ON US!
***Statement by Elaine Brower, member of National Steering Committee of World Can't Wait, who was among those arrested in civil disobedience actions: The egregious acts of violence perpetrated by our own police department, members of which are allegedly here to protect and serve our communities, must be stopped. The verdict handed down by Justice Arthur Cooperman did not represent justice served. Allowing 3 police officers who fired randomly into a car and surrounding neighborhood to walk free, is totally unacceptable to me. 50 shots is a massacre, and is not defendable by any laws, or "legal opinions." We all know this; we are all effected by this on every single human level possible. It is absurd that these police officers will be allowed to walk free, keep their jobs, and live in their homes, totally unaffected by the events of murdering Sean Bell and wounding Joseph Guzman and Trent Bennefield. What we call "justice" in this City, and all the way to Baghdad, is not just. The people are not being protected, they are being oppressed. So it is time the people respond! In fact, it is way past time. We have sat by long enough and watched the NYPD inflict pain and suffering on people in this City. They have free reign to "stop and frisk" specifically targeting youths in communities of color. They have entered our subway systems with machine guns and attack dogs in the name of security. They have installed thousands upon thousands of video surveillance systems all around our City in the name of safety. And they are free to unleash gunfire at their will, or as NYPD regulations say "…until the threat or the perceived threat is over…" What kind of nonsense is this? It represents a policy that is ridiculous and extremely dangerous to people of color who are routinely discriminated against and considered expendable. In 2006 (the most recent year for which there is information), police officers fired an average of five shots per incident when they were the only ones shooting, which is the highest number for the entire eight years for which these figures have been reported.
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As thousands of friends and family members of graduates, and then Boalt Hall Dean Edley and the graduates themselves, filed into the stadium, World Can't Wait, National Lawyers Guild members, Act Against Torture, and many others called on them to wear orange and take a stand on this important occasion -- not only against torture, but against the normalization and acceptance of war criminals on a supposedly liberal campus. Inside the graduation, two UC students unfurled a banner calling for Yoo to be fired. Protesters called on the students to use this opportunity to go out into the world and right a terrible wrong, to take their degree and use it to prosecute John Yoo for war crimes! See coverage in San Francisco Chronicle.
