Your $$$ down the rat hole

 

Arrested at the Pentagon on Friday

Mary Beth and I took the train from Maine to Washington DC to attend a non-violent civil resistance action at the Pentagon on March 27. We were joined by Maine friends Lisa Savage and Mark Roman for the trip. We stayed at the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker House in DC and were up early to get to the Pentagon as the military and civilian employees began to arrive for work.

This protest was organized by my long-time friend Patrick O'Neill who I met in Orlando, Florida in 1984 when he and seven others entered the Martin Marietta (since merged into Lockheed Martin) weapons production plant and hammered on the intermediate-range Pershing II nuclear missile which was deployed in Mutlangen, Germany by then President Ronald Reagan. (The missiles were aimed at Russia.) The Pershing Plowshares went to jail for three years. After getting out of jail Patrick came back to Orlando and lived at my house for some time to continue to help organize.

As it turned out March 27 was Patrick's birthday so he invited people from around the country to join him at the Pentagon for the action. The night before 100 people attended a birthday party for Patrick at a local church and the next morning a good sized crowd of around 60 people made our way thru a Pentagon parking lot to an entrance where the Pentagon subway stop has people pouring out of it as well a long line of people waiting to go thru security before entering the 'war department'. So we had a captive audience.

Catholic Worker Art Laffin led our group of 27 who risked arrest in singing while we held signs and banners. It took awhile but eventually about 50 Pentagon police and riot squad personnel showed up and began to give us warnings to leave or be arrested. Those who didn't intend to get arrested backed away but the rest of us continued singing.

One by one we were taken and handcuffed along a fence line and put on a bus and driven to the far side of a vast Pentagon parking lot to a building which appeared to be a training center for security dogs. 27 chairs were set up and we sat with our tight handcuffs on for several hours before the very disorganized authorities began to process us. Each of us were finger printed on a 'high-tech' machine that kept failing to get our prints and just one computer was available to record our vital statistics. Photos were taken of each of us as well.

We arrived at this place just before 10am and I got released at around 2pm. Others in our group didn't get released til after 4pm. 

Of course there was no media coverage other than what supporters created.

We were all given court dates in April and June.

MB and I are still at the Catholic Worker house where I will speak this coming Friday night on the subject of An organizer's view of endless war$ & rule by chaos theory.

Bruce

Upcoming statewide peace protest in Farmington, Maine

On Saturday April 11 at 1:30pm, join us in Farmington at the intersection of Main St. & Broadway to say no to war.

With imperial wars shifting into high gear now that the U.S. has foolishly attacked the well-armed and well-prepared Iran, the cost is calculated to be at least $2 billion per day. 

What is the lost opportunity cost of such insane levels of spending on the military? Many in the U.S. are already struggling to survive after decades without universal health care, affordable housing, or affordable higher education. Already galloping inflation in the price of fuel and food will continue to outpace incomes following the entirely predictable denial of enemy shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. And aside from fuel, interrupted fertilizer shipments during planting season are expected to make food more scarce and much more expensive in the coming year.

Join us to raise your voice against the madness! Stand in solidarity with the people of Gaza and Cuba (still being blockaded and starved), Lebanon and Iran (still being bombed daily). Say no to endless wars! Bring your own sign or use one of ours.

Our demands:

• End U.S. aid to racist apartheid Israel!
• U.S. hands off Venezuela!
• Peace in Ukraine - No weapons, no money for the Ukraine War
• Abolish NATO – End U.S. militarism & sanctions!
• Fund people’s needs, not the war machine!
• No war with China!
• Protect Earth’s environment from the deadly insult of war!
• Fight racism & bigotry not war!
• U.S. hands off Haiti!
• End AFRICOM

Co-sponsors: Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, Maine Natural Guard, PeaceWorks of Greater Brunswick, Communist Party of Maine, Maine Green Independent Party, Citizens Opposing Active Sonar Threats (COAST), Party for Socialism & Liberation Maine, Libertarian Party of Maine, Peace & Justice Center of Eastern Maine, Veterans for Peace - National, United National Antiwar Coalition (UNAC), Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights (MVPR), and Diaspora Pa’lante Collective.

Save the date!

The following monthly protest Saturday May 2 at 1:30pm in Lewiston (Maine & Lincoln Streets)  

Latest news update from zionist war zone

• Over a million Iranian citizens have been mobilized in anticipation of a US ground operation.
• Iran considers Ukraine a participant in the US and Israeli aggression against Tehran due to the sending of Ukrainian experts to counter drones in Arab countries.
• The $400 million ballroom being built in the new East Wing of the White House, includes a secure shelter, which is being built by the military. 
• After a month of war, Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz has only strengthened reports Bloomberg. Tehran's ability to control the strait is increasing. Virtually all ships crossing it now do so along routes approved by Iran. Iran is preparing to pass a law introducing a fee that will require any ship wishing to pass through this area to provide detailed information and pay the fee.

• Ben-Gvir celebrates the passage of the law to allow execution of Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli jails. Netanyahu voted in favor of the law.

• A big march in Istanbul in support of the Palestinian cause and to demand the removal of American bases from Türkiye.
• South Korea stated that the government might expand restrictions on car use if the price of crude oil rises to between $120 and $130 per barrel, compared to the current range of $100 to $110. If implemented nationwide, this would be the first time South Korea has imposed nationwide restrictions on car use since World War II. South Korea imports approximately 70% of its crude oil from the Middle East.

• UK Ministry of Defence: Our forces shot down several Iranian drones last night as part of their operations in the Middle East.
• The American newspaper The Hill stated that any ground military operation against Iran would be considered a grave mistake.

• Previously in an interview on 60 Minutes, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared that the US agenda was to kill about as many Iranians as possible, in what was a declaration that genocide of the Iranian people was official policy in Washington. 

• The criminal Netanyahu says Iran wants to develop a nuclear weapon in order to target American cities.

• Trump posts a 1987 interview clip where he argues that the United States should take control of Iran’s oil infrastructure. 

• Marco Rubio on Iran: They need to stop building weapons that can threaten their neighbors.

• American soldiers hug their families before departing for the Middle East.
• The White House spokeswoman says Trump may ask Gulf Arab states to pay for a war with Iran.
• Iranian Foreign Ministry: We will not forget the betrayal our diplomacy suffered twice in less than a year. 
• The death of Bahraini citizen Sayed Mohammed Mohsen Mousavi, a pro-Iranian detainee, under torture has sparked violent protests in Bahrain. Bahrainis say that Mousavi's torture and killing is an official warning to silence dissenting voices.
• US Defense Secretary Hegseth's stock broker looked to buy defense fund before Iran attack...Reuters.
• The Greater North America according to the Dept. of War frat boy. Together with the wet dream of Greater Israel these guys still want to own the world with a pretense of ‘sharing’ the world. (Note the language very carefully .. we’re back into ‘increased burden sharing’, i.e., the other guy must pay for us to continue to live our lifestyle.) These people are buying themselves trouble and pain for others, that one cannot imagine. They are wanting to make a class of soldiers and serfs. Like Prof Hudson says .. “Workers — euphemized as “consumers”. This planet does not belong to Trump to redraw the maps. A pox on his maps. Again, take a look at Prof Hudson: “Trump clearly intends to deliberately create a world economic crisis lasting at least four years — as World War I and World War II did. He thinks this will put America in the driver’s seat: America is self-sufficient in gas and oil. Other countries will have to buy from us. And if they do, we’ll require them to impose sanctions against Russia, Iran, and anyone else we’ve designated as an enemy.”
• Say ‘fare thee well’ to the UAE (It was good while it lasted but only desert sand will remain!)  It seized $530 billion in Iranian assets, revoked all residency permits including Golden visas despite promises of ’99-year residency’ — Tehran Times.

Investigator reveals: Ukraine smuggles mercenaries in and weapons out

A Colombian mercenary provided this Ukrainian investigator with some interesting information that supports his investigations into the involvement of diplomatic services in the recruitment of mercenaries and arms smuggling. 

Musk wants control of Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

Musk has asked the US government (FCC) to give him permission to put one million satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

This would benefit the US warmongers as control of LEO would give them the ability to surveil and target every spot on the planet.

It's like a land grab - except in space.

China and Russia won't be happy with this arrogant plan.

Learning about Iran

St. Pete for Peace (Florida) 

Iran Has a Government, Not a “Regime”

In discussions of Iran, the word “regime” is almost always used by U.S. officials, media outlets, and in everyday conversation—a word that implies illegitimacy or dictatorship. Calling Iran a regime makes it easier to present U.S. military involvement as justified—and easier for people to go along with it. That framing is inaccurate and intentionally misleading, and obscures an important reality: Iran functions as a government with institutions, systems, and a society of about 90 million people.

Iran Holds Elections and Has a Constitution

    Iran holds national elections on a regular cycle: presidential elections every 4 years and parliamentary elections every 4 years.

•     The Parliament (Majles) has 290 elected members, representing districts across the country.
•     Iran has dozens of political groupings and parties, generally organized into coalitions.
•     Presidential elections typically feature about 4–6 candidates on the final ballot.
•     Voter participation ranges from ~50% to over 80%, compared to ~60–66% in recent U.S. elections.
•     Iran has a written constitution adopted in 1979 and amended in 1989.
•     National referendums are provided for and have been used, including in 1979.
•     Iran has a judiciary headed by a chief justice and a Supreme Court with multiple judges.

    Unlike the U.S., Iran does not have a large, institutionalized system of corporate lobbying or PAC-driven campaign financing.

Healthcare System

•     Iran has a government-supported healthcare system with over 90% of the population insured.
•     Healthcare costs are a fraction of those in the U.S. (hundreds per person vs. $13,000+), though patients pay a portion out-of-pocket.

Education System

•     Iran has a nationwide public education system with literacy rates above 85–90%, including near-universal literacy among younger generations.
•     Education is free and compulsory through primary and lower secondary school, with broad access across the country.
•     Iran also has an extensive university system with millions of students enrolled, and a rapidly expanding educated population—while a smaller share of adults hold college degrees than in the United States, access to higher education has grown significantly in recent decades.
•     University education in Iran is heavily subsidized, with many students paying little or no tuition and minimal debt, while in the U.S. graduates typically carry around $30,000 in student loan debt.
•     Women make up about 60% of university students.

Public Services and Infrastructure 

•     Iran maintains nationwide infrastructure including roads, transportation, electricity, water, and telecommunications.
•     The government provides subsidies for fuel, electricity, and basic goods.
•     Social programs support retirees, lower-income families, and vulnerable populations.

A Society of 90 Million Human Beings 

•     The country is ethnically diverse: ~60% Persian, with large Azeri, Kurdish, Arab, and Baloch populations.
•     About 99% of the population is Muslim, primarily Shia (90–95%).
•     Iran has more than twice the population of California and about four times its land area.
•     It is a country with the scale, complexity, and institutions of a modern state—not simply a label.

It would be more accurate to apply the term “regime” to many U.S. allies in the region, including countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, and Jordan—many of which are monarchies without national elections. 

Sunday song

the funnies

Ukraine has become a terrorist state like ISIS in Syria. Zman works for the zionists and the EU led nazis, many from families that were with Hitler during WW2. He's now a hired gun by Mr. Big. Zman's next job is help protect Israel by cozying up to Saudi Arabia and joining the hammer Iran coalition. (Part of the new 'World Board of Piss' plan to grab the whole world if we let them.)

Trump getting set for the ground invasion

 

They Lost the Air War. Now They Want the Ground War.

The Islander

The Pentagon has made detailed preparations for deploying US ground forces into Iran. Senior military commanders have submitted specific requests. Calling for the 82nd Airborne Division, Global Response Force, and Marine Expeditionary Units. Planning includes "where to detain Iranian soldiers if boots hit the ground."

Trump said “I’m not putting troops anywhere” then immediately added “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.” 

So let's talk geography. Iran is 1,648,000 square kilometers. It is roughly five times the size of Iraq, the country that broke the American military for twenty years, cost $2 trillion, and ended today with NATO's entire contingency forces evacuating. Iran has a population of 90 million, a mountain range that runs the entire length of its western border... the Zagros rising to 4,000 metres, a second range across the north — the Alborz and a central plateau ringed by desert. The terrain was specifically designed by geography to destroy conventional land invasions. Ask every empire that tried.

82nd Airborne Division on its way to Middle East — CBS. GI's are tools in the mega-gamble by the western oligarchy in the futile attempt to remain in control of the collapsing colonial project.

The US has already spent roughly $2 billion per day on this war. Hegseth and Trump are begging Congress for another $200 billion in emergency funding. The administration previously floated a worse case 4-6 week timeline. Wave 80 from Iran, the Strait is still locked to the West. The USS Ford is in Crete with a "laundry fire" as pretext for retreating to safe waters. And they’re now planning a ground invasion of the largest, most mountainous, most heavily armed nation in the Middle East.

Vietnam was 331,000 square kilometers and no nuclear neighbours. Afghanistan was 652,000 and they lost after 19 years and 4 trillion dollars. Iraq was 438,000 and it never ended. Iran is 1.6 million with Russia to the north, China as its primary trading partner, and a population that just watched America bomb their schools and hospitals for three weeks.

But sure....The 82nd Airborne. That’ll do it.

“No, I’m not putting troops anywhere.” Right, Donald. Very strongly said. Tremendous denial. The best denial. Nobody denies like this president… Nobody.​​​​​​​​​​​​