Organizing Notes

Bruce Gagnon is coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space. He offers his own reflections on organizing and the state of America's declining empire....

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Location: Brunswick, ME, United States

The collapsing US military & economic empire is making Washington & NATO even more dangerous. US could not beat the Taliban but thinks it can take on China-Russia-Iran...a sign of psychopathology for sure. @BruceKGagnon

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Defending Democracy in Brazil



Social movements have rallied in Brasilia in favor of ousted President Dilma Rouseeff.

"We are organizing the resistance and we will continue to agitate against the coup-backing government of Michel Temer. He has no votes, he does not have popular support, rather, he is using maneuvers of the ruling classes together with US imperialism," said one angry citizen.

Convert the War Machine - Protect the Future Generations!


We had a planning meeting today in Bath for this important upcoming action.

Please join us if you can and help us demand that we deal with our real problem - climate change and growing income disparity - let's move the $4 billion that is wasted on each of these warships to help us deal with our coming harsh future.  We must think of the next seven generations!

Resistance to insanity is necessary when we have a government determined to promote endless war and corporate profits for the war machine.

Time to Fight for Life

Friday, May 13, 2016

Brazil Punished by Western Capitalists


The decision to oust Dilma Rousseff won't just rip Brazil apart politically, it will also threaten democracy and destabilize the region. Meanwhile, the U.S. stands to gain from the weakening of Dilma's leftist government.  

This is a tragic development and another indication that Washington continues to roll the dice like a riverboat gambler in its quest for global domination.  Brazil's particular crime of course was participation in the alternative global economic development system called BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa).  

So regime change is underway in Brazil and Washington's agenda includes the same in Moscow and Beijing which will be much more difficult to achieve.  Thus we see the expansion of NATO to encircle and provoke Russia and Obama's 'pivot' of 60% of US forces into the Asia-Pacific to surround China.

There is a war underway against any nation that dreams of an alternative global economic structure.  The western capitalist elites don't want to give up control and they are willing to go to any lengths to keep it. 

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Forgotten Americans.....

 
In this corner of the Navajo Nation, just 100 miles west of Albuquerque, N.M., an estimated 40 percent of residents don't have access to running water. Their savior is Darlene Arviso, born and raised on the Reservation, who drives her precious cargo - a tanker truck filled with water - to make monthly deliveries to 250 families. Lee Cowan reports.

U.S. Opens 'Missile Defense' Base in Romania, Breaks Ground on Another in Poland


 Reuters reports from Romania:

The United States' European missile defense shield goes live on Thursday almost a decade after Washington proposed protecting NATO from Iranian rockets and despite Russian warnings that the West is threatening the peace in central Europe.

Amid high Russia-West tension, U.S. and NATO officials will declare operational the shield at a remote air base in Deveselu, Romania, after years of planning, billions of dollars in investment and failed attempts to assuage Russian concerns that the shield could be used against Moscow.

The United States will also start construction on a second site in Poland on Friday that is due to be ready in 2018, giving NATO a permanent, round-the-clock shield in addition to radars and ships already in the Mediterranean.

Russia is incensed at such of show of force by its Cold War rival in formerly communist-ruled eastern Europe where it once held sway. Moscow says the U.S.-led alliance is trying to encircle it close to the strategically important Black Sea, home to a Russian naval fleet and where NATO is also considering increasing patrols.

The foreign ministry in Moscow, in comments on Russian news agencies, said Iran's missile program posed no threat to NATO states in Europe and called the U.S. move a mistake and a treaty violation that directly affected Russia's national security.

Despite U.S. assurances, the Kremlin says the missile shield's real aim is to neutralize Moscow's nuclear arsenal long enough for the United States to make a first strike on Russia in the event of war.

Turkey already hosts a U.S. radar and the Netherlands has equipped ships with radars. The United States also has four [Aegis] ships in Spain as part of the defenses, while all NATO nations are contributing funding.

"Ballistic missile defense sites could pose threats to the stability and strategic assets of the Russian Federation," Russia's ambassador to NATO, Alexander Grushko, told Reuters last month.

Here we have one more example of US-NATO muscle flexing in Russia's backyard.  The claims by the US that these 'missile defense' (MD) deployments have nothing to do with Russia are lies.  Washington's claim that these deployments are aimed at Iran are a cynical joke.

When George W. Bush became president (by stealing the election) one of the first things he did was to pull the US out of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with Russia.  That treaty banned the testing and deployment of these MD systems because they are destabilizing!  MD gives one side the technology to launch a first-strike attack and then pick-off the retaliatory strikes that would follow.

It's really quite sad to see the Romanian people, who have long suffered, get bought off by the glad handing Pentagon who builds a school and a playground but make the village a prime target during a nuclear exchange.  I'm sure like most people the Romanians heard the words 'missile defense' and felt comforted.  They shouldn't be - they've just had their village hijacked by the world's largest terrorist organization as a offensive base close to the Russian border.

The American Indians said the white man from Washington always spoke with a forked tongue.  When the Soviet Union collapsed they were promised by Washington that NATO would not expand one centimeter toward Russia.  That promise has been repeatedly violated by a US cancerous military operation to dominate the globe.

Only Russia and China stand in the way of US 'full spectrum dominance'.  The MD bases in Romania and Poland are aggressive steps to change the equation and are further evidence that the US is willing to risk WW III in order to carry out its plan for corporate global control.

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Russia Plays Positive Roll in Syria

 
The ceasefire in the embattled Syrian city of Aleppo is holding, according to the Russian Monitoring Centre in the country. The truce, brokered by Washington and Moscow, has given some respite to the residents, with US Secretary of State John Kerry acknowledging Russia's role. RT's Eisa Ali reports.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Critics of U.S. 'Missile Defense' Radar Raided in Japan


 Statement on Police Raids in Osaka, Japan

Admit not unjust oppression. Protest sternly the false, unjust oppression by Security 3rd Section of Osaka Prefectural Police!

On May 2nd, Security 3rd Section of Osaka Prefectural Police made forced search at 16 venues simultaneously, offices, homes, etc, of those that take part in Kyoto/Kinki (West) Liaison Council to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station. The sites are widespread, 5 offices, 11 private houses. Though no arrests are confirmed as of now.

Osaka Pref Police says "2 suspects other than xx" and charge of "fraud" only, that absolutely groundless. Nothing at all is told by them what deeds make "fraud", who are "two others". Such forced searches are illegal whatever Osaka Police dares to say. Items they confiscated must be returned immediately. We reprimand thoroughly this naked unjust oppression and protest to allow never any further of it.

The oppression is well suspected to focus on the Liaison Council to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station, following the unjust arrests/unjust oppression last June 4-5th on "charge of breaching the road transportation law". What it aims is to intimidate the movement, to divide local residents, we see. The movement to oppose US Army X-band Radar Station, anti-base action launched of late, has been fighting united with local residents,  joined by people of Kinki (West) and around Japan. It has been promoting no-base movements nationwide, that of Henoko, Okinawa, among others, as well as internationally with those in Korea. And All-out Local Meeting at Kyotango is to be on coming June 5th by the joint advocates.


Establishment of Japan is so afraid of the movements growing further to oppose US Army X-band Radar Station at Kyotango, the focal site of US Missile Defense System and the torch of military unification of Japan-US, that it chases to mash the no-base movements on its way also to deploy THAAD Missile in Japan. But the struggles of the council has left no room for the power to make any say, keeping non-violent direct activities. Osaka Police, seeing no way in this, took to the oppressions faking up "charges", as "breach of road transportation law" last year, and "fraud" this time. We are innocent, never admit the unjust oppression totally groundless. The oppression being just on the eve of G7 Summit in IseShimsa and items confiscated tell too this makes pre-oppression to the action protesting the Summit.

We, Liaison Council to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station, those searched and all, organize now to fight back squarely and sternly. By peoples as many as possible, angered at the oppression, speaking out, standing up, the police shall not keep nor enlarge it any further.

We call anyone to attend the urgent Counter-Oppression Meeting May 12th. And gaining a big success of 6.5 KyoTango All-out Meeting with large turnout, let us go smash the dark scheme of Osaka Police. Let clearly no-base movements proceed that lead to the peaceful East Asia together.

May 5, 2016
Liaison Council of Kyoto to Oppose US Army X-band Radar Station

Monday, May 09, 2016

Sick in Bed


I went to bed at 7:00 pm last night, could not even stand up.  Been in bed all day today, just made myself get up to take a quick look at emails.

I've been having cold spells and fever and my gut is a mess.  I don't know if I have the flu or food poisoning.

I'm supposed to fly to Toronto on Wednesday so am hoping for a quick recovery.

Update:  I went to the emergency room very early yesterday morning and spent seven hours there, taking two drip IV's because of my dehydration.  They did a CT scan and said I have an inflamed colon.  Must have picked up a wicked virus during my recent trip.  I got home from Ukraine on Friday night and this began kicking in on Sunday.   Likely back to doctor on Thursday.

Sunday, May 08, 2016

Sunday Song