Latest guest on This Issue

Bruce Gagnon and Rev. Bill Bliss discuss their recent Global Network study tour to Russia. Bill studied Russian in high school and has a life-long interest in the country.

Bill was the first guest on This Issue when the public access show began in 2003.  This edition of the show was the 150th during the 16 years it has been on TV across the state - now airing in 17 communities in Maine.

Protest Saturday morning at 8:00 am at BIW

Join us at Bath Iron Works shipyard on Saturday morning at 8:00 am for the protest to oppose another 'christening' of am offensive destroyer.  We meet in Washington St across from the post office in Bath.

Our call?  Convert BIW to peaceful and useful production.

We held a news conference in Portland this morning at 11:00 am.  See more on that here

Weekly space issues radio interview - Grossman & Gagnon

 Listen to "Saying NO to the militarization of space" on Spreaker.


A regular Thursday segment deals with the ongoing militarization of space. As the US continues to withdraw from international arms treaties, will the weaponization and militarization of space bring the world closer to catastrophe?

Brian and John speak with Prof. Karl Grossman, a full professor of journalism at the State University of New York, College at Old Westbury and the host of a nationally aired television program focused on environmental, energy, and space issues, and with Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space.

RAND Corporation study to break Russia up

The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss a recent RAND Corporation research paper which delivers a detailed road map as to how the United States can destabilize Russia, and systematically destroy the Russian Federation by employing economic, social-ideological, geopolitical and military tactics.

You can find the RAND corp. study here

Boycott America!

Don't buy our cola
our chips
and our not so good chocolate

Don't use our banks
or watch our violent
TV shows or movies

Don't travel
to the U.S.
there are much
friendlier,
interesting,
and more peaceful places
to visit
around the world

Don't believe
the arrogance
coming
from Washington

Don't buy our weapons
and don't buy
our bullshit

The time has come
for the people
of the world
to put America
in its place

America is not
exceptional
it's not great
it is a global bully
a collapsing empire
a childish brat
who must be sent
into the timeout
corner
before it blows
up the world

Don't buy it
anymore

Boycott America!

Bruce

Is Iran the next war?

Is the US government preparing to lie its way into another war?

Pentagon Drone shot down over Iran - Washington denies it was over Iranian territory.  Should we believe the Pentagon and the CIA?  What comes next?

Secretary of Insanity Mike Pompeo has admitted to “lying, cheating and stealing” as CIA director.

RT's Rick Sanchez reminds us that as citizens, it’s our responsibility to be aware of what’s going on in our government and to hold officials to account.

In other words we all need to act to prevent the next war which will result in:

• Countless deaths

• More refugees

• Massive environmental destruction

• Wasted hundreds of billions of $$$$$$$

• Further loss of what little democracy we have left

• Likely expanded war that draws in Russia and even China

What you can do now:

1) Phone Congress 202-224-3121. Phone your House member and your US Senator. Say No war with Iran! That is the most important message. Tell them H.R.2354 is in the House of Representatives and S.1039 is in the Senate. Both bills would prohibit the United States from using any federal funds to engage in military action in Iran without congressional approval or a declaration of war

2) Phone the White House 202-456-1414 (Switchboard) 202-456-1111 (Comments). Say No war with Iran! There is evidence some in the Administration are more cautious about an all-out war with Iran. They must hear that millions of us are unalterably opposed to an insane war.

3) Write Letters to the Editor. Express your opposition to War with Iran.

4) Hold Vigils and organize Rallies in your area and your cities against War with Iran.

5) Take photos of yourself holding “No War with Iran!” signs. Post them on Twitter and Instagram. Send them to your House Representative and Senator. Encourage others to do the same.

6) Send a message directly to Congress via this petition site here

Bruce

Heading to Boston for space protest

I am on a bus heading to the JFK Library in Boston for a protest today organized by Massachusetts Peace Action.

Raytheon and Boeing weapons corporations are sponsoring a 50th anniversary of the Moon landing gala at the JFK Library.

Mass. Peace Action writes:

Is President Kennedy’s vision for Space Peaceful or Warlike? Why are Raytheon, Boeing, and Draper Labs sponsoring this celebration?

Raytheon technology is playing a major role in militarizing space and turning space into still another base from which the President can launch war.

Meanwhile here on Earth:

- Raytheon and Boeing are selling bombs and other weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Saudis and UAE are using these weapons to turn Yemen into a living hell.
- The Trump Administration and the Saudis are threatening war against Iran. If there is war, Raytheon and Boeing weapons will play a major role. Raytheon’s Tomahawk missiles will be used to initiate it.
- Draper Labs and Raytheon are major contractors for nuclear weapons. They will play a major role in the President’s $1.7 billion plan for new and upgraded nuclear weapons.

Is Raytheon’s sponsorship of this celebration consistent with President Kennedy’s vision of world peace about which he spoke at American University during the last months of his life?

“I have, therefore, chosen this time and this place to discuss a topic on which ignorance too often abounds and the truth is too rarely perceived–yet it is the most important topic on Earth: world peace.

What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children–not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women–not merely peace in our time but peace for all time…..

So, let us not be blind to our differences–but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”

I'm carrying a couple of Global Network space banners with me to join the protest that will run from 4-6:30 pm.

Earlier this morning I did a half-hour radio interview with a progressive station in Sarasota, Florida.  They invite me on from time to time and I appreciate being able to talk to listeners in that state where I lived for half of my life.

Bruce 

Pinter on political double standards

John Pilger: Yes, I recommend to your listeners Harold Pinter’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech**, I believe it was 2005. It was a superb and eloquent testament of how and why the truth should be told and why we should no longer tolerate political double standards.

Harold Pinter was comparing our view of the Soviet Union and of Stalin’s crimes with America’s crimes; he was saying the main difference was that we know about the scale of Stalin’s crimes and know little about Washington’s. He was saying that the vast silence that enveloped our crimes — when I say, “our crimes,” I mean those of the United States — meant, as he said, memorably, “These crimes didn’t happen, they didn’t even happen when they were happening, they were of no interest, they didn’t matter.”

** Harold Pinter's Nobel Lecture was pre-recorded, and shown on video on 7 December 2005, in Börssalen at the Swedish Academy in Stockholm.

New president in Ukraine - shelling continues

Washington pays much less attention to the requests of the Donbas residents (eastern Ukraine near Russian border), who report that the attacks of the Ukrainian military are getting more frequent.

It's all happening despite new president Vladimir Zelensky's promises of peace.

Three persons view of Russia

A Global Network report sponsored by PeaceWorks of Greater Brunswick, Maine.

Mary Beth Sullivan, Rev. Bill Bliss, and Bruce Gagnon gave this presentation at the Brunswick public library on June 14.

The purpose of the Russia study tour was to listen, learn, and stand against the constant demonization of Russia by the media across the west. The idea was to build people-to-people bridges between our nations rather than an escalating arms race which could bring us WWIII.During the WW II Nazi invasion of the former Soviet Union 28 million citizens lost their lives from the fascist attacks and occupation of the Soviet Union. The memory of that war is deep in the consciousness of the Russian people to this day.

Video by Martha Spiess.

U.S. expands its military hub in Poland

A new combat training center in Drawsko Pomorskie will be built as the US deploys 1,000-2,000 more troops to Poland – bringing the total to well over 7,000 US soldiers who are routinely rotated in and out of the country.

It also appears that a squadron of Reaper drones will be deployed in Poland as part of this expansion.  The Reaper drone offers the US reconnaissance and offensive strike capabilities.

Following regular US-NATO war games in and around Poland, the Pentagon has been leaving massive amounts of military hardware at bases in Poland essentially creating a major military operations hub for the US-NATO aimed at Russia.  Moscow must be increasingly alarmed by this steady escalation of permanent US military capability nears its borders.

The US-Poland announcement stated that the purpose of these additional deployments is to ‘enhance interoperability’ between the two nations military forces.  But there can be no question that the US controls the ‘tip of the spear’ and that Poland is being used as a sacrificial lamb as Washington pursues domination of the Baltics and ultimately Russia as well.

A loaded gun is being pointed at Russia’s head and Moscow is being told to ‘submit to US control’ or risk war.  This arrogant and aggressive attitude by Washington is increasingly being witnessed all around the world as the US desperately attempts to remain the ‘unipolar’ global dominator.  There is no question that the US economic and military ‘empire’ is collapsing and the open question is will Washington create the third world war in its vain attempt to stay in control?

Bruce

The Global War on Assange, Journalism & Dissent

John Pilger talks about the persecution of the WikiLeaks publisher and the rapid crackdown on investigative journalism in a wide-ranging interview with Dennis J. Bernstein and Randy Credico.

By Dennis J Bernstein and Randy Credico

The muckraking work of Oscar and Emmy-award-winning filmmaker John Pilger is revered and celebrated by journalists and publishers all over the world. While still in his twenties, Pilger became the youngest journalist to receive Britain’s highest award for journalism, “Journalist of the Year,” and was the first to win it twice. Moving to the United States, he reported on the upheavals there in the late 1960s and 1970s. Pilger was in the same room when Robert Kennedy, the presidential candidate, was assassinated in June 1968.

His reporting in South East Asia and his subsequent documentary, “Year Zero: the Silent Death of Cambodia,” raised almost $50 million for the people of that stricken country. Similarly, his 1994 documentary and dispatches report from East Timor, where he travelled under cover, helped galvanize support for the East Timorese, then occupied by Indonesia.

The Coming War on China is John Pilger's 60th film. Pilger reveals what the news doesn't - that the world's greatest military power, the United States, and the world's second economic power, China, both nuclear-armed, are on the road to war. Pilger's film is a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.

In this interview with Dennis J. Bernstein and Randy Credico, Pilger talks about what is happening to his friend and colleague Julian Assange, founder and publisher of WikiLeaks, and how his persecution could be the beginning of the end of modern investigative reporting as we know it. Since Assange’s high-profile arrest and maximum-security imprisonment on a bail-jumping charge, journalists and whistleblowers have been pursued, arrested and have their documents and hard drives seized in the U.S., France, Great Britain and Australia.

Bernstein: Good to speak with you again, John.  Thanks for talking with us. What’s happening — not only with Julian Assange — but the future of journalism is extremely disturbing. Now we have seen high-profile raids of journalists in Australia, France, and here in the U.S. in San Francisco, where police put a reporter in handcuffs, while they searched his house and seized his hard drive. We know Julian Assange is in maximum security and Chelsea Manning is also locked down. These are terrible times for the open flow of information.

Pilger: Well, it’s happening all over the world now and certainly all over that part of the world that regards itself as the enlightened. We are seeing the victimization of whistleblowers and journalists who tell the truth. There is a global war on journalism. More than that, there’s a global war on dissent. The speed with which these events has happened is quite remarkable since April 11th when Julian Assange was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London by police. Since then, police have moved against journalists in the United States, in Australia, spectacularly, in Latin America. It’s as if somebody has waved a green flag.

Read the rest of this excellent interview at Consortium News here

Sunday song