Challenging 'Missile Defense' in the Age of Trump

The Fight to Stop U.S. THAAD Deployment in South Korea

Webinar/Teach-in open to the public:

Featured Speakers - JJ Suh and Ray McGovern

Monday, February 13, 2017, 8 pm EST, 5 pm PST

**RSVP to no-thaad@mail.com for log-in info

On July 7, 2016, the U.S. and South Korean governments announced a joint decision to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system in South Korea. The two governments assert, without serious evidence and contrary to expert opinion, that the THAAD system will protect South Korea from the threat of North Korean missiles.

The U.S. THAAD deployment in South Korea is part of the U.S. “pivot” to the Asia Pacific. It expands the already significant network of U.S. “missile defense” systems encircling China and Russia. These systems give the U.S. military the potential to neutralize an opponent’s ability to retaliate and appears to reflect a broader U.S. decision to change its military posture from one of deterrence to that of first strike.

The determination of the US government to use an expanding regional military presence to boost its regional political influence comes at high cost. It intensifies regional military tensions, fuels a new arms race, and increases the possibility of a new war on the Korean peninsula. It also undermines the national sovereignty and democratic aspirations of people in South Korea.

South Koreans are fighting to block deployment of the THAAD system in their country. They fear that its deployment will draw their country into an anti-Chinese alliance with the United States and Japan, embolden militaristic and anti-democratic political forces in their own country, and exacerbate tensions between North and South Korea. They also worry about the negative health effects associated with the operation of the THAAD radar system.

Also of concern is the cost of the THAAD system--estimated at $1.3 billion, plus an additional $22 million each year for operating and sustainment--which will be borne by South Korean and U.S. taxpayers. The continuing development of new and more destructive weapons systems draws precious resources away from needed domestic social programs in both countries.

Join us to discuss how to fight missile defense in the age of Trump and stop THAAD deployment in South Korea.

Task Force to Stop THAAD in Korea and Militarism in Asia and the Pacific

www.stopthaad.org  @STOPTHAAD

Where Does the U.S. Now Go with Russia?

Leading scholar on US-Russia relations addresses the claim being trumpeted by politicians and media on both sides of the political spectrum that Russia is now the "number one" threat to the United States. Given the proxy wars in Syria and Ukraine, Dr. Cohen tells host Abby Martin that the real alarming danger today is "a new, multi-front Cuban missile crisis."

Dr. Stephen Cohen is Professor Emeritus at Princeton University and New York University where he taught Russian Studies. He has been a noted author and commentator on US-Russia policy for decades.

Pictures on the Wall

LumenARRT! Celebrates MLK Day from Geoffrey Leighton on Vimeo.

On January 16, 2017, LumenARRT! created a large-scale video projection in downtown Portland, Maine to celebrate the NAACP's annual Martin Luther King Day event. See more of their projections at lumenarrt.org

Share the Links as We March.....

I joined the women's march yesterday in Brunswick, Maine where several hundred in this relatively small community turned out.  That was in addition to 10,000 in nearby Portland and around 10,000 in Augusta.  Those were excellent numbers for Maine which only has 1.3 million people across our large state - we have alot more trees than people.

I felt good about the overall national (and international) day of protests.  The photos from these events are fun to look at - see some here

A friend sent around pictures from the Augusta, Maine event and I noticed photos of some Democratic party politicians working the crowd.  The Dems are in big trouble and they want to ride this national surge as hard as they can.  People need to watch that the Dems don't lead this movement down the rabbit hole.

I've noted that the George Soros Open Society Foundation funded about 40 of the groups organizing these protests.  Soros is not only a major Democratic Party donor but he is a primary funder/director of the 'color revolutions' - particularly in Eastern Europe.  Soros is a major Russia hater.  Thus it makes sense that Soros wants to knock Trump around in order to punish him for daring to say the US and Russia should get along - one of the few of Trump's positive statements.

So in some ways the events yesterday carried some features of a Soros sponsored 'color revolution' - this one in pink.

I was motivated to stand with women who have every right to be afraid and angry about Trump, his hateful talk, and a resurgent right-wing.  But I wanted to help broaden the message for those at the event and those in the public passing us by.

I carefully selected the red banner above made by an art collective in Maine that produces banners for many different issue events.  This one was made to order for our Maine Peace Walk last October that was entitled Stop the War$ on Mother Earth.  Connecting the dots is always important to me.

People at the protest were very drawn to the banner and many took photos of it.  Many of the women would verbalize the connections by saying things like: "Yeah, education!" or "Yeah, health care".  Lots of cars going by honked and waved at the protesters and at the banner.

With the help of local artist and activist Ed McCarten I was able to stand in the street to help maximize the banner's visibility.  This also forces cars to slow down a bit which allows the driver and passengers to have a better look at the entire protest.

I observed that a good number of the people who came to the protest had no sign with them.  Many of them flashed in and out and didn't stay for the whole hour-long event.  But in a way this is a good omen as many fence sitters (likely loyal Democrats) did come out and felt the great community spirit at a 'happening' event.  I heard one woman remark that this was her first protest ever - and she was not a spring chicken.

But the real test is time - and we will soon enough find out about the creativity and staying power of those who turned out across America yesterday.  On one side many of them came out of the Occupy movement and understand the need to stay focused.  But many new folks who attended the protests will quickly confront the hard reality that change will come slowly in our new America - as we are near totally under the thumb of corporate forces in Washington.

We will need to be more determined than ever and have more stick-to-it-ivness than ever.  That ultimately means our own lives must change because real commitment to sustained resistance translates to changing our patterns and our values - and most difficult of all - often having to change our social groups.

(I'll always remember speaking to a group in Daytona Beach, Florida back in the 1980's about space weapons issues.  A woman raised her hand during the Q & A and said:  "You expect me to go to my bridge club and talk about this?!  I would lose all of my friends."  With that said she got up and walked out of the room.)

The dominant and aggressive patriarchy now in command does wish to control women's lives - and people of color - and they want to drill-baby-drill on public lands - and they want to grab declining resources from nations on the other side of the planet.  They are planning for endless war and massive on-going military expenditures.  They want to drain the swamp of all social spending - including Social Security and Medicare to help pay for militarism.

We can't defeat the corporate oligarchies by going for half the loaf and only half the articulation of the problem.  We've got to understand the links and bring them into events like yesterday.

Cheers to all who turned out.

Bruce

Sunday Song

Blinded by Hypocrisy

The magicians parting slight-of-hand.... Bye-bye Obama.......

A BRIEFING ON THE HISTORY OF U.S. MILITARY INTERVENTIONS

By Zoltán Grossman

Country/State	Dates of intervention	Forces	Comments
SOUTH DAKOTA	1890 (-?)	Troops	300 Lakota Indians massacred at Wounded Knee.
ARGENTINA	1890	Troops	Buenos Aires interests protected.
CHILE	1891	Troops	Marines clash with nationalist rebels.
HAITI	1891	Troops	Black revolt on Navassa defeated.
IDAHO	1892	Troops	Army suppresses silver miners' strike.
HAWAII	1893 (-?)	Naval, troops	Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed.
CHICAGO	1894	Troops	Breaking of rail strike, 34 killed.
NICARAGUA	1894	Troops	Month-long occupation of Bluefields.
CHINA	1894-95	Naval, troops	Marines land in Sino-Japanese War
KOREA	1894-96	Troops	Marines kept in Seoul during war.
PANAMA	1895	Troops, naval	Marines land in Colombian province.
NICARAGUA	1896	Troops	Marines land in port of Corinto.
CHINA	1898-1900	Troops	Boxer Rebellion fought by foreign armies.
PHILIPPINES	1898-1910 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, killed 600,000 Filipinos
CUBA	1898-1902 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, still hold Navy base.
PUERTO RICO	1898 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, occupation continues.
GUAM	1898 (-?)	Naval, troops	Seized from Spain, still use as base.
MINNESOTA	1898 (-?)	Troops	Army battles Chippewa at Leech Lake.
NICARAGUA	1898	Troops	Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur.
SAMOA	1899 (-?)	Troops	Battle over succession to throne.
NICARAGUA	1899	Troops	Marines land at port of Bluefields.
IDAHO	1899-1901	Troops	Army occupies Coeur d'Alene mining region.
OKLAHOMA	1901	Troops	Army battles Creek Indian revolt.
PANAMA	1901-14	Naval, troops	Broke off from Colombia 1903, annexed Canal Zone; Opened canal 1914.
HONDURAS	1903	Troops	Marines intervene in revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1903-04	Troops	U.S. interests protected in Revolution.
KOREA	1904-05	Troops	Marines land in Russo-Japanese War.
CUBA	1906-09	Troops	Marines land in democratic election.
NICARAGUA	1907	Troops	"Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up.
HONDURAS	1907	Troops	Marines land during war with Nicaragua
PANAMA	1908	Troops	Marines intervene in election contest.
NICARAGUA	1910	Troops	Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto.
HONDURAS	1911	Troops	U.S. interests protected in civil war.
CHINA	1911-41	Naval, troops	Continuous occupation with flare-ups.
CUBA	1912	Troops	U.S. interests protected in civil war.
PANAMA	1912	Troops	Marines land during heated election.
HONDURAS	1912	Troops	Marines protect U.S. economic interests.
NICARAGUA	1912-33	Troops, bombing	10-year occupation, fought guerillas
MEXICO	1913	Naval	Americans evacuated during revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1914	Naval	Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo.
COLORADO	1914	Troops	Breaking of miners' strike by Army.
MEXICO	1914-18	Naval, troops	Series of interventions against nationalists.
HAITI	1914-34	Troops, bombing	19-year occupation after revolts.
TEXAS	1915	Troops	Federal soldiers crush "Plan of San Diego" Mexican-American rebellion
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1916-24	Troops	8-year Marine occupation.
CUBA	1917-33	Troops	Military occupation, economic protectorate.
WORLD WAR I	1917-18	Naval, troops	Ships sunk, fought Germany for 1 1/2 years.
RUSSIA	1918-22	Naval, troops	Five landings to fight Bolsheviks
PANAMA	1918-20	Troops	"Police duty" during unrest after elections.
HONDURAS	1919	Troops	Marines land during election campaign.
YUGOSLAVIA	1919	Troops/Marines	intervene for Italy against Serbs in Dalmatia.
GUATEMALA	1920	Troops	2-week intervention against unionists.
WEST VIRGINIA	1920-21	Troops, bombing	Army intervenes against mineworkers.
TURKEY	1922	Troops	Fought nationalists in Smyrna.
CHINA	1922-27	Naval, troops	Deployment during nationalist revolt.
MEXICO HONDURAS	1923 1924-25	Bombing Troops	Airpower defends Calles from rebellion Landed twice during election strife.
PANAMA	1925	Troops	Marines suppress general strike.
CHINA	1927-34	Troops	Marines stationed throughout the country.
EL SALVADOR	1932	Naval	Warships send during Marti revolt.
WASHINGTON DC	1932	Troops	Army stops WWI vet bonus protest.
WORLD WAR II	1941-45	Naval, troops, bombing, nuclear	Hawaii bombed, fought Japan, Italy and Germay for 3 years; first nuclear war.
DETROIT	1943	Troops	Army put down Black rebellion.
IRAN	1946	Nuclear threat	Soviet troops told to leave north.
YUGOSLAVIA	1946	Nuclear threat, naval	Response to shoot-down of US plane.
URUGUAY	1947	Nuclear threat	Bombers deployed as show of strength.
GREECE	1947-49	Command operation	U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war.
GERMANY	1948	Nuclear Threat	Atomic-capable bombers guard Berlin Airlift.
CHINA	1948-49	Troops/Marines	evacuate Americans before Communist victory.
PHILIPPINES	1948-54	Command operation	CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion.
PUERTO RICO	1950	Command operation	Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce.
KOREA	1951-53 (-?)	Troops, naval, bombing , nuclear threats	U.S./So. Korea fights China/No. Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in 1950, and against China in 1953. Still have bases.
IRAN	1953	Command Operation	CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah.
VIETNAM	1954	Nuclear threat	French offered bombs to use against seige.
GUATEMALA	1954	Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat	CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalized U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua.
EGYPT	1956	Nuclear threat, troops	Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; Marines evacuate foreigners.
LEBANON	l958	Troops, naval	Army & Marine occupation against rebels.
IRAQ	1958	Nuclear threat	Iraq warned against invading Kuwait.
CHINA	l958	Nuclear threat	China told not to move on Taiwan isles.
PANAMA	1958	Troops	Flag protests erupt into confrontation.
VIETNAM	l960-75	Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats	Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; one million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in l968 and l969.
CUBA	l961	Command operation	CIA-directed exile invasion fails.
GERMANY	l961	Nuclear threat	Alert during Berlin Wall crisis.
LAOS	1962	Command operation	Military buildup during guerrilla war.
CUBA	l962	Nuclear threat, naval	Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union.
IRAQ	1963	Command operation	CIA organizes coup that killed president, brings Ba'ath Party to power, and Saddam Hussein back from exile to be head of the secret service.
PANAMA	l964	Troops	Panamanians shot for urging canal's return.
INDONESIA	l965	Command operation	Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC	1965-66	Troops, bombing	Army & Marines land during election campaign.
GUATEMALA	l966-67	Command operation	Green Berets intervene against rebels.
DETROIT	l967	Troops	Army battles African Americans, 43 killed.
UNITED STATES	l968	Troops	After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers in cities.
CAMBODIA	l969-75	Bombing, troops, naval	Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos.
OMAN	l970	Command operation	U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion.
LAOS	l971-73	Command operation, bombing	U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; "carpet-bombs" countryside.
SOUTH DAKOTA	l973	Command operation	Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas.
MIDEAST	1973	Nuclear threat	World-wide alert during Mideast War.
CHILE	1973	Command operation	CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president.
CAMBODIA	l975	Troops, bombing	Gassing of captured ship Mayagüez, 28 troops die when copter shot down.
ANGOLA	l976-92	Command operation	CIA assists South African-backed rebels.
IRAN	l980	Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing	Raid to rescue Embassy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution.
LIBYA	l981	Naval jets	Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers.
EL SALVADOR	l981-92	Command operation, troops	Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash.
NICARAGUA	l981-90	Command operation, naval	CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution.
LEBANON	l982-84	Naval, bombing, troops	Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions. 241 Marines killed when Shi'a rebel bombs barracks.
GRENADA	l983-84	Troops, bombing	Invasion four years after revolution.
HONDURAS	l983-89	Troops	Maneuvers help build bases near borders.
IRAN	l984	Jets	Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf.
LIBYA	l986	Bombing, naval	Air strikes to topple Qaddafi gov't.
BOLIVIA	1986	Troops	Army assists raids on cocaine region.
IRAN	l987-88	Naval, bombing	US intervenes on side of Iraq in war, defending reflagged tankers and shooting down civilian jet.
LIBYA	1989	Naval jets	Two Libyan jets shot down.
VIRGIN ISLANDS	1989	Troops	St. Croix Black unrest after storm.
PHILIPPINES	1989	Jets	Air cover provided for government against coup.
PANAMA	1989 (-?)	Troops, bombing	Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed.
LIBERIA	1990	Troops	Foreigners evacuated during civil war.
SAUDI ARABIA	1990-91	Troops, jets	Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.
IRAQ	1990-91	Bombing, troops, naval	Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.
KUWAIT	1991	Naval, bombing, troops	Kuwait royal family returned to throne.
IRAQ	1991-2003	Bombing, naval	No-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south; constant air strikes and naval-enforced economic sanctions
LOS ANGELES	1992	Troops	Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising.
SOMALIA	1992-94	Troops, naval, bombing	U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction.
YUGOSLAVIA	1992-94	Naval	NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro.
BOSNIA	1993-?	Jets, bombing	No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs.
HAITI	1994	Troops, naval	Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup.
ZAIRE (CONGO)	1996-97	Troops	Troops at Rwandan Hutu refugee camps, in area where Congo revolution begins.
LIBERIA	1997	Troops	Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.
ALBANIA	1997	Troops	Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.
SUDAN	1998	Missiles	Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be "terrorist" nerve gas plant.
AFGHANISTAN	1998	Missiles	Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies.
IRAQ	1998	Bombing, Missiles	Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions.
YUGOSLAVIA	1999	Bombing, Missiles	Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo. NATO occupation of Kosovo.
YEMEN	2000	Naval	USS Cole, docked in Aden, bombed.
MACEDONIA	2001	Troops	NATO forces deployed to move and disarm Albanian rebels.
UNITED STATES	2001	Jets, naval	Reaction to hijacker attacks on New York, DC
AFGHANISTAN	2001-?	Troops, bombing, missiles	Massive U.S. mobilization to overthrow Taliban, hunt Al Qaeda fighters, install Karzai regime, and battle Taliban insurgency. More than 30,000 U.S. troops and numerous private security contractors carry our occupation.
YEMEN	2002	Missiles	Predator drone missile attack on Al Qaeda, including a US citizen.
PHILIPPINES	2002-?	Troops, naval	Training mission for Philippine military fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels evolves into combat missions in Sulu Archipelago, west of Mindanao.
COLOMBIA	2003-?	Troops	US special forces sent to rebel zone to back up Colombian military protecting oil pipeline.
IRAQ	2003-11	Troops, naval, bombing, missiles	Saddam regime toppled in Baghdad. More than 250,000 U.S. personnel participate in invasion. US and UK forces occupy country and battle Sunni and Shi'ite insurgencies. More than 160,000 troops and numerous private contractors carry out occupation and build large permanent bases.
LIBERIA	2003	Troops	Brief involvement in peacekeeping force as rebels drove out leader.
HAITI	2004-05	Troops, naval	Marines & Army land after right-wing rebels oust elected President Aristide, who was advised to leave by Washington.
PAKISTAN	2005-?	Missiles, bombing, covert operation	CIA missile and air strikes and Special Forces raids on alleged Al Qaeda and Taliban refuge villages kill multiple civilians. Drone attacks also on Pakistani Mehsud network.
SOMALIA	2006-?	Missiles, naval, troops, command operation	Special Forces advise Ethiopian invasion that topples Islamist government; AC-130 strikes, Cruise missile attacks and helicopter raids against Islamist rebels; naval blockade against "pirates" and insurgents.
SYRIA	2008	Troops	Special Forces in helicopter raid 5 miles from Iraq kill 8 Syrian civilians
YEMEN	2009-?	Missiles, command operation	Cruise missile attack on Al Qaeda kills 49 civilians; Yemeni military assaults on rebels
LIBYA	2011-?	Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation	NATO coordinates air strikes and missile attacks against Qaddafi government during uprising by rebel army. Periodic Special Forces raids against Islamist insurgents.

IRAQ

2014-?

Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation

Air strikes and Special Forces intervene against Islamic State insurgents; training Iraqi and Kurdish troops.

SYRIA

2014-?

Bombing, missiles, troops, command operation

Air strikes and Special Forces intervene against Islamic State insurgents; training other Syrian insurgents.

Women Protect the Life

America: It's Going to Be a Wild Ride

I watched Donald Trump's inaugural speech today with three other housemates and none of us were impressed.  He's living in another age - I see Trump trying to hang on to the long passed time of American military supremacy and economic domination.  One last gasp before the US empire crashes under the weight of its own hypocrisy and contradictions.

He said a few things that were decent but one must question them as pure political rhetoric as just a quick review of his cabinet appointments (full of corporate operatives) strongly undercuts his claims that he will return the power to the people that the 'elites in Washington' have unfairly taken from them.

Trump blames other nations (especially China) for 'stealing our jobs' but we all know that it was the absolute greed of the corporations that drove them to close production plants across America and move jobs to places overseas where labor was cheaper and environmental regulations were virtually non-existent. Just look at the air quality in India and China for example.  Now in order to 'bring those jobs home' Trump, and the right-wing dominated Congress, want to finish turning the US into a third-world dictatorship where 'regulations on the job creators' are a thing of the past.

Trump will likely finish off what little good will might still exist toward America around the globe.  The inevitable collapse of the US imperial project will now accelerate.

Obama often fooled many people overseas (and at home) with his slick talk and friendly demeanor - even while he was dropping bombs on Libya as he did just the day before Trump took his oath of office. Donald Trump won't be able to pull off that magic trick so easily.

I believe the key organizing strategy in the coming four years on an international level will be to utterly reject US leadership on virtually every issue - from climate change to NATO and beyond.  The world must isolate the US as a reactionary and undemocratic rogue state.  Protests around the world should not just focus on Trump but on the US imperial project that is now totally committed to global domination for the benefit of corporate interests.  Concern for the people of the world or the environment is off the table in Washington.  Democracy is a meaningless word now.

The people of the world must demand that their leaders completely reject the US as a role model or a voice of reason.

This corporate take over of the US government runs far deeper than Trump.  He is not an aberration from the norm - Trump represents the norm in Washington.  We are now ruled by Christian fundamentalism (the American Taliban), an economic expansion ideology that has no concern for the planet, and a military ethic that carries with it strong Puritan evangelical strains.  Greatness only means domination - of everything.

For those of us living here in America we must not restrict our protests to calling out Trump.  We must recognize how the Democrats regularly collaborate with the right-wing reactionary corporate forces.  Just days ago in the US Senate 12 Democrats joined with Republicans to kill a bill that would have allowed American citizens to purchase cheaper medicines from Canada.  The Democrats support swung the vote to satisfy the interests of big pharma.  In the US we must see that we don't have a legislative solution to our problems as the corporations have the government under lock down and they have the key$.

Public protest and non-violent civil resistance in the tradition of Gandhi, ML King, and Dorothy Day are where we must move - collectively as a nation.

In Washington we now have the classic definition of fascism - the wedding of government and corporations.  It would have been the same story if Hillary Clinton had been elected.  She would have been more 'sophisticated' and not come across quite as brash and impolite as Trump does. That would have been enough for many Americans - to them it is no problem that we rule the world just as long as we do it with a reassuring smile.  Trump has broken that mold.

Folks had better hang on because this is going to be a wild ride.  Victory will not come to those who think that building support for their single-issue agenda is the way out of this dark moment.  The old business model of every organization fending for itself won't work any more.

Only by connecting all the dots and working to build a broad and unified movement across the nation - linked with our friends internationally - can we put the brakes on this fall over the cliff that the new corporate government in Washington is pushing us toward.

We need to create a unified positive vision such as converting the military industrial complex to build solar, wind turbines, commuter rail systems and more.  This would serve the interests of labor, environmental groups, the unemployed, and the peace movement.  A win-win for all.

Bruce

Former Newspaper Editor Who Exposed CIA Found Dead

YourNewsWire.com

Dr Udo Ulfkotte, the former German newspaper editor whose bestselling book exposed how the CIA controls German media, has been found dead. He was 56.

Ulfkotte was an editor at Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, one of the largest newspapers in Germany, when he published Bought Journalists, the bestselling book that cost him his job and perhaps his life.

German media, who were banned from reporting on his work in recent years, are reporting he died of “heart failure”.

Acknowledging that his life was under threat, Ulfkotte explained that he was in a better position than most journalists to expose the truth because he didn’t have any children who could be threatened.

Speaking to the Russian newspaper Russian Insider, Ulkfotte said: “When I told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Ulfkotte’s newspaper) that I would publish the book, their lawyers sent me a letter threatening with all legal consequences if I would publish any names or secrets – but I don’t mind. You see, I don’t have children to take care of.“

His fears for a war in Europe, lead him to his decision to tell the truth about corporate media being controlled by intelligence services on behalf of the financial class.

“I’ve been a journalist for about 25 years, and I’ve been educated to lie, to betray, and not to tell the truth to the public,” Ulfkotte told Russia Today. “I was supported by the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA. Why? Because I am pro-American.”

“The German and American media tries to bring war to the people in Europe, to bring war to Russia. This is a point of no return, and I am going to stand up and say… it is not right what I have done in the past, to manipulate people, to make propaganda against Russia.”

Ulfkotte said most corporate media journalists in the United States and Europe are “so-called non-official cover,” meaning that they work for an intelligence agency. “I think it is especially the case with British journalists, because they have a much closer relationship. It is especially the case with Israeli journalists. Of course with French journalists. … It is the case for Australians, [with] journalists from New Zealand, from Taiwan, well, there is many countries,” he said.

Ulfkotte’s book Bought Journalists became a bestseller in Germany but, in a bizarre twist which Ulfkotte says characterizes the disconnect caused by CIA control of the western media, the book cannot be reported on by the German press.

Ulfkotte said: “No German mainstream journalist is allowed to report about [my] book. Otherwise he or she will be sacked. So we have a bestseller now that no German journalist is allowed to write or talk about.”

Among the stories Ulfkotte says he was ordered by the CIA to plant in his newspaper was a fake story that Libyan President Moammar Gaddafi was building poison gas factories in 2011.

“The German and American media tries to bring war to the people in Europe, to bring war to Russia,” he told RT.

“This is a point of no return, and I am going to stand up and say … it is not right what I have done in the past, to manipulate people, to make propaganda against Russia, and it is not right what my colleagues do, and have done in the past, because they are bribed to betray the people not only in Germany, all over Europe. … I am very fearful of a new war in Europe, and I don’t like to have this situation again, because war is never coming from itself, there is always people who push for war, and this is not only politicians, it is journalists too. … We have betrayed our readers, just to push for war. … I don’t want this anymore; I’m fed up with this propaganda. We live in a banana republic, and not in a democratic country where we have press freedom.”

No 'Missile Offense' in Korea!

Seongju and Gimcheon Residents Occupy The Minjoo Headquarters to Stop THAAD Deployment

Residents of Seongju and Gimcheon [South Korea] as well as Won Buddhists have pitched tents outside the Minjoo Party headquarters in Seoul and vow to stay until the main opposition party agrees to oppose the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile [defense] system.

They have been there since January 11 to demand the party officially adopt opposition to the THAAD deployment as its party platform. They also demand the formation of a special committee in the National Assembly to pressure the South Korean government to reverse its agreement with the U.S. to deploy the THAAD missile system.

With [President] Park Geun-hye’s impeachment under review by the Constitutional Court, the anti-THAAD movement is thinking ahead to the next administration. Currently, the Minjoo Party’s Moon Jae-in is a front-runner for the upcoming presidential election, which could be held as soon as April of this year. Should Moon become the next president, he and his Minjoo Party cabinet members will be responsible for answering to the U.S., which has historically imposed its military agenda on the Korean Peninsula, including plans for the THAAD deployment.

The Minjoo Party, however, has yet to adopt an official party platform on the THAAD issue. While certain individual representatives, like the Minjoo Party’s chief Choo Mi-ae, have expressed their concerns about the potential threat to peace posed by the THAAD deployment and have questioned the necessity for such a missile system, the party as a whole has failed to offer a definitive position on the issue. A recent Newsis interview with presidential candidate Moon Jae-in further muddled the Minjoo Party’s position on the issue.

On January 15, Moon said to Newsis that he does not think it is possible for the South Korean government to renege on its THAAD deployment decision with the U.S.. Despite being critical of the Park administration’s hasty and unilateral decision on the THAAD deployment, Moon expressed no intent to block the deployment. He is simply calling for the deployment to be paused while the constitutional court deliberates Park’s impeachment and until the next administration takes office.

People in the fight to oppose the THAAD deployment expressed their outrage against Moon’s comments. A lawyer from Minbyun (Lawyers for a Democratic Society, of which Moon was once a member) questioned Moon’s view of the issue — “Are you saying that a promise made with the U.S. is unbreakable while a promise made with [South Korean] citizens is unimportant?”

On January 16, the sixth consecutive day of the protest directed at the Minjoo Party lawmakers, Won Buddhists, Seongju and Gimcheon residents demanded a meeting with the Minjoo Party chief, Choo Mi-ae. A staff person of Choo’s office informed the residents that Choo would meet with them on Thursday, January 19. “How much longer must we wait?” the residents demanded to know, “Are you saying that six days [of waiting] is not enough so we have to wait another three days?” They added, “We need this meeting immediately so that we can hear Representative Choo’s position on the THAAD deployment issue.”

The persistence of the residents paid off, and Choo Mi-ae met with the residents on January 17. According to the residents who met with Choo, although she agreed that the THAAD system would be ineffective against North Korean missiles and expressed her opposition to the deployment, she did not confirm that her party will adopt an official platform on this issue. She did, however, promise to discuss with fellow lawmakers in the Minjoo Party the formation of a special committee in the National Assembly to address the THAAD deployment issue.

Meanwhile, due to pressures from China, Lotte [corporation], which owns the golf course where the US Forces in Korea (USFK) wants to deploy the THAAD system, is hesitant to finalize its deal with South Korea’s Defense Ministry to give up the golf course in a land swap. The Defense Ministry is awaiting a final approval from Lotte’s board of directors to acquire Lotte’s land and hand it over to the USFK. However, Lotte, feeling pressure from China, which has been strongly opposed to THAAD deployment in Korea and recently ordered an audit of Lotte’s businesses in China, has chosen to delay the decision. With significant investments in China, Lotte cannot ignore the neighboring country’s economic leverage. The deal may not be finalized until early February, later than expected by the Defense Ministry.

By ZoominKorea staff

Setting Up for War with Russia

Generals from US and NATO discuss at a news conference how they are war gaming in eastern Europe along the Russian border including Poland, Estonia, Romania and Bulgaria.

So it is really a triple-edged strategy at work here. At the least the US-NATO are putting a loaded gun to Moscow's head saying get on your knees and submit to the west or else.

Secondly this is a major influx of profit for the military industrial complex.

Lastly, and most likely, the US-NATO are determined to take down Russia while they believe they still can before the growing Russia-China alliance (economic and military) makes it impossible to do so.

The arrogance of the US will ultimately lead to disaster because once these war mongers get going they are very hard to pull back.  It will be more than interesting to see how Trump deals with all of this.

The Obama administration is the one that is setting all of this in motion just as Trump enters office.  So while there are huge worries about Trump (and major protests planned against him) there has been very little concern and protest against Obama during his two terms in office as he over and over again escalated tensions along the Russian border.



It goes to show the utter hypocrisy of liberal Democrats.  When their party is in control of the White House they don't mind this kind of provocative and aggressive escalation tactics.  But as Trump comes into power those same liberals are holding meetings all over the nation to stop the 'new fascist dictator'.

Sadly they miss the clear reality that it was the old boss that created this mess - not the new boss.

I stand against both bosses - I continue to call both mainstream political parties in the US fascist.  The classic definition of fascism is the wedding of corporations and government.  We have that in the US no matter whether Republicans or Democrats are in power.

Bruce 

Getting Caught Up with Odds & Ends

New CIA disclosures reveal that Vladimir Putin used dolphins to help sneak up on the Democrat National Committee (DNC) in order to steal their secrets on behalf of Trump.

• Since getting home from Okinawa I've been as busy as a one-armed wall paper hanger.  I had lots of lovely mail to get caught up with - including many gifts coming in for the Global Network as we hit our 25th year of operation.  Thanks to all of you who have been donating.  These donations give us confidence that our supporters appreciate our hard work and think we are heading in the right direction - especially as we face a new president who no one knows for sure what he will actually do once in office.

• I'm also working on my statements and testimony for our coming Zumwalt 12 trial here in Bath Superior Court on February 1-2.  The group is taking this trial very seriously and putting great effort into making our statements to the judge and jury as clear as possible about why we risked arrest at Bath Iron Works in June 18, 2016 during the 'christening' ceremony of the latest Zumwalt 'stealth' destroyer.

• I am also increasing my efforts on the Global Network's 25th annual space organizing conference that will be held in Huntsville, Alabama on April 7-9.  Our brochure is printed and will be in the mail on January 20 - inauguration day.  We've had our first registration come in from a Veterans For Peace member in Tennessee - someone we don't even know.  I've heard from GN board members in India, Sweden, Norway, England and the US that are going to be at the event.  It's very exciting.  You can see the conference brochure here

• I've been enjoying the healthy debate on the No to NATO email list serve during the past couple of weeks.  The discussion, mostly from those in Europe, has gone back and forth on whether peace groups there should focus their upcoming inauguration protests on Trump or keep them directed at the US military empire and the expanding NATO war machine.  Several European peace group leaders have made the point that Trump isn't even in office yet but that is has been Obama who has been directing the massive US expansion of NATO up to Russia's borders including the current movement of hundreds of tanks and other military vehicles to new US military outposts in Poland and beyond.

Bruce

Trial of Zumwalt 12 Starts Feb. 1 in Bath

Trial of the Zumwalt 12 is scheduled to begin February 1^st at 9:00 a.m. in Sagadahoc Superior Court in Bath (752 High Street) and is expected to last 2 days. 

Members of the group were arrested on June 18^th of last year for blocking the road in front of Bath Iron Works during the ‘christening’ of the USS Michael Mansour, a $4 billion ‘stealth’ destroyer.   They are charged with “obstructing a public way”, a class E. misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of $2000 fine and 6 months in county jail.  

Arrested and charged were: Bruce Gagnon (Bath); Cynthia Howard (Biddeford); Dud Hendrick (Deer Isle); Connie Jenkins (Orono); Tarak Kauff (Woodstock, NY); Richard Lethem (Bath); John Morris (New Gloucester); George Ostensen (Hope); Joan Peck (Brunswick); John Peck (Brunswick); Jason Rawn (Lincolnville); and Russell Wray (Hancock). 

Bar Harbor attorney Lynne Williams has provided legal counsel to the group throughout the case and is attorney-of-record for Joan Peck.  The remaining defendants will represent themselves. 

Members of the Zumwalt 12 stress how important the support from people in the peace and justice community has been over the past few months and hope that many folks will be able to come out for the trial.

Lynne Williams reminds everyone that leafletting at the court house is not permitted, to avoid any appearance of attempting to influence jurors.  However, signs and banners are allowed on public property.

By Connie Jenkins

Orono 

Fomenting Radical Discontent

On this week’s episode of On Contact, Chris Hedges is joined by journalists Abby Martin and Ben Norton to discuss the declassified U.S. intelligence report on Russia’s alleged “influence campaign” on the U.S. presidential election. They explore the allegations and why a large portion of the report is dedicated to RT America’s programming. RT correspondent Anya Parampil details the charges made in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence report.

Protest in Italy

MLK on Vietnam

Last Day in Okinawa

There are 32 US military installations on Okinawa taking up 20% of the island.  The people have been protesting regularly since 1952 against US bases but you'd never know that in the United States because these protests are not reported in the corporate dominated media

Yesterday we drummed and chanted outside the Okinawan prefecture building in Naha to encourage the governor to continue opposition to the Pentagon base expansion program on the island

We drummed and chanted outside the Naha jail yesterday honoring the three activists now under arrest for their peaceful and non-violent opposition to US base expansion at Henoko and Takae

Newspaper coverage of our protests this past week.  One women approached me this morning and said she remembered seeing my photo in the paper a year ago December when I first came to Okinawa with a Veterans For Peace delegation

Our three man VFP delegation along with the 25 other folks from Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist order that we traveled with during our visit

The third graphic from the top shows the plan for the two-runway Marine airfield that will be built on top of pristine Oura Bay.  People make a living from this sacred water body where endangered sea mammals now live. Two million cubic meters of landfill will be put on top of the coral reefs in order to build the airfield.  Is this insane or what?

I'm at the airport in Naha, Okinawa now waiting for my flight to Tokyo.  From there I fly to Minneapolis, Minnesota and then change planes to Boston.  From Boston I take a two-hour bus ride to Portland, Maine where Mary Beth will pick me up and drive me the final 45 minute leg to Bath.  So it's a long trip home.

Yesterday, soon after arriving in Naha we walked through the heart of downtown on the main commercial street that had been closed to auto traffic.  Loads of people were on the streets shopping and listening to music.  So we walked down the middle of the street with Jules Orkin and myself carrying the gold VFP banner and then the Buddhists behind us drumming and chanting up a storm.  It was quite a scene and the best part was when a black GI saw us and made eye connection and gave a nod.  Very special moment.

(Click on the photos for a better view)

Bruce

Sunday Song

Update from Okinawa

Photo taken last night after our dinner at a community center near US Marine base where twin-runways are going to be built over pristine Oura Bay which will destroy endangered dugong mammals (relatives of manatees) and coral reefs.

Yesterday morning three of us from Veterans For Peace walked onto Kadena AFB with our banner that says No US Bases on Okinawa.  We were quickly pushed back by security.

We joined the daily blockade this morning of the construction entrance to US Marine base Camp Schwab for two hours

This morning after joining protests at US Marine base Camp Schwab for two hours we walked along Oura Bay to get a look at the area where the twin-runways will be built on top of the bay by bringing in massive amounts of landfill.  The water is now crystal clear but won't be for long if this airfield is completed.

Activists at Takae show us the places in the forest where the US has cut down 25,000 trees to build helipads for their Osprey aircraft landing zones

It's been a busy couple of days here on Okinawa since arriving.  We've been protesting outside various bases - the US military controls 20% of the entire island for its various Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine bases.  Planes, helicopters and other military vehicles are constantly in motion on the island which creates a huge amount of noise pollution which the population strongly opposes.

Several major base expansion projects are now underway in Okinawa - particularly the twin-runways for Marine aircraft that is scheduled to be built on top of beautifully diverse Oura Bay.  A protest outside Camp Schwab Marine base has been going on daily for more than 900 days and the lead organizer for the movement has been put in jail by the Japanese government on ridiculous charges.  His real crime is that he has been an effective leader.

A second base expansion is the military training area in the Takae forest in the northern part of the island.  We made the 90 minute drive there today and met with villagers who live in the forest (only 140 of them) who have been fighting against the plan to cut large tracts of trees in the forest to construct helipads for the Marine Osprey helicopters (one of which recently crashed in Oura Bay while being refueled by a US Air Force KC-135).

We learned that 25,000 trees have already been cut and roads are being built through the jungle which is loaded with endangered species.  The people have been resisting against this forest destruction for years but the US insisted on the new helipads being built so the colonial puppet Japanese government has complied with the directives from Washington.

All of this base expansion is aimed at China and Russia.  The US is moving 60% of its military forces into the Asia-Pacific (Hillary Clinton named it the 'pivot') thus more airfields, ports-of-call, barracks and weapons depots are required for this major influx of US troops.

You can imagine the same kind of expansion of facilities is happening in Poland today as the Pentagon is moving large supplies of tanks and other military vehicles to that new regional hub.  The environmental consequences of these kinds of base expansions is always extreme.

Several times in the last couple days Okinawan peace leaders have mentioned the name of Caroline Kennedy - JFK's daughter who now serves as Obama's Ambassador to Japan.  She has insisted that the Marine base runways must be completed and the expansion of Marine helipads at Takae inside the forest jungle must go forward.  The word is that the Japanese government has pushed hard in recent months to move these projects along so that her 'legacy' as the US enforcer assigned to control Tokyo will be complete.

Tomorrow we will hold a vigil outside the jail where the Okinawan peace leader Hiroji Yamashiro is being unjustly held.  You can sign a petition calling for his immediate release here

(Click on the photos for a better view)

Bruce

The GI Resistance Movement

Our 35-person  Nipponzan Myohoji delegation joined a large weekly local protest at the front gate of the US's Kadena AFB in Okinawa this morning in the rain.

While standing there with two other Veterans For Peace (VFP) members we held a banner calling for all US bases in Okinawa to be closed.

One of the US security team at the gate and I talked quite a bit during our presence.  He is a private contractor originally from Indiana.  After he retired from the US military he came back to do the same basic job as a contractor and is likely paid much more than when he was on active service.  So he is drinking from the public well twice - getting retirement pay and now working for the Air Force as a contractor.  The American taxpayers are being fleeced by these kind of private security operations.

While talking he was very interested in our group - where we were from, how we traveled, how many of us there were, how long we'd be in Okinawa, etc?  I talked to him about US empire, the Okinawan people's deep rejection of the US military occupation of their lands, and my own time in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

I told him it was the meetings of the GI Resistance Movement in my barracks room (my first roommate was one of the organizers) that helped to turn me into a peace activist.

I suggested he watch this fabulous documentary video.  Maybe he, or others from US intelligence assigned to Okinawa, will take the time to see this important historical piece.

Bruce