Against a background of escalating ecological crises, and the fact that large parts of the world´s population are being exposed to extreme poverty, inhuman working conditions and increasing social tensions, the annual global military expenditure has risen to more than 1000 billion dollars. The military-industrial complex of just a few G8 countries is responsible for the overwhelming part of this spending, causing incalcuable social and ecological consequences.
Unequal distribution of global resources, increasingly controlled by large multinational companies, global debt policy and unfair international trading practices ultimately could not be maintained without military security. In many countries the military is used to repress critical opposition.
The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 are increasingly used to justify systematic surveillance and the dismantling of constitutional rights. Even European countries have helped to establish Guantanomo-like secret prisons, where torture in all probability takes place.
Iraq was attacked based on falsified evidence causing the death of hundreds of thousands of people, widespread destruction, destabilization and contamination with cancer-causing depleted uranium munitions. Now plans to attack Iran and the possibility of a new World War have been made public, meeting resistance even from moderate elements within the military due to the unforeseeable consequences.
Faced with the choice between a war, that according to some western leaders, will last for many years or a possible peaceful transformation we support the following demands:
1) Impeachment proceedings against US President Bush and US Vice President Cheney before the 2008 election, a demand raised in solidarity with large parts of the US public and some members of US Congress. Furthermore prosecution by the International Court of Justice of G. W. Bush, R. Cheney and other officials from various countries for waging wars of aggression contrary to international law and committing crimes against humanity.
2) International investigation of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. They are used as the central justification for the "War on Terror", but well documented evidence shows that the official explanation of 9/11 cannot be correct. International personalities in science, politics, and culture, including high-ranking military veterans, have called for a new investigation.
3) Immediate military withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq, and no attack against Iran. International prohibition of war as a means of conflict resolution. Military intervention and export of weapons should be criminalized. In a civilized society torture must be prohibited in any form.
4) Conversion of military industries to civilian purposes and the development of ecological and sustainable energy resources. According to the UN environmental agency, a fraction of the annual global defence expenditure could ensure that all humans have access to clean water and a basic supply of food and healthcare.
This statement is based on a commitment to non-violence and tolerance of all ethnic groups and religions. Two devastating World Wars and historical catastrophes like the Nazi Holocaust must always remind us of the worst consequences of nationalism, racism and incitement to war.
and yet so many have not heard it at all. We only fail if we stay silent and do nothing about transgression after becoming aware of it.
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." - Elie Wiesel
"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transformation was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Who can enjoy enlightenment and remain indifferent to suffering in the world? This is not in keeping with the Way. Only those who increase their service along with their understanding can be called men and women of Tao - Lao Tzu
by
CasaZaza (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 117 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 3:00:47 AM
"There comes a time in all of our lives when silence is a betrayal"
-- Martin Luther King
"I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket." -- Major General Smedley Darling Butler, USMC, 1881-1940
"It is natural for man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts ... For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth, to know the worst, and to provide for it." -- Patrick Henry, 1736-1799, American attorney, orator, revolutionary.
"The greatest tyrannies are always perpetrated in the name of the noblest causes." -- Thomas Paine
"We only see what we know." -- Johan Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832
"A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government." -- Edward Abbey
“Strange times are these in which we live when old and young are taught in falsehoods school. And the one man that dares to tell the truth is called at once a lunatic and fool.” -- Plato
"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." -- Edmund Burke
"If we don't fight hard enough for the things we stand for, at some point we have to recognize that we don't really stand for them." -- Paul Wellstone
To whom is this being presented? What is the mechanism / procedure / entity which would carry out:
- impeachment? Not our oath of office breaking, blackmailed / criminally complicit congressional misrepresentatives;
- an international 9/11 investigation? Who will conduct this? Is anyone being asked to do so? What will be the result? 'Forgiveness' a la Truth and Reconciliation?
- military withdrawal? Who will call for this? Our current dictator? The next selected White House occupant?
- international prohibition of war? Who will call for this? Preemptive war is already 'illegal.' Who stopped us? Were sanctions, reserved for others who violate international law, imposed upon us?
- criminalization of the exportation of weapons? Who will criminalize this? Who will enforce this?
- prohibition of torture? Already prohibited by the Geneva Conventions which we are bound to. Who is stopping us? Who is requiring that we uphold the law? Are we holding this President and its Administration to the rule of law? How many more times do we need to get whacked in the face by these lawbreakers, and have their lawbreaking endorsed by our judiciary and our congress. One time was too many.
We need to organize and have a plan instead of continuing to send outraged and soulful lamentations into cyberspace. Oh, is that the clank, clank of the paddy wagon pulling up to sieze my assets and jail me for thought crimes? Land of the free, home of the brave.
by
Susan Guest (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 80 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 11:26:24 AM
While I agree that if we are to stand up to this despotic abuse of authority plaguing our country it is imperative we come up with a tangible plan in doing so. However, until such time we must continue on with our wailing. The Internet is the only viable means of conveying the message of Truth. No longer can we rely on our reticent and complicit corpstream media. They could care less about Truth.
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."Galileo
by
Munich (0 articles, 52 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 726 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 12:23:55 PM
The US has proven that it is corrupt, broken, and has abandoned the rule of law. Many of us in the US are in favor of the International Community investigating 9/11 and it would be nice if they did more.
Formally condemn Bush, Cheney, Rice, Powell, Rumsfeld or any of the other orchestrators of the Iraq war and new pearl harbor. Draft charges against them and should they ever be caught on your countries soil, arrest them immediately and try them for war crimes, the deaths of Iraqi's the destruction of a nation for perpetuating a culture of fear and for crimes against humanity. Punish them accordingly for the crimes they have committed.
We in the US have proven that we are completely unable to investigate (let alone try and convict) the criminals responsible for 9/11 and the launching of illegal wars of aggression. We have been completely inept at investigating their wrong doings, no impeachment trial has begun, BushCo has stood defiantly against the checks and balances of the founding fathers of our country and it appears that many in Congress may be accomplices to their crimes, sanctioning the crimes after they have been committed, and passing laws in support of the heinous actions of our country.
Every United States citizen is guilty of allowing the war machine to be built, of being ignorant to the size of our military empire and of continuing the reign of terror throughout the world in our names. We have become zombies and powerless to stop our corrupt leaders.
We need the rest of the world to rise up, to not only verbally condemn our national leaders, but to file charges against the perpetrators. File war crimes charges against the US. Demand that we leave Iraq and that we close the Empire around the globe, kick our military out of your countries and send us home.
These crimes need to be investigated and condemned sweepingly by all nations, and when these criminals step foot on international soil, they should be held accountable, arrested and tried for their crimes.
Condemn the actions of our country, demand that we withdraw from Iraq, demand that we reduce our military budget and become a lawful society or face international sanctions. Demand that we cooperate with the International community and stop standing as a rogue nation. Hold the US accountable.
Shine a light on the US empire, ask us to leave your countries, tell us to put our own house in order and to stop terrorizing the world, the American people have become so ignorant of the crimes of our nation we need the international communities help.
We need more than an investigation by the International Community, we need them to tell our leaders that our day as an Empire has come to an end.
We need to pay the Iraqi people reparations, at least we should be honest enough to admit that we destroyed their nation and take some responsibility in rebuilding it. We are responsible for killing over a million Iraqi's, how do you ever justify that?
The world is responsible for making sure that it never happens again, the US has proven itself to be the biggest terrorist nation on the planet. We perpetuate fear and destruction, launch illegal wars and if we don't like the public opinion we flush it down the rabbit hole. It doesn't change the fact that the US has a long history of being the World Aggressor and we have not been held responsible.
Call to the world - Hold the US responsible for their crimes. Take actions in your nations, file charges and demand the US reduce it's Empire.
by
August Adams (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 428 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 12:46:56 PM
That was extremely well put. We DO need the help of the international community, now that we have proved ourself so incapable of response to what our own government is doing . . . to us as well as to the rest of the world.
by
Irvthom (6 articles, 2 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 79 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 11:54:32 PM
First, It's OUR Responsibility to Stop These Crimes
It's possible, Mr. Adams, that the 'international community' is waiting for we, the citizens of this country, to prove to them that we are against what our country is doing in our name, what we are letting them do...because we sure aren't stopping them.
If we don't, that we haven't, is perceived by the world that we WANT what is happening. Isn't the world's greatest democracy following the will of the people?
It's not? Well, stamp my foot, smirk and talk down, and extoll, 'just try and stop me!! If you don't pass this legislation there will be another attack!!'
We are the laughingstock of the world.
by
Susan Guest (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 80 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 1:15:44 PM
A fundamental problem is that "we" are still a tiny minority
I'd bet that the number of people in the U.S. that actually see, acknowledge and fully appreciate our predicament for what it is...is around 1 to 2%. Many friends and family members I talk to seem to get very uncomfortable, even angry, when I start talking about the situation we're in, and they almost always try to change the subject immediately. It seems almost as if we're fighting some kind of mass mental illness more than anything else.
At this point, I've come to feel frustration like "John Nada" (Roddy Piper) appears to feel in the movie "They Live".
Anyway, I hate to sound pessimistic, but at this late hour, with these kinds of poor numbers, I don't think that there's a lot that can be done. (Although I must say that, as a matter of pure desperation, I did come up with one or two really, really far out, in fact maybe "loony" ideas I may post some time).
by
Harold Smith (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 443 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 6:56:43 PM
And the people of the US have proven to be completely powerless to stop their rogue nation and the madmen that are running it. There is no impeachment investigation, the Executive branch has trashed the constitution and operated outside the rule of law.
Ultimately International Aggressors are not stopped by their own citizens, they are stopped by other nations.
It is not just the responsibility of the US to condemn our government. The actions of our government violate international law. Charges should be filed against this country and we should be paying war reparations to the nation we invaded, a nation that posed us no threat, a nation that was sanctioned by the international community.
Our nation is being manipulated by our government, if our people cannot see it - maybe those in other nations can.
We are not the most important people on the planet. We are people on a planet of billions - and our criminal empire, our perpetual war machine, should be condemned by all - in the US and from the International community.
By your logic, no one would have stood up to the Nazi's - they were not stopped from within.
Aggressor nations often have to be stopped by an International effort of other nations. I stand by my words.
by
August Adams (10 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 428 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 8:20:47 PM
I had a feeling you were going to pose that question Ms. Guest? Presenting the facts and Truth to the vast majority of credulous Americans is like that of an Amway presentation. We've all been to one of those haven't we?
Any plan would have to be comprised of both American scholars and the fervent support of the International community. This could take a generation to accomplish. The question is do we have that long?
One thought would be to establish an International Truth slogan-logo similar to Nike's "Just do it." After 911 there was "Let's Roll!" Sadly, little did we all know what we were rolling toward? There is no doubt this 800-pound gorilla will be a tough conquest, and it can only be achieved through a collective effort and with the utmost of logic and support of the American people. America's future hangs in the balance.
by
Munich (0 articles, 52 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 726 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 3:03:37 PM
It's time for the Europeasants living in the NATO vassal states to tell their quisling rulers where to stick it. Were it not for all the sycophants and dupes willing to serve the Empire (including those in Europe), we likely wouldn't be in this mess right now.
by
Harold Smith (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 443 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 3:10:20 PM
Gordon Brown promised a referendum on the European treaty but what happened? Blair's squashing of the BAE bribery scandal has been opened up with a law suit, thank god we have a few independent judges. But we have almost the same problems with the freedom of information act here too, the establishment is running the show and the politicians are the front men. And I hear in Holland they are implementing the real ID with the chip that can be tracked wherever you go, as a first try to get it into law, then the rest of us. And they are trying for 56 days detention without charge, after they wanted 90 and only got 28. who would be a Muslim in this country? Profiling of any middle eastern looking person is rampant here. Do we have time, as the French tried to indict Rumsfield and he had to slip away into the embassy? I doubt it, people are under attack all over, its just so blatant in Amerika.
by
ibrahim turner (25 articles, 24 quicklinks, 5 diaries, 168 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 4:36:39 PM
Shortly they will try and institute the real ID here as well. Then it will be a simple matter of restricting privileges or denying access to those not carrying the mark.
STAND UP EVERYBODY AND SAY NO
I alone retain complete and utter sovereignty over my life - no one gave me my freedom, and no one is going to take it from me. I refuse to carry RFID tracking devices, biometric implants, or whatever else you want to use to restrict and monitor my life. I will not let you degrade and humiliate me at airports, roadside checks, random searches, or whatever else you concoct to try and subjugate us with in the name of your bullshit war on terror. I reject your new world order and the idiot box TV it rode in on.
by
CasaZaza (6 articles, 0 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 117 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 6:02:50 PM
It is up to every American to do their homework and become educated in the events of 911. The information is all out there; if you have a computer, it's all there. Type in 911 truth in a search engine or YouTube. Don't expect the government or it's propaganda machine the MSM to do the work for you. I've done my homework and say beyond a doubt 911 was an Inside Job. Will we ever get a new investigation? No, not until enough people wake up, march on Washington; tens of thousands; not a few hundred and start screaming and demanding we have a fresh-honest-transparent 911 Investigation. America is being desroyed by design; it's up to each of us to look within ourselves and ask: What have I done to help save my country.
by
ronheri (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 123 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 8:25:29 PM
involved in the current conspircy to subvert their own Constitutional Republics and form the New World Order. They are the U S, Great Britain and Israel. To find out how, read Machiavelli's "The Prince" and Orwell's "1984". This was a dream of the Great Britain elites in the late 1800's and bled over to the U S in the first decade of the 20th century. It was actually part of the public debate in the 1930's and 1940's when books aplenty were written by the establishment intellectuals to influence public opinion to support the NWO, including numerous quotes from high public officials that the U S Constitution has become obsolete. However, not wanting to lose their sovereignty, the resistance was insurmountable. The cold war put the New World Order on the back burner until the fall of the USSR in 1991. Planning to get the NWO back on track officially begain in 1992 with the Defense Planning Guide written by our current Ambassador to Iraq (Zalmay Kalizad, I believe is the name). With some "terror" practice runs in New York in 1993 and OKC in 1995, the plan went full throttle with the appointment of puppet Bush to the White House in 2000 and the NWO movement has hit an inflection point with the 9/11 false flag terror and now is obvious for the whole world to see exactly what is going on. "If you want to know what the future looks like, imagine a boot stamping on your face forever"-Orwell 1984.
by
Mark Watterson (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 67 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 8:33:33 PM
For many this video may be too far out! However, it was once a sign of the times, there was a thriving peace movemnet with Bell Bottom Blues and girls dancin with flowers in their hair. It was a really groovy time. We need to repeat those times, now! A time for peace and love, a time to end these senseless F' n wars and reclaim some semblance, some sanity in this country. A time to Carry On.
by
Munich (0 articles, 52 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 726 comments)
on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 9:17:31 PM
The founding fathers were prominent British families which had an agreement with the British crown to be sold vast tracts of land to develop and repay from the profits. Slaves were grabbed in Africa and the vicious circle began. The colony would provide money for the British military to grab more and more countries to colonize, the plan broke down when the " founding fathers " reneged on the deal knowing without their support Britain was powerless.
Why Americans revere these people beats me but they do which just shows the power of a flawed education system.
by
douglas kay (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 83 comments)
on Monday, March 3, 2008 at 8:28:41 AM
