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Ann Wright is a 29-year US Army/Army Reserves veteran, a retired United States Army colonel and retired U.S. State Department official, known for her outspoken opposition to the Iraq War. She received the State Department Award for Heroism in 1997, after helping to evacuate several thousand people during the civil war in Sierra Leone. She is most noted for having been one of three State Department officials to publicly resign in direct protest of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Wright was also a passenger on the Challenger 1, which along with the Mavi Marmara, was part of the Gaza flotilla. She served in Nicaragua, Grenada, Somalia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Sierra Leone, Micronesia and Mongolia. In December, 2001 she was on the small team that reopened the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. She is the co-author of the book "Dissent: Voices of Conscience." She has written frequently on rape in the military.
(10 comments) SHARE Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Rape in the Ranks: The Enemy Within
Journalists Pascale Bourgaux and Mercedes Gallego in their trips to Iraq as war correspondents were stunned to hear from military women in Iraq that they should be very careful working in military units due to sexual assault and rape.
When they left Iraq they decided to investigate the issue of rape in the U.S. military. In 2007, they filmed the stories of four military women who had been raped and made a documentary,
(4 comments) SHARE Friday, November 23, 2012 Israeli Violence Finally on Trial
If the Turkish court convicts the accused, then international arrest warrants can be issued and INTERPOL would be required to arrest them if they leave Israel, for virtually any country other than the United States. The Turkish judgment could also be used as a basis for further judicial proceedings in the International Criminal Court.
(8 comments) SHARE Thursday, October 18, 2012 Israeli Envoy calls "Estelle" a Provocation While 7 Parliamentarians Sail to Break the Blockade of Gaza
Seven parliamentarians from five European countries are on sailing on the sloop "Estelle" to break the Israeli Blockade of Gaza. Among the 20+ passengers are parliamentarians from Greece, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and a retired parliamentarian from Canada. The "Estelle" is expected to reach Gaza by this weekend.
(17 comments) SHARE Tuesday, December 20, 2016 Attempting to Curtail Dissent of Seniors by Stopping Social Security Checks
Someone submitted my name and social security number to SSA as a person who has been confined in a jail since September 2016. Without any notification to me of this allegation that would disrupt for months my Social Security benefits, SSA ordered that for my "criminal conviction and confinement in a correctional institution for more than 30 days, we cannot pay your monthly Social Security payment."
(8 comments) SHARE Monday, October 15, 2012 Disinvited To Be a Passenger on The Swedish Boat to Gaza "Estelle"
I am saddened by the decision of the board to withdraw its invitation and I believe it is wrong. All of our projects that have challenged Israeli policies toward Palestinians have been called anti-Semitic by pro-Israeli groups. This is not a new tactic used to scare pro-Palestinian groups.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, October 16, 2012 U.S. Joins Israel in Blockading Higher Education Opportunities for Students in Gaza
As another international activist ship is on the high seas to break the Israeli naval blockade of Gaza, the United States government has joined with Israel to blockade higher education opportunities for students in Gaza and the West Bank.
(4 comments) SHARE Monday, November 14, 2011 No Speedy Trial for Bradley Manning
The Bradley Manning Support Network is calling for friends and allies everywhere to remind important decision-makers in the military and State Department that Bradley Manning supporters and the world are watching how the United States treats US military personnel in pre-trial confinement.
(29 comments) SHARE Saturday, December 8, 2012 Israel and Palestine: Who is The Victim and Who Is the Aggressor?
The Israeli characterization of themselves as "victims" is refuted by their violent, inhuman and unjust treatment of the Palestinians whom they refer to as the "aggressors." Indeed, the Israeli government is the true aggressor and the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank are the victims.
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Israeli Drone Strikes in Gaza in November 2012 Attack: Two-Thirds Killed Were Civilians
Two-thirds of Palestinians killed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) drones in the November, 2012 attack on Gaza were civilians. This statistic means that for the residents of Gaza, the ground-breaking investigation by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights into the civilian impact and human rights implications of the use of drones and other forms of targeted killing is very important.
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, January 14, 2015 Civil Rights Leader Calls Israeli Apartheid of Palestinians More Violent than South African Treatment of Blacks
The U.S. government protection of the Israeli government's actions is the single most important reason why apartheid Israel exists. Without the support of the U.S. government in United Nations votes and in provision of military equipment to use on Palestinians, the Israeli government would not be able to act with impunity.
(5 comments) SHARE Monday, July 4, 2016 Russians Ask "Why Do You Demonize Us When We Are So Much Like You?"
After visiting cities in four regions of Russia. The one question that was asked over and over was, "Why does America hate us? Why do you demonize us?" Most would add a caveat -- "I like American people and I think YOU like us individually but why does the American government hate our government?"
(3 comments) SHARE Sunday, October 9, 2016 Women's Boat to Gaza Participants See the Israeli Imposed Perpetual Darkness on Gaza
The long voyage of the Women's Boat to Gaza was to bring hope to the people of Gaza that they are not forgotten by the international community. The women and men supporting the Women's Boat to Gaza are committed to continuing their efforts by sending international delegations by boat to Gaza to put international pressure on the Israeli government to change its policies toward Gaza.
(7 comments) SHARE Saturday, October 24, 2015 How a High Dollar Speech Sends a former Israeli Prime Minister to US Federal Court on Claims of War Crimes
On the evening of October 20 when Barak was scheduled to give a lecture in Thousand Oaks, California, the process server handed the documents to one of Barak's security team who, in the view of witnesses, handed the documents to Barak, thereby completing the official notification of Barak that a civil case against him had been filed in U.S. Federal Court.
(6 comments) SHARE Thursday, July 26, 2018 USS Liberty Survivor Joe Meadors: American people should be concerned about Palestinian victims of Israeli terrorism
Joe Meadors is the US delegate on the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla that is underway now. He was a survivor of the 1967 Israeli air and submarine attack on the USS Liberty ship that killed 34 and left 174 seriously injured. He is on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla ship, the fishing trawler Al Awda, and is about halfway between Sicily and Gaza.
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, October 9, 2019 The Peace Boat's Around the World Voyage
While spending 103 days on a boat and visiting locations for very short amounts of time is not for many people, those who chose to spend time and money on a Peace Boat Around the World trip will come home with new perspectives on different issues and parts of the world.
(3 comments) SHARE Tuesday, September 11, 2012 Survivor of US Military Rape in Japan Allowed to Pursue Perpetrator in US Courts
Thousands of Japanese women and girls have been sexually assaulted or raped by US military personnel since American forces invaded Japan in 1945. On the island of Okinawa, rape of Okinawan girls has happened so frequently and has precipitated massive citizen protests that that the US military is being forced to reduce its presence on the island.
(11 comments) SHARE Wednesday, February 1, 2017 Arrested in the US Senate for Speaking Against Jeff Sessions as Attorney General
I was arrested in the U.S. Senate's Intelligence Committee hearing on the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. I was charged with "Disruption of Congress.
"Like so many who have been arrested during the confirmation hearings of virtually every nominee of President Trump for every Cabinet position, I felt I had to express my deep concern about Jeff Sessions becoming the US Attorney General.
(15 comments) SHARE Monday, June 18, 2012 Amnesty's Shilling for US Wars
For decades, Amnesty International has been a respected name in the cause of human rights, but its recent hiring of Suzanne Nossel, a longtime U.S. "humanitarian interventionist," has swung the organization more behind the Afghan War and the use of U.S. military force.
(9 comments) SHARE Saturday, August 4, 2018 USS Liberty Survivor Joe Meadors Witnesses Israeli Violence Against Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu describes the Israeli military as the most "morale" military in the world. Crew and delegates on Al Awda found that the Israeli commandos and military administrative staff and prison staff were brutal and a bunch of thieves.
(4 comments) SHARE Sunday, May 30, 2010 Life Aboard an International Activist Ship
There is nothing easy about planning or conducting an international action, especially with moving parts called ships! Yet, activists on board keep their spirits afloat! After delays caused by damaged propellers and broken steering mechanisms, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla now reduced to seven ships is heading for Gaza.
SHARE Sunday, March 1, 2015 Will the US take Cuba Off the State Sponsored Terrorism List in 2015?
With the December 17, 2014 announcement of opening of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba, removing Cuba from the State Sponsored Terrorism List is the next logical step followed by lifting the onerous restrictions of the U.S. Blockade of Cuba. But logic has not been a part of U.S. geo-political dealings with Cuba.
(14 comments) SHARE Saturday, June 18, 2016 51 US Diplomats Are Wrong -- Assad Regime Change by Force Would Result in Uncontrollable Anti-American Anger
Fifty-one mid-level U.S. diplomats have written a dissent cable to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the Obama administration to conduct military strikes against the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop its "persistent violations of a cease-fire in the country's five-year-old civil war."
(1 comments) SHARE Sunday, February 20, 2011 Class Action Lawsuit filed against the Pentagon
The 2009 report also acknowledged that retaliation against those who report rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment is widespread and that military personnel do not report rape and sexual assault because doing so is perceived as having "lasting career and security clearance repercussions."
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, May 7, 2016 In Europe, Anti-Semitism Allegations Are Used to Silence Dissent Against Israeli Policies Toward Palestinians
CODEPINK announced at the award ceremony in Bayreuth that CODEPINK would use the award money to sponsor a symposium in Europe to discuss this difference and how false allegations of anti-Semitism have been used to silence this criticism. The symposium will be conducted by human rights organizations and will include representatives of all views on this issue.
(4 comments) SHARE Thursday, January 6, 2011 Obama: No Whistleblowing on My Watch
The U.S. military's treatment of Manning is tragically consistent with its treatment of persons detained in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo. America's military uses harsh conditions and torture to break the person to provide whatever information the military wants to receive.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Despite the danger of COVID 19, the US Military Continues War Practice in Europe and Pacific and plans for more in 2021
During the COVID-19 pandemic, not only will the U.S. military have the largest maritime military maneuvers in the world, with Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) coming to the waters off Hawaii August 17-31, 2020 bringing 26 nations, 25,000 military personnel, up to 50 ships and submarines and hundreds of aircraft in midst of a worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, but the U.S. Army is having a 6,000 person war game in June 2020 in Poland.
SHARE Friday, October 5, 2012 American Policies In Pakistan
A letter to Ambassador Richard Hoagland after he met with the Codepink Delegation for Peace on October 3, pointing out the obvious -- American policies are what have made Pakistan dangerous for Americans.
(3 comments) SHARE Thursday, April 14, 2011 The Israelis Mount a Diplomatic Offensive to Stop the Gaza Flotilla
The second Gaza Freedom Flotilla is scheduled to sail in late May with more ships and more passengers than the May, 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla that the Israelis attacked killing 9 passengers and wounding 50. Twenty-two countries have national campaigns to join the second flotilla.
(15 comments) SHARE Sunday, February 12, 2017 Fifteen years in Afghanistan: Same Questions, Same Answers-And Now Four More Years of the Same
The withdrawal of U.S. troops would also be good for the Afghan people, as the presence of foreign soldiers has been an obstacle to peace talks. The Afghans themselves have to determine their future, and will only be able to do so once there is an end to foreign intervention.
SHARE Friday, March 23, 2012 Marines, Navy and DOD Sued Again for Rape of Military Women
In 2009, 3,230 service members reported being raped or sexually assaulted and the Department of Defense estimates that 16,150 were actually raped or sexually assaulted during that year. In 2010, 3,158 military personnel reported sexual assault or rape. DOD estimated 15,790 were actually raped or assaulted.
(2 comments) SHARE Wednesday, September 7, 2011 U.S. Navy tells sailboat Captain sailing to USS Liberty attack site we cannot guarantee your safety against Israel
Many sailors and personnel assigned to the Sixth Fleet command will be horrified to know of the decision of their senior leaders that no active duty sailor would attend the memorial service for 34 of their fellow sailors killed and 174 wounded 44 years ago and that their command would not come to the aid of an American sailor who had sailed 8,000 miles to honor their own.
(18 comments) SHARE Thursday, June 20, 2019 Scenario Fulfillment? Why Should We Believe US on Location of Drone Shot Down By Iran?
The Iranian military shot down a US spy drone yesterday. The US says the drone, a $22 million RQ-4A Global Hawk was in international airspace. Iran said the drone was over Iranian airspace. Are we looking into "Scenario Fulfillment?" But why should one believe the US with its history of lying?
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, June 3, 2011 What is Irresponsible and Provocative -- Israel's Blockade of Gaza or The Gaza Flotilla?
We will continue to challenge Israel's impunity of acting beyond international law and will sail to Gaza until Israel ends its naval blockade of Gaza. We on the US Boat to Gaza have the audacity to hope that the United States will finally use its substantial economic leverage to convince Israel it is in its own security interest, as well as the security interest of the United States, to end the blockade of Gaza.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, February 19, 2016 Israeli pressure to rescind award to CODEPINK from German City
CODEPINK is much more than its work to educate about Israeli policies. Our work led by women to stop wars, end assassin drones, stop police brutality and end militarism has been a thorn in the side of governments and will continue to be as we will not back down from attempts to silence us.
(2 comments) SHARE Monday, December 12, 2011 U.S. Free Speech Hypocrisy
The 50-year U.S. condemnation of Cuba's human rights violations and the U.S. support for 64 years of the brutal Israeli government's treatment of Palestinians demonstrates solidly the hypocrisy of the United States government.
(8 comments) SHARE Friday, September 5, 2014 Renowned World Leaders and Activists Say "Don't Give Up!"
The Elders are a group of leaders who were brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela to use their "independent, collective experience and influence to work for peace, poverty eradication, a sustainable planet, justice and human rights, working both publicly and through private diplomacy to engage with global leaders and civil society to resolve conflict.
(3 comments) SHARE Thursday, October 17, 2013 America's Destructive Pivot to Asia
The Japanese people are angry that the US is urging the government of Japan to renounce the "No War" article of their constitution so the US will have another financial ally in wars of choice. So far, just as the US pivot to the Middle East 12 years ago destabilized the region, the US pivot to Asia seems to already be having the same dangerous effect.
(3 comments) SHARE Sunday, March 18, 2018 The New CIA Director Nominee and the Massacre of My Lai
The sad history of our country is that murders and executions (remember the extrajudicial drone assassinations ordered by Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump) are acts that continue to be the policy of our country. These acts are known throughout the world, but seldom spoken about in the United States. That President Trump would nominate a known torturer to be the director of the CIA is horrific.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, June 23, 2013 In Yemen, Most Al Qaeda can be Captured, but Killing is Easier
High unemployment and feelings of injustice for the killing of people in their area by drones and Yemeni air strikes provide a fertile recruiting ground for al Qaeda in Yemen. Yemen prisons in which young people have been detained and imprisoned for months and years without trial by the Government of Yemen is a key place where radicalization for armed groups, including al Qaeda, occurs.
(8 comments) SHARE Monday, July 11, 2016 Next Step, Local Police Use Aerial Assassin Drones
The decision of David O. Brown, the local city police chief, to remotely assassinate the cornered suspect rather than make an attempt to incapacitate him is a stark continuation of what appears to be a U.S. military and police tactic of kill rather than capture.
(3 comments) SHARE Wednesday, June 21, 2017 In Guantanamo, Cuba, International Peacemakers Say No to Foreign Military Bases
The symposium included a trip to the village of Caimanera which is located on the fence-line of the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay. It has been in existence for 117 years and, since the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the U.S. has issued a check each year for $4,085 for annual payment for the base -- checks which the Cuban government has not cashed.
(8 comments) SHARE Sunday, March 11, 2012 DOD says Zero Tolerance for Sexual Assault, but Keeps Limbaugh on Radio
On the day the lawsuit was filed, the US military announced that its worldwide radio station Armed Forces Network (AFN) would continue to air Rush Limbaugh's radio show. AFN is owned and operated by the Department of Defense, funded with taxpayer dollars, and accessible to troops serving overseas.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, May 24, 2013 Landmark Case In U.S. Civil Court On Rape By U.S. Military In Japan Eleven Years Ago
While one in three women in the military are raped by fellow servicemen during their service, many civilian women living near US military bases in the United States and in other countries are also raped by US military personnel. This case gives hope for those living in other countries who have never been able to hold the rapist accountable because he has been able to leave the country.
SHARE Wednesday, July 25, 2012 Green-Washing War, Sinking Ships, Drones from Submarines -- Largest International War Games around Hawaii
While a battalion of U.S. Marines from Hawaii were sent recently to Okinawa and a smaller detachment sent to Australia, those remaining in Hawaii are in hot water. Increasing administration emphasis on Asia and the Pacific has emboldened the Marines to attempt to increase the number of MV-22-tilt-rotor Osprey, Cobra and Huey attack-utility helicopter training helicopter flights in the Hawaiian Islands
(7 comments) SHARE Tuesday, March 20, 2018 Opposition to Wars -- From Vietnam to Iraq: Imprisonment, Resignation and Resistance
Americans for decades have challenged successive U.S. governments that have thought the United States is an exceptional country and therefore can do what it wants to other countries -- invade, occupy and destroy them. I will continue to challenge the war-mongering mentality of many of our politicians and their propensity to lie to the American public on the dangers in the world that "require" the U.S. to wage war.
(2 comments) SHARE Wednesday, September 29, 2010 Obama's Afghanistan War: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy and the Captain Says Push On
A perfect storm is developing against the American military in the Afghan/Pak theater as floods, drones, ongoing revelations of war crimes by exhausted and jaded troops as well as American trained death squads, hatred for Blackwater and its clones, Pashtun ambitions for a Pashtunistan and an America teetering on the edge of economic depression all continue to intensify the coming storm's ferocity.
(8 comments) SHARE Thursday, April 19, 2018 No Chemical Attack in Douma, Two International Investigative Reporters in Douma Write
Doctors in the hospital where the "chemical attack" video was taken said that a group of people they did not know rushed into the hospital and poured water on children and adults they had brought with them, put oxygen type masks on the wet people, took videos of the scene and then left with those they had "treated." The doctor said the group had staged the scene and the attack.
(15 comments) SHARE Friday, September 9, 2016 Criticism of Worldwide Conservation Group for not addressing the Destruction of Nature by Wars and Military Operations
The speakers failed to mention the incredible amounts of fossil fuels used by military aircraft, ships and land vehicles that leave mammoth carbon footprints around the world, wars that kill humans, animals and plants, military exercise bombing of entire islands and large swaths of land and the harmful effects of the burn pits which have incinerated the debris of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, July 28, 2018 Letter from the Gaza Freedom Flotilla to Secretary of State Pampeo
Like previous similar humanitarian missions, this flotilla with unarmed, civilian human rights activists poses no threat to Israel. Israel's own actions toward Palestinians is what causes Israel to feel threatened.
SHARE Monday, October 20, 2014 "Stop Killing Us" Say Strong Youth Leaders in Ferguson, Missouri's Weekend of Resistance to Police Brutality
On Friday, Oct 10, despite an intense rainstorm, hundreds marched in Clayton, Missouri demanding that the county prosecutor step down. On Saturday, Oct 11, thousands marched in St. Louis, challenging police brutality and racism, and in the evening marched from Michael Brown's memorial to the Ferguson police station. On Sunday, October 12, 150 women gathered to share stories of social injustice in the St. Louis area.
(7 comments) SHARE Saturday, September 7, 2019 Challenging Times for Citizen to Citizen Diplomacy in Russia
Our citizen-to-citizen diplomacy is very important to carry back to our communities and to our elected leaders, the hopes and dreams of fellow citizens of our world, no matter where they live, that they want to live in peace with opportunities for their children, instead of death and destruction for "democratic, capitalistic ideological" purposes, which was a continuing theme from Russian analysts.
(17 comments) SHARE Monday, March 5, 2012 Obama, the "Denier" of Israel's Crimes
Obama recounted, "When Israel was isolated in the aftermath of the flotilla incident, we supported them." I was a passenger on one of the six ships in the 2010 Gaza Freedom Flotilla. I know personally that Israeli commandos brutally attacked all six ships in the flotilla. On the Mavi Marmara commandos executed nine passengers and wounded 50 more.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, January 6, 2013 Drones Kill Kids: Protesting in Hawaii Obama's Drone Program
As President Barack Obama spent his last day, January 5, in Hawaii, representatives from Hawaii Peace and Justice and World Can't Wait protested his assassin drone program and lack of effort on Palestinian issues in front of his Hawaii vacation home. US citizen protests against the American drone assassination program will continue in 2013.
(3 comments) SHARE Monday, May 27, 2013 Nobel Women's Initiative Conference: Women Mobilizing for Peace in Conflict
Six women Nobel Peace Laureates and 80 women from around the world are gathering at the Nobel Women's Initiative, "Moving Beyond Militarism and War," May 28-30, 2013 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to discuss the weighty and seeming insolvable problem of getting past the militarism of our world and the financial need of politicians and corporations to wage war.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, July 15, 2016 US and EU Isolate Crimea for its vote to Reunite with Russia
The sanctions have been successful in destroying the tourism business in Crimea. Most visitors have come to Crimea by cruise ships from Turkey and Greece through the Bosphorus Straits into the Black Sea to the ports of Yalta or Sevastopol. Annually, over 260 cruise ships dock in Crimea, but for the past two years none have arrived, thereby decimating the international tourist industry.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, December 20, 2013 12 Years a Slave vs. 12 Years a Prisoner... in Guantanamo
12 years later, 158 prisoners are still imprisoned in Guantanamo: seven have been convicted by a US military commission of criminal acts against the United States, six are facing trial by US military commission and 46 have been designated for indefinite detention, without charge or trial. I hope that Obama will finally order the infamous Guantanamo Prison to be closed... 12 years later.
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, September 19, 2013 Acceptance speech for the Sean MacBride Peace Award for Chelsea Manning
While Chelsea Manning faces many years in prison for the public disclosure of documents to WikiLeaks, numerous high-level officials have never been held accountable for the grave human rights violations committed during the United States war on terror including kidnapping, extraordinary rendition, indefinite detention and torture.
(4 comments) SHARE Saturday, March 19, 2016 March 19, 2003 -- Thirteen Years Ago Resigning Due to President Bush's War on Iraq
Citizens must force their governments to dialogue to resolve issues and stop the 71-year confrontation since the arbitrary international division of Korea at the end of World War II and the horrific Korean Civil War which further divided Korean families.
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, September 27, 2010 Israel Calls Challenge to Blockade of Gaza a "provocative joke"
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Andy David, described the "Irene's" mission as "a provocative joke that isn't funny." We say to Mr. David and the Israeli and US governments that these international citizen initiatives are not jokes and the only "provocative" issue, and it's not a joke, is the collective punishment of 1.5 million Palestinians by Israel and the international community.
(2 comments) SHARE Wednesday, August 22, 2012 More Costs of War: Suicides and Mental Trauma of Military Family Members
After the death of their son Alex in Iraq, Brian's father Carlos Arredondo and his stepmother Melida travelled the country reminding the public of those dying in America's wars on Iraq and Afghanistan -- Americans, Iraqis and Afghans. The Arredondos are now embarked on a mission to better understand the suicides that are occurring in military families.
(6 comments) SHARE Wednesday, June 15, 2016 Building Bridges of Peace instead of Fear-Citizen Diplomacy with Russia
We go to Russia to talk with the Russian people about the hopes, dreams and fears of the American people and to call for a peaceful resolution to current tensions between the US/NATO and Russia. And we will return to the United States to share our first-hand impressions of the hopes, dreams and fears of the Russian people.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, December 8, 2011 Incredibly, Gaza Rebuilds Despite Israeli Land and Sea Blockade and Threats to Water, Electricity and Tax Revenues
Two weeks ago I returned to Gaza after an absence of 2.5 years. My last trip was in May, 2009, the third trip in 2009 following the Israeli attack on Gaza that killed 1440, wounded 5,000, and destroyed the homes of 50,000. Most of the construction materials for rebuilding Gaza are brought through tunnels under the Egyptian border.
SHARE Tuesday, August 13, 2019 The Historic, Anti-Nuclear Sailboat Golden Rule Arrives in Hawaii on Pacific Voyage to Hiroshima, Japan
Speaking about the mission of the Golden Rule, Gerry Condon, National president of Veterans For Peace said, "We are sailing for a nuclear-free world and a peaceful, sustainable future. Now it is time for us to visit the island nations of the Pacific, which have suffered so much damage from nuclear testing and military bases."
(4 comments) SHARE Friday, May 13, 2016 Army Chaplain Resigns over Drone Wars
The U.S. government's reliance on drones to sustain perpetual war in the Mideast is meeting resistance from some assigned to carry out and justify these tactics, including a U.S. Army chaplain who resigned in protest, writes Ann Wright.
(5 comments) SHARE Sunday, January 13, 2013 11 Years of Infamy -- US Actions at Guantanamo Prison
Despite his January 22, 2009 executive order closing Guantanamo Prison in one year, President Obama ensured the continued operation of Guantanamo for another year by signing the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013, and refused to challenge the Congressional mandated ban on transfers from Guantánamo to the federal court and prison system in the United States.
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, December 13, 2017 U.S. Government Deports U.S. Military Veterans And Lowers Standards for Recruits
The newest chapter of Veterans for Peace is composed of U.S. military veterans recruited from 30 other countries. These U.S. military veterans did not attain U.S. citizenship that was promised when they were recruited for U.S. military service. After their service in the U.S. military they ran afoul of law enforcement in some manner and were deported despite their willingness to die for this country.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, June 7, 2016 US Military Bases on Okinawa are Dangerous Places
The very unbalanced, unequal Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) allows the U.S. military to pollute Okinawan lands and not be required to report the pollution to local authorities nor be required to clean up the damage. The SOFA does not require the US military to report criminal acts committed on US military bases thereby hiding the numbers of violent acts perpetrated there.
(5 comments) SHARE Friday, March 23, 2018 6,700 More U.S. Missiles for Saudi Arabia to Shoot at Yemeni Kids
The U.S. is not the only country whose weapons manufacturers are making a killing out of killing Yemeni kids. The U.K., France, Spain and Italy, have sold billions of dollars of weaponry to countries around the world, with Saudi Arabia being one of the biggest weapons purchaser.
SHARE Tuesday, November 15, 2011 Help Stop Destruction of Jeju Island's Pristine Volcanic Coastline for South Korean/US Naval Base
On November 18, 2011, the South Korean Navy will blast Gureombi, the smooth volcanic rock along the coastline of Gangjeong village of Jeju Island where the local people have been fighting day and night almost for five years to stop the naval base that will homeport naval vessels equipped with the American Aegis missile and will be a key link in the United States' Missile Defense System.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, March 15, 2015 The World Ignores the Crisis in Gaza -- So Another Gaza Freedom Flotilla is Ready to Sail in First Half of 2015
At a December, 2014 meeting, the Gaza Freedom Flotilla Coalition decided to sail a three-ship flotilla to challenge the blockade in the first half of 2015. Twenty passengers will be aboard each of the three ships for a total of 60 passengers. The coalition will seek representatives from 30 countries with each country having two passengers.
(6 comments) SHARE Saturday, April 14, 2018 Blowing up the Lack of "Evidence" of Chemical Attack in Syria
President Trump, who said he wanted to get US troops out of Iraq, has been played by the war hawks in his cabinet -- CIA Director Mike Pompeo and his new National Security Adviser, the eternal warmonger John Bolton, and the people of Syria continued to be killed by the bombings from all sides.
(3 comments) SHARE Tuesday, October 23, 2018 The Murderous Saudi Regime
Other than offering mild condolences to Jamal Khashoggi's family, the Trump administration has slowly indicated concern about what had happened in the Saudi diplomatic compound. Rather, in a recent campaign stop, he applauded the actions of an official who "body-slammed" a journalist. in a February 17, 2017 tweet, President Trump called the media "the enemy of the people."
(11 comments) SHARE Wednesday, April 8, 2020 Why Is "Reverend" Trump trying to Kill the Christians that Elected him?
It surely looks like Trump is trying to kill the evangelical Christians that elected him. Trump is willing to allow the congregations that gave him huge numbers of votes, to mingle, sing, hug, kiss and exchange airborne corona virus.
(6 comments) SHARE Wednesday, July 13, 2016 NATO Actions Destablizing Europe
The coup against the pro-Russian government in the Ukraine and the Russian response of annexation of Crimea to has given governments -- US, Russia, and NATO countries -- the opportunity to spend more on war weapons and create a very hostile climate for any opposition to their actions. In Poland, opposition to NATO is characterized as communist-inspired, crazy, Russian loving, West-hating people.
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, May 14, 2016 Five Refugee Camps in Mud on the Greek-Macedonia Border
Millions of refugees await their fate and future in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan as the international community slowly decides how to handle the flood of people fleeing chaos in their countries caused by military operations. Millions of others hope that their arrival in Europe will provide them an opportunity for a life without conflict until they can return home.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, January 1, 2017 Nine Years of Challenging Obama Policies at His Hawaii Vacation Home
Neither President Obama nor First Lady Michelle have stopped to talk with our small, but persistent group about our concerns. With only two days left in his Hawaii holiday before he leaves office in mid-January, we hope he will stop and talk this year, the 9th year he will have seen us.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, August 23, 2012 Blockade Busters -- Activists and Ships Attempting to Break the Israeli Blockade of Gaza
After the release of two boats in mid-June, the Israeli government still has seven boats impounded in Haifa harbor: six passenger boats -- "Spirit of Humanity," "Challenger 1," "Irene," "Dignite-Al Karama," "Tahrir," and "Saoirse," and one cargo ship: "Rachel Corrie."
(4 comments) SHARE Thursday, September 25, 2014 John Kerry Attempts to Bully CODEPINK into Silence
Rather than trying to bully CODEPINK to stop protesting Obama-Kerry policies, we suggest that Secretary Kerry focus his energies on getting the Obama administration "allies" to stop aiding and supporting ISIS and its brutal regime of terror on civilian communities.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, May 18, 2012 Chicago's Scaring Itself Silly While NATO -- Not Protesters -- Disrupts the City and the World
In Chicago, in preparing the public for the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), government officials at the national, state and city level are scaring themselves and the public silly. Chicago is a city scared more of fellow citizens than of the violence wrecked on people around the world by the US and NATO war policies!
(4 comments) SHARE Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Dangerous Voyage To Site of Israeli Attack on USS Liberty
Just this year the Israelis intercepted, boarded and impounded the French ship Dignite as it participated in Freedom Flotilla 2. That was done in international waters well clear of the coordinates provided by the Israelis for their blockade of Gaza and very near to the coordinates of the attack on the USS Liberty.
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, March 8, 2014 Celebrating International Women's Day with the Women of Gaza, Not in Gaza, but in Cairo
Today, on International Women's Day, 16 of our 100 delegates are celebrating International Women's Day in Cairo, Egypt, not Gaza. However, 62 of our delegates were refused entry into Egypt by immigration authorities and are sending their greetings from their home countries of France, Belgium, the United States, Algeria, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Australia.
(11 comments) SHARE Monday, October 2, 2017 Fire and Violence from the Skies -- the United States No Longer Immune from the Suffering the Rest of the World Endures
Access to guns and gun violence in the United States is out of control. US wars killing people around the world has been the rationale used by some to kill in the United States. Corporate, Congressional and Trump administration denial of the human impact on our environment and refusal to work to reduce the impact of humanity will fuel even more violent attacks by nature on us.
(5 comments) SHARE Saturday, December 17, 2011 The Trial of Bradley Manning -- Rule of Law or Rule of Intimidation, Retaliation, Retribution?
Until citizen activist protests six months ago in March 2011 brought sufficient attention to the harsh conditions of Manning's pre-trial confinement, the US military was treating him as if he were beyond the scrutiny of the law -- as if he were an "enemy combatant" in Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib.
(2 comments) SHARE Saturday, May 11, 2019 Bolton Playing Trump Like a Fiddle on Iran
For a person who claims to be a deal maker and business guru, President Trump is getting rolled by John Bolton and Bolton's long-standing regime change and war agenda, which runs in opposition to what Trump may have envisioned when he appointed Bolton as his national security adviser. For decades, Bolton has railed against Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Cuba and now Venezuela.
(1 comments) SHARE Sunday, November 26, 2017 Countering Islamic Extremism in the Muslim World
The Sultan described peace as not just the absence of war, but also the absence of want and fear, religious freedom and respect for different cultures, and the acceptance, understanding and celebration of diversity. He emphasized that a "truly peaceful world is characterized by two important Islamic values -- trust and inclusivity and to learn to live together by showing mercy."
SHARE Saturday, April 23, 2016 Visiting Refugee Camps in Athens and Facilities in Germany
While the United States has closed its borders to persons fleeing the chaos caused in great measure by its war on Iraq, the countries of Europe deal with the human crisis as best they can -- not perfectly, but certainly with more humanity than the government of the United States.
(7 comments) SHARE Tuesday, March 26, 2019 Tribute to Peace Activist Allen Nelson, U.S. Marine
Allen Nelson's life story demonstrates how one can begin to heal from war. Allen Nelson always said that each person has a role to play in peace for one's own life and for those around you. He said that "peace begins first with yourself...at home, at school, at work." Allen Nelson's message still resonates with young people today through his own life story.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, February 4, 2018 International Peace Conference in South Korea
The International Peace Conference for a Peaceful Korean Peninsula and Olympic Peace was an important statement of civil society in South Korea and around the world for dialogue -- not war -- to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula.
(8 comments) SHARE Saturday, February 3, 2018 Why Not Talk to North Korea Instead of Scaring Us with Nuclear Attack Warning Sirens
Instead of approving of the warmongering of the Trump administration, our delegations' recommendations to the meeting of Foreign Ministers appealed for sanity in dealing with the North Korean government. We need the less expensive and more successful strategy -- dialogue!
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, October 25, 2016 Women Call for Israel-Palestine Peace
Though the Israel-Palestine conflict has been mostly off the mainstream media's radar recently, this long-running crisis drew the attention this month of two women Nobel Peace Prize winners, reports Ann Wright.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, August 10, 2018 Citizens Along the Texas-Mexico Border Help Refugees
Mexican volunteers provide food for whomever is waiting on the Mexican side of the border and U.S. volunteers bring over backpacks with sundry items. The Red Cross workers said that even waiting at the bridge can be dangerous as gangs of human traffickers have kidnapped persons at the bridge and held them for ransom money.
(20 comments) SHARE Friday, April 27, 2018 Incredible Agreement Between Leaders of North Korea and South Korea
The meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae-In and North Korean Chairman Kim Jung Un was the first time a leader from North Korea has set foot in South Korea in 65 years -- since the end of the Korean War.
(2 comments) SHARE Sunday, August 31, 2014 Three World Leaders Speak on the Future of Israel and Palestine
The Elders are a group of leaders who were brought together in 2007 by Nelson Mandela to use their "independent, collective experience and influence to work for peace, poverty eradication, a sustainable planet, justice and human rights, working both publicly and through private diplomacy to engage with global leaders and civil society to resolve conflict and address its root causes.
SHARE Monday, November 19, 2018 Challenges for Pakistan -- Relations with the U.S., Afghanistan, China, Iran and Religious Extremists
The U.S. isolates itself from Pakistan at its own peril. With a population of over 202 million, Pakistan has the sixth largest population in the world following China, India, USA, Indonesia and Brazil, is one of nine countries that have developed nuclear weapons and is a key player in regional security issues involving its neighbors Afghanistan, Iran, India and China.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Lawsuit Filed in US Court Against Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak
A lawsuit in the United States has been filed against former Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak for his role in the 2010 Israeli commando attack upon the Gaza Freedom Flotilla in which eight Turkish citizens and one American citizen were executed by Israeli forces and over 50 Turkish passengers were wounded.
(3 comments) SHARE Friday, December 18, 2015 Abolition of United States Military Bases Around the World
The United States has built permanent base infrastructure in every Persian Gulf country except one -- Iran. The U.S. government gets agreements with undemocratic and often despotic states like Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain to build bases and in return remains silent to their human rights violations.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, November 16, 2018 "Do We Not Bleed?" Ask Pakistanis
For every militant killed in Pakistan, at least 10 to 15 civilians are being killed. A comprehensive investigation by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism revealed that only 12% of those killed in Pakistan by drones over the past 10 years were militants. Al Qaeda members, the original intended targets of the drone program, constitute only 4% of those killed.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, June 9, 2011 "Lawfare" is the latest form of Israeli-AIPAC attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla
Force is not the way to stop worldwide condemnation of Israel's blockade of Gaza. The way to stop the flotilla is to end the naval blockade of Gaza. Until the blockade ends, Flotillas filled with citizens from around the world will continue to challenge Israeli's brutal policies and the United States complicity in them.
(5 comments) SHARE Friday, March 19, 2021 18 Years Ago the US War on Iraq Began & Why I Oppose Hawaii's Homeland Defense Radar as Continuation of War
Today, Friday, March 19, 2021 is the 18th anniversary of the U.S. government political decision to invade and occupy oil-rich Iraq, a country of 32 million persons. U.S. elected officials and their advisers decided it would be in the U.S. national security interest to attack and overthrow the Iraqi government.
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, December 15, 2012 The Compassion of Women of Afghanistan for the Women of Gaza
Here in Afghanistan, a country ravaged by war for 30 years, a woman whose country is described as a "hospital," reached out to women in an area called "an open air prison." Meeting with the Afghan Peace Volunteers gives one hope that, in time of conflict, there are remarkable people who, at great risk, will take action for peace.
(11 comments) SHARE Thursday, May 1, 2014 Curing Infectious CLAP -- a Mega-Injection of Truth and Transparency
The Senate has re-infected itself with a case of the CLAP, again bending to the pleas of James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, and President Obama's intelligence agencies, to keep secret the number of assassin drone strikes and the number of innocent civilians killed by those drones.
(4 comments) SHARE Thursday, September 12, 2013 Don't Forget the Prisoners in Guantanamo and Those in Solidarity with Them
Solidarity actions for the prisoners have taken place around the world citing indefinite detention without trial, no release for years after prisoners are cleared for release and painful forced nasal-gastric feeding tubes shoved up the nose of prisoners on long-term hunger strikers and dangerously pushed down into their stomachs.
(1 comments) SHARE Sunday, June 21, 2009 President Carter and Citizen Activists Witness Destruction in Gaza
Upon seeing the destruction of the American International School (one of seven schools completely destroyed in Gaza and 87 other schools severely damaged), Carter said "I have to hold back tears when I see the deliberate destruction that has been wreaked against your people," adding that he felt partly responsible because the school had been "deliberately destroyed by bombs from F-16s made in my country."
SHARE Thursday, June 5, 2014 Karma Of Dissent: An Interview With Ann Wright
After many years in the U.S. military followed by the Foreign Service, Ann Wright is now a peace activist whose pivotal resignation from the U.S. State Department was influenced by Buddhist teachings. She is a unique voice on issues of war and peace. Wright served 13 years of active duty in the U.S. Army and 16 years in the Army Reserves, rising to the rank of colonel.
(12 comments) SHARE Friday, June 9, 2017 Killer Drones and the Militarization of U.S. Foreign Policy
In the eyes of many around the world, diplomacy has taken a back seat to military operations in U.S. foreign policy. The drone program is a prime example.
Continuing the use of drone warfare to carry out assassinations will only exacerbate foreign distrust of American intentions and trustworthiness. It thereby plays into the hands of the very opponents we are trying to defeat.
(5 comments) SHARE Wednesday, March 1, 2017 In Rome, Israeli Embassy and Jewish Community Association Use Anti-Semitism to Cancel Ann Wright's Talk on Gaza
Events on university campuses all over Europe and in the United States have been cancelled as the State of Israel exerts extreme pressure on any institution allowing the honest debate of Israeli policies. Responding quickly to the false allegations of anti-semitism is key to challenging the Israeli government offensive toward those who challenge their illegal and inhumane policies toward Palestinians.
(4 comments) SHARE Saturday, October 29, 2016 When Will It End? Police Clash with Pipeline Protesters
The confluence of the twin issues of Native American respect for the land and modern environmentalists' alarm over global warming has met in resistance to a North Dakota oil pipeline, observed Ann Wright.
(1 comments) SHARE Tuesday, November 27, 2012 Challenging President Morsi On Tahrir Square
We've been in and out of Tahrir Square all day. It's almost midnight and tens of thousands of Egyptians have been to the square in the middle of Cairo that was the center of the revolution against dictator Hosni Mubarak, to protest the new President's decrees on the judiciary and legislative branches of government.
(7 comments) SHARE Thursday, December 1, 2016 Six weeks Left for President Obama to Approve Clemency for U.S. Army Whistleblower Chelsea Manning
During the six and one-half years she has been imprisoned, Manning spent nearly a year in solitary confinement. A United Nations investigation into her isolation at Quantico Marine base, which involved being forced to strip naked every night, described her situation as "cruel, inhuman, and degrading."
SHARE Thursday, July 7, 2016 Two Years Ago Israel Attacked Gaza for 51 Days as Drone Warfare Becomes the Norm
The 51-day Israeli attack on Gaza should not be characterized as a war between opposing forces but rather as a massive one-sided attack on Palestinians made at the choosing of Israel with its overwhelming military air, sea and land forces backed up with endless military supplies and equipment from the United States, including the missile system called the "Iron Dome."
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, February 16, 2017 Why I Support Tulsi Gabbard Going To Syria
It is important that we have representatives in our government who will go to countries where the United States is either killing citizens directly by U.S. intervention or indirectly by support of militia groups or by sanctions. We need representatives to sift through our government and media reports to find out for themselves the truth, the shades of truth and the untruths.
SHARE Saturday, July 13, 2019 Generals, Ambassadors, National Security Experts, Church Leaders and Women Nobel Peace Laureates Say "No War On Iran!"
On July 9, at a press conference on Capitol Hill at the United Methodist Building, six religious leaders, led by Jim Wallis of Sojourners, announced that 200 American church leaders had signed an extensive statement and "a clear and emphatic NO to a war with Iran. Diplomacy is the effective and necessary alternative to what would be a disastrous and indefensible war."
(3 comments) SHARE Monday, March 19, 2012 Nine Years Out of Government and Pinning Hopes on Those Who Challenge it!
The US Government is still running scared. It is scared of everything and everyone, including Americans who are trying valiantly to turn our country and government from a fear-based society to a rational society looking at the good and the bad and how we fix the challenges.
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, August 9, 2018 What Do Veterans for Peace Stand For? NOT New Definitions of Torture and Psychologists Who Support it!
We are calling out the unethical behavior of medical professionals who have advocated for and participated in torture and advocate for word changes that will authorize torture, but by another name. As with most of the VFP stances on various issues, we are in an uphill battle with the racism, bigotry and war-mongering that seems to be prevalent in the US and reflected in republican and democratic administrations.
(13 comments) SHARE Friday, February 27, 2015 Cuba Joins One Billion Rising To End Violence Against Women
On February 14, called "The Day of Friendship" in Cuba, there were tens of thousands attending the fair. We were asked to dance at the scenic main stage with Old Havana as a backdrop. Facing thousands of Cubans, our group joined Cubans and took the stage and danced for 10 minutes to the universal song to end violence against women.
(5 comments) SHARE Friday, July 14, 2017 US Experts Say North Korean Leadership May Be Ruthless and Reckless, But They Are Not Crazy
Despite the rhetoric from the Trump administration about military confrontation with North Korea, the common theme of many U.S. experts on North Korea is that the U.S. presidential administration MUST conduct a dialogue with North Korea -- and quickly! Military confrontation is NOT an option according to the experts.
(3 comments) SHARE Wednesday, July 17, 2013 The Role of Dissent in National Security, Law and Conscience
We now know the lengths to which Bush administration officials went to ensure the silence of those who opposed their policies, by classifying controversial and illegal policies and operations. As a result, anyone trying to challenge those policies in public automatically risked being charged with revealing classified information.
SHARE Wednesday, June 8, 2016 After Eight Years of Protest of Construction of Naval Base, Gangjeong Villagers Sued by South Korean Navy
In one of the longest, strongest protests against more military bases in our world, the villagers of Gangjeong, Jeju Island, South Korea have achieved international recognition of their spiritual and corporal resistance and persistence in trying to preserve unique natural features of their community, the Gureombi Rocks.
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, September 14, 2019 From A Russian: Our Planet is So Small that We Must Live in Peace
Russians, like Americans, want the confrontation between the U.S. and Russian politicians and government officials to be resolved without bloodshed. As Maria Emelyanova, head of the Committee of Soldiers' Mothers of Russia said, "Our planet is so small that we must live in peace."
(1 comments) SHARE Saturday, August 31, 2013 Possible Consequences of a U.S. Military Attack on Syria
At this time of crisis, it is worth remembering another time, 30 years ago in October, 1983 when U.S. warships bombarded Lebanon, the country located next to Syria. Within weeks, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by a massive truck bomb that killed 241 American servicemen: 220 Marines, 18 sailors and three soldiers.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, May 8, 2012 The Dark Side of the Prestigious Marine Barracks
The Marine Barracks has its dark and ugly side. It is also the home of officers and enlisted men of the Marine Corps who have been accused of sexually harassing, assaulting and raping female Marine officers and enlisted and civilian women who work there.
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, November 23, 2011 Delegates Issue Appeal for the End of the Siege of Gaza--No US Congresspersons involved
This week, 70 delegates from 20 countries, including Parliamentarians from 11 countries, have seen the disastrous effects of the 22-day Israeli attack on Gaza two years ago and the five-year naval and land blockade on Gaza. The trip was organized by the Council for European Palestinian Relations.
SHARE Wednesday, February 12, 2014 Nuclear Submarines, Whales and Tourists Don't Mix
In late January, 2014, the National Resources Defense Council filed a lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service for violation of multiple federal laws by allowing the Navy to increase sonar and live-fire training in Hawaii and California for the next five years.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, June 1, 2012 Turkish Court Indicts Senior Israeli Military Officials in Murders of Nine Gaza Freedom Flotilla Passengers
a court in Istanbul, Turkey, voted unanimously to approve an indictment against Israel's former military chief Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as for Eliezer Marom, Amos Yadlin, and Avishai Levi, the former heads of the Israeli Navy, Air Force Intelligence, and Military Intelligence. If convicted, each faces nine consecutive life terms in prison for "inciting to kill monstrously, and by torturing."
(4 comments) SHARE Tuesday, May 29, 2007 What Congress Really Approved: Benchmark No. 1: Privatizing Iraq's Oil for US Companies
We finally have the reason for the US invasion of Iraq: to get easily accessible, cheap, high-grade Iraq oil for US corporations.Now the choice is for US military personnel and their families to decide whether they want their loved ones to be physically and emotionally injured to protect not our national security,but the financial security of the biggest corporate barons left in our country - the oil companies.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, December 14, 2018 Will Muslim Countries Malaysia or Indonesia help Palestinians in Thailand?
Many are now in detention facilities in Bangkok as the Thai government has cracked down on thousands of people of all nationalities that have continued to stay in Thailand past their visa dates. In the case of Palestinians, they have nowhere to go as the refugee camps in Syria they call home are still very dangerous.
(9 comments) SHARE Saturday, September 5, 2020 War Is A Disaster, Not A Game
The U.S. is in no position to be an enforcer of peace building. Domestically, the U.S. policing system has proven abusive and broken. Similarly, the U.S. posture as "the world cop" has likewise proven expensive, unaccountable and ineffective for international peace.
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, March 4, 2017 U.S. Experts Say North Korean Government is NOT Irrational and Call for Talks
If the international community really wants to resolve the tensions on the Korean Peninsula and give the North Korean people a chance to rejoin the community of nations, a peace treaty that gives North Korea the assurances it needs for its survival is the first -- not the last -- step.
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, March 21, 2019 Korea Peace Now! Cooperation Continuing Despite Stalled Dialogue With US
While U.S.-North Korean contact is stalled, relations between North Korea and South Korea continue to increase. A a consortium of four international women's groups launched Korea Peace Now, a worldwide campaign for peace on the Korean peninsula, during the United Nations' Commission on the Status of Women, the week of March 10, 2019.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, November 3, 2016 Public Servants or Corporate Security? An Open Letter to Law Enforcement and National Guard in North Dakota
Genuine law enforcement or military wouldn't take sides or turn a blind eye to these shameful violations of constitutional rights, but protect the lives and property of all residents, whether Native or non-Native. If you deny others their humanity, you lose your own humanity. What if an explosive oil pipeline or train threatened your home, your drinking water, or your kids' school?
SHARE Thursday, December 13, 2018 Delegates Who Faced Israeli Violence Before the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla -- Dr. Swee Ang and Navy Veteran Joe Meadors
Two persons, Joe Meadors and Dr. Swee Ang, who personally faced Israeli violence in the past, faced violence again on the Al Awda ship in the 2018 Gaza Freedom Flotilla that challenged the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza in July 2018. Dr. Swee is back home in London, UK, and Joe Meadors is at home in Corpus Christi, Texas, both ready to go on the next mission to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, July 17, 2012 America's Drones Are Homeward Bound
The regulator has until Sept. 30, 2015, to formulate a plan to integrate up to 30,000 drones into U.S. airspace. The dedication of activists and the modest efforts of a few concerned members of Congress have so far failed to halt the flight of drones from the battlefield to our homeland.
(16 comments) SHARE Thursday, March 14, 2019 American and Iranian Hardliner Ideologies Continue to Cause Suffering of Iranian People
Hardliners in both the Iranian and the U.S. governments make the opportunity for dialogue and negotiations very difficult resulting in the people of Iran continuing to suffer the burden of both Iranian and American ideologies and politicians that have returned international relations to a standstill.
SHARE Thursday, December 6, 2018 Nominee for US Ambassador to Yemen is No Friend of the Yemeni People
As top US representative in Riyadh, Henzel is undoubtedly the American who has had the most meetings with MBS and senior officials of the Saudi government. Henzel is neck-deep in the blood of the Yemeni people and confirming him as the US Ambassador to Yemen will continue the US role in the starvation and deaths of millions of Yemenis.
SHARE Monday, May 18, 2015 Where your conscience can take you: North Korea
On 24 May, 30 women peacebuilders will walk across the De-Militarized Zone that separates Korean families. Ann Wright describes her journey from serving in the US Army to citizen diplomat walking for peace. She says "We will hold international peace symposiums in Pyongyang and Seoul where we can listen to Korean women and share our experiences and ideas of mobilizing women to bring an end to violent conflict."
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, August 25, 2016 When Boats Brought Hope to Gaza
Israel continues to cut off the 1.8 million people of Gaza from receiving relief supplies from sea, an illegal blockade that will be challenged again this year by the Women's Boat to Gaza, that will sail in mid-September to again demonstrate that we do care about the people of Gaza writes retired Col. Ann Wright.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, November 8, 2013 Japanese Prime Minister Abe and President Obama Want Japan to be able to Wage War
In the Philippines, the United States is in the midst of negotiations for broader access to military bases. A new security accord, called the Increased Rotational Presence (IRP) Agreement, would permit American forces to regularly rotate through the Philippines for joint U.S.-Philippine military exercises.
(4 comments) SHARE Thursday, June 11, 2015 Dangerous Military Buildup in Asia and Pacific
The Chinese see the expansion of the United States military forces and capabilities in their front yard and are constructing their own projections of power on the tiny disputed islands and atolls off their coast. Neither the United States nor China need any of these bases as both have more than enough air capability in the form of aircraft or missiles to initiate or counter any military move by the other.
(3 comments) SHARE Saturday, June 22, 2013 Anti-Drone Activists Stopped at U.S. Canadian Border due to "Orders of Protection" given to Commander of Drone Base
In a Gandhian action at the Drone Convergence on April 29, 2013 at Hancock Field near Syracuse NY, Valerie Niederhoffer and 30 others were arrested at the main gate. The 31 arrestees were protesting our government's drone policy by lying down in front of the main entrance to the Hancock Field drone base and covering themselves with "bloodied" sheets.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, January 23, 2020 US Must Protect Cultural Locations in Iran and Secretary of Defense Sets Trump Straight on it
The U.S. is required to abide by the Geneva Conventions and must not target the cultural, religious and medical facilities of Iran. Citizens of the U.S. should work to prevent President Trump, Secretary of Defense Esper and Secretary of State Pompeo from starting a war with Iran.
SHARE Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Hancock 38 Drone Resisters to be sentenced
The Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars will continue to resist the use of drones. As we argued in court, drone warfare violates the Nuremberg Principles and other international, as well as moral, laws. We resist those who would normalize the use of robotic assassins as mode of warfare and reject the policy of dehumanization of peoples in other lands.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, December 30, 2008 Iranians Ponder Their Future With an Obama Administration
Codepink Women for Peace co-founders Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin, Fellowship of Reconciliation Iran program director Laila Zand and I were reminded in virtually every conversation that Iranians want peace with the United States, not war.
(5 comments) SHARE Sunday, July 20, 2008 The Costs of War: The Parents' Agony
Every day for a parent of a person in the United States military is a long day filled with concern for their daughter or son. Parents of nine US Army soldiers were notified of the deaths of their family members in Afghanistan this week. Three other lives - all former soldiers - reveal other costs of war, for them and for their families.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, December 16, 2016 Press Release -- Hawaii Citizens Vigil at President Obama's Holiday Home for 9th Year
For the 9th year, concerned citizens of Hawaii will vigil at President Obama's Holiday Compound in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii on Saturday, December 17 at 9am. The vigil began in December 2008 before he was sworn into office in January 2009 on the issue of the 27-day Israeli attack on Gaza. The vigil has continued for the last eight years.
(2 comments) SHARE Monday, September 15, 2014 16th Anniversary of the Imprisonment of the Cuban Five
Despite its lofty pronouncements of protection of human rights around the world, the United States government seldom holds itself accountable for its well-known abuses. Without international and domestic pressure, such as this forum and other important conferences of the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban Five, to hold the US government accountable for its actions, accountability will not happen.
SHARE Tuesday, April 26, 2011 Arrests in U.S. Anti-Drone Protest
Pilots stationed at Hancock now fly Reaper drones remotely over Afghanistan. The drones are armed with Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs. Far more civilians, including many women and children, are killed than are "targeted" insurgents. Although the use of drones has enraged the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Obama administration has dramatically increased their use.
SHARE Monday, April 6, 2020 Collateral Murder -- 10 Years Later -- Webinar from Don't Extradict Assange
This webinar is about Chelsea Manning's decision to leak the video know known as Collateral Damage to Wikileaks -- and Julian Assange facing possible extradiction to the US for espionage, if we as activists do not succeed in stopping the extradiction to the U.S...
SHARE Saturday, March 21, 2009 From Three Decades as a Colonel and Diplomat to Six Years as a Peace Activist
Ann Wright attending international meeting in Guantanamo.
Ann Wright speaks at an international meeting calling for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba. The former US Army colonel and career diplomat resigned in opposition to the invasion of Iraq by the Bush administration six years ago.
(3 comments) SHARE Thursday, September 15, 2011 Instead of attacking WikiLeaks, fix what it exposed
The entire edifice that allows the use of classification rests solely on the basis of executive orders that have been renewed and modified by various presidents. The ability to restrict information from the public is essentially an unchecked assertion of executive power.
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, December 4, 2015 Presentation for the 4th International Seminar for Peace and Abolition of Foreign Military Bases
The sordid history of the past 14 years of the United States imprisoning 779 persons from 48 countries on a U.S. military base in Cuba as a part of its global war "on terror" reflects the mentality of those who govern the United States -- global intervention for political or economic reasons, invasion, occupation other countries and leaving its military bases in those countries for decades.
(2 comments) SHARE Tuesday, July 14, 2015 Knives Are Out for Those Who Challenge Militarization of the Korean Peninsula
That's why we walked in North Korea and South Korea -- and crossed the DMZ -- calling for an end of the state of war on the Korean peninsula with a peace treaty to finally end the 63-year old Korean War. And that's why we will remain engaged no matter what the pundits write, because in the end, if groups like ours don't push for peace, our governments are prone to go to war.
(2 comments) SHARE Saturday, May 5, 2012 About "Those Other Things that Fly"
In the annual unclassified briefing, it appeared that only the questions about drones were unclassified. The answers about "those other things that fly" apparently remain classified.
(5 comments) SHARE Saturday, May 2, 2009 Torture: An Author and a Resister
As a Bush administration political appointee Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice, Jay Bybee, a Mormon, wrote one of four torture memos released last month. In September 2003, another Mormon, a woman soldier, US Army Spc. Alyssa Peterson, said she refused to use the interrogation techniques that Bybee had authorized on Iraqi prisoners.
(6 comments) SHARE Monday, April 22, 2019 Warning: All Non-Citizen "Green Card" U.S. Military and U.S. Veterans MUST Get U.S. Citizenship -- For Protection
Obtaining U.S. citizenship should be a requirement for serving in the U.S. military -- for the protection of the noncitizen recruit and for her/his protection from deportation as a U.S. veteran. Until all persons who enlist in the U.S. military are required to become U.S. citizens for their own protection, current non-citizen active duty military and non-citizen "green card" U.S. Veterans should not be deported.
(4 comments) SHARE Thursday, November 12, 2015 Will Obama Give Israel even more American Weapons and Dollars to Kill Palestinians?
As it stands now, more that half of the U.S. foreign military spending for 2016 goes to Israel. As in all things, Israel gets special treatment by the U.S., allowing Israel to spend 25% of its gift from the U.S. to pay itself for buying weapons from its own weapons industry! According to a recent congressional report, Israel has received $124.3 billion in military assistance from the US since its founding in 1948.
(2 comments) SHARE Wednesday, August 8, 2018 We Helped Immigrants
A wonderful network of Spanish-speaking volunteers meet every bus from the detention facilities at the Greyhound bus stations and help sort out tickets, calls to sponsors and a variety of other issues that pop up after people are coming out of detention and not knowing really where they are or whether they have tickets waiting for them!
SHARE Thursday, August 25, 2011 Citizens Challenge Police to Prevent Construction of a Naval Base on Jeju Island, South Korea
The South Korean Navy wants to continue construction of a naval base for 18 ships and two submarines in an area that will destroy a pristine shoreline and endanger marine life. Local villagers and activists from the mainland of South Korea have struggled for five years to prevent the construction of the base.
SHARE Sunday, May 29, 2011 The Gaza Freedom Flotilla-One Year Later and Another Flotilla on the Horizon
It is not too late for countries to put massive international pressure on Israel to end the blockade and determine how to address Israel's security concerns about ships entering the Gaza port. European Union inspectors were placed in the Rafah border crossing in 2006. A similar structure could be suggested for the port of Gaza.
(5 comments) SHARE Wednesday, March 14, 2012 Obama's Promises Ring Hollow to Families of the 16 Afghans Killed by an American Soldier
If I were a family member of one of the 16 Afghans civilians, mostly women and children, who were murdered this week by a US Army soldier in a methodical house-to-house killing spree, I would not hold my breath that President Obama's promise that "we will follow the facts wherever they lead us, and we will make sure that anybody who was involved is held fully accountable with the full force of the law," will hold true.
(2 comments) SHARE Thursday, October 15, 2020 Dangers of Military Confrontation Between the United States and China Around Taiwan and in the South China Sea
Over the past two years, the United States has dramatically increased the number of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and destroyers sent into the South China Sea as a freedom of navigation show of force missions to remind the Chinese government that the U.S. considers the Western Pacific and the South China Sea as a part of the oceans of America and its allies.
(8 comments) SHARE Tuesday, March 19, 2013 10 Years Later And I'm Still Protesting War
A decade after I stepped down as the deputy ambassador in the U.S. Embassy in Mongolia, the war in Iraq is over for Americans, but continues for Iraqis. The whirlwind of sectarian violence brought on by the U.S. invasion and occupation continues to blow there.
(1 comments) SHARE Thursday, May 2, 2019 Historic Anti-Nuke Golden Rule Peace Boat Sets Sail on 15-Month Voyage to Japan--Via Hawaii, Guam and Okinawa
The captain and crew of the Veterans for Peace historic anti-nuke boat, the Golden Rule, set sail from San Diego, California, on May 1 beginning a 15-month voyage from California to Japan. The first leg of the voyage began on May 1, 2019, as the Golden Rule sailed from San Diego headed for her first stop -- Hilo, Hawaii.
(2 comments) SHARE Monday, March 29, 2021 In Alarmist Turn, NATO Is Increasingly Positioning Itself in Opposition to China
During the March 23-24 meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) council, Anthony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, encouraged NATO members to join the U.S. in viewing China as an economic and security threat.
SHARE Tuesday, August 25, 2015 Recent WomenCross DMZ Activity
On May 24, 30 feminist peace activists with truly remarkable peace-building qualifications crossed the heavily fortified inter-Korean border in protest of the state of war. Christine Ahn, co-organizer of WomenCross DMZ (WC), stresses their "enormous collective experience in conflict resolution, human rights, foreign policy, international relations and de-militarization."
(2 comments) SHARE Friday, July 3, 2015 Sailing -- Again -- to Break the Israeli Naval Blockade of Gaza
The physical act of being captured and put in prison by the State of Israel is not the most important part of our activism. The fact that we have come together again in another action to bring international attention to the Israeli siege of Gaza is the goal -- and we will continue these actions until the Israeli government ends the blockade of Gaza.
SHARE Thursday, December 17, 2020 A Brief History of U.S. Military Poisoning of Hawaii
Jon Mitchell's book of military poisons found in the Pacific is an excellent guide for an investigation into the pollution and contamination in and around the military bases in Hawai'i.
SHARE Sunday, January 25, 2015 Smaller Army here a chance to blossom anew
To revise the recycling slogan, we urge officials to: Reduce the Army presence in Hawaii, Reimagine our futures, and support the Rebirth of a more diversified and vibrant local economy. Let's work together to find economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives to dependence on large-scale military presence on the islands.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, May 3, 2019 Easter At the Border Fence with Mexico
A large number of persons seeking asylum are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. judicial system is unable to handle such a number with the current number of judges. Persons are in detention facilities for months before finally being patrolled into families and communities that are willing to accept them. The strain on government and community resources at the border are at a breaking point.
(4 comments) SHARE Thursday, July 2, 2015 Why I Am On Gaza Freedom Flotilla 3
I am horrified by the brutal 55-day Israeli attack on Gaza in 2014 that left over 2,200 dead and 10,000 wounded and much of the country in ruins. I am equally horrified by the lack of international assistance for the people of Gaza during this past year and by the impunity that Israel has in the international community for the criminal acts it has committed on the people of Gaza and the West Bank.
(7 comments) SHARE Tuesday, January 19, 2021 Treaty offers U.S. a way to push for ban on nuclear weapons
The Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty prohibits the development or possession of nuclear weapons and the use or threat to use nuclear weapons. The Treaty is a milestone in the long march toward nuclear abolition.
(3 comments) SHARE Friday, November 20, 2015 U.S. Delegations Attend International Conference in Guantanamo, Cuba on Abolition of Foreign Military Bases
Three delegations from U.S. organizations will attend the 4th International Conference on Abolition of Foreign Military Bases Nov 23-25. The conference is held in Guantanamo, Cuba, the site of one of the most contentious U.S. military bases. The CODEPINK delegation calls for the United States to close the prison, end its 112-year occupation of the U.S. Naval Base and return the land to the people of Cuba.
(4 comments) SHARE Wednesday, January 27, 2021 For Peace With North Korea, Biden Must End the US-South Korea Military Exercises
Talks between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled since 2019, and North Korea has continued to develop its weapons arsenal, recently unveiling what appears to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile.
(4 comments) SHARE Tuesday, August 2, 2011 Mocking the Gaza Flotilla
A small flotilla carrying human rights and peace activists to Israel-blockaded Gaza was itself blockaded in Greece after intense diplomatic pressure from Washington and Tel Aviv. But the Israeli news media continues to heap ridicule on the passengers.
(3 comments) SHARE Tuesday, June 16, 2009 Israeli Police and Military Brutalize Peaceful Protesters at Netanyahu's Speech
Heavy handed police treatment of the CODEPINK: Women for Peace delegation began immediately after members of the group unfurled several pink banners that read "Free Gaza" and "End the Occupation." CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin and New York activist Zool Zulkowitz were physically dragged across the street from their original protest site next to the entrance gate to Bar Ilan University where audience members and press...
(1 comments) SHARE Monday, November 21, 2011 Protests Fill Tahrir Square, Again
Last night after I finally got out of the Cairo airport after five hours of being detained upon my arrival, at least 32 had already been killed by the military around Tahrir Square with hundreds wounded. Tonight more have died as the police fired on protesters.
SHARE Sunday, November 15, 2015 Okinawa delegation in Washington to Challenge Construction of U.S. Marine Air Base Runway
The Henoko base construction in Okinawa would be the second base in Asia and the Pacific to be used by US military that has faced enormous citizen outrage as both bases will destroy environmentally sensitive areas and increase the militarization of their countries.
(1 comments) SHARE Friday, April 5, 2013 An Israeli Apology Means Little
Eight Turkish citizens and one American citizen were murdered by Israeli commandos. While President Obama recently cajoled Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to apologize to the Turkish government for the deaths of their citizens, he apparently did not ask for a public apology for the death of the American citizen, 19-year-old Furkan Dogan.
SHARE Wednesday, October 14, 2015 VFP in Chile Protesting U.S. Funded Military Base Fuerte Aguayo
Four U.S. veterans, three of whom are members of Veterans for Peace, on the School of the Americas Watch trip to Chile, protested with 70 Chileans the US-funded Chilean military base called Fuerte Aguayo.
SHARE Thursday, September 22, 2011 Women in War and Peace
PBS is taking an in-depth look at the role of women in war and peace beginning in October.
SHARE Friday, June 17, 2011 Nobel Women's Initiative -- An Open Letter to Ban Ki Moon
Four women Nobel Peace Laureates -- Mairead Maguire, Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, and Rigoberta Menchú Tum -- have sent an open letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, asking him to reconsider his position and to "call on all governments to support the safe passage of the Freedom Flotilla II."
(1 comments) SHARE Wednesday, January 3, 2007 Arrested on the Golden Gate Bridge for the 3,000 US Dead
On New Year's Day, sixty peace activists organized by Codepink Women for Peace gathered on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge to walk across one of America's great landmarks in vigil for the 3,000 US servicemen and women killed in Iraq and for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have died since the US invasion and occupation.