No War No Torture

Paula sent this link to the article in the New Yorker by Seymour Hersh.

If anyone has information about actions you are taking to prevent an US attack on Iran, please feel free to post it.

Several people have checked in with their responses to the FISA Amendment Act. Jack alerted me to the ACLU lawsuit to declare it unconstitutional. I have contributed to that organization’s effort. Barbara, who joined that organization in 1955 when it was fighting for racial civil rights and against McCarthyism, did, too. Anyone who cares to can do so either on their website

www.aclu.org

or by sending a check to thier headquarters at

ACLU
125 Broad Street, 18th Floor
New York, NY 1000
If you have other actions or ideas, let us know.

Joshua Key

Barbara sent the link to this story about a soldier who took refuge in Canada rather than continue fighting an illegal war. Our Canadian brothers and sisters have been greatly pressured by the Bush regime, but some of them are willing to think for themselves about these matters. You can read the story here

The following is passed along to us from Jack.

NO WAR WITH IRAN
CALL TO ACTION JULY 19-21

Responding to the renewed threats of a U.S./Israeli attack on Iran before President Bush leaves office, United for Peace and Justice calls for coordinated Days of Action across the United States on July 19-21. Now is the time to speak out against any U.S./Israeli military attack on Iran.

U.S. officials say Israel is mounting a “full court press” to get the Bush administration to strike Iran’s nuclear complex, CBS News reports. In The New Yorker, Seymour Hersh reports that congressional leaders agreed last year to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran.

New York Newsday and the Seattle-Post Intelligencer warn that Congress is considering a resolution promoted by AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) that would effectively endorse a naval blockade of Iran, an act of war.

Voices in the U.S. calling for real diplomacy and negotiations with Iran are being silenced. Few people in this country know Iran has an offer on the table for comprehensive negotiations with the United States that could resolve the nuclear stand-off and other issues. Nor do they know that talks with Iran without preconditions are supported by independent experts like Thomas Pickering, the U.S. Ambassador to the UN during the first Bush administration.

To counter the renewed threats of military action, we are calling for National Days of Coordinated Action against war with Iran on July 19-21, including:

• call-ins and letter-writing to Washington and local congressional offices;
• lobbying in Washington and at local congressional offices;
• demonstrations at congressional offices, federal buildings, Israeli consulates or other sites chosen by local organizers.

It was two years ago on July 4th that I decided to go to Camp Casey to do what I could to resist US war and torture and to stand with others who work to resist the Bush regime and restore our democracy.

Katrina followed my Camp Casey experience immediately.

I have protested, marched, rallied, met with others, continued to write and call law makers and representatives, written journalism. More information about US war crimes and crimes against humanity has been published. The US Congress changed from one party’s majority to the other. The media has selected two candidates for president. Fundamentally things are worse.

Brave US service women and men have spoken out in Winter Soldier and before Congress about the truth of the occupations. More people have gone to jail for peacefully demanding justice. Many people continue to work for justice, peace, and the restoration of our democracy, but little change ensues.

This year, I mourn. I put on black. On the Fourth itself, I wore the black shirt with the German student resister’s challenge “We will not be quiet” translated into Arabic. The only color in my clothes was an orange scarf to remind me of those being tortured and illegally imprisoned. The Arabic shirt led to a conversation with one of our Arab American neighbors.

I did not watch fireworks, picnic, nor celebrate in any way. I mourn.

Since some of the Founders were Quakers and the Quaker City of Philadelphia which David and I visited just after the elections of 2006 to participate in an event was the scene of much of the birth of this nation, I decided to do a modified Quaker activity. I sat still and quiet for a half hour.

That was my Fourth of July 2008.

How did you mark the day this year?