Chicago, IL – The Obama administration announced it will arm the Syrian opposition and the U.S. military has made plans to set up a No Fly Zone over Syrian territory. The Anti-War Committee – Chicago (AWC) opposes these measures to escalate the conflict which has already cost 93,000 lives.
The dogs of war in the U.S. media bark and, in true Don Quixote fashion, it’s a sign that authors Hillary and Flynt Leverett are on the move. In their electrifying new book, Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran, the former National Security Council experts – who were forced out of their positions for their opposition to Washington’s war-mongering and occupation – take on the growing myths told by the U.S. government about Iran.
Tampa, FL – Protesters gathered in front of Senator Marco Rubio’s Tampa office May 31 to criticize the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill currently being debated in the U.S. Senate and to demand, “Legalization for all!”
On May 23, President Barrack Obama gave a major counterterrorism speech at the National Defense University about U.S. drone warfare and the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama’s speech was billed as a major policy speech with new reforms.
President interrupted by Code Pink co-founder, pressed on Guantanamo prison
Washington, DC – On May 23, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered a speech at the National Defense University, supposedly outlining changes to the ‘counter-terrorism’ policy of the U.S. While the U.S. media hailed the speech as a significant change from the War on Terror policies of the Bush administration that carried into Obama’s first term, the president’s speech mostly doubled-down on the drone strikes and military actions that have brought death and destruction to people in the Middle East.
Grand Rapids, MI – 20 people met at the Yankee Clipper Library here to hear two leading “No Drones” activists from Chicago. On May 4, Kait McIntyre and Joe Iosbaker of the Anti-war Committee of Chicago spoke about the deadly use of drones by the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. They showed a short film detailing how the U.S. government has killed 4700 people, including 178 children in Pakistan and Yemen, and 849 Pakistanis.
Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement urging everyone opposed to the war on Syria to call President Obama Tuesday, May 7 at 202-456-1111.
Minneapolis, MN – There are widespread reports in the Western press saying that, on May 3, Israel launched another bombing raid on Syria. Reports say the attack was carried out from Lebanon.
Chicago, IL – Sarah Simmons, a member of the Anti-War Committee – Chicago, speaks in front of the Field Museum where Boeing Company held its annual stockholders meeting, April 29. “As a Boeing stockholder, I want to tell the Board of Directors and fellow shareholders to stop manufacturing drones now. As we mourn the victims in Boston, we also mourn those faceless and nameless victims of the U.S. government, who have fallen in Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Chicago, IL – The Anti-War Committee of Chicago opposes Boeing CEO James McNerny’s plan to make the next combat drone for the U.S. military. Members of the Anti-War Committee, including several who have purchased Boeing stock, will protest at the annual stockholders meeting at the Field Museum on Monday, 9:30 am, April 29.
Decatur, TN – This past weekend, April 19-21, Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) hosted a three-day organizer training in rural eastern Tennessee. Over 50 activists shared skills and strategies as veterans and active-duty soldiers were joined by civilian ally organizations from around the country, including IVAW's partner organization Civilian-Soldier Alliance (CivSol,) One Love Movement, Students for a Democratic Society, The Poverty Initiative, Concerned Citizens for Justice, and many others.
Gainesville, FL – On April 12 student activists at the University of Florida (UF) held the final event of their anti-drone week of action. 20 students gathered in front of Tigert Hall to demand transparency about UF’s involvement in military-sponsored drone research. The delegation made speeches condemning the use of drones to kill civilians abroad and spy on citizens at home. Students hung a huge banner from the Administration Building reading, “Fund education, not occupation.” Students questioned the need for military funding. Filipino student Chrisley Carpio, an organizer with Students for a Democratic Society, said, “I consider those funds blood money. In my home country, the U.S. military uses drones to terrorize civilians and suppress liberation movements.”
Salt Lake City, UT – Anti-war activists and students in Utah took their message directly to the U.S. government's doorstep on April 11 with a rally in front of the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building.
St Paul, MN – On a cold and rainy April 10, several dozen people joined a Minneapolis-Saint Paul peace vigil to speak out against the danger of a new Korean war.
Minneapolis, MN – Organizers of the weekly peace vigil on the Lake Street/Marshall Avenue Bridge between Minneapolis and Saint Paul have announced plans to dedicate the April 10 vigil to making an anti-war statement in response to the military crisis in Korea.
Minneapolis, MN – Despite rain showers, nearly 200 people joined a protest here April 6 to speak out against U.S. wars around the world and against the ever-growing use of drones as an instrument of military intervention.