Response to Situation in Syria The Women's March on the Pentagon condemns, in the strongest terms, any U.S. "retaliation" against Syria for a chemical weapons attack that may not have even occurred. If reports of the attack in Douma are true, the attack was likely perpetrated by any one of the many militant rebel groups, some of which have Western backing, trying to overthrow the sovereign state of Syria (whether we agree with it or not). Read more...   Our Enemy, Ourselves Ten Commonsense Suggestions for Making Peace, Not War Peace News Posted by Joan Russow    Sunday, 04 February 2018 20:35 Ten Commonsense Suggestions for Making Peace, Not War - By William J. Astore Whether the rationale is the need to wage a war on terror or renewed preparations for a struggle against peer competitors Russia and China  (as Defense Secretary James Mattis suggested recently while introducing America’s new National Defense Strategy), the U.S. military is engaged globally.  A network of military bases spread across 172 countries helps enable its wars and interventions.  By the count of the Pentagon, at the end of the last fiscal year about 291,000 personnel (including reserves and Department of Defense civilians) were deployed in 183 countries worldwide, which is the functional definition of a military .  Lady Liberty may temporarily close when the U.S. government grinds to a halt, but the country’s foreign military commitments, especially its wars, just keep humming along. Last Updated on Wednesday, 07 February 2018 20:42 Read more...   Americans Bracing for More War Under Trigger-Happy Trump Peace News Posted by Joan Russow    Friday, 14 April 2017 13:15 https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/14/americans-bracing-more-war-under-trigger-happy-trump'It is as if he has discovered the keys to the family gun cabinet'   by Lauren McCauley, staff writer                    25 Comments A still image of the blast on Thursday after the U.S. military dropped a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB), known as the "mother of all bombs," on Nangarhar province, in Afghanistan. (Screenshot: Department of Defense) The American public is bracing for war now that President Donald Trump has seemingly stumbled upon "the keys to the family gun cabinet," as one observer put it, after a week of rash and aggressive military action. The unprecedented use of a GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), known as the 'mother of all bombs,' on Thursday was just the latest in a series of attacks by the U.S. in recent days, prompting demands for a Congressional debate on the use of military force. Dr. Gabriela Lemus, president of the Progressive Congress Action Fund political action group, issued a statement Thursday saying that the use of "the largest non-nuclear bomb in our arsenal...to target [the Islamic State or ISIS] without the advice and consent of Congress raises serious concerns about the potential for the United States' engagement in unchecked use of military force and blanket authorization for endless war." Specifically, Lemus said there must be an "immediate and urgent review of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)" and supports legislation put forth by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) that calls for repeal of the 2001 AUMF. Read more...   Commander-in-Chief Trump Drops 'Mother of All Bombs' on Afghanistan Peace News Posted by Joan Russow    Thursday, 13 April 2017 13:16   Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said the "unprecedented use of an MOAB...marks a new front in the almost 16 year war in Afghanistan."   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/04/13/commander-chief-trump-drops-mother-all-bombs-afghanistan by Lauren McCauley, staff writer            31 Comments (Photo: Fl295 / Public Domain) Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump unleashed one of the most powerful U.S. bombs—the 20,000 pound GBU-43, known as "the mother of all bombs"—on Afghanistan on Thursday, the Pentagon has confirmed. The MOAB, which stands for massive ordinance air blast, reportedly struck an Islamic State (ISIS) tunnel complex in Nangarhar province. According to the Department of Defense statement, "the strike was designed to minimize the risk to Afghan and U.S. Forces conducting clearing operations in the area while maximizing the destruction of ISIS-K fighters and facilities." However, as observers pointed out, with a one-mile blast radius, the chance of numerous civilian causalities is high. The MOAB is said to be one of the largest non-nuclear bombs in the U.S. military arsenal and this is reportedly the first time it has been used. Read more...   Too Many Generals Spoil the Democracy Trump’s Push to “Win” with Warriors is a Loss for America Peace News Posted by Joan Russow    Tuesday, 20 December 2016 06:48 Too Many Generals Spoil the Democracy  Trump’s Push to “Win” with Warriors is a Loss for America By William J. Astore America has always had a love affair with its generals. It started at the founding of the republic with George Washington and continued with (among others) Andrew Jackson, Zachary Taylor, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.  These military men shared something in common: they were winning generals.  Washington in the Revolution; Jackson in the War of 1812; Taylor in the Mexican-American War; Grant in the Civil War; and Ike, of course, in World War II.  Americans have always loved a hero in uniform -- when he wins. Last Updated on Tuesday, 27 December 2016 23:33 Read more...   Dominating the Skies -- and Losing the Wars Air Supremacy Isn’t What It Used to Be Peace News Posted by Joan Russow    Thursday, 23 June 2016 10:02 By William J. Astore June 21, 2016 In the era of the long war on terror, Thursday, June 2nd, 2016, was a tough day for the U.S. military. Two modern jet fighters, a Navy F-18 Hornet and an Air Force F-16  Fighting Falcon flown by two of America’s most capable pilots, went down, with one pilot killed. In a war that has featured total dominance of the skies by America’s intrepid aviators and robotic drones, the loss of two finely tuned fighter jets was a remarkable occurrence. As it happened, though, those planes weren’t lost in combat.  Enemy ground fire or missiles never touched them nor were they taken out in a dogfight with enemy planes (of which, of course, the Islamic State, the Taliban, and similar U.S. enemies have none).  Each was part of an elite aerial demonstration team, the Navy’s Blue Angels and the Air Force’s Thunderbirds, respectively. Both were lost to the cause of morale-boosting air shows. Last Updated on Saturday, 25 June 2016 14:02 Read more...   The Trillion Dollar Question the Media Have Neglected to Ask Presidential Candidates Peace News Posted by Joan Russow    Thursday, 12 May 2016 07:41 BY LAWRENCE WITTNER | MARCH 21, 2016 http://billmoyers.com/story/the-trillion-dollar-question-the-media-have-neglected-to-ask-presidential-candidates/ The American people will be footing the bill — but, by and large, they haven't heard much about our country's planned trillion-dollar nuclear weapons upgrade.   A deactivated Titan II nuclear ICMB is seen in a silo at the Titan Missile Museum on May 12, 2015 in Green Valley, Arizona. - Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images This post originally appeared at History News Network. Isn’t it rather odd that America’s largest single public expenditure scheduled for the coming decades has received no attention in the 2015-2016 presidential debates? The expenditure is for a 30-year program to “modernize” the US nuclear arsenal and production facilities. Although President Obama began his administration with a dramatic public commitment to build a nuclear weapons-free world, that commitment has long ago dwindled and died. It has been replaced by an administration plan to build a new generation of US nuclear weapons and nuclear production facilities to last the nation well into the second half of the 21st century. This plan, which has received almost no attention by the mass media, includes redesigned nuclear warheads, as well as new nuclear bombers, submarines, land-based missiles, weapons labs and production plants. The estimated cost? $1,000,000,000,000.00 — or, for those readers unfamiliar with such lofty figures, $1 trillion. Last Updated on Tuesday, 24 May 2016 17:07 Read more...   More Articles... Florida outraged by genetically engineered mosquitoes Gaza in Arizona How Israeli High-Tech Firms Will Up-Armor the U.S.-Mexican Border America Is Open for Business in Iraq (Psst... Wanna Buy an M1 Tank?) Apocalypse Now, Iraq Edition Fighting in Iraq Until Hell Freezes Over Apocalypse Now, Iraq Edition : Fighting in Iraq Until Hell Freezes Over Why Washington’s War on Terror Failed The Underrated Saudi Connection The American Cult of Bombing Why You Should Expect More Bombs to be Dropped Everywhere Dead Is Dead Drone-Killing the Fifth Amendment Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars Twenty-First-Century Energy Wars << Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next > End >> Latest News We Must do More to Speed up Ending Fossil Fuel Subsidies 1997 INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC TRUST AGREEMENTS AS INSTRUMENTS OF CHANGE SUBMISSION TO ECO-SOLUTIONS CONFERENCE Elementary students restore, reclaim neighbourhood park Elementary students restore, reclaim neighbourhood park WITH INDUSTRY DATING BACK TO 1859, PENNSYLVANIA STRUGGLES WITH 200,000+ ORPHAN WELLS Do We Need a Global Convention of Common Principles for Building Peace? Monsanto’s “Rain of Death” on Canada’s Forests UN chief concerned nuclear 'coffin' leaking in Pacific Warnings of 'Gulf of Tonkin 2.0' as Trump Officials Blame Iran for Oil Tanker Attacks Internal Displacement “Deserves Visibility” Open Letter to Jason Kenny The US Is Spending $1.25 Trillion Annually on War Fossil Fuel Subsidies Exceed Pentagon Spending The United States has spent more subsidizing fossil fuels in recent years than it has on defense spending, according to a new report from the International Monetary Fund. Port Renfrew chamber decries logging plan Thawing Permafrost Emitting Higher Levels of Potent Greenhouse Gas Than Previously Thought: Study Civil Society Under Attack in Name of Counterterrorism Canadian Military Spying Activities Require More Scrutiny: Watchdog 2001The Criminalization of Dissent The Ottawa Citizen Sat 18 Aug 2001 NGOs Blast US for Undermining Criminal Court 1994 Resolution on canadian Forests passed by the IUCN Can We Stop Pretending Now? The Trump Era as an Occasion for Truth Telling NATO AT 70 TIME TO DISBAND NATO NATO AT 70 TIME TO DISBAND NATO Civil Society Organisations Under Attack by Rightwing Governments & Extremist Groups Canada’s SNC-Lavalin Affair: The Site C Dam Project and Bulk Water Export House Dems reveal new info on a shady White House plan to sell nuclear tech to Saudi Arabia Liberal precedent for confounding dual role of Minister of Justice and Attorney General Cuba's Ambassador Responds to CBC News What Does It Take to Destroy a World Order? Michael Cohen’s parting shot: I fear what happens if Trump loses in 2020 Invoke the Precautionary Principle, no Highway through the Sooke Hills Wilderness Iran still holding up its end of nuclear deal, IAEA report shows by Francois Murphy Taking the Lead in Fight Against Climate Change Glyphosate blocks trade between Italy and Canada It's taboo to talk about Canada's real corporate scandal Facts Don’t Interfere With Propaganda Blitz Against Venezuela’s Elected President Water commission unanimously opposes Malahat detour in watershed The herbicide glyphosate persists in wild, edible plants: B.C. study Wake Up and Smell the Organic Coffee Wake Up and Smell the Organic Coffee Mining Grabs Up Land, Deals Blow to Agriculture in Central America THERE IS NO NEW NORMAL; JUST UNHEEDED WARNINGS, LOST OPPORTUNITY AND OPPORTUNISTIC ADAPTING 'China is your daddy': Backlash against Tibetan student's election prompts questions about foreign influence UW study: Exposure to chemical in Roundup increases risk for cancer Veni, Vidi, Tweeti (I Came, I Saw, I Tweeted) An Obituary for the Republic Ottawa’s Wood Buffalo plan ‘not good enough’: First Nations Solar Energy Provides Hope for Poor Neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires Climate and economic risks 'threaten 2008-style systemic collapse' The New Normal panel; 2012 Global Security conference in Halifax on Friday, November 16, Deported Salvadoran Women Pin Their Hopes on Poultry Production Response from Indigenous Environmental Network to Green New Deal Venezuelan Ambassador to the EU : “We will not accept an external agenda” A Huge Climate Change Movement Led By Teenage Girls Is Sweeping Europe. And It’s Coming To The US Next. Rachel LaFortune: "Rule of law" is not a justification for colonial violence in Wet'suwet'en pipeline dispute Palm oil industry expansion spurs Guatemala indigenous migration COMBATING DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT The speech by Greta Thunberg at COP24 in Katowice Continuous Struggle for the Caribbean to be Heard in Climate Change Discussions Continuous Struggle for the Caribbean to be Heard in Climate Change Discussions The U.S. Helped Push Venezuela Into Chaos — and Trump’s Regime Change Policy Will Make Sure It Stays That Way Radioactive Waste:Unacceptable Burden on Future Generations A climate problem even California can't fix: tailpipe pollution Trump Sanctions, Regime Change Strategy in Venezuela Can Only Cause More Violence and Suffering COP 24 speech by 15 year old Swedish girl Cancel Site C, build gas plants, wind power: C.D. Howe Mitch McConnell’s Ties to Russian Oil Money Go to the profile of The Democratic Coalition The Democratic Coalition 349 Non-Compliance with International Obligations and Commitments: The Precautionary Principle The ICCA Consortium stands with the Wet’suwet’en Right-Wing Nationalism Threatens Democratic Norms, Human Rights & Press Freedom 223 international scientists urge B.C. to protect provincial rainforests THE SALISH SEA, IN BC, CANADA SHOULD BE DESIGNATED A PSSA where is glyphosate banned Mexico Opens Its doors to Central American Migrants Fears of US-Backed 'Coup' in Motion as Trump Recognizes Venezuela Opposition Lawmaker as 'Interim President' Trump as Russian Operative Plastic Cleanup Threatens the Ocean’s Living Islands COMBATING DESERTIFICATION AND DROUGHT Eat Plants, Save the Planet Salty Dilemma Argentina’s Indigenous People Fight for Land Rights UN Lambasted on High-Level Appointments Why the time has come for a Green New Deal Why the time has come for a Green New Deal No Access without Consent WEDZIN KWA CHECK POINT UNISTOTEN SITE C contravenes the precautionary principle, risking irreversible harm, misconstrues the equitable remedy of the injunction and discounts indigenous rights. The Shutdown Tax Return Wall Climate Change Forces Central American Farmers to Migrate Indigenous People, the First Victims of Brazil’s New Far-Right Government United Nations instructs Canada to suspend Site C dam construction over Indigenous rights violations letter related to indigenous right being ignored in site C decision , by Canada Quoting 'The Lorax,' Court Pulls Permit For Pipeline Crossing Appalachian Trail Iran, Huawei and Samsung A People’s Submission on Canada, Climate Change and the Copenhagen Accord Ecosocialism or barbararism There is no third way cop16 reflections by Fidel Comparision of the People’s Agreement and the Copenhagen Accord Lopez Obrador’s Plans to Lead Mexico out of Neoliberalism Will Mean Crossing Swords with the US Peak Car’ and the End of an Industry Manitoba’s hydro mess points to Canada’s larger problem with megadams 2016 submission Canada Pension Plan (CPPIB); must have investment screens and must redefine what constitutes due diligence Calling for 'Corridor of Life and Culture,' Indigenous Groups From Amazon Propose Creation of Largest Protected Area on Earth Trump officials met Venezuela military 'coup plotters' Alex Neve and Sarah Morales: Site C dam still far from ‘point of no return’ 'It blows my mind': How B.C. destroys a key natural wildfire defence every year 'Troubling allegations' prompt Health Canada review of studies used to approve popular weed-killer Planetary Destruction Last week (Oct 24-30) was UN Disarmament Week, during which member states voted on a range of disarmament decisions and resolutions Bend The Arc: Pittsburgh We are the Pittsburgh affiliate of Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice. Congress Should End US Military Participation in the Saudis’ War in Yemen THE BIOMASS DELUSION Over and Under Nutrition: Two Sides of an Unhealthy Coin Hundreds Of Millions Of Tons Of Mine Tailings Are To Be Dumped Into Norway's Fjords Drought in northern and central B.C. has officials worried Local Municipal Election Saanich BC COP21: fossil fuel states negotiated with a fossil fuel vision and ignored the UNFCCC the Dutch Court Decision: is a Precedent to be used in a case before the Supreme Court of Canada New rules inside the B.C. NDP could limit the ability for some members to publicly criticize the NDP government of Premier John Horgan. 'Deeply concerning': Canada pension fund invests in US immigration detention firms Rwanda Leverages Green Climate Fund’s Opportunities to Fast-Track Sustainable Development New study links common herbicides and antibiotic resistance U.S. conservation groups decry B.C. decision to allow logging in Skagit River system All articles posted on our site are copyright free unless indicated otherwise; or should be. Please see the “fair use notice”