Daniel Ellsberg RIP
Dan's life and contributions to the fight against U.S. wars and the imminent danger of nukes, were momentous once he released the Pentagon Papers in 1971 and risked spending life in prison. He often said "courage is contagious." We say – this is the kind of virus that should spread.
Dan wrote about joining the call "Bush Step Down" in 2006, when World Can't Wait brought thousands to DC after Bush's second selection.
The World Can’t Wait
by Daniel Ellsberg This piece was first published by CounterPunch in February 2006. RIP, Daniel Ellsberg.I would not have thought of copying the Pentagon Papers, risking a possible lifetime in prison, without the example of thousands of young Americans who were doing everything they could–including non-violent disobedience to the draft regulations–to oppose a wrongful, hopeless war. They showed civic courage, and I can attest to its effectiveness; as a government consultant and former official, I felt its power on my own life.
To the people of Okinawa
Debra Sweet | June 21, 2023
On Memorial Day in Okinawa, June 23, I've been asked to speak in NYC at an event marking the terrible 1945 battle between the U.S. military and Japan at the end of WW II (in front of NY Public Library, 42nd St. & 5th Ave., 1:30-2:30 pm). There were hundreds of thousands of casualties and, of course, the U.S. tells the story as its heroic victory over Japan, which had occupied the island for centuries. The people of Okinawa were victimized multiple times by imperialism, through occupation, and losing an estimated – because who counts during wartime? – 25% of their population in the 1940's, all of whom were non-combatants.
Outrageous from Secretary of the Army (and so revealing)
Debra Sweet | June 16, 2023
We've been following the difficulties of the US military in reaching recruitment goals, without sympathy. Those problems are not something to passively applaud, but to actively foster and learn from.
The comments by Christine Wormuth, the Secretary of the Army, in a June 11 NPR interview on this "serious situation," are outrageous. But they're also so revealing that we've got to share in full, but here are some essential take-aways from the mouths of the war-makers:
Life of Iranian Political Prisoner Nahid Taghavi In Immediate Danger
Debra Sweet | Friday June 9, 2023
From the International Emergency Campaign to Free Iran's Political Prisoners Now:
On Sunday, June 4 renowned Iranian prisoner of conscience and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, recently profiled in the New York Times, reported that the health of fellow political prisoner Nahid Taghavi had seriously deteriorated and requires immediate medical attention.
The Killer Drones Spread
We said in 2021, "When George W. Bush, then Commander in Chief of the year-old U.S. 'war on terror,' authorized a Predator drone strike on a car in Yemen in November 2002, the act was shocking and the details hazy for years. The CIA, which ran the operation, the first known targeted killing by Hellfire missile from an armed drone, says the six men killed were 'suspected' al-Qaeda members.
Fragile and dangerous moment for the planet
As we go into three days here in NYC experiencing the harmful air that so much of the planet has or will experience due to climate warming, we are outraged at the harm this imperialist system is doing to people and the planet.
This spring, the UN said the situation at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine is "extremely fragile and dangerous" and that as “military activities” continue, the danger of damage to the plant, and possibly a nuclear meltdown, grows. Now that the dam on the Dnipro River is largely destroyed, the store of water to cool the plant is depleted.
Who set the stage for war crimes?
Debra Sweet | June 2, 2023
We appreciate the comments of those of you who responded to last week's "assignment" after reading the remarkable Brown University report: How Death Outlives War: The Reverberating Impact of the Post-9/11 Wars on Human Health. Thank you for putting your thoughts and insights together, and we will be sharing. If you haven't read this report, please save it and do so. The imperialists in charge won't learn any lessons from the 4.5 M lives lost in 20 years of the global war of terror. But we should.
Huge story of this century, ignored
Debra Sweet | May, 26, 2023
This week, we had planned to share a look at the U.S. drone war — it's aftermath and ongoing and growing carnage as the use of weaponized drones spreads. Look for that next week.
Warning: there's an assignment here, should you choose to accept it.
On May 15, a study was released that should have made huge headlines, but didn't. Thanks to Lyle Rubin, classroom presenter with WeAreNotYourSoldiers.org, who first called our attention to the recent Brown University study by Stephanie Savell of its Watson Institute — How Death Outlives War: The Reverberating Impact of Post-9/11 Wars on Human Health.
And thanks to RevCom.us which presents, this week, an important introduction to the U.S. global war on terror — New Study Reveals Massive Hidden Toll of “Indirect” Casualties of War: America’s Post-9/11 Wars: The “Gift” That Keeps on Killing. The piece brings the study to life with a pictorial of the key findings, country by country, saying the study has "opened a window on a level of American crime which has been largely hidden until now." From the summary: A “spiraling pattern of war-induced poverty, food insecurity, communicable diseases, and death…”
Those who proclaim human rights yet exhibit no humanity
Debra Sweet | May 16, 2023,
This week's news comes from friends and supporters of World Can't Wait and the movement to stop the crimes of our government, in the name of humanity and the planet. Thank you for taking courageous action!
From Carol Dudek:
We share this note from Carol who produces the blog, Sudan's Struggle: "My look at Sudan was interrupted for several months - I was devastated by my husband Jim’s death in November. I’m privileged now to continue presenting global reports on the situation of our friends in Sudan." This is a project Carol began during the courageous mass uprising in 2019 of Sudan's people against their longtime ruler in hopes of overcoming military dictatorship. Her interest was sparked when she got to know and help free a Sudanese prisoner unjustly held in U.S. federal prison, who now resides in Sudan.
From Toby Blomé:
Last month nearly four dozen activists participated in some or all of the first ever week-long anti-drone peace convergence at Holloman Air Force Base in southern New Mexico, where over 700 drone pilots and operators graduate every year. Nick Mottern, now organizing the November 2023 Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal to hold accountable "defense" contractors for possible crimes against humanity, reported that the reception from locals was often favorable, as participants attempted to challenge those being trained to operate weaponized drones.
Green Card Soldier
Debra Sweet | May 10, 2023
Special Opportunity to Attend ZoGrom Panel Discussion with We Are Not Your Soldiers presenter Lyle Rubin this Thursday May 11 at 7:00 pm ET - Be sure to register here.
We Are Not Your Soldiers' Travels in April!
Debra Sweet | May 10, 2023
April took We Are Not Your Soldiers to speaking locations both within and outside the borders of the United States – remotely, although we would have loved to have done all these visits in person!
We started with a very new experience – speaking for two hours with graduate diplomacy/security students in France. The entire discussion was in English, a language in which they’re fluent. Presentations were made by Will Griffin and Joe Urgo.
Their questions were thoughtful and deep. Here are a few examples:
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Joe Urgo, a veteran who was in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam, speaks to classes that are studying th...
World Can't Wait | April 2018
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Open Letter in Defence of WikiLeaks’ Right to Publish. Click for more info on:
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Rule of Law, Not Rule of Trump
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