The Poor People's Campaign Against War
I have only been a sidelines observer for the PPC, but I noticed clear indications that there would be a forceful condemnation of war. Considering recent events, this could be too little too late, but David Swanson reports on A Poor People’s Campaign Against War
Movements that are serious about human survival, economic justice, environmental protection, the creation of a good society, or all of the above, address the problem of militarism. Movements that claim to be comprehensive yet run screaming from any mention of the problem of war are not serious.
I have selected a few key points. There are more at the link:
The new Poor People’s Campaign knows where the money is.
“The current annual military budget, at $668 billion, dwarfs the $190 billion allocated for education, jobs, housing, and other basic services and infrastructure. Out of every dollar in federal discretionary spending, 53 cents goes towards the military, with just 15 cents on anti-poverty programs.”
On war profiteers:
And it doesn’t fall for the lie that the money needs to be there.
“Washington’s wars of the last 50 years have had little to do with protecting Americans, while the profit motive has increased significantly. With private contractors now performing many traditional military roles, there have been almost 10 times as many military contractors per soldier in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars as there were during the Vietnam War.
Militarized policing:
This campaign recognizes the connections.
“Militarism abroad has gone hand in hand with the militarization of U.S. borders and of poor communities across this country. Local police are now equipped with war machinery such as the armored military vehicle deployed in Ferguson, Missouri, in response to protests over the police killing of a Black teenager, Michael Brown, in 2014. Young Black males have been hardest hit by this escalation in force. They are nine times more likely to be killed by police officers than other Americans.”
How's that war on terrorism working out?
The human and moral costs:
“The streams of desperate people seeking refuge across the sea or around the world have become a flood. In the United States more than anywhere else, those people have been met with racist attack, xenophobic rejection, and three Muslim bans. . . . Meanwhile, poor people around the world continue to pay a huge price for U.S. wars. During U.S. military actions abroad cities, countries and whole populations suffer, while stoking greater anger and encouraging the recruitment of new generations of anti-U.S. fighters. Even in the earliest years of the Global War on Terror, U.S. military officials recognized that military invasion and occupation created more terrorism than it ended.”
In conclusion
Imagine a multi-issue comprehensive worldview nonviolent activism movement with this sort of understanding of the topic that usually shall not be named.
This is what we’ll need come November 11th to replace Trump Weapons Day with Armistice Day.
Here's a bonus long read from Naked Capitalism about How The US Military Is Failing
Besides racism and poverty another key issue is the environment. A New Poor People's Campaign Is Rising — And It Puts Climate Front and Center
Only a system premised on extreme inequality would choose fossil fuel profits over the future of humanity.
Comments
The new MLK is arising
How many people are following the PPC? Are enough people getting involved with it to make an impact on the warmongers?
“Washington’s wars of the last 50 years have had little to do with protecting Americans"
We know that this has nothing to do with the military adventurism that goes from one country to another and making sure that American interests are put front and center over the people in the countries we're being told we need to protect from their government. How do we know that? Because we remove governments that were providing for their citizenry and install one of our brutal puppet dictators who then squash social programs. And commit the type of heinous acts that we are told over and over that's why we're invading countries! Sheesh, and people still fall for their act.
Speaking of social programs, Ryan is trying to push through the Balance Budget Act that will have devastating consequences for the economy. If this is passed then every social program alive is going to be destroyed and then it's going to be a good thing that the police are militarized.
GOP's Balanced Budget Charade in the House "Utter Horseshit," Group Declares
Utter Horeshit indeed!
The message echoes from Gaza back to the US. “Starving people is fine.”
Good Question
My latest update said they had events organized in 40 states, up from 31 the previous month.
I am baffled why Tom Steyer's effort to impeach Trump and this With 800+ Protests Planned, Nation Ready for Mass Revolt as Trump Reportedly Eyes Firing Rosenstein are getting so much attention. 800 protests? Who's putting all the resources and planning into that?
The central theme that I see emerging from the PPC is that until we bring our troops home and slash military spending by at least half we cannot fix any of America's other problems.
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
Who's planning and funding the protests for Mueller?
I'm betting on Move On and others of that ilk. That hundreds of thousands of people are getting ready to protest if Trump fires Mueller, but no one is organizing a protest against the Syrian war shows how arrogant the American people are. But that's the power of propaganda, isn't it? Bombard people with false and made up shit long enough and they will believe it and become invested in its outcome. Watching as so many once skeptical about what they were told by the intelligence agencies start believing them has been unbelievable. You know that they wouldn't be buying this if Trump was the one who was blaming his loss on Russia.
The message echoes from Gaza back to the US. “Starving people is fine.”
I assume it would take a monumental catastrophe
...to bring enough Americans to full consciousness, where complete and immediate reform is demanded by a majority. I imagine Our Overlords know this, but they intend to throttle the pain and apply it in vertical pockets of depopulation and extinction — rather than applying blanket suffering, which might result in networking and activism. That needle would have to be threaded very finely, but with the recent loss of an uncensored independent media and the loss of internet neutrality to access — it could be done. But they must act quickly, while Americans are still too unconscious to act in their own best interests.
By the same token, the rest of the world must act quickly, as well. But that's another topic for later.
What I like about this turn of events is its academic usefulness. It demonstrates clearly how the Plutocrats used democracy as a tool to divide the People and keep them powerless. When this all began in earnest in the late 1800s, just about anyone who was literate saw right through the voting seduction and freedom bamboozles of the industrial elite. The Literati wrote about it and drew cartoons that mocked it.
That's precisely when Fascism was dropped all over the world from UFOs. I say that because it appeared out of nowhere. There were no books, no rules, no doctrine, no leaders, no history, it wasn't even in the dictionary — but at some point in the early 20th century, nearly every nation in the world had an official fascist party. The fascists eventually merged with the conservatives to effectively suppress social power and its attempts to organize politically, as in communism, socialism, environmentalism, and humanism. Instead, it pushed capitalism and democracy on the public, which was easily controlled by money. And the people kept voting and voting and voting.
Who invented fascism and how did it spread to every nation so fast? The very same fevered anti-communist-anti-Russians who own and operate the US Federal Government today, of course. Select corporations and their boards of directors. They could not do it without democracy to distract and discharge the People. The only protection that society has against the constant cannibalism of the globalists/fascists is Central Planning by a trusted few — not unlike the Founders who were able to get things done and protect the nation. Central Planning cannot occur in a capital-controlled democracy.
This is what I'm afraid of
Without net neutrality people will find it difficult to organize their protests on economic and social issues and it's coming just as the teacher protests are gaining steam. The PTB are afraid that if enough people take to the streets that their police goon squads will be overrun and then people will come for them. I read that this is one of the reasons rich people are buying land in New Zealand. One guy was quoted as saying that "he wants to be somewhere safe when the poor rise up." Heh.
The people in France are in the streets now because of Macaroon's austerity policies and I've heard talk of bringing back the guillotines.
The message echoes from Gaza back to the US. “Starving people is fine.”
I just love that "Trump firing Mueller" canard
...being used on the limited-mentation crowd. I get a kick out of how the absurd delusion crosses Party lines like a heat-seeking missile that finds the most gullible bobbleheads every time.
They think Trump is dumber than they are. Heh. He's dumb, but not that dumb.
"limited-mentation crowd"
This is a great description of the people who have lost their minds over Russia Gate. Gawd I don't like that silly description of what we're calling this false and made up case that Trump only won because Russia helped him.
I have asked people just what was it that Russia did to make Hillary lose and mostly they say that Russia placed ads on social media like GagBook and Twitter that were derogatory towards Hillary. Or they say that Trump Jr's meeting with the Russian lawyer, (the one that couldn't get a passport to come here, BTW and she had to get help from the FBI,) because she had "dirt" on Hillary shows that Russia wanted Trump to win.
The other thing that they mention is Trump telling Russia to release Hillary's emails because he knew that they hacked the DNC computers. What Trump said was, "if Russia finds the emails that Hillary deleted they should let us know."
Everyone that Mueller has charged has nothing to do with Trump-Russia collusion. Manafort and Gates were charged for money laundering and not registering as foreign lobbyists. Funny how we haven't been hearing about Podesta and the charges against him isn't it?
I wonder how people will react when Russia Gate falls on its ass? Sure hope that happens. Soon.
The message echoes from Gaza back to the US. “Starving people is fine.”
Everyone is looking for an exit plan.
Including Trump, I suspect. Everybody wants to exit with a win, too. They'll work it out. Trump will step down after a major accomplishment of some kind, and return to his former life. The DOJ, FBI, and Mueller will work the Russia gambit for the rest of their lives. Here and there, a file clerk will go to prison. Every once in awhile, indictments will be charged against obscure Russian hustlers accused of leaving fake reviews on Amazon to meddle with capitalism. On the US internet, stooges will fight with troll hunters, each convinced the other is a secret Russian.
Meanwhile, two more Neocon puppet candidates are being prepped for a presidential run at the CFR. I read that Julian Castro just became a member, where he's no doubt on the bench. More of the same. Trite, banal, and insipid, there will be nothing to see here.