from Buzz Davis,
Save Our VA – Vets for Peace in Tucson
An Open Letter on F-35 Scam to Baldwin
An Open Letter
Our US Senators from Wisconsin are working for the war profiteers, please show them your dissatisfaction. Please consider taking part in this action.
Brad Geyer
Sunday morning, July 24, a full-page ad was placed in the Wisconsin State Journal sponsored by Safe Skies Clean Water. (There will be a half-page one in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.)
The ad is an Open Letter to Senator Tammy Baldwin regarding the F-35 basing. It is signed by about 50 people who have been major contributors to her campaigns and urges her to reconsider her position in favor of the F-35 project.
Contact your elected officials and tell them how you feel on this scam from the military industrial complex.
Use your own words to tell Sen. Tammy Baldwin why you think it is a bad idea to put these dangerous and wasteful fighter jets in the midst of a high-density, low-income community that is already challenged by various environmental and racial injustices.
Thank you immensely for helping us to pressure the senator to do the right thing before it is too late!
Hannah, Jody, Tom and more
on behalf of Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin
Open Secrets Tracks the “Racket”
Sheila Krumholz, Executive Director Open Secrets
“You follow OpenSecrets because you want to cut through the noise — pushing past rhetoric to find the money and influential actors aligned on an issue.
We don’t always provide the easiest read, but you’ll always receive unadulterated analysis, steeped in reliable data that has been meticulously maintained for decades. We do this because, as you know, the devil is often in the details.
[ Also check out… POGO.org ]
A recent example is our Capitalizing on Conflict report series that examines the defense industry’s multi-pronged influence machine. While the defense industry plays an outsized role in Washington — note the $840B 2023 National Defense Authorization Act budget just passed in the House of Representatives — it’s hard to visualize the industry’s influence in its totality.
To start unraveling the influence network, our researchers pulled data on all inputs (read $$$) from defense firms and contractors to elected officials, PACs and lobbyists. So far, we’ve revealed that:
- In the past two decades, defense companies, PACs, and donors have directed $300 million in campaign contributions and $2.6 billion in lobbying spending to influence defense policy. That’s $40,000 a day.
- Defense firms and foreign agents from countries who purchase U.S. arms squeeze Congress on both sides, sometimes hiring the same lobbying firms to work in their mutual interests.
- As a way to “get their foot in the door”, defense sector donors have contributed $3.4M to members of the House Armed Services Committee and $7.2M to members of the Senate in the 2022 election cycle alone.
Our investigation has not gone unnoticed. With OpenSecrets data used as a catalyst, a Public Citizen report in early July shows that defense company investments in Congress have produced a 450,000% return.”
7/26 Vigil Against Drone Murder ~ Tues @3pm ~ Volk Field Military Base
DRONES KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE
VIGIL AGAINST THE DRONES
OUTSIDE THE GATES OF VOLK FIELD
TUESDAY JULY 26, 2022 3:30-4:30 pm
We need YOU there
Dear Friends,
Truthout published an article, “Missing Pieces: The Human Impact of Drone Strikes” which examines the way in which mainstream media may report on certain aspects of drone strikes, such discussing that there is no oversight on drone strikes and that they are increasing under Trump, but the mainstream media fails to give us a real understanding of what happens to the many thousands of people who are affected by drone strikes in the Middle East and in Africa. Though this article was written in 2019, it is as true today as it was then, whether drones are used by the US military or in the war between Russia and Ukraine. The author states that, “If people knew the details of what happens to bodies when they are hit by missiles, more people might protest war and advocate for peace.”
The article goes on to talk about independent organizations like the Bureau for Investigative Journalism, which attempts to count deaths by drones and conservatively estimates that almost 4,000 people have been killed in Afghanistan and over 1,000 in Yemen, but the actual death toll should really be doubled because of the difficulty in confirming the deaths. And even more deaths when you consider that there are several other countries where drone strikes are prevalent. It is also thought that less than 4% of the deaths by drones kill terrorists and the other 96% killed are innocent children, women, and men.
And though these statistics are important, it is even more important to really understand what happens to these innocent people who are killed by US drones. Please read the whole article to understand the devastation we are bringing to our brothers and sisters across the globe.
WE MUST CONTINUE TO VIGIL TO BRING THIS TERROR THAT THE US GOVERNMENT REIGNS DOWN ON OTHERS TO AN END!
The vigil at Volk Field is a legal vigil where we will be on public property. As always, it will be a solemn vigil, remembering the victims of US government drone attacks.
DIRECTIONS – To get to the vigil, take the Camp Douglas exit off Interstate 90/94 between Mauston and Tomah. When you exit take County Rd. C to the northeast. You will see the base straight ahead, but follow County Rd. C to the right and within a few blocks is a picnic wayside where you can park. The wayside is now open for the summer and we can park in the wayside parking lot. There are restrooms available.
THE VIGIL – We will gather at the wayside between 3:00-3:15 for introductions and to review the plan for the vigil, and then process together to the gates of the base where we will hold a solemn vigil for one hour to remember those killed by drones. Participants can stand in silence or read poems and stories about the effects of drone warfare. It is important that the voices of the victims be brought to the gates of Volk Field.
Bring posters if you can.
A WORD ABOUT THE WEATHER – If you have questions about the vigil because of the weather, please make sure to call
- Joy at 608 239-4327 or
- Bonnie at 608-256-5088
- for an update.
CARPOOLING – If you are interested in carpooling to Volk Field from Madison, please contact Bonnie at 608-256-5088.
We hope to see you at the vigil on July 26. If you can’t come this time, mark your calendar. We usually vigil on the 4th Tuesday of every month. If you have any questions please call or email Joy at 608 239-4327 or [email protected] or Bonnie at 608-256-5088 or [email protected] .
Peace,
Joy and Bonnie
Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars
Links
