Tag Archives: Military-industrial-complex

Afghan People and the Afghan Papers

Part of the reason for this web post is that the Wisconsin Veterans Museum recently did a program on the Afghan Papers.  Wisconsin Veterans Museum – Every Veteran is a Story (wisvetsmuseum.com)

“The Afghanistan Papers are filled with over 300 people detailing the systematic failure of the military to take any responsibility and blaming the “corruption” of the Afghanistan government, all the while revealing the massive corruption and lies that the U.S. is perpetuating. While military commanders bemoaned Afghan leaders enriching themselves off American tax dollars, those self same commanders were climbing government ranks, earning promotions for promoting endless war.”

Veterans Demand Accountability for Afghanistan Papers

Veterans For Peace and About Face: Veterans Against the Wargathered veterans who  served in the U.S. War in Afghanistan to write the above statement.
 


“When the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan kicked into high gear, the U.S. started evacuating at-risk Afghans to the United States on parole, giving them only temporary protections with no pathway to citizenship. Countless others got left behind. A large coalition of Afghan Americans, immigration advocates, and veterans got together to start pushing Congress for legislation that would give Afghans lasting protections and a pathway to citizenship, as well as hold the Biden administration accountable to ensure other vulnerable and at-risk Afghans could find their way to safety in the U.S. This type of large-scale adjustment of status would match historic precedent, as the U.S. has done this previously for Cambodian, Vietnamese, Cuban and Iraqi Kurds.

On August 11th, the Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) got a bipartisan introduction in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is our hope to ensure passage as Congress reconvenes from its summer recess and find enough support to receive 60 votes in the Senate and a simple majority vote in the House.

The United States made a promise. Now, it must live up to its word. But we need your help to ensure we hold our elected officials accountable.

https://www.weareafghans.org/afghan-adjustment-act

In Solidarity,

Arash Azizzada

Afghan American Community Organizer
& Co-Director of Afghans For A Better Tomorrow


 

 

The Afghanistan Papers | Book by Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster (simonandschuster.com)


 

Call to unfreeze aid to Afghanistan – WORT-FM 89.9 (wortfm.org)

 


U.S. officials misled the public about the war in Afghanistan, confidential documents reveal – Washington Post

“A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.

The documents were generated by a federal project examining the root failures of the longest armed conflict in U.S. history. They include more than 2,000 pages of previously unpublished notes of interviews with people who played a direct role in the war, from generals and diplomats to aid workers and Afghan officials.

The U.S. government tried to shield the identities of the vast majority of those interviewed for the project and conceal nearly all of their remarks. The Post won release of the documents under the Freedom of Information Act after a three-year legal battle.

In the interviews, more than 400 insiders offered unrestrained criticism of what went wrong in Afghanistan and how the United States became mired in nearly two decades of warfare.

With a bluntness rarely expressed in public, the interviews lay bare pent-up complaints, frustrations and confessions, along with second-guessing and backbiting…”

More stories

THE AFGHANISTAN PAPERS

Part 1: At war with the truth


“The papers were brought back into discussion after the 2021 Summer Offensive of the Taliban and the fall of Kabul. Debates around the efficiency of U.S. state-building efforts were brought into question, with contrast in what the U.S. forces originally revealed and thought versus what actually occurred. U.S. officials and leaders such as President Joe Biden were heavily criticised for their actions during the withdraw and the public narrative that was being told throughout August and September of 2021…”

Afghanistan Papers – Wikipedia


 

Symposium: Was withdrawing from Afghanistan the right thing to do? – Responsible Statecraft
Symposium: Was withdrawing from Afghanistan the right thing to do? Responsible Statecraft asked more than 20 Afghan and American scholars, journalists, veterans & advocates.

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:

 

 

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.

Map Info    <——-

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 joyfirst5@gmail.com or Bonnie at 608-256-5088 or  blb24@earthlink.net  .

Peace,

Joy and Bonnie

Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars


What’s Really Going on in Ukraine? Bennis & Grossman Webinar Recording

What’s Really Going on
with the War in  Ukraine?

~ Watch free recording on Youtube Progressive Magazine ~

Grossman Slideshow : https://vimeo.com/707612975
Please share with your friends and networks. 
 
In the midst of the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, peace and social justice forces are concerned about how best to pursue peace in the region. The U.S. media has been hopelessly one-sided and does not contribute to our understanding of the history or current situation in Ukraine. To help us form a basis of common understanding on how to bring peace to this troubled region, we are hosting a forum of knowledgeable activists, experts in the region.

Featured speakers:

Zoltán Grossman, who is a longtime observer and writer on Eastern Europe, and is a Member of the Faculty in Geography and Indigenous Studies at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and an activist/ scholar working on issues of ethnic nationhood, militarism, and natural resources.

Phyllis Bennis, who is a Program Director, at the Institute for Policy Studies, with a focus on U.S. Foreign Policy.

Moderator: Norman Stockwell, publisher of The Progressive magazine.


For more information, contact:

madisonpeaceinukraine@gmail.com


Sponsored by

  • Madison Working Group on Peace in Ukraine

  • Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin

  • Safe Skies Clean Water Wisconsin

  • Madison Area Democratic Socialists of America

  • Women’s International League for Peace & Freedom [Madison]

  • Code Pink

  • Madison Veterans for Peace


 

A webinar hosted by The Progressive magazine

Streamed Tuesday, June 28, 2022 7:00 – 8:30 CDT  

 


Ukraine webinar 2022 PROOF0615

Bennis: Respond to Illegal Invasion With Diplomacy

Entire slideshow Zoltan

 

 

“In the question of Ukraine, in my view, there is no question that this was a provoked war. The US [govt] has been provoking Russia for many years, through NATO and on its own.

[Provoking] in terms of expanding NATO, in terms of bringing weapons right up to the Russian border… and it’s also true that Russia’s response, its militarized response of invasion and occupation of Ukraine was absolutely not inevitable; and in my view, absolutely illegal (as to international law and a whole host of ways.)

Saying that [the attack] was provoked does not mean that it is legitimate.

I think both those things are true.”

Phyllis Bennis