Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert -- January 1 -- 3, 2019


19] Donate a coat – Jan. 1 to 3
20] New Year's Day Stream Bed Hike – Jan. 1
21] First Day Hike along the Susquehanna – Jan. 1
22] West Wednesday Speak-Out Session – Jan. 1
23] Food Rescue at the Enoch Pratt Free Library – Jan. 2
24] Support Pam Queen – Jan. 2
25] “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop” – Jan. 2
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19] – Through Fri., Jan. 3 at 7 PM, get over to Paul's Place Outreach, hosted by Clare Conger, 2024 West St., Suite 100, Annapolis 21401.  Coats can be dropped off in the offices or can be picked up.  Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/2215810838712808/.

20] -- On Wed., Jan. 1 from 10 AM to 1 PM, attend a New Year's Day Stream Bed Hike, hosted by Friends of Herring Run Parks, 5298 Herring Run Drive, Baltimore 21214. Please join Friends of Herring Run Parks and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks on the traditional New Year's Day Hike. Prepare to scramble, get your boots wet, and laugh your head off from the stream bed of the Herring Run to Echodale Avenue and to Coldspring Lane.  Not ideal for small children, but hearty dogs are OK.  Pre-registration is advised.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2536438929924398/.

21] – On Wed., Jan. 1 from 11 AM to 1 PM, get over to the First Day Hike Along the Susquehanna, hosted by Susquehannock Wildlife Society at 2569 Shures Landing Road, Darlington 21034. On New Year's Day, join Maryland DNR and the awesome Park Rangers at Susquehanna State Park for their "First Day Hike." Everyone will meet at the trailhead to the Greenways Trail at Fisherman’s Park, just below the Conowingo Dam (to the right when you pass through the gate). Parking fills up quickly, so carpool and arrive early if possible. Pets are welcome but must be on a leash at all times. Dress for the weather and please bring water. The hike will be a two mile round trip, although if folks want to keep hiking down to Deer Creek some typically will continue further. Participants will hike along the mighty Susquehanna River and discuss history and native wildlife as it is seen. See lots of bird species including bald eagles so bring your cameras and binoculars! Families are encouraged to call Susquehanna State Park at 410-557-7994 to register. Check out https://www.facebook.com/events/2474108466031451/.

22] – On Wed., Jan. 1 from noon to 1 PM, join the West Wednesday Speak-Out Session, hosted by Baltimore For Border Justice at 100 N. Holliday St., Baltimore 21202-3411.  Victims of police brutality will share their stories and advocates will read anonymous stories. Hot cocoa and cookies will be served.  Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/2730155923690115/.

23] – There is a Food Rescue at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, 1303 Orleans St., Baltimore 21231 on Thursdays from noon to 1 PM.  Food Rescue Baltimore partners with Baltimore’s esteemed Enoch Pratt Free Library at the Orleans Street Branch. Come to the library, bring a bag, and take home delicious free food. It continues until February 13, 2020. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/567424937414955/?event_time_id=567425064081609.

24] – Join Maryland State Delegate Pamela Queen, Economic Matters Committee, for a Pre-Legislative Reception to honor and support her on Thurs., Jan. 2 from 6 to 7:15 PM at DRY 85, 193 Main Street, Annapolis 21401.  Donations requested are as low as &75.  Make it payable to Friends of Pamela Queen, 17340 Blossom View Drive, Olney, MD 20832.  Call Stephanie Binetti at 410-409-5560 or email her at info@pamelaqueen.com.  Pam is also a professor at Morgan State University.

25] -- On Thurs., Jan. 2 from 7 to 8 PM, hear from the author Lee Drutman talk about his book “Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop,” hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW, WDC 20008.  A senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America and author of “The Business of America is Lobbying,” Drutman combines history, democratic theory, and cutting-edge political science research to argue that the main reason for the current political deadlock is the two-party system. While in the past, the two parties contained multiple factions, today, without conservative Southern Democrats and liberal Northeastern Republicans, they have hardened into a rigid partisanship that runs counter to the anti-majoritarian, compromise-driven governing institutions. The answer, Drutman says, is to increase the number of parties through electoral reform, a change that won’t require a constitutional amendment. See https://www.facebook.com/events/2571158403001863/.

To be continued

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs


Sunday, December 29, 2019

Baltimore Activist Alert -- December 30 - 31, 2019


14] Turkey Vigil – Dec. 30
15] Get Money Out of Maryland – Dec. 30
16] DC Statehood Phone Bank – Dec. 31
17] Food rescue at YO – Dec. 31
18] Remembrance for Victims of Gun Violence -- Dec. 31
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14] – On Mon., Dec. 30 from 11 AM  to 1 PM, come to a Turkey Vigil at Plainville Farms, 304 S. Water St., New Oxford, PA 17350.  Maryland Farmed Animal Save is urging you to join and bear witness to these 14 week old turkeys heading to slaughter. At this facility, the turkeys arrive the night before and sit in the freezing cold all night on the truck. They are deprived of basic food and water.  Bundle up because it is usually cold.  There is free parking at the top of this same street (near the Hollywood and S. Water intersection). Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/780733659066960/.

15] – Join the Get Money Out of Maryland Teleconference on Mon., Dec. 30 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.  There are two ways to join the conference: Dial 1 929 205 6099, and then use meeting ID: 512 862 260. Or Click on your device if you have downloaded the app from Zoom. The focus will be on organizational sign-ups, public relations, and logistics for the January 20 observance.

16] –  Can you participate in a DC Statehood Phone Bank on Tues., Dec. 31 from 10 AM to 6 PM at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, WDC 20004 in room G-9. Join the Washington, DC Statehood Office for a DC Statehood Phone Bank. Call state legislatures across the US to raise awareness of DC residents' lack of full and equal voting representation in Congress.   Phones, scripts, materials, and light refreshments will be provided. The Phone Bank continues each Tuesday. See https://www.facebook.com/events/673834763077915/?event_time_id=673834836411241.

17] – On Tues., On Dec. 31 from noon to 1 PM, Food Rescue at YO! Baltimore West, 1510 W. Lafayette Ave., Baltimore 21217.  Get fresh, delicious, free food. Bring a bag. Bring a friend! Take what you want. The last date is Feb. 11. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/403785397093000/?event_time_id=403785437092996.

18] – On Tues., Dec. 31 from 3 to 5 PM, attend the 2019 Vigil of Remembrance for Victims of Gun Violence, hosted by the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, 4 E. University Parkway, Baltimore 21218.  The ceremony will be in the Peace Chapel located in the undercroft of the Cathedral of the Incarnation, and each person killed by gun violence in Baltimore in 2019 will be remembered by name. Participants will be invited to read some of the names as part of the liturgy. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/1537978299678356/.

To be continued

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Baltimore Activist Alert – December 29 – 30, 2019



Baltimore Activist Alert – December 29 – 30, 2019

"I speak as an American to the leaders of my own nation. The great initiative in this war is ours. The initiative to stop it must be ours." -Martin Luther King Jr.

Friends, this list and other email documents which I send out are done under the auspices of the Baltimore Nonviolence Center.  Go to www.baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com.  If you appreciate this information and would like to make a donation, send contributions to BNC, 325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD 21218.  Max Obuszewski can be reached at 410-323-1607 or mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net.

1] Books, buttons and stickers
2] Web site for info on federal legislation
3] Get involved with NCNR   
4] Pax Upstream Trail Work – Dec. 29
5] Becoming Jane Exhibition – through Summer 2020
6] Patterns of Oppression and a Calling – Dec. 29
7] Pancake Breakfast – Dec. 29
8] World Peace Meditation Class Dec. 29
9] Cube of Truth – Dec. 29
10] Dog Adoption Show -- Dec. 29
11] Rally on the Plaza Dec. 29
12] Pentagon Peace Vigil – Dec. 30
13] Urge Congress to Hold Hearings on the ERA – Dec. 30
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1] – Buttons, bumperstickers and books are available.  “God Bless the Whole World, No Exceptions” stickers are in stock. Call Max at 410-323-1607.

2] – To obtain information how your federal legislators voted on particular bills, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/.  Congressional toll-free numbers are 888-818-6641, 888-355-3588 or 800-426-8073. The White House Comment Email is accessible at http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/.

3] – THE ORGANIZING LIST will be the primary decision-making mechanism of the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance [NCNR].  It will be augmented by conference calls and possibly in-person meetings as needed.  It will consist of 1 or 2 representatives from each local, regional, or national organization (not coalitions) that wishes to actively work to carry out the NCNR campaign of facilitating and organizing nonviolent resistance to U.S. wars.

To join the ORGANIZING List, please send your name, group affiliation, city and email address to mobuszewski2001 at Comcast dot net.  Different local chapters of a national organization are encouraged to subscribe.  

4] - On Sun., Dec. 29 from 9 AM to 1 PM, get over to the Pax Upstream Trail Work, hosted by The Patuxent River Trail Project, 3780 Woodbine Road, Woodbine 21797-7903. Help to continue building a new trail. Meet at a private home off Route 94.  If you are coming north on Route 94, it is the first driveway on the left after you cross the river. Turn left into the driveway and follow it all the way to the back. Park in the lumber yard. NOTE: this is not a public trail head. The group has special permission to park here, but only for trail work.  Look at https://goo.gl/maps/BxQMkHFcyjW9i6vQ8.  The trail work is planned, and donuts will be provided before and lunch afterwards. Tools will be available, but wear sturdy shoes or boots, and bring gloves if you have them. The corridor clearing and trail building will be continuing. Please bring plenty of water and some snacks. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/751603705345598/.

5] – On Sun., Dec. 29 from 10 AM to 6 PM, check out the Becoming Jane Exhibition, hosted by the Jane Goodall Institute at the National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW, WDC 20036.  Tickets are at www.nationalgeographic.org. The exhibition will continue through Summer 2020. Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace, braved the unknown to give the world a remarkable window into humankind’s closest living relatives: chimpanzees. In this hands-on, transportive multimedia exhibition celebrating her extraordinary life and work, you’ll explore Dr. Goodall’s early years through iconic images and a multiscreen experience and venture on a 3D exploration of Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park where she did her famous behavioral research on chimps. You’ll also see a life-size hologram of Dr. Goodall, enter a replica of her research tent, and learn about her current role as a leader in community-centered conservation and youth empowerment. Before you leave, you will find out what you can do today to make a positive impact in the world. 

 The museum is open 7 days a week from 10 AM to 6 PM (last ticket sold at 5 PM daily.) Groups of 20 or more receive discounted museum admission. Contact groupsales@ngs.org to book your group visit today. Go to https://www.facebook.com/events/977953615906486/.

6] – On Sun., Dec. 29 from 10 to 11 AM, check out Patterns of Oppression and a Calling, hosted by Alexandria Friends Meeting, 8990 Woodlawn Road, Alexandria, VA 22309.  Baltimore Yearly Meeting (BYM) has declared itself to be an anti-racist organization, and as part of BYM, Alexandria is as well. What does this mean? First and foremost, it means to not be afraid to talk about race and share experiences/perspectives. The BYM Working Group on Racism meets once a month. Look at https://www.facebook.com/events/432896950984643/.

7] -- Usually, the Baltimore Ethical Society, 2521 St. Paul St., Baltimore 21218, meets on Sundays, and generally there is a speaker and discussion at 10:30 AM.  On Sun., Dec. 29, there will not be a speaker or discussion.  Instead, enjoy the Annual Pancake Breakfast.
In a break from the usual routine, informally celebrate the coming season with a hearty breakfast and time to connect with each other. Pancakes are on tap, with a variety of expert chefs turning out to turn things over. Everyone is invited to bring a warm article of clothing such as gloves, scarves, hats, socks to adorn the mitten tree. Coffee, tea, and juice beverages will be provided. The Pancake Breakfast is free and open to all. Call 410-581-2322 or email ask@bmorethical.org. 

8] – On Sun., Dec. 29 from 10:30 to 11:45 AM, join a World Peace Meditation Class, hosted by the World Peace Cafe Baltimore at the Kadampa Meditation Center-Maryland, 900 E. Northern Parkway, Baltimore 21212. Prayers are neither small nor passive actions. Rather, they are a force for change in our shared world. Bring peace to the world through the action of meditating together and dedicating prayers for world peace. The morning includes a guided meditation, talk on Buddhism applied to daily life & a traditional chanted prayer in English. Everyone is welcome – you do not need to be a Buddhist to attend– just drop in!

Following the prayers, everyone is welcome to come to the World Peace Cafe for brunch which always includes pancakes with toppings, and various other delicious foods such as soup, sandwiches, salad, desserts, coffee and teas.  The suggested donation is $5- to $10/adult & $2/child.  Brunch is $6to $8 (less for kids portion). See https://www.facebook.com/events/3084164601626024/?event_time_id=3084164651626019.

9] – On Sun., Dec. 29 from 10 to 11:30 AM, check out Cube of Truth, hosted by Anonymous for the Voiceless at the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, WDC 20500.  If you are interested in volunteering, join the following group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/av.washingtondc/. The Cube of Truth is a peaceful static demonstration akin to an art performance. This demonstration operates in a structured manner that triggers curiosity and interest from the public.  This could lead bystanders to a vegan conclusion through a combination of local standard-practice animal exploitation footage and conversations with a value-based sales approach.

  Masks, signs, and outreach literature are provided. Black upper clothing appropriate for the weather is essential, and please bring a fully charged laptop or tablet if you have one. If you are bringing a laptop or a tablet, please download the following: http://www.videolan.org/vlc/. Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2494692197480695/.

10] –   On Sun., Dec. 29 from noon to 2 PM, come to a Dog Adoption Show, hosted by PAW Partnership For Animal Welfare at the Petco, 6181 Old Dobbin Lane, Suite 800, Columbia 21045.  Visit https://www.facebook.com/events/543866743124718/.

11] – On Sun., Dec. 29 from 6:30 to 7:30 PM, Rally on the Plaza at the White House.  This is a music rally at the White House to protest the criminality, racism, sexism, bigotry, corruption and treason of the Trump administration.  Advocate for civil rights, humane treatment of refugee children, democracy, the rule of law, freedom of speech, and civility in life.  See https://www.facebook.com/events/427929587801694/?event_time_id=543218199606165.

12] – There is a weekly Pentagon Peace Vigil from 7 to 8 AM on Mondays, since 1987, outside the Pentagon Metro stop.  The next vigil is Dec. 30, and it is sponsored by the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker.  Email artlaffin@hotmail.com or call 202-882-9649.  The vigil will be outside the Pentagon's south Metro entrance and in the designated "protest zone" behind bicycle fences across from the entrance to the Metro.  By Metro, take Yellow Line and get out at the "Pentagon" stop. Do not go to the Pentagon City stop! Go up south escalators and turn left and walk across to protest area. By car from D.C. area, take 395 South and get off at Exit 8A-Pentagon South Parking. Take slight right onto S. Rotary Rd. at end of ramp and right on S. Fern St. Then take left onto Army Navy Dr. You can "pay to park" on Army Navy Dr.,  and there is meter parking one block on right on Eads St. Payment for both of these spots begin at 8 AM.  No cameras are allowed on Pentagon grounds. Restrooms are located inside Marriott Residence Inn on corner of S. Fern and Army Navy Dr.

13] – Urge Congress to Hold Hearings on the ERA, which would be supported by Katrina's Dream.  Each Monday, including Dec. 30, at 8 AM, make calls to Senator Graham at (202) 224-5972 and your senators for the ERA. Hold hearings on S.J. Res 6, and S.J. Res. 5 which calls for the removal of a deadline for passage of the ERA. This will continue through Feb. 10. Click on this link https://bit.ly/2T1B8wp, and check out https://www.facebook.com/events/246467582967063/?event_time_id=246467699633718.

To be continued

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Saturday, December 28, 2019

WYPR's Tom Hall says no coverage of JHU's weapons contracts/MERRY CHRISTMAS, AMERICA! LET’S REMEMBER THE CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN FEAR OF OUR KILLER DRONES.


Friends,

  For years, I have been trying to convince Baltimore’s public radio station WYPR to give more coverage to peace and justice issues, including the fact that Johns Hopkins University is the #1 military contractor among colleges.  Its Applied Physics Laboratory is involved in about a billion dollars of military research on swarming drones, nuclear weapons and other weapons of war.  I have had limited success, despite writing frequently to the general manager, the news department and hosts of local shows.  You should note that the local media and The Baltimore Sun consciously avoid mention of the APL and its nefarious weapons contracts.

  The only recent success is that Tom Hall has interviewed Elizabeth McAlister, a member of the Kings Bay Plowshares.  Before Christmas I made my latest request to employees of WYPR.  Below is the only response I received, which was from Tom, a very good liberal.  If you want to see the email I sent to station personnel, let me know.

Kagiso, Max   

Tom Hall [mailto:THall@wypr.org]
Friday, December 20, 2019 10:56 AM
RE: Looking forward to coverage of the APL, Back from the Brink and the 2020 NDA

Thanks Max.  To be candid, Hopkins and APL isn’t a story we are planning to cover in the near future.  We will continue to cover the Kings Bay 7. 

Like you, I too pray that peace breaks out in 2020.  Thanks for listening to our show and for your passionate advocacy for peace. 

Tom

https://theintercept.com/2019/12/25/merry-christmas-us-drone-strikes/

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS, AMERICA! LET’S REMEMBER THE CHILDREN WHO LIVE IN FEAR OF OUR KILLER DRONES.


December 25 2019, 6:00 a.m.

THE MOVIE “LOVE ACTUALLY” has some good advice: At Christmas, you tell the truth. It’s the perfect day to be honest about what you’ve done in the past year, what that says about who you are, and what it means about where you’re heading.
So, let’s tell the truth about America. The truth is that, through a worldwide drone war we commenced two decades ago, we’ve invented a new form of terror for millions of people across the world. The truth is that we continued to escalate this war in 2019, yet there’s no way to say exactly how much, because the U.S. government refuses to tell its citizens the basic facts about it. The truth is that the best sources of information on this war are two underfunded outfits — the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Airwars— that aren’t even based in the United States.
The truth is that these journalists can’t be sure which airstrikes are being carried out by drones and which by conventional manned aircraft. The truth is that our drone war is like some underseas leviathan, the nature and size of which we can only guess at when parts of it briefly surface.
The truth that is our fleet of killer drones is likely aloft on Christmas Day, right now, circling endlessly as intelligence analysts decide whether to pronounce a death sentence on people thousands of miles away. The truth is that, as we open presents, these death machines might as well — for all the space they occupy in our consciousness — not exist at all. The truth is that there have been six Democratic presidential debates this year, and during these six debates, the number of times our worldwide drone war was debated is zero.
IT’S POSSIBLE THAT you heard about a U.S. drone strike a few weeks ago in the Khost District in eastern Afghanistan. A 25-year-old Afghan woman there named Malana had recently given birth to her second child. When Malana developed postpartum complications at home, her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law took her in a car to a clinic. On their way back home, all four family members, plus the car’s driver, were killed by an American missile launched from a weaponized drone. All were burned to ashes. Al Jazeera reported that Malana’s father, Gulu, is now looking after her two young children.
This was horrific enough to merit a brief article in the New York Times. It was so bad, in fact, that the article included Malana’s name. It was not bad enough for it to include the names of America’s four other victims.
Eighteen years after September 11, 2001, this is the pattern with our drone war: The worst of the atrocities briefly make an appearance in the media. “We are aware of the allegations of civilian casualties and working with local authorities to determine the veracity of these claims,” Col. Sonny Leggett, a military spokesperson, said about Malana’s death. The news flits across the screen that 30 Afghan pine-nut farmers were killed by a U.S. drone strike. “We are aware of allegations of the death of noncombatants and are working with local officials to determine the facts,” Leggett said about them.
Then for Americans, the murders subside into the electronic maelstrom, never to be heard of again. (The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on whether any progress has been made in the investigation of the death of Malana.)
For the most part, our drone war grinds on with no notice taken here at all. Meanwhile, people in an uncertain number of countries live under the unblinking gaze of drones. We can say that the military’s overt program has conducted drone strikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, and Libya. In addition, the CIA has a classified program that it does not acknowledge. Through news coverage, we know of alleged CIA strikes in Pakistan, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and beyond. (Oddly, the New York Times reported in 2017 that the CIA, sensing opportunity as the Trump administration began, sought to expand its operations into Afghanistan for “the first time.”) CIA strikes may be spreading further into West Africa, as the CIA runs counterterrorism missions out of Niger and Somalia.
Once upon a time, humans killed each other with rocks, close up. Then swords, then guns, then planes. But even with bombing campaigns of the past, there were humans up there, and eventually they had to fly away. Today, swaths of countries live under drones monitoring them around the clock. Their constant, distant humming quietly informs the people beneath them that they and everyone around them might be killed at any time by invisible strangers across an ocean.
“From the ground, it is impossible to determine who or what they are tracking as they circle overhead,” according to David Rohde, who was kidnapped and held captive for months by the Taliban. “The buzz of a distant propeller is a constant reminder of imminent death. Drones fire missiles that travel faster than the speed of sound. A drone’s victim never hears the missile that kills him.”
“When [children] hear the drones, they get really scared, and they can hear them all the time so they’re always fearful that the drone is going to attack them,” explained a man in Pakistan who collected his cousin’s body after a drone strike. “Because of the noise, we’re psychologically disturbed — women, men, and children. … Twenty-four hours, [a] person is in stress and there is pain in his head.”
ONE OF THE first attacks by an armed U.S. drone took place in Afghanistan in February 2002 — near Khost, as it happens. Three men were walking in the mountains. One of them looked tall, and someone at the CIA thought he might be Osama bin Laden. So we killed all three of them. It turned out they were extremely poor local civilians looking for scrap metal from previous American airstrikes.
The use of drones strikes grew slowly for the rest of President George W. Bush’s administration. Then Barack Obama took office and dramatically escalated the program. Just three days after taking office, Obama approved two strikes in Pakistan. One of them, according to the book “Kill or Capture,” hit the wrong target: the home of a village elder who belonged to a “pro-government peace committee.” He was killed, along with four other members of his family, two of them his children.
This did not dissuade Obama. He authorized as many CIA drone attacks during his initial nine and a half months in office as Bush did in his final three years.
Four years ago, in 2015, The Intercept published “The Drone Papers,” based on a large cache of leaked classified documents. That reporting provided, for the first time, a glimpse into Obama’s secretive kill list and assassination program. It was shocking, for anyone with the capacity to be shocked.
The Obama administration eventually released official numbers for its drone program. Between the time Obama took office until the end of 2015, it said, the U.S. killed 2,436 people in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. Between 64 and 116 were civilians. That official civilian death toll appears low, and that was the point. From the “Drone Papers” reporting, we learned that the U.S. policy was to declare anyone killed in those strikes as an “enemy killed in action,” or EKIA. They remained on the books as such, unless posthumously proven otherwise. One of the leaked documents revealed that according to the Pentagon’s own numbers, nine out of 10 people killed in “Operation Haymaker” in Afghanistan during a five-month period were not the “intended targets.”
The president, according to Obama, could even kill American citizens by drone with no judicial review.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimated a somewhat higher total toll: 2,753 people. But the number of civilians killed, it determined, was six times higher than what the Obama administration claimed.
Most significantly, Obama did not create a legal framework that placed any outside restrictions on the executive branch’s use of drones. The president, according to Obama, could even kill American citizens by drone with no judicial review. The theory, to the degree there was one, held that U.S. presidents would always be trustworthy enough to use this power wisely. Then Donald Trump was elected — and inherited all that power.
On November 11, 2016, the week after Trump became president-elect, a documentary on U.S. drone warfare, “National Bird,” was released. A young man, only called Daniel, is prominently featured in the film. As a former signals intelligence analyst, he describes on camera his deep frustration with the inability to really tell who was killed in these drone strikes.
“When it comes to high-value targeting, every mission is to go after one person at a time. But anybody else that’s killed in that strike is just blatantly assumed to be an associate of the targeted individual,” Daniel explains. Under the rules of engagement, he says, anyone who appears to be male and over the age of 16 is a legitimate target: “If that strike occurs and kills all of them, they just say that they got ’em all.”
This past May, Daniel Everett Hale was charged in an Alexandria, Virginia court under the Espionage Act with sharing classified material regarding the drone program with a reporter. While the indictment does not name a news organization, Trump administration officials, in leaks to reporters, linked Hale to The Intercept’s reporting. Hale sought to have the case dismissed by arguing that the Espionage Act suppressed the freedom of the press. This month, the Associated Press reported that a judge has allowed prosecutors to move forward with their case against him.
Under his current charges, Hale faces up to 50 years in prison.

TO THE DEGREE that we can say what Trump has done with his power, it is exactly what you would expect. He has formally lowered the necessary threshold of evidence needed to justify drone strikes. The Air Force received a 63 percent increase in Hellfire missiles, the main weapon used by drones, in Trump’s 2017 budget.
Through executive order, Trump has made drone strikes less transparent by eliminating an Obama-era mandate that compelled the Defense Department to report its civilian death toll estimate every year. The New York Times described this as a move that increases “the secrecy that cloaks one of the most contentious aspects of the fight against terrorists.”
What we do know is that the Bureau of Investigative Journalism estimates that the U.S. carried out about 1,000 airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen in 2016 — that is, strikes by both drones and manned aircraft. So far in 2019, they believe that the U.S. has conducted 5,425 airstrikes, five times as many. In the month of September, the U.S. upped the pace to almost 40 airstrikes per day.
That brings us to where we are today.
Even the left wing of the leading presidential hopefuls would keep at least some parts of the status quo alive. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has not ruled out drone strikes. In 2015, he endorsed their use to assassinate “important terrorists.” This year, in response to an American Civil Liberties Union survey, Sanders answered that he would issue an executive order prohibiting the CIA from conducting drone strikes, giving the responsibility exclusively to the military.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., went further, explaining that “we must also dramatically curtail their use, institute protections to prevent civilian casualties; and provide maximum transparency when they do occur.” South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg responded that he would not forbid the CIA from conducting drone strikes because “it is imprudent to be unflinchingly categorical when it comes to dynamic national security challenges.” Former Vice President Joe Biden did not answer the survey at all.
During last week’s Democratic presidential debate, the candidates were asked specifically about U.S. foreign policy in Afghanistan. Not a single question or response mentioned increased drone strikes and conventional airstrikes, the loss of civilian life, or recent reporting on abuses seen at the hands of CIA-backed Afghan militia units.
ENJOY THE TWINKLING lights today — the gingerbread houses, carols, gifts, and being around those you love. That’s part of the truth of America.
Please, though, do what you can to consider other truths about ourselves. Try to face the reality that there are people on the other side of the world today that, because of us, are experiencing a type of dread that has never existed in America. Try to imagine being surrounded by your family, all of you filled with acid anxiety about the buzzing far overhead, the persistent staring eye above your home, that may at any moment obliterate you and everything you love.
That likely won’t make it a merry Christmas. But it will make it something far more meaningful: an honest one.

CONTACT THE AUTHOR:


Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs




Letters to Maryland senators who voted for the 2020 NDAA


Friends,

   The two letters below will be delivered on Tuesday, December 31 to the local offices of Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen.  They will also be emailed to Cardin aide Katherine Close and Van Hollen aide Afreen Akhter, both of whom work in the D.C. office.  Let me know if you would like to sign on to the letters.

  Also note there is interest in direct action in D.C. in early 2020.  The theme of this action would be to link up militarism and climate chaos. This NDAA will be a disaster for the environment and should provide an impetus to consider taking action.  The actual action needs to be planned, but it could include an occupation of legislative offices in D.C.  Let me know if you might have some interest in participating.

Kagiso, Max

Senator Chris Van Hollen
#110 Hart Senate Office Building,
Washington, DC 20002

December 31, 2019

Dear Senator Van Hollen:

   We were very disappointed to discover that you and another 37 Democratic members of the Senate voted for the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which increases the Pentagon budget by $22 billion. This legislation gives President Donald Trump his "Space Force," the opportunity to engage in saber-rattling, and a green light to continue fueling the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. It has to be noted that this is a president who claims that the government cannot afford Medicare for All or a Green New Deal.
  
   Instead of cutting the Pentagon budget in order to fund much needed social services and a broken-down infrastructure, Democratic senators helped give Donald Trump unlimited resources to engage in military adventures and to consort with the likes of Mohammed bin Salman. It is sad to think that we had hopes that the Senate would work to end U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

   No, the Trump administration will not provide food, medicine and humanitarian care to the people of Yemen.  Instead, our government will assist Saudi Arabia in a war with U.S. weapons which has led to famine, cholera and diphtheria epidemics and thousands of dead Yemeni civilians. "People are eating leaves because they have no other form of sustenance… In Aden, I met emaciated children so malnourished they could barely open their eyes," said Mark Lowcock, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator during a visit to Yemen in 2018. Today, 15 million people are still on the brink of starvation and malnutrition, and two million are children.
  
   All of the anti-war and anti-nuclear amendments were stripped from the final bill, including the repeal of the 2002 Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).  This is very ironic as the release of the Afghanistan Papers revealed how three administrations lied to the people about the success of the war in Afghanistan.  Also there is the awful realization that the Trump Administration is cutting funding for so many programs, including education, healthcare and the environment. Thirty progressive advocacy groups condemned the bipartisan $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act as a "blank check" to the military-industrial complex.  It does nothing to restrain President Trump's reckless foreign policy.  And it accepts social services cutbacks as a fait accompli.

   We will not accept that this legislation makes us safe.  We had great hope that the Senate Democrats would stand strong against Trump, but for whatever reason it did not happen.  How could the House and Senate Democrats allow nearly every provision progressives fought to include to be stripped from the 2020 NDA?

    On November 14, several of us met with you at your D.C. office, and you urged us to keep working hard against “usable nukes,” the trillion dollar upgrade on the nuclear weapons arsenal and the Space Force.  That is why we are having so much trouble understanding why you supported President Trump’s policies, which we thought were antithetical to the principles of the Democratic Party.  We intend to continue to bring to your attention our concern about a variety of issues. 

In peace,

Senator Ben Cardin
509 Hart Senate  Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

December 31, 2019

Dear Senator Cardin:

  We were very disappointed to discover that you and another 37 Democratic members of the Senate voted for the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which increases the Pentagon budget by $22 billion. This legislation gives President Donald Trump his "Space Force," the opportunity to engage in saber-rattling, and a green light to continue fueling the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen. It has to be noted that this is a president who claims that the government cannot afford Medicare for All or a Green New Deal.
  
   Instead of cutting the Pentagon budget in order to fund much needed social services and a broken-down infrastructure, Democratic senators helped give Donald Trump unlimited resources to engage in military adventures and to consort with the likes of Mohammed bin Salman. It is sad to think that we had hopes that the Senate would work to end U.S. military involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

   No, the Trump administration will not provide food, medicine and humanitarian care to the people of Yemen.  Instead, our government will assist Saudi Arabia in a war with U.S. weapons which has led to famine, cholera and diphtheria epidemics and thousands of dead Yemeni civilians. "People are eating leaves because they have no other form of sustenance… In Aden, I met emaciated children so malnourished they could barely open their eyes," said Mark Lowcock, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator during a visit to Yemen in 2018. Today, 15 million people are still on the brink of starvation and malnutrition, and two million are children.
  
   All of the anti-war and anti-nuclear amendments were stripped from the final bill, including the repeal of the 2002 Iraq Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).  This is very ironic as the release of the Afghanistan Papers revealed how three administrations lied to the people about the success of the war in Afghanistan.  Also there is the awful realization that the Trump Administration is cutting funding for so many programs, including education, healthcare and the environment. Thirty progressive advocacy groups condemned the bipartisan $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act as a "blank check" to the military-industrial complex.  It does nothing to restrain President Trump's reckless foreign policy.  And it accepts social services cutbacks as a fait accompli.

  We will not accept that this legislation makes us safe.  We had great hope that the Senate Democrats would stand strong against Trump, but for whatever reason it did not happen.  How could the House and Senate Democrats allow nearly every provision progressives fought to include to be stripped from the 2020 NDA?

   You and the other senators voted for legislation which will fund “usable nukes,” the trillion dollar upgrade on the nuclear weapons arsenal and the Space Force.  That is why we are having so much trouble understanding why you supported President Trump’s policies, which we thought were antithetical to the principles of the Democratic Party.  We intend to continue to bring to your attention our concern about a variety of issues. 

In peace,

Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218.  Ph: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs