HISTORIC "GOLDEN RULE" ANTI-NUCLEAR SHIP ON TOUR

In 1958 a small boat launched from Los Angeles with the idea of going to the Marshall Islands where the U.S. was testing atomic bombs. The boat was stopped, but it got tremendous publicity for the anti-nuclear movement. The boat fell into disrepair, but was restored in 2021 and is touring around the U.S. You can see it in New London this weekend. See a 24 minute video about it here.

Click here for details about its New London appearance.

sponsored by Veterans For Peace; City of New Haven Peace Commission; Greater New Haven Peace Council; New Haven Friends Meeting

Alternatives to destroying social programs

Update May 29. Biden and McCarthy worked out a deal. Federal programs except military will be basically frozen at 2023 levels (because of inflation that means about a 5% cut a year.)

So we have a debt ceiling, an ingenious reactionary weapon to prevent the exploited classes from getting government help. Biden can certainly just ignore the ceiling and say it violates the 14 Amendment to the Constitution. The problem is that the Trump Supreme court may slap him down.

There is a very sensible alternative. Cut the military budget starting with the nukes and all the imperial military bases. Take a look at the program of "Defuse Nuclear War".

Also, take a look at our no-nukes archive.

the so-called brics: The Global South and Ukraine

Sunday 5/21 at 11 a.m. Eastern a panel sponsored by the Ukraine Socialist Solidarity Campaign

Fabio Bosco is a transit worker and a member of the independent Brazilian union federation Conlutas. He is also a member of the Unified Socialist Workers Party of Brazil. Fabio has a long history of worker organizing and writing about the workers struggles in Brazil.

Kavita Krishnan was a leader of the student movement in India. She led the campaign against rape of Indian woman, and then she joined and became a leader of the Communist Party of India Marxist Leninist. In September of this year, she spoke out against that party support for the Xi and the Putin regimes, especially in regard to repression of Uighurs, and regarding the invasion of Ukraine.

Patrick Bond is a Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg. He teaches and writes about political economy, political ecology and social mobilization. He has also taught in Britain, South Korea and the United States. A theme over the years has been his views on South Africa’s move from racial to class apartheid, in the form of “Neoliberalism”. He has also written extensively about BRICS.

Why have governments of formerly colonialized countries not unconditionally condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
What do the roles of the Brazil, India and South African governments have in common and how do they differ?
What is the role of the BRICS governments in their own countries’ domestic politics and class struggle?
What is the attitude of the working class in those countries towards the invasion? How about the attitude of the left in those countries?
How can the left in the “global north” that supports Ukraine work more closely with the left in the BRICS countries?

Restore #1145

In Connecticut, SB #1145 contained a section to use a money incentive to get people to buy electric-powered equipment rather than smelly noisy gas-powered machinery. Without a vote or even public discussion the language was stripped from the bill. Bring it back! (see the wording below)

We're told the key person to reach is Senator Rick Lopes. His web email is senatedems.ct.gov/lopes-contact. If you've only got time for a short message write, "Restore the subsidies for electric-powered equipment tp SB #1145."

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This link get's you to the emails of legislators on the committee. Here's a model letter you might use or send your own thoughts:

Subject: Please restore to SB #1145 the subsidies to retailers for rebates on electric-powered equipment

April , 2023

We need to quickly replace noisy, polluting, greenhouse gas emitting gas engines with electric-powered machines for the sake of lawn care workers, people who live where they use that equipment, and the entire planet (global warming effects). #1145 is a step in the right direction. Please support the incentive to electrify. Bring back the sections that were stripped out of #1145

Sincerely,

Your name

address

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Here's the original language that needs to be restored:

(NEW) (Effective from passage) There is established an account to be known as the zero emissions small off-road engine account which shall be a separate, nonlapsing account within the General Fund. Moneys in such account shall be used by the Department of Revenue Services to reimburse retailers for rebates provided by such retailers pursuant to section 8 of this act. Such account shall contain all moneys required by law to be deposited in such account. Such account may receive funds from private or public sources, including, but not limited to, any municipal government or the federal government. Raised Bill No. 1145 LCO No. 4605 11 of 11 308

(Effective July 1, 2023) The sum of ten million dollars is appropriated to the Department of Revenue Services from the General Fund, for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, for the purpose of funding the zero emissions small off-road engine account established pursuant to section 9 of this act.

And if you'd like more information on the subject click here

Tell the CT Treasurer to Break with Apartheid

There were rallies in 12 cities to protest the appearance of Israeli Finance Minister and self-proclaimed "fascist homophobe" Bezalel Smotrich at an Israeli Bonds dinner on March 12. The rallies called for disinvestment in Israel.

Connecticut has over $100 million invested in Israel. Activists will protest on 3/16 in front of the Treasury Building. Reach CT's Treasurer at: state.treasurer@ct.gov or @TreasRussell You could simply say: Sell Off the Israel Bonds

Over 500 groups support Atlanta Forest defenders

Promoting Enduring Peace was one of the groups that signed on to this statement which begins:

On January 18, in the course of their latest militarized raid on the forest, police in Atlanta shot and killed a person. This is only the most recent of a series of violent police retaliations against the movement. The official narrative is that Cop City is necessary to make Atlanta “safe,” but this brutal killing reveals what they mean when they use that word.

Forests are the lungs of planet Earth. The destruction of forests affects all of us. So do the gentrification and police violence that the bulldozing of Weelaunee Forest would facilitate. What is happening in Atlanta is not a local issue.

Politicians who support Cop City have attempted to discredit forest defenders as “outside agitators.” This smear has a disgraceful history in the South, where authorities have used it against abolitionists, labor organizers, and the Civil Rights Movement, among others. The goal of those who spread this narrative is to discourage solidarity and isolate communities from each other while offering a pretext to bring in state and federal forces, who are the actual “outside agitators.” The consequence of that strategy is on full display in the tragedy of January 18...

See the full statement by clicking here

A Strategy on Ukraine and on Nukes

The danger of nuclear war is no joke, but that doesn't mean countries should just fold in the face of Russian (or U.S. government) threats.

We've developed some ideas on how to proceed: 1) Calling for support for Ukraine and defeat for Putin and immediate withdrawal of Russian troops; 2) Working to lessen the threat of nuclear war through support of ideas from Defuse Nuclear War (get rid of the ICBM's, take nuclear weapons off "hair trigger" alerts, declare "no-first-use" of nuclear weapons, rejoin nuclear treaties with Russia); 3) Explaining that the West's hypocrisy (Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sahrawi, etc.) is a gift to Putin; 4) Calling for a crash program to stop using fossil fuels and nuclear; 5) material support for Syrians in areas not yet conquered by the Assad regime (as a good in itself and as a “second front” against Putin’s imperialism.)

In terms of action, we have a petition calling for a halt to U.S. import of Russian uranium (you’d never know it was happening with all the guilt-tripping of Europe for buying Russian gas.) The measure could both weaken Putin and force the U.S. to replace dangerous nuclear power plants with sustainable electric power sources. See the next panel.

Campaign to Stop importing Russian Uranium

Watching Democracy Now in mid-November 2022 many were surprised to learn that while the U.S. tells the world not to import Russian natural gas, U.S. companies freely import Russian uranium.

In response the Ukrainian Socialist Solidarity Campaign organized a petition to call for the U.S. to ban Russian uranium imports. It started on 12/3. There are two major reasons 1) to take profits away from the Putin government (whose Roskam sells uranium) and 2) to swiftly wean the U.S. away from nuclear power

Read the Greenpeace article entitled, "Nuclear exception leaves gaping hole in EU Russia sanctions as uranium ship reaches France"

A report on the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

US and EU imports of Russian uranium and enrichment services could stop. Here’s how.

what cop27 Didn't Do

It failed to agree on any steps to phase out fossil fuels
It didn't even talk about reducing animal agriculture as a way of reducing the very serious amounts of methane it produces.
It didn't prevent holding its next "Conference of Parties" in the UAE, another state without political or workers' rights.

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It did promise money to the poor countries who are suffering the most from what the big industrial countries have done to the atmosphere.

Activists used it to give a lot of attention to Alla Abd El-Fattah and the 70,000 other Egyptian political prisoners

Working Class Resistance to Nazi Germany

Details about our 11/28 Event

Merilyn Moos' talk will be shown at SCSU in Englemann B 121 A&B. Park in Lot 12. The entrance is on Crescent St. just before Lyman Hall. After you enter from Crescent St. turn right and you'll be in Lot 12. Details about watching the event on zoom below.

Nov. 2022 video interview Stanley Heller interviewer

Moos talks about her father Siegi Moos

Kuhle Wampe (1932) German film with English subtitles

Siegi Moos was in the film. The script was conceived by Bertolt Brecht!

co-sponsors of the event on the 28th include Promoting Enduring Peace, the Women Studies Department and History Department at Southern Connecticut State University, and Jewish Voice for Peace (New Haven).

To watch the event on Zoom register here: https://tinyurl.com/AntiNaziGermans

This is not just history. As the recent election has probably sent the U.S. Congress into gridlock and inability to deal with the inflation many people will look for magical racist solutions. Look back to the 1930's for lessons for today.

To attend in-person see directions for parking and building and to the classroom immediately below.

Remembering the Sarin Massacre in Syria

How it Was Remembered

PEP sponsored a Zoom event where we saw photos, lit candles in honor of those murdered and talked about ways to support a Free Syria.

On the WPKN radio program Mic Check, Mike Merle interviewed Dr. Zaki Lababidi, originally from Homs, Syria . you can hear it on Soundcloud by clicking here.

Link to journalist & human rights worker comments about the attack

Razan Zeituneh

(BTW Zeituneh was disappeared in Dec. 2013)

Human Rights Watch Report

Stanley Heller interview with an eyewitness Dani Qappani for TSVN

1500 deaths according to this French report

The Greatest nuclear threat right now

Russia is occupying Europe's largest nuclear power plant, in southern Ukraine. In the words of Rafael Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency the situation there "is completely out of control" and "Every principle of nuclear safety has been violated.”

Russian President Putin has threatened to use nuclear weapons to get his way in Ukraine

We say,

Putin, get your soldiers and weapons out of Ukraine Nuclear Plants
Russia, US, Pledge NOT to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, no matter what
Russia out of Ukraine
Remember Hiroshima, Never Again

Watch Democracy Now 8/4/2022

The Bill is Not What it Seems

Calls for Protests Across the U.S. on Tues. August 2

It guarantees more drilling on Federal land
It forces the government to stop opposing pipelines
It includes billions in subsidies for fossil fuel industry schemes like carbon capture
It ignores calls for climate justice
Read what Gandhi Peace Award winner Tom BK Goldtooth and other frontline community leaders say about the deal by clicking here
You can't just make electric-run equipment popular. You have to reduce the burning of fuel, ration it and gradually stop its use.
You also have to cut back sharply on meat-raising. It's a major cause of global warming gases. Plus we need to rewild much of the land that's used for meat-raising to take carbon out of the air.

Disappeared for 10 years

Everyone you see in the picture on the right was kidnapped by Assad forces on March 9, 2013. The mother depicted, Rania Alabbasi, was a dentist and Syria's most famous chess champion. In addition to the 8 people shown here the secretary of Ms. Alabbasi was also taken.

Nothing has been heard about any of these 9 people since they were taken.

Click here to watch a 3/7/22 interview with Hassan Alabbasi, Rania's brother who is in Ottawa.

Ask your local media or Congress to raise this issue.

Write to producers@democracynow.org and ask DN! to cover the story.

Are we on a path to nuclear war with China?

Listen to Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg was given our Gandhi Peace Award in 1976 for his bravery in issuing the Pentagon Papers. In 2107 he wrote The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner in which he told of his years in the nuclear war making department of the Kennedy Administration. There he learned that the strategy of our military for any war with the Soviet Union was to launch a full military strike with expected hundreds of millions dead.

He leaked a document this year (2021) that showed that in the '50's the U.S. military wanted to use nuclear weapons to defend Quemoy and Matsu, two "rocks" off the coast of Taiwan.

The event will be moderated by Joseph Gerson, president of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security , and a peacenews columnist.

Click here for link to register for the Mass Peace Action program