HUNDREDS OF BAHRAINIS JOIN U.S. CAMPAIGN AGAINST U.S. SUPPORT FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF BAHRAIN
                                
In a response that surprised U.S. organizers of a campaign calling on the United States government to repudiate its partnership with the Al Khalifa regime in Bahrain, hundreds of people from Bahrain joined in signing the Campaign for Peace and Democracy's launching statement "End U.S. Support for Bahrain's Repressive Government.

       "The statement was originally circulated for signatures in the United States, but we have been deeply moved by the fact that hundreds of Bahrainis have added their names," said Joanne Landy, CPD Co-Director. "Given the violent government crackdown in Bahrain, the very act of signing is incredibly courageous. Bahraini signers have implored us to pressure the Obama administration to decisively repudiate its support of their brutal and authoritarian government."

       On May 16, the New York-based Campaign for Peace and Democracy (CPD) began circulating its statement, which has thus far gathered more than 1200 signatures including those of Roxanne Abbas, Ed Asner, William O. Beeman, Medea Benjamin, Noam Chomsky, Gail Daneker,  Daniel Ellsberg, Peter  Erlinder,  Richard Falk, Mike Farrell, Joe Gerson,  Barbara Gerten,  William W. Habedank, Chris Hedges, Adam Hochschild, Mark Johnson, Jan Kavan, Kathy Kelly, Dave Marsh, Bob Nechal, Frances Fox Piven, Katha Pollitt, Joe Schwartzberg, Alix Kates Shulman, Ahmed Tharwat, Erika Thorne and Cornel West. The statement will be sent to President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and key members of Congress, as well as to domestic and international media.

     In the face of mounting complaints against Washington for muting its criticisms of repression in Bahrain, President Obama did say in his May 19 speech on the Middle East, "...we have insisted both publicly and privately that mass arrests and brute force are at odds with the universal rights of Bahrain's citizens. The only way forward is for the government and opposition to engage in a dialogue, and you can't have a real dialogue when parts of the peaceful opposition are in jail."  Yet in the same speech Obama referred to Bahrain as a "friend" and "partner" of the U.S., signaling that massive human rights violations would not stand in the way of U.S. support for the regime.  Why?  The U.S. Fifth Fleet, a naval force crucial to our interventionist foreign policy in the region, is housed there.

    What is needed now is a clear U.S. break with the Al Khalifa government, not reprimands to Bahrain's government or pressure on the opposition to engage in dialogue with the regime.  During uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt the Administration took a neutral stand until the last moment, when the Ben Ali and Mubarak regimes were clearly no longer sustainable.  We demand faster, more decisive action this time. 

CPD has launched this campaign in order to build pressure on Washington to stop propping up the Al Khalifa government. The brave people of Bahrain deserve no less.

CLICK HERE for the Campaign for Peace and Democracy statement.

To add your name and to see the full list of signers go to http://www.cpdweb.org/stmts/1019/stmt.shtml 

 

Syrian Nonviolence Inspires

Afra Jalabi, Ways of Peace II: Non-Violence in the Islamic Traditions speaker, sent us this update on the Syrian Freedom Movement earlier today.  Incredibly, in the face of the Syrian regime unleashing its full violent power on the opposition, the mass movements are steadfast in their conviction that nonviolence is the only way to prevail. 

We urge all activists in the US to rivet attention onto the Syrian struggle and support the Freedom Movement.  "The Syrian revolution should not go untold," as Afra said this morning.  Please read the report from the Collective for Syria in Montreal below Afra's update, tune into the You-Tube video link she cites, and spread word.  More English-language reports and facebook groups on the Syrian Movement will be formulated in the coming days.

We applaud the Obama administration for bringing sanctions on president Bashar al-Assad and other high-ranking government figures.  We ask the US to continue pressure, and to partner with the international community to support the grassroots nonviolence movements.

Syria Update from Afra Jalabi

The Syrian nonviolent uprising is increasing in numbers and location. The regime selectively tried to have a "dialogue" with some individuals from the opposition movement in the past two weeks, including with Dr. Alammar and others. Yet, within a half hour of Dr. Alammar's meeting with high-ranking members of the Syrian regime, his family lost contact with him for an entire week. They finally were able to find out that he was detained. 

He remains in prison to this day.  

There have been other stories about the regime inviting some movement members, known for their pro-democracy stances, to meet with representatives of the regime. Several refused, saying that the regime was still trying dictating to them. 

Last week the regime also tried to contact Jawdat Said, the prominent Syrian nonviolent author and intellectual, for dialogue.  He, too, declined and said he will go to the regime only if taken there as a prisoner.  He reminded them of what they did to his friend, Dr. Alammar when he went to speak with them. When security agents came the next day to Said's house to ask him him to nominate names for dialogue with the regime, he refused and asked them to leave and not come back unless it was to arrest him. 

Many slogans were raised against slogans as Syrians demonstrated their belief that there cannot be a dialogue while the killings and imprisonments continue. The Syrian regime is still repressing the peaceful protestors and today there are reports of firings and confirmed causalities even if the numbers have not been confirmed yet. The military siege continues around Dara'a and other towns, where electricity, water and phone lines have been cut off for over a month. 

Below is a video the Syrian youth posted. Only if you could see some of the letters I get on my facebook from Syria. I sit and cry reading them. Incredible determination in the face of incredible brutality.  

(click here for YouTube link) 

- Afra Jalabi, Syrian-Canadian writer, mother and activist  

(click here) for the statement from the Collective for Syria in Montreal   

Expanded War Powers Act

Remarkably, the US congress is considering a bill that would give any president the power to use military force at any time for any reason.   There are dozens of reasons why this is dangerous, and we at FNVW will send out more details and analysis next week.

For right now, please read and consider the suggestions in the American Civil Liberties Union letter we have reprinted below. 

Dear ACLU Supporter,

They have to be kidding. Congress is about to vote on worldwide war authority. This was long on the Bush administration's wish list. Now, a few top congressional insiders see an opportunity to sneak it in to a "must pass" piece of legislation: the Defense Authorization bill.

This expanded war authority would give the president - any president - the power to use military force, whenever and however he or she sees fit. It would essentially declare a worldwide war without end.

It is shocking that Congress is entertaining such legislation at a time when many are looking to see an end to escalating conflict and abuses of power in the name of fighting terrorism.

 Tell your representative to oppose any new and expanded war authority that would give the president unfettered powers to involve the United States in more military conflicts without any checks or balances. 

This new legislation could commit the United States to a worldwide war without clear enemies, without any geographical boundaries, and without any boundary relating to time or specific objective to be achieved.

Unlike the legislation that authorized the Afghanistan War and the pursuit of Osama bin Laden, the proposed new and expanded authorization to go to war does not require a specific threat of harm to the United States.

With the bill moving through the House this week and a potential vote later this month, we must make our opposition known today. Tell Congress that a blank check on war isn't just unnecessary - it's truly dangerous. 
This greater war authority first surfaced when George Bush was president. With your help, we opposed it then. And we're opposing the more expansive version of it circulating in Congress right now - because no president should have the power to single-handedly commit America to war without any checks or balances.

The time is now to restore respect for the Constitution. We must put an end to the notion that we can't be safe without sacrificing our freedom.
 Don't let Congress give the executive branch a virtual blank check when it comes to committing our country to armed conflict. Oppose the new worldwide war authority. 
Thank you for standing with us.

Laura W. Murphy
Director, ACLU Washington Legislative Office

Why Aren't ALL Minnesota Representatives co-sponsors of HR 1735, the Afghanistan Exit and Accountability Act?

The McGovern (D-MA)-Jones (R-NC) bill

Importance of this measure:
This is the first truly bi-partisan measure in the House of Representatives that go beyond the usual "anti-Afghan war suspects." It is important to break into the new Republican freshmen caucus and this letter does that.

Co-sponsors:
Democrats:

       Jim McGovern (MA) - Rules Committee

Keith Ellison (MN 5th District) - Co-Chair, Congressional Progressive Caucus

Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) -Armed Services Committee - Ranking Member/Strategic Forces SC

Dave Loebsack (IA) - Armed Services Committee

John Garamendi (CA) - Armed Services Committee

John Lewis (GA) - Chief Deputy Whip

David Ciciline (RI) - Freshman Class; Foreign Affairs

Louise Slaughter (NY) - Ranking Member/House Rules Committee 

Peter Welch (VT) - Oversight and Government Reform/Natl. Security SC 

Jim Moran (VA) - Appropriations Comm/Chairman/Interior SC; Member of Defense SC 

Republicans: 

        Walter B. Jones (NC) -Armed Services Committee

Jason Chaffetz (UT) - Chairman/Natl. Sec. SC/Oversight & Govt. Reform

Ron Paul (TX) - Foreign Affairs; Presidential Candidate

Jimmy Duncan (TN) - Transportation & Infrastructure; Natural Resources

Tim Johnson (IL) --  Transportation & Infrastructure; Agriculture

Justin Amash (MI) - Freshman Class; Oversight & Govt. Reform

Roscoe G. Bartlett (MD) -Armed Services Committee - Chairman/Air & Land Forces SC

May 06, 2011 | Posted by John Isaacs Council for a Liveable World

Please let the rest of Minnesota's Congressional representatives know about this excellent bill!