Reading the words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

                       

 By Reginald Johnson

 

  NEW HAVEN, CT ---- The annual reading of  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s great anti-war speech “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence,” will take place tomorrow in City Hall.

  The reading, sponsored by several peace organizations, will be held at 12 noon on the second floor of City Hall, 165 Church Street.

  Wednesday is the anniversary of Dr. King’s birthday. The nation officially observes King’s birthday on Monday, January 20.

 In the speech, given on April 4, 1967 before an audience of 3,000 people at the Riverside Church in New York City, the civil rights leader came out strongly against the war in Vietnam and condemned US militaristic policies around the world. He deplored the fact that the country was spending so much money on war while ignoring crumbling cities and poor people at home.

 “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death,” he said.

  A number of leaders and pundits at the time denounced King for his criticism of the Vietnam War (in which the US had been fighting communist guerillas for several years resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties) and said that he had ruined his legacy as a civil rights leader by venturing into foreign affairs.

 But in his speech King said memorably, “There comes a time when silence is betrayal. And that time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.”

 Exactly one year after King spoke those words, he was assassinated in Memphis Tennessee.

 The public reading of Dr. King’s speech is taking place as the United States is again involved in wars overseas even though these wars are considered so-called “proxy wars” where the United States does not actually have troops on the ground. But the US is still spending hundreds of billions dollars to fund the two countries fighting the wars.

 In Gaza, Israel is waging a genocidal attack on Palestinians and in Ukraine, that nation is locked in a now three-year-old conflict with Russia.

  The war in Gaza, by all accounts, has triggered a humanitarian disaster for civilians. Some 45,000 people have been killed, according to official estimates. But many experts believe that figure is much higher and the real total is over 200,000 deaths. Infrastructure has been devastated with hospitals, schools and residences bombed or burned to the ground.

  Thousands have been displaced and are living in tents. Heavy rains and freezing temperatures have created intolerable living conditions and a number of children have frozen to death. Human rights observers claim Israel has conducted a systematic campaign to wreck Gaza’s health care system with the destruction of medical facilities and doctors and staff shot or abducted.

 Hunger is widespread in Gaza with the Israeli military blocking the entry of aid convoys.

 A flier put out by the organizers of the reading in New Haven said, “On the anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior’s birth, we refuse to stand by and allow tens of thousands of our fellow human beings to be flooded, frozen and burned alive by Israel and the US, as if their lives meant nothing.  We join millions in the US and throughout the world demanding a permanent cease-fire and massive humanitarian aid be allowed to enter Gaza.”

 The Greater New Haven Peace Council, Veterans for Peace, the New Haven Peace Commission and the Connecticut Peace and Solidarity Coalition are sponsoring the public reading.

 For more information, email grnhpeacecouncil@gmail.com

 

  

Proud moment for Bridgeport

           

         By Reginald Johnson

                                                     Commentary

          

   This past year has been a blur. So much has been happening with me both on a personal level and also in terms of what I’ve been writing about and working on I really wouldn’t know where to start in terms of a recap.

   But none of this would be very interesting to anybody else so I’m not going give some long recounting. But I just want to say one thing. I can’t be more proud of the fact that officials in my hometown of Bridgeport, Connecticut stood up and were counted on the absolutely awful events that are going on in Palestine.

 A year ago at this time the City Council was debating whether they should pass a resolution urging Congress and the President to push for a cease-fire in the Gaza-Israeli war. Already at that point thousands had died and there were numerous war crimes. It was clear to anybody who was reasonable and looking at the facts objectively that Israel needed to stop their brutal attack and the United States had to stop enabling their campaign.

 There were a number of packed and emotional meetings in the City Council chambers in which pro-Gaza supporters and pro-Israel supporters vented their feelings on the proposed resolution. Some members of the Palestinian community, in particular, gave moving speeches. Things got heated and police at one point intervened to stop a fracas.

 In the end, despite harsh attacks by some from the Israeli side, council members voted overwhelmingly to pass the nonbinding resolution. The moment the resolution passed, the council chambers erupted in cheers and people were hugging and waving Palestinian flags. It was a powerful moment.

 Several weeks later, the council stood strong and rejected an effort to overturn the resolution.

 There were those who said that the resolution was inappropriate for the Council to work on since it didn’t deal specifically with any city issue and was a waste of time. But from my point of view. the vote was one of the best things the city ever did. People were taking a stand on a deep moral issue which in the long run means a lot more than just voting to pass money for a new road or a new school. 

 I was proud of what the City Council and Mayor Ganim (who I’ve been often been critical of over the years) did that night. Thank you.

 Unfortunately, it’s just too bad that now, almost a year after that resolution was passed (resolutions were passed in a number of other cities as well ---  thank you to them) the war drags on and Israel is still carrying out its genocidal campaign, aided and abetted by the United States. Now, 45,000 are dead, and that’s in all likelihood a severe undercount. Thousands are starving from lack of food and Gaza's health care system is collapsing as Israeli forces bomb hospitals.

 There has been no concerted effort by our so-called leaders in Washington, DC. to stop the carnage. This has been one of the most disgraceful performances by members of Congress, in both parties, and by a President, in US history. The cowardice being shown is just beyond words.  An unspeakable horror is continuing and these people sit back and worry about their AIPAC contributions. Disgusting.

 The US could put an end to this war very quickly if it wanted to, and it’s just a shame that hasn’t happened.  Tell Israel to stop the killing and agree to a ceasefire or all aid and support, stops.

 So in the new year we still have a lot more work to do to turn this policy around. But it can be done.  In the spirit of what Bridgeport and other cities have done, let’s keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire.

 That's the least we can do for the people of Palestine.

   

To avert nuclear war, stop sending missiles to Ukraine!

  By Reginald Johnson

                                     Commentary

  URGENT: The situation in Ukraine is quite serious. We all need to take notice and if possible, to take action.

 In recent weeks the war between Ukraine and Russia entered a new and highly-dangerous phase after Ukraine fired US-made ATACMS missiles into Russia and were given assistance in the launch by American personnel.  This attack was made after President Biden, reversing a previous position, gave the greenlight. Russia responded by firing back with a new and more deadly missile at Ukraine.

 At the same time, Russia changed its nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold under which they would make a nuclear response to a missile attack. According to experts like Scott Ritter, a former UN weapons inspector and intelligence official, the ATACMS missiles used by Ukraine MEET THE STANDARD FOR A NUCLEAR RESPONSE under Russia’s new doctrine. This is frightening. Should Ukraine fire these missiles again at Russia, who knows what will happen?

 Many people think that Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, would never go so far as to retaliate with a nuclear weapon. But who can be sure? The fact is, according to Ritter and others, we are closer to a nuclear conflict then we have ever been and that includes the very dangerous Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. We really need to let our voices be heard and say that as clearly as possible we don’t want nuclear war, which would result in the end of life on earth.

  Ritter and others like peace activist Medea Benjamin of Code Pink are making a good suggestion --- that we call our elected representatives in Congress and demand that they pressure President Biden to reverse his decision on allowing the use of ATACMS missiles. At the same time, they ask that we tell our Congress Member to support House Bill 10218, which prohibits the administration from shipping any more ATACMS to Ukraine.

  We need to flood Congress with calls. It can make a difference. The Congressional switchboard is 202-224-3121. Call that number and ask for your congress person and they will switch you in. You can connect with your senators through the same number. While you’re at it, call the White House at 202-456-1111 and say you don’t want nuclear war and the President needs to pursue peace and stop sending missiles.

 Thank you!

 

US preparing for nuclear war, expert warns

 

     

     By Reginald Johnson

   

    

    As the war between Russia and Ukraine grows more intense, a former UN weapons inspector and intelligence analyst is warning that military officials in the United States are now actively preparing for a nuclear war with Russia.

 Scott Ritter, a former Iraq weapons inspector and intelligence official with the US Marines, claimed that as one option the United States is considering actually starting a nuclear war with Russia by firing a preemptive strike to knock out all of Russia’s nuclear weaponry and emerge victorious, despite maintaining massive human losses.

 “It is high time for everyone from every walk of life to understand the path we are currently on,” said Ritter. “Left unchecked, events are propelling us down a highway to hell that leads to only one destination – a nuclear Armageddon that everyone agrees can’t be won, and yet the United States is at this very moment preparing to ‘win.’ “

 Ritter added, “a nuclear exchange with Russia, even if the United States were able to execute a surprise preemptive nuclear strike, would result in the destruction of dozens of American cities and more than 100 million Americans.

  “And this is if we ‘win,’ ” he said. “And we know that we can’t ‘win’ a nuclear war. And yet we are actively preparing to fight one,” he said.

  Ritter added, “This insanity must stop. Now.”

 Ritter made his comments in his Substack column “On the Brink” posted November 24.

   The former weapons inspector spoke out as the Ukraine war has taken a dangerous turn after President Biden gave approval to Ukraine to fire US-made long-range ballistic missiles at Russia. The green light reversed a previous decision by Biden in September not to allow Ukraine to use the missiles, out of concern that such attacks would lead to a confrontation with Russia, which has the largest nuclear stockpile in the world.

  With the approval granted, Ukraine on November 19 fired six US “ATACMS”  missiles at Russia, near the city of Bryansk. On November 20, Ukraine launched up to a dozen British-made Storm Shadow cruise missiles against a Russian command post in the Kursk province. Russia responded on November 21, firing a new intermediate range missile called the “Oreshnik” against Ukraine, destroying a major arms factory in Dnipropetrovsk. The facility was used by Ukraine and NATO to produce short and intermediate range missiles.

Ukraine has been fighting Russia almost three years. Now there are worries the conflict could go nuclear. (Wikimedia photo)

 Meanwhile, Russian leader Vladimir Putin announced that his country has changed its nuclear use doctrine, lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons.

  The ATACMS and Storm Shadow missile attacks met the threshold for a nuclear response by Russia, Ritter said.

 “Russia has decided not to invoke its nuclear doctrine at this juncture,” said Ritter, “opting instead to eject the operational use of the Oreshnik missile as an intermediate non-nuclear deterrence measure.”

  But the question is, how long will the Russians hold off on going nuclear – if Ukrainian attacks continue?

 It’s clear the risk of a nuclear war starting is the greatest since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when the United States and Russia came extremely close to going to war over the placement of Russian missiles on Cuban soil.

 Ritter is a widely respected analyst and commentator on foreign-policy and military issues. He gained fame in 2003 when he called out the Bush administration’s bogus claims that Iraq was hiding weapons of mass destruction. The administration used the WMD claim to launch an invasion of Iraq, triggering a seven-years-long war, which took 1 million lives.

  Investigations after the war began confirmed what Ritter had said – there were no WMD.

 Despite the severity of the crisis in Eastern Europe – with the possibility that a nuclear war could take place – American media, including progressive media, don’t appear to be overly concerned. Most of the press attention in recent weeks has been focused on the wars in Gaza and Lebanon or Donald Trump’s cabinet picks and most recently the decision by President Biden to pardon his son Hunter. There have been few segments on TV concerning the Ukraine War and the imminent danger of a nuclear confrontation between the US and Russia.

  A few commentators in the conservative media have been sounding the alarm about a possible nuclear war. One of them is Rob Finnerty of Newsmax, who has spent several recent shows talking about the dangerous situation in Ukraine.

  “Russia has more nuclear weapons than any other country on the planet and now Ukraine is firing missiles deep into Russia, and those missiles were made in the United States,” he said.

 “Those are just the facts.  The United States is no longer in a proxy war with Russia. We are at war with Russia,” he said.

  Finnerty criticized Biden for green-lighting the Ukrainian missile attacks, which he said undermine President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for ending the Ukraine war. Trump takes office on January 20.

 “We are a lot closer to World War III then we were yesterday,” Finnerty said.

 

   (A panel discussion about the danger of a nuclear war starting in Ukraine will take place this Saturday in Washington, D.C. The event, called “No Nuclear War --- A Call to Reason” will take place at the National Press Club and run from 4 to 7 pm.  Moderated by Ritter, panel participants include Lawrence Wilkerson, Max Blumenthal, Garland Nixon, Dan Kovalik and Margaret Kimberley.  To reserve a seat, go to www.nonuclearwar.com)

Consortium News, frequent critic of the government, defeats a hacking attack

   By Reginald Johnson  

   Great news that Consortium News is back up and running after a hacking attack that made it disappear from the web for a number of days. They haven't identified a culprit yet, but the guilty party I suspect is somebody or group in our government or internationally that didn't like CN's truth-telling about the genocide in Gaza, the Ukraine War, Julian Assange, the intelligence community and other sensitive subjects.

Consortium News has recently been suing the government and its hokey censorship operation, "News Guard," for defammation.

Note this attack on a news operation happened during the administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who have bragged during the presidential campaign that they represent some kind of bulwark against fascism possibly being ushered in by Donald Trump. Really. In fact, stifling of news is a hallmark of police states. And it's going on now.

This is George Orwell's "1984" coming true.

The statement from CN today says: "Our victory was just one battle in an escalating war against a free press, however, which has included recent arrests, interrogations and home raids against journalists both in Britain and the U.S."

Almost the unthinkable

  

    By Reginald Johnson

   A nuclear catastrophe was narrowly avoided in the Ukraine-Russia War last weekend.

  According to former intelligence officer and arms control expert Scott Ritter. Ukraine had been pressing Washington for permission to use long-range ballistic missiles to hit targets deep within Russia and it appeared that the US was about to greenlight this request. But President Biden backed off at the last minute after a stern warning from Russian President Vladimir Putin that the use of the missiles would be crossing the Rubicon.

 Putin had said that such strikes would be regarded as an attack by NATO against Russia and all bets would be off in terms of how Russia would respond. Ritter says that Ukraine, led by crazed leader Volodomyr Zelensky, was all set to use the missiles. Thank god Biden saw the light.  Otherwise, according to Ritter, none of us would be reading these words today. 

It is vital that negotiations bring this highly volatile conflict between Ukraine and Russia to an end as soon as possible, for the sake of humanity.

(Ritter's piece, "72 Hours" can be read at https://consortiumnews.com/category/u-n-security-council/)

Israel bombs Gaza during polio vaccination drive

                                            Commentary

 By Reginald Johnson

 How low can Israel go? And how low can the United States go in supporting Israel?

 In the latest atrocity brought on the Palestinians, the Israeli military has bombed Gaza while humanitarian pauses are in effect so children can be given polio shots. A hospital has been hit and a school has been bombed.

 The vaccination drive by the UN is in question now after the IDF detained UN staff at gunpoint and bulldozed UN vehicles.

  These actions that impede a life-saving vaccination drive for children are not just shameful, they are barbaric. And the United States is aiding and abetting the barbarism.

Read it and weep.

https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/nora-barrows-friedman/israel-strikes-gaza-amid-polio-vaccination-drive