Earlier today I participated in the Olympia Council MoveOn.org Operation Democracy Press Conference. The conference was held on the front steps of the Capitol Building in Olympia Washington. A report on the connection between the Iraq war and the failing economy was released to Washington State Senators Maria Cantwell, and Patty Murray, as well as to various members of the local news media.

Here are some videos from the day's event:

Here's a copy of the Report [linked]. I also copied the report and uploaded to my flickr account, so if you'd prefer, see below:

Colonel (ret.) Ann Wright visited Olympia yesterday for a series of presentations on Iraq, on official wrongdoing within government, and on her new book, which is published by Koa Books. Dissent, Voices of Conscience: Government Insiders Speak Out Against the War in Iraq is co-authored by Ms. Wright and Susan Dixon. It chronicles the stories of about 25 government and military whistle-blowers who have come forward to expose corruption and wrongdoing in their respective professional settings.

Colonel Wright was a career diplomat with the US State Department. When the US Government, under the dictate of the Bush Administration, launched an invasion in Iraq she resigned her post (along with two other US diplomats.) I saw and listened to Ms. Wright give a presentation (on her experience vís a vís her professional career and Iraq) at South Puget Sound Community College. Her visit was sponsored by Washington Peace Action and BRICK (the SPSCC student group Building Revolution by Increasing Community Knowledge).

I went to the Capitol Theater tonight and saw "The Ground Truth" (trailer available at site), a film about the experiences of soldiers and their families in relation to the Iraq war.

It was profound, "devastating" (ref NYT review), moving, emotional and educational. If you're interested in what's happening with the war on Iraq, this film is for you. If you are, or a loved is, considering a military career, then you owe it to yourself, or him or her, to see this film.

Today is the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by the US Government and I had the opportunity to participate in a weekly peace vigil at Sylvester Park (sponsored by the Olympia FOR). The weather was good and so was the turnout. I had some great conversations, including with a couple of conservatives, one of whom was very reasonable! A young gentleman from Spokane, who was toting a suitcase, approached me and we had a lengthy conversation about the difference between the response by the left to Clinton Administration foreign policy Aggression when compared with the response by the left to Bush Administration Aggression. It is too bad that the left was not more vocal in opposition to Clinton's Aggression, but the left was not silent. There was opposition. The reasons that a more vocal opposition to the aggressive foreign policy of the Clinton Administration didn't arise are multiple but for one, he [Clinton] acted within the auspices of the UN Security Council and for two, his behavior was not as flagrant, or belligerent, relative to the machinations and blatant aggression as evinced by members of the Bush Administration. The traveler from Spokane and I fully agreed on one thing, which is the problem of the Military Industrial Congressional Complex. It was a good conversation; we both gained in understanding.

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From press release:

Olympia, WA - To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the bombing of Baghdad, Veterans for Peace Chapter 109 will host a rally in downtown Olympia to demonstrate the community's frustration with the ongoing war, occupation and U.S. casualties, which are nearing 4,000. "Each new death of a soldier or civilian was some mother's child." - Dennis W. Mills, PhD - U.S. Army 1966-69.

Members of the community will gather from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon on Saturday March 22nd, from the 4th Avenue Bridge in Olympia down to Percival Landing, bearing signs and stories to share. Supported by Operation Democracy Olympia, Thurston County Progressive Network, and many other individuals, businesses and organizations, this family-friendly event will prove to be compelling.

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In a secret meeting with a Taliban commander, I learned how Bush administration aid to Pakistan helps fund insurgents who kill U.S. troops.

Editor's note: Research support was provided by the Puffin Foundation Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute.

By Matthew Cole

[...]

The U.S. is paying for both sides of the war in Afghanistan. As is becoming increasingly clear, for at least two and a half years, and perhaps far longer, the Pakistani government has been receiving massive U.S. aid while its intelligence agency and elements of its military have been pursuing their own anti-American agenda within Afghanistan...
[...]
...repeated trips to the country have convinced me that not only are Haji Muhammed's assertions about Pakistan's role in the violence true, but that the U.S. -- or at least its representatives on the ground in Afghanistan -- has long been aware of the problem.
[...]

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[via email]

The Longshore Caucus (like a Convention) adjourned today, Friday Feb. 8 but not before passing an antiwar resolution to shutdown all U.S. West Coast ports with a stop work meeting on May 1, 2008 for 8 hours to protest the Democrats' and Republicans' continuing to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The resolution from Local 10 encountered vigorous debate. In the end the overwhelming consensus to take dock action to stop the war prevailed. As the President of Local 34 Richard Cavalli stated this resolution follows ILWU Local 10 and 34's successful Labor Conference to Stop the War held in San Francisco Oct. 20, 2007, as reported in the ILWU's newspaper, The Dispatcher.

A question has been raised about bringing up this decision to the local Olympia ILWU chapter.

I have included “Loss of the Arab Palestinian State” in the title of this blog entry because that is exactly what happened. The Palestinian Arabs had a state or nation. Israel DID NOT take away their state. The Palestinian Arabs lost their state because of decisions made by their leaders and the leaders of surrounding Arab nations, not by the actions of Israel. This is widely ignored by current supporters of the Palestinian Arabs.

Prior to the First World War, the area known as Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire, and controlled by Turkey. During the First World War, the area was taken by the British. After the First World War, it was controlled by the British under a mandate by the League of Nations. During this mandate, there was much conflict between the Jewish and Arab residents of Palestine. After the Second World War, the British were wanted out and turned the problem over to the new United Nations.

In 1947, the United Nations approved the partition of Palestine into two nations, one Jewish and one Arab. (Yes, that’s right, the Palestinian Arabs had a state.) The partition plan and the borders that it drew were far from perfect. Even so, the Jewish Palestinians accepted the plan. The Palestinian Arabs rejected the plan and chose war. (The start of a pattern!) The surrounding Arab nations rejected the plan and chose war. (Again, the start of a pattern!)

"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee." - Pulp Fiction