On this episode of the Riz Khan show we ask if US weapons are behind the sharp rise in birth defects in Falluja. Residents of the Iraqi city blame the surge in chronic deformities on controversial weapons used by US forces against Sunni fighters in 2004. But the US military has dismissed those allegations.
An appeal to anti-war organizations & activists to oppose the increasing threats against Iran
By CASMII, March 7, 2010
Around the world, anti-war activists are preparing for major protests this spring to oppose the continuing U.S.-led occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, a storm of developments is dramatically increasing tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran. In response, the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) is issuing this appeal to the anti-war movements in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries to raise the demands of “No war, no sanctions, no internal interference in Iran!”
Iran is a country that hasn’t attacked a neighbor in more than 200 years. Even when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran after the 1979 Revolution and, with support from the West, used chemical weapons against both civilians and combatants, the Islamic Republic did not retaliate in kind. And yet the U.S. government claims that Iran represents a serious threat to the Middle East region and the entire world. Without a shred of evidence, the U.S. charges that Iran’s program to develop nuclear power for peaceful energy purposes is just a cover to develop nuclear weapons. Never mentioned is the fact that, as a signatory to the U.N.’s Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran’s right to develop nuclear energy is enshrined in international law.
– Yeshua Ha-Notsri, Palestinian dissident, c. 33 CE.
As we all know – or rather, as everyone but those who climb and claw their way to the top of power’s greasy pole knows – the effects of war are vast, unforeseeable, long-lasting — and uncontrollable. The far-reaching ripples of the turbulence will churn against distant shores and hidden corners, then roil back upon you in ways you could never imagine, for generations, even centuries.
Nor is “victory” in war proof against these deleterious effects. For the brutalization, moral coarsening, corruption and concentration of elite power that attend every war do not simply disappear from a society when the fighting stops. They persist, like microbes, in myriad forms, working with slow, corrosive force to degrade and deform the victors. Indeed, victory in battle often leads a society to enshrine war’s most pernicious attributes: violence is ennobled, and becomes entrenched as an ever-ready instrument of national policy. Militarism is exalted, the way of peace dishonored: cries of “Appeasers! Cowards! Traitors!” greet every approach that fails to brandish the threat of extreme violence, that fails to “keep all options on the table.”
The apparent “lesson” of victory – that there can be no right without armed might to win and safeguard it – quickly degenerates into the belief that armed might is right. Military power becomes equated with moral worth, and the ability to wreak savage, unimaginable destruction through armed violence — via thoughtless obedience to the orders of “superiors” – becomes a cherished attribute of society.
Six years after the intense fighting began in the Iraqi town of Fallujah between US forces and Sunni insurgents, there is a disturbingly large number of cases of birth defects in the town.
Fallujah is less than 40 miles (65km) from Baghdad, but it can still be dangerous to get to.
As a result, there has been no authoritative medical investigation, certainly by any Western team, into the allegations that the weapons used by the Americans are still causing serious problems.
The Iraqi government line is that there are only one or two extra cases of birth defects per year in Fallujah, compared with the national average.
‘Daily cases’
But in the impressive new Fallujah General Hospital, built with American aid, we found a paediatric specialist, Dr Samira al-Ani, who told us that she saw two or three new cases every day.
The IFP 2010 committee is eager to let you know of plans to hold the 28th annual Peace Festival at the International Peace Garden from Friday evening June 25 to Sunday noon June 27, 2010. We’ll be exploring the theme Self-Reliance Together with interactive workshops, music, great food and fun. This is a wonderful family and singles friendly, intergenerational event through which USA (mostly North Dakotan) and Canadian (mostly Manitoban) citizens get to know, enjoy, inform and encourage each other.
The Peace Garden is on the border about an hour south of Brandon, Manitoba and an hour northeast of Minot, North Dakota. The Turtle Mountains with their fine lakes, trails and wildlife provide a beautiful host environment for the festival. We’ll be sending out a program and car pooling contact info and posting it online later this spring. But we want you to know early so you can make a note in your calendar and notify your friends. It’s a goood time. Heres the contact info:
Manitoba Eco-Network is proud to host Winnipeg’s first environmental film festival. Join us for powerful and beautiful films that highlight the perils and the hope for our Earth.
Friday March 12, 2010
7 – 10 pm
Film Premiere “No Impact Man”, “Runaway”, & Low-Impact Reception
Saturday March 13
9 am – 4:30 pm
Feature Films, REEL Discussion, Eco-Displays
Location: Red River College (Princess St. Campus in the heart of the Exchange, enter through William St. doors)
Tickets
Friday only: $10
Saturday only: $12
Full event: $20
Tickets available online at www.mbeconetwork.org or ,while quantities last, at McNally Robinson (1120 Grant Ave) and Mountain Equipment Co-op (303 Portage Ave).
Sunday, March 28 @ 3:00 pm
Temple Shalom, 1077 Grant,
Sunday, April 25 @ 3:00 pm
Augustine United Church, 444 River
Everyone is welcome to attend the following interfaith prayer gatherings for peace in our homes. Each gathering will be conducted in the faith tradition of its host. The gathering at Augustine United Church will be a combination of Christian and Traditional Aboriginal prayers.
We are inviting organizations working against domestic violence to set up information tables. These gatherings are sponsored by the Interfaith Council of Women. A basket for donations to support the work of the Interfaith Council of Women will be available.
On Wednesday April 21st , at 6:30, Project Peacemakers will be hosting an all vegetarian meal at Meadowood United Church (1111 Dakota St.) The speaker for the evening is Laura Rance, editor of the Manitoba Cooperator and Agriculture Columnist for the Winnipeg Free Press. Entertainment will also be provided.
Reserve your tickets by calling the Project Peacemakers office 775-8178 or emailing info@projectpeacemakers.org. (Tickets are $10 for adults 12 and under $5)
On the same day that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown — whose war polices have killed thousands — insisted that the illegal Iraq war was the “right” thing to do, Lance Corporal Joe Glenton was sentenced to nine months imprisonment for refusing to return to Afghanistan to fight a war he believed to be unjustified and a sensless loss of life for Afghans and Iraqis alike.
Stop the War Coalition (UK), which has been active in his defence, has not given up the campaign for his freedom.
The Conservative’s 2010 Budget still represents an unprecedented increase in defence spending, says the Canadian Peace Alliance, Canada’s largest peace network. While there is a small decrease in the amount previously allocated to the military under the Canada First Defence Strategy, overall defence spending continues to go up.
“This is still a war budget,” said Christine Jones, co-chair of the Canadian Peace Alliance. “While the Harper government wants Canadians to tighten their belts, the military gets billions more each year.”
The Budget reduces annual defence spending by $525 million in 2012 and $1 billion annually after 2012, but this is an insignificant change to the Canada First Defence Strategy, which allocates $490 billion in military spending by 2025.
“The Conservatives are giving 20 billion annually to the arms dealers rather than to Canadians who are reeling from the economic crisis”, said Derrick O’Keefe, co-chair of the CPA. “Worse still, the Budget figures don’t include the costs of ‘incremental funding’ such as the war in Afghanistan, which has already cost Canadians more than $20 billion.”
The Canadian Peace Alliance calls on the Government of Canada to redirect money earmarked for the military to be used for much needed social and environmental programs.
