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by Sharon Grimes, W A M M
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Peacekeeping for Darfur
A peacekeeping force for Sudan has been approved by the United Nations (UN) and is set to be in place before the end of the year. The 26,000-member group will replace the 7000-member African Union (AU) force, and is the first of its kind to be made up of UN and AU forces. Sudan, which has long resisted an international presence in Darfur, said it backs the UN mission. The four-year-old conflict has claimed at least 200,000 lives. (Edmonton Sun, 7/31/07)
Bill Rejects Permanent U.S. Bases
The House voted 399-24 on July 25 to pass Rep. Barbara Lee’s bill to prevent creating permanent U.S. bases in Iraq and to bar U.S. control of Iraqi oil. The bill was considered under suspension of the rules, which bars amendments to the bill, limits debate, and requires a two thirds majority to pass. Lee said, “This is a major step forward—it sends a signal to the White House that Democrats and Republicans want to make sure the president understands that we do not intend to permanently occupy Iraq.” A similar bill proposed by Lee in the last session of Congress never made it out of committee. (InsideBayArea.com, 7/26/07)
Peace Awards
This year’s Peace Award, given by the War Resisters League, will honor two organizations: the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSCI). The award goes annually to an organization or individual “whose work represents the league’s radical nonviolent platform of action.” CCR is being recognized for its Guantanamo Global Justice Institute, which has challenged the Bush administration’s extralegal actions. TASSCI’s mission is to end torture, and in 2007 it launched the campaign to repeal the Military Commissions Act, which
legalizes torture. The Peace Award ceremony is September 28 in New York City. (www.warresisters.org)
Vets for Peace Convention Coming
Veterans for Peace plans to hold its 2008 convention in Bloomington next August, right before the Republican national convention. The timing is “a statement of our opposition to their policies, particularly to the war in Iraq,” said Barry Riesch, who served six years on the national board. (StarTribune, 5/5/07)
North Korea’s Nuclear Program Reduced
A group of religious leaders, the National Religious Partnership on the Nuclear Weapons Danger, released a statement congratulating the Bush administration for its work in achieving the denuclearization agreement with North Korea. It says the agreement is an important step in “halting production of nuclear bomb material in that nation” and shows the value of diplomacy in preventing the spread of nuclear weapons. It urges the administration to follow a similar strategy in the “nuclear standoff with Iran.” (Faithful Security press release, 7/17/07)
SSS Can’t Afford Testing
The Selective Service System said it will not test the military draft machinery for the first time since 1998 because of a lack of funds. (StarTribune, 7/28/07)
Setback for U.S. Army School in Georgia
In a bill passed by the House (but not yet passed by the Senate) the U.S Army school in Georgia would have to release the names of Latin American military officers who train there. That information has been secret since 2005 because, according to the Pentagon, the graduates could be in danger from left-wing political groups in their countries. Human rights groups have been trying to cut the school’s funding. (StarTribune, 8/8/07)
Accountability Sought for Philippines Abuses
Forty-nine members of Congress recently sent a letter to President Gloria Arroyo asking for an investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the recent increase in extrajudicial killings and abductions in the Philippines. Jim Oberstar and Joe Pitts initiated the bipartisan letter, which was signed by MN representatives Keith Ellison, Betty McCollum, Colin Peterson, Jim Ramstad, and Tim Walz. More than 800 people, exercising their right to peaceful dissent, have been murdered, and evidence indicates that the armed forces and national police are involved. The Philippines is the largest recipient of U.S. military aid in Asia. |
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© 2007 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete September 2007 Index - click here
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