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by Sharon Grimes, W A M M
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AChildren Keep Mom from Going to War
A woman who reported for duty to the Army with her children has received an honorable discharge. Lisa Pagan had been released from active duty four years ago, but was recalled under the individual ready reserve program. She showed up at Ft. Benning with her children because she said no one else was available to take care of them. (Star Tribune, 3/7/09)
Bush Prosecution Advances
The National Lawyers Guild issued a statement calling for prosecution of top Bush administration officials. The statement urges Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a nonpartisan independent Special Counsel to conduct a “prosecutorial investigation into the most serious alleged crimes of former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Richard B. Cheney, the attorneys formerly employed by the Department of Justice whose memos sought to justify torture, and other former top officials of the Bush Administration.” Many individuals and organizations have signed the statement including author Naomi Wolf, retired U.S. Army Reserve Colonel Ann Wright, Iraq Veterans Against the War, United for Peace and Justice, Republicans for Impeachment, Progressive Democrats of America, Veterans for Peace, and Gold Star Families for Peace. For more information or to sign the statement see http://prosecutebushcheney.org. (National Lawyers Guild, 2/24/09)
World March for Peace
The World March for Peace and Nonviolence is being planned for October 2, 2009, through January 2, 2010, starting in New Zealand and ending in Argentina. Millions of people from 98 countries on six continents are expected to participate in hundreds of events. The 90-day march begins on the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth, declared by the UN as International Day of Nonviolence. A group of 100 people from several countries will complete the entire march. (www.theworldmarch.org)
Mural Project Addresses Gun Violence
Because gun violence spikes in the summer in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York, the American Friends Service Committee and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence are working with the Groundswell Mural Project to create a mural that takes a stand against gun violence. It will focus on at-risk youth and involve community members who have lost family members to gun violence. Last year the group created a two-story mural dealing with women in the military, entitled We Are Not Government Issue. (3/5/09, www.afsc.org)
War Price Tag no longer Hidden
In rolling out his first budget proposal, President Obama said, “. . . this budget looks ahead ten years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules—and for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. For seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price.”
—Feb. 24, 2009
Coffin Photo Ban Ends
The 18-year ban on photographs of flag-draped coffins of America’s war dead was lifted by the Department of Defense. Many critics of the policy said it hid the ultimate cost of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. In announcing the change, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he was never comfortable with the ban and that there was disagreement within the Pentagon and among families about whether photographs should be allowed. The final decision will be left up to the families. (Star Tribune, 2/27/09)
100,000 Troops to Leave Iraq
President Obama announced plans to withdraw 100,000 combat troops from Iraq by August 31, 2010, saying that “By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.” The remaining 35,000 to 50,000 transitional troops will leave Iraq by the end of 2011, according to the agreement reached between the United States and Iraq. The current U.S. troop level in Iraq stands at 142,000. (Star Tribune, 2/25/09, 2/28/09)
New Method to Remove Landmines
A safer way to find and remove land mines has been developed by Danish scientists. A BioSenser is a genetically modified tobacco plant that changes from green to red when it comes into contact with nitrogen dioxide, which is leached into the soil from underground explosives. Seeds for tobaccos plants are dropped from a plane and allowed to grow for 10 weeks. A plant with red leaves indicates the presence of the harmful chemical that leaks from decaying land mines. (Utne, March-April 09)
College to Divest from Firms Supporting Israeli Occupation
Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, became the first in the United States to divest from companies based on their involvement in the Israeli occupation of Palestine; the college was also the first to divest from South African apartheid in 1977.After a two- year campaign by the campus group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)., the college’s Board of Trustees voted February 7 to divest from six companies because of human rights concerns in occupied Palestine. More than 800 students, professors, and alumni signed SJP’s institutional statement calling for the divestment. (http://www.hsjp.org/)
WAMM Members in the Spotlight
Several WAMM members have been featured in recent articles in the Minnesota Women’s Press (http://www.womenspress.com) and in activities at the Minnesota History Center (www.mnhs.org/ historycenter/index.htm).
The article “Traditionally nontraditional—Sue Welna continues the female leadership line at her hardware store,” talks about Welna, co-owner of Welna II, and her business philosophy. She likes being in a diverse neighborhood in a business that supplies essential services locally and likes being able to make her own decisions and change things “on the spot.”
“Of ‘terra-ists’ and ‘terra-ism’: Cover Artist—‘Earthling’ Jane Evershed’s artwork has always been political” discusses her theme of respect and the treatment of women, humanity, and the planet. Born in England, Evershed moved to South Africa when she was nine before eventually moving to the United States. Growing up under apartheid “had a profound influence on me,” she said, and her art has a social justice connection because of her experience. www.evershed.com
For the first time in American history, a substantial number of military combatants are women, and one in seven U.S. troops in Iraq is female. Against this backdrop, historian Kim Heikkila facilitated “Women and War” at the Minnesota History Center on March 8, a discussion by Minnesota women reflecting on the “role of women in the discourse for, against, and about war.” Presenters included WAMM members Marianne Hamilton, longtime peace activist and WAMM cofounder, and Chanté Wolf, who talked about her service in the first Gulf War. |
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© 2009 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete April 2009 Index - click here
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