Tag Archives: cheney

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Historic negotiations with Iran


VoteVets.orgThis is historic. Iran, and western governments, including the United States, have negotiated a framework that would end the immediate threat of a nuclear Iran.

As Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton, Brigadier General (Ret.) Steven Anderson, and Colin Powell’s former Chief of Staff, Colonel (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson said:

“[This agreement] sends a very strong signal to all of us in the US, and especially those in Congress — the United States will stand up firmly to Iran, when Iran’s demands conflict with our best interests. There can be no doubt that our negotiating team, while fair, is tough.

At the same time, our team remains committed to negotiating a good deal, that will move the region away from another war in the Middle East, peacefully. That is in the best traditions of America, and its leadership role in the world. It is an ideal to which we all must remain committed – for America, for our military, and for our security.”

Join retired Generals Eaton, Anderson, Wilkerson and VoteVets and add your name in support of these historic negotiations with Iran.

This framework would set the stage for an incredibly strong deal, which would drastically cut back Iran’s nuclear capability, limit it to peaceful purposes, force it to submit to constant, intrusive inspections, and not see any relief in sanctions until it proves to nuclear inspectors that it is meeting benchmarks.

In short, it would defuse a major powder keg in the region, that would have led to a protracted war in the Middle East.

But this is not done. Hardliners in Congress still may try to derail a final agreement. We need to stand up to them. You can help do that, by signing on to the statement from retired Generals Eaton, Anderson, Wilkerson and VoteVets:

http://action.votevets.org/iran-negotiations

Thanks for your support, and we will keep you up to date.

Jon Soltz
 Iraq War Veteran
 Chairman, VoteVets.org

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Canadian Supreme Court Rules Against Chevron and in Favor of Ecuadorians!
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The ruling is a victory for human rights and environmental justice

The law has finally caught up with Chevron. Today’s unanimous decision from the Supreme Court of Canada opens the door for Ecuadorian indigenous and farmer communities to enforce their $9.5 billion USD verdict against Chevron and is a major victory for human rights and corporate accountability.

Chevron’s deliberate dumping of 18 billion gallons of toxic waste water and 17 million gallons of crude into the Ecuadorian Amazon created a massive health crisis and remains one of the worst oil-related environmental crimes in history. After being found guilty of its drill and dump tactics in Ecuador, Chevron has been on the run, spending billions on retaliatory legal attacks seeking to delay justice rather than fulfilling its legal obligations to carry out a full-scale environmental clean-up and provide potable water and health care to the communities it poisoned.

This article from this morning’s Globe and Mail provides more background and details.

READ THE REST HERE »
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Jon Soltz, VoteVets.org … [Iran] We’re bringing veterans to D.C.


VoteVets.org

Since we started our campaign to elevate the voices of veterans who support a diplomacy-first approach with Iran, over 20,000 men and women who have worn our country’s uniform have added their names in support.

Today, I want to share a few of their stories with you, and to let you know that in the next few weeks, we’re going to be flying almost two dozen veterans and military family members out the nation’s capital to make their voices heard loud and clear.

Contribute $3 to help VoteVets bring these veterans to Washington, D.C. to lobby the Democratic representatives we need to hold the line ahead of the vote on the Iran deal later this month.

Dennis, an Operation Enduring Freedom Veteran (Afghanistan) wrote in that “The alternative is an eventual war, again, in the Middle East.”

Matt, an Iraq War Veteran from Colorado added, “Based on my experience in Iraq, I feel that diplomacy is a better path than military action in southwest Asia … Voting [against] the nuclear treaty with Iran would perpetuate our involvement in the region and likely lead to the next generation of our military being worn out in the region.”

Kevin, also an Iraq War Veteran says, “Diplomacy should always be the 1st option. It’s the best option. War is a last resort. With Iraq it was the 1st choice. 4500 Americans and countless Iraqis died for WMD’s that didn’t exist.”

We’re going to bring veterans who have served overseas – people like Dennis, Matt, and Kevin – to tell their legislators how their experiences in war inform their desire for America to reach for a peaceful way to disabuse Iran of their nuclear ambitions.

Contribute $3 today to help us bring them to Washington, D.C. to share their stories.

We received thousands of letters like theirs. Letters from veterans who served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea, Vietnam, and more — generations of combat veterans who wrote in support of the deal.

Congress needs to understand their perspective. Thanks for helping us make their voices heard.

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
VoteVets

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Child laborers poisoned — in the US?!


 Avaazpix

Children as young as 12 are being slowly poisoned because US laws still let tobacco farms hire kids. It’s outrageous, but the Labor Department can act now to stop more children from suffering. Sign now to build a call for action too loud to ignore:

SIGN THE PETITION
Dear friends,
Children as young as 12 are being slowly poisoned as they work excruciating hours in tobacco fields. Dizzy and unable to breathe, their developing bodies absorb dangerous levels of nicotine — all because US laws still let tobacco farms hire young kids to work the fields.

It’s unbelievable, but we can ban this outrage before the 2015 harvest begins.

Three years ago, the farm lobby teamed up with Monsanto and spent millions to beat back a proposed ban on under-age hiring. This time we can win — evidence of health dangers to young children has just convinced some tobacco companies to implement age restrictions, so a burst of public pressure is all that’s needed to get our government to act.

Once we build a 50,000 strong call to action that Obama and his Secretary of Labor cannot ignore, the Avaaz team will deliver the petition straight to Secretary Perez and bring child laborers’ testimonies to politicians and the media. Sign now — then share with everyone:https://secure.avaaz.org/en/us_ban_child_labor_full_/?biEWLbb&v=55386
Dear friends,
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In the Library: 51 day War


The 51 Day War: Ruin and Resistance in Gaza

Book by Max Blumenthal

Published: June 30, 2015

Author: Max Blumenthal

On July 8, 2014, Israel launched air strikes on Hamas-controlled Gaza, followed by a ground invasion. The ensuing fifty-one days of war left more than 2,200 people dead, the vast majority of whom were Palestinian civilians, including over 500 children. During the assault, at least 10,000 homes were destroyed and, according to the United Nations, nearly 300,000 Palestinians were displaced. Max Blumenthal was in Gaza and throughout Israel–Palestine during what he argues was an entirely avoidable catastrophe. In this explosive work of intimate reportage, Blumenthal reveals the harrowing conditions and cynical deceptions that led to the ruinous war—and tells the human stories.

Blumenthal brings the battles in Gaza to life, detailing the ferocious clashes that took place when Israel’s military invaded the besieged strip. He radically shifts the discussion around a number of highly contentious issues: the use of civilians as human shields by Israeli forces, the arbitrary targeting of Palestinian civilians, and the radicalization of Israeli public officials and top military personnel. Amid the rubble of Gaza’s border regions, Blumenthal recorded the testimonies from scores of residents, documenting potential war crimes committed by the Israeli armed forces while carefully examining the military doctrine that led to them.

More than a chronicle of war and devastation, The 51 Day War is an urgent warning that the aftermath of the conflict has made another military assault on Gaza almost inevitable. And while the people of Gaza will once again prove their resilience, the world can no longer just stand aside and watch.

Resource: Amazon.org