Organize for an Antiwar Government
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Demonstrate February 4 to Oppose War Against Syria and Iran
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February 4 Rallies and Marches
• Statement on the Assassination of Iranian Scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and the Growing Threat of War Against the Islamic Republic of Iran
International News
• U.S. to Expand Military Presence in the Philippines
Organize for an Antiwar Government
Demonstrate February 4 to Oppose War
Against Syria and Iran
On February 4 demonstrations in more than 40 cities nationwide are being organized to oppose U.S. aggression and war against Iran and Syria. The demonstrations are taking their stand against U.S. sanctions, assassinations, intervention and war.
Whenever the U.S. organizes to commit the crime of aggression, whether it was against Korea, or Vietnam, or Iraq, Afghanistan and now Iran and Syria, it generates broad disinformation to block resistance at home and abroad. The U.S. strives to hide that it is U.S. imperialism that is the threat, its wars of aggression the crimes. Yet more criminal aggression is increasing insecurity, increasing the danger of world war.
Long experience makes clear U.S. aggression solves no problem and harms the peoples and their struggle to determine their own affairs. Experience like the colonization of Puerto Rico, U.S. aggression against Mexico, in El Salvador, Chile, as well as against Palestine, Iraq and Libya, all show U.S. intervention anywhere is a threat to peace and security everywhere. Now again it is necessary to oppose U.S. intervention against Iran and Syria! The security of the peoples, in the U.S. and abroad lies in defending the rights of all, including the right to resist and the right to decide.
In his State of the Union address President Obama again said a military attack against Iran is possible: “America is determined to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and I will take no options off the table to achieve that goal.” The U.S. has tried to provoke a military confrontation, sending additional warships into the region, using drones in Iran airspace, using special forces, and so forth. Iran has not invaded anyone for hundreds of years, the U.S. admits she has no nuclear weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency says the same. Yet the constant crime of war propaganda against Iran is unending.
The sanctions against Iran are already harming the health and well being of the Iranians, just as they did the Iraqis. A planned bombing attack using bunker busters, considered “tactical nuclear weapons” would be devastating to the people of Iran and the region.
Syrians demonstrate in support of Palestinians
In Syria the U.S. and its NATO forces are arming and training so-called “rebels,” while promoting the disinformation that the people of Syria want a U.S. invasion. The U.S. organized “rebels” are being used to provoke violence inside Syria so the U.S. can justify attacking, claiming it is, once again, "protecting civilians." The promise of protecting civilians is certainly an empty one, given the broad attack on civilians imposed by sanctions and the threatened bombing raids.
The repeated and massive demonstrations by Syrians, including in the capital Damascus and elsewhere, have made clear they oppose U.S. intervention. This reality was further confirmed by a recent poll funded by the anti-Syrian Qatar Foundation, preformed by the Doha Debates: “According to the latest opinion poll commissioned by The Doha Debates, Syrians are more supportive of their president with 55 percent not wanting him to resign,” (January 2, 2012).
It is also the case that the fall of Syria would have serious consequences for the resistance struggles in Lebanon and Palestine, as Syria serves as a block against U.S. and Israeli aggression. This is another reason the U.S. wants to achieve regime change while the peoples are resisting U.S. aggression. For U.S. rulers, a weakening of Syria is also seen as a weakening of Iran. President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, speaking a day after the United States announced new measures against Iran, said that the “End of the Assad regime would constitute Iran’s greatest setback in the region yet — a strategic blow that will further shift the balance of power in the region against Iran,” and for U.S. Empire.
People of the U.S. stand against U.S. Empire and with peoples of the world in demanding an end to U.S. wars. People of the U.S. want to have relations of mutual respect and benefit with the peoples worldwide, as evidence by the various people-to-people trips made to Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iran and elsewhere. As a critical step to achieve such relations, main demands are All U.S. Troops Home Now! No to Use of Force in Settling Conflicts!
Voice of Revolution urges all to join in demonstrations February 4 and oppose war against Iran and Syria. And in this election year, let all redouble efforts to discuss and find practical means to bring into being an anti-war government. Let there be anti-war candidates, let there be broad promotion among the workers fighting for rights to come forward as worker politicians representing an anti-war, pro-social agenda.
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February 4 Rallies and Marches
East Coast
Massachusetts
Boston, 1pm, Tremont & Park St.
Connecticut
New Haven, 11am, New Haven Green, 141 Church St.
New York
Albany, noon, Wolf Road & Central Ave, March 1pm to mall recruiting station.
Buffalo, 3pm, Rally at Niagara Square
New York City, 1pm, North end of Times Square - Duffy Square. March to the U.S. & Israeli missions to the United Nations
Rochester, 11am, Public Market, 280 North Union St.
Saratoga, Noon, at Broadway by Post Office, Weekly Vigil Site
Pennsylvania
Harrisburg, Noon, State Capitol Steps, 3rd Street Side at North & Walnut
Philadelphia, Noon, 5th & Market, Independence Hall
Maryland
Baltimore, Friday, February 3 at 5pm rush hour McKelvin Sq, Pratt & Light Street
Washington DC
Noon, Lafayette Square, White House
South
Virginia
Blacksburg, 2pm Main Post Office
Norfolk, 1pm, City Hall Ave at Saint Paul Blvd.
Richmond, Noon, Federal Building.
Tennessee
Nashville, Friday, February 3, 2pm, Nashville Legislative Plaza 6th Ave & Deaderick St
North Carolina
Raleigh, Friday, February 3, 4:30pm, Federal Building, 310 New Bern Ave.
South Carolina
Rock Hill, 7pm, at Byrnes Auditorium at Winthrop University, 701 Oakland Ave.
Georgia
Atlanta, 4:30 - 5:30pm, CNN Center, Marietta & Centennial Olympic Park
Florida
Tampa, Noon - 2pm, March on McDill Air Force Base, CentComm, Rally at Gandy Blvd. & Dale Mabry Highway
Texas
Houston, 3:30-5:30, corner of Post Oak and Westheimer. Gather outside Starbucks and we will then occupy all four corners of the busiest intersection in Houston
Oklahoma
Tulsa, Noon at Southwest Corner of 41st and Yale Ave.
Oklahoma City, Thursday February 2, 4:30pm at Gold Dome corner, 1112 Northwest 23rd Street
Midwest
Ohio
Columbus, 6:30pm at Goodale St. & N. High St.
Defiance, Noon at Defiance County Courthouse, 221 Clinton Street
Michigan
Ann Arbor, Noon in Kerrytown (in front of the People's Food Co-op).
Detroit, 2pm, Grand Circus Park – Woodward Ave at Adams
Kochville, 12 noon, Bay Rd & Tittabawassee Rd
Illinois
Bloomington, Thursday, February 2, 5:30pm, at Center for the Performing Arts, 600 East Street
Champaign-Urbana, 2pm at Neil and Main St.
Chicago, Noon, Federal Plaza
Wisconsin
Green Bay, Noon at Lambeau Field
Milwaukee, Noon at East Capitol Dr. Bridge just east of Capitol Ave & Humbold Blvd.
Racine, 10-11am, Northwest corner of Highways 20 and 31
Minnesota
Minneapolis, 3 pm at 3rd St & Cedar Avenue South
Iowa
Des Moines, 6pm at Nollen Plaza, Des Moines Civic Center, 221 Walnut St
West
Arizona
Phoenix, 2pm Cesar Chavez Plaza, 200 W Washington
Tucson, 6pmUnitarian Universalist Church, 4831 E. 22 St.
Utah
Salt Lake City, 3pm Downtown Federal Building, 125 State St.
Washington State
Seattle, 1:30 Westlake Center, March to Military processing center
California
Los Angeles, Noon, Wilshire & Western Metro Stop; 2 pm Westwood Fed eral Building, next to UCLA campus
San Francisco, Noon Powell & Market, BART Plaza
Truckee, Noon, Donner Pass Rd/ Highway 89
Hawai'i
Honolulu, 7pm Heart of Waikiki, Kalkaua Ave & Seaside Ave.
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Statement on the Assassination of Iranian Scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and the Growing Threat of War Against the Islamic Republic of Iran
Another Iranian scientist has been assassinated in Iran by a car bombing. This is the fifth Iranian scientist targeted in Iran during the past two years. This is a dangerous escalation of the covert activities conducted by the CIA and Israeli intelligence and their domestic spies in Iran against the government and people of Iran.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated, “I want to categorically deny any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran.” However, both the Israeli and the U.S. governments have admitted to covert activity in Iran. Irrespective of the actors, the assassination of law-abiding scientists living and working in Iran is a reprehensible act that should be condemned by all.
The fact is that the governments of the U.S. and Israel have declared Iran to be their enemy and have publicly stated that they will use all means possible, up to and including military attack, to stop the production of nuclear energy in Iran and to change the government of Iran. To this end, they have admitted to:
• Using hacking to disrupt nuclear energy facilities in Iran
• Conducting covert operations in Iran
• Deploying spy drones to Iran
• Imposing draconian sanctions and embargo against Iranian oil exports, banking and trade
• Deploying U.S. nuclear super carrier battle groups with destroyers and nuclear submarines to the Persian Gulf
• Threatening Iran with military attack
• Planning to hold in January the largest ever joint military exercises with Israel
The assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists falls within the covert activities in disrupting nuclear energy production in Iran. In addition, it works to create an atmosphere of fear among other Iranian scientists who want to work in their field of study. This is similar to the right-wing assassinations of physicians in the U.S. who perform the procedure of abortion, which is legal in the U.S. The terrorists who kill scientists aim to make it difficult for the Iranian nuclear energy industry to find scientists who would work there. However, the people of Iran have repeatedly stated their resolve to defend their right to nuclear energy.
Considering that Hillary Clinton threatened Iran with military attack, it is disingenuous for her to state that the U.S. denies involvement in any act of violence within Iran. A military attack on Iran, especially an attack on Iran’s nuclear energy facilities, would produce results similar to a nuclear attack. (U.S. Concerned Scientists report.) It would be the most violent act against the people of Iran, resulting in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths.
All the actions listed above, sanctioned by the U.S. government, are intended to weaken the Iranian government and economy, create an atmosphere of fear and dissatisfaction among the people, increase unrest, and decrease trust, all in the service of making it easier for a military attack on Iran. Of course, so far these actions have only strengthened the Iranian people’s resolve to protect their country against Imperialism.
Similar U.S. actions are aimed at any government, which fails to submit to the U.S. corporate domination. This disobedience or defiance by Iran is its real “crime.”
It is extremely important that all international and especially U.S. antiwar and progressive organizations condemn these acts of assassination of innocent citizens as well as all forms of violent and aggressive actions by the U.S. and Israel.
Condemn the assassination of Iranian scientists
End all sanctions against Iran
End covert activities inside Iran
End all war threats against Iran
No war, No Sanctions, No Internal Intervention in Iran!
January 16, 2012
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An article in the Washington Post on January 26 revealed that a delegation from the Philippines was engaged in bilateral talks in Washington to negotiate the expansion of the American military presence in the country. The provocative move is a key step in US imperialism’s strategy to contain China.
The bilateral talks were announced during the visit of US Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman to the Philippines last week, although the subject to be discussed was simply termed ‘maritime security.’ Higher-level talks are scheduled to take place in March between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and their Philippine counterparts. These negotiations are scheduled to culminate in talks between President Barack Obama and Philippine President Benigno Aquino in the White House in May.
The Washington Post stated: “Among the options under consideration are operating Navy ships from the Philippines, deploying troops on a rotational basis and staging more frequent joint exercises. Under each scenario, US forces would effectively be guests at existing foreign bases.” The Philippine officials, who spoke under conditions of anonymity, told the Post the Philippines was willing “to host American ships and surveillance aircraft.”
This arrangement would not involve a permanent US military base but rather the long-term deployment of US forces at a major local facility. Pentagon officials referred to this policy as ‘maintaining a light footprint.’ In essence, the ‘light footprint’ policy is a means of passing much of the economic cost of deployment onto the host country, and of circumventing the constitutional issues and political controversy involved in establishing a major permanent base.
The deployment of US vessels and forces in the Philippines would be a further ratcheting up of the Obama administration’s confrontation with China in the Asia Pacific generally, and particularly in the South China Sea.
Concerned at the rising economic power of China, US imperialism has asserted its ‘national interest’ in the vital waterways of the South China Sea. Over the past two years it has backed up this claim with diplomatic maneuvering, political machinations within each country in the region, and increased military deployments.
Washington has stationed Littoral Combat Ships in Singapore, guarding the crucial Strait of Malacca; conducted numerous joint war games with regional powers, each scenario increasingly provocative; and, most importantly, has signed basing arrangements for stationing 2,500 US Marines in northern Australia, as well as access to Australian naval and air bases. The deal being concluded with the Philippines follows this pattern.
The South China Sea and key waterways such as the Strait of Malacca are central to Washington’s ambitions to control China’s shipping lanes for energy and raw materials from Africa and the Middle East. The influential think tank Center for a New American Security released a position paper on the South China Sea on January 9 that explained: “To the extent that the world economy has a geographical center, it is in the South China Sea. The South China Sea is where a militarily rising China is increasingly challenging American naval preeminence—a trend that, if left on its present trajectory, could upset the balance of power that has existed since the end of World War II.”
Among the cornerstones of American military preeminence in the 20th century were its bases in the Philippines—the Subic Naval Base and Clark Air Force Base. During their operation, they were the largest overseas US bases anywhere in the world. Established in the aftermath of the US colonial occupation of the Philippines, the bases were a mainstay in asserting the interests of US imperialism during the Cold War.
An eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 devastated Clark Air Force Base. The US government declared the base a ‘total loss.’ In late 1991, in response to intense popular pressure and against the strongly expressed wishes of President Corazon Aquino, the Philippine Senate voted not to extend the US lease on Subic. Washington’s refusal to disclose the presence of nuclear warheads at the naval base, in flagrant violation of Philippine law, was a key issue in the debate.
The loss of both Subic and Clark was a sharp blow to US interests. In 1999, the Philippine government signed a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with Washington that laid the groundwork for renewed US troop deployment in the Philippines under the auspices of training exercises. The VFA allowed the US military to retain jurisdiction over US military personnel accused of committing crimes in the Philippines, effectively granting them immunity from prosecution.
Under the auspices of the VFA, Washington began a series of ‘temporary military exercises’ against the Muslim insurgency in the Southern Philippines termed Balikatan – ‘shoulder to shoulder.’ January 2012 marks the 10th year of the uninterrupted Balikatan deployment of 1,200 US soldiers in the Philippines. Balikatan underscores what Washington means when it negotiates the ‘temporary’ stationing of military forces.
During the 2001-10 decade, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo maintained the country’s military alliance with the US, but sought closer economic and political relations with China. President Benigno Aquino has, since assuming office, sharply reversed this trend. Washington has backed his consolidation of political power, and supported, both militarily and diplomatically, his increasingly confrontational stance toward China in the South China Sea.
The stationing of US ships and forces in the Philippines will likely occur again at Subic Bay. In April 2011, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on negotiations between visiting US diplomats and the Aquino administration on the US military’s possible use of Subic.
China has not taken the Obama’s stance lying down. At every turn, China has expressed its displeasure. The South China Sea is vital to China’s geostrategic interests. In 2011, People’s Liberation Army Navy commander Wu Shengli, when asked at a forum in Singapore about China’s outrage over the US role in the South China Sea, responded: “How would you feel if I cut off your arms and legs? That’s how China feels about the South China Sea.”
The United States also has its eye on Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. The Washington Post report stated: “The strategic talks with the Philippines are in addition to feelers that the Obama administration has put out to other Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam and Thailand.”
Obama’s policy of asserting US military might in the South China Sea through the deployment of forces in Australia, Singapore, the Philippines and possibly Vietnam and Thailand is an open attempt to encircle China. It is a reckless policy that has the potential to lead to war on a global scale.
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