MLK vs War Funding by David Swanson

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King Jr.

We do remember that you said this:

"This business of burning human beings with napalm, of filling our nation's homes with orphans and widows, of injecting poisonous drugs of hate into veins of people normally humane, of sending men home from dark and bloody battlefields physically handicapped and psychologically deranged, cannot be reconciled with wisdom, justice and love. A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death." -- MLK
David gave me permission to post this for him.

Vigils Against War Funding to Be Held at Congressional Offices Nationwide


As the country celebrates the life of Martin Luther King on January 18, Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) will launch on January 20 the Brown Bag Lunch Vigils to be held every third Wednesday each month. The vigils are an expansion of their Healthcare NOT Warfare campaign.

With the White House having just announced its intention of requesting another record military budget ($708 billion, not including military budgets in the Departments of State and Energy or the CIA) and another war supplemental ($33 billion), it is appropriate that the first lunchtime vigils will take place immediately following Martin Luther King Day.

Colorful vigils and pickets are already planned in many congressional districts, including the following, with others being added: AZ-3, AZ-5, CA-6, CA-22, CA-23, CA-48, FL-10, FL-17, MA-2, MI-9, OH-13, OH-17, PA-7, WA-2, WA-6, WI-3, WI-7. More details are available about each location online: http://tinyurl.com/brownbagvigil

PDA is asking members of the House to publicly commit to voting “No” on any bills that fund wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, or Yemen, and to publicly urge their colleagues and the House leadership to make the same commitment. As lesser steps in the same direction, PDA is encouraging congress members to cosponsor HR 2454, calling for an exit strategy from Afghanistan, and HR 3699, prohibiting any increase in the number of U.S. Armed Forces in Afghanistan.


$33 Billion More for Wars? Hell No!

DefundWar.org logo

2010: Obama wants yet another $33 billion for wars.

If the U.S. House of Representatives votes No on war funding, war ends. Wars have been ended this way before.

A majority of the full House is 218.

In June 2009, 202 voted No but most of them had unrelated motivations.

In December 2009, 34 voted No. We should reward them.

Here's a flyer on ending the war in Afghanistan: PDF. Here's how to step up your activism. Here's what's needed instead of bombs and guns. Here's a way to nonviolently resist. You should build a campaign in your state like this one in Maine. Join midday vigils in front of every congressional office in the country on the 3rd Wednesday of the month: sign up.

Facts you can use: A report from the National Priorities Project (PDF) contains on pages 23 and 24 documentation of how investing in military reduces jobs and hurts economy. Get cost of war to your area here, but multiply it by five. Get cost of military contracts to your area here. Where U.S. public opinion is.

Try an AVATAR Awakening.

Track every congress member's commitment to blocking war funding at http://defundwar.org


Protest Murderous CIA Drones, and March to Cheney's House to Arrest Him

When: Saturday, January 16, 2010, 1:00pm - 4:00pm

Where: CIA Headquarters (Langley, Virginia)

It was recently announced that the White House gave the CIA permission to increase its drone bombings in Pakistan of which to date over 1/3rd of the deaths are civilian.

The CIA is a profoundly violent and corrupt organization and, while we don't think the Military should be using manned, or unmanned aerial vehicles, we think the drone bombings from CIA robots are particularly despicable.

Many of us will be in the DC area for the Witness Against Torture vigil-fast from Dec 11-22, so we decided to do this protest on Saturday, January 16th.

Speakers: Cindy Sheehan, Cynthia McKinney, Kathy Kelly, Debra Sweet and Col. (Ret.) Ann Wright, Bruce Gagnon, Joshua Smith (Technical Briefing).

Songs of Social Significance to be performed by David Rovics.


Be the Change that MLK Planned to Be

Join us in
organized
creative
nonviolence
in Washington, D.C.,
beginning March 13 at
http://peaceoftheaction.org





"Daybreak" Released as Audio Book and Kindle Book

Now you can listen to David Swanson's best-selling "Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union" for $7.49 if you sign up for audio books or for full price of $22.95:
http://tinyurl.com/daybreakaudio

And now you can read "Daybreak" on your kindle reader for $9.99:
http://tinyurl.com/daybreakkindle

And you can pick up copies of the old-fashioned paperback book for as low as $11.47 new or $9.94 used:
http://tinyurl.com/daybreakbook

Have fun listening and reading!

Only 8 Stops Left on 50-City Daybreak Tour

Jan. 14, 15 San Diego, CA
Jan. 16 Van Nuys and Ventura, CA
Jan. 17 Phoenix, AZ
Jan. 25 Palm Beach, FL
Feb. 22 St. Louis, MO
Feb. 23 Chicago, IL
Feb. 24 Boston, MA

Plus:
March 20: Charlottesville, VA, at the Virginia Festival of the Book
http://www.davidswanson.org/book

Is David on everyone's shit list now? Where is the anti-war crowd?

:hi:

for some reason it didn't show up when I actually posted it. ( Via Facebook. )

and Happy Birthday Martin!
Your words ring as clear and true today as they ever did.

:hi:

BEYOND VIETNAM
April 4, 1967, Riverside Church, NYC

I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice.

http://www.aavw.org/special_features/speeches_speech_king01.html

:hug: