July — August

Monday, Aug. 9 & Sept. 13

The Yakima Valley Peace Advocates Network (YVPAN) will have its monthly meeting at the Unitarian

Universalist Church, 225 N. 2nd St. in Yakima, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Enter from the alley in back of the church. YVPAN meets at

that location on the second Monday of each month. YVPAN is

the group that plans local peace actions, such as military counter-recruitment and signing for peace at street corners. All who wish for peace and are willing to work for it are welcome to attend the meetings, Why not join us and help plan? To find out about

YVPAN, as well as other peace activities in the Northwest,

go to www.yvpan.net. At the same website, you can reach links to other peace organizations, such as Veterans for Peace. Also, you can now read The Jackrabbit News there online.

Friday, Aug. 13 & Saturday, Aug. 14

Big, big yard sale, 7200 Midvale Rd. (corner of Midvale

& S. 72nd Ave.) 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A fundraiser for Yakima

County Democrats. Some great bargains.

Sunday, Aug. 15 & Sept. 19

Signing for peace at the intersection of S. 16th Ave. &

Nob Hill Blvd. in Yakima, 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. We sign at

that location the third Sunday of each month. Bring your own

sign or use one of ours. We need more participants to take the

places of our elderly peace activists who have literally given their all and now can’t come due to health problems. They would feel honored if new recruits for peace action would step

in to fill the ranks. Why not give it a try? It was citizen action

that finally brought the long, bloody Vietnam War to an end,

not the goodness of heart of Richard Nixon or Henry Kissinger.

Quotes of the month

The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our mode of thinking, and we thus drift toward

unparalleled catastrophe

.........Albert Einstein

While Uncle Sam continues to maintain a nuclear

arsenal capable of destroying life on earth, the American finger-wagging at Iran is something righteous to behold.

..........Norman Solomon

The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom,

power without conscience.

Ours is a world of nuclear

giants and ethical infants

.........General Omar Bradley

2010

WikiLeaks uncovers secret documents

In July, WikiLeaks, the online Bitish whistleblower website, made public some 92,000 classified

military documents and gave them to The New York Times, The Guardian(British), and Der Spiegel (German

magazine).

The documents covered a six-year period in the

war in Afghanistan. While few of the disclosures are

really new, many of the documents represent a sort of

diary of events from the point of view of U.S. combat troops, often in their own words.

The war portrayed in the documents is one in

which the Taliban grows stronger and more deadly each year, with the U.S. forces lacking the resources to cope.

Some of the documents allege that Pakistan’s

chief apy agency collaborated with the Taliban, and their

release is now apparently causing a rift between the U.S.

and its ally. Pakistani officials vehemently denounced the

allegations, saying that the U.S. is using Pakistan as a

scapegoat for its failing war.

Afghan officials, however, had a different

reaction. Wahid Omar, President Karzai’s spokesman,

said that Karzai was "shocked" about the huge number of

documents leaked, but not shocked about their content.

He said that the disclosures would help increase world

awareness of civilian casualties and Pakistan’s role in

fomenting the insurgency.

"We have been saying this for a long time, that

Pakistan is not honest when it comes to their cooperation

in the war on terror. Now, I think it is up to the U.S.

administration what to do about it," said Haroun Mir,

a political analyst in Afghanistan.

Not since the famous Pentagon Papers case in the Nixon years, where Daniel Ellsberg "stole" documents about how the U.S. got involved in Vietnam, has there been a leak of this magnitude. That leak is credited with

helping to end the longest war in U.S. history up to that

time. Perhaps the WikiLeaks revelations will help us exit

from this one too.

To find out more about the leaks, you can read

The New York Times

or google WikiLeaks. You can view

a video called Collateral Murder, which shows a helicopter

crew shooting a group of Iraqi men. The assault killed twelve people, including two Reuters newsmen.

Coal — not a cheap source of power

There are many hidden costs in burning coal to generate electricity, according to a new study by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Such costs are not always reflected in your

electric utility bill.

The NAS study found that pollutants from U.S. coal-

fired plants caused $62 billion in damages in 2005 alone. The

cost includes premature deaths from the plants’ smokestack

emissions, as well as damage to crops, timber and buildings.

Besides the $62 billion, there are many more $billions

in coal costs not included in the NAS study. The study did not

include the global warming effects of coal burning, even though coal plants are the nation’s main source of greenhouse gases.

Global warming from coal burning could cost us hundreds of $billions, maybe $trillions more.

Also not included is the creation of dangerous coal

ashes and other solid wastes; emissions of toxic arsenic,

cadmium, lead and mercury; pollution of waterways; damage to forests and aquatic ecosystems from acid rain; and mining-related deaths. Also, states that don’t produce enough coal

within their own borders must import it from other states, and

that can be expensive. Georgia, for example, pays other states

$2.6 billion for its coal. North Carolina pays $2.3 billion.

Southeastern states such as Georgia and Alabama are

particularly oblivious to two important ways to reduce

dependence on coal and lower their electrical bills: First,

by developing renewable power sources such as wind, solar

and low-impact hydroelectric power. Second, by saving energy

through more insulation in buildings and more efficient

appliances, etc. The West Coast states, by contrast, are leaders in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Climate bill dies in Senate

On July 22, Senate leader Harry Reid withdrew the

controversial climate bill because he didn’t have the 60 votes

necessary to pass it. July 22 may go down in history as the date when the final nail was driven into the coffin of mankind’s hopes of preventing runaway global warming. Ironically, the first six months of this year were the hottest six months on record.

The failure of Congress to do anything to stop global

warming doesn’t just affect the U.S. If our country, which

emits one-fourth of the world’s greenhouse gases, refuses to slow down its output, we can’t expect other countries to do so. And even though some countries are willing to act on their own to curb carbon emissions, it will be too little and too late.

Senate Republicans and a few Democrats beholden to

big oil and coal companies for their campaign funds blocked

the bill. There is talk of reviving it next year. But

Republicans are expected to make big gains in the November

election, which means that chances of passing a climate bill

after that are very slim indeed.

The oil-soaked Bush administration wasted eight years

denying the reality of global warming and refusing even to attend

or send representatives to international gatherings where it was

being discussed. Obama, at least, seems to be aware of the

peril facing Mother Earth. He attended the G-8 Summit

held in Italy in July, 2009, where the leaders of the wold’s

richest nations vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by

2050. He also met with world leaders at the U.N. climate

conference in Copenhagen in December. And he did push

for climate legislation in Congress.

Overpopulation cause of Earth’s ills

Air and water pollution, soil degradation, water

shortage, famine, species extinctions, oil spills, ocean dead zones, desertification, deforestation, etc., are indications that we are living on a sick planet, which is daily getting sicker. But what really is the root cause of all this? Global

-+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++warming? But what causes that?

Earth’s population of humans now stands at over

6.5 billion, and is expected to reach over nine billion by

2050. The population grows exponentially, a mathematical

term which simply means that the more it grows, the faster

it grows. The world’s population now grows as much in

three days as it did in each century for the first 99% of

human evolution!

The problem of world overpopulation is like the

"third rail" in American politics — touch it and you’re

dead. No politician even wants to talk about it. One key to slowing population growth is to provide help for women who don’t want to have any more children. Here is an

excerpt from a letter by Ed Patton in the Aug. 10

Yakima Herald-Republic

:

"China’s greatest contribution to this planet was

the one-child-per-family policy put in place in the 1970s.

there would be another 300 million to 400 million more

Chinese today if they had not acted. Even so, China’s

population continues to grow by 85 million a year.

"The Pope and all the world’s religious leaders

should step up to their podiums in unison and tell people to

stop the overpopulation madness. Contraception should be

the word of the century. We must attempt to buy time and

slow our carbon footprints. Humankind is on a perilous

trek if it ignores the majority of the world’s leading

scientists. Let’s take a few billion out of the bloated and

insane military budget and increase international family

planning at least tenfold...."

Goodby to internet freedom

(Based on the July, 2010 Hightower Lowdown.)

Four corporate communications giants — Comcast,

Verizon, ATT&T and Time Warner — are out to get control of of what can be put on the internet. These four companies can

do this because together they control 94% of the internet

service provider market, and you have to have an internet

service provider before you can even get on the internet.

Right now, we have what is called "net neutrality,"

which means that everybody has access to all websites on an

equal basis. And everyone who puts up a website — whether a corporate giant or Aunt Minnie next door — is treated equally

by the system. It’s been described as the most democratic of all means of communication. But maybe not for long.

The Big Four, in order to increase their profits, have

mounted a powerful lobbying and PR campaign to destroy

internet neutrality by installing themselves as gatekeepers of

internet content. They already make plenty of money by

charging to connect up plus a monthly fee for internet service.

But they can make $billions more by charging customers

according to content.

A coalition of very diverse groups has been formed to

fight back. Called the Savetheinternet.com Coalition, it

includes the American Library Association, Gun owners of America, the ACLU, the Christian Coalition and many other

organizations. At its website, www.savetheinternet.com,

you can get more information and view a short but cogent video by Senator Al Franken.

But saving the internet will be an uphill battle. The

corporate giants start out with virtually unlimited funds for

advertising, hiring lobbyists and buying themselves some

Congresspersons. Also, they have numerous right wing

organizations and media stooges at their beck (Glenn?) and

call to furnish the lies and distortions.

One clever tactic of the corporate stooges is to

turn the concept of net neutrality upside down. They are

already softening up the public by claiming that it’s big

government that is out to grab control of the internet. They

say that "sweeping government regulations" will lead to a

"nationalized internet." It’s a lot like how Obama’s health

care plan is leading us into "socialized medicine."

The big four have hired an army of lobbyists to

make sure that Congresspersons understand what is required

of them — to kill net neutrality. ATT&T has 84 lobbyists;

Comcast has 93; Time Warner has 87; and Verizon has 118.

Sen. John McCain, who receives more in telecom

campaign contributions than any other member of Congress,

knows where his duty lies. Last October, he introduced

The Internet Freedom Act, which sounds nice, but which would actually ban the FCC from enacting rules to preserve net

neutrality. Faithfully following instructions, McCain said we

should "keep the internet free from government control and

regulations."

We will not be getting much help in saving the internet

from Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski. As a Senator and Presidential candidate,

Barack Obama was a champion of net neutrality, and it was

assumed that his appointed FCC Chairman would be too.

Although Genachowski earlier pledged to safeguard the

internet, he is now showing signs of backing away from

Obama’s internet policies. He recently filed a brief in Federal court supporting the media ownership policies of his Bush-appointed predecessor, Chairman Kevin Martin.

And it gets worse. Commission members, including Genachowski, are reportedly holding closed-door meetings

with the powerful communications companies. They likely

will emerge from the meetings with a deal to let internet

providers set up a "paid prioritization" scheme. In other

words, the companies and individuals that can afford it

will get fast priority access, while those who can’t will get table-scrap internet service.

Afghanistan — time to leave

The U.S., by any measure, has overstayed its welcome

in Afghanistan. The war is getting less popular with the

American people as they come to realize its cost and futility.

And the public’s disillusion with the war is reflected in Congress, newspaper editorials and opinion polls.

A recent USA Today/Gallup poll found that 57% of

Americans support a timetable for removing troops from

Afghanistan, and 62% believe that the war is going "very or

moderately badly."

On July 27, the House passed a bill providing nearly

$59 billion to fund President Obama’s Afghanistan troop surge.

This brought the total amount spent so far for the wars in

Iraq and Afghanistan to over $1 trillion. But the vote was

far from unanimous (308-114), with many in Congress worried

about the country sinking further into debt while neglecting

domestic needs. Democrats Jay Inslee and Jim McDermott of

Washington state were among those who voted against it.

The war in Afghanistan is based on the preposterous

notion that we can somehow transform this impoverished,

medieval country, where tribal warfare is a way of life, into our own image. We think that Afghans are ready and willing to be

trained by us to defend themselves from our enemies. We

think we can set up a democratic, honest government, where

bribery and double-dealing are unknown.

Here’s what we’re up against: Aghanistan is a country

where two-thirds of the adults can’t read or write; where at

least one-fourth of the children die before their fifth birthday;

where 60 percent of the children who do survive are stunted physically and mentally due to lack of nutrition in infancy; where the average Afghan dies before age 45; where the

average Afghan earns about $250 per year; where the police

set up checkpoints along the roads, stop the cars and demand payment to let them pass; where most police won’t investigate

a crime unless the victim pays them a bribe; where an

estimated 90% of the new recruits for the Afghan army are

illiterate; where Hamid Karzai, the country’s President,

is widely believed to have stolen the election; and where

(Continued on Page 4.)

(Afghanistan — continued from Page 3.)

the Karzai government is ranked as one of the most corrupt on Earth.

The war in Afghanistan, now the longest war in U.S.

history, is taking a grim toll on U.S. troops and their families. Many have served multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. The strain has become unbearable for thousands of men and women, especially those who have actually seen combat.

In recent years, there has been an epidemic of military suicides. In 2009, 160 active duty Army soldiers killed

themselves, setting a record for suicides in one year. Also, 52

Marines committed suicide last year. And of course this doesn’t include veterans who served in the wars, leaving the military,

but taking their memories with them.

Thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of military men and women who were involved in the Vietnam, Gulf,

Iraq and Afghanistan wars have returned physically and

psychologically wounded. Sometimes severe brain injuries

from loud explosions have gone unrecognized. When the pain

becomes too much to bear, suicide is the only option.

Trauma from war can lead to severe depression,

nightmares, drug addiction, alcoholism and family breakups.

When you think about it, there is nothing surprising about what

war does to those involved in it. It goes against everything a

person has been taught about how to treat fellow human beings.

Patrick McNulty, a Navy vet who served aboard a

destroyer in Vietnam, recently wrote about his experiences

during and after the war. He describes the fishing villages along the coast that his ship attacked. Here is an excerpt:

"Very early in the morning, while the people were

still sleeping, we began firing on the village of Mo Duc at a

range of 1,500 yards off the coast, ceasing fire just before

daybreak...I could see the devastation: fire and smoke, and I could smell the burning flesh of the attack. I did not know what to think. A few hours later, we resumed shelling Mo Duc from

an even closer range. Mid morning, the crew of a swift boat

arrived and informed us that we had destroyed a church and a school, killing over 235 civiklians (women and children) and

some Vietcong.

"I was horrified. I had joined the Navy to be a Hospital

Corpsman, to keep others alive..not to be a part of a massacre of

innocent women and children! I could not believe that we had

destroyed a church and school while the children were asleep.

We were not shot at or threatened. We simply slaughtered those children at 3:00 a.m. out of nowhere.

"In the afternoon, we were ordered to resume firing.

At this time I was terrified. I did not want to be a part of this

slaughter, but I felt as if I had no choice but to return to my

station and do my duty. That evening, many of us gathered in

the fantail area. I was to stand aft lookout watch. I focused

my binoculars on the nearest village. There were body parts in trees. Women and children lay desd and blown into pieces

along the shoreline near the fishing boats...I passed the binoculars to my shipmates so they could see the devastation. When we saw what we had done, many of us cried, some prayed and some were sick to their stomachs." (McNulty goes on, describing how

his ship went on destroying village after village, sometimes

using white phosphorous, burning people alive.)

"Over the past 44 years, I have tried to forget, but I

cannot. These five days of nearly continuous attack on the

coastal and delta villages of Vietnam changed me forever.

I feel such a deep guilt and rage at having been involved.

"Today...I get depressed. I can hear those children

screaming in fear, I can still see the flames. Every time I drive near a school I think of those Vietnamese children we killed.

I have lived my life in remote areas as far from people as I can

get. I have never had children. I married at age 54 and after

four years, divorced. She couldn’t take my my night sweats,

nightmares, forgetfulness and depression. I have no close

friends, my relatives think I’m insane. We don’t communicate.

"I have lost any faith I ever had in God or people. Prior to Vietnam, I was very active in my Catholic church. Now I

feel as if I lost my soul. Sometimes the flashbacks of seeing

those bodies blown apart, the children especially, brings about

a cold sweat and a confusion with what is real and what is not.

I am not employable. I space out."