|
War and Being and Nothingness |
 |
 |
 |
|
Written by David Swanson
|
|
Saturday, 21 January 2012 13:07 |
 The best book I've read in a very long time is a new one: "The End of War" by John Horgan. Its conclusions will be vigorously resisted by many and yet, in a certain light, considered perfectly obvious to some others. The central conclusion -- that ending the institution of war is entirely up to us to choose -- was, arguably, reached by (among many others before and since) John Paul Sartre sitting in a café utilizing exactly no research.
Horgan is a writer for "Scientific American," and approaches the question of whether war can be ended as a scientist. It's all about research. He concludes that war can be ended, has in various times and places been ended, and is in the process (an entirely reversible process) of being ended on the earth right now.
The war abolitionists of the 1920s Outlawry movement would have loved this book, would have seen it as a proper extension of the ongoing campaign to rid the world of war. But it is a different book from theirs. It does not preach the immorality of war. That idea, although proved truer than ever by the two world wars, failed to prevent the two world wars. When an idea's time has come and also gone, it becomes necessary to prove to people that the idea wasn't rendered impossible or naïve by "human nature" or grand forces of history or any other specter. Horgan, in exactly the approach required, preaches the scientific observation of the success (albeit incomplete as yet) of preaching the immorality of war.
|
|
We Are Not At War With Religion |
|
|
|
|
Tuesday, 17 January 2012 13:30 |
 It's become clear to me that most members who join United Progressives do not understand clearly our mission. So let me state this as succinctly as I can.
Our mission is to not primarily to oppose war; it is not primarily to support healthcare for all; and it is not primarily to fight draconian laws like the NDAA. Our mission is primarily to unite progressives. Progressives indeed are those who obviously already do oppose war, support healthcare for all, etc., and our mission is to bring them together under one roof so that we can form a strong powerful constituency that declares its stance on such issues. We believe, however, in working with other organizations which do take up single issue causes and in supporting them rather than attempting to duplicate their efforts.
If you are a member and you are not inviting progressive friends to join our group, then it is of interest to us to know why you are here. We appreciate your commitment to progressive values, but we also have a job to do. If you want power in this community, then you must accept responsibility for it as well.
|
|
Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 13:37 |
|
January 5 th – Remembrance of Self-determination in Kashmir |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 07 January 2012 08:06 |
 by Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai
(ed. note: Apologies for the slight delay in publishing this article.)
January 5, 2012 The status of Jammu and Kashmir has been in dispute between India and Pakistan since both became independent in 1947. A U.N. commission obtained acceptance on January 5, 1949 by both parties of a peace plan involving a cease fire, demilitarization of the state and a plebiscite under the supervision of a U.N. appointed administrator. The Security Council urged that the people of Kashmir will have right of self-determination to decide the future status of their homeland. The resolution was negotiated with both India and Pakistan and accepted by all five members of the Commission, Argentina, Belgium, Columbia, Czechoslovakia and the United States. The cease-fire took effect accordingly, but the plan bogged down when India balked at implementing the demilitarization phase, which envisioned a synchronized withdrawal by the forces of both India & Pakistan. The situation lapsed into a stalemate.
|
|
|
A.I.P.A.C.: Persuading Americans to break the law? |
|
|
|
|
Thursday, 19 January 2012 10:40 |
by Clive Hambidge
Habituation writes James Austin M.D “means that repeated stimuli yield a decreasing response.” Conversely and importantly he goes on, “Sensitization implies that responses increase when stronger stimuli are repeated.” For in this understanding, “we are addressing the basis of the freshness of vision of the artist or poet; focusing on the possible ways to relieve the depressed person held in the grip of a dreary grey world”, or indeed a Nation, Palestine, gripped by the dreary politics “free of law” of an increasingly violent Israel. Moreover, “some people habituate consistently; others do not.” (Austin). It is crucial then that we, the right minded, faced with propaganda “habitually” spewed forth by the State, organs of the State and influencers of the State like American Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to become “Enmeshed in a propaganda system of awesome effectiveness.” (Chomsky), in “locutions” pernicious and with a distinct narrative of organized violence, sucking us into the undertow of American Israeli hegemony, that we ask this simple question if “There is an intimate interdependence of intellect and morals. Given the equality of two intellects-which form the most reliable judgements, the good, or the bad hearted?” (Emerson). Having answered this satisfactorily, to know then “by our public force can we share and know the nature of things” (Emerson) we thereby free ourselves from the propagandists, and come upon this aphorism: it's the law stupid ! For “The law is the basis of the human mind. In us, it is inspiration; out there in Nature we see its fatal strength. We call it the moral sentiment” (Emerson).
|
|
World Civilian Coalition Gathers for Global March to Jerusalem |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 14 January 2012 09:36 |
 |
| Dr. Paul Larudee |
Beirut -The International Executive Committee of the Global March to Jerusalem announces the completion of the preparations for the Second International Conference where the representatives of the International Committees involved in the organization of the Global March to Jerusalem will meet. The conference will be held in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday 17th-18th January, 2012.
This meeting will be held to implement the decisions of the previous meeting, held in Amman last month, in which there was a consensus to form an International Central Committee representing all regions of the world and an International Advisory Board of eminent international figures for the march. The date for the onset of the March was agreed to be on the 30th of March, 2012, which marks the 36th anniversary of Palestinian Land Day, when peaceful protest against massive expropriation of Palestinian land was brutally met with deadly force by Zionist troops. About 40 delegates representing the International Committees throughout the seven continents of the world will be attending the meeting in Beirut.
|
|
‘Fai was never accused being a Pakistani spy': KAC |
|
|
|
|
Saturday, 31 December 2011 10:18 |
| |
Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai
|
Letter to the Kashmir Times
This letter was published in ‘Kashmir Times' on December 25, 2011, and written by Sareer A. Fazili, Esq. Kashmiri American Council.
Dear Editor,
I had the honor of speaking on behalf of the Kashmiri American Council at a seminar organized by Tehreek-E-Hurriyat on December 24, 2011. I addressed the gathering from America by phone. In reading your article reporting on my speech, I notice that I have been grievously misquoted. Your paper has reported "The KAC came under scanner after the American agency FBI found Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai, who was heading it, involved in spying for Pakistan intelligence agency ISI. He was also accused of trying to influence American policy on Kashmir. Dr Fai later pleaded guilty on federal charges of spying for ISI." This is totally inaccurate.
|
|
Last Updated on Saturday, 31 December 2011 10:28 |
|
“Mubarak is neither a tyrant nor a bloodthirsty man. He is a clean man, who could say no wrong. Mubarak has seriously and faithfully worked to the best of his abilities and energy for Egypt and its people and lived a life burdened by his nation's problems” Said Fareed El-Deeb, Mubarak's lawyer as he argued his case at a latest hearing and just days prior to the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution.
Facebook 
Twitter 
Myspace 
Linkedin 
Digg 
Del.icoi.us 
Reddit 
Blogger 
