Washington, DC -- On Wed. May 14, four members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) tes
Washington, DC -- On Wed. May 14, four members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) testified about retaliatory harassment they have experienced during their military service. As participants in the Congressional No Fear Tribunal, which is being sponsored by the No FEAR Institute, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Senator Charles Grassley, they presented testimony to both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
IVAW members shared their personal stories to advocate for legislation that would prevent and/or hold accountable military commanders for punishing their subordinates for speaking out within their rights.
Testifiers include:
Adam Kokesh, former Marine and member of IVAW's Board of Directors, who will discuss the downgrading of discharges and harassment of members of the Marine Corps IRR (Individual Ready Reserve).
Geoff Millard, Infantryman with NY Army National Guard, who will testify to threats and harassment he received while serving.
Mark Wilkerson, former Military Police Officer in Iraq, who will discuss the harassment he received while attempting to get his CO (Conscientious Objector) status approved.
Thomas J Buonomo, former Military Intelligence Officer, who will testify about being involuntarily discharged from the Army after sending letters to his Congressional representatives.
IVAW members will be joined by attorney Mike Lebowitz, a reserve JAG officer and Iraq veteran who specializes in military free speech issues. Adam Kokesh will also be giving a keynote address on Monday, May 12th, as part of the Whistleblower Week's opening plenary session.
Iraq Veterans Against the War was founded in 2004 to give those who have served in the military since September 11, 2001 a way to come together and speak out against an unjust, illegal and unwinnable occupation. Today, IVAW has over 1,000 members in 43 states, Washington, D.C. and Canada and on military bases overseas.
www.w3conference.org
www.ivaw.org
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Added: 2 months ago
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The Palestinian Exile, also known as Al Nakba (Arabic for "The Catastrophe"), refers to th
The Palestinian Exile, also known as Al Nakba (Arabic for "The Catastrophe"), refers to the ethnic cleansing of native Palestinian peoples ... all ยป during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
From December 1947 until November 1948, Zionist forces (namely the Irgun, Lehi, Haganah terrorist gangs) expelled approximately 750, 000 indigenous Palestinians--almost 2/3 of the population--from their homes.
Hundreds of Palestinians were also murdered for refusing to leave their homes. The most notable massacre is the Deir Yassin Massacre, in which an estimated 120 Palestinian civilians were brutally murdered by an Irgun-Lehi force. Other massacres include the ones at Sahila (70-80 killed), Lod (250 killed), and Abu Shusha (70 killed). About 40 other massacres were carried out by Zionist forces in just the summer of 1948.
Not only did Zionist forces conduct massacres of Palestinian civilians, rape occured as well. According to Israeli historian Benny Morris, "In Acre four soldiers raped a girl and murdered her and her father. In Jaffa, soldiers of the Kiryati Brigade raped one girl and tried to rape several more. At Hunin, which is in the Galilee, two girls were raped and then murdered. There were one or two cases of rape at Tantura, south of Haifa. There was one case of rape at Qula, in the center of the country. At the village of Abu Shusha, near Kibbutz Gezer [in the Ramle area] there were four female prisoners, one of whom was raped a number of times. And there were other cases. Usually more than one soldier was involved. Usually there were one or two Palestinian girls. In a large proportion of the cases the event ended with murder. Because neither the victims nor the rapists liked to report these events, we have to assume that the dozen cases of rape that were reported, which I found, are not the whole story. They are just the tip of the iceberg."
During Al Nakba, Palestinians were murdered, raped, and ethnically cleansed from their villages. According to Israeli historian, Ilan Pappe, "In a matter of seven months, 531 villages were destroyed and 11 urban neighborhoods emptied."
Palestinians were forced into were forced out of Palestine and into neighboring countries (i.e. Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan), where they lived in refugee camps. Many were also sent to camps in West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Most Palestinian towns were demolished and taken by the newly established Israeli government to make room for new Jewish immigrants. Old Palestinian infrastructures, as well as many ruins dating back from the Canaanites, Romans, Greeks, Crusaders, Arabs, and Ottoman Turks were completely destroyed. This signified the end of historical Palestine and the birth of modern-day Israel.
Al Nakba marked the beginning of the Palestinian refugee crisis. Al Nakba destroyed a thriving and diverse Palestinian society and scattered them into diaspora. According to the UNRWA, the number of registered Palestinian refugees today is approximately 4.5 million. These refugees are dispersed throughout the world, many of which are still living in poverty-stricken refugee camps. Today, the situation keeps worsening and thousands die from malnutrition, contaminated water, or scarce medical supply.
Israel has since refused to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homes, and has refused to pay them compensation as required by UN Resolution 194, which was passed on December 11, 1948.
Historically, the Israeli government, Israeli schools, and Israeli historians have denied that Al Nakba has occured. However, The New Historians, a loosely-defined group of Israeli historians, have recently published information recognizing the Al Nakba tragedy and controversial views of matters concerning Israel, particularly events concerning its birth in 1948. Much of their material comes from recently declassified Israeli government papers. Leading scholars in this school include Benny Morris, Ilan Pappe, Avi Shlaim, and Tom Segev. Many of their conclusions have been attacked by other scholars and Israeli historians, who continue deny Al Nakba even occured.
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Added: 11 months ago
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The White House's propaganda campaign for military action against Iran is now in full gear
The White House's propaganda campaign for military action against Iran is now in full gear. This video offers a brief but deeply troubling chronicle of Bush's public warmongering, dating back to his 2002 State of the Union Address. Forewarned is forearmed. NOTE: For a psychological analysis of warmongering, please watch "Resisting the Drums of War" at http://www.eidelsonconsulting.com/videos.php
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Added: 9 months ago
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While the world travels into the future, we Americans are stuck in the past. Every time ou
While the world travels into the future, we Americans are stuck in the past. Every time our heart beats we lose more jobs, we lose more homes, but most important we lose our youth, we lose our future. To catch up with the future, we have to CHANGE Washington.
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Added: 3 months ago
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http://warongreed.org/ Henry Kravis is a billionaire, the 57th richest person in America.
http://warongreed.org/ Henry Kravis is a billionaire, the 57th richest person in America. He acquired this wealth by purchasing public companies with borrowed money. To pay off the debt, he cuts benefits at the company, sells its assets, and lays off employees.
This get-rich-quick scheme made him $450 million last year. Meanwhile, his tax rate is lower than teachers, firemen, nurses, even his own cleaning staff!
Yet everyday we hear another story, we live another experience, we see another example of the horrific economic pain our country is being devastated by.
It's time all of us started a WAR ON GREED. http://warongreed.org/
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Added: 7 months ago
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Photos of our protesting Bush's veto of he Congress war-funding bill (May,02,2007) and mor
Photos of our protesting Bush's veto of he Congress war-funding bill (May,02,2007) and more...
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Added: 1 year ago
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