Oppose President Trump's Speech at the UN

At the United Nations General Assembly:
Trump Obliterated the U.N. Charter and Declared War on the World

The U.S. Peace Movement Should Not and Cannot Afford to Remain Silent

U.S. Peace Council — September 24, 2017

 
President Trump:

• “The United States of America has been among the greatest forces for good for the history of the world... In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone.”
• “We must uphold respect for the law, respect for borders, and respect for culture....”

But:

• “As President of the United States, I will always put America first.”
• “[I]t has just been announced that we will be spending almost $700 billion on our military and defense.... Our military will soon be the strongest it has ever been.”
• “[A] small group of rogue regimes ... violate every principle on which the United Nations is based.”
• “Too often the focus of [the United Nations] has not been on results, but on bureaucracy and process.... We cannot wait for ... far-off bureaucrats — we can't do it. We must solve our problems ... or we will be ... defeated.”
• “The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime.”
• “We face decisions not only in North Korea. It is far past time for the nations of the world to confront another reckless regime....”
• “The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of democracy.... We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building missiles.... The Iran Deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into....”
• “I have also totally changed the rules of engagement in our fight [in Afghanistan] against the Taliban....”
• “The actions of the criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad ... shock the conscience of every decent person.... That is why the United States carried out a missile strike on the airbase that launched the [chemical] attack.”
•  “[T]he United States has stood against the corrupt and destabilizing regime of Cuba.... [W]e will not lift sanctions on the Cuban government until it makes fundamental reforms.”
• “We have also imposed tough, calibrated sanctions on the socialist Maduro regime in Venezuela.... The socialist dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro has inflicted terrible pain and suffering on the good people of that country.... We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path....
• “The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that it has been faithfully implemented.... From the Soviet Union to Cuba to Venezuela, wherever true socialism, or communism has been adopted, it has delivered anguish and devastation and failure. Those who preach the tenets of these discredited ideologies only contribute to the continued suffering of the people.... America stands with every person living under a brutal regime. Our respect for sovereignty is also a call for action.”

We let President Trump’s own words at the United Nations speak for themselves. His speech at the UN General Assembly on September 19, 2017 was the height of dishonesty, hypocrisy, imperialist grand standing, and total contempt for the UN Charter and international law. It also signified the U.S. administration’s intention to revive the old Cold War.

Trump spoke of the “nuclear threat” of North Korea, calling that country’s leader the “Rocket Man,” without mentioning that U.S. and allied forces are at the same time carrying out military exercises on North Korean borders which are aimed at potential invasion of that country. Nor did he mention the fact that the U.S. has installed first-strike anti-missiles near North Korean borders and maintains over 23,000 troops in South Korea.

Trump spoke of the “nuclear threat” of Iran at the time when Iran, while surrounded on all sides by the nuclear-armed U.S. forces, has signed an agreement with the United States and five other states to refrain from developing nuclear weapons.

Trump spoke of the “criminal regime of Bashar al-Assad” at the time when tens of thousands of criminal terrorists, armed and funded by the United States and its allies, are wreaking havoc on the Syrian people while being protected by the illegal U.S. ground and air forces in Syria.

Trump spoke of the “destabilizing regime of Cuba” without mentioning the fact that the U.S. government and the CIA have been persistently trying to destabilize the Cuban revolution and its government, assassinate its leader, illegally occupy its territory in Guantanamo, and continue U.S. blockade of Cuba in violation of repeated resolutions of the same UN General Assembly he was speaking to.

Trump spoke of “taking action” against the “socialist dictatorship” of President Maduro if “Venezuela persists on its path.” (In the past, he had also stated that he was “not going to rule out a military option” against Venezuela.) But he hid the fact that it was the United States that acted illegally against democracy in Venezuela when it staged a coup against its then democratically elected president Hugo Chavez, and is still doing so by trying to bring down the current democratically elected president, Nicolas Maduro.

It is clear from Trump’s words that the “path” that worries him most, not only in Venezuela but in Cuba as well, is the path of free health care, free education, and free public services for all people; a path that Trump is trying to block and reverse within his own country.
Unfortunately, all of the corporate media’s attention, and most of the peace movement’s objections, about President Trump’s speech have so far been only focused on his threats against North Korea and the obvious need for de-escalation of tensions. But as important and urgent as this is, it involves missing the forest for the tree.

Looking at the whole speech, it becomes quite clear that the situation is far more dangerous than it appears. We are now dealing with a qualitative shift in the official U.S. foreign policy — ironically announced at the headquarters of the United Nations — away from the principles of the UN Charter and international law and toward a unilateral declaration of war and intervention by the United States on any country that stands in the way of its ambition for global domination.

Trump’s “America First” policy, as announced by him at the United Nations, is going to be the core of U.S. government’s foreign policy from now on. This means a total rearrangement of international relations in a manner that only serves the United States and its strategic and economic interests. Obviously, such an imperialist policy, as outlined by Trump in his speech at the United Nations, cannot be advanced without violating the principles of the UN Charter and international law.

The U.S. peace movement bears a special responsibility to prevent such a catastrophic outcome. But no proclamation or public statement can by itself prevent the catastrophe. What is urgently needed is a unified anti-war, anti-interventionist front composed of all segments of the peace movement that is capable of mobilizing an effective mass movement against imperialism and war.

U.S. Peace Council calls upon all peace organizations in the United States to lead local, regional and national demonstrations, and visits to members of Congress, including sit-ins, and demand from the U.S. government to:

• Stop U.S. violations of the United Nations Charter and international law;
• Stop U.S. attempts to sabotage other states’ economies and political systems; stop threatening and overthrowing sovereign governments; stop using economic sanctions as a means of undermining sovereign governments; 
• Stop U.S. political and military interventions in the internal affairs of other countries; respect the sovereignty of all nations, including Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea;
• Remove the U.S. economic blockade against Cuba; return Guantanamo to Cuba;
• Stop U.S. joint military exercises with South Korea; stop all forms of threats against North Korea; sign a permanent peace treaty with North Korea through peaceful diplomatic negotiations;
• Respect all U.S. treaties with other nations, including the Iran Nuclear Deal;
• Close all U.S. foreign military bases around the world;
• Initiate efforts to expand nuclear-weapons free zones throughout the world; support the recently negotiated UN Treaty banning nuclear weapons;
• Dramatically reduce U.S. war and military spending; rescind the $700 billion military budget, and spend the funds on health care, education, creating jobs, and other social services.

The U.S. Peace Council is ready to join hands with all peace forces to organize the broadest possible mass protests against the extremely belligerent and imperialist U.S. foreign policy as announced by Donald Trump at the United Nations.
 
 

Senate sub-committee deals bipartisan blow to DeVos school privatization agenda

by Brian Washington

TAKE ACTION ›

Tell Congress not to divert billions of dollars to vouchers or similar privatization schemes. CLICK HERE ›

If you’re a regular Education Votes reader, you know that President Trump and his Education Secretary Betsy DeVos are huge backers of voucher schemes, which take scarce funding away from public schools to give to unaccountable private schools.

Despite the fact that communities across the nation are pushing back against vouchers, because of how harmful they are to public schools and the vast majority of students who attend them, DeVos is relentless in her support for this flawed education policy.

For example, she has traveled the country promoting vouchers, met with ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council)leaders to brainstorm ways to get them into more communities, and is backing a budget proposal that includes a national voucher scheme. There’s even talk that she and President Trump may urge lawmakers on Capitol Hill to incorporate vouchers into tax reform.

However, yesterday, DeVos got some bipartisan push back from federal lawmakers. A Senate sub-committee rejected two proposals that, if approved by Congress, would have helped DeVos to move forward with school privatization plans.

The panel rejected her requested $1 billion boost to the Title I program, which is designed to educate disadvantaged students. DeVos wanted to use that money to help local districts create or expand her privatization agenda which, in addition to vouchers, also includes charter schools run by for-profit companies. It also rejected a proposal to use a program within the U.S. Department of Education to nurture private school vouchers.

DeVos is what you might call a one-trick pony. Her solution to every challenge facing public education is privatization—be it private school vouchers or for-profit charter schools.

However, educators know that if we’re going to get serious about every child’s future, we have to resource our neighborhood public schools to ensure they have the following:

• Inviting classrooms;
• A well-rounded curriculum;
• Class-sizes that are small enough for one-on-one attention; and
• Support services such as health care, nutrition, and after school programs for students who need them.

Speaking of after school programs, that same Senate subcommittee also rejected a Trump-DeVos request to eliminate federal funding to help cover the cost of such programs. Instead, the panel approved $1.2 billion for the 21st Century Community Learning Center. The House has approved similar funding.

TAKE ACTION: Click here to sign our petition urging lawmakers to reject private school vouchers.

Timeline: IT IS TWO AND A HALF MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

2017: For the last two years, the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock stayed set at three minutes before the hour, the closest it had been to midnight since the early 1980s. In its two most recent annual announcements on the Clock, the Science and Security Board warned: “The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.” In 2017, we find the danger to be even greater, the need for action more urgent. It is two and a half minutes to midnight, the Clock is ticking, global danger looms. Wise public officials should act immediately, guiding humanity away from the brink. If they do not, wise citizens must step forward and lead the way.  See the full statement from the Science and Security Board on the 2017 time of the Doomsday Clock.

MARCHING FROM CHARLOTTESVILLE TO DC

Sparked by the events in Charlottesville a few weeks ago, a large coalition of clergy, individuals, and activists launched a 110+ mile march from Charlottesville to DC, to be followed by a sustained encampment and further actions in DC in the weeks ahead. The marchers are demanding the removal of officials who enable white supremacists, including President Trump, and the policies that embolden and protect them.

Jewish Voice for Peace is supporting the march and we're organizing a delegation of JVP members to join.

If you are planning to join the march or the DC action, please let us know by filling out this quick form here. You can join the march for just a day or two, or support the action in DC later in September. We'll connect you with other JVPers and support as best we can.

To get updates about the march, sign up to join, or to support with monetary or supply donations, head to their website at cville2dc.us.

You can also show your support in your community with a  “We Will Defend Each Other” T-shirt.  Sold at cost.

Some students face daily hardship because of hunger and lunch-shaming

by Marit Vike

Every educator dreams of a classroom and school where all students are in rapt attention. Sadly, this is not possible when students come to school hungry and cannot manage to muster the focus needed to learn. The need for food can be all consuming, and “it’s like the pain of the hunger is like eating at you. You’re mostly thinking about food because all you want to do is eat, get rid of the hunger feeling. You can’t really do your work,” says Mario, a 13-year-old student. Educators see many students like Mario, according to a new report.

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Don’t miss out on the kind of education, legislative and political news you can only get with EdVotes. CLICK HERE ›

No Kid Hungry’s report, titled “Hunger in Our Schools,” provides a look at the daily hardship some students face because of hunger. Food insecurity creeps into the lives a majority of families, with 59 percent of parents admitting that their families’ food supply would run out and they could not afford to buy any more. Many parents and children live in constant fear of what happens when that food runs out.

Currently, one in every six kids is facing hunger. Students across the country, in every community, are facing this hardship and carrying it into the classroom with them. And educators can tell.

Many educators have to watch as they see the toll on their students.

• 80 percent of teachers see those students not concentrating
• 76 percent see them drop-off in academic performance
• 62 percent see behavioral problems develop.

Educators, often of the last line of defense for students, can’t help but get involved. In fact, 57 percent of teachers regularly buy food for students who come to school hungry. Compassion and concern for their students has always pushed educators to do more than required or even expected for their students.

“For some of our kids, Monday is a rough day, not knowing how much food they had that weekend. But it’s never the child’s fault that they’re hungry,” Joslyn Waldron, a Fairfax, VA, elementary school social worker told No Kid Hungry.

Sixteen-year-old Don puts into sharp focus what it’s like to be hungry while at school. “My focus is different when I’m hungry. Of course I’m gonna be thinking about food. I’m gonna be thinking about which one of my classmates got food. I’m gonna be thinking about which one of them might share their food.”

While educators regularly step up to help hungry children, some lawmakers have also taken notice and decided to step in to right a consequence of not being able to afford food at school: lunch shaming. Currently, there are state policies that force school cafeteria staff to throw out a student’s lunch or give them a weak alternative such as a cheese sandwich when a child has meal debt rather than extending credit for meals.

“It is completely absurd that students would be shamed at school based on their inability to purchase food,” said U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, of Pennsylvania, a sponsor of a bipartisan bill, the Anti-Lunch Shaming Act, to prevent lunch shaming. “I am confident that this legislation will do its part to stop students suffering from humiliation for circumstances outside of their control. This is bullying and I am saddened that we have to write legislation to ensure it ends.”

The Anti-Lunch Shaming Act prohibits shaming tactics by requiring schools to direct communications regarding meal debt to the parent, not the child. The bill also aims to make the process for applying for free and reduced price lunch applications simpler by expressing that it is the sense of Congress that schools should provide these applications more effectively to the families who need them, coordinate with other programs to ensure that homeless and foster children are enrolled for free meals, and set up online systems to make paying for meals easier for parents when possible.

Lack of reliable access to nutritious food is not limited to K-12 schools. Food insecurity – the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food – is common at colleges and universities across the country, concludes a report last year from the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. Among the report’s findings:

• 48 percent of survey respondents reported food insecurity in the previous 30 days, including 22 percent with very low levels of food security that qualify them as hungry.
• Food insecurity occurs at both two-year and four-year institutions. Twenty-five percent of community college students qualified as having very low food security, compared to 20 percent at four-year schools.
• Food insecurity was more prevalent among students of color. Fully 57 percent of Black or African American students reported food insecurity, compared to 40 percent of non-Hispanic white students.
• More than half of all first-generation students (56 percent) were food insecure, compared to 45 percent of students who had at least one parent who attended college.

CONFINED SPACE BLOG OPINION: Ronald Reagan

Confined Space

A newsletter of workplace safety and labor issues

God, Does it Ever End?
Russert last night on Larry King:

RUSSERT: One other political point: The Republicans achieved control of the United States Congress for the first time in 70 years, of both houses, under Ronald Reagan.

Look, I'm fine with the Peggy Noonan footworshipping. I'm fine with all the "Reagan destroyed the Soviet Union singlehandedly" nonsense. I'm fine with all of these types of things because they're opinions. Some are silly opinions, and there should be some balance to them, but they are still opinions.

What I'm not fine with is all the factual errors that creep into the coverage by supposedly "unbiased" reporters.

• The House and Senate did not both come under Republican rule during Reagan's time.
• The Berlin Wall did not come down when Reagan was in office.
• Reagan is not the president who left office with the highest approval rating in modern times.
• Reagan was not "the most popular president ever."
• Reagan did not preside over the longest economic expansion in history.
• Reagan did not shrink the size of government.
• Reagan did preside over what was at the time the "biggest tax cut in history" but it was almost instantly followed up by the "biggest tax increase in history."
• Reagan was not "beloved by all." He was loved by some, liked by some, and hated by some with good reason.

Those concerned about the safety and health of Americans who go to work every day believing in their freedom to come home alive and healthy have good reason to hate Ronald Reagan.

http://jordanbarab.com/confinedspace/2017/08/25/ronald-reagans-workplace-safety-legacy/

Criminalizing Dissent is Bad for Democracy

There aren't shortcuts to building true power so we aren't taking any in our DC work to win this simple policy change: the US should treat Palestinians and Israelis as equal people entitled to equal rights.

And this month, we crossed a major milestone for our still young Legislative Organizing Program: our 100th in-person legislative action of 2017! That means almost 3 times a week Congress is hearing from you at town halls, in-district meetings, and protests.

https://org.salsalabs.com/o/301/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15445&amt=8&track=2017AugustRecessFRkick

And during this August recess we've flexed the power of that simple message to re-shape the debate over AIPAC's Israel Anti-Boycott Act that seeks to criminalize boycotts of Israel or the illegal settlements, and shield the Israeli government from international grassroots pressure to abide by basic precepts of international law and human decency.

The best case scenario? The Senate might not even take up this bill at all, meaning we win (or rather, free speech and the movement for Palestinian human rights wins).

But there's definitely also a worst-case scenario: Republicans in Congress, increasingly desperate for any legislative win they can muster, force this unconstitutional attack on free speech and Palestinian human rights through to a vote as quick as they can when they get back to DC after Labor Day.

I trust this won't surprise you to read: we can't match AIPAC's legislative firepower... yet. If they really, really want this to pass, I'm not sure we can stop them today. But I believe we definitively won the August Recess already, in no small part thanks to you.

https://org.salsalabs.com/o/301/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15445&amt=8&track=2017AugustRecessFRkick

And we've increased the cost to AIPAC dramatically, by peeling back progressive support for this terrible legislation.

We've turned Members of Congress and Senators against the bill through basic organizing: working the phones, generating media, and most of all, showing up again and again at town halls.

Working with partners at the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, here is some of the progress we've made:

• Convinced Senator Elizabeth Warren to take a public position against the bill, the first time (!) this progressive giant has taken a stance with us and against the status quo in Israel/Palestine.
• In a town hall exchange at the end of July, a JVP member took Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to task for co-sponsoring the bill. Audience support was so loud (and pressure from activists up and down the state so strong) that she did the unprecedented and nearly unbelievable: as a Democratic Senator from New York State, she took her name off this AIPAC-sponsored bill.
• At a town hall in Seattle, there was also enough pressure that Representative Adam Smith pledged to take his name off the bill too.

• Finish Town Hall outreach strong with hundreds more outreach phone calls to help drive turnout. One of the most impressive facets of these town halls hasn’t just been JVP members getting up there to speak— it’s been the applause afterwards, showing these elected officials that equality in Israel/Palestine is something the progressive movement is getting behind.
• Be ready in September to continue pushing our representatives in DC with Capitol Hill visits, phone calls, emails, and more— making sure Gillibrand, Warren, Smith, and everyone else who’s woken up to the dangers of this bill stays firm in their commitment to free speech and the right to boycott.
• Get in front of progressives who should know better than to keep their names on this legislation and show them the changing tide— Senators like Richard Blumenthal (CT) and Maria Cantwell (WA), and Representatives like Ted Lieu (CA 33) and Richard Neal (MA 1). They need to hear from you that as they position themselves to claim progressive credibility, sticking with AIPAC is a bad choice.

Because that's what this is really about: creating an alternative power base that elected officials can lean on when AIPAC comes knocking with their tired proclamations that support for Israeli policy is somehow a bipartisan issue.

We're building a progressive movement around the simple idea that Palestinians and Israelis are equal people, entitled to equal rights, and everyone is invited to join in.

But we're also not doe-eyed idealists here. We know that elected officials will get on board, just as soon as we apply enough pressure to make it worth their time.

Thanks for all you're doing,

Ari

Ari Wohlfeiler
Deputy Director
https://org.salsalabs.com/o/301/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=15445&amt=8&track=2017AugustRecessFRkick