Action Alerts

GOP Rejects Call to Curb US Funding for Killing Children in Yemen (Jon Queally / Common Dreams & The Humanist Report)
Less than a day after Senate Republicans rejected a chance "to slam on the brakes and stop [America's] role in enabling the suffering in Yemen," at least 26 more children were slaughtered by a US-backed Saudi-led bombing in the country. Condemning the bombing the UN's humanitarian chief and head of the UN Children's Fund said the attack -- in which four women, in addition to the children, were killed -- took place as the victims tried to flee the area. Humanitarian groups have also aimed criticism at the US.

2018 Peace Prize Awarded to David Swanson (The US Peace Memorial Foundation)
Michael Knox, chair of the US Peace Memorial Foundation, has observed: "We have a culture of war in the US. Americans who oppose a war are often labeled traitors, unpatriotic, un-American, and antimilitary. As you know, to work for peace you must be brave and make great personal sacrifices." At the Veterans For Peace Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 26, 2018, the US Peace Memorial Foundation awarded its 2018 Peace Prize to David Swanson, director of World BEYOND War.

Senate Blocks Voting on Amendment to Defund Yemen War Crimes (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Hon. Chris Murphy / US Senate)
Sen. Chris Murphy's amendment to withdraw all funding for the US involvement in the war in Yemen was blocked by Senate leadership. According to the United Nations, up to one-third of all Saudi-led coalition airstrikes hit civilian targets. Data shows there has been a 37% increase in civilian casualties from airstrikes in 2018 compared to 2017.

ACTION ALERT: With Trump's Military Parade Cancelled, How Should the Peace Movement Respond? (Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers / Popular Resistance)
This week, the Trump military parade, planned for November 10, was canceled for 2018. In February, a coalition of groups went public, announcing we would organize to stop the parade and, if it went forward, to mobilize more people at the parade calling for an end to war and militarism. The coalition called for "ending the wars at home and abroad." The question the coalition is asking now is how to build on the success of stopping Trump's military parade. Please join the conversation about where we go from here.

David McReynolds (1929 - 2018): Resist in Peace (War Resisters League & The New York Daily News & WBAI News)
Longtime peace activist Dave McReynolds -- still healthy and mentally sharp at the age of 88 -- has died after a fall at his Manhattan home. During the Korean War, he was a draft resister. He joined the staff of the War Resisters League in 1960 where he worked for almost 40 years. He was one of the first to expose the flow of US arms and advisors in the lead up to the Vietnam War. He ran for president three times, becoming the first openly gay presidential candidate. He was also an gifted photographer.

ACTION ALERT: Military Parade Postponed! March and Run for Peace Instead (Vets Against Trump & Common Defense & VoteVets & The Huffington Post & Veterans for Peace)
Last night, the media reported that -- after months of public outcry from veterans, military families, and concerned citizens -- Trump's military parade has been POSTPONED. The DoD estimated the cost at $92 million. A number of peace events are still set for DC in November. Instead of a costly, militaristic parade, VoteVets has submitted a Letter of Intent with the D.C. government to host a 5K-foot-race around the National Mall -- one K for each of Donald Trump's Vietnam War draft deferments.

ACTION ALERT: November Trumparade Postponed but Anti-war Marches and Concerts Still Set to Continue (David Swanson / World BEYOND War & Kathy Kelly / The Progressive)
One day after more than 187 organizations publicly vowed to counter Donald Trump's planned weapons parade with a parade for peace in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the Pentagon pulled the plug on Trump's $92 million show-of-farce. While the Trumparade has been postponed, a number of large counter protests, concerts, and foot-races are being planned -- in Washington, DC and in cities and towns around the world -- to celebrate Armistice Day, as a global day to honor peace.

Breaking News: Trump's Military Parade Postponed as Activist Protests Mount! Now Let's Get It Cancelled! (Vote Vets & CNBC & Popular Resistance and 186 International Peace Groups )
Donald Trump's proposed military parade -- an international embarrassment all to honor a man who does nothing but dishonor veterans -- was getting out of control with the costs soaring more than 600 times its original estimate. With citizens and vets struggling with hunger, homelessness, and health problems, the idea of spending millions on an empty military spectacle apparently became untenable. Nearly 200 anti-war groups had called for the parade's cancellation. That remains the goal.

ACTION ALERT: Break the Silence on US Support for the Terror-exporting Saudi Monarchy (Win Without War & Kate Kizer / The Nation & Max Fisher / Vox)
The US-backed Saudi-UAE coalition bombed a school bus in Yemen, killing dozens of young children -- and the Trump administration said nothing. Trump has effectively handed over decision-making on Middle East foreign policy to the corrupt regimes of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Our government has let the Gulf States get away with brutal repression and human rights abuses. Media pundits looked the other way as the proof of Gulf corruption mounts. No one else is speaking out -- so we've got to.

Wildfires Increasing Threat to Planet: Trump Won't Act but California's Governor Just Might (Amy Goodman, Michael Mann and Michael Brune / Democracy Now! & Michael Brune / Medium.com & )
Even as we deal with the Trump administration's cascade of corruption, the climate-change clock keeps ticking. The math is merciless: If we don't accelerate a phaseout of fossil fuels, today's wildfires, droughts, and extreme weather will seem mild compared to what's coming. We can't count on Washington to tackle this problem. The solution? Take the challenge to the one state that's got the political, moral, and environmental clout to challenge Trump's devastating denial of a visible, existential danger.

'By the Youth, For the Youth': A Manifesto for Tomorrow's Activists (The International Congress of Youth Voices / The Guardian)
'Our vision is to create a global system', says a global coalition of youth activists after gathering for the first International Congress of Youth Voices in San Francisco. After three days of deliberation, the delegates wrote a group manifesto, which has been translated and published in several languages.

The White-right Fighters Who Struck Charlottesville and their Ties to the US Military and Weapons Contractors (Amy Goodman and A. C. Thompson / Democracy Now!)
This week marks one year since white supremacists and neo-Nazis descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, in the deadly "Unite the Right" rally to protest the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from a downtown park. It became the biggest and deadliest white supremacist rally in the US in decades.

ACTION ALERT: The World Is Disappearing in Flames: Can We Protect Half to Save the Planet? (Jeff Goodell / Rolling Stone & Avaaz: The World in Action)
"Our future," James Lovelock observed, "is like that of the passengers on a small pleasure boat sailing quietly above the Niagara Falls, not knowing that the engines are about to fail." By 2020, two-thirds of wild animals will be gone. Life is being extinguished as fast as when the dinosaurs disappeared because humanity is taking a chainsaw to the tree of life. Our best chance to save our ecosystems and 80-90% of all species is giving them enough safe space to thrive -- by keeping half the Earth intact.

ACTION ALERT: Today the Saudis Dropped US Bombs on a School Bus Filled with Children! (CODEPINK & Associated Press & Win Without War & The Hill)
Wounded children, their clothes and schoolbags covered with blood, lay on hospital stretchers. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the hospital in Saada received the bodies of 29 children, all under 15 years old. It also received 48 wounded people, including 30 children. The bombs that killed these children were made in the USA. Their blood is on our hands.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the IRC: No Award for BlackRock CEO (CODEPINK)
Every 10 minutes a child in Yemen dies from war-related hunger and disease -- a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. Meanwhile, US weapons companies, and the financial firms like BlackRock that invest in them, make billions of dollars from this war. So why is the International Rescue Committee, a group that works to save the lives of suffering Yemeni children, giving their annual humanitarian award to Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock and a man who profits from that very same war?

ACTION ALERT: Why I'm Running as a Green and Not as a Democrat (Pat Elder / Elder for Congress)
Commentary: "People ask why I'm running as a Green rather than running as a Democrat. They're skeptical of any political party outside the box and they're concerned I'll help a Republican get elected. They're also fearful of a left-leaning democratic socialist agenda. Here's my response."

ACTION ALERT: As Wildfires Rage Worldwide, Activists Plan March at September Climate Action Summit ( & Nina Chestney / Reuters)
Real climate leadership rises from the grassroots up. Thousands of people from around the world are getting ready to Rise for climate, jobs, and justice on September 8th. In September, world leaders are meeting at the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. On Sept. 8th, let's show them we need bold action. Join thousands of people from across the world for a global day of action to demand a just transition to 100% clean energy.

ACTION ALERT: Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Global Actions to Abolish Nuclear Arms (Abolition 2000 & The Global Coalition to Abolish Nuclear Weapons & The Basel Peace Office)
The risk of a nuclear war by accident, miscalculation or intent has risen due to unstable leaders and unresolved tensions. August 6 and 9 are the 73rd anniversaries of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to the 'Doomsday Clock' the world is just '2 Minutes to Midnight', the closest we have been to nuclear war since the height of the Cold War. Global gatherings will remember the holocausts of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Please raise your voice and make a difference by abolishing nuclear weapons.

ACTION ALERT: The Appeal of the Hibakusha, Japan's A-bomb Survivors (Japan Confederation of A-and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations)
The Hibakusha Appeal is a signature campaign calling for an international treaty to ban and eliminate nuclear weapons. The average age of the Hibakusha is now over 80 years old, yet the threat of a global nuclear war seems to be growing larger each day. The horrors of "Hell on Earth" that the Hibakusha have experienced should never be repeated again. Signatures will be collected until 2020, or until such a treaty is realized.

ACTION ALERT: We Don't Need More War Monuments or Military Parades: We Need Peace! (David Swanson / World BEYOND War)
Washington, DC is already brimming with monuments to wars and warriors, but the government is now planning to spend millions of additional taxpayer dollars erecting five new battle monuments to: World War I, the Gulf War, Native American fighters, African Americans who fought in the US War for Independence, and the (still unfinished) War on Terrorism. There also is to be a memorial to Dwight Eisenhower (that's "Ike the Warrior," not the president who warned of the dangers of the military-industrial complex.

Ron Dellums, Presente! Remembering the Marine Vet Who became an Antiwar Congressman (Rachel Swan / The San Francisco Chronicle & Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives)
As a congressman, Ron Dellums is best remembered for his uncompromising opposition to the Vietnam War and compelling speeches on the House Floor. Some elected officials saw the fiery, Oakland-raised peacenik as a political outlier -- and even as an agitator but, as one of Dellums' aides recalled: "He would go to the floor and challenge his colleagues, and they would challenge him back. And that's how he learned to work with them rather than just name-calling."

ACTION ALERT: Tell the IRC Not to Honor Blackrock's War-supporting CEO (Codepink)
The two leading contributors to the current global refugee crisis are climate change and war. It is through the work of the IRC that refugees are able to gain a foothold in their host countries. Honoring Mr. Larry Fink with a humanitarian award directly contradicts the mission and vision of the International Rescue Committee. BlackRock maintains significant stakes in weapons companies such as General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon.

Big-Oil GOP Decrees Which Animals Must Perish to Protect Polluters' Profits (Jake Bullinger / Guardian UK)
Republicans have been trying to whittle away the Endangered Species Act since Donald Trump took office. Under new proposals, wildlife managers would limit protections for threatened species, consider the economic costs of protecting a species, and de-emphasize long-term threats such as climate change. These Republican-led changes to the Endangered Species Act would put plants and animals across America at risk. Here are the ones you should be most concerned about.

ACTION ALERT: How You Can Divest from War (World BEYOND War)
When we pay taxes, donate money to a local church, pay for college tuition, contribute to our 401(k), or renew union dues, we may be unwittingly contributing to the war economy. Many institutions -- corporations, universities, faith groups and municipalities -- invest their holdings in asset management firms, like Vanguard, BlackRock, and Fidelity, which in turn reinvest in weapons manufacturers and military contractors. Check if you're unknowingly financing war with our new searchable database.

ACTION ALERT: War on Planet and Health: Stop Trumps NAFTA (Friends of the Earth)
Donald Trump is renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. Trump's NAFTA 2.0 would lock in his rollback of essential environmental, public health, and consumer regulations while blocking new safeguards for food, chemicals, pesticides, and GMOs. Trump's NAFTA is nothing more than a giveaway to giant corporations, including the pesticide industry and other polluters. Congress can stop this attack on protections for people and the planet.

ACTION ALERT: War on Wildlife: Trump's Plan to Destroy the Endangered Species Act (Max Matza / BBC & Friends of the Earth)
The Trump administration has proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act, a law credited with keeping hundreds of species from going extinct. The change would eliminate automatic protections for threatened plant and animal species, and make it easier for species to be removed from the list. The proposed change is the latest in a series of White House efforts to remove environmental regulations designed to protect vulnerable species and their habitat. Environmentalists have reacted with outrage.

Trump's Treason Demands a Brave Response; It's Time for a Nationwide General Strike (Will Bunch / The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Commentary: How can a democratic country respond to an authoritarian president with nothing but contempt for 242 years of democratic norms, a free press, and a judicial system untainted by political interference? Americans will have to hit the oligarchy in the only place it really hurts them -- in their bankbooks -- by boycotting the wealthy corporate sponsors behind Trump's mis-administration and staging a general strike like the "Candlelight Revolution" that toppled South Korea's corrupt leader.

ACTION ALERT: Did the NRA Help Russia Promote Donald Trump's Presidential Race? (CREDO Action)
A suspected Russian agent has been charged and arrested for trying to influence American politics. It is beginning to appear that some of America's most dangerous right-wing extremists may have broken the law to help the Russian government illegally tilt the 2016 presidential election for Donald Trump.

7 Americans Among Those Arrested for Invading and Occupying a US Nuke Base in Germany (Atom Bomb-free Buchel & Pressenza.com & International Peace Bureau)
On July 15, 2018, 18 people from the US (7), Germany (6), The Netherlands (4) and England (1) cut through fences to reclaim German Air Force Base Buchel, which hosts about 20 US nuclear bombs. The activists cut through razor wire and some other fences and several made it to the runway. Three activists walked to a nuclear weapons bunker, and climbed up to the top where they went undetected for an hour.

ACTION ALERT: It's Time for Trump to End the US War in Afghanistan (Mujib Mashal and Eric Schmitt / The New York Times & World Beyond War)
Thus far, the United States has spent an outrageous $783 billion with virtually nothing to show for it except the death of thousands of US soldiers, and the death, injury and displacement of millions of Afghans. The Afghanistan War has been and will continue to be, as long as it lasts, a steady source of scandalous stories of fraud and waste. Even as an investment in the US economy this war has been a bust. It's time to act and end the costly, bloody US-imposed war in Afghanistan.

Trump and Putin Have a Chance to Revive Promise to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (The Institute for Public Accuracy & Michael T. Klare / The Nation & Reuters & The National Security Archive)
Russia offered to end the arms race and begin to abolish nuclear weapons 30 years ago. The US ignored the offer. Ronald Reagan was reportedly sympathetic to Mikhail Gorbachev's call for an end to the costly and dangerous nuclear arms race but hard-liners within the administration secretly intervened and sabotaged what might have been a historic opportunity to turn the world away from military conflicts and towards a new era of peace and diplomacy.

ACTION ALERT: Whales Versus Oil. Our Seas Are at Risk (Amelia Meister / SumOfUs.org & Lindsay Jones / The Globe and Mail)
Experts are raising the alarm: The Northern right whale is in danger of extinction. The Canadian government vowed to take "every possible measure" to protect the whales. Yet at the same time, Canadian Environment Minister McKenna approved BP's offshore oil wells running right through the homes of the Northern right whale. This could be the nail in the coffin for these beautiful creatures.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Gov. Jerry Brown: It's Time To Protect the Climate by Ending Fossil Fuel Production (David Turnbull / Climate Truth.org)
All-time heat records have been broken all across the planet this month, and the impacts are growing more dangerous. Los Angeles hit a record 111 degrees on Friday. Montreal hit 97.9 degrees on July 2nd, as part of a heat wave that caused 70 deaths. An emergency of this scale requires a response commensurate with the problem we face -- we just need California Governor Jerry Brown to show the courage to take on Big Oil.

Pope Francis Calls for People Power Ahead of Climate Summit (350.org & Pope Francis)
As a co-organizer of the global Rise for Climate mobilization, 350.org welcomes today's call by Pope Francis for 'citizens' pressure groups' to take action ahead of the Global Climate Action Summit that is taking place in San Francisco, USA on 12-14 September, to ensure it provides 'suitable responses' to the climate crisis. "Reducing greenhouse gases requires honesty, courage and responsibility, above all on the part of those countries which are more powerful and pollute the most" the Pope said.

ACTION ALERT: With Pruitt Out, What's Next? Trump Targets the Endangered Species Act! (Liz Butler / Friends of the Earth & Tiffany Finck-Haynes / Friends of the Earth US & 350.org)
You wrote to your Member of Congress. You made phone calls. You took to the streets. And it worked -- last week, Scott Pruitt lost his job as EPA Administrator. This is a huge victory for people and the environment. But our environmental protections are still at risk. A new bill was just introduced in Congress that would overhaul and dismantle the Endangered Species Act. This bill would be a disaster for bees, butterflies, birds, wolves and other valuable wildlife. We can't let that happen.

A Statement in Advance of the Putin Trump Summit (Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament & The Basel Peace Office)
Parliamentarians and nuclear disarmament activists are calling on Donald Trump and Russian President Putin to use their July 16 summit to step back from the nuclear brink and make progress on nuclear disarmament. Trump and Putin should consider 'No-First-Use' commitments, better military-to-military communications (upgrading hotlines instead of scrapping them), lowering the "instant-alert". status of US and Russian weapons, and an end to provocative and potentially dangerous military exercises.

"No to War -- No to NATO": Counter Summit July 7-8, 2018 (No to NATO.org)
NATO's role as a nuclear-armed alliance continues to risk a global atomic war. NATO is pressing its members to spend 2% of GDP on military budgets to fund wars and aggression, even though EU member states submit to strict austerity policies. When NATO members meet in Brussels, a counter summit will greet them. Questions we want to discuss at the counter summit include: How we can organize more effective opposition and what new strategies can be employed for the peaceful conversion of NATO?

Victory for the Planet: Scott Pruitt Resigns from the EPA (Friends of the Earth & Charles P. Pierce / Esquire Magazine)
VICTORY! Scott Pruitt just resigned from his job as EPA Administrator. Pruitt resigned after voters signed petitions, made phone calls, and took to social media to demand that he be kicked out of the EPA. This shows that when people stand up to Trump and his Administration, you can make a difference. You can stop Trump and his minions from destroying our environment.

ACTION ALERT: Standing Up for Human Rights on Independence Day (ABC TV New York & CODEPINK & US Senator Kamala Harris)
This July 4, as this nation celebrates its independence and freedom, we celebrate our interdependence and proclaim that an injury to one is an injury to all. While there is one mother or father separated from a child because they were not born on the "right side" of a border, none of us are free. While there is one despondent child sleeping in a cage, none of us are free.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the USDA: We Need Clear Labels on GMO Foods! (Friends of the Earth)
URGENT: We only have 2 days left to tell the USDA not to hide genetically engineered food behind smiley-face and sunshine labels! This labeling proposal is nothing more than industry propaganda and wouldn't even cover all GMOs. We have to stop it. But time is running out to speak up.

Germany: Protest Demands Closure of Ramstein US Airbase (EBLNews & Stars & Stripes & Sputnik News & RT Deutsch)
Thousands of anti-war protesters and peace activists attempted to block the entrance to the Pentagon's Ramstein Airbase near the German city of Kaiserslautern on Saturday. One US protestor explained the base is "absolutely necessary for the US drone wars that under German law are considered illegal." Another American taking part in the nonviolent protests added: "The drone killing that the US is doing is totally barbaric and immoral, and we need to stop it."

Invitation: First International Conference Against US/NATO Military Bases November 16-18, 2018 (No to NATO Bases.org)
The increasingly aggressive and expansionist actions of US/NATO forces in violation of international law and the sovereign rights of all nations, have created crises that, unless checked by popular opposition, can lead to unimaginable catastrophe and war. None of us can stop this madness alone from within our national borders. The global peace forces must come together, mobilizing the millions in our countries, and around the world, for peace. We must unite for peace!

ACTION ALERT: March on June 30 -- Protest Defense Contractors Profiting Off Separation of Immigrant Families (Win Without War & The Daily Beast & SF.Curbed.com)
The Trump administration is planning to imprison migrant families on a military base that is a toxic Superfund site. Major defense contractors are raking in cash from surveilling migrant kids and keeping them from their parents. Trump's cruel immigration policies are a national emergency -- and they're directly propped up by the war machine. Marches nationwide on Saturday will protest Trump's inhumane policies.

ACTION ALERT: Congressmember Asks UN to Investigate Trump's Border Policies (Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives)
Congress member Lee: "More than 2,300 children have been separated from their parents by border patrol agents under Trump's directive. That's why I'm visiting detention sites. The truth about how these innocent children are being treated needs to come out. That is why I'm urging the UN to send experts to observe conditions at the border and throughout the more than 17 states around the country that are now housing children who have been separated from their families. Add your name now to join me."

UN Report: US-backed Saudi Coalition Behind Most Yemen Child Casualties (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Al Jazeera)
The annual "Children and Armed Conflict" report from the United Nations details the deaths of Yemeni children in the Saudi-led invasion. Unsurprisingly, the overwhelming majority of the slain were killed by the Saudi-led coalition. The UN report verified 552 children killed in 2017 in Yemen. 67% of the child deaths were directly attributable to the Saudi coalition, predominantly the as result of Saudi airstrikes.

Pentagon Spending Only Promotes More Waste and Suffering. Learn How to Divest from War (The Institute for Public Accountability & CODEPINK)
America's post-9/11 wars have done more harm than good, resulting in over 370,000 deaths on all sides at a cost of $5.6 trillion and counting. Congress should be acting to end these devastating conflicts, not continuing to fund them. You can engage with the movement to divest from war by consulting the Weapon Free Fund database to search 3,000 commonly held mutual funds and ETFs to find out if you or your community are invested in war.

ACTION ALERT: Thank Google for Ending Contract with Pentagon (The World Can't Wait & World BEYOND War & Google)
In early April, more than 3100 Google employees signed a letter that began with the words "Google should not be in the business of war." The letter is a response to the company's participation in a Pentagon artificial intelligence program called Project Maven -- a "customized AI surveillance engine" designed to interpret visual images from US assassination drones.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Trump: No Drilling in the Great Lakes; No Mining in Yellowstone Park (Hon. Debbie Stabenow / US Senate & Josh Nelson / CREDO Action)
The Great Lakes are under attack like never before. Today, in a new executive order, Donald Trump os trying to dismantle protections to open the Great Lakes to drilling. Yellowstone National Park is facing one of its biggest threats since it was established nearly 150 years ago. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke is considering whether to open up more than 30,000 acres of public lands at the northern gateway of America's oldest and most iconic national park to aggressive gold, silver and other mineral extraction.

Kings Bay Plowshares: US Indicted for Global Nuclear Terror (William Boardman / Reader Supported News)
On April 4, 2018, the Kings Bay Plowshares Seven, three women and four men, all Catholics, carried out a nonviolent, symbolic action, pouring blood on the world's largest nuclear submarine base and indicting the US for the crime of holding the world hostage to the terrorist threat of nuclear war. The US crime that began in 1945 has reached new intensity with Donald Trump's years of casual rhetoric threatening nuclear holocaust on targets from ISIS to North Korea.

ACTION ALERT: Can Elephants Survive Climate Change? Human Impacts Causing Radical Changes in Animal Behavior (American Wildlife Foundation & David Nield / Science Alert)
An elephant needs 30 to 50 gallons of water every day to survive. Will elephants survive the poaching crisis only to succumb to climate change? Meanwhile, according to a new study, a growing number of mammals are switching to a nocturnal cycle and sleeping during the day, primarily to avoid contact with human beings.

ACTION ALERT Congress May Declare the Forever War (Conor Friedersdorf / The Atlantic)
A proposed law with bipartisan support would dramatically weaken the ability of legislators to extricate the United States from perpetual armed conflict. Please call your House member and both Senators if you are a US citizen to express your views on this. All can be feached at any of the following phone numbers: 1-202-224-3121, 1-202-225-3121, 1-877-762-8762.

ACTION ALERT: Looking Beyond the Kim-Trump Summit Toward a Lasting Peace in Korea (David Swanson /David Swanson.org & Hon. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives)
Despite the image of the Kim-Trump handshake, the US media and even leading Democrats continue to press for a hard-line against North Korea. If the US government is going to get out of the way of the peace process that Koreans from the North and South are pursuing, the US public is going to have to actively demand it. The corporate media will not help. The Democratic and Republican "leaders" will not help.

ACTION ALERT: Assault on Yemen Port Could Cost 250,000 Civilians Lives (Tom Miles / Reuters & CODEPINK)
A long-anticipated assault on Yemen's port city of Hodeidah by the US-backed, Saudi-led coalition could cost up to 250,000 lives, according to a senior United Nations humanitarian official. Allied forces were 20 km (12 miles) from Houthi-held Hodeida. It is unknown whether there are plans for an assault to seize the port, the chief entry point for food and supplies needed to ease a famine and cholera epidemic. Coalition officials could not immediately be reached for further comment.

ACTION ALERT: The US-North Korea Summit (American Friends Service Committee)
Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un are scheduled to take part in a historic summit that could be a significant step to deescalate tensions between the US and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. This meeting isn't just about nuclear arms. It's about ending the Korean War, which was never officially ended. Here are three ways you can show your support for peace on the Korean peninsula today.

ACTION ALERT: Troops at Risk from Burn Pits: The VA Must Be Held Accountable (Kelley Beaucar Vlahos / The American Conservative & Hon. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives)
"For the nearly 3 million troops who deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, burn pit exposure has proven to be prevalent and has contributed to cancer diagnoses, respiratory illness, and neurological and pulmonary damage. There's a registry for veterans who have been affected, but too many veterans are not yet on that registry, with some being rejected care and not receiving the support they deserve. We must do more." -- Hon. Tulsi Gabbard.

Just Say No to an Illegal War on Iran. The US House Did (Marjorie Cohn / Truthout)
In a little noticed but potentially monumental development, the House of Representatives voted unanimously for an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5515) that says no statute authorizes the use of military force against Iran. The amendment, introduced by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota), states, "It is the sense of Congress that the use of the Armed Forces against Iran is not authorized by this Act or any other Act."

ACTION ALERT: How Does Coal-Friendly Power-abusing Scott Pruitt Still Have a Job? (ClimateTruth.org Action & The New York Times)
How does Scott Pruitt still have a job? With every passing day the list of Pruitt's scandals grows larger, and ever more bizarre. It's enough to make your head spin. This week we learned that Pruitt had his staff assisting him with improper personal tasks. A growing number of critics and DC colleagues claim Pruitt's extreme anti-science, anti-environment, climate-denier agenda is a danger to the American people -- and his dirty dealings and unethical conduct are unacceptable. It's time for him to go.

Google Employees Say "No" to Working for the Pentagon (VentureBeat.com & Gizmodo & The New York Times & Defense.gov)
Since Google's involvement with Project Maven became public, about a dozen Google employees resigned in protest and more than 3,000 employees -- including Artificial Intelligence chief Jeff Dean -- have signed letters stating that Google shouldn't participate in the creation of autonomous weaponry. Google should listen to its employees and stay out of the business of war and that Maven reflects the need for a Hippocratic oath for AI practitioners, but the backlash isn't just coming from journalists.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Block Bomb Sales to War Criminals in Yemen (Win Without War & Alex Emmons / The Intercept & Al Jazeera)
The heartbreaking humanitarian crisis in Yemen fueled by our tax dollars is taking a horrific turn for the worse. Already, the Saudi-led coalition has driven 8 million Yemenis to the brink of starvation and let loose the worst cholera epidemic in history -- all with direct US support. Instead of demanding Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain stop this brutal offensive and negotiate peace, Trump wants to sell them $2 billion in more bombs for Yemen.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump from Letting Hunters Kill Bear Cubs and Wolf Pups in their Dens (Friends of the Earth & The Sierra Club)
The Trump administration just proposed allowing hunters to kill bear cubs and wolf pups in their dens. If this proposal goes through, it would put rare wildlife at risk of inhumane treatment in national preserves in Alaska. The Department of the Interior is accepting comments on this plan. So we need you to speak up now! Help send 50,000 comments to the Department of the Interior opposing Trump's efforts to harm wildlife!

House Tells Trump: "You Cant Attack Iran" (AntiWar.com & Rep. Keith Ellison / US Congress)
An amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2019, which itself passed the House on Thursday, warns the Trump Administration that they have no legal authorization for a military attack on Iran. The amendment was offered by Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), and was very simply worded. It simply declares that it is the sense of Congress that neither the NDAA nor any other act authorizes the use of military force agaist Iran.

ACTION ALERT: Dual Wars in North Korea and Iran? (Win Without War & The Washington Post & Politico)
We have less than a week to stop Trump from getting a huge blank check for endless global war. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee could vote as soon as next week on a horrifying new Authorization for the Use of Military Force -- or AUMF -- that would let Donald Trump start a new war any time, anywhere, with just an FYI to Congress. In the worst-case scenario, Trump could be on track to add two more wars to Washington's growing list of armed interventions -- targeting both Iran and North Korea.

Hundreds Arrested Nationwide as Poor People's Campaign Demands 'End to the War Economy' (Jake Johnson / Common Dreams)
Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s warning that "a nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death," the Poor People's Campaign has launched a series of nationwide protests to confront the US war economy, which pours money that could be used to provide healthcare and food to the poor at home into the killing of innocents abroad. The PPC denounces a system that profits "every time a bomb is dropped on innocent people."

A Multinational Peace Vigil in Japan Brings Hope for Peace in Korea (Joseph Essertier / World BEYOND War)
On May 26, 2018, a multinational group of Japanese, Korean and American activists gathered at the Hope Square next to the Fountain of Hope in Nagoya City, for a candlelight vigil in support of the peace process underway in Korea. People in Japan are jumping on the "peace train" headed for an end to the Korean War.

ACTION ALERT: Say NO to US/NATO Military Transports Through Eastern Germany (Potsdam Peace Coordination & Jungwelt)
Between May and June 2018, over 100 US military convoys are set to cross the eastern German state of Brandenburg and head toward Eastern Europe. The NATO exercise will take place in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with 18,000 military personnel from 19 countries. According to NATO propaganda, US soldiers and NATO troops are training to protect the Baltic States from the "aggressor Russia." Join the international protest opposing this latest example of NATO's aggressive provocations.

ACTION ALERT: Protest BlackRock's Investments in Washington's Global War Machine (Mehreen Kasana / Independent Media Institute & Chelsia Rose Marcius and Rich Shapiro / New York Daily News & CODEPINK)
According to the progressive anti-war and women-led Code Pink, it's time for BlackRock -- the world's most powerful private equity giant -- to cease making a "killing on killing." It must be held accountable for its massive investments in the manufacturing of deadly weapons both within the United States and around the world. Code Pink's Divest from the War Machine campaign notes that the weapons BlackRock invests in are killing innocent civilians "in places like Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq."

ACTION ALERT: Trump Cancels Summit with Kim. Tell Congress It's Time to Step In (Win Without War & CNN & Agence France-Presse & The Telegraph & Fox)
The sinkhole that is Donald Trump's foreign policy got even bigger this morning when he abruptly cancelled his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, scrapping plans for what would have been a historic diplomatic summit to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula. We can't let that happen. We need to make it clear that Congress and the American people remain fully committed to diplomacy, not war, with North Korea.

ACTION ALERT: First-person Shooter Games, the US Military, and Serial Killers: Outlaw Violence Porn: (Pat Elder / World BEYOND War)
This is distressing "must read" story reveals a common thread among America's mass-killers: they tend to be socially awkward young men transfixed by violent videogames -- the same games the Pentagon employs to encourage young boys to become armed "warriors." Is anyone organizing to censor and outlaw "violence porn," the way society has done for sexual pornography? Our military should not be allowed to rely on these "games" to cultivate the "best murderers" for recruitment into real-time killing.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Israel's Deadly Attacks on Gaza's Protesters (Rabbi Michael Lerner / MoveOn.org & Mark LeVine / Tikkun & Rabbi Michael Lerner / Tikkun & the Network for Spiritual Progressives)
Commentary: B'tselem, the Israeli Human Rights organization, has called on young Israeli soldiers to recognize that they have an obligation in International Law to reject the orders to shoot into crowds of unarmed civilians -- even if some of those civilians attempt to cut down the border fence, burn tires or throw Molotov cocktails. A new petition calls on the US Congress to condemn Israel's armed violence against unarmed Palestinians and encourage both sides to recommit to finding a nonviolent solution.

ACTION ALERT: Support for Nuclear Ban Treaty Growing in the US and Around the World (NuclearBan.US & The International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons (ICAN))
This Treaty, which prohibits the development, testing, production, deployment, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons, was adopted by 122 countries at the UN on 7 July 2017. The US and other nuclear weapon possessor states boycotted the negotiations and have been pressuring other countries not to sign the Treaty. Activists in the US want cities, states, businesses, universities, faith communities, and individuals to defy the US and join the rest of the world to ban nuclear weapons of mass destruction.

155 Nations Call for Global Denuclearization: US and 34 Other Nations Refuse (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
155 states -- four-fifths of all UN member and observers states -- have rejected any role for nuclear weapons in their military postures. Nuclear-free security strategies are the norm, not the exception. The five nuclear-weapons states parties to the NPT (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States) are sabotaging the Treaty. They are not taking action to move towards nuclear disarmament, as agreed to under their Treaty obligations.

Unless Strict Laws Are Passed, "Killer Drones" Will Eventually Appear in US Skies (Ted Rall / Ted Rall.com & The Progressive Populist)
We have succumbed, in recent years, to technological passivity, the assumption that there's nothing we can (or should) do about what an older generation used to call "progress." But that's not true. War goes on, yet most of the world's nations came together to ban landmines and chemical weapons. Drones should be banned too: military drones as well as recreational ones. In 2013, Attorney General Eric Holder said that the feds have the right to launch military drone strikes against American citizens on US soil.

ACTION ALERT: A Voice from Gaza and a Petition for Justice (Intimaa Alsdudi / ThinkProgress & Care2 Petitions)
Commentary: "Tear gas cans began rolling between us and the crowds. Everyone ran from the area, while Israeli snipers on top of the hills and watchtowers started shooting randomly at the people protesting. At one point, I lost sight of my mom. I could not see her, because there was dark smoke everywhere. Do you know what that feels like? To not know if your mother is okay as snipers are shooting at you and everyone around you?"

ACTION ALERT: In 2018 the Number of US School Children Gunned Down Has Been Twice as High as Number of US Soldiers Killed in Combat (The Washington Post & Vox News & Vox News & Credo Action)
The school shooting near Houston on Friday bolstered a stunning statistic: More people have been killed at schools this year than have been killed while serving in the military. America's firearm deaths total more than 32,000 each year. The number of American soldiers killed in all of 2017: 34. A new petition The petition -- directed to Republicans in Congress -- reads: "Put your constituents before the National Rifle Association. Take immediate action to pass gun control legislation."

ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump from Drilling in Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (CREDO Action & Pamela King / E&E; News & Ben Stewart / Greenpeace)
When Big Oil is giving the orders, the Trump administration can move frighteningly fast. Immediately after a sneaky provision in the Trump Tax Scam opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, the Trump team has rushed to seal the deal. Drilling threatens caribou and the cultural future of the Alaska Native Gwich'in people whose way of life depends on this sacred place. Sign the petition to stop this catastrophe before it's too late.

ACTION ALERT: Proposed GOP Farm Bill Is a War on Nature (Peter Stocker / Friends of the Earth & Derrick Z. Jackson / Environmental Health News )
The GOP's Farm Bill doubles down on a failing food system that harms our health, decimates soil and pollinators, pollutes our air and water, and accelerates climate chaos. Big Ag and the Republicans are fighting hard to pass this disastrous bill. For both humans and wildlife, the Republican reauthorization of the Farm Bill would usher in the weakest federal protections against pesticide abuse since Silent Spring.

ACTION ALERT: Google Employees Resign in Protest Against Pentagon Contract (Kate Conger / Gizmodo & Win Without War)
It's been nearly three months since many Google employees -- and the public -- learned about the company's decision to provide artificial intelligence to a controversial military pilot program known as Project Maven, which aims to speed up analysis of drone footage by automatically classifying images of objects and people. Now, Google employees are resigning in protest over the company's continued involvement in Maven. They are insisting that Google shouldn't be involved in military work at all.

ACTION ALERT: Protest US Israel Attacks on Palestine (American Friends Service Committee)
Today, as the US and Israel celebrate the move of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank continue to protest the systematic denial of their rights. Israel soldiers have killed at least 105 while more than 10,000 protesters have been injured -- 166 critically. Washington offers Israel full support for its violent repression of the largely non-violent Gaza protests. You can ask your representatives to hold Israel accountable for its violence against Palestinian protesters.

ACTION ALERT: Boycott, Divest From and Sanction the US (David Swanson / World BEYOND War & Resist & United for Peace and Justice)
Petition: "I commit to supporting strategic targeted efforts to boycott, divest from, and sanction the US government until it supports the rule of law, peace, and justice on Earth."

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Keep the Iran Nuclear Deal (RootsAction.org & CODEPINK & Environmentalists Against War)
Congress is not entirely on board with Donald Trump's effort to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by ending the successful Iran nuclear agreement. We are ashamed that our government has broken a deal that was working. Join us in reaching out to the Iranian people with an apology for our president's unscrupulous behavior and a pledge to try to reverse this decision. Unlike our president, we believe that a deal is a deal. Unlike our president, we want to resolve the conflicts in the Middle East, not escalate them.

ACTION ALERT: Save the Iran Deal (Win Without War & Basel Peace Office & Al-Akhbar )
Donald Trump and his war-hungry cabinet are about to kill the Iran deal. In 2003, the Bush administration built a similar smokescreen of lies to justify their invasion of Iraq. We've got to get Congress to call out Trump's avalanche of anti-Iran deal lies before before he plunges us into a repeat of the Iraq War. Tell Congress to step in now to prevent war with Iran.

ACTION ALERT: Tell EPA's Scott Pruitt: "Stop Your War on Science" (CREDO Action & Madison Dapcevich / Forbes & ILF Science)
EPA chief Scott Pruitt's escalating war on science has a clear goal: ending the regulations that protect us from smog, pesticides, climate change and other dangerous threats to our health and the environment. Pruitt and the rest of the Trump regime are willing to risk human lives to make their friends a little richer. Pruitt must go. Instead of throwing out hallmark research, much of it funded by taxpayers through the EPA, Pruitt should be following the guidance of real scientific experts.

ACTON ALERT: Free Sarah And Tulia: Colombia Arrests Social Movement Leaders (Black Alliance for Peace & Proceso de Comunidades Negras, PCN)
Sara Liliana Quinonez Valencia and her mother, Tulia Marys Valencia, have dedicated their lives to defending the collective ethnic rights of the black community in Alto Mira and Frontera in Colombia. On April 20, 2018, both were arrested by the government and accused of "rebellion." At the time of her arrest, Sara and her nuclear family were living in a state of forced displacement in Cali with protective measures from the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights. They should be freed.

Nuclear-Weapon States Leading 'A New Qualitative Arms Race' (Izumi Nakamitsu / InDepth News)
Following are extensive excerpts from a statement by Izumi Nakamitsu, UN Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs to presented to the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference being held in Geneva from April 23 to May 4, 2018.

Combating Militarism on Earth Day (Steve Fake / Just World Educational)
On April 19, as a prelude to Earth Day, Just World Educational hosted a live Facebook discussion on its Earth Day Appeal, "To Save the Earth, Curb Militarism!" The Live discussion featured Jackie Cabasso, Executive Director of Western States Legal Foundation and National Co-convener of United for Peace and Justice, and Gar Smith, the director of Environmentalists Against War, a member of the coordinating council at World Beyond War, and editor of The War and Environment Reader.

For EarthDay: STRATEGIES FOR A MORE PEACEFUL WORLD (Excerpted from The War and Environment Reader, edited by Gar Smith (Just World Books, 2017))
The economic impact of violence in 2015 hit $13.6 trillion -- 13.3 percent of global GDP, equal to the combined economies of Canada, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK. In countries with high levels of "positive peace" -- i.e., attitudes and institutions promoting peaceful societies -- internal resistance movements were less likely to become violent and were more likely to win concessions from the state. The following list highlights initiatives designed to lead the world toward the goal of "positive peace."

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Corker-Kaine Bill: Don't Give Trump a Blank Check for Endless War (MoveOn.org & David Swanson / David Swanson.org & The American Civil Liberties Union)
According to the US Constitution, only Congress can declare war. But Senators Bob Corker and Tim Kaine's new Authorization for the Use of Military Force would throw the doors wide open for Donald Trump to declare more unilateral wars. Wherever he wants. On whomever he wants. We can block this horrifically dangerous piece of legislation. The resolution hasn't reached the Senate floor yet but we've got to act fast. The ACLU also recognizes the proposed war declaration resolution illegal under the UN Charter.

An Appeal for Earth Day, 2018: To Save the Earth, Curb Militarism! (CODEPINK, Environmentalists Against War, Just World Educational, Traprock Center for Peace & Justice, and World Beyond War)
CODEPINK, Environmentalists Against War, Just World Educational, Traprock Center for Peace & Justice, and World Beyond War, invite citizens and organizations in the US and around the world to express support for the statement that follows. We are hoping to gather as many individual signatures and organizational endorsements as possible between now and Earth Day, April 22.

ACTION ALERT: A Call to Reform US Foreign Policy by Respecting the Constitution and Law (The Action Network & Ray McGovern / Consotrium News & AntiWar.com)
As was the case 15 years ago when the US and UK launched a war of aggression against Iraq, the pretext was so-called "weapons of mass destruction." We need a new foreign policy. With that in mind: Be it resolved that henceforth the US shall reject the role of "policeman of the world" and cease all military and covert intervention in the affairs of foreign countries. US military force shall only be used when absolutely necessary to protect US sovereignty, territory, and vital interests, narrowly defined.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Give Trump a Blank Check to Wage Worldwide War (The American Civil Liberties Union & Jon Queally / Common Dreams)
If you're concerned about President Trump's reckless threats and unlawful firing of missiles in Syria, just imagine what he would do if Congress hands him a license to go to war wherever he wants and against anyone he thinks is an enemy, anywhere in the world. That's exactly what Senator Bob Corker wants to do. A new Authorization for Use of Military Force would grant Trump an unconstitutional blank check for worldwide war.

ACTION ALERT: All Out Against War on Sunday, April 15 (Spring Action Against War / UNAC & Win Without War & MoveOn.org)
Trump just bombed Syria. He's got ultra-hawk Bolton egging him on. Demand Congress stop a catastrophic Trump/Bolton war. This strike will only create more destruction, chaos, misery, and death in Syria. The only way to end the terrible war in Syria and bring justice to the victims of war crimes -- is to end the war in Syria. Trump's attack was not authorized by Congress, which means it was 100% unconstitutional. Tell Congress: Hold Trump accountable to the Constitution and halt any further illegal wars.

ACTION ALERT: National Day of Action Against War April 14-15 (The United National Antiwar Coalition)
Trump has tweeted, "Russia get ready," promising a missile attack on Syria. Russia says it will shoot down any missiles -- and target their source. US and Russian ships have moved into the waters off Syria. The world is in grave danger. People around the world are looking to see what we in the US will do. We need to show our unwavering opposition to US war in the streets -- now more than ever. Our Spring Actions against the wars at home and abroad will take place this coming weekend. Please join us.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Has No Authority to Broaden War in Syria (Max Greenwood / The Hill & Roots Action)
Sen. Bernie Sanders has reminded the country that DonaldTrump "has no legal authority" to deepen US military involvement in Syria, and that it is ultimately up to Congress to make that decision. Defend the Constitution: Block Trump's reckless march toward war. Email your House Member and Senators: Demand that Congress immediately cutting off funds for expanding Trump's reckless actions. Alleged Syrian crimes should be investigated and prosecuted, not used as excuses for larger crimes.

ACTION ALERT: Should the Army Subsidize High-school Soldiering? (The Economist & Ilana Novick / AlterNet)
When 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz was arrested for a mass-shooting at his former school, he was wearing a polo shirt emblazoned with the JROTC crest. In 2016, Cruz's unit received $10,827 from the NRA. Pat Elder is the director of the National Coalition to Protect Student Privacy, a group that fights militarism in education. Recently, Elder taught his usual GED class at Great Hills High School in Maryland and woke the next morning to the news that his building had been the site of the latest US school shooting.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Weapons Investors: "Stop Gun Violence" (Sen. Elizabeth Warren / CREDO Action & The Brady Campaign & The Nation)
Big Wall Street investors have been profiting off of gun violence in America for far too long. Nine major Wall Street institutions, including heavy hitters like the massive wealth management fund BlackRock, are massive shareholders in the most prominent weapons makers. "Stop profiting from the gun violence epidemic and instead use your power as major shareholders in Smith & Wesson; Sturm, Ruger & Company; and Vista Outdoors to pressure these companies to take concrete steps against gun violence."

Why Is the Pentagon Using Taxpayer Money to Train Young Americans to Shoot Deadly Weapons of War? (Greta Zarro / Common Dreams)
The culture of war is pervasive in our society, through military-funded Hollywood films and video games, the militarization of the police, and JROTC and ROTC programs in our schools. Perhaps what's key above all, however, is that JROTC, and US militarism as a whole, is embedded in our sociocultural framework as Americans. So much so that to question it is to cast doubt on one's patriotic allegiance to this nation.

Google Workers and Scholars Refuse to Work on Pentagon's War Projects (Google Employees / The New York Times & Julia Conley / Common Dreams & Researchers for Peace)
Commentary: In a public letter to Google's CEO, the firms workers declared: "We believe that Google should not be in the business of war. Therefore we ask that ... Google draft, publicize and enforce a clear policy stating that neither Google nor its contractors will ever build warfare technology." Meantime, more than 50 artificial intelligence experts from nearly 30 countries have announced a boycott of a South Korean university whose new defense partnership could lead to the development of "killer robots."

Make Peace Great Again! Rally Against NATO in July (No to NATO.org)
As the world becomes more dangerous by the day, the need for action for peace has never been more vital. With militarism on the rise, the need for a global people's alternative -- of justice, sustainability and peace -- has never been more urgent.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Rolls Back Wilderness Protections (Rhea Suh / Natural Resources Defense Council)
The Trump administration is fast-tracking a sham planning process for our illegally redrawn national monuments. Speak up now to stop this latest attack on Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

ACTION ALERT: ICE Accused of Humanitarian Crimes Targeting Detainees (Isra Ibrahim / MPower Change & Josh Marcus / The Intercept)
Emboldened by an openly bigoted White House, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been ramping up their abusive behavior targeting Black and brown communities. One of the most egregious cases involves 92 Somali migrants on a botched deportation flight -- who endured barbaric treatment at the hands of ICE agents, including being beaten and shackled for 40 hours.

The Candlelight Revolution Offers Hope for Peace (Joseph Essertier / World Beyond War)
Commentary: Not only Koreans who live in Japan but also many Japanese -- far more than one would think after watching a few hours of TV programs about North Korea -- are yearning for an end to the Korean War. Peace is popular! Our global candlelight solidarity action in Nagoya demonstrated that.

ACTION ALERT: A Petition to Hold Trump to His Promise to Order US Troops Out of Syria (David Swanson / David Swanson.org & World Beyond War)
Commentary: We demand that you actually follow through on getting the US military out of Syria, including the skies above Syria. We insist that, for a small fraction of the cost of continuing the war making, the United States instead provide massive humanitarian aid and assistance.

ACTION ALERT: A Call to Congress: Divest from Guns and War (CODEPINK & Sen. Elizabeth Warren / CREDO Action & The Brady Campaign & The Nation)
As we enter the Spring season, we need to tell Congress it's time for them to do their part and commit to "No Money for Weapons Manufacturers and the NRA." Congress is home for Spring break, so grab your gear and show up at a town hall or public hearing in your community.

Murder and Racial Bias: How the NYT Offers Excuses for White Killers (CREDO Action & Dana Liebelson / The Huffington Post & The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence & Timothy Johnson / Media Matters)
White extremist violence has been on the rise since Donald Trump took office, and his racist administration is refusing to do anything about it. By humanizing white killers, The New York Times is using its platform and credibility to reinforce the racism that is both driving this crisis and sweeping it under the rug. This needs to stop now. Tell the Times to "stop humanizing violent white extremists, defaming Black people murdered by police and perpetuating anti-Muslim bias."

From Venezuela to Ghana, a Call for Activists to Confront and Reject US Warmongering (Ajamu Baraka / Black Alliance for Peace & Seth Kwame Awuku, Esq. / MyJoyOnline)
Commentary: We need an independent movement to address both the economic needs of poor and working people and the escalating attacks on the Black community, immigrants, women, unions, the LGBTQ community, refugees, Muslims, the physically and mentally challenged, youth, students, the elderly, Mother Earth -- all of us.

Palestinian Reality Tour Stuns Americans: Palestine Signs Nuclear Abolition Pact (Phillip Weiss / Mondoweiss & The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
On a March night in Brooklyn, two activists from the International Solidarity Movement described their work in Palestine to 70 people crowded into the Commons Cafe. Their tour will continue to many other venues across Canada and the US. The plain-speaking tour is noteworthy because it conveys, in the most unrhetorical manner, some small portion of the immense trauma that Palestinians are experiencing. Yet, despite its troubles, Palestine recently became the 6th state to ratify the UN Atomic Weapons Ban.

ACTION ALERT: Do Whatever It Takes: Say No to Bigotry and Torture; Oppose Pompeo and Haspel (MPower / Muslim Grassroots Movement & Brett Samuels / The Hill & Democracy Now!)
Trump's attempts to appoint Mike Pompeo and Gina Haspel to his cabinet are an affront to human rights and basic decency. Trump wants to make Mike Pompeo -- a shameless anti-Muslim bigot -- our Secretary of State and replace him as CIA Director with Gina Haspel, a seasoned torturer. But Senators are preparing for hearings -- and at least two Republicans have already voiced their clear opposition. A public opposed to hatred and brutality can block these appointment, if we contact our Senators ASAP.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Pompeo to Block Bolton (CODEPINK & The Times of Israel & Mitchell Plitnick / Right Web)
Commentary: John Bolton's appointment doesn't require Senate confirmation. We can send a message by stopping Mike Pompeo, Trumps choice as Secretary of State. The brazen nature of Bolton's appointment was underscored by the fact that it came the same day that news broke of Bolton having recorded a video for a Russian gun group in 2013.

The New Breed: Voices from the March for Our Lives (Alison Letterman & Emma Gonzales et al.)
Commentary: Tears rain down her face but she doesn't stop shouting she doesn't apologize she keeps calling them out, all of them all of us who didn't do enough to stop this thing. And: young voices from the Washington, DC March for Our Lives.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Pompeo; Block Bolton; Disarm Trump's War Cabinet (David Swanson / World Beyond War & Win Without War & Red to Blue CA)
Commentary: Trump just named a disgraced warmonger as his National Security Advisor. John Bolton helped engineer the Iraq War, can't wait to attack North Korea, and is obsessed with bombing Iran. And one thing just got really, really clear: Trump is building a war cabinet.

ACTION ALERT: Warhawks in the White House: Bolton Wants War with Korea (Hon. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives & Jon Soltz / VotVets.org & Daniel Larison / The American Conservative)
Two neocon warhawks have been chosen by Donald Trump to fill key cabinet positions. CIA Director Mike Pompeo was selected to replace Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. Now, National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster is out and former UN Ambassador and unapologetic Iraq War champion John Bolton is in. Bolton defends preventive war against North Korea. But f the US strikes North Korea first under Bolton's dangerous rationale, our government would be committing an act of aggression -- pure and simple.

The Fight to Save the EPA & the Struggle to Block Arctic Drilling (John R. Platt / The Revalator & NationOfChange & Lorraine Chow / EcoWatch )
Saving the EPA could be a tough task considering the recent actions by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, which include rolling back regulations for clean air and water, recommending the repeal of the Clean Power Plan, removing climate change from official policies (and from EPA web pages), and extending the use of toxic pesticides. But direct action by Greenpeace/Norway "kayaktivists" has halted drilling for oil in the waters of the Arctic.

World War III Is Approaching: We Need a New Anti-war Movement -- One that Includes Soldiers (Paul Craig Roberts / The Institute for Political Economy & Prof. Michel Chossudovsky / Global Research)
Commentary: When will the Russians notice that literally everyone in the Trump regime is issuing threats to Russia -- Mattis, Tillerson, Nikki Haley, the UK PM and Foreign Secretary. Yet the Russians still speak about how much they want to get along with their "partners" the West. We are at a dangerous crossroads. The threat of World War III is real, yet there is no anti-war movement in sight. In the US, Canada and the EU, the peace movement is defunct, ignorant of the broader implications of nuclear war.

ACTION March Against Gun Violence; Fight Bullets with Billboards (Emma Gonzalez / March for Our Lives & MoveOn.org Civic Action)
Commentary: We survived the shooting at our school, but too many of our classmates did not. And since then, Members of Congress have done NOTHING to ensure that gun violence like this never happens again. That's why we're marching to demand that the lives of every student and every American become a priority, and we want you there by our side.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to End the US-Backed War in Yemen (Mokhtar Alkhanshali / MoveOn.org & Mokha Foundation )
For three years, the US has been providing military support to a Saudi-led war in Yemen that has has only escalated and led to one of the worst humanitarian situations in the world. Over 42,000 people have been harmed, and over 18 million people in Yemen require humanitarian aid. But there is hope. Senators Bernie Sanders, Mike Lee, and Chris Murphy are calling on Congress to exert its constitutional authority and end this inhumane destruction of millions of lives for geopolitical games. A vote is imminent.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Fires Tillerson, Appoints Warhawk and Torture Chief to Head State Dept and CIA (Nancy Pelosi / US House of Representatives & Common Defense & The Washington Post & Matthew Rosenberg / The New York Times)
There is something strange going on. Trump fires Tillerson for criticizing Russia at the same time House Republicans announce there was "no collusion" between Trump and Moscow. If we don't act quickly, our nation's new top diplomat will be Mike Pompeo, a war-hungry, torture-loving, diplomacy-hating demagogue. Meanwhile, Gina Haspel, the new CIA chief-designate has an arrest warrant out for her issued by a European human rights organization for her role overseeing CIA waterboarding.

ACTION ALERT: Stand By Imprisoned Whistleblower Reality Winter (RootsAction & Billie Winner-Davis / Courage to Resist & Kevin Gosztola / Shadowproof Press)
Reality Leigh Winner, an USAF vet, a whistleblower, and a former employee of an NSA contractor, has been in jail for nine months without trial. The government's treatment of Ms. Winner has been shameful, vindictive and indefensible. Winner was arrested and charged under the Espionage Act for allegedly releasing a top-secret document to a US media outlet. The document exposed Russian online intrusions prior to the 2016 presidential election. Held without bail, Winner now spends 12 hours a day in shackles.

ACTION ALERT: Put an End to the Unconstitutional US War in Yemen (Win Without War & Project on Government Oversight)
After three years of our tax dollars helping Saudi Arabia bomb and starve Yemen, we have three more days to maximize our pressure and cut off US support for this brutal, unconstitutional war. But the Trump administration isn't about to cave in without a fight. They're spewing false information and excuses to justify the continued starvation of 8 million people. So we can't let a single stone go unturned to knock out these hypocritical counterarguments and get our senators on board before Thursday.

Pentagon Targets Congress over Brazen Peace Move (Bruce Fein / The American Conservative)
Commentary: Now that key senators have introduced measures that would end US-aided hostilities in Yemen, we can expect that a coordinated backlash from the military establishment. The multi-trillion-dollar military-industrial-counterterrorism complex has a habit of scuttling any laws that would curtail US in military involvement overseas. This typically involves leaking classified falsehoods. A vote on S.J. Res. 54, to terminate use of the USAF to support Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen, is expected this week.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: Stop Fueling War in Yemen (Veterans for Peace & Indivisible.org)
Yemen is facing a massive humanitarian catastrophe and we need your help to stop it. American aid is crucial to the Saudi war effort, and removing our assistance would limit Saudi attacks and maybe even push them to the negotiating table. Email your lawmakers now and tell them to support the War Powers Resolution S.J.Res. 54 to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.

Citizens and Children Are Suing Trump to Save the Planet (Bob Egelko / The San Francisco Chronicle & Robert Weissman / Public Citizen)
A federal appeals court has given a go-ahead to an unprecedented suit by 21 young people who accuse the federal government of endangering their future, and the planet, by failing to act against global warming. Meanwhile, another legal challenge -- Public Citizen v. Donald J. Trump -- would block Trump's anti-regulatory executive order which would require repealing two existing public safety rules for every new regulation introduced.

Marking International Women's Day with Action (Hon. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives & Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans / CODEPINK)
Commentary: Women make up half of the world's population, but in 2018, we are still working to guarantee basic fairness and equality. On this International Women's Day, let us honor those who came before us, be inspired by their example, and take on the challenges that are before us with strong hearts. Meanwhile, in Israel, 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi is facing up to 10 years in prison. Each year, Israel prosecutes around 700 Palestinian children in military court. Ahed Tammi is to be tried in a closed court.

As Trump Threats Stir Global Arms Race, New Report Details the Nuclear War Profiteers (Andrea Germanos / Common Dreams & Maaike Beenes / International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear weapons)
Who benefits from Donald Trump's threats of nuclear war? According to the latest annual report from "Don't Bank on the Bomb," no fewer than 329 financial institutions in 24 countries invested $525 billion in the top 20 companies involved in the production, maintenance, and modernization of nuclear weapons from January 2014 through October 2017. The top three nuclear weapons producers, by investments -- Boeing, Honeywell International, and Lockheed Martin-- are all based in the US.

Who Has the Power to Destroy Life on Earth? Only Nine Countries (Don't Bank on the Bomb: 2018 Report)
Nuclear weapons are indiscriminate, inhumane and immoral -- and they are prohibited by international treaty. Still, from January 2014 through October 2017, researchers found 329 banks, insurance companies, pension funds and asset managers from 24 countries that had invested significantly in the top 20 nuclear weapon producers. Of these, 204 were based in North America, 70 were based in Europe, 52 were based in Asia- Pacific, 3 in the Middle East. None were based in Africa or Latin America.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's Latest Flip-flop Could Extinguish the World's Elephants for Profit (Ashley Curtin / NationofChange & Dartunorro Clark / NBC News & MoveOn.org & The Animal Welfare Institute)
The Trump Administration announced yesterday that it is reversing course and will now allow the importation of elephant remains (trophies) on a "case-by-case" basis. This is directly in contrast to President Trump's comments referring to elephant hunting as a "horror show " and suggestion that he would keep the ban in place. The ruling promises to accelerate the extinction of Africa's largest land mammals. Make your voices heard.

On the Ground With the Parkland Teens as They Plan Their Revolution (Lisa Miller / New York Magazine)
In Parkland, in the weeks after the shooting, emotional distance from the actual horror is measured in increments. The teenagers who quickly became the faces of the trauma were not those who had been the closest to the violence. Most of those students and their families are suffering in all the cruel and by-now-expected ways. But a different cadre of students has exhibited a very different response: Activated by fury and demanding to be heard, they had the emotional bandwidth to strategize and speak out.

Marking International Women's Day with Action (Hon. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives & Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans / CODEPINK)
Commentary: Women make up half of the world's population, but in 2018, we are still working to guarantee basic fairness and equality. On this International Women's Day, let us honor those who came before us, be inspired by their example, and take on the challenges that are before us with strong hearts. Meanwhile, in Israel, 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi is facing up to 10 years in prison. Each year, Israel prosecutes around 700 Palestinian children in military court. Ahed Tammi is to be tried in a closed court.

ACTION ALERT: North Korea Offers Diplomacy Not War. The US Should Respond Constructively (Benjamin Haas and David Smith / The Guardian & Win Without War)
North Korea has agreed to discuss relinquishing its nuclear weapons and will freeze its nuclear and missile programs if it begins direct talks with the US, in a dramatic easing of tensions after a visit by senior South Korean politicians. The key question: with Trump's State Department in tatters and no qualified diplomats on hand, will the US drop its plans for an unprovoked "bloody nose" attack on the North and also cancel the impending joint-military exercises aimed at toppling the regime in Pyongyang?

ACTION ALERT: North Korea Offers Talks; Trump Prepares an Illegal Military Attack (Win Without War & The New York Times)
The US military is secretly rehearsing for a bloody war with North Korea. Top military brass gathered in Hawaii to draw up plans for attacking the Korean mainland expect that 10,000 American soldiers could be wounded in just the few days of the armed US attack. The human costs of this war would be awful beyond imagining. We have a major chance to turn this growing murmur of worry into a massive outcry for common-sense diplomacy. Don't allow Trump's war games to become a devastating reality.

ACTION ALERT: US Arms and Money Are Supporting the War in Yemen (Sarah Arnold / The Nation & StopTheWar & RootsAction & CREDO Action )
Yemen is facing a massive humanitarian catastrophe and we need your help to stop it. American aid is crucial to the Saudi war effort, and removing our assistance would limit Saudi attacks and maybe even push them to the negotiating table. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Senator Bernie Sanders, have introduced a resolution to end US support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen. Will you write to your members of Congress to demand that they join them.

ACTION ALERT: To Save the Earth, Curb Militarism! An Appeal for Earth Day, 2018 (CODEPINK, Environmentalists Against War, Just World Educational, Traprock Center for Peace & Justice, and World Beyond War)
Our five organizations, CODEPINK, Environmentalists Against War, Just World Educational, Traprock Center for Peace & Justice, and World Beyond War, invite citizens and organizations around the US to express support for the statement that follows.

NRA Fallout: Weapons Lobby Targeted by Growing Commercial Boycott (MoveOn.org & USA TODAY & Fox Business)
Last week, in less than three days, 16 major corporations broke their ties to the NRA. United Airlines. Delta. Enterprise Rent-a-Car. MetLife Insurance. North American Van Lines. Simplisafe Home Security. They all said "enough" and canceled their deals with the NRA. Some Republican governors and members of Congress are finally standing up to the NRA as well, with new supporters coming out in favor of everything from an assault weapons ban to universal background checks and raising the age limit on gun purchases.

Britain's House of Lords Debates Nuclear Risks and Abolition (The Basel Peace Office & Alyn Ware / In Depth News & Abolition 2000)
From May 14-16, the United Nations General Assembly will hold its first ever High-level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament. This conference has become even more important in light of increased nuclear risks, which led the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists on January 25 to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock to 2 minutes to Midnight.

Does Peace Need a Business Plan? (David Swanson / David Swanson.org)
Analysis: Scilla Elworthy has proposed a "budget for peace" that focuses on positive policies governments should pursue (while attempting to replace oligarchic, militaristic governments). Her total budget is less then $200 million per year -- a relatively miniscule expense (a mere 0.01 percent of the roughly $2 trillion spent on war and war preparations by the world's governments every year). It's a good beginning but the plan needs work.

Anti-Drone Billboards Pop Up in Syracuse; Encounter Censorship Elsewhere (David Swanson / World Beyond War)
World Beyond War has been raising funds for and renting billboards in opposition to war. We've run into censorship from numerous billboard companies but persevered, and more billboards are on their way. We're currently putting these two new billboards in Syracuse, New York, where drone pilots participate in US wars from Hancock Air Base.

ACTION ALERT: Standing Up to the NRA: A Domestic Terrorist Organization (Ashley Curtin / NationofChange & Common Defense & The Us Campaign)
Dallas is home to this year's NRA annual convention but a city council member and the mayor pro tem are urging the NRA to take its convention elsewhere. Huge protests are planned if the NRA goes forth with the convention, which would include the selling of ammunition and assault weapons. For years, the NRA has fed violent, paranoid rhetoric to their millions of members along with apocalyptic, terrorizing propaganda videos, openly threatening peaceful protesters with menacing violence.

ACTION ALERT: The GOP the NRA and Mass Murder: The Proven Solution in Gun Control (Robert Reich & Dan Rathert & YES! Magazine & VoteVets)
This week, 17 teachers, students, and visitors died in a Florida high school, in a country where mass shootings have been devastatingly routine. Background checks and gun control have proven effective at reducing gun suicides and domestic shootings (both very worthwhile goals), but not the gun homicides or mass shootings such remedies are invoked to redress. But the last 25 years have seen massive declines in gun homicides in New York, California, and Texas -- all states with strict gun-control laws.

ACTION ALERT: Student-Shooting Survivors Give Voice to Their Outrage (Julie Turkewitz, Matt Stevens and Jason M. Bailey / The New York Times & Emma Gonzalez)
Commentary: "If the President wants to come up to me and tell me to my face that it was a terrible tragedy and how it should never have happened and maintain telling us how nothing is going to be done about it, I'm going to happily ask him how much money he received from the NRA? . . . . I already know. $30 million. And divided by the number of gunshot victims in the US in the one and one-half months in 2018 alone, that comes out to being $5,800. Is that how much these people are worth to you, Trump?"

ACTION ALERT: There Are Many Bills in Congress To Reduce Gun Violence -- And The GOP Has Blocked Them All (Senator Elizabeth Warren & CREDO Action )
Democrats have bills to ban assault weapons but the Republicans control the House, Senate, and White House. Even when kids die every day in deliberate shootings, accidental shootings, drive-by shootings, and random shootings, the Republicans have blocked even the tiniest gun reform laws to protect our children and communities.

We Can Avoid War with North Korea -- If We Listen to Women Peacemakers (Erica Fein / Ms. Magazine Blog & Cindy Sheehan's Soap Box)
The US and North Korea have been at war for 67 years. Since 1953, a united Korea -- that had existed for well over a thousand years -- has given way to a stark division. Conventional thinking isn't just continuing the status quo -- it's putting us on a path to renewed war. If we want to truly achieve peace, we must listen to the voices of those who have witnessed the human costs of war on the Korean Peninsula. And, on all sides of the negotiating table, women must be heard.

A Letter from Afghanistan: The Taliban Asks the American People to End this Deadly War (Gar Smith / Environmentalists Against War & The Berkeley Daily Planet)
In an unprecedented 17,000-word letter released on February 14, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (aka, the Taliban) has appealed directly to the American people to "put pressure on your authorities and demand an end to the occupation of Afghanistan. It is not the duty of America to draft laws and suggest systems for other countries," the letter states -- especially when doing so entails the deaths of "3,546 US and foreign soldiers" and "tens of thousands of helpless Afghans, including women and children."

ACTION ALERT: Stop NBC's Winter Olympics Whiteout (Public Citizen & Kendra Pierre-Louis / The New York Times & Henry Fountain / The New York Times)
Jessie Diggins is a cross-country skier on the American women's team. Diggins is also an advocate for climate action. Yesterday, another Olympian spoke out about the need for immediate climate action. The New York Times told this story. But NBC -- the official network of the Winter Olympics -- did not. In fact, NBC has been silent on the ways climate change is impacting the Winter Olympics and its athletes. We no longer can talk about winter without talking about global warming.

ACTION ALERT: A Call for the Baltic Sea to Become a "Sea of Peace" (Women for Peace, Sweden & Physicians for Social Responsibility, Finland, et al)
We, the organizations and movements that have signed this letter are extremely concerned about the deepening crisis between the United States, EU and Russia and about the rapidly advancing militarization of the Baltic Sea. The hope that awoke with the end of the 'old' Cold War is increasingly waning, and worryingly the lessons of the Cold War that brought mankind and the planet to the brink of nuclear destruction have been all but forgotten.

ACTION ALERT: Vets Oppose Trump's Call for Weapons Parade (Associated Press & VoteVets & Common Defense & The Huffington Post)
Donald Trump has ordered the Pentagon to prepare for a military parade. Our military should not be used to prop up Donald Trump's fragile self-image. Trump doesn't actually honor the troops, he wants to force the troops to honor him. If Trump wants to see us marching in the streets of DC, we'll go -- In protest. Plans are underway to stage a "Tiananmen Square" moment -- with hundreds of protesters walking into the street to confront the first M1 Abrams tank that lumbers down the road.

ACTION ALERT: How to Back the US Away from Nuclear Madness (World Beyond War)
In Trump's State of the Union he proposed building more nuclear weapons to counter "rivals" who "challenge" US "values." The Pentagon's new Nuclear Posture Review proposes nuclear weapons to counter even "cyber warfare" and of course for "deterrence," but also for "achievement of US objectives if deterrence fails." How do we back Washington away from madness? This might help. . . .

ACTION ALERT: The Winter Olympics Shows a Path to Peace (Athletes for Peace / Veterans for Peace)
Commentary: As former and current atheltes, we value the Olympic spirit and tradition of bringing men and women from diverse nations together for peaceful competition and performance. The Olympic Truce represents an important opportunity to defuse tensions and begin the work of reconciliation on the Korean peninsula. We therefore call upon the US Olympic Committee to fully support both Korean governments' current efforts to restore a peace process.

As Congress Feeds the Merchants of Death, the People Must Divest (Medea Benjamin / NationofChange )
In recent budget negotiations, Senate Democrats agreed to a boost in military spending that exceeded the cap for fiscal 2018 by $70 billion, bringing the total request to an enormous $716 billion. Inevitably, this means more Pentagon contracts will be awarded to private corporations that use endless war to line their pockets. If neither major political party will stand up to this status quo, what can be done? One answer might be found in the recent push to divest from fossil fuel -- from Norway to New York City.

ACTION ALERT: Divest from the War Machine -- A Week of Resistance (CODEPINK / Divest from the War Machine)
This Tuesday's State of the Union address emphasized war, violence, and weapons. As we watch our country invest more of our money in weapons and war, we can take action and send a message to companies like Lockheed Martin that we will not invest in their acts of war.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's New Nuclear Doctrine Called a "Roadmap to Nuclear War" (The Basel Peace Office, Abolition 2000, Sen. Edward J Markey et al.)
The Trump administration's new Nuclear Posture Review has been criticized as a "roadmap to nuclear war" that calls for developing new low-yield "tactical" nuclear weapons and increases the role of nuclear weapons in US military planning by lowering the bar on the threats that could trigger a nuclear war. It backs a modernization of the existing nuclear arsenal that would increase the nuclear weapons budget by $60 billion per year.

ACTION ALERT: Join the "Off Fossil Fuels" Campaign (Food and Water Watch)
For five years, Food & Water Watch has worked to ban fracking because it presents unacceptable risks to our water supply. Now, we're taking on dirty energy for another reason: climate chaos. The goal: to move the US from fossil fuels to 100% renewables by 2035. Over 400 organizations have signed onto a letter urging support for this "visionary legislation," including 350.org, Friends of the Earth, Center for Biological Diversity, Progressive Democrats of America, Our Revolution, National Nurses United and more.

ACTION ALERT: Join the "Off Fossil Fuels" Campaign (Food and Water Watch)
For five years, Food & Water Watch has worked to ban fracking because it presents unacceptable risks to our water supply. Now, we're taking on dirty energy for another reason: climate chaos. The goal: to move the US from fossil fuels to 100% renewables by 2035. Over 400 organizations have signed onto a letter urging support for this "visionary legislation," including 350.org, Friends of the Earth, Center for Biological Diversity, Progressive Democrats of America, Our Revolution, National Nurses United and more.

ACTION ALERT: Join the "Off Fossil Fuels" Campaign (Food and Water Watch)
For five years, Food & Water Watch has worked to ban fracking because it presents unacceptable risks to our water supply. Now, we're taking on dirty energy for another reason: climate chaos. The goal: to move the US from fossil fuels to 100% renewables by 2035. Over 400 organizations have signed onto a letter urging support for this "visionary legislation," including 350.org, Friends of the Earth, Center for Biological Diversity, Progressive Democrats of America, Our Revolution, National Nurses United and more.

ACTION ALERT: Divest from the War Machine (CODEPINK / Divest from the War Machine)
CODEPINK, in partnership with an array of peace and disarmament groups, is launching a divestment campaign to encourage universities, religious organizations, retirement funds, mutual funds, private investors, and other financial institutions in the United States to take action to reduce violent global conflicts and slow the hyper-militarization of our world by divesting from the US War Machine. Pledge to work with CODEPINK to stop those who are making a killing on killing and stealing our future!

Protesters Target US Spy Base in Waihopai, New Zealand (NewsHub.com & Stuff.com & TV New Zealand & NewsTalk ZB)
The annual protest against the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) listening station at Waihopai, near Blenheim, is on again. Protesters say they will be at the main gate at Waihopai Valley Road say the GCSB systematically spies on New Zealanders, and on other countries. In 2008 three peace activists broke into Waihopai and deflated a dome covering one of the satellite dishes.

ACTION Divest from the War Machine -- Week of Action, February 5-11, 2018 (World Beyond War & Divest from the War Machine / CODEPINK)
World Beyond War is joining with Code Pink to promote a week of actions to divest from the war machine. The War Machine refers to the massive, global US military apparatus that operates largely thanks to an alliance between the arms industry and policy makers. We need to tell the companies that earn their profits from the spread of war and militarism that their priorities are not our priorities. As we join together to take action against the War Machine here are some ways to get started.

ACTION ALERT: New Trump Nuclear Policy Veers into Dangerous Territory (Martin Fleck / Physicians for Social Responsibility)
The Huffington Post has leaked a draft of the Trump administration's new Nuclear Posture Review. The NPR, which officially defines the role of US nuclear weapons, dangerously increases reliance on nuclear weapons rather than pursuing diplomacy to prevent conflict and move towards arms reductions. Help PSR hold our government accountable in calling this reckless policy unacceptable.

As Olympic Truce Raises Promise of Peace, US Responds with New Threats of War (Kanga Kong / Bloomberg & Veterans for Peace)
The question as to whether the Olympic detente will continue after Games end in March has been complicated the Washington's announcement that it intends to order a resumption of military exercises aimed at destabilizing North Korea. The US announcement came after North Korea issued a call for unification of the two Koreas. It would appear that the US prefers military action to a diplomatic resolution that could bring peace to the Korean Peninsula.

ACTION ALERT: Legislation to Prevent Trump from Starting Nuclear War Introduced as 'Doomsday Clock' Nears Midnight (Basel Peace Office & Hon. Edward J. Markey / US Senate)
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists today moved the hands of the symbolic Doomsday Clock to 2 Minutes to Midnight, indicating that the world is the closest to possible nuclear Armageddon since the height of the Cold War. Now 22 Senators say US commitment to the elimination of nuclear weapons -- not the creation of new, more "usable" weapons -- should be core components of Nuclear Posture Review.

ACTION ALERT / VIDEOS: Uncovering and Opposing the Pentagon's Global Empire of Bases (No Foreign Bases Coalition & World Beyond War & Popular Resistance)
Unknown to most Americans, the Pentagon operates a vast, global empire of military bases that circles the planet. This hidden empire consists of nearly 562,000 facilities worth more than $585 billion located on more than 4,800 sites in 42 nations and covering over 24.9 million acres -- equal in size to the entire state of Kentucky. The US cannot be a moral or ethical country until it faces up to the realities of US empire and the destruction it causes around the world.

A Model for US Activists: British Protesters Challenge UK Arms Sales to Saudis (Campaign Against the Arms Trade)
Saudi Arabia is the UK's biggest arms customer and most shameful relationship. One of the world's most authoritarian regimes, its repression at home and aggression abroad is propped up and supported by UK arms sales. The UK's military support for the Saudi regime makes us complicit in its wrongs. The UK must end all arms sales and military support to Saudi Arabia.

ACTION ALERT: Help Create the Largest Protected Area on Earth: The Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary (Greenpeace)
On December 1, 2017, the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area -- a land sanctuary covering 1.5 million square kilometers -- came into force. Now the Antarctic Ocean needs protection. Greenpeace writes: "We are calling for the creation of the biggest ocean sanctuary in the world, to protect the fragile and amazing wildlife in the Weddell Sea, like the irreplaceable penguins, whales and seals that call it home. But we simply can't do it without your help. And we want you to come along for the journey!"

New York City Just Declared War on the Oil Industry (Bill McKibben / The Guardian UK & Naomi Klein / The Intercept & Suzanne Goldenberg / The Guardian)
New York City, the home of Wall Street, announced on Wednesday that it will be divesting its massive pension fund from fossil fuels. That hits fossil fuel giants where it hurts. Five years after the ravages of Hurricane Sandy, New York announced it was divesting its massive pension fund from fossil fuels -- and suing the five biggest oil companies for damages. Our planet's most important city is now at war with its richest industry.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump's Destructive EPA Budget Cuts (Rhea Suh / NRDC Action Fund)
Donald Trump and EPA administrator Scott Pruitt, along with their anti-environment allies in Congress, are pushing for bone-deep cuts to EPA funding that would make critical environmental cleanups nearly impossible. Congress must pass a new spending bill by January 19 to keep the government running -- and Trump and his cronies are using this deadline as an excuse to force their extreme anti-environment agenda into law. Ask your representatives to stand up for environmental protections.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's New Nuclear Policy: More Nukes, Including Smaller, (Ashley Feinberg / The Huffington Post & International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons & Win Without War)
On the order of President Trump, the US Department of Defense is currently concluding a sweeping review of the United States' nuclear policy -- a "nuclear posture review" -- expected to be released at the end of this month. But already now, the text has leaked and shows that the Trump administration will loosen constraints on the use of nuclear weapons and develop more "usable" nuclear warheads.

ACTION ALERT: Vancouver Women's Forum on Peace and Stability on the Korean Peninsula (Nobel Women's Initiative, Women Cross DMZ, WomenPeaceKorea, et al.)
On January 16, 2018 Foreign Ministers from 20 nations will gather in Vancouver to discuss security and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Research clearly shows that the participation of women's movements in peace processes leads to far better outcomes. Women must be at the table! An international delegation of 16 woman leaders representing peace, environment, women's and social justice movements from across Asia, Europe and North America is ready to participate in the discussions.

January 12-15 Conference: Close All US Military Bases on Foreign Soil (Coalition Against US Foreign Military Bases)
The Coalition Against Foreign Military Bases is focused on closing all US military bases abroad. This campaign strikes at the foundation of US empire, confronting its militarism, corporatism and imperialism. Foreign nations that allow US bases on their soil serve as client states of Washington and are controlled through the economic power of the US, World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The US has used regime change tactics, including assassination and military force, to keep its empire intact.

ACTION ALERT: Words and Deeds: Challenging War -- on Billboards and in Baltimore (World Beyond War & The Coalition Against US Foreign Military Bases)
The US maintains a costly global empire of military bases outside its territory, estimated at almost 1000 (95% of all foreign military bases in the world. The annual cost of these bases to the American taxpayers is approximately $156 billion. The support of US foreign military bases drains funds that can be used to fund human needs and enable our cities and States to provide necessary services for the people. Devoting just 3% of US military spending could put an end to starvation everywhere on Earth.

ACTION ALERT: Israel Implements a Deliberate Policy to Terrorise Palestinian Children (Kamel Hawwash / Middle East Eye)
Israel's founding father David Ben-Gurion once said about the Palestinians: 'The old will die and the young will forget.' How wrong was he about the Palestinian people. There are currently some 450 Palestinian children who have been placed in detention by Israel. Warning: Contains graphic video of an armed soldier shooting a Palestinian child.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Twitter to Revoke Donald Trump's Twitter Account (CREDO Mobile & Jack Moore / GQ Magazine)
Donald Trump has used Twitter to demean religions, other countries, immigrants, and world leaders. Now he is using Twitter to threaten a nuclear crisis. Ordinarily an online comment like that would send the CIA and FBI scrambling into action to track down and immobilized the "terrorist threat." It's time to demand that Twitter revoke Donald Trump's Twitter account for violations of the terms of service and institute safeguards to prevent a single tweet from sparking armed conflict.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's War on Independent Investigations (March for Truth & MoveOne.org & Glenn R. Simpson and Peter Fritsch / New York Times)
"Why did Mr. Trump repeatedly seek to do deals in a notoriously corrupt police state that most serious investors shun?" That's a question posed by the founders of Fusion GPS in a new op-ed for The New York Times.

Three-day Conference on US Foreign Military Bases Begins January 12 (Coalition Against Foreign Military Bases)
The United States maintains the highest number of military bases outside its territory, estimated at almost 1000 (95% of all foreign military bases in the world). There are US military bases in every Persian Gulf country except Iran. US foreign military bases are NOT in defense of US national, or global security. They are the military expression of US intrusion into the lives of sovereign countries on behalf of the dominant financial, political, and military interests of a Western ruling elite.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's Un-American War on Immigrants (Mom's Rising / Mamas Con Poder & Nicole Prchal Svajlenka, Angie Bautista-Chavez, and Laura Muñoz Lopez / Center for American Progress)
The Trump administration is ripping away Temporary Protected Status status from thousands of families. This is un-American. Lives are in grave danger. TPS beneficiaries are integral to the US economy and American society: They have lived in the US for an average of 19 years and are employed at high rates, ranging from 69.2 to 83.5 percent. The contributions made by TPS holders will only continue to grow in the future, as they are collectively raising families that include nearly 275,000 US-born children.

How It May Soon Be Possible to Prosecute War as a Crime (David Swanson / World Beyond War & Thomas Knapp / AntiWar.com)
War is a crime. The International Criminal Court has just announced that it will finally treat it as a crime, sort-of, kind-of. But how can war's status as a crime effectively deter the world's leading war-maker from threatening and launching more wars, large and small? How can laws against war actually be put to use? How can the ICC's announcement be made into something more than a pretense?

ACTION ALERT: Ekecheiria! An Olympic Peace Week for Korea (Roots Action & the United Nations)
The United Nations has asked its member states to observe an Olympic truce during the upcoming February 9-25 Winter Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and for one week on either side. That would be February 2 to March 4. South Korea has asked the United States to delay its war rehearsal flights over South Korea until after the truce. If the world can prove that it can refrain from war during a sports competition, it will have proved that it can do so after the competition as well.

ACTION ALERT: Federal Court Invalidates Trump's Call to Allow Trophy Hunting (Endangered Species Coalition & The Humane Society & Care2 Petitions)
The US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit has ruled that the US Fish & Wildlife Service did not follow the law in its recently-announced decision to allow the importation of elephant and lion "trophies" from Zimbabwe and Zambia. Meanwhile, the Pentagon routinely mutilates and kills animals in military exercises designed to train medics to deal with "battlefield injuries."

ACTION ALERT: For the Sake of a Single Tree (Neil Cohen / Solartopia.org)
When we found the unedited report from the arborist hired by the city, we were stunned to discover that he actually wrote a GLOWINGLY SUPPORTIVE report about this tree -- but that the city's staff for some reason chose to cut, paste, and rearrange the arborist's written narrative in order to HANG the tree.

ACTION ALERT: South, North Korea Hope for Peaceful Olympics Games. Will US Cancel Military Exercises? (Roots Action & Nam Hyun-woo / The Korea Times & Doug Bandow / The American Conservative)
South Korea wants to delay the joint military drills with the United States during the PyeongChang Olympic Games. For the past two months, North Korea has been acting within this concept. Unfortunately, the US has not scaled down its drills and plans to add another exercise. In order to bring the North to the discussion table, some action from the US should be seen. Does the US want to exacerbate or defuse the crisis?

ACTION ALERT: No More Korean Wars -- The Hidden Histories of the US and North Korea (Nation of Change & World Beyond War & Jimmy Carter / The Washington Post & Col. An Wright (Ret.) / ConsortiumNews & Bruce Cumings / The London Review of Books & Leon V. Sigal / 38 North.org )
In August, President Trump threatened North Korea with "fire and fury like the world has never seen." Following this threat, North Korea revealed plans to launch missiles into the sea surrounding the island of Guam, where US Andersen Air Force Base and B-1 bombers are held. We need a peaceful solution to the current crisis with North Korea.

ACTION ALERT: A Peoples' Peace Treaty for the US and North Korea (World Beyond War & NationofChange)
Mainstream US media depicts North Korean Kim Jong-Un as crazy and his country as an insane asylum, but there is logic in their fear of "regime change"-- a fear that only negotiations can address. Alarmed by the threat of a nuclear war, concerned US peace groups have come together to present a People's Peace Treaty to Washington and Pyongyang.

ACTION ALERT: Block the NRA's Plan to Legalize Concealed Weapons Nationwide (CREDO Action & Dana Liebelson / The Huffington Post & The Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence & Timothy Johnson / Media Matters)
It would be laughable if it weren't so deadly. Here's how Republicans have finally moved beyond their thoughts and prayers for the victims of gun violence -- with a reckless, dangerous bill to undermine gun safety laws across the country. The right-wing Republican extremists in the House have passed an NRA dream bill -- The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act -- that would force every state in the US to abide by the weakest state gun laws in the entire country -- a "guns everywhere" vision for America.

Grassroots Anti-nuclear Citizens' Group to Accept Nobel Peace Prize on December 10 (The Sunflower / The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & Kyodo News Service & Vallarta Daily )
Today there are 17,300 nuclear warheads in the hands of nine countries -- the US, Russia, the UK, France, China, India , Pakistan, Israel and North Korea. On December 10, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons and Hiroshima-bomb survivor Setsuko Thurlow will accept the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the global campaign to rid the world of nuclear weapons. In November 2017, Mexico’s Senate approved the treaty. The treaty will go into effect when 50 countries have signed and ratified it.

ACTION ALERT: War on the Bees -- Stop the Monsanto-Bayer Mega-merger (SumOfUs & Robert-Jan Bartunek and Ludwig Burger / Reuters & Brad Plumer / Vox.com)
Bayer and Monsanto have filed a merger request with antitrust authorities in Europe and the US. If they succeed, we'll face a nightmare scenario: more bee-killing neonics in our fields, more toxic glyphosate on our plates, more corporate control over our food supply. Regulators can still stop this merger, but they’re getting hammered by corporate lobbyists pressuring them to back off. That's why we need to move fast -- antitrust regulators have a limited amount of time to take action, and the clock is ticking.

ACTION ALERT: Divest Public Pension Funds from Weapons Dealers (World Beyond War and RootsAction.org)
While governments buy weapons, market weapons to other governments, donate weapons to other governments, and bestow tax breaks on weapons dealers, there is another less-visible way in which public money sustains weapons dealing. Public pension and retirement funds are invested, directly and indirectly, in weapons companies. Teachers and other public servants whose interests ought to lie with promoting human needs have their retirement security tied up with maintaining or enlarging the war industry.

ACTION ALERT: Welcome to the Swamp: EPA on the Corporate Chopping Block (Chris Riotta / Newsweek & CREDO Action)
Wall Street billionaires, corporate lobbyists and far right conservatives flooded the White House almost immediately after Donald Trump's presidential victory, according to records of visitor logs the White House was forced to reveal following a Freedom of Information lawsuit. Meanwhile, Trump's climate-change-denying EPA pick, Scott Pruitt, is moving to replace independent scientists on EPA advisory boards with representatives of the fossil fuel and chemical industries.

ACTION ALERT: House Tax Bill Attacks Clean Energy: Meanwhile, Costa Rica Has Been Carbon-free for 300 Days (Union of Concerned Scientists & Alexandra Jacobo / NationofChange)
The tax bill being debated in the House is a bad deal. In addition to cutting taxes for the wealthy at the expense of middle class and low-income families, it poses a major threat to the success of electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies that save consumers money, create jobs, and reduce climate and air pollution. Meanwhile, as of November 22, Costa Rica had run on 100% renewable energy for more than 300 days. In 2016, the US generated only about 15 percent of its power from renewables.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump from Gutting Climate Efforts, Clean Car Standards, Solar Energy, Net Energy Metering, Solar Roofs . . . (Union of Concerned Scientists & NRDC & Rainforest Action Network & Food and Water Watch)
Tell Scott Pruitt to do his job to protect our health and stop ignoring the growing risks from climate change. Push back against Trump's efforts to kill clean car standards that would double the fuel efficiency of cars and trucks. Pressure two of the biggest banks on Wall St. -- JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo -- to say NO to the Keystone XL pipeline. Bombard Trump's Department of Energy with support for solar power.

Why Are We in Niger? (Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives)
On October 4th, four US Army soldiers were killed in an Ambush in Niger. Yet Congress has been left in the dark about why the US military is stationed there in the first place. At a minimum, we should have a basic understanding of the missions we are asking our service members to risk their lives for. That's why Representative Barbara Lee is demanding that Congress reclaim its constitutional responsibility to debate and vote on the use of military force.

Top 10 Ways to Stop Trump Nuking Anybody (David Swanson / David Swanson.org)
Commentary: On Tuesday the Senate Foreign Relations Committee held a hearing on whether Trump can just up and nuke people or not. The hand-picked witnesses, all former military, all said there was some chance that if Trump ordered a nuking, somebody might refuse to carry out the order. On what grounds? No witness or Senator ever mentioned the illegality of war under the UN Charter or the Kellogg-Briand Pact. Gere are some other possible approaches.

ACTION ALERT: What Makes American Society So Violent? (Emily Costello / The Conversation & Shannon Watts / Everytown for Gun Safety)
There are several factors behind US violence. A child who is spanked learns that physical force is an acceptable method of problem solving. Many states still allow corporal punishment in schools, despite research that clearly shows long-term negative effects. America's gun culture often causes police to fear for their own safety, resulting in unnecessary shootings. A culture of aggression sends men to prison and follows these prisoners behind bars. Increasing use of guns only feeds mass killings.

ACTION ALERT: Address the Costs of Endless, Unwinnable, Illegal Wars (Matthew Hoh / Win Without War & Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) / US House of Representatives & Hon. Elizabeth Warren / US Senate)
$5.6 trillion, with no end in sight. That's the cost of America's wars since 9/11. As a Marine who served in Iraq, I don't need a price tag to tell you about the cost of our wars. I've seen for myself the amputations, traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress disorder and moral injury that lead to massively disproportionate levels of suicide, depression, substance abuse, domestic violence and homelessness in vets returned home from war. And I've witnessed the human cost of our wars beyond our borders.

Progressive Rep. Ro Khanna: Stop All Weapons Sales to Saudi Arabia Now (Alex Emmons / The Intercept)
For more than two years, Congress has remained quiet as the United States backed a brutal war in Yemen, supporting a coalition that has killed thousands and starved the country into one of the worst humanitarian crises of the 21st century. Earlier this year, Rep. Ro Khanna introduced a resolution that condemned the war and would have used a provision of the War Powers Act to halt US support for Saudi Arabia. Khanna's resolution was fervently opposed by House leadership -- both Republicans and Democrats.

Armistice Day 99 Years On and The Need for a Peace to End All Wars (David Swanson / World Beyond War)
The Outlawry Movement of the 1920s -- the movement to outlaw war -- sought to replace war with arbitration, by first banning war and then developing a code of international law and a court with the authority to settle disputes. The first step was taken in 1928 with the Kellogg-Briand Pact, which banned all war. Today 81 nations are party to that treaty, including the United States.

ACTION ALERT: War on the Poor No More: No Tax Bill Without an Investigation of Tax-cheating Rich (Oxfam America Action Fund & CREDO Action)
A new set of 13.4 million leaked financial documents has exposed the massive scale of tax dodging by corporations and wealthy individuals -- including some of the very same people negotiating the new GOP tax bill currently before Congress. These papers make it clear: There is one tax code for the rich and powerful and another for the rest of us. This calls for an immediate, exhaustive, public congressional investigation. There should be no movement on tax legislation until such an investigation is complete.

November 6: International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict (The United Nations & Civil Society Statement)
On 5 November 2001, the UN General Assembly declared 6 November of each year as the International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. Over the last 60 years, at least 40 percent of all internal conflicts have been linked to the exploitation of natural resources, whether high-value resources such as timber, diamonds, gold and oil, or scarce resources such as fertile land and water. Conflicts involving natural resources have also been found to be twice as likely to relapse.

ACTION ALERT: Call to Act for Peace on Armistice Day, Nov. 11 (Veterans For Peace)
In 2017, ninety-nine years after the end of World War I, "the war to end war", the world finds itself on the brink of a nuclear war. Veterans For Peace calls on all peace-loving people to take a stand for peace this Armistice (aka Veterans Day), Saturday November 11. We call for nationally coordinated local actions to demand "diplomacy not war" with North Korea and the abolition of nuclear weapons and war. The people of the world must speak out and act together to demand peace.

ACTION ALERTS: Stop War on Marine Mammals; Don't Nuke the Climate (C.T. Harry / International Fund for Animal Welfare & the Nuclear Information and Resource Service )
The oceans aren't big enough to protect marine mammals from human dangers. Despite the great successes of this bedrock environment law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act has faced threats several times, and it is being attacked again -- through a new proposed bill, HR 3133. Meanwhile, under the expiring Kyoto Protocol, nuclear energy is rightly excluded from the possible solutions available to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- but the powerful nuclear industry is trying to change this.

ACTION ALERT: The Peoples Peace Treaty with North Korea (Roots Action & Ann Wright / Consortium News)
Mainstream US media depicts North Korean Kim Jong-Un as crazy and his country as an insane asylum, but there is logic in tNorth Korea's fear of "regime change." The US possesses about 6,800 nuclear weapons and has threatened the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea. A People's Peace Treaty -- to be sent to the governments and peoples of Korea, as well as to the US -- calls on Washington to officially end the lingering and costly Korean War by concluding a peace treaty with the DPRK without further delay.

29 More Civilians Die as Congress Rejects Challenge to Legality of War on Yemen (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Associated Press & AntiWar.com & Yemen Peace Project )
Saudi warplanes attacked the north Yemen Sahar District, in the Shi'ite-dominated Saada Province, bombing a crowded marketplace and a nearby hotel, and killing at least 29 civilians. 28 others were said to have been wounded. This is the latest in a long, long string of attacks on civilian targets by Saudi warplanes. A resolution demanding an end to the US role in the Saudi invasion of Yemen (on the grounds that the aggression lacked authorization under the War Powers Act) was thwarted by the House.

ACTION ALERT: Strongest Climate Bill Ever -- The OFF Act. It's Time to Get It ON! (Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representaitves)
The Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act could not be more needed or timely -- it details how we ethically get to 100% renewable energy by 2035. This visionary bill comes as the nation bears witness to the devastation brought by the climate change-super charged storm Harvey to Texas and Louisiana and braces for Irma's impacts. Gabbard's bill -- the strongest yet introduced in Congress -- will put us on a path towards avoiding increased climate chaos by moving the country to 100% renewable energy.

Spreading the Message of "No US Military Bases in the World" (Ann Wright / OpEd News & Ann Wright / Consortium News & Ann Wright / CODEPINK)
Though the US government denies that it runs an empire, the truth is it maintains a bristling global network of more than 800 overseas military bases in more than 80 foreign countries -- a global empire unprecedented in world history. In many cases, these costly installations give rise to local anger because of displacement, pollution, prostitution and abuse of the local populations. Retired Col. Ann Wright discusses the problem based on her 40 years of experience in the Army and State Department.

ACTION ALERT: Block Trump's Racist, Climate-denying Nominee for USDA Chief Scientist (CREDO Action & Friends of the Earth & Miranda Green / CNN )
The Senate Agriculture Committee is expected to vote next week on the nomination of racist, climate-denier Sam Clovis to serve as Donald Trump's "chief scientist" at the USDA. Clovis is an extreme right-wing activist and conservative radio host with no science background or agricultural expertise. In addition, recent news reports indicated that Clovis may have played a key role in the Trump campaign's communications with Russia. Make a call now to oppose his confirmation.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Militarization of Local Police (CREDO Action & Chris Hedges / TruthDig)
Donald Trump recently rewarded the country's biggest police union for their endorsement of his dangerous, racist candidacy. He has announced plans to give state and local police a trove of Pentagon hand-me-downs -- military-grade weapons of war. While police in England and Wales have killed 62 people in the 27 years between 1990 and the start of 2016, US police have fatally shot 782 people so far this year. Our police are unaccountable, militarized monstrosities that terrorize poor communities.

ACTION ALERT: Popular Resistance Is Demanding US Banks "Divest from Oil" (Brandon Jordan / Waging Nonviolence)
While banking executives from over 90 of the world's largest financial institutions gathered in Sao Paulo, Brazil for the start of a three-day meeting on the environmental and social impacts of their infrastructure investments, activists in at least 15 US states and several other countries staged protests under the banner of "Divest The Globe." Their message to the banks was simple: "Cut ties with fossil fuel companies, or face major divestment campaigns targeting your financial operations."

ACTION ALERT: Trump's War on Clean Air and Climate Conservation (Robert Weissman / Public Citizen & Rhea Suh / The NRDC & Adam Federman / The Nation)
Millions of families are still struggling to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of devastating hurricanes. Entire neighborhoods have been reduced to ash by wildfires that have raged across the American west. Yet President Trump and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt just officially proposed to repeal the Clean Power Plan, our country's best hope for reversing the worst impacts of climate change. Meanwhile, a leaked draft of a five-year plan reveals how the DOI plans to prioritize "energy dominance" over conservation.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump's War on Solar Energy: Defend Rooftop Solar. Act by October 30! (Food and Water Watch & Natural Resources Defense Council)
The Trump administration is attacking solar energy. One of the most successful solar policies we've ever seen -- net metering -- is on the chopping block. It's outrageous. Under Trump's orders, the Department of Energy is attacking solar energy through a study aimed at undermining net metering. Public comment ends on October 30. Meanwhile environmental organizations are encouraging people to sign on online petition to support net metering and defend renewable energy.

ACTION ALERT: US Gun Deaths and Domestic Violence (Dr. Hans Keirstead / Daily Kos & Shannon Watts / Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America)
Commentary: Given the recent tragedy in Las Vegas, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the number one predictor of whether someone is going to become a mass shooter isn't their race, ethnicity, or religion, it's whether they have a history of domestic violence or abusive behavior toward women. One in three American women will be in an abusive relationship at some point in her life. If her abuser has access to a gun, the chance that she will be murdered increases 500 percent.

ACTION ALERT: Pass House Resolution to Stop US-backed Bombing of Yemen Civilians (Kate Kizer / Yemen Peace Project)
65 organizations have endorse a letter in support of H.Con.Res.81 to invoke the War Powers Resolution to end unauthorized US military support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen's civil war. The War Powers Resolution is clear: Congressional authorization is required for the introduction of US armed forces in situations of hostilities.

ACTION ALERT: The Struggle to Save Rhinos in Africa and Vietnam (Jimmiel Mandima / African Wildlife Foundation & Harleen Sehmi / African Wildlife Foundation)
Earlier this year, a court ruling overruled the Government of South Africa's trade moratorium and passed legislation allowing domestic rhino horn trade. With more than 80 percent of the world's rhino population living in South Africa, Africa's rhino populations are threatened by extinction. Meanwhile, a surge in demand for rhino horn in Vietnam has lead to a dramatic increase of slaughtered rhinos in South Africa. In 2007, just 13 rhinos were killed in South Africa while in 2014 this figure rose to 1,215.

Merger Would Give Trump-friendly Media Giant Control of 75% of TV Broadcasts (Susannah Hook-Rodgers / Courage Campaign & Lucia Graves / The Guardian)
Sinclair is the largest broadcast company in America but its partisan politics -- and connections to the White House -- are raising concerns. Since the first Bush presidency, Sinclair has used its 173 television stations "to advance a mostly right-leaning agenda". Now the ultra-conservative media giant is trying to convince the Federal Communications Commission to allow it to merge with Tribune Media, giving it control over television stations that broadcast to 75% of American homes.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to End the Destruction of Yemen (Asher Orkaby / Foreign Affairs & Daniel Larison / The American Conservative)
Cut off from imports, and under a ceaseless Saudi bombardment, Yemen has become one of the worst humanitarian crises of modern times. Seven million Yemenis are close to famine, nearly two million children suffer from acute malnutrition, and an outbreak of cholera has infected over 600,000 people. The war is indefensible and the US should have no part in it. It is incumbent on the US and the American people to bring this humanitarian disaster to an end and repair the damage that has been done.

ACTION ALERT: Tell South Africa to Stop the War on Rhinos (The African Wildlife Foundation)
South Africa recently decided to legalize domestic rhino horn trade, posing a serious threat to our efforts with China to curb the deadly poaching industry. It's up to us to stop it. Please sign our petition today to tell China to stand its ground for rhinos! If we don't act now, the white and black rhino could soon share the fate as the western black rhino, which has been driven into extinction.

ACTION ALERT: Stopping Trump's Coal and Nuclear Bailout While Oz Veers toward Coal (Robert Weissman / Public Citizen & Jacqueline Williams / The New York Times)
Coal not only is too dirty and dangerous, it's too expensive to compete with clean and affordable wind and solar power. Same for nuclear. But Donald Trump wants to bail out the coal and nuclear industries. If he succeeds, US taxpayers will pay -- both in dollars and in damaged health. Meanwhile, the Australian government is considering a proposal to build one of the world's largest coalmines in a remote wilderness. Given the threat of climate change, the plan has met intense opposition at home and abroad.

ACTION ALERT: Would Licensing and Insurance Reduce Gun Deaths? Not under the NRA's Plan for Murderers' Insurance (Sybrina Fulton / Guns Down @ Color of Change.org)
Can tests and insurance stem the loss of lives caused by gun violence? Lockton Affinity, which created and sells NRA Carry Guard insurance, and Chubb Insurance, which underwrites the policies and takes a profit, are perpetuating fear of minorities and immigrants. By offering special protections to gun owners who shoot first and ask questions later, these insurance companies are promoting gun violence. Tell Chubb and Lockton to cut their ties with the NRA and Stop Selling Murder Insurance.

ACTION ALERT: UN to Vote in One Week on Nuclear Disarmament Summit! (UNFold Zero)
The Non-Aligned Movement, representing 120 countries, has submitted a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly laying out the general mandate and dates for a special United Nations process to advance comprehensive nuclear disarmament to take place at the United Nations in New York from May 14-16, 2018. UNFOLD ZERO asks you to contact your government and urge them to support the resolution.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Stop Diesel Pollution Cheating (Eleanor Fort / The Union of Concerned Scientists)
Your legislator has the chance to stop reckless pollution. Congress is considering legislation that would reduce oversight of the defeat device industry -- the same types of devices that led to the Volkswagen "Dieselgate" scandal. Tell your members of Congress that they have the duty to fix this bill before it turns into a Dieselgate 2.0. Take Action Today!

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Banks that Are Bankrolling Climate Change (Brad Johnson / Climate Hawks Vote)
The world's elite bankers and financial institutions are gathering five days from now in Brazil. These financiers have all committed to financing projects in a "socially responsible manner." But they aren't following through on their promise. Big banks are the ones fronting the money for dangerous projects like the Dakota Access pipeline. They are bankrolling a global polluter economy that drives climate change and tramples on Indigenous land rights.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Save the Iran Deal (Win Without War)
There is no question that the Iran deal is working. Nuclear experts, our allies, even members of Trump's own cabinet agree that Iran has been in compliance. We have blocked Iran from any potential pathway to develop nuclear weapons, and we did it without a single shot fired or a single soldier killed. But Trump can't be bothered with the facts, so now it is up to Congress, and ultimately the American people, to save the deal.

RAN Hails Tar Sands Divestment Victory! Healthy Forests Can Slow Climate Change (Rainforest Action Network & Rainforest Alliance)
Thanks to the thousands of petition signatures and on the ground activism, BNP Paribas -- Europe's 2nd largest bank -- just set the new standard for global bank policies on extreme oil and gas by agreeing to halt funding for tar sands development, tar sands pipelines, fracking, LNG, and Arctic oil projects. Now it's time to focus on the worst US bank when it comes to financing extreme energy -- JPMorgan Chase.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's EPA to Repeal the Clean Power Plan (The NRDC & Climate Hawks & Food & Water Watch & The Baltimore Sun)
Trump's EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is formally proposing to repeal the Clean Power Plan, America's best hope for fighting climate change. In lock step with the fossil fuel industry, Trump and Scott Pruitt are doing everything they can to turn back the clock on our energy future.

ACTION ALERT: End the "Forever War" in Afghanistan (Win Without War)
For 16 years America has been trying the same failed strategies in Afghanistan. It is time to stop the madness and finally end America's longest war. Adding troops or removing timelines will not change the fundamental truth of the situation: we simply cannot bomb our way to peace.

Anti-nuclear Weapons Group ICAN Wins Nobel Peace Prize (BBC World News)
The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). Berit Reiss-Andersen, the Nobel committee chair, said it was due to the group's "groundbreaking efforts to achieve a treaty prohibition" on nuclear weapons. Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the group, told reporters that the prize had come as a surprise but that it was "a huge signal" that the group's work was "needed and appreciated".

ACTION ALERT: End the US-backed War on Yemen (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Daniel Larison / The American Conservative & Dan De Luce / Foreign Policy)
A confidential draft of the latest UN blacklist on child victims of armed conflict included Saudi Arabia and its coalition related to the large number of children they've killed and maimed in the war in Yemen. The report confirmed that Saudi actions "objectively led to" 683 child casualties, including attacks on both schools and hospitals within Yemen in the course of 2016." A new bipartisan resolution that seeks to stop US military participation in Saudi Arabia's war against the Houthis in Yemen.

Divest from the War Machine: October 21-22 Conference (CODEPINK)
Seven wars in process. A potential war with North Korea and Iran. Tanks on our city streets. The war machine rakes in the profits, and it's up to us to do something about it. CODEPINK and 50 partner organizations are launching a new Divest from the War Machine campaign targeting companies like Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Northrop Grumman that make a killing from killing! Join us for a "Divest from the War Machine" conference on October 21 & 22.

What More Is There To Say on Gun Laws? (BillMoyers / Moyers and Company)
Commentary: Over the years, we've done many, many stories on gun violence in America. We encourage you to watch and read our collection of stories, posts and videos. But mostly, we encourage you to call your congressional and state representatives and tell them that you're tired of the call for prayers, you're tired of the condolences -- you want action.

ACTION ALERT: Military Assault Weapons Do Not Belong on Our Streets (The Care2 Petitions Team & The Huffington Post & CREDO Action)
In the US, it is perfectly legal to own a fully automatic weapon, including machine guns used by the military. While there are federal restrictions that limit the purchase of new military-style assault weapons, people who bought machine guns prior to 1986 just have to pay a fee and register their weapon. In 2006,there were over 390,000 automatic military-style assault weapons registered to private owners in the US -- that's one machine gun for every thousand people living in the US . . . that we know of.

Blue Planet II: Sir David Attenborough's New Series to Show 'Heartbreaking' Examples of Plastic Pollution (Imogen Calderwood / BBC Earth & Global Citizen & EcoWatch)
Sir David Attenborough has spoken out about "heartbreaking" examples of plastic pollution that were documented while filming Blue Planet II, his new BBC documentary series investigating how our oceans are changing as a result of human activities. Attenborough, the broadcasting legend who brought the world Planet Earth, recorded seabirds feeding their chicks with scraps of plastic -- gannets feeding plastic to their chicks off the coast of Scotland, and puffins with scraps of it in their beaks.

In Maria's Wake, Could Puerto Rico Go Totally Green? (Harvey Wasserman / The Progressive & Bold Progressives.org)
The ecological and humanitarian destruction of Puerto Rico has left the world aghast. But there is a hopeful green-powered opportunity in this disaster that could vastly improve the island's future while offering the world a critical showcase for a sane energy future. Instead of oil-fueled pole-and-powerline power, a decentralized network of green micro-grids with solar panels and battery backups could provide access to dependable local power that would promote self-sufficiency in the face of future storms.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Tweets While Puerto Rico Dies (Perry O'Brien / Common Defense & Environmentalists Against War & Climate Hawks)
Puerto Rico -- an island of 3.4 million people -- has been without power for a week. 60% of their population is stranded without drinkable water. And 90% of their cell phone towers are down. This is a full-blown humanitarian crisis. And Trump isn't doing enough to help. According to White House sources, Trump doesn't plan to submit an aid request to Congress until the second week of October. Dragging his feet on this will cost innocent lives. Tell Trump Not to Abandon Puerto Rico.

ACTION ALERT: De-escalate North Korea Crisis Before Trump Blunders Us into a Nuclear War (Rep. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives & Win Without War)
Regime change policy has failed, and it has nearly bankrupted our federal government. Trading barbs, personal insults, and threats with Kim Jong Un has put the US in a more tenuous position in East Asia than we have experienced since the Korean War. Taking a hardline stance that abandons diplomacy has caused the North Korean military to multiply their ballistic missile tests, put Guam in their crosshairs, and now threaten to shoot down American military planes.

Iran Is in Compliance: It's Trump Who Would Be Violating the Iran Nuclear Deal (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Win Without War)
Trump has called the historic Iran Deal an "embarrassment." But what's really embarrassing is Trump's lies about the nuclear deal -- said in front of an institution that the US helped build in the name of diplomacy and peace. If Trump breaks the deal and once again destroys our nation's credibility on the global stage, no one will trust us to honor our word in future diplomatic agreements -- which means that you can kiss diplomacy with North Korea goodbye.

Trump to Flood the World with Weapons While Don Jr. Lobbies for Silencers (Mike Stone and Matt Spetalnick / Reuters & Chris Carr / Everytown for Gun Safety)
The Trump administration is preparing to make it easier for US gun makers to sell small arms, including assault rifles and ammunition, to foreign buyers. Aides to Donald Trump are completing a plan to shift oversight of international non-military firearms sales from the State Department to the Commerce Department. While the State Department is concerned about international threats to stability and maintains tight restrictions on weapons deals, the Commerce Department typically focuses more on markets and profits.

ACTION ALERT: "Whose Streets? Our Streets!" St Louis Police Are Out of Control (Color of Change & Hayley Miller, Ryan J. Reilly / The Huffington Post)
Commentary: Police are out of control in St. Louis and the Mayor has done nothing to stop them. Over the weekend of protests following the not-guilty verdict absolving Jason Stockley of accountability in the death of Anthony Lamar Smith, police taunted protesters with Ferguson-era chants like "Whose streets? Our streets?" -- imitating the neo-nazi terrorists in Charlottesville. Police also fired at protesters with rubber bullets, trampled an older woman, and pepper-sprayed people who tried to help her.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Protect our Public Lands (Sierra Club & Juliet Eilperin / The Washington Post)
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has recommended that Donald Trump modify 10 national monuments created by his immediate predecessors, shrink the borders of four national monuments, and open six other national monuments to mining, drilling, logging, and commercial fishing. Zinke's memorandum is silent on the fate of the remaining 11 monuments, including Papahanaumokuakea, which Bush created but Obama expanded to more than 582,578 square miles of land and sea in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

ACTION ALERT: US Foreign Military Bases Aren't for 'Defense' (Thomas Knapp / AntiWar.com & CounterPunch & Coalition Against US Foreign Military Bases & Socorro Gomes / World Peace Council)
Commentary: The maintenance of nearly 1,000 US military bases on foreign soil isn't just a nightmare for peaceniks. It's also also an objective threat to US national security. Defensively, scattering US military might piecemeal around the world -- especially in countries where the populace resents that military presence -- multiplies the number of vulnerable American targets. Shutting down those foreign bases and bringing the troops home are essential first steps in creating a functional national defense.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: Senate to Vote on Amendment to Repeal President's War Authorization (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Rand Paul / Rare Politics)
Sen. Rand Paul's push for a vote on his amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act -- which allows a president to declare a war without congressional action as required by the US Constitution -- appears to have been successful, and such a vote will take place after all. There is no formal time set for the vote, but it's expected Wednesday in the late morning. Contact your Senators.

ACTION ALERT The Politicians Who Voted Against Hurricane Relief (Brad Johnson / Climate Hawks)
In the wake of tens of billions of dollars of damage from Hurricane Harvey, 107 members of Congress in the Senate and House -- including 4 from Texas -- voted "NO" on an aid package to help survivors in the Gulf and to keep FEMA funded. Their excuse? They wanted the cost of this disaster relief to threaten a government shutdown in order to secure tax cuts for billionaire polluters while making the rest of America suffer the consequences of rampant climate change and an entrenched oligarchy.

Trump Sends Billions to Bahrain Dictators to Suppress Freedom (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Mike Stone / Reuters & Amnesty International)
The US State Department has approved $3.8 billion in weapons sales to the tiny island nation of Bahrain. Congress held up a similar sale last year over Bahrain's many, many human rights problems. The $3.8 billion sale is almost entirely going to Lockheed Martin, who will be providing 19 F-16V fighter jets, along with substantial upgrades to the nation's existing fleet of F-16s. Raytheon will be selling 221 anti-tank missiles to go with it.

The Lofoten Declaration: 220 Organizations Call for Rapid, Global Transition to Achieve Low Carbon Future (Julia Conley / Common Dreams)
As scientists stress that climate change has fueled to the enormous strength of hurricanes that have flooded Houston, devastated the Caribbean, and now threatens Florida, a coalition of more than 220 organizations called for a "managed decline of fossil fuel production" with an immediate end to new oil, gas, and coal development. The Lofoten Declaration demands "unprecedented action to avoid the worst consequences of our dependence on oil, coal, and gas."

ACTION ALERT: Congress to Consider Bill to Get Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future (Katy Kiefer / Food & Water Action Fund)
This is the kind of transformational energy bill we've been waiting for. As we witness the devastation of Harvey and now Irma, our hearts are with the communities impacted by these terrible storms. With a warming climate, extreme weather catastrophes will become more frequent and deadly, with low-income areas and communities of color hit hardest. The Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act is based on the most recent science and is the strongest piece of climate legislation in Congress to date.

ACTION ALERT: Tell US to Join Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons Possession (The Action Network / World Beyond War)
The majority of the world's nations are proceeding with a treaty banning the possession of nuclear weapons. We need to tell every nation to sign on, including the nuclear nations, and including the US. With Trump pushing the US Congress to start funding former president Obama's one trillion dollar nuclear weapons and infrastructure program before he even completes the traditional expected "nuclear posture review," there is not one champion in the Senate or the Congress for nuclear abolition!

ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump's Appointment of Climate-Denying Non-Scientist to Head NASA (Joe Romm / ThinkProgress & RL Miller / Climate Hawks)
Donald Trump just nominated an anti-science climate denier to run NASA. Jim Bridenstine is not a scientist. He's a member of Congress with no experience in space. And he has an ugly history of anti-science rants. On the House floor in 2013, Bridenstine demanded President Obama apologize for dedicating federal resources to studying climate change, citing junk science and outright lies to justify his assertion that climate change isn't real.

Trump and Zinke Plot to Extinguish America's Parks and Monuments (Derek Royden / Nation of Change)
Commentary: The quietness with which the Secretary of the Interior is doing his job might have the effect of making him, and others like Scott Pruitt (EPA) and Rick Perry (Dept. of Energy), who are taking a similar tack, that much more dangerous, as they proceed to gut their agencies and the regulations they're supposed to enforce. As the person in charge most federal lands (and programs involving the country's native peoples), Zinke is well-placed to open wild lands to oil, timber, and mining interests.

The "Freeze to Freeze" Solution: US Peace Delegation Calls for Immediate Response To North Korea's Offer to Freeze Its Nuclear Program (Task Force to Stop THAAD in Korean and Militarism in Asia and the Pacific)
A delegation composed of Medea Benjamin of CODEPINK, Reece Chenault of US Labor Against the War, Will Griffin of Veterans for Peace, and Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein has returned from the Korean Peninsula with a call for the US and South Korea to refrain from hosting provocative "military exercises" and THAAD missile-defense escalations. Instead, the US should respond to North Korea's invitation to cease its nuclear program in return for an end to US military provocations and sanctions.

ACTION ALERT: Houston Hurricane -- A Harbinger of Climate Change (Jim Hightower / Our Revolution)
Devastating floods along the Gulf Coast and across the world this week are not isolated incidents -- they are our new climate reality. We need members of Congress to take radical steps to combat the worst effects of climate change now before things get even worse. Senators Bernie Sanders and Jeff Merkley, and Representatives Tulsi Gabbard, Pramila Jayapaul, Raul Grijalva and many others have introduced legislation to transition our energy economy off of dangerous fossil fuels to renewable energy.

ACTION ALERT: Help Hurricane Recovery Efforts; Condemn Trump's Denial of Climate Change (Reggie James / Sierra Club & Amanda Terkel / The Huffington Post & Petition / The Daily Kos)
Commentary: Our hearts are with those in Texas and Louisiana whose lives were affected by this horrific disaster. Meanwhile, for Donald Trump, Hurricane Harvey proved a golden opportunity to promote himself. Nearly every chance he gets, Trump brags about the size of his hurricane. He has repeatedly worn his own campaign merchandise (which is on sale at his website) to Hurricane Harvey events. Trump made no mention of the dead, suffering or displaced nor did he express any sympathy for them.

ACTION ALERT: Endorse the Petition For Diplomatic Solution to US-Korea Clash (Appeal of Abolition 2000 )
The escalating tensions and threat of military conflict over North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities make a diplomatic solution of vital importance and the highest priority. The increasing risk of war -- and possibly even the use of nuclear weapons by miscalculation, accident, or intent -- is frightening. An international campaign is insisting that US legislators must call on President Trump to step back from the nuclear brink following his threats to unleash 'fire and fury' on North Korea.

ACTION ALERT: Help Move Your Government To Ratify the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty (Abolition 2000)
Democracy broke out at the UN this summer when 122 nations working closely with Civil Society adopted a treaty to ban nuclear weapons on July 7, 2017 after three weeks of negotiations; mandated by the UN General Assembly. For the first time in history; nuclear weapons will be ruled unlawful and prohibited; just as the world has done for other weapons of mass destruction such as biological and chemical weapons.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to End the War in Afghanistan And Stop Supplying the Taliban with US Military Equipment (ActionNetwork & The Daily Kos & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Shawn Snow / The Army Times)
On August 21, Donald Trump announced that he would expand military engagement in the Pentagon's intractable, unwinnable 16-year Afghan war. In addition to risking more lives, Trump's decision also means inadvertently arming the Taliban. Over the years, armored vehicles, night vision devices, M-4s, laser illuminators and scoped optics have all found their way into Taliban hands. And at times the US has been forced to combat its own armored vehicles and weapons.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Rejects National Climate Report, Silences 50 Climate Experts (The Conversation / EcoWatch.org & CREDO Action)
Commentary & Analysis: A scientific report done every four years has been thrust into the spotlight because its findings directly contradict statements from the president and various cabinet officials. If the Trump administration chooses to reject the pending national Climate Science Special Report, it would be more damaging than pulling the US out of the Paris agreement. Censoring experts for doing their jobs is an abuse of authority.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Pay for War! Support H. R. 1947 (The Acton Network and World Beyond War)
People who oppose war, regardless of their religion or lack thereof, must have the right to direct their tax dollars to peaceful initiatives and not to war or preparations for war. We ask you to ensure that tax laws respect this right of conscientious objection. H.R. 1947, the "Religious Freedom Peace Tax Fund Act of 2017," would legalize conscientious tax refusal. If a citizen believes "Thou Shalt Not Kill," he or she should be should be able to argue "Thou Shalt Not Pay" for war and preparations for war.

ACTION ALERT: A Peace Monument for Charlottesville and Nine Truths (David Swanson / World Beyond War)
Charlottesville has three Confederate war monuments, one WW I monument and one Vietnam War monument. RootsAction.org, World Beyond War, Pax Christi Charlottesville, Amnesty International Charlottesville, and the Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice are proposing creation of a monument to peace. A peace pole is one easy -- and widely recognized -- way to mark a public interest in nonviolence. Note: Armed attacks with fists and clubs are not covered by the First Amendment.

ACTION ALERT: Charlottesville: Actions and Reactions (NationAction & Collier Meyerson / The Nation & Peter Rothberg / The Nation)
This weekend was heartbreaking. White nationalists descended on the community of Charlottesville, Virginia, with a message of hatred, racism, anti-Semitism, and terrorism. Heather Heyer, one of the brave protesters fighting back, was killed and 19 others were injured when a white supremacist plowed his car into a crowd of demonstrators. Join the continuing fight against the hatred on display this weekend and too often throughout our nation's history.

Charlottesville: Responding to Violence with Positive Action (US Senator Jeff Merkley & Tom Perriello / Slate & Josh Levin / Slate)
Senator Merkley: "It is time that every American denounces racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry, and violence. We need to have some hard conversations with our family and friends of all political leanings about why the hateful ideology on display in Charlottesville takes root in America, and how we can do better."

ACTION ALERT: Stand in Solidarity with Charlottesville -- Find an Event Tonight (Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives & Indivisible & Robert Weissman / Public Citizen & Monique Teal / Daily Kos & Will Fischer / VoteVets & Dan Cantor / Working Families Party )
This weekend, hate groups and domestic terrorists of all stripes went to Charlottesville, VA to push their hateful message of white supremacy, fascism, anti-Semitism, and bigotry. Tonight and tomorrow, Indivisible groups, along with our friends at many other organizations will come together in solidarity with our brave friends in Charlottesville who put themselves at risk to fight against white supremacy. Attend an event in your community to show that you're standing with Charlottesville.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Let Trump Start a Nuclear War (Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan / Democracy Now! & Harvey Wasserman / Solartopia)
Donald Trump threatened nuclear war this week, just six months into his presidency. The US nuclear system was already dangerous, irresponsible, insane. It can only get worse with Trump holding his finger on the trigger. Words matter. This is how wars start. Richard Nixon was the last president to seriously threaten the use of nuclear weapons. The only reason he relented, he explained privately, was that he "feared the response of the global anti-war movement."

ACTION ALERT: Stopping the March to War with North Korea (Will Fischer / VoteVets & CREDO Mobile Petition & Emily Tamkin / Foreign Policy)
The threat of military conflict with North Korea is increasing by the day. This morning, President Trump tweeted that "Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. But what's really missing from this conversation is being bold about diplomatic solutions. Donald Trump currently has the power to launch thousands of nuclear weapons at will. H.R. 669, the Restricting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, would stop Trump from starting a nuclear war.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Threatens North Korea with "Fire and Fury" (MoveOn.org & The New York Times)
On the anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Donald Trump apparently has threatened a "fire and fury" nuclear attack on North Korea. Trump is making us more unsafe with every unhinged comment, tweet, and threat. His rhetoric threatening North Korea is exacerbating a dangerous situation, putting everyone around the world in grave danger. While a nuclear North Korea is a real concern, the answer must be diplomacy first, not a rush to a potentially devastating nuclear war.

ACTiON ALERT: Tell Trump to Stop Threatening North Korea: Negotiation, Not Detonation (Roots Action & Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & Medea Benjamin / CODE PINK & Sputnik News & teleSUR & Richard Becker / Global Research & John Laurits / JohnLaurits.com & Jason Le Miere / Newsweek)
Donald Trump claims he has no choice but to threaten North Korea with war -- a war that would prove disastrous to the entire world. Legally, when North Korea tests missiles it breaks no laws. The US tests missiles all the time. But when the US threatens war it commits a grave violation of the law as well as risks getting us all killed. North Korea has repeatedly offered to abandon its nuclear weapons program in exchange for a halt to US/South Korea military exercises. Let's chart a different course before it is too late.

13 US Agencies Confirm Burning Fossil Fuels Is Driving Climate Change and Extreme Weather (Michael Biesecker and Seth Borenstein / Associated Press)
Directly contradicting Donald Trump, a draft report produced by 13 federal agencies concludes that the United States is already feeling the negative impacts of climate change, with a stark increase in the frequency of heat waves, heavy rains and other extreme weather over the last four decades.The report calls the long-term evidence that global warming is being driven by human activities "unambiguous . . . . There are no alternative explanations." Plus: Trump names climate denier to Ag Dept. post.

A Global Resolution on Peace (Peace Now.com)
The Global Resolution supports the Culture of Peace that encourages individuals to become agents of peace and non-violence. We, global citizen signatories from 192 Nations, respectfully call upon the United Nations and all countries to create infrastructures in their governments and in civil society to develop and implement policies, programs and practices that promote, establish, and maintain human and environmental security and justice.

A Conference to End War: Why We Can and Must End Our Greatest Crime (David Swanson / World Beyond War & Thomas Knapp / AntiWar.com)
Following September 1, the International Day of Peace, World Beyond War will host a three-day meeting in Washington DC to address how the antiwar and environmental movements can work together to end war. Since World War II, the US has killed some 20 million people, overthrown at least 36 governments, interfered in at least 82 foreign elections, attempted to assassinate more than 50 foreign leaders, and dropped bombs in 30 countries. The US has used "special forces" in two-thirds of the world's countries.

Hiroshima Nagasaki Commemorations (Joseph Gerson / American Friends Service Committee & John Rainwater / Peace Action)
Hopes are high for the recently negotiated Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty, anticipating that treaty signings and ratifications set to begin on September 20 can over time influence the nuclear weapons states. Meanwhile, we are asking that the $1.2 trillion that the Pentagon plans to spend to upgrade nuclear weapons and delivery systems instead be used to preserve and expand essential social services, for education, and for green infrastructure modernization to address climate change and create jobs.

ACTION ALERT: Close All Overseas US Military Bases (Kevin Zeese and Margaret Flowers / Popular Resistance & AntiWar.com)
The Pentagon's imperial reach includes a global real property portfolio that consists of nearly 562,000 facilities, located on over 4,800 sites worldwide and covering more than 24.9 million acres in 42 nations. The Coalition Against Foreign Military Bases is a new campaign focused on closing all US military bases abroad. This campaign strikes at the foundation of US empire, confronting its militarism, corporatism and imperialism. We urge you to endorse this campaign.

War on the Biosphere: Humans Have Created 9 Billion Tons of Plastic (Tim Radford / Climate News Network & Kate Melges and Nathalie Arfvidson / Greenpeace)
Scientists recently have calculated the mass of all the plastic bottles, bags, cups, toys, instruments and fabrics ever produced and tracked its whereabouts -- another index of the phenomenal change to the face of the planet made by recent human advance. Since about 1950, more than 8.3 billion tons of synthetic organic polymers have been generated, distributed and discarded -- of this, 6.3 billion tons are classified as waste. Read Greenpeace's action page on becoming part of the Plastic-Free Challenge.

ACTION ALERT: Why and How to Bring Environmental and Peace Movements Together (David Swanson / World Beyond War)
If war were moral, legal, defensive, beneficial to securing freedom, and inexpensive, we still would be obliged to make abolishing it our top priority -- solely because of the destruction that war and preparing for war inflict on our natural environment. The Pentagon is the world's leading consumer of petroleum and a major polluter. The funds spent on F-35 fighter jets could convert every US home to clean energy. Join us in Washington, DC on September 22-24 for a meeting to unite environmental and peace activists.

ACTION ALERT: The US Bail Industry Is a Corrupt War on the Poor (Robert Greenwald / Brave New Films)
There is a country where nearly a half-million people have been seized by police, abducted and jailed without trail or conviction. A country where many people, not convicted of any crime, have not only lost their freedom but also have lost their lives. That country is the USA -- the "land of the free." In the past year, 815 people have died in jail awaiting trial. A third of them died within the first three days of incarceration. Most were in jail for one reason only: They were too poor to pay bail.

Trump's Unhinged Speech to the Scouts and Why Trump Must Resign by August 9 (John Graham / Life on the Edge & Bob Fitrakis & Harvey Wasserman / Reader Supported News)
Commentary: Surely even Trump's acolytes in Congress must know now in their heart of hearts that the man is dangerously unfit for the most powerful office in the world. We do not need more incidents like the speech to the Boy Scouts to know that a deeply disturbed man holds the White House. Republicans in Congress must stop the dangerous game they're playing -- hoping Trump doesn't blow up the world while they advance their agenda behind the uproars he creates.

ACTION ALERT: Trump and Perry Planning to Cut Clean Energy Funding by 70% (Public Citizen & NRDC & Nation of Change & League of Conservation Voters)
The bipartisan Energy and Natural Resources Act is supposed to be voted on in the Senate this week has been called "a pro-fracking giveaway to oil and gas interests that would commit America to decades more of dangerous fossil fuel dependence." In a statement opposing the bill Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders declared: "Our job is to move away from fossil fuels toward sustainable energy and energy efficiency. This bill does the opposite."

Climate Scientist Blows the Whistle after Trump Administration Tries to Silence Him (Walter Einenkel / The Daily Kos)
Joel Clement used to be the director of the Office of Policy Analysis at the US Interior Department. Last week, Mr. Clement lost his job and Wednesday he became a whistleblower on the Trump administration and their practice of trying to silence facts and reality. In an op-ed written over at the Washington Post, Clement explains how things have changed since Trump and his fossil-fueled cabinet appointments took over.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Trump/McConnell Fracking Bill (Food and Water Watch & Common Dreams)
The US Senate is poised to make this hot, dirty summer even worse. As fossil-fueled heat waves bring wildfires, drought, and killer storms to the nation, Donald Trump continues to stack his administration with fossil-fuel lobbyists and climate change deniers. Now our allies on Capitol Hill warn us that Mitch McConnell will try to pass a pro-fracking, pro-drilling, pro-coal energy bill next week to give Trump and the Kochs a much-needed victory.

Interior Selling off Public Lands as Farmers Raise Solar Panels to Block Oil Pipeline (Greenpeace & Phil McKenna / Nation of Change)
The Interior Department are currently reviewing the status of national monuments, marine sanctuaries, and protections from offshore oil and gas drilling, potentially opening up new drilling activity in the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Meanwhile, Trump's Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke is meeting almost exclusively with fossil fuel lobbyists, ignoring the voices of people in this country.

ACTION ALERT: Congress Stonewalls Bill to Stop Funding Terrorists (Mark Anderson / The Progressive Populist & Rep. Tulsi Gabbard / US Congress & Tima Kurdi)
Bipartisan legislation -- Sen. Rand Paul's S 532 and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's Stop Arming Terrorists Act (HR 608) -- would bar the federal government from giving money and weapons to known terrorists. "For years, our government has been providing both direct and indirect support to . . . armed militant groups, who are working directly with or under the command of terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS," Rep. Gabbard bravely stated. But neither bill has garnered much support on Capitol Hill.

Al Gore's 'Inconvenient Truth' Sequel to Include Trump's Exit From Paris Accord (Dave McNary and Ricardo Lopez / Variety & Democracy Now!)
Al Gore's new climate-change documentary, "An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power" will get a last-minute edit to incorporate Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement. Paramount said the filmmakers have revised the movie to include Trump's controversial move. "An Inconvenient Sequel" is slated for release July 28.

ACTION ALERT: Donald Trump vs. the Grand Canyon: Mining America's Natural Monuments for Dirty Profits (RootsAction)
Donald Trump may do something far worse to the Grand Canyon than build a Trump Tower in it. According to The Guardian, powerful mining interests and allied officials in Arizona and Utah are urging a receptive Trump administration to lift the Obama-era ban on mining uranium in the area around the Grand Canyon -- a proposal that would pose a serious threat to the groundwater and anyone who drinks it.

ACTION ALERT: Big Military Spending Boost Threatens Our Economy and Security (Ron Paul / The Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity & Win Without War)
On Friday the House overwhelmingly approved a massive increase in military spending, passing a $696 billion National Defense Authorization bill. The Republican-led House found Donald Trump's request for a $50 billion Pentagon increase far too small. The explosion in military spending comes as the US is planning to dramatically increase its military actions overseas. Trump is expected to send thousands more troops back to Afghanistan -- at 16 years and counting, the longest war in US history.

ACTION ALERT: Mitch McConnell's Dirty Energy Bill (Mark Ruffalo and Fisher Stevens / The New York Daily News)
Commentary: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has devised to kill three birds with one dirty energy bill: a legislative victory, a giveaway to the fossil fuel industry, and paving the way to pass Trumpcare after. McConnell is rushing the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017 to the floor as early as next week, foregoing committees and hearings. The massive, 850-plus-page energy bill includes much of the fossil fuel industry's wish list.

ACTION ALERT: Our Greenest US Senators and Trump's New Threat to America's National Monuments (Alexandra Jacobo / Nation of Change Staff & The Center for Biological Diversity)
The administration is threatening to roll back protections for 11 marine monuments and sanctuaries. Now for some good news: Check out which Senators have the best environmental records. The list is made up entirely of Democrats and no Republicans. Are you surprised?

ACTION ALERT: No Drilling in Arctic Refuge (Josh Nelson / CREDO Action & Matt Egan / CNN & Alaska Wild.org)
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is an irreplaceable, unspoiled wilderness. But If Donald Trump gets his way, millions of acres of our nation's most fragile wildlife lands will be opened up to drilling -- for his friends and donors in the oil and gas industry. Only Congress can vote to hand over this iconic landscape to the fossil fuel industry, and it is currently working out the details of the 2018 fiscal year budget, which includes Trump's proposal. We must pressure Congress to protect ANWR's 19 million acres.

ACTION ALERT: No Drilling in Arctic Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is an irreplaceable, unspoiled wilderness. If Donald Trump gets his way, millions of acres of our nation's most fragile wildlife lands will be opened up to drilling for his friends and donors in the oil and gas industry.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's Next Attack on Democracy: Mass Voter Suppression (Former US Senator Russ Feingold / The Guardian & Common Cause)
Commentary: The most important aspect of any democratic election is participation. A democracy gains its legitimacy through elections only so far as those elections represent the will of the people. Limit voter participation, and there is a direct correlation between the legitimacy of an election and the democratic system. The Trump administration's 'election integrity' commission is declaring war on voters -- our democratic legitimacy be damned

Liberal Media Shifts to the Right as Conservative Syndicates Seizing Control of Local News (Kelsey Sutton / MIC & Daniel Kreps / Rolling Stone & Adam Johnson / FAIR)
Bret Stephens, a conservative columnist from the New York Times, has joined MSNBC and NBC as an on-air contributor. The network, which has been on a conservative hiring spree. In the past several months, MSNBC hired conservative radio show host Hugh Hewitt, a former spokesperson for George W. Bush who worked on the 2008 McCain/Palin presidential campaign. John Oliver, alarmed at the troubling conservative takeover of news outlets, has warned of "potential problems in corporate consolidation of local news."

ACTION ALERT: Cease Fire Campaign -- Stop Burning Military Toxics (Laura Olah / Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger )
The history of CSWAB is an inspirational story of how ordinary people can create extraordinary good. Our challenge -- to assure that the Pentagon fulfills its commitment to the complete cleanup of toxins that have placed ecological and human health at risk -- has been no small task. Environmental cleanup of the 7,400-acre Badger Army Ammunition Plant will be the largest such project in the history of the state of Wisconsin; expected remediation costs have been estimated to be as high as $250 million.

ACTION ALERT: Resist Chemical War on Earth's Climate (Oil Change International & Rainforest Action Network)
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released its Final Environmental Impact Statement Friday for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a controversial 303-mile pipeline that would carry two billion cubic feet of fracked gas per day from West Virginia through Virginia. Oil Change International found that the Mountain Valley Pipeline will cause nearly 90 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution per year.

ACTION ALERT: No US War Planes in the Skies over Syria (The Nation/RootsAction/Daily Kos/Veterans for Peace & Katrina vanden Heuvel / The Nation)
Katrina vanden Heuvel recently reported on the dangers of "a stealth escalation of our military involvement across the Middle East," warning that increased US involvement was launched "without public support, without a sensible strategy or a clear purpose." With the use of US warplanes in Syria, this escalation risks a catastrophic conflict with Russia. That's why The Nation, RootsAction, Daily Kos, Veterans For Peace are calling on Congress to immediately remove all US war planes from Syria.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Fracking Waste from Being Dumped into the Gulf of Mexico (Nation of Change & The Center for Biological Diversity)
Nation of Change, the Center for Biological Diversity and others, hope to convince the EPA to reject a planl that would allow for unlimited dumping of fracking wastes into the Gulf of Mexico. The proposed permit violates the Clean Water Act because it causes an undue degradation of the marine environment and fails to account how dumping wastewater containing chemicals from fracking and acidizing operations would impact water quality and marine wildlife.

US Conference of Mayors Passes Historic Peace Budget Resolution (World Beyond War )
This week the US Conference of Mayors passed three resolutions urging Congress to move money out of the military and into human and environmental needs -- exactly the reverse of Trump's budget. Those historic actions came after more than 20,000 people signed a petition promoted by World Beyond War and RootsAction.org, and after several cities passed similar resolutions promoted by Code Pink, World Beyond War, and the US Peace Council.

ACTION ALERT: House Committee Votes to Repeal Act that Allows Presidents to Start Wars without Congressional Consent (AntiWar.com & The Hill & Rep. Barbara Lee)
In a stunning move, the House Appropriations Committee today approved an amendment to the military spending bill that would repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force. A succession of presidents have used the AUMF to launch numerous wars without having to obey the Constitution's fundamental principle that only Congress can declare war. Republicans on the House Foreign Affairs Committee have fired back, however, calling this attempt to return to "the rule of law" "out of order."

World's Biggest Coal Company Closes Mines as Solar Sales Soar (Lorraine Chow / Nation of Change )
India's energy market is undergoing a rapid transformation as it moves away from fossil fuels. Coal India, the world's biggest coal mining company and producer of 82 percent of the country's coal, announced the closure of 37 mines that are financially "unviable." Last month, the Indian government cancelled plans to build nearly 14 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Introduces the Stop Arming Terrorists Act (Office of Congressional Rep. Tulsi Gabbard)
Rep. Tulsi Gabbard's Stop Arming Terrorists Act has been introduced in the US Senate by Senator Rand Paul. The bipartisan legislation (H.R.608 and S.532) would prohibit any Federal agency from using taxpayer dollars to provide weapons, cash, intelligence, or any support to al-Qaeda, ISIS and other terrorist groups, and it will prohibit the government from funneling money and weapons through other countries who are directly or indirectly supporting terrorists.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's Next Target -- Whales (Rhea Suh / NRDC & Steve Mashuda / EarthJustice)
The government giveaway of America's Atlantic coast to oil companies has officially begun . . . . The Trump administration has proposed permits for dangerous, large-scale seismic blasting up and down the Atlantic coast, from Delaware to Florida, to detect the presence of oil and gas. And this seismic blasting is dangerous and destructive -- scientists have determined it can injure or even kill whales, dolphins and many other species of marine wildlife.

ACTION ALERT: World Refugee Day -- The Worst Refugee Crisis in World History (CNN & United Nations & Amnesty International USA)
June 20 was World Refugee Day. We are in the midst of the world's worst refugee crisis in history. More than 65 milliion people are now counted as forcibly displaced by the United Nations. That's like the entire population of the UK or France, or about as many as everyone in New York State, Texas and Florida -- all forced from their homes. Just over one-third are refugees, people forced to flee their countries because of persecution, war, or violence.

ACTION ALERT: Take the Plastic-free Challenge (Kate Melges and / Greenpeace)
Disposable cups, grocery bags, packaging, plastic water bottles, condiment packets are ubiquitous in our daily lives -- as well as in our landfills and the planet's oceans. According to one study, there will be more plastic than fish in the world's oceans by 2050. Here are ten of our favorite ideas for reducing your plastic footprint.

ACTION ALERT: Big Timber Corp Targets Greenpeace in $300 Million Lawsuit! (Greenpeace USA)
Resolute Forest Products wants Greenpeace to be labeled a criminal enterprise under anti-racketeering laws originally created to prosecute the mafia. This is the biggest threat to Greenpeace's existence in our history. We won't allow ourselves to be silenced by a logging corporation -- or anybody else

ACTION ALERT: Trump's Election Commission Amounts to a War on Democracy (CREDO Action)
Donald Trump just made his move to rig elections for Republicans. A report on the 2016 election indicates that suppression efforts kept 200,000 people from voting in Wisconsin, a state Trump won by less than 23,000 votes. Trump's sham commission on 'election integrity' is led by one of the worst perpetrators of voter suppression in the country, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. Tell Democratic officials: Stand up for voting rights and refuse to serve on Trump's voter suppression commission.

ACTION ALERT: House Move to Block Saudi Arms Deal (News Release from Office of US Rep. Justin Amash)
A bipartisan group of six representatives, led by Reps. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), today introduced a joint resolution of disapproval, H.J. Res. 102, to block proposed sales of precision-guided munitions and other offensive weapons to the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Ottawa Demonstrators Disrupt Major Military Trade Show (Ingrid Style & David Pugliese / Ottawa Citizen & Sophia Reuss / Rabble)
On May 31, 2017, 40 Canadian peace activists blocked the two main entrances to the annual two-day Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CANSEC) trade show. Traffic was backed up for more than an hour as protestors waved signs reading: "No to Trump's Military Demands." "Stop the Saudi Arms Deal." "Abolish Nuclear Weapons." Although police were called to the scene, there were only smiles -- there was no violence.

ACTION ALERT: We, the People of the United States, Sign on to the Paris Agreement (Patrick McHeffey / MoveOn Petition & Mark Schapiro / The Pacific Standard)
In 2015, a group of young Americans filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration, claiming that the government's failure to take sufficient action on climate change was unconstitutional. With legal guidance from Our Children’s Trust, the 21 plaintiffs --  between the ages of nine and 21 --  allege that the government's inaction on climate has violated their Constitutional right to "life, liberty, and property." The case is due to go to trial this year.

ACTION ALERT: End the Dickey Amendment: Allow Research on Gun Violence (Nation of Change Petition)
Gun violence kills nearly 100 Americans every day. But Congress refuses to move forward on gun control legislation claiming that there is not enough evidence and not enough research to move forward. In 1996, the NRA-backed Dickey Amendment ordered the Center for Disease Control to halt studies on the effect of gun violence on the American public. Meanwhile, the American Medical Association, the most powerful medical association in the United States, has called gun violence a "public health crisis."

World to Cut Emissions With or Without Trump (Zofeen Ebrahim / Nation of Change)
In March, Donald Trump threatened to pull out of the Paris Climate Accord and roll back the widely supported climate protection policies of former president Barack Obama. World leaders are trying to convince Trump to recognize the science and the critical need to address climate change, noting that future climate action will require farsightedness, political courage, intelligent regulations and getting corporations on board.

It's Time to Ban the Bomb (Alice Slater / World Beyond War & The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
This week, the "United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons, Leading Towards their Total Elimination" released the draft of a treaty that would ban and prohibit nuclear weapons -- just as the world has done for biological and chemical weapons. The Ban Treaty is to be negotiated at the UN from June 15 to July 7 as a follow-up to the March 2017 negotiations that were attended by members of civil society and representatives of more than 130 governments.

ACTION ALERT: Campaign to Block Saudi Arms Deal (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Mark Hensch / The Hill & Rep. Tulsi Gabbard & Bryan Schatz / Mother Jones)
Sen. Rand Paul intends to force a Senate vote on the record $110 billion US arms deals with Saudi Arabia. Paul was expected to introduce the bill on Wednesday. The Arms Export Control Act gives senators 10 days to challenge arms sales, and Paul will have to act fast since the Senate is leaving of Friday for the Memorial Day holiday, after which they have an entire week off. You can bet the Arms Industry's lobbyists will turn out in force to torpedo any such vote.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Washington to Stop Arming Terrorists (Rep. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives & Alex Newman / The New American)
A bipartisan bill to prohibit US taxpayer-funded arming of terrorist groups and their associates is making progress in Congress. Recently a companion bill was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). The legislation, originally sponsored in the House by Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hi), takes aim at lawless US government "regime change" schemes overseas that often involve providing money, weapons, training, and other support to savage terror organizations.

ACTION ALERT: The American Way of War is a Budget-breaker (William D. Hartung / Nation of Change)
When Donald Trump wanted to "do something" about the use of chemical weapons in Syria, he had the US Navy lob 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airfield (cost: $89 million). While $89 million is a rounding error in the Pentagon's $600 billion budget, it's more than twice the $38 million annual budget of the US Institute of Peace and more than half the $149 million budget of the National Endowment of the Arts -- both slated for elimination under Trump's heavily militarized budget blueprint.

ACTION ALERT: The Dakota Pipeline Is Already Leaking: Write to the 17 Banks Funding Polluting US Pipelines (Julian Brave NoiseCat / The Guardian & James Trimarco / Nation of Change)
On April 4, Energy Transfer Partners' not-yet-operational Dakota Access pipeline leaked a bathtub-full of shale oil at a pump station in Spink County, South Dakota. The leaks prove that the water protectors have been right all along: Pipelines leaks all the time. The pool of tar left behind is just a warning of what's to come. Of the more than 60 banks helping to finance the expansion of tar sands infrastructure, the indigenous-led environmental campaign Mazaska Talks has identified 17 as worst offenders.

ACTION ALERT: How to Save 27 National Monuments that Trump Wants to "Unprotect" (Michael J. Dax and Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz / Nation of Change)
Presidents, both Republican and Democrat, have made "monuments" out of hundreds of millions of acres of public lands to protect them from development, and no president has ever "unprotected" them. The Trump administration has now singled out 27 national monument areas to do just that. The Trump administration wants to know how you feel about your national monument lands. A public comment period opens May 12.

Statement Calling for Immediate Dialogue on the Korean Peninsula Crisis (The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict)
The Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict is deeply concerned by the heightening tensions on and around the Korean Peninsula, and calls for an immediate return to dialogue and communications as the only way to deescalate the situation, prevent violence and promote denuclearisation, peace and cooperation in the region. All efforts must be made to immediately convene such dialogue, working for both denuclearisation and a peace treaty to replace the 60-year-old Korean War armistice.

ACTION ALERT: Ask EPA to End Open Air Burns of Munitions (Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger & Jennifer Mayerle / WCCO-TV)
Toxic pollutants are released when munitions are burned, detonated or incinerated in open-air burn-pits. These toxic emissions endanger public health by contaminating nearby air, groundwater and soils. Military personnel are often the most exposed to these toxic pollutants, mainly at overseas bases. Hundreds of US communities have felt the adverse effects of these toxic pollutants at home. It is time for the EPA to ban the open-burning and open-detonation of waste explosives.

There's No Such Thing as 'Limited' Nuclear War (Sen. Dianne Feinstein / The Washington Post)
Last month, it was revealed that a Pentagon advisory committee authored a report calling for the United States to invest in new nuclear weapons and consider resuming nuclear testing. The report even suggested researching less-powerful nuclear weapons that could be deployed without resorting to full-scale nuclear war. This is terrifying and deserves a swift, full-throated rebuke.

ACTION ALERT: No President Should Have Absolute Authority to Launch Nuclear Weapons (The Union of Concerned Scientists)
Donald Trump -- like every president for decades -- has sole authority to launch a US nuclear attack. And no one -- literally no one -- has the authority to stop him. The saber rattling between the United States and North Korea is a stark reminder of why this is so outrageous and unacceptable. It's time to change this deeply flawed system.

Democrats Propose A Bill To Completely Wean The US Off Fossil Fuels By 2050 (Alexander C. Kaufman / The Huffington Post)
Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have introduced legislation outlining how the US can completely wean itself off fossil fuels by 2050. The legislation calls for half of all US electricity to derive from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power, by 2030. Unfortunately, the bill has little chance of becoming law in a Republican-dominated Congress lead by Donald Trump, who has repeatedly dismissed global warming as a hoax and made boosting fossil fuel production a top priority.

Donald Trump, an Authoritarian President, Has Committed Impeachable Acts (Robert Reich /Nation of Change & Robert Reich / Robert Reich's Facebook Page)
Commentary: Donald Trump's authoritarianism is a consistent and coherent philosophy of governing. But it's not America's. The framers of the US Constitution created separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism precisely to avoid concentrated power -- to stop authoritarians like Trump. If Trump isn't impeached for treasonous collusion with Russia to influence the 2016 election, he could be impeached for violating Article I Section 9, the Constitution's "emoluments" clause.

ACTION ALERT: Test US Military Bases for Water Contamination (Laura Olah / Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger & Jennifer McDermott / Associated Press)
On April 28, the EPA requested public input on existing regulations that could be repealed, replaced, or modified to make them less burdensome (to polluters, of course). Details about opportunities for public comment and to register for an upcoming listening session (by telephone) are posted below. In 2016, the mizitary announced plans to examine hundreds of US bases to determine whether chemicals from foam used to fight fires have contaminated groundwater and spread to drinking water.

ACTiON ALERT: Tell Trump to Stop Threatening North Korea (Roots Action & The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
Donald Trump claims he has no choice but to threaten North Korea with war -- a war that could prove disastrous for the entire world. From all appearances, Trump has no clue as to the choices available. When North Korea tests missiles it breaks no laws. The US tests missiles all the time and the US launches nuclear-capable ICBMs. North Korea has repeatedly offered to abandon its nuclear weapons program if the US and South Korea would halt military exercises and other provocations along the shared border.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Issues Ominous Order for Senate to Attend White House Meeting on North Korea (Julian Borger / The Guardian)
The entire US Senate has been ordered to the White House on Wednesday to be briefed by administration officials about the brewing confrontation with North Korea. Preemptive military action, not sanctioned by the UN Security Council, would be illegal, immoral and unwise. It could lead to a prolonged war in the Korean peninsula, and could lead to the use of nuclear weapons. Contact your senators to urge diplomacy to reduce tensions. Additional provocations only increase the risk of war.

ACTION ALERT: Waterfalls in Antarctica; Trump Fiddles While World Melts (Tim Radford / Nation of Change & Marlee Kokotovic / Nation of Change)
Scientists poring over military and satellite imagery have mapped the unimaginable: a network of rivers, streams, ponds, lakes and even a waterfall, flowing over the ice shelf of a polar continent with an annual mean temperature of -50C. In a world rapidly warming from the burning of fossil fuels -- that are adding ever more greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere -- researchers expect to observe an increase in meltwater on the south polar surface. Researchers have predicted the melt rates could double by 2050.

ACTION ALERT: What an Earth Day! Now Let's Get Ready for the Climate March on April 29! (League of Conservation Voters & The Democratic Legislative Campaign )
What an Earth Day! To change everything, we need everyone, and today was a true show of force! But now, we have less than a week to make the Peoples Climate March on 4/29 the biggest environmental protest in history. Here's what you can do to participate and help out.

ACTION ALERT: Ground the Drones: Close Creech AFB April 23-29 (Codepink, Veterans For Peace, Nevada Desert Experience, et al.)
Now more than ever, we must resist US assassinations by drones! Within the very first days in the White House, Donald Trump signed off on several drone attacks in Yemen. Last weekend, more than 40 US airstrikes rained down on Yemen, many fired from drones. Trump has clearly embraced Obama's racist policies of extra-judicial killing on suspicion alone with innocent lives lost in the crossfire. Trump's Navy Seals Debacle in January killed 10 children, 6 women and others. Another reason WE MUST RESIST!

ACTION ALERT: Save the EPA; UnTrump the Budget -- EPA Chiefs Speak Out Against Trump (The Climate Reality Project / EcoWatch & RootsAction.org)
Four former Environmental Protection Agency administrators -- two Democrats and two Republicans -- have in common. All of them have spoken out against the current administration's environmental policies. With military and climate wars destroying lives and environments, threatening the planet and creating enormous flows of desperate refugees, Donald Trump plans to strip $54 billion from human and environmental spending so as to increase already massive spending on the military.

Doubts over Syria Gas Attack; Press Cheers While Trump Kills 'Beautiful Babies' in Four Countries (Chris Ernesto / AntiWar.com & Jon Soltz / VoteVets)
Donald Trump sounded sincere when he lamented the deaths of "beautiful little babies" allegedly killed by a Syrian government chemical weapons attack. But what about the beautiful little babies killed by Trump's bombs in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq? Military and intelligence personnel familiar with the Syrian chemical weapons intelligence believe Trump's claims are a "sham" and are considering going public due to their concerns over escalating violence in Syria. Protest US media for cheerleading war.

Trump Declares a War on Science (Jonathan Foley / San Francisco Chronicle)
Commentary: The acceleration of the War on Science began with bizarre claims by the White House -- clearly contradicting empirical facts -- regarding the size of crowds, electoral victories, and voter fraud. Then Kellyanne Conway, a Trump adviser, suggested "alternative facts," rather than actual truth, were in play. I don't know what "alternative facts" are, but my parents called them falsehoods and lies. A disturbing pattern has emerged in Washington: Facts and the pursuit of facts don't matter.

Trump Declares a War on Science (Jonathan Foley / San Francisco Chronicle)
Commentary: The acceleration of the War on Science began with bizarre claims by the White House -- clearly contradicting empirical facts -- regarding the size of crowds, electoral victories, and voter fraud. Then Kellyanne Conway, a Trump adviser, suggested "alternative facts," rather than actual truth, were in play. I don't know what "alternative facts" are, but my parents called them falsehoods and lies. A disturbing pattern has emerged in Washington: Facts and the pursuit of facts don't matter.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Trump's Illegal, Reckless Escalations (Sen. Bernie Sanders / US Sentate & Rep. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives & The Campaign for Peace and Democracy)
As the most powerful nation on earth, the United States must work with the international community to bring peace and stability to Syria, where over 400,000 people have been killed and over 6 million displaced. The horror of Syria’s civil war is almost unimaginable. If there's anything we should've learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's that it's easier to get into a war than get out of one.

ACTION ALERT: End Washington's Perpetual Wars; Stop Trump's Anti-Immigrant Agenda (Nation of Change & Amnesty International)
For the last 15 years the US has been engaged in perpetual war. Washington tells us to be afraid of terrorist groups but America has played the largest role in the growth of terrorist groups with our constant aggressive military policies. It is time to end this state of perpetual war and bring our troops home. This week, Donald Trump launched missile strikes on Syria, saying he was "concerned" for the lives of Syrians. If Trump really wants to help the victims of war, he needs to stop turning his back on refugees.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Unilaterally Attacks Syria in America's Latest Illegal War (MoveOn.org & Hon. Barbara Lee / US Congress & CREDO Action & VoteVets & The New York Times)
Donald Trump's decision to launch dozens of Tomahawk missiles in a military assault on Syria is an illegal and unauthorized escalation that could have devastating consequences, killing innocent Syrians and potentially costing the lives of US service members. Dmitri S. Peskov, a spokesman for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia "deals a significant blow to relations between Russia and America" and poses" a serious obstacle for building of an international coalition to fight" global terrorism.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Trump's Illegal, Unilateral Attack on Syria (MoveOn.org & The New York Times)
Without waiting for an investigation to clearly determine the parties responsible for the horrific use of chemical weapons against innocent civilians, Donald Trump has ordered the launch of dozens of Tomahawk missiles to strike Syria. This act was an illegal and unauthorized escalation -- attacking a foreign country that has not attacked, or even threatened, the US. This act of aggression could have devastating consequences, killing innocent Syrians and risking the escalation of violence across the region. Things could spiral quickly

ACTION ALERT: Seeking Justice for Darren Rainey: Scalded to Death in Florida Prison (Roots Action)
On June 23, 2012, Darren Rainey, a mentally ill black man serving a two-year prison sentence for drug possession, was killed by four prison guards at Dade Correctional Institution in Florida. The Florida guards kept Darren Rainey locked in a shower for two hours with the water turned up to a scalding 160 degrees or higher. Prosecutors concluded that Rainey's death was an "accident." After a five-year legal dispute, no charges will be filed against the four prison guards who allegedly tortured and killed Darren Rainey.

ACTION ALERT: The Commander-in-Chief Is Now A War Criminal: Stop Donald Trump's March to War (MoveOn.org & Win Without War)
Ever since Donald Trump took office, America's war machine has kicked into overdrive. The President, who ran claiming to be against America's wars in the Middle East, is now overseeing a massive increase in America's wars in the Middle East. That's why it's time to demand that the President's chief defense advisor come clean to the American public about Donald Trump's plans for war.

ACTION ALERT: How the Arms Industry Profits off the War on Terror (Paul Holden / The Guardian & Petition / Nation of Change)
Analysis: "It is crucial to consider that the "war on terror" might have been a horrendous error: the attempt to impose a military solution on complicated political problems was simplified thinking with a false promise of total national safety . . . the militarisation of the response -- as seen in the massive expansion of military deployments, arms spending, and the license to do anything in pursuit of national security -- has worsened the problem of armed violence in the world." Meanwhile, the arms industry has prospered.

ACTION ALERT: Revoke President's Unilateral "Right" to Launch a Nuclear War (NBC News & Robert Weissman / Public Citizen)
Only one person on Earth can unilaterally launch America's nuclear arsenal. He doesn't need anyone's approval to trigger a global thermonuclear cataclysm; he doesn't even need a congressional declaration of war. He is the president of the United States. When it comes to nuclear war, there are no "checks and balances." This must change.

Climate and Washington Are Both Taking a Turn for the Worse (Bill McKibben / The Boston Globe & Vinnie Wishrad / League of Conservation Voters)
Arctic ice has set a new record winter low and a record Midwest drought has triggered the worst wildfires in US history -- two million acres burned. Climate change demands action but, instead, Donald Trump's appointees spent the last week dismantling 40 years' worth of hard-fought environmental laws and regulations. Meanwhile US governors and big city mayors are demanding Washington address climate change and on April 29, a People's Climate March will challenge America's Polluter-in-Chief.

ACTION ALERT: Racial Violence Under Trump Prompts Sites to Report Hate Crimes (The Color of Change & The Huffington Post and ProPublica)
Racist attacks carried out by white supremacists happen often and have been occurring at a much higher rate since Trump, and his team of white supremacists, have taken over the White House. Because the Federal government has failed to act decisively in response to this growing threat, several civil organizations have joined forces to create an online resource that allows anyone to immediately report incidents of hate that they experience or witness in their communities.

ACTION ALERT: As US Invades Syria, Tell Congress: No Endless War in Syria (CREDO Action & PressTV)
Donald Trump recently escalated US involvement in Syria by sending in hundreds of Marines to risk their lives in combat. Rep. Barbara Lee's House bill would prohibit the Department of Defense from deploying soldiers or hiring private contractors to engage in ground combat in Syria. Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has correctly called the US troops in Syria "invaders." Under international law, foreign governments cannot deploy troops to fight inside sovereign countries without that nation's consent.

ACTION ALERT: Resist Trump's Budget Handout to War Profiteers (CREDO Action & Alex Morash and Craig Harrington / MediaMatters.org)
Half of the federal budget already goes to weapons of war and the military-industrial complex -- and now, Trump wants to increase spending on war profiteers by a full 10 percent. Trump's plan to beef up the defense budget by an additional $54 billion at the expense of civilian domestic spending has been derided by economists and experts for being "wholly unrealistic."

ACTION ALERT: Trump's War Has Just Started (Stephen Miles and Richard Allen Smith / MoveOn.org & Hon. Barbara Lee / House of Representatives)
On March 8, Donald Trump sent hundreds of Marines to risk their lives in combat in Syria. Please see the urgent message below from Afghanistan War Veteran Richard Allen Smith and take action by joining him -- along with US Representative Barbara Lee -- in taking action to oppose this dangerous escalation of war. Rep Lee has introduced a bill that would prevent Trump from sending more troops into Syria.

ACTION ALERT: Stand Up to Trump's $58 Billion Military Buildup (David Swanson / World Beyond War)
World Beyond War writes: "President Trump has proposed to move another $54 billion from 'everything else' to 'military spending,' pushing the military budget up to above 60% of discretionary spending for the first time since the (previous) Cold War. The money would be taken from human and environmental spending at home and abroad. We've drafted a sample resolution that you can ask your city, town, county, or state to pass, calling for the US to support human rights at home instead of endless wars abroad."

ACTION ALERT: Investigate Trump's Botched Yemen Raid (Daily Kos Petition & Mark Sumner / The Daily Kos)
On January 29, 2017, newly inaugurated Donald Trump signed off on a raid into Yemen. The raid ended with the deaths of a US Navy SEAL and an unknown number of civilians, including an 8-year-old American girl. Trump was reportedly not even in the situation room during the raid. Evidence of the raid's "success" turned out to be 10 years old. Sen. Al Franken is leading a movement to investigate the raid but House, Oversight Committee chair Jason Chaffetz (who led 7 investigations into Benghazi) has refused to investigate.

Public Citizen Is Suing Donald Trump for Endangering the Environment (Robert Weissman / Public Citizen)
A new lawsuit, Public Citizen v. Donald J. Trump, takes direct aim at Trump's most brazen gift to Big Business yet. Via a unilateral directive issued on his second week in office, Trump decreed that for any new regulation enacted, two or more existing public protections would have to be eliminated. Trump's executive order mandated the elimination of existing rules for the purpose of offsetting the costs of new rules -- while ignoring the benefits -- even if the existing rules are entirely unrelated.

ACTION ALERT: Trump's Budget Would Leave Millions to Face Starvation (MoveOn.org & The Washington Post & Win Without War & Sen. Chris Murphy / The Huffington Post & The Hill)
Donald Trump has proposed large cuts in foreign aid to offset a $54 billion increase for the Pentagon. Cutting funds for diplomacy, crisis prevention, and humanitarian relief by nearly a third would leave the US less secure. Yemen, Nigeria, South Sudan and Somalia are approaching historic famines that will leave 20 million facing death from starvation. As our current Secretary of Defense said in 2013: if you cut funds for the State Department, you're just going to need to buy more bullets for the Defense Department.

ACTION ALERT: On Centennial of WWI, a Series of Conferences to End All War World Beyond War (World Beyond War)
This April 4th will mark 100 years since the US Senate voted to declare war on Germany and 50 since Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out against the war on Vietnam (49 since he was killed on that speech's first anniversary). Events are being planned -- in Washington, DC, New York and San Francisco -- to help us try to finally learn some lessons -- to move beyond, not just Vietnam, but all war.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Senate's Methane Pollution Bill (Kristin Brown / League of Conservation Voters)
This usurpation of public trust is breathtaking. Literally. To imagine that elected leaders would abandon our communities and side with polluters is not a new story. But the fact that they are willing to sacrifice the health of our children to a legacy of polluted water and particulate-filled air is a scandal beyond measure. It is the equivalent of a "war crime" in peacetime. Sign the petition: Tell the Senate to vote NO on H.J. Res 36 and protect our climate and health.

ACTION ALERT: Investigate the Failed Yemen Raid: "Trump's Benghazi' (Will Fischer / VoteVets.org & Linda Sarsour / MoveOn.org)
The most solemn obligation for any president is when to send the men and women who wear our uniform into harm's way. President Trump did that when he sent Navy SEALs into Yemen for a raid that left Chief Petty Officer Ryan Owens and as many as dozens of civilians dead, including an eight-year-old American girl. Last night, President Trump used Ryan Owens' death as a shameful piece of propaganda. He called Owens a "hero" and even suggested he was smiling down from above.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Trump from Launching a Nuclear First-stirke (Petition from Credo Action & Will Worley / The Independent)
As Britain's Independent notes: 'It is a frightening reality that the US now has a Commander-in-Chief who was making sweeping statements about US nuclear policy over Twitter.' Donald Trump currently has unrestricted power to launch thousands of nuclear weapons at will. The passage of H.R. 669, the Restricting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, would prevent him from starting a nuclear war.

ACTION ALERT: Stand against Trump's Anti-environment Agenda (The Natural Resources Defense Council & Kristen Brown / League of Conservation Voters)
Donald Trump has promised to expand oil and gas drilling, kill the Clean Power Plan and roll back some of our most fundamental environmental protections. It's up to us to show President Trump that we are ready to act -- in and out of court -- against any attempts to derail the progress we've made and force us down a path toward climate chaos. Urge Trump not to threaten our wildlife and wild places or reverse our progress in fighting climate change.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Bannon's Plan to Destroy Cabinet Agencies and Wage War on the Press (The Daily Kos & Hon. Nancy Pelosi / US House of Representatives & Lynn Elber / Associated Press & Leslie Salzillo / The Daily Kos)
At the CPAC convention, Stephen Bannon, the Chief Advisor and intellectual heft behind the Twittering infant that sits in the Oval Office admitted that Trump's cabinet appointees were selected, not to lead the agencies, but to destroy them. Bannon also escalated his rhetorical war on the free press, warning that, under the Trump administration, "It's going to get worse every day for the media."

ACTION ALERT: Sign the Petition: Get Bannon off the National Security Council (The Daily Kos & Courage Campaign)
Stephen Bannon, the white nationalist who has become one of Donald Trump's top advisors, has effectively appointed himself to the National Security Council (NSC), the country's highest national security body. Even military and national security experts find this alarming. (2) Bannon has no national security experience, but he does have an extreme ideological agenda. Donald Trump may be the President, but Bannon is really running the show. Bannon's power grab is unprecedented, dangerous, and must be stopped.

ACTION ALERT: Assault on the EPA Begins: Trump to Sign Two Executive Orders (EcoWatch & Gene Karpinski / League of Conservation Voters & Marjorie Mulhall / Earthjustice)
This is not a drill: Donald Trump is expected to announce TWO new executive orders targeting critical climate and water protections. We have a long fight ahead of us. Multiple outlets have reported that Donald Trump may be planning a visit to EPA headquarters as early as this week, where he could sign executive orders targeting Obama administration climate policies and the agency's structure. And now, under the new administration, even the Endangered Species Act is endangered.

Green Groups File Sweeping Lawsuit AccusingTrump of Usurping Congress's Powers on Regulations (Chris Mooney / The Washington Post & Donald J. Trump / The White House & William Boardman / Reader Supported News)
Three advocacy groups -- Public Citizen, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Communications Workers of America -- have filed a sweeping federal lawsuit challenging Donald Trump's executive order requiring two federal regulations to be "identified for elimination" for every new one added -- arguing that the order fundamentally takes over Congress's powers to enact laws to protect public health, safety, and the environment.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Trump and Putin to "Drop Your Nukes" (Nuclear Are Peace Foundation & WagingPeace.org)
Commentary: At a press conference today, President Donald Trump said, "I want to do the right thing for the American people, and to be honest, secondarily, I want to do the right thing for the world." Nuclear weapons put civilization and the human species at risk of annihilation, which is why we published an open letter to Presidents Trump and Putin calling on the two leaders to negotiate the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Steve Bannon -- No White Supremacist on the National Security Council (CREDO Action)
Right-wing puppet master Steve Bannon has gotten himself appointed to the inner circle of Trump's National Security Council, an appointment generally reserved for senior military and intelligence officers. Bannon, Trump's anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, white supremacist, domestic abuser top adviser should not be in the White House at all. His seat on the NSC is unheard of and the consequences for our nation could be horrific.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Wages War on Bumblebees; Protect the EPA (Oliver Milman / The Guardian)
Donald Trump has been accused of targeting Muslims, media outlets and even department stores in his first month in the White House. Now, the US president may have doomed a threatened bumblebee. According to environmental groups, an executive order freezing new regulations for 60 days could push the rusty-patched bumblebee towards extinction. Pollinators are small but mighty parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world.

Ten Points for Democracy Activists (George Lakoff / GeorgeLakoff.com)
Know the Difference between Framing and Propaganda: Frames, in themselves, are unavoidable and neutral. Propaganda expresses lies that propagandists know are lies for the sake of political or social advantage. Trump is dominating the media, partly to establish his authority, but mainly to divert attention and provide cover to Republican leaders. Keep focused on Republican actions. Minimize publicizing Trump -- his image, his name, his tweets

Yellowstone National Park Sends Hundreds of America's Last Wild Buffalo to Slaughter (Buffalo Field Campaign & EcoWatch)
Under continued pressure from Montana livestock interests, Yellowstone National Park is sending hundreds of America's last wild buffalo -- the National Mammal of the US -- to slaughter. Upwards of 400 more wild bison have also been killed by hunters along Yellowstone National Park's boundary.

ACTION ALERT: Stop US from Arming Terrorists (Tima Kurdi and Sen. Tulsi Gabbard / US House of Representatives)
"I am the aunt of Alan Kurdi, the Syrian boy who tragically drowned September 2, 2015. The devastating image of my 2-year old nephew's lifeless body, lying face-down on the beach in Turkey, was all over the news across the world. . . . Regime change policy has destroyed my country and forced my people to flee. Tulsi's message was exactly what I have been trying to say for years, but no one wants to listen."

Two US Senators Call for Law Restricting the First Use of Nuclear Weapons (Hon. Edward J. Markey / US Senate)
On January 24, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Ted W. Lieu (CA-33) and introduced the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017. This legislation would prohibit the President from launching a nuclear first strike without a declaration of war by Congress. The crucial issue of nuclear "first use" is more urgent than ever now that President Donald Trump has the power to launch a nuclear war at a moment's notice.

ACTION ALERT: Trump Cuts Put Vets Lives at Risk (Vote for Vets & Donovan Slack / USA TODAY)
Veterans make up about 31% of the federal workforce. Roughly 623,000 vets depend on Federal jobs. Donald Trump's hiring freeze hits veterans harder than almost any other group. According to VoteVets: "It would be the ultimate insult to our men and women who serve to deny them the additional doctors, nurses, therapists, and administrators that are sorely needed at the VA. If his Executive Order leads to preventable deaths, that will be on Trump's hands, and we will hold him personally accountable."

First "We the People" Petition on White House Site Demands Trump Release His Tax Returns (Kerry Eleveld / The Daily Kos & Brent Griffiths / Politico & BOLD Democrats.org)
The "We the People" petition site created by the Obama Administration has been kept live by President Donald Trump's team as it relaunches the White House website, and the only petition now on the site, which has been wiped clean of Obama-era requests, demands that the new commander-in-chief release his tax returns.

ACTON ALERT: President Obama: Pardon Snowden Now (CREDO Action Petition & Ed Pilkington / The Guardian)
Bernie Sanders is leading leads a chorus of20 prominent public figures calling for clemency, a plea agreement or, a full pardon for the National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden. , the Democratic presidential candidate Sanders argues that Snowden acted as a patriot when he revealed how the NSA secretly violated the constitutional rights of citizens with its mass surveillance program. Join the ACLU, Amnesty International and a coalition of civil liberties groups urging Pres. Obama to pardon Snowden.

Ways to Can Keep Fighting for Justice (Ijeoma Oluo / The Guardian)
It's reasonable to just want to hibernate for the next four years. But that won't help make things better. Those of us appalled and terrified by the election of Donald Trump and the open rise of white supremacy in America ended 2016 exhausted and disillusioned. Now we enter 2017 in full knowledge that this year will probably be no better. As we start this new year, here are some resolutions for resistance.

Rep. Gabbard Calls for Law to Stop US from Arming Terrorists (C-Span & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & RT News)
The Stop Arming Terrorists Act (SATA) has been introduced on December 8 in the House of Representatives by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI). The bill is a bipartisan effort, co-sponsored by Reps. Peter Welch (D-VT), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) which would forbid the US from using taxpayer dollars to arm, fund, or train terrorist organizations like ISIS, which has received US weapons, supplies and funding in its war against Syria's embattled leader.

ACTION ALERT: Rep: Lee Says "Audit the Pentagon!" Navy Refuses to Cut Costs (Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & David B. Larter / Navy Times)
It was recently discovered that the Pentagon tried to hide at least $125 billion dollars in wasted spending. The Department of Defense receives more than half of the country's entire discretionary budget -- $500 billion in taxpayer money per year -- but unlike other government agencies, the DOD is the only government agency that cannot be audited, and it has never produced a valid financial statement. Some have called this the "Golden Age of Pentagon Waste."

Foreign Military Bases and the Global Campaign to Close Them (Wilbert van der Zeijden / The Transnational Institute)
There are more than a thousand foreign military bases worldwide which have become the infrastructure for imperial wars and have severe social and environmental impacts locally that have prompted growing resistance. Foreign military bases are found in more than 100 countries and territories. All these facilities undermine international peace and security while causing social and environmental problems at a local level. There are 450 No-Bases Network campaigns working to close foreign military bases.

ACTION ALERT: Beyond the Electoral College -- A Path to Democracy (Robert Weissman / Public Citizen & Robert Reich & Ed Pilkington, The Guardian & The Hamilton Electors)
In 2012, Donald Trump proclaimed: "The Electoral College is a disaster for a democracy" and "a total sham and a travesty." The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee the Presidency to the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It has been enacted into law in 11 states with 165 electoral votes. It will take effect when enacted by states with 105 more electoral votes.

ACTION ALERT: Protect Free Speech and Honest Science (PEN America, Daily Kos, et al.)
On January 20, Donald J. Trump will take the oath of office and swear to preserve, protect and defend the US Constitution. During his presidential campaign, his statements and actions called into question his commitment to constitutional principles, including the freedom of expression. Of specific concern were his threats and insults directed toward journalists, arbitrary limitations on media access and comments in support of potential legal reforms that would weaken First Amendment protections.

ACTION ALERT: President-elect's Investments Pose Conflicts of Interest (Murshed Zaheed / Credo Action & Jeff Nesbit / TIME Magazine)
No one knows the full extent of Trump's foreign financial and business entanglements because of his unprecedented secrecy and refusal to release his tax returns. Government ethics experts have already said Trump is poised to violate the Constitution by personally profiting from the presidency. On top of it all, we still do not know whether he is indebted to foreign interests that would give them influence over the commander in chief.

ACTION ALERT: Police Fire Rubber Bullets and Water Cannon at Unarmed Pipeline Protesters (Judith LeBlanc / Native Organizers Alliance & Lauren Carasik / Al Jazeera)
Images of law enforcement brutality have elicited widespread outrage. The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly has denounced the excessive force. On November 20, police responded aggressively to hundreds of unarmed water protectors gathered in the freezing temperature at a contested bridge barricade between the main encampment and the drill site with water cannons, rubber bullets and chemical agents, injuring many of them.

ACTION ALERT: No Arctic Gas Oil Leases for 5 Years! Make It Last (Greenpeace & Rebecca Hersher / National Public Radio & Kristin Brown / League of Conservation Voters)
President Obama just finalized the offshore drilling plan for the next five years, and Atlantic AND Arctic drilling are both off the table! LCV Members like you fought tooth and nail over the last year to protect these oceans, and President Obama listened. But the fight is not over. We need to save our shores -- FOREVER.

ACTION ALERT: How the Electoral College Could Make History by Choosing Democracy (Gar Smith / Special to Environmentalists Against War)
When it comes to electing presidents, the US has never been a democracy. More than 108 countries honor direct popular election of their leaders but the US-- along with with Estonia, Pakistan and Surinam -- is one of six countries that rely on a parliamentary or an Electoral College system. With more than 4 million votes still uncounted, Hillary Clinton has a lead of 1.5 million in the popular vote. Under Electoral College rules, Clinton could still become America's first elected female president. How is that possible?

ACTION ALERT: Tell Washington to Block Trump's Crony Cabinet (CREDO Action & US Senator Elizabeth Warren & Harry Cheadle / VICE)
Commentary: "Allowing Trump to appoint hatemongers and corporate insiders to leading positions would corrupt our democratic institutions and put millions at risk. Leading Democrats need to find their spines and immediately commit to resisting and blocking Trump's crony cabinet." Michael Flynn, a nominee for national security adviser, has repeatedly peddled anti-Muslim bigotry. Oil executive Forrest Lucas would be in charge of national parks. And try to imagine Sarah Palin as Secretary of the Interior.

ACTON ALERT: Trump, the Dakota Pipeline, and Native Rights (Bill McKibben / EcoWatch & Our Revolution & Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. / Waterkeeper Alliance & Josh Fox / EcoWatch)
The ugly side of the American psyche that's propelled Donald Trump to the presidency is nothing new to Indigenous people. It's nothing new to people of color, to immigrants, to the vulnerable and the marginalized. This is a time for drawing together the many threads of our resistance -- to fossil fuels, yes, but also and just as importantly to widespread hatred. But President Obama could take dramatic and decisive action to safeguard native lands and the publics water -- by declaring Standing Rock a National Park.

ACTION ALERT: Keep John Bolton, a Cheney/Bush NeoCon, Out of the New Administration (Gareth Porter / Middle East Eye & AntiWar.com & Justin Raimondo / AntiWar.com)
One of the more decisive questions about US policy is whom Trump will pick for his national security team -- and especially whether he will nominate John Bolton to become Secretary of State. Bolton, a notorious member of the Dick Cheney/George W. Bush administration, would certainly push for a US confrontation with both Iran and Russia. Bolton was a supporter of the Project for a New American Century, the neocon group that plotted the illegal and baseless invasion and occupation of Iraq.

ACTION ALERT: Clinton Concedes Electoral College Loss but Still Leads in the Popular Vote (Harvey Wasserman / The Progressive & Greg Price / International Business Times & Chris Bowers / The Daily Kos)
Donald Trump was right: The electoral system is "rigged." Because presidential elections are not decided by a direct popular vote, the US is not an actual democracy. In the US, a candidate can win the popular vote but still not win the presidency. For the sixth time in our history (and the second time in 16 years), a candidate for President of the United States may have won the popular vote but lost the White House. This must end. If we are to have anything resembling a democracy, the Electoral College must be abolished.

ACTION ALERT: Why President Hillary Will Not Stop the Slaughter in Syria (Steve Weissman / Reader Supported News & International Peace Bureau)
Hillary Clinton has pushed a no-fly zone and safe havens in Syria since the early days of her presidential campaign but these measures would lead to confrontations with Russian jets and have little chance of ending the slaughter in Syria. While Clinton blames Russia, she never mentions that US and coalition bombs similarly killed thousands of civilians in the attack on Fallujah (and will kill many more in the attempt to capture Mosul). Meanwhile, the Saudis have been killing civilians in Yemen using US bombs.

ACTION ALERT: Mainstream Media Hides History of US Aggression against Yemen (Adam Johnson / Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting & MoveOn.com & Oxfam)
To hear US corporate media tell it, the US was just dragged into a brand new war -- against an armed faction in Yemen. US destroyers in the Gulf of Aden launched airstrikes against Houthi rebels, a Shia insurgent group currently withstanding a massive bombing campaign from a Saudi-led coalition in a year-and-half conflict between largely Shia rebels and the Saudi-backed Sunni government in Yemen. The US press rarely mentions that the US role in the brutal bombing campaign that has left over 4,000 dead.

ACTION ALERT: A Message to Our Next President: 'No More War!' (World Beyond War)
As the war system keeps societies in a state of Permawar, we have reached a stage in human history at which we can say with confidence that there are better and more effective alternatives. Of course, we know the question: "You say you are against war, but what's the alternative?" From September 23-26, the No War 2016 event was convened in Washington, DC, to develop answers to this question. A two-hour compilation video is included below. The entire proceedings are also available on DVD.

ACTION ALERT: First Amendment Under Fire at Pipeline Protest: Reporters and Filmmakers Face Prison Terms (Jane Kleeb / Our Revolution & Nick Visser / The Huffington Post)
Deia Schlosberg, a documentarian arrested while filming an oil pipeline protest in North Dakota, has been charged with three felony charges -- and could face decades in prison if convicted. Meanwhile, authorities have issued an arrest warrant for Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! In September, Goodman covered the protests involving thousands of Native American protesters and filmed troubling footage in which heavily armed guards used pepper spray and attack dogs against the nonviolent activists.

US/Saudi Wars Crimes Prompt Missile Attack on US Destroyer: Do Yemeni Lives Matter? (NBC Evening News & Medea Benjamin / AntiWar.com & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com)
How much is the life of a Yemeni worth? Not much, according to the Saudi regime that has been bombing and starving the people of Yemen for since March 2015, or to the Saudi's western backers, particularly the US and UK, which have been supplying the Saudi regime with weapons, military training, logistical support and diplomatic cover for its dirty interventionist war. The latest outrage is the October 8 bombing of a funeral hall in Yemen's capital that killed more than 140 people and injured about 600 more.

ACTION ALERT: Growing Calls to Stop US Military Aid to Murderous Saudi Regime (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Warren Strobel / Reuters & United States Senator Chris Murphy)
Rep. Ted Lieu, a former US Air Force lawyer, has urged the Obama Administration to suspend all arms sales to Saudi Arabia and to suspend cooperation in the war in Yemen, saying that the growing civilian death toll "appears to be the result of war crimes." US Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), has called for a halt to aid noting: "Saudi airstrikes, with support from the US, have killed thousands of civilians in Yemen. ‎Yesterday's attack on large funeral party follows months of attacks on schools, homes, and hospitals."

ACTION ALERT: It's True: The Presidential Debates ARE Rigged (Lilia Tamm Dixon / The Open Debate Coalition)
PresidentialOpenQuestions.com invited America to suggest questions to be asked of the presidential candidates. More than 3.6 million votes were cast on more than 15,800 suggested questions. During the debate, the moderators cited this history survey but only asked one of the least-important questions -- a question that had received only 13 votes.

ACTION ALERT: US Military Vets Still Dying from Burn-pit Exposures (Leo Shane III / Military Times & Burn Pit Families & The Burn Pits 360 Veterans Organization)
Veterans exposed to burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan are begging US leaders to focus attention on their crippling health problems. Burn pits are this generation's Agent Orange, but we are seeing deaths happen after three or five years, instead of decades later. A new petition asks Pres. Obama to use his final months in office to "speak out and educate the American people" about the long-term health effects of burn pits and to increase research into health and medical impacts of exposure to burning hazardous wastes.

ACTION ALERT: Nuclear Stand-down -- No-First-Use (Hon. Diane Russell / US House of Representatives & Dominic Tierney / The Atlantic Magazine)
Regardless who is in the Oval Office, the president's unchecked power to launch nuclear weapons is a problem. It's not one we've had to think about since the Cold War . . . until now. President Obama is considering a "No First Use" policy that would commit the US to only using a nuclear weapon in response to a nuclear attack. No First Use is the only sane policy. Without it, we invite one person's dangerous thinking or misperception to dictate the future of our civilization. This is a risk our world cannot afford.

Militarized Police Threaten and Arrest Dakota Pipeline Water Protectors (The Daily Kos & teleSURtv)
In April 2016, Native peoples began protesting the 1,172-mile, four-state, Dakota Access Pipeline, calling the DAP a threat to sacred lands and water. On September 28, 2016 the Water Protectors' caravan was met with armored vehicles, helicopters dropping tear gas and police armed with military-style rifles. Videos show that, as the resisters are confronted, the militarized police start locking and loading their weapons as the protesters raise their hands in unison and yell that "We are not armed. We are praying!"

October 1: A Global Plea to End the Bombing in Aleppo (The Campaign for Peace and Democracy & the Global Campaign of Solidarity with the Syrian Revolution)
In Syria, the violent sectarian forces have grown in strength directly as a result of the devastation wrought by relentless bombing. The democratic opposition to both the dictatorship and the violently sectarian forces is being crushed under barrel bombs, cruise missiles, cluster and phosphorus munitions, napalm and chemical weapons attacks. The peace and antiwar opposition can stand in solidarity with the democratic struggle by demanding an end to all bombing by all parties.

No War 2016 Summit in Washington, DC -- Real Security Without Terrorism (World Beyond War, Code Pink, International Peace Bureau, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Jane Addams Peace Association, Veterans For Peace, United for Peace and Justice and many others)
The historic #NoWar2016 conference -- which is being convened at the American University in Washington, DC from September 23-25 -- is full to capacity, but you can still sign up here to be part of the protest at the Pentagon at 9 a.m. on September 26, 2016. Among those speaking at the three-day event are: Dennis Kucinich, Kathy Kelly, Harvey Wasserman, Medea Benjamin, David Swanson, Leah Bolger, Mel Duncan, Jodie Evans, Gar Alperovitz, Gareth Porter, John Kiriakou, and Jeremy Corbyn (by video)

ACTION ALERT: Pardon Snowden -- Time Is Running Out for NSA Whistleblower (Demand Progress & Watchdog.net)
Edward Snowden's whistleblowing revealed the NSA's massive, secret -- and unconstitutional -- surveillance programs. His actions launched a vital national debate on whether the NSA should be spying on innocent Americans. Snowden stood up for our rights. Now it's time we stand up for his. He should be pardoned. Former Attorney General Eric Holder agrees: "I think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by the changes that we made."

ACTION ALERT: Petition the Vatican to Renounce the (David Swanson / World Beyond War)
Just War theory holds that a war is morally justified under certain circumstances. In April 2016, the Vatican held a meeting on whether the Catholic Church, the originator of Just War theory, should reject it and issue an encyclical renouncing the Just War Doctrine and, instead, promoting the teaching and use of nonviolence, and and the pursuit of the abolition of war and weapons of war. Here is a petition you can sign, whether or not you are Catholic, urging the church to do just that.

ACTION ALERT: Unarmed Dakota Pipeline Protesters Withstand Dogs and Mace, Drive Back Enbridge Security (Marc Ash / Reader Supported News & Amy Goodman / Democracy now! & Josh Nelson / CREDO Action & Matt Agorist / MintPress News )
The bulldozers returned to the site of the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline project Saturday. The protesters, anchored by Standing Rock Sioux tribal activists, rallied quickly to defend “the land.” The result was a chaotic confrontation between the all-white private security forces armed with mace and attack dogs and an unarmed multi-ethnic coalition of Americans determined to stop them in their tracks.

ACTION ALERT: Amnesty International Condemns Obama's "Astonishing," Unprecedented Arms Deals with Repressive Saudi Regime (Scott Paul / OXFAM America & Ben Norton / Salon)
Amnesty International has accused the US of "deadly hypocrisy" for its massive arms deals with Middle East governments that have carried out war crimes and other violations of international law. The repressive Saudi monarchy is using American bombs, aircraft and maintenance personnel to commit war crimes in Yemen. Put an end to Washington's complicity in the slaughter of civilians. Halt all military aid and weapons to the Saudi regime.

ACTION ALERT: Nuclear Peace Action Appeal to Obama (Jon Rainwater / Peace Action & Yonhap News & Inside Defense & Phoebe Wynn-Pope /The Daily Telegraph)
We are now in the final months of President Obama's Administration. This is the time presidents begin to look for actions to that will solidify their legacy. From our sources on the ground, we know that President Obama is deliberating his final actions in this regard on nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, a State Department nonproliferation official has recent dismissed UN panel's proposal to launch negotiations to ban nuclear weapons as "unrealistic." Action is needed.

ACTION ALERT: Appeal to Congress. Stop the Saudi Arms Sale: Hospitals, Schools and Civilians Are Being Bombed (Action Network & Wired for Change & Just Foreign Policy)
Despite previous promises to stop targeting civilian targets earlier this year, the Saudi-Ied, US-supported coalition continues to bomb civilians in Yemen with US-made weapons, killing more than 20 in just the last several days. The Obama administration has notified Congress of intent to sell $1.15 billion of weapons to Saudi Arabia, including tanks which would replace tanks destroyed in Saudi Arabia's war against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

ACTION ALERT: End US Support of Saudi Arabia CODEPINK (CODEPINK & The Editorial Board of the New York Times)
A hospital associated with Doctors Without Borders. A school. A potato chip factory. Under international law, those facilities in Yemen are not legitimate military targets. Yet all were bombed in recent days by warplanes belonging to a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, killing more than 40 civilians. And now Washington wants to send $1.5 billion dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia.

ACTION ALERT: Gun Control Is Possible: Venezuela Acts to Reduce Gun Violence (Frank Jack Daniel / Reuters & The Pen & The Peace Team)
Venezuelan police crushed and chopped up nearly 2,000 shotguns and pistols in a Caracas city square on Wednesday, as the new interior minister relaunched a long-stalled gun control campaign in one of the world's most crime-ridden countries. With a critical presidential and congressional election coming up, it's time to take a stand on reasonable gun regulation: The Pen and the Peace Team provide an Action Page.

ACTION ALERT: End Pentagon Bloat: Use War Bucks to Create Jobs and Rebuild America (Just Foreign Policy & James Hohmann / The Washington Post)
The Washington Post claims that Hillary Clinton won't be able to fulfill her promise to increase domestic infrastructure spending, because House – and, apparently, the Washington Post -- believe that the bloated Pentagon budget is sacrosanct. Put cuts to the bloated Pentagon budget on the table to pay for needed spending on domestic infrastructure.

ACTION ALERT: Google Maps Erases Palestine from the Face of the Earth (Causes.com & The Washington Post)
After years of fear-mongering over the hyped Iranian "threat"* to "wipe Israel off the map," Google has just done just that to Palestine. (The "threat" stems from a mistranslation of a speech that Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini gave in the 1980, in which he said: "This occupation regime over Jerusalem must vanish from the arena of time.") 137 counties and the UN recognize the state of Palestine and Google should, too!

Britain Boycotts Disarmament Talks While World Remembers Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons & Tomihisa Taue / Mayor of Nagasaki / Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.)
As the world remembers Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the UK continues to boycott disarmament talks that could prevent similar tragedies in the future. At UN talks this year, more than 100 governments laid the groundwork for a new global treaty to ban nuclear weapons. In a speech marking the 71st anniversary of his city's bombing, Nagasaki's Mayor plead: "Young people, for the sake of the future, will you face up to the past and thereby take a step forward?"

ACTION ALERT: Sign the Global Call for Atomic Disarmament (Joseph Gerson / Peace and Planet & The 2016 World Conference against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs)
Seventy-one years ago, the US used nuclear weapons against the civilian populations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombs burned out the cities and claimed the lives of about 210,000 people by the end of the year. It was a hell on earth. Today, Japan's A-bomb survivors invite the world to join the International Signature Campaign in Support of the Appeal of the Atomic Bomb Survivors of Hiroshima & Nagasaki, for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.

ACTION ALERT: Israel Set to Destroy Palestinian Village (Just Foreign Policy & J Street Blog)
In days, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman will decide whether to destroy 40% of the Palestinian village of Susya, leaving a hundred people homeless. You can urge Secretary of State John Kerry to make clear the US won't tolerate the demolition of Susya by signing the Just Foreign Policy petition at MoveOn.

ACTION ALERT: International Month of Action against Arms Fairs (Against Arms Fairs & Campaign Against Arms Trade & Ewan Palmer / International Business Times)
From London to Paris, Wellington to Seoul, anti-war activists are taking action against arms fairs. Arms fairs are where the deals that fuel global conflict and repression begin. That means this is where we can act to stop wars. Saudi Arabia -- one of the world's biggest arms customers -- is guilty of mass executions, war crimes in Yemen, flogging of critics, and political suppression. Britain's High Court has ruled activists now can take the arming of Saudi Arabia to a Judicial Review!

ACTION ALET: Latest US Attack on Libya Criticized and Condemned (Daniel McAdams / AntiWar.com & Jamie Merrill / Middle East Eye & Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives)
The Pentagon has begun airstrikes in Libya to protect the local "government" from ISIS fighters. But it was the US "liberation" of Libya that opened the door for ISIS. And, as far as defending a "government of national accord," the current regime was not selected by the Libyan people. It was created by the United Nations and sent into Libya on a ship from Tunisia. Rep. Barbara Lee's petition to halt these airstrikes can be found below.

ACTION ALERT: The Struggle Against Racist Policing -- from the US to Brazil to Palestine (teleSUR & ColorOfChange and MoveOn.org)
Black Lives Matter argues that the police violence and killings of Black people in the US is connected to Israel's decades-long oppression of Palestinians. In recent weeks BLM activists have intensified their global campaign against the killings of non-white minorities around the world. The federal government knows exactly how police departments are terrorizing Black communities -- it's past time they do something about it and hold these officers accountable.

ACTION ALERT: Investigate FBI and DHS Surveillance of Political Activists (CREDO Action from Working Assets & Alice Speri / The Intercept & Dustin Volz / Reuters)
In a blatant attempt to intimidate peaceful protesters and discourage First Amendment protected activities, FBI and DHS agents reportedly visited the homes of peaceful activists and community organizers in Cleveland, Ohio, asking about their plans for the Republican National Convention. This type of behavior is not new. The FBI and DHS have conducted ongoing surveillance of nonviolent social justice activists and political organizations for years.

ACTION ALERT: Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6-9 (Joseph Gerson / The International Peace Bureau Newsletter & William Boardman / Reader Supported News)
Commentary: With the Hiroshima and Nagasaki commemorations approaching, let us consider these three questions: the meaning of Hiroshima, the growing great power tensions in the Asia-Pacific, and the problems with "deterrence." Meanwhile, in Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima in May, his sterile language and detached manner illustrated how far we are from facing the reality of our own government's profound crime in this deliberate atrocity.

ACTION ALERT: Suspend Saudi Arabia from UN Human Rights Council (Amnesty International USA & The US Department of State)
The evidence is mounting -- Saudi Arabia has committed gross and systemic violations of human rights abroad and at home, and used its position on the UN Human Rights Council to obstruct justice for possible war crimes. Saudi Arabia has executed minors, killed civilians in airstrikes and blocked investigations into possible war crimes. Join us in calling on the UN General Assembly to immediately suspend Saudi Arabia from the Human Rights Council.

ACTION ALERT: Ban Cluster Bomb Transfers to Saudi Arabia -- And Everywhere Else (Just Foreign Policy & No Clusterbombs.org & The Cluster Munition Coalition)
A White House decision to suspend cluster munition transfers to Saudi Arabia should be made permanent and extended to cover all such munitions. The White House suspended sales of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia following concerns over civilian harm from their use in Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition has been conducting military operations since March 2015. Urge the US Senate to oppose the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia.

ACTION ALERT: Congress Orders More Nuclear Triggers. Let's Ban Nuclear Weapons Instead (Mark Oswald / Albuquerque Journal & Alice Slater / New Age Peace Foundation & International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
The National Nuclear Security Administration is under orders from Congress to produce as many as 80 new nuclear weapons triggers a year by around 2030, and Los Alamos National Laboratory is the only place in the country that is equipped to make them now.

ACTION ALERT: Ask The Candidate about the Nuclear Threat (Friends Committee on National Legislation / Washington Newsletter)
This year, violent extremists linked to the Islamic State spied on the home and office of a person involved with storing large quantities of dangerous nuclear material. The motive for the surveillance is unknown, but authorities speculate that the group might want the material to use in an attack. The country where this surveillance happened? Belgium, in the months before the deadly March 2016 bombings. It's time to make the nuclear threat a presidential campaign issue.

ACTION ALERT: Demand that Obama Hold Hearings on Iraq War (Mathew Hoe /CODEPINK)
Matthew Hoe writes: "Like many of my fellow veterans with whom I served in Iraq, I am still haunted by what was done, and is still being done, to the Iraqi people because of our invasion of their country in 2003. This week, a damning report was released in Britain exposing the country's role in the US-led illegal and immoral war on Iraq. We need a similar investigation in the US."

ACTION ALERT: 'No to NATO' Protests Set for July 9, 2016 (Medea Benjamin and Alice Slater / The Hill & Workers World)
Protests are set in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco on July 9 to protest the NATO summit held in Warsaw, Poland, calling it an aggressive threat against Russia. Despite US assurances to Gorbachev not to expand NATO after the collapse of the USSR, today NATO has expanded to include twelve new countries in eastern and central Europe, has extended its reach to Russia's border, and has even been discussing NATO membership with Georgia and Ukraine.

ACTION ALERT: One Cheer for Obama's Executive Order on Drone Strikes (Rachel Reid / Foreign Policy & CODEPINK)
Analysis: President Barack Obama finally released data on civilians killed in US counterterror operations in Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen -- an important step toward ending the absurdity of undeclared drone wars. Yes, the White House low-balled its drone casualty numbers. But don't let that obscure the value of its important policy changes, which will save civilian lives.

The Nonviolent History of American Independence (Rivera Sun / AntiWar.com)
Independence Day is commemorated with fireworks and flag-waving, gun salutes and military parades . . . however, one of our nation's founding fathers, John Adams, wrote, "A history of military operations . . . is not a history of the American Revolution." Often minimized in our history books, the tactics of nonviolent action played a powerful role in achieving American Independence from British rule.

The Age of Mass Graves: Pakistan Prepares for Climate Deaths (im DeChristopher / TimDeChristopher.org)
Commenttary: "This week I took action to express the grief that has been weighing on my heart ever since I read about Pakistan digging mass graves in anticipation of their climate change induced heat waves last month. Even as someone who reads a lot of heartbreaking stories about climate change, the fact that we have now entered the age of anticipatory mass graves broke my heart in a whole new way."

US Conference of Mayors Unanimously Adopts Resolution Calling for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons (Mayors for Peace and 2020visioncampaign.org)
At the close of its 84rd Annual Meeting, the United States Conference of Mayors, for the 11th consecutive year, adopted a resolution in support of Mayors for Peace, warning that "the nuclear-armed countries are edging ever closer to direct military confrontation in conflict zones around the world," and calling on the next US President "to pursue new diplomatic initiatives to lower tensions with Russia and China and to dramatically reduce US and Russian nuclear stockpiles."

ACTION ALERT: Top Scientists Call for Obama to Take Nuclear Missiles off Hair-Trigger Alert (Lisbeth Gronlund / Union o f Concerned Scientists)
More than 90 prominent US scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates and 90 National Academy of Sciences members, sent a letter to President Obama yesterday urging him to take US land-based nuclear missiles off hair-trigger alert and remove launch-on-warning options from US warplans.

ATION ALERT: NATO's Warsaw Summit Threatens War with Russia (John Catalinotto / Workers World & Manlio Dinucci / Workers' World)
The location of NATO's next summit meeting is itself a provocation against Russia. NATO leaders will meet on July 8-9 in Warsaw, Poland, less than 200 miles from the Russian province of Kaliningrad. The meeting follows NATO military maneuvers under US command that threaten Russia. On June 5, a sea exercise called Baltops 16 began in the Baltic Sea with 6,100 troops, 45 ships and 60 warplanes from 17 countries, as bombers flew toward Russian borders.

ACTION ALERT: Act to Control Gun Violence in America (Credo Mobile & ActionTaker)
Another horrific mass shooting happened yesterday, leaving at least 50 dead and 50 more wounded at an LGBT club in Orlando. As the death toll from the tragedy in Orlando continued to mount, Republican politicians were quick to offer their "prayers and condolences" to the families and friends of the victims. But "thoughts and prayers" are not enough. We need a real gun control legislation package that includes a ban on assault weapons.

ACTION ALERT: Hillary Clinton and the UASI Fueling Police Militarization (The War Resisters League et al & Sarah Lazare / AlterNet)
Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton are teaming up with the NYPD to request high levels of funding for a federal "counter-terror" program that is directly bankrolling the militarization of police forces nationwide. To secure the funds, they are invoking the threat of terrorism and exploiting the climate of fear and incitement that has come to define the 2016 election cycle.

ACTION ALERT: Corporate Trade Deals Destroy the Environment: How About a TPP for the People? (CREDO Action & The Sierra Club & David Korten / YES! Magazine)
If Congress passes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the massive corporate power-grab "trade" deal championed by President Obama, it would grant more foreign corporations powers to challenge US safeguards to our air, water and climate. Current trade agreements have been of, by, and for transnational corporations but growing opposition is giving us the opportunity to change that in our next-generation agreements.

ACTION ALERT: Call for an End to America's Global Militarism (Debra Sweet / The World Can't Wait & The Peace Boat Campaign)
President Barack Obama recently visited two countries that had been seriously damaged by US military assault. Vietnam saw 2 million civilians killed in the "American War" and Japan became the first nation targeted for destruction by nuclear weapons. Instead of offering apologies to Vietnam, Obama offered US weapons in exchange tor access Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam's deep water port, from which the US could challenge China for control over Asia's resources.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Draft Women; Don't Draft Men. Support H.R. 4523 and Abolish the Selective Service System (Edward Hasbrouck / Hasbrouck.org & Resist.org)
This year, Congress is having its most serious debate about draft registration in decades. The Selective Service System maintains contingency plans for a general "cannon fodder" draft of young men and/or a separate Health Care Personnel Delivery System for men and women up to age 44. A provision requiring women to register for the draft remains in the Senate version of the Defense Authorization Act. Meanwhile, a new bill, H.R. 4523 would abolish the draft.

ACTION ALERT: Act Today to Ask the Senate to Halt Open Burning of Toxic Military Waste (Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger & Suzanne Yohannan / Superfund Report)
On May 26, US Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI-Dem) filed an amendment (S.2943) to the National Defense Authorization Act requiring an independent scientific review of safer alternatives to open burning, detonation and incineration of the Pentagon's hazardous waste munitions. The current practice of incinerating these toxic explosive chemical wastes involves burning in open-air pits, resulting in immediate, downwind and downstream pollution.

ACTION ALERT: It's Time to Stop the Saudis (Charles P. Pierce / Esquire Magazine & CODEPINK)
Commentary: Saudi government money is responsible for spreading Wahhabism -- and terrorism -- around the world. It has been 17 years since a US-led intervention wrested Kosovo from Serbian oppression. Now, our great good friends, the Saudis, are doing their best to start the bloodletting all over again. ACTION: Prevent Saudi Arabia and other accused foreign sponsors of terror from invoking sovereign immunity in cases involving terrorist acts in the US.

Conflict, the Environment and Humanitarian Action (The Toxic Remnants of War Project & Turkey International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
This week the much anticipated but also disputed World Humanitarian Summit begins in Istanbul. Its aim is to find ways to improve the global system of humanitarian assistance for the challenges posed by conflict, natural disasters, climate change and displacement. Conflict-related environmental damage is a growing cause for concern for humanitarian actors and civil society in war-torn countries.

World Scholars Call on Obama to Address Nuclear Weapons Ban at Hiroshima (Joseph Gerson / Peace and Planet & Peace Action & Japan Times Editorial)
Given the potential dangers posed by the accidental use of nuclear arms and nuclear terrorism, all states should support the effort to ban nuclear weapons. In Hiroshima, President Obama should announce cancelation of his $1 trillion nuclear modernization plan and a reduction of the US nuclear arsenal. Obama and Russian President Putin should open talks to create the nuclear weapons-free world promised in Prague and required by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

ACTION ALERT: Urge Obama to Meet with Governor Onaga of Okinawa (CODEPINK & Women for Peace)
The US has had a presence in Okinawa since the end of WWII and currently 33 US military facilities and about 28,000 US military personnel remain on the island. Crimes against Okinawans by US military personnel and damage to the environment caused by the presence of US military bases have been occurring for over 70 years. It is not too late for Obama to honor the request of Governor Onaga to meet and talk about the destructive US bases in Okinawa.

Legendary No Nuker Michael Mariotte Passes On (Harvey Wasserman / EcoWatch & Celine Mergan / Greenpeace International)
Michael Mariotte was a giant in the No Nukes movement. From the 1980s on he has been at the forefront of some of the great Solartopia campaigns, writing, strategizing and moving us all. He was a major factor in defeating reactors proposed for Calvert Cliffs, Maryland and a uranium facility in Louisiana among much much else.

ACTION ALERT: Urge President Obama to Take Action in Hiroshima (The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & John Hall / The MailOnline)
It is an encouraging sign that President Obama will be the first sitting US President to visit Hiroshima. At the same time, Washington is planning to spend at least $1 trillion over the next 30 years to "modernize" its nuclear arsenal -- warheads, submarines, missiles, bombers, production facilities and command and control infrastructure. Actions speak louder than words. That's why we are petitioning President Obama not to come to Hiroshima empty-handed.

Conference Ends with Growing Global Support for a Nuclear Weapons Ban (Beatrice Fihn / International Campaign for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons)
The new United Nations working group on nuclear disarmament has completed its second and most substantive session in Geneva. 100 governments met for over two weeks. Many more contributed support through a joint working paper from the Humanitarian Pledge group (now numbering 127 States). Of course, the US and other nuclear umbrella states were unhappy, but "this meeting was all about the ban. And it was clear that governments are ready to do this."

ACTION ALERT: How to Oppose the Draft for Women and Not Be Sexist (David Swanson / World Beyond War & Roots Action)
Commentary: "Some peace activists believe that the key to ending war-making is actually activating the draft in as big a way as possible. And liberal humanitarian warriors want equal war rights for women. Much of the rest of the world, meanwhile, believes the United States has overdosed on military madness. As a helpful public service, I offer this guide on how (and why) to oppose extending draft registration to women without being a sexist pig."

ACTION ALERT: Stop Big Coal's War on Bengal Tigers (CREDO Action at Working Asset)
The Orion Group, a Bangladeshi company, has approached the US Export-Import Bank to obtain financing for the building of two coal-fired power plants in Bangladesh. These public US funds could be used to finance Big Coal's destruction of the Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site that is home to precious endangered animals -- in a country that is one of the most climate-endangered in the world.

Help the Air Force Name Its New Bomber (Gar Smith / World Beyond War and EAW)
The Secretary of the Air Force has asked for help in naming the B-21 long-range strike bomber -- "A Bomber for the 21st Century" in her words. The contest was set to run through May 6 but was only open to members of the USAF, Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard, their dependents and retirees. According to the official rules, taxpayers were disqualified from participating. We decided to give taxpayers a chance to name the bomber. Here are the results!

The Pentagon vs. Palestine: Gaza Needs Peace, Jobs, Security and Water (Washington Newsletter / Friends Committee on National)
The hypermilitarized US approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict needs to change. US military aid to Israel --now 20% of Israel's military budget -- is part of the problem. President Obama's 2017 budget allocates $3.1 billion in military assistance to Israel -- more than twice the aid to any other country. In Gaza, with the world's highest unemployment rate, families spend a third of their income on water. Gaza's drinkable water could run out by the year's end.

ACTION ALERT: Largest Civil Disobedience in History of the Environmental Movement Underway from May 4-16 (350.org & Break Free.org)
2015 was the hottest year ever recorded and the impacts of climate change are already hitting communities around the world. From rising sea levels to extreme storms, the need to act on climate change has never been more urgent. Starting today, a global wave of peaceful direct actions lasting for 12 days will take place across six continents targeting the world's most dangerous fossil fuel projects, under the banner of "Break Free."

Hiroshima Mayor Appeals for Nuclear Ban at UN Summit in Geneva (NHK & Jake Adelstein / The Los Angeles Times)
The mayor of Hiroshima Kazumi Matsui has appealed for a legal framework to ban nuclear weapons as a United Nations' working group on the issue begins a meeting in Geneva. The UN working group will hold its second round of talks from Monday to May 13. Hiroshima bombing survivor Setsuko Thurlow said that the world is tired of the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty and other existing frameworks, which have failed to bring about the abolition of nuclear arms.

ACTION ALERT: Take Malik Jalal Off Obama's Kill List (Malik Jalal / 38 Degrees & Democracy Now!)
Malik Jalal has been targeted by drones four times. Dozens of other innocent people have died in the strikes. His family members are terrified that he will be next. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has revealed as many as 12 civilians were killed in December when a US drone targeted vehicles that were part of a wedding procession going towards the groom's village outside the central Yemeni city of Rad'a. It is useless for the US to deny this: there is a video.

The Power of Protest: House Resolution Honors Vietnam Anti-war Protesters (Tom Hayden / Vietnam War Summit & Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives)
California Rep. Barbara Lee has introduced a US House Resolution recognizing the Vietnam anti-war movement as, "one of the largest and most prolonged efforts to achieve peace and justice in recent generations and was critical to bringing an end to the war." Anti-war leader Tom Hayden notes: "The debate over the War . . . is still alive." Last year 1,000 peace activists gathered at the MLK Memorial to challenge the Pentagon's narrative of the Vietnam War.

ACTION ALERT: The 30th Anniversary of Chernobyl: Nearly 1 Million Deaths (Harvey Wasserman / EcoWatch & Celine Mergan / Greenpeace International)
When Chernobyl blew up 30 years ago, it exposed two basic lies that had been used to promote nuclear power: (1) that a commercial reactor could not explode and (2) that the industry's radiation would kill no one. It has been estimated that 985,000 people have died from Chernobyl's fallout. Here's a short list of 30 ways these two tragic flaws are killing us all.

ACTION ALERT: North Korea Offers To Halt Nuke Test If US Halts Massive Military Exercises! (Associated Press & Jack Radey / Facebook & Sadhbh Walshe / The New York Times Op-Ed)
Call the White House, your Senators and Representatives. North Korea has offered to halt its next scheduled nuclear weapons test if the US will call off the massive joint US/South Korean military exercise -- an exercise that involves a practiced overthrow of the North Korea regime. Here is a chance for Washington to replace saber-rattling with peace-making. And, if the Pentagon wishes, it will be able to claim that "US military might" forced Kim Jong-un to "back down."

ACTION ALERT: Senators Challenge US Military Aid to Saudi Arabia (Robert Naiman / Truthout | Op-Ed)
Until recently, the US relationship to Saudi Arabia has been unquestioned. But now, a bipartisan group of senators is poised to pass legislation that would limit the sovereign immunity of the Saudi government from lawsuits over the 9/11 attacks and Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul have introduced a bipartisan bill that would place new conditions on US military aid to Saudi Arabia.

ACTION ALERT: It's Time to Ban Killer Robots (Rasha Abdul Rahim / Amnesty International & Ray Acheson / Reaching Critical Will)
In April, the third Convention on Conventional Weapons met to address growing alarm over the use of drones and the development of autonomous robot killing machines. The idea of machines killing humans on the basis of algorithms is cynically abhorrent. While the US insists that its drones provide "enhanced situational awareness," independent reviews reveal that, during one five-month stretch, "90% of people killed by US drone strikes were unintended targets."

ACTION ALERT: Saudi Teen Jailed for Peaceful Protest Faces Crucifixion and Beheading (CODEPINK & Women for Peace)
Ali al-Nimr is facing a death sentence imposed by the Saudi government, for participating in a peaceful protest during the Arab Spring when he was just 17 years old. On the occasion of President Obama's visit to the Saudi Kingdom, concerned activists are asking that he meet with Saudi human rights activists -- as he did during his recent trip to Cuba. Take action to spare the life of Ali al-Nimr and two other teenagers facing execution for engaging in political protests.

ACTION ALERT: Bipartisan Call for Sanctions on the Saudis (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & Hon. Chris Murphy / United State Senate)
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) have introduced legislation to prevent the US from continuing to support Saudi-led military campaigns in places like Yemen where Saudi Arabia's year-long campaign has led to a devastating humanitarian crisis and a security vacuum that has empowered our terrorist enemies al Qaeda and ISIS.

ACTION ALERT: Who Sells Cluster Bombs? (Code Pink)
On April 18, peace activists from across New England will gather in front of Textron Industries headquarters in Providence, Rhode Island, to call on the company to stop selling cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia that it is using to kill civilians in Yemen. Another petition: "We, the undersigned, call on President Obama to meet with Saudi human rights activists during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia."

ACTION ALERT: Tell Your City to Divest from Nuclear War (Susi Snyder / ICANW & The Future of Life Institution & Max Tegmark / Huffington Post)
The US is hoarding more than 7,000 nuclear missiles. A long history of near-misses underscores the risk of an accidental nuclear war that could trigger a nuclear winter, killing most people on Earth. Yet rather than retire its excess nukes, the US plans to spend $4 million-per-hour for the next 30 years making them more lethal. On April 2, Cambridge, Massachusetts unanimously voted to divest its $1 billion pension fund from nuclear weapons production.

ACTION ALERT: Hold the Gun Industry Accountable (Alliance for Gun Responsibility, & Sign for Good & Left Action)
Gun manufacturers and dealers make huge profits from America's gun violence epidemic, which kills over 33,000 Americans a year. Yet they have a unique legal immunity that shields them from accountability for the injuries their products create, due to previous legislation passed to protect gun dealers known as PLCAA (The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act).

ACTION ALERT: Protest Pentagon Waste, including $86 Million Spent on a Plane that Is 'Inoperable' (Peace & Planet.org & Christopher Woody / Reuters)
The Pentagon plans to spend $66,000 per minute to build the new generation of lnuclear weapons and their delivery systems. This is more than most people make in a year. Think what that money could buy in your community and for your family. The Pentagon has spent $86 million on a counternarcotics plane for Afghanistan that has never carried out a mission and now sits idle in Delaware. Join the Global Day of Action on Military Spending -- April 16-18, 2016.

ACTION ALERT: STOP the Use of Killer Drones (The World Can't Wait)
"Reform" is in the air. What we need is visible opposition to US war for empire from people living in this country. Millions of Americans reproach their government for failure to secure access to basic necessities -- housing, education and healthcare -- for a purposeful life. Fundamental dynamics of the capitalist economic system have created a desperate situation for growing numbers of the dispossessed, across the globe.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Sales of US F-15E Fighter Jets to Qatar (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & MoveOn.org & Dan De Luce / Foreign Policy)
The White House can't decide whether to sign off on a multibillion-dollar arms deal with the Persian Gulf kingdom, a sometime ally that has close ties to Islamist militants and Iran. The potential deal for up to 73 F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jets, worth billions of dollars, has been on the table for more than two years. Israel has privately expressed reservations about the deal because of concerns that Israel's military superiority in the region could be undercut by the sale.

ACTION ALERT: One Year of Killing in Yemen. Stop Arming Saudi Arabia (CodePink & PBS & ITV)
Today marks one year since Saudi Arabia began what they said would be "short-term" military involvement in Yemen's civil war. In the 365 days since, using American-made fighter jets, cluster bombs, and other munitions, more than 3,000 innocent Yemeni civilians have been killed, many of them in ways that may amount to war crimes. It is past time for the US to stand up and repudiate Saudi aggression and killing in Yemen.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Bayers' War on Bees (Kristin Brown / The League of Conservation Voters)
A new UN report has found that many species of wild bees, butterflies, and pollinators could be moving toward extinction. STOP mass bee deaths this spring! Join us in helping to save the bees before it's too late! Tell Bayer: stop producing bee-killing pesticides.

Global Day Against Military Spending: April 5-18 (Demilitarize.org & American Friends Service Committee)
Seventy years after the US devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs, and 25 years after the end of the Cold War, the world still teeters on the brink of nuclear catastrophe. On April 5th, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute will publish the global military expenditure figures for 2015, together with its analysis of the trends. April 18th is Tax Day in the USA, a traditional date for civil society to challenge the uses put to public money.

ACTION ALERT: Tell United States and All Non-Members to Join the ICC (Roots Action Campaign Petition)
Global justice requires global participation. Partial and biased justice damages the cause of establishing the rule of law and the nonviolent settlement of disputes. To succeed, the ICC must include all nations and treat all crimes equally regardless of where committed or by whom. The US should abandon its rogue nation status and join the majority of the world's nations in recognizing the ICC. Only international criminals need fear an International Criminal Court.

ACTION ALERT: End EPA Open Burning of Munitions (Suzanne Yohannan, Superfund Report & CSWAB)
A coalition of environmental, citizens and environmental justice groups is building a national campaign to urge EPA to require the use of alternative destruction technologies instead of open air burning and detonation when disposing of military munitions. The Cease Fire campaign -- argues that EPA should end reliance on a 1980 regulatory exclusion that allows for OB/OD of waste explosives.

ACTION ALERT: Pressure Mounts on Kerry to Take Action over Honduras Killings (TeleSUR)
More than 110 land and environmental activists have been murdered since 2010, in the aftermath of a US-backed military coup. Now a group of 730 leading Latin American experts and scholars have condemned the assassination of Honduran activist Berta Caceres and urged US Secretary of State John Kerry to halt aid and support to Honduras until the Central American country improves its atrocious human rights record.

ACTION ALERT: Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and The NRA (Brave New Films & Robert Greenwald /The Huffington Post)
"Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and The NRA" tells the stories of how guns, and the billions made off of them, affect the lives of everyday Americans. The film exposes how the powerful gun companies and the NRA are resisting legislation for the sake of profit Our new petition asks Congress to support a key piece of legislation called the "Equal Access to Justice for Victims of Gun Violence Act" (H.R. 4399) which would repeal the gun industry's immunity from being sued.

ACTION ALERT: Stop US Arms to Brutal Regimes in Saudi Arabia and Egypt (Amnesty International USA & Chris Toensing / Foreign Policy In Focus)
Thousands of civilians have been killed and injured by the Saudi Arabia-led coalition since the conflict began in Yemen and where do the Saudis get their bombs? One major source is the Pentagon and the US arms industry. Meanwhile, the military government in Egypt is cracking down hard on its restive citizenry -- harder than any time in memory. And the US -- which sends the country over a $1 billion a year in security aid -- is looking the other way.

ACTION ALERT: Dogwhistle Politics: Race-baiting Propaganda (Heather McGhee / Demos and MoveOn)
Analysis: The violence being stoked by Donald Trump's bullying and decisive speeches isn't coming out of nowhere -- and it is not just confined to the Trump campaign. It's the predictable outcome of 40 years of "dog-whistle politics" that use hate and fear as a political propaganda tool to keep Americans divided, using racial and class differences to misdirect the public's anger inward -- instead of upward. Watch the video; support the petition.

ACTiON ALERT: Stop Killing Environmental Leaders (Rainforest Action Network & TeleSUR)
"Our hearts are broken. We just lost a powerful woman who dedicated her life to defend the Lenca Indigenous peoples' rights, territory and their sacred Gualcarque River." International human rights organizations have condemned the assassination of Indigenous leader Berta Caceres in Honduras, and called on Secretary of State John Kerry to acknowledge the US's own role in the violence that continues to take innocent lives in the Central American country.

ACTION ALERT: Fukushima Radioactive Fallout Food Safety Petition (Kimberly Roberson / Change.org)
We are in the midst of an ongoing and seemingly incomprehensible radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in Japan. Particulates in the form of radioactiive iodine and other radioisotopes from Fukushima have traveled across the US as far as Massachusetts. Here in the US, we are STILL not receiving honest, accurate and consistent information from our government. The EPA must expand the monitoring of air, rain water, and milk.

ACTION ALERT: Remember Fukushima on March 11 and Unplug Nuclear Power (Unplug Nuclear Power.com & Robert Hunziker / CounterPunch & RT News)
March 11, 2016 marks the fifth anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. The Fukushima site continues to leak thousands of tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean and surrounding environment every single day. There are many events marking the disaster -- From blockading bridges to delivering letters of protest to Japanese embassies around the world, people are taking power into their own hands and sending a clear message: NO NUKES!

ACTION ALERT: Tell CBS News: Stop Boosting Trump Coverage for Profits (CREDO Action & Alexandra Rosenmann / AlterNet)
According to CBS CEO Les Moonves. Donald Trump's campaign "may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS . . . . The money's rolling in . . . . It's a terrible thing to say, but bring it on, Donald." But, as Noam Chomsky warns, "to have somebody who's kind of a wild man with his finger on the button that could destroy the world or make decisions with enormous influence is an extremely frightening prospect." CBS is putting profits before national security.

ACTION ALERT: Mass Arrests at Seneca Lake Climate Protest (Sandra Steingraber / EcoWatch & Obama Climate Legacy)
The fight over the fate of the Finger Lakes received national attention today when best-selling author, environmentalist and founder of 350.org, Bill McKibben, joined the opposition. McKibben was arrested this morning with 56 area residents as part of an ongoing civil disobedience campaign against proposed gas storage in Seneca Lake's abandoned salt caverns. Join us in urging President Obama to secure his Climate Legacy by keeping fossil fuels safely in the ground.

ACTION ALERT: Goldman Environmental Prizewinner Berta Caceres Assassinated (Just Foreign Policy & Sen. Patrick Leahy & National Public Radio & The Goldman Environmental Prize)
Honduras has lost one of its most courageous indigenous leaders, Berta Caceres. Caceres was the General Coordinator of the National Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras. In 2015, she won the Goldman Environmental Prize for her activism and leadership. She was assassinated on March 2. Urge Congress to press the Honduran government for an independent investigation of those responsible for the assassination.

National Summit on Saudi Arabia, March 5-6 (Campaign for Peace and Democracy & Paul Gottinger / Reader Supported News)
Saudi Arabia opened 2016 with a tragic, yet increasingly common event for the Kingdom, a mass execution. In the words of Amnesty International, "Saudi Arabia's authorities demonstrated their utter disregard for human rights and life by executing 47 people in a single day." Why is the US arming this cruel and dictatorial kingdom? The question will be addressed in a two-day national summit to be held in Washington, DC on March 5-6, 2016.

Trident Rally is Britain's Biggest Anti-nuclear March in a Generation (Mark Townsend / The Guardian & Natalie Bennett / The Huffington Post)
Thousands of protesters assembled in central London for Britain's biggest anti-nuclear weapons rally in a generation. Campaigners gathered from across the world: some said they had travelled from Australia to protest against the renewal of Trident. Others had come from the west coast of Scotland, where Britain's nuclear deterrent submarines are based.

ACTION ALERT: Hillary Clinton's F-15s -- A 'Christmas Gift' to the Saudis and US Arms Makers (Code Pink & Lee Fang / The Intercept)
New emails reveal that, on Christmas Eve 2011, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her aides celebrated an arms deal that sent a "Christmas present" of US F-15 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have used those jets to conduct bombing raids that have killed 2,800 Yemeni civilians -- a level of slaughter that international human rights groups have called war crimes. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin, Boeing rally around Saudi Arabia, waving off humanitarian concerns.

ACTION ALERT: Animals in Gaza's South Jungle Zoo Are Dying of Starvation (Fares Akram / Associated Press & Petition Campaign / Change.org & Alsiasi)
Once bustling with families bringing their children to see lions, monkeys, crocodiles and ostriches, Gaza's zoos have been decimated by years of occupation. Years of conflict, cold winters, longstanding negligence and outbreaks of disease have killed many animals in captivity. South Jungle Zoo has even turned to taxidermy to keep its deceased animals on exhibit. There is now a petition calling for aid to save the dying animals of Gaza's zoos.

ACTION ALERT: Shut Down Creech: Ground the Pentagon's Killer Drones (Veterans for Peace, CODEPINK: Women For Peace, et al)
In 2005, Creech Air Force Base secretly became the first US base in the country to carry out illegal, remotely controlled assassinations using the MQ-1 Predator drones, and in 2006, the more advanced Reaper drones were added to its arsenal. The majority of those killed by drones are civilians. Creech AFB is where the killer drone program started -- it is where we shall end it. Support the Mass Mobilization to Stop the Drone Wars from March 27 - April 2, 2016.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Senate: 'Do Your Job' (Anna Galland / MoveOn & Jennifer Bendery / The Huffington Post)
Commentary: If the GOP plans to spend the next year blocking every potential Supreme Court nominee that Obama puts forward, it would be a major break from tradition -- since 1975, the average number of days from the nomination of a Supreme Court justice to a final Senate vote is 67. In 1988, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell voted to confirm a Supreme Court nominee during Ronald Reagan's final year in office.

ACTION ALERT: Just Say No to Draft Registration for Women -- and Men. Support the Bipartisan Bill to End the Draft (Thomas Knapp / AntiWar.com & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Justin Raimondo / AntiWar.com)
The US hasn't involuntarily inducted men into military service since 1973, but reinstated mandatory registration in 1980. Ever since, the shadow of legal slavery has loomed over the lives of American males aged 18 through 26. Yes, slavery. There's no other way to describe requiring someone to work for you whether he (or she) wants to or not. Conscription is an moral abomination, and would be even if it didn't come with the risk of violent death attached. It should be abolished.

ACTION ALERT: An Urgent Call for a Multipolar Peace Coalition (Heinrich Buecker / Coop Anti-War Cafe Berlin)
We are anti-war activists in Berlin, Germany and have written a declaration, urgently asking all who seek peace, to sign on supporting the formation of a coalition opposing the growing threat of world war. Our world stands at a critical and dangerous juncture. The destructive policy of unilateral military intervention and illegal regime change promoted and practiced by the United States, its allies. The time has come to counter this grave threat to humanity.

ACTION ALERT: President Obama: Tell the United Nations to End the Drug War (Matt, Favianna, Oscar and Erick / Presente.org )
The war on drugs is a disastrous, brutal failure. This failed policy empowers the criminals it claims to fight, weakens democratic institutions, and violates human rights. But this could change in April, when the United Nations will meet to debate international drug policy. President Obama could help stop the harm created by racist and outdated drug war policies by calling for a focus on public health and human rights at the UN forum.

ACTION ALERT: President Obama: Tell the United Nations to End the Drug War (Matt, Favianna, Oscar and Erick / Presente.org )
The war on drugs is a disastrous, brutal failure. This failed policy empowers the criminals it claims to fight, weakens democratic institutions, and violates human rights. But this could change in April, when the United Nations will meet to debate international drug policy. President Obama could help stop the harm created by racist and outdated drug war policies by calling for a focus on public health and human rights at the UN forum.

ACTION ALERT: Democracy Awakening 2016: No New US Wars: An Appeal to US Peace Organizations (Code Pink and World Beyond War)
Democracy Awakening is a broad coalition of labor, peace, environmental, student, racial justice, civil rights and political reform groups organizing a massive demonstration in Washington, DC -- and around the country -- on April 16-18. Also: Tell your representatives in Washington to honor the country's commitment to the United Nations Charter and the Kellogg-Briand Pact -- by blocking any new funding for another war on Libya.

ACTION ALERT: Please Take Action to Save the Bedouins (Rabbi Arik Ascherman / Via Tikkun Magazine)
A week ago, the Israeli High Court removed the last legal hurdle preventing the immediate expulsion of over 1,000 men, women and children from their homes. The mayor of the artificial Bedouin township of Hura, where the Israeli government wishes to move them, says he has that Hura's inadequate zoning plan leaves no place to put them.

ACTION ALERT: Demand an Honest Summit on Syria: Failure Could Lead to a Nuclear War (An Urgent Appeal by the US Peace Council)
After almost half a decade of violent proxy war, terrorism, and bloodshed, Syria's warring parties have agreed to meet in Geneva, to seek a political solution to a war that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children. But the summit, as currently conceived, excludes moderate Syrians and Kurds. A non-inclusive process will lead to further war and increase the likelihood of a nuclear confrontation between the US and Russia.

ACTION ALERT: Saudis Prepare to Behead and Crucify Teenager for Participating in Pro-democracy Protest (John Kiriakou / Reader Supported News & The Guardian)
Riyadh's decision to execute 47 people on January 2 -- the largest mass execution in Saudi Arabia in 35 years -- has further exacerbated an already shaky balance with Shias in the region. Now a global appeal has been issued to prevent the beheading and crucifiction of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a teenage boy accused of attending pro-democracy protests.

Pentagon Plan to Turn Titian Island into Bombing Range Threatens Rare Pacific Birds (TakePart.org & CREDO Action)
In 2004, the United States government declared that a tiny and imperiled Pacific island bird called the Tinian monarch had pulled back from the brink of extinction and removed it from the endangered species list. A little over a decade later, that rare success story appears to be at risk. The new threat? The US government. A proposed Pentagon live-fire training complex would remove about 2,000 acres of Tinian monarch habitat and take over one-eighth of the island.

ACTION ALERT: After 14 Shameful Years, Close Guantanamo Now! (A Message from Michael Ratner / Code Pink)
Despite the rhetoric saying he would close Guantanamo as almost the first act of his Presidency, President Obama has refused to take actions to actually close the prison. Let's remember: seven of the 14 years that these men have languished in Guantanamo have been under Obama. A reluctant Pentagon is no excuse. Obama is Commander in Chief. If Obama is to close the prison before he leaves office, he must move to do so NOW.

ACTION ALERT: Free Phyoe Phyoe Aung (Jasmine Heiss & Amnesty International & Ne Win & Joy Y. Wang / MSNBC)
Phyoe Phyoe Aung was arrested for heading up a peaceful student protest, and now faces nine years in prison. Below is a message from her father. Join thousands of others in taking action for Phyoe Phyoe Aung today.

ACTION ALERT: Ask the President to Condemn the Saudi Regime in His State of the Union Address (Robert Naiman, Avram Reisman, and Sarah Burns / Just Foreign Policy & David E. Sanger / The New York Times)
President Obama should call out the Saudi government in his final State of the Union address for its support of terrorism, sectarian violence, and gross violations of human rights.

ACTION ALERT: New Documentary on Guns and NRA! (Brave New Films)
The documentary film, scheduled to be released in March, depicts the National Rifle Association, as a profit-making mega-business operating with complete immunity, and it's complete with wrenching real-life stories of families affected. The Greenwald film could be seen by thousands, even millions, of Democratic voters, raising their intensity to historic levels. It will be a powerful tool at house parties everywhere.

ACTION ALERT: Why Is the US Supporting the Saudis? Young Saudi Activist Faces Death (Code Pink & Oliver Stone / TheOliverStone Posts)
The US government's Commission on International Religious Freedom designates Saudi Arabia a country where violations of religious freedom are "systematic, ongoing and egregious." Such countries are supposed to be sanctioned, but year after year, the State Department issues waivers for Saudi Arabia. Take action now and tell Secretary Kerry: It's time to stop stalling. Enforce US law by sanctioning Saudi Arabia for human rights abuses!

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: Resume Reporting on Weapons Sales (World Beyond War & Roots Action & Congressional Research Service)
The United States sells a great deal of weapons but the Congressional Research Service is no longer documenting the country's biggest and most deadly business -- in 2011, the CRS stopped reporting on global arms sales. In 2011, the US accounted for 79% of the weapons shipments to the Middle East, 79% to poor nations around the world, and 77% of the value of total agreements to ship weapons to other countries. It's time to renew CRS' oversight of US arms sales.

ACTION ALERT: Vote for the 2015 Arms Control Person of the Year (Rick Wayman / Arms Control Association)
Every year since 2007, the Arms Control Association's staff has nominated several individuals and institutions that have advanced effective arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament solutions and/or raised awareness of the threats posed by mass casualty weapons. Online voting will be closed at 11:59 p.m. on January 5, 2016 and the results announced January 7, 2016.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Pass Budget Without Destructive Pro-oil, Anti-environmental Riders (People Demanding Action & Congressional Progressive Caucus)
Congressional Republicans are hoping to use the "must-pass" budget bill to insert a host of ideological "poison pills" that would: strike down environmental protections; give big oil $135 billion in subsidies; overturn bank regulations; slash housing assistance for vets, families; limit Internet freedom by blocking the FCC from enforcing Net Neutrality. The critical vote is set for December 16. There is an alternative: "The People's Budget."

Doctors Without Borders Brings Petition to the Gates of the White House (Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) USA)
On December 9, 2015, Doctors Without Borders staff and supporters gathered across the street from the White House to honor the doctors, staff and patients murdered in a US attack of a hospital in Afghanistan. The rally concluded with the presentation of thousands of pages containing the names of the more than half-a-million people on a petition calling on President Obama to consent to an independent investigation into the October 3 attacks on the civilian trauma center.

ACTION ALERT: Some Practical Steps to Reducing Gun Violence (Senator Bernie Sanders & Gar Smith / The Berkeley Daily Planet & Brooke Baldwin / CNN)
Here is the very sad truth: it is very difficult for the American people to keep up with the mass shootings we seem to see every day in the news. Yesterday, San Bernardino. Last week, Colorado Springs. Last month, Colorado Springs again. Newtown, Aurora, Tucson, Isla Vista, Virginia Tech, Navy Yard, Roseburg, and far too many others.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Domestic Terrorists; Ban Assault Weapons & The Terrorists Among Us (Moms Rising & PeaceTeam.net & William Saletan / Slate)
It's become an all too familiar story, radical fundamentalist terrorists with access to high-powered military assault weapons murdering as many innocent civilians as they can. What is the justification for ownership of such weapons? The lunatic fringe says they need this firepower to resist government tyranny. But we're being tyrannized right now, by political extremists who think the slaughter of innocents is an acceptable political tactic -- the very definition of terrorism.

ACTION ALERT: Gun Control Can Make Americans Safer (Credo Action & Every Town for Gun Safety)
After the recent attacks in Paris and Beirut, Republican politicians used hateful, Islamophobic rhetoric to call for xenophobic restrictions on refugees -- all allegedly in the name of keeping Americans safe. Yet right-wing Republicans in Congress have done nothing to pass any reasonable proposals to protect our communities from the senseless reign of domestic terrorism that kills more than 33,000 Americans every year.

ACTION ALERT: Dear President Hollande: Lift the Ban on Climate Protests (Global Justice Now & Campaign for Peace and Democracy)
We are deeply concerned by the decision of the French government to prohibit the mobilisations in Paris during COP21. This will make it extremely difficult for ordinary citizens of the world to make their voices heard and to create the political space necessary to build a brighter future. We believe this strips the COP process of its legitimacy. We urge you to reconsider the decision to prohibit the demonstrations in Paris.

ACTION ALERT: Speak Out against Domestic Terrorism (The Courage Campaign & Bill Berkowitz / Buzzflash)
When a heavily armed man opened fire in a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing three people, it was not a stand-alone event. Since July, there have been six terrorist attacks on American soil. These actions are politically motivated acts of violence. In a word, terrorism.

Dark Money Could be Pushing for the Next War (Robert Naiman and Avram Reisman / Just Foreign Policy & Robert Naiman / TalkingPointsMemo)
Pentagon contractors and a small group of super-wealthy individuals are trying to influence US foreign policy in a direction that would replace diplomacy with military aggression. The influence of "dark money" threatens not just 319 million Americans but also the other 7 billion people living everywhere else in the world. The Citizens United decision unleashed a new level of influence over war and peace. But President Obama can counter this with the stroke of a pen.

ACTION ALERT Saudi Arabia: Don't Behead Poet For His Beliefs (Just Foreign Policy & Human Rights Watch & Jurist & World War 4 Report)
One of the absurdities of US policy in the Middle East is that the US government loudly complains about ISIS beheading people for their beliefs but turns a blind eye when the government of Saudi Arabia does the same thing. A Saudi court has sentenced Ashraf Fayadh, a Palestinian writer, to death for apostasy on November 17, 2015, for alleged blasphemous statements during a discussion group and in a book of his poetry

ACTION ALERT: US Base in Okinawa Threatens Endangered Sea Creatures (Kazue Komatsubara / Greenpeace International)
Two military airstrips are no mean feat to build. They are massive pieces of military infrastructure, from which expensive, machines take off at great, deafening, speed. And that's exactly what's about to happen on the island of Okinawa. Thousands of tons of landfill will be poured over Oura Bay -- home to the very rare Japanese Dugong, which has become a symbol of struggle against the might of the central Japanese government.

Paris: A World That Has Lost Its Ethical Direction & Spiritual Foundation and a Media that Cheerleads for Fear and Militarism (Rabbi Michael Lerner / Tikkun Magazine)
Commentary: Using military domination to achieve "homeland security" has been tried for over 7,000 years and has only produced more wars and violence. We need a new approach to "homeland security" -- a "strategy of generosity" manifested in a Global Marshall Plan where the US donates 1-2% of its GDP for the next 20 years to end global poverty, hunger, homelessness, and address 150 years of environmental damage cause by industrial exploitation.

Three Statements -- for Paris and the World (CodePink & MoveOn.org & A Statement of the New Anti-Capitalist Party (France) )
We express solidarity with all of the victims of ISIS, including those in Ankara, Beirut, Syria, and Iraq, and to all of the refugees forced to flee to escape the very terror that hit Paris. To put an end to terrorism, it is necessary to put an end to the imperialist wars that aim to perpetuate the plundering of the wealth of peoples dominated by multinationals. We must force the withdrawal of French troops from all countries where they are present, in particular in Syria, in Iraq, in Africa.

ACTION ALERT: Insist the Paris Tragedy Not Be Exploited for More War (Roots Action Petition)
At this time of grief, our hearts go out to the people of France, as well as to the people of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and other countries traumatized by deadly violence -- people of all races, religions and nationalities.

ACTION ALERT Gun Owners Against the NRA! (MoveOn.org & Christopher Ingraham / The Washington Post)
We've developed a breakthrough strategy to destroy the National Rifle Association's credibility in Washington: gun owners committed to fighting for gun control. The truth is that only a tiny minority of gun owners actually belong to the NRA -- and most of them don't even agree with it. MoveOn has launched Gun Owners for Gun Control, which now has 32,260 members. Next week, we're bringing 15 of them to Washington to meet with the White House and Congress.

ACTION ALERT: The Koch Brothers Target the EPA (David Anderson / Union of Concerned Scientists)
The US Senate is expected to vote before the end of the year on misguided proposals to nullify the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Power Plan, which sets first-ever limits on global warming pollution from power plants. Recordings from a secretive donor meeting have revealed that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised the Koch brothers he would "go after" the EPA, and now he is doing just that.

November 11 Armistice Day: A Day to Demand an End to War (World Beyond War)
This is Armistice Day. At 11:00 on this 11th day of the 11th month World War I ended in 1918 -- a scheduled end to the war, with the killing and dying pointlessly continuing right up to that moment. This is a good day to ring bells and work for peace. Tragically, the War to End all Wars" served to prepare the way for WWII.

ACTION ALERT: Help Needed for Syrian Refugees (Associated Press & Friends Committee on National Legislation)
The latest news as tens of thousands of people fleeing war or poverty make their way across Europe. Finland says it is planning to house asylum-seekers in tents and containers because there is insufficient accommodation to meet the growing influx. The Interior Ministry said that after a brief respite, Finland has again seen a surge with more than 7,000 coming into the country in October.

Missile Test Terrorism Over LA as Obama Pushes for $348 Billion in New Nuclear Weapons (Dan Sanchez / Medium.com & AntiWar.com & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com)
As Cold War tensions between Washington and Moscow continue to ratchet up, the Pentagon staged an unannounced ICBM light show over the country's most densely populated region. A Pentagon spokesperson explained: "It's important that we test these missiles for our national security." But statements by War Department chief Ash Carter suggest it may have been part of a campaign to justify giving $348 billion to a few powerful firms that make nuclear weapons.

ACTION ALERT: The 'Keep Oil in the Ground' Bill: (The Center for Biological Diversity)
Burning US fossil fuels has caused nearly a quarter of all US energy-related emissions. The remaining federal oil, gas, coal, oil shale and tar sands not yet leased to industry contain up to 450 billion tons of potential greenhouse gas pollution. Senators Jeff Merkley, Bernie Sanders, Ben Cardin and Barbara Boxer announced landmark climate legislation to end new federal fossil fuel leasing on public lands and oceans, and cancel existing offshore oil and gas leases in the Arctic.

'Make No Mistake About It, This Is a War' -- And How to Stop It (John Nichols / The Nation & Jason Ditz / ANtiWar.com / Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.)
US ground troops are being sent to Syria without congressional authorization. Why are so few members speaking up? Fortunately, a bipartisan group of members of the House of Representatives has issued an open letter tcalling for a vote on an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against ISIS, citing "deepening entanglement" in the conflict by President Obama.

ACTION ALERT: President Obama Rejects the Tar Sands Pipeline! (MoveOn.org & 350.org & The New York Times)
President Obama has rejected the request from a Canadian company to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline, ending a seven-year review that had become a symbol of the debate over his climate policies. The President's denial of the proposed 1,179-mile pipeline -- which would have carried 800,000 barrels a day of carbon-heavy petroleum from the Canadian oil sands to the Gulf Coast -- comes as he seeks to build an ambitious legacy on climate change.

ACTION ALERT: To Help Syrians, Back Real Diplomacy to End the War (Robert Naiman / Huffington Post)
The ultimate answer to the Syrian refugee crisis is to end the war through diplomacy among the powers backing various sides in the war to reach a political agreement that ends the fighting by ending foreign backing for the fighting, so more people won't be driven from their homes and so that those already displaced can go home. The good news is that the process to end the war is already underway.

A Message to Washington and Moscow: Halt the Bombing and Stop Supporting Dictators in the Middle East! (Campaign for Peace and Democracy Statement)
Outside powers have had a long and shameful history of supporting Middle East dictatorships to serve their geopolitical objectives. Since the end of the WWII, the US has been the world's leading ally of the Saudi Arabian monarchy, a violent, ultra-reactionary fundamentalist dictatorship that this year has beheaded more than a hundred people, possibly more than ISIS (a group that might not even exist had it not been for the US invasion of Iraq).

ACTION ALERT: Say 'No' to Another Unauthorized and Unconstitutional 'War of Choice' (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Justin Raimondo / AntiWar.com)
Two years ago, as the War Party was agitating for US intervention in Syria and the President was announcing his capitulation to their demands, Barack Obama told the American people: "I will not put American boots on the ground in Syria. I will not pursue an open-ended action like Iraq or Afghanistan." Under the War Powers Act, Congress is supposed to vote on any war within 60 days of its launch. The ISIS war began in 2014: It was never authorized.

ACTION ALERT: Four More Times When Accidental Nuclear Wars Nearly Happened. Demand a Congressional Investigation (Jon Schwarz / The Intercept & Aaron Tovish / The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists)
An event at the United Nations has made a powerful case that William Bassett, an unknown US Air Force Captain, saved humanity from accidental nuclear obliteration 53 years ago today, on October 28, 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis. If the story is true, it would constitute a terrifying addition to the lengthy and already frightening list of mistakes and malfunctions that have nearly plunged the world into an apocalyptic nuclear war.

ACTION ALERT: War Crime? US Green Berets Admit Knowingly Killing Civilians in Kunduz Hospital (Associated Press and The Telegraph & CREDO and Daily Kos)
After more than three weeks of shifting narratives and outright lies, the Pentagon has finally admitted that it was US Army Green Berets who requested the October 3 airstrike on the Doctors without Borders trauma centre in Afghanistan. The soldiers claimed they were aware it was a functioning hospital but believed Taliban fighters were inside. Even if there were evidence of this (and there is none) it is a crime to wantonly kill innocent civilians in an attempt to kill an enemy soldier.

ACTION ALERT: A Plan to Help Syrian Refugees (United to End Genocide)
What can the United States be doing to address the largest humanitarian crisis of our time? With Syria and its people trapped between Assad's bombs and the terrorism of ISIS, this has been a difficult question to answer. But now, there is a clear step that the United States can take -- through the Middle East Refugee Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act (S.2145) -- and you can help by supporting this important US Senate bill.

ACTION ALERT: Ask GOP Contenders to Address Climate Change and Economy (Environmental Action)
Last week, during their first televised debate, Democrats spent some serious time talking about climate change and how to address it. None of those candidates will be on stage next week, but their conversation puts some onus on Republicans and the debate moderators of their next debate on October 28. The topic is "financial" but the GOP need to address climate change. In 2005 alone, climate change caused close to $14 billion of damage, a big financial hit.

ACTION ALERT: Dear World Leaders: Take Climate Action Now! (The Climate Reality Project)
This December, world leaders will meet in Paris to determine the future of our planet. We're uniting voices around the world to deliver one simple message: Take Climate Action Now Zero global warming pollution. Zero extreme poverty.

Whistleblower's Leak of 'Drone Papers' Triggers Call for Investigation of Civilian Killings (Murtaza Hussain / The Intercept & Democracy Now!)
Following publication of a cache of secret documents on the US military's drone assassination program, civil rights organizations are calling for an immediate congressional inquiry. The leaks undermine government claims that the drone strikes have been precise. In Afghanistan, strikes on 35 targets killed at least 219 other people. Among other revelations: unknown male victims were to be labeled as "enemies killed in action" unless evidence later proved otherwise.

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama to Consent to Independent Investigation of Kunduz Hospital Bombing (Petition by Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres USA)
In the early hours of October 3, a US gunship bombed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan killing 22. In the name of our killed and wounded colleagues and patients -- and for all of our staff and patients worldwide -- MSF has called for an independent investigation into the US air attack by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, the only permanent body set up specifically to investigate violations of international humanitarian law.

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama: Keep Your Promise to End the War in Afghanistan (Zack Malitz / CREDO Action)
On October 15, 2015, President Obama announced he planned to break his promise to withdraw US combat troops from Afghanistan before the end of his presidency. After 14 years of fighting and more than a trillion dollars spent on the war, the Taliban today controls more of the country than at any time since 2001. The simple truth is: there is no military solution to the Afghan conflict. There's nothing that 9,800 troops can do in 2016 and a half that 100,000 couldn't do in a decade of fighting.

ACTION ALERT: Petition the US Institute of Peace to Oppose War (David Swanson / World Beyond War)
Commentary: I was part of a debate on Tuesday that involved a larger disagreement than any exhibited at the Democratic presidential candidates debate that evening. A group of peace activists met with officers of the US Institute of Peace, government institution that spends tens of millions of public dollars every year on things tangentially related to peace (including promoting wars) but has yet to oppose a single US war in its 30-year history.

ACTION ALERT: Demand South Korea Apologize for Rape of Women During the US War on Vietnam (Nguyen Thi Bach Tuyet with Voices of Vietnam / Change.org)
"Thousands of Vietnamese women like me were raped by South Korean soldiers during the Vietnam War. The South Korean government has never apologized nor acknowledged this systematic brutalization at the hands of their soldiers during the war. Now I am calling for justice and I need your help."

ACTION ALERT: Release the Video and Audio of Pilots Who Bombed Kunduz Hospital (David Swanson / War Is a Crime.org)
The entire world thinks the US military intentionally attacked a hospital because it considered some of the patients enemies, didn't give a damn about the others. All the Pentagon has to do to exonerate itself would be to hand over the audio and video of the pilots talking with each other. The audio and video record exists. Congress has asked for it and been refused. WikiLeaks is offering $50,000 to any whistleblower willing to follow in the steps of Edward Snowden.

Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet Wins Nobel Peace Prize (Melvin / CNN)
The Nobel Peace Prize Committee confounded expectations Friday, bypassing figures such as Pope Francis and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and handed the award to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet for its "decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in the country in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011."

ACTION ALERT: Stop Bombing Yemen; Investigate US-backed Mass Killing in Wedding Attacks (RT America & Robert Naiman and Avram Reisman / Just Foreign Policy & Amnesty International)
The US-backed Saudi bombing of Yemen has killed thousands of civilians -- including Americans trapped in Yemen -- while Congress has been mostly silent. Now, we have an opportunity to something about it: Reps. Debbie Dingell and Keith Ellison are circulating a letter to President Obama pressing for the US to take responsibility for protecting civilians from airstrikes and urging greater diplomatic efforts to end the war and engage with Iran.

ACTION ALERT: Obama And Sanders Reject 'No-fly' Call from Warhawks Clinton and Fiorina (The Washington Post & Just Foreign Policy )
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is joining with Republican warmongers like Carly Fiorina to call for the US to impose a "no fly zone" in Syria. Despite the innocuous-sounding name, these proposals for a "no fly zone" are proposals for dangerous US military escalation against Russia, Iran, and the Syrian government.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Pentagon: Rebuild the Bombed Hospital in Kunduz! (Code Pink & Curt Wechsler / The World Can't Wait & Revolution Newspape)
Bombing a hospital is a war crime. But that's exactly what the US military did in Kunduz, Afghanistan, over the weekend when it dropped several bombs on a Doctors Without Borders hospital, killing 22 and wounding dozens of others. We are asking General John Campbell to apologize for the bombing, rebuild the hospital, provide healthcare for the injured and compensation to the families of the deceased, and submit to an independent investigation.

ACTION ALERT: 21-year-old Saudi Activist Faces Crucifixion -- Help Him! (Amnesty International )
Ali al-Nimr is facing execution for offences he allegedly committed when he was just 17 years old. Police arrested Ali and then tortured him to secure a signed confession. His offences were demonstrating against the government, attacking security forces and possessing a weapon. Demand that the Saudi Arabian Ambassador and the President of the Human Rights Commissioner take all necessary steps to ensure Ali’s safety and stop the use of the death penalty.

Renewable Energy for All. Is It Possible? (Shuk-Wah Chung / Greenpeace East Asia & Scott Keyes / ThinkProgress)
Not only is a transition to renewable power possible, but it will create jobs and is cost-competitive. The average additional investment needed in renewables until 2050 is about $1 trillion a year. But because renewables don't require fuel, the savings are $1.07 trillion a year, which more than meets the costs of the investment. A 100% renewable energy world by 2050, and it could start in as little as three months from now with a binding agreement at the COP 21 conference in Paris.

ACTION ALERT: September 26 Is Nuclear Abolition Day (Daniella Varano / ICAN & Peace and the Planet)
"There is urgent need to work for a world free of nuclear weapons, in full application of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, in letter and spirit, with the goal of a complete prohibition of these weapons." -- Pope Francis

ACTION ALERT: Negotiations Needed to End Syria War (Avram Reisman and Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & United to End Genocide & Robert Naiman and Avram Reisman / Just Foreign Policy)
Dear President Obama: After four years of war, 220,000 people killed and over 4 million refugees, the people of Syria are losing hope in the world. But next week, with the eyes of the world on New York when the UN General Assembly meets, you have a chance to give hope where it is quickly fading. [B]uild an effective global response to the refugee crisis, protect those under attack and work toward the political solution needed to stop the war in Syria.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: Return Native Americans' Sacred Land (Rep. Raul Grijalva / US House of Representatives / CREDO Mobilize)
Last year, Republicans in Congress secretly gave away sacred Native American lands in eastern Arizona to Resolution Copper, a multinational mining conglomerate with "dismal human rights and environmental records." If this deal is finalized, these sacred Native lands could be destroyed permanently.

ACTION ALERT: No US Weapons for Israel (Code Pink & World Beyond War)
We just avoided a potential war with Iran. The US should use this diplomatic momentum to push for a nuclear-free Middle East (Israel is the only country in the region that actually has nuclear weapons) and a solution to the Israel/Palestine conflict. Instead, the Obama administration plans to reward Israel with a $45 billion weapons package including "massive ordnance penetrators" that could be used to attack Iran. If Israel bombs Iran, the US could be dragged into another war.

ACTION ALERT: A Canadian Manifesto for the Planet and One Another (Naomi Klein, David Suzuki, Leonard Cohen, Donald Sutherland and Ellen Page / The Globe and Mail)
"We could live in a country powered entirely by truly just renewable energy, woven together by accessible public transit, in which the jobs and opportunities of this transition are designed to systematically eliminate racial and gender inequality. Caring for one another and caring for the planet could be the economy's fastest growing sectors. More people could have higher wage jobs with fewer hours, leaving us time to enjoy our loved ones and flourish in our communities."

Massive Grassroots Mobilization Helps Save Iran Peace Deal (Ben Wikler / MoveOn.org & Karoun Demirjian / The Washington Post)
By a vote of 58 to 42, Senate Democrats on Thursday blocked a Republican effort to scuttle the Iran nuclear deal, delivering the Obama administration a long-awaited, major foreign policy victory. But with Republicans in both chambers dead set on taking further shots to eviscerate the deal, and potentially even drag it to court to block its implementation, the Iran deal debate may not be over.

Migrant Flight, Washington's Role and America's Failure (Amanda Taub / Vox World)
The human tragedies of this summer’s refugee crisis are beginning to feel unbearable. Yesterday, photos of a drowned Syrian toddler whose body washed up on a Turkish beach shocked the world. Aylan Kurdi was 3 years old, and his 5-year-old brother and mother also died at sea. Days earlier, Austrian officials discovered the body of another refugee toddler, a tiny girl no more than 2 years old. She and 70 others, including three more children, suffocated in the back of a smuggler's truck.

Urgent -- Millions of Desperate War Refugees Need Our Help (Oxfam & United to End Genocide & MoveOn.org & Al Jazeera)
After four years of war, more than 4 million people have fled Syria as refugees: 1 million of these people have fled over the last 11 months. Others are fleeing wars in Africa. The drowning of a little boy named Aylan Kurdi has put a human face on the crisis. Aylan (along with his brother and mother) were among those who fled their homes in hopes of finding a better life. America is responsible for many of the bombs being dropped; Washington should take responsibility for the refugees these wars create.

ACTION ALERT: Preparations Underway for Critical December Climate Summit in Paris (AIDA )
The governments of the world are working on the negotiating text of a new global agreement to combat climate change. It will be signed in December, during the Paris Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and will take effect in 2020. AIDA is advocating for the new climate agreement to be a tool that adequately addresses the effects of extreme changes in climate, especially in the most vulnerable countries.

ACTION ALERT: A Poem and a Letter to The World's Leaders (Joseph Racano / EarthSourceMedia)
MORRO BAY, Calif. (August 28, 2015) -- Commentary: A poem with a message: Dear World Leaders, You've failed. The world is in a terrible state. It's time to remove yourselves from office and invite the world's children to take over responsibility for saving our planet.

ACTION ALERT: Help Conserve Badger for Nature, Not Noise (Laura Olah / Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger)
As part of the recently-released draft Master Plan for the future Sauk Prairie Recreation Area , the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has proposed on/off-road motorcycles and high-power rocketry on the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant lands. These disruptive uses contradict the conservation goals for the property to maintain and recover the biological richness of Wisconsin’s disappearing native prairies.

In a Final Speech, Civil Rights Icon Julian Bond Declares: "We Must Practice Dissent" (Julian Bond / Democracy Now!)
In May, Julian Bond spoke at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial as part of the "Vietnam: Power of Protest" conference. Both Juan and I were at this event. Afterwards, people marched to the Martin Luther King Memorial. It was one of Julian Bond’s last public speeches. He was introduced by the actor and activist Danny Glover.

The Forgotten Power of the Vietnam Protests, 1965-1975 (Tom Hayden / The Peace and Justice Resource Center)
The era of protest against Vietnam was unique as the emergence of a nationwide peace movement on a scale not seen before in American history. There were previous war resisters -- the Society of Friends, opponents of the Mexican War and the Indian wars, critics of the imperial taking of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines, and opponents of World War I -- but no peace movement was as large-scale, long-lasting, intense, and threatening to the status quo as the Vietnam War protests.

10 Steps to Wean US Foreign Policy off Militarism (Medea Benjamin / TeleSurTV)
US progressives are delighted to see the US administration making some progress on the diplomatic front with Cuba and Iran. We should now clearly define what a progressive foreign policy looks like, and push presidential candidates and other officials to move US foreign policy towards one based on respect, cooperation and diplomacy. A progressive foreign policy based on respect, cooperation, and diplomacy, would include the following ten goals:

ACTION ALERT: No Money for War Hawks (Ben and Jerry / MoveOn.org & John Wagner / The Washington Post)
Right now we have an opportunity to defend the Obama Administration's historic diplomatic deal to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons. But some of the same warmongers who led us into Iraq want to sabotage this deal and put us on a path to war -- and some Democrats are considering going along with them! So we're asking you to sign a petition to inform all Democrats: If you vote to undermine diplomacy, we'll withhold campaign donations from your campaigns in the next election.

US Will Not Release Hunger-striking Gitmo Detainee Facing Death (Al Jazeera America)
US intelligence, the State Department and military officials all cleared Tariq Ba Odah for release from the Guantanamo prison six years ago but the Yemeni detainee remains in jail. Ba Odah, 36, has staged a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment and has been force-fed by nasal tube since 2007. Ba Odah's weight loss over the last 18 months raising fears that he could die of starvation. Pentagon officials insist he is receiving proper care. The five-foot-tall prisoner now weighs just 75 pounds.

Autonomous Weapons: an Open Letter from AI & Robotics Researchers (The Future of Life Institute)
Artificial Intelligence has reached a point where the deployment of such systems is feasible within years, not decades, and the stakes are high: autonomous weapons have been described as the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms. Autonomous weapons are ideal for tasks such as assassinations, destabilizing nations, subduing populations and selectively killing a particular ethnic group. We therefore believe that a military AI arms race would not be beneficial for humanity.

ACTION ALERT: Hiroshima & Nagasaki: Moving Forward and Reducing Risk (Union of Concerned Scientists )
The United States and Russia both have more than 4,500 nuclear weapons, most much more destructive than those dropped on Japan. What's worse is that more than a thousand of these weapons remain on 'hair-trigger alert,' increasing the risk of an accidental nuclear missile launch or a deliberate launch in response to a false warning. It's time for the president to take our land-based missiles off hair-trigger alert.

ACTION ALERT: Pass the Low-Income Solar Act of 2015 (Credo Action & Elijah Zarlin / Credo Action & Zachary Shahan / CleanTechnica)
For the month of June 2015, 44% of new electric power capacity in the US came from wind power, 41.5% came from solar power, 13% came from biomass, and 2% came from natural gas. "While the cost of solar panels has gone down in recent years, it is still out of reach for millions of low-income families that need it the most," said Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders. Ttat's why Sanders introduced the Low Income Solar Act of 2015 -- a $200 million initiative to make solar power more accessible to all.

No Oil Drilling in the Arctic: We're Blocking Shell's Icebreaker (Greenpeace Press Release)
In yet another daring act to confront and confound the planet-killing oil extraction industry, Greenpeace climbers plan to spend days hanging from the bridge in Portland, Oregon in an attempt to hinder Shell's Arctic oil drilling plans. Follow the latest news.

Autonomous Weapons: An Open Letter from AI & Robotics Researchers (The Future of Life Institute)
Autonomous weapons select and engage targets without human intervention. Artificial Intelligence technology has reached a point where the deployment of such systems is -- practically if not legally -- feasible within years, not decades, and the stakes are high: autonomous weapons have been described as the third revolution in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear arms. We believe that a military AI arms race would not be beneficial for humanity.

ACTION ALERT: A Plea from Pagan and Tinian: 'Don't Drop Bombs in My Backyard!' (Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa / Variety News Staff & Arley Long Tinian, MP)
The small Pacific islands of Pagan and Tinian are home to pristine beaches, majestic mountains and colorful sea life. They are also home to 2,800 American citizens, as they are part of the Marianas, a US territory. But the US Navy has plans to bomb these islands as part of a training exercise, obliterating their rare coral ecosystems, wildlife, and important historic artifacts. The islands' residents would be relocated, kicked off their ancestral land for the sake of bomb testing. We cannot let this happen.

Malaysia, Human Trafficking and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (Trade Justice & Citizens Trade Campaign & Public Citizen & Reuters)
In 2014, the US State Department listed Malaysia among the world's worst countries when it comes to human trafficking. Now the Obama administration is reportedly planning to upgrade Malaysia's status in a forthcoming human trafficking report in order to ease its entry into the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). If accurate, this is a new low for those trying to rush the TPP to approval.

Big Oil's $1.5 Trillion Third World Theft! (Isabel Munilla Senior / Oxfam America)
$1.5 trillion equals the share of profits oil companies should have paid to the governments of some of the world's poorest countries. Where has that money gone? We don't know -- and Big Oil wants to keep it a secret.

Action Alert: Don't Drill for Oil in Ecuador's Amazon (Amazon Watch)
Over one million people have already stood up to save Ecuador's threatened rainforests -- please join them and echo Pope Francis's warning that "the tapping of natural resources, which are so abundant in Ecuador, must not be concerned with short-term benefits." The Amazon's forests and its Indigenous inhabitants are threatened by plans to drill for oil in Ecuador's eastern wilderness. Amazon Watch is asking that you send messages of concern to Ecuador's President Rafael Correa.

Action Alert: Don't Drill for Oil in Ecuador's Amazon (Amazon Watch)
Over one million people have already stood up to save Ecuador's threatened rainforests — please join them and echo Pope Francis's warning that "the tapping of natural resources, which are so abundant in Ecuador, must not be concerned with short-term benefits." The Amazon's forests and its Indigenous inhabitants are threatened by plans to drill for oil in Ecuador's eastern wilderness. Amazon Watch is asking that you send messages of concern to Ecuador's President Rafael Correa.

ACTION ALERT: Thank the White House; Support Diplomacy as an Alternative to War (Michael Langenmayr / Daily Kos & MoveOn.org & Left Action & Vote Vets)
The United States and other world powers have reached a deal with Iran that will peacefully and dramatically curb Iran's nuclear program. This is nothing short of a stunning victory for diplomacy and a repudiation of the neoconservative worldview that war in the Middle East is the only way. Thank President Obama, John Kerry, the negotiating team and our international partners for choosing the power of diplomacy over the reckless recourse to war.

ACTION ALERT: Ban Killer Robots (Pax for Peace)
Killer robots are fully autonomous weapons which autonomously select their target and decide whether or not to attack without any meaningful human intervention. PAX is co-founder and Dutch coordinator of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. This campaign aims to establish a ban on the development, production and deployment of fully autonomous weapons via research, political lobbying and public campaigns.

ACTION ALERT: A Call for Sanity on 60th of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto (World Beyond War)
Sixty years after Albert Einstein and Bertrand Russell issued their manifesto about the growing threat of world war, the globe continues to face the prospect of nuclear annihilation -- coupled with the looming threat of climate change. "Here, then, is the problem which we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?"

The Koch Brothers Declare War on National Parks and the EPA (EndCitizensUnited.org & Claire Moser / ThinkProgress & Reed Watson and Scott Wilson / New York Times Op-Ed)
The Koch Brothers are going all out to help Republicans win elections in 2016. Here's what they want out of it: "We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency." And, just in time for the Fourth of July -- when millions of people across the country were preparing to visit America's national parks and other public lands -- the Koch brothers began rolling out their latest campaign against these treasured places -- pushing for no more national parks.

ACTION ALERT: What Kind of A Country Tortures People? Free Tariq Ba Odah (Stephanie Tang / The World Can't Wait & CloseGuantanamo.org)
This is a country that tortures, that goes to the dark side, that breaks the law and calls itself legal. Tariq Ba Odah, a Guantanamo detainee who should have been released years ago, has been on an uninterrupted hunger strike for eight years and four months. He has been subjected to force-feeding since February 2007 and now weighs just 74.5 pounds. As his lawyer, Omar Farah of the Center for Constitutional Rights, explained, he looks like "a Holocaust survivor" and he is at risk of death.

Quaker Strategies for Peace: Peace-building Can Replace Weapons and War (American Friends Service Committee)
As a means to secure peace, war is not working. In 2012, the world directed 11 percent of its gross product -- a total of $9.46 trillion -- toward containing violence, with half spent on militaries. Fighting violence with violence begets more violence. Every day, all over the world, people from all walks of life resolve conflicts without killing anyone. For almost 100 years, AFSC has brought relief in the aftermath of conflicts. Nearly all of our international programs originated in war zones or amid political conflicts.

ACTION ALERT: Urge President Obama to Suspend Arctic Oil Drilling (Bob Fertik / EarthJustice & Rep. Scott Peters / House of Representatives)
The World Health Organization estimates that around 7 million people die per year as a result of air pollution exposure, and, as organizations across the board are noting, ocean acidification that hurts fisheries is a threat to both local economies and the people who rely on the ocean as a food source. Drilling for oil in the Arctic Ocean is a very bad idea. Tell the Obama administration that it's not too late to get it right and keep drilling out of the Arctic Ocean.

ACTION ALERT: Take US Nukes of Hair-trigger Alert (Sean Meyer / Union of Concerned Scientists & David Wright / UCS)
Presidential Candidate Senator Marco Rubio is seeking to prohibit the president or the military from taking US nuclear missiles off their dangerous "hair-trigger" alert status.

 Hair-trigger alert is an unnecessary Cold War-era holdover that could lead to a devastating accidental or mistaken nuclear war. Today, an estimated 1,800 massively destructive US and Russian missiles are deployed in launch-ready status -- poised to be fired in minutes nd able to hit targets around the world in 30 minutes.



ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Debate and Vote on War (Angela Canterbury and John Isaacs / Council for a Livable World & Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy)
While America has dropped thousands of bombs, deployed 3,500 troops -- with plans to send at least 450 more -- and spent billions of dollars in our latest war, Congress has failed to perform its most basic constitutional responsibility: To debate and vote on the war. But this week, Reps. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Walter Jones (R-N.C.), and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), are demanding that Congress do its job. H.Con.Res.55 would compel Congress to debate and vote on future wars.

ACTION ALERT: Obama's ISIS Plan: Hopeless Escalation (hyllis Bennis / CODEPINK)
Almost nine months after President Obama admitted "We don't have a strategy yet" to challenge the Islamic State (ISIS) -- and just days after he said he still has "no complete Iraq strategy" -- the non-strategy suddenly has a name: "Escalation." The White House is poised to send 400 to 500 additional troops to Iraq immediately. These troops would not be limited to the training mission already on the ground in Iraq. Their mission would be to help Iraqi forces retake the city of Ramadi and repel ISIS.

Obama Administration Sabotages Nuclear Nonproliferation Conference (Joseph Gerson / Truthout | Op-Ed)
Commentary: So much for President Obama's commitment to a nuclear-weapons-free world. With its decision on May 22 to block the adoption of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Review Conference's consensus statement, the Obama administration gave the human species another hefty push toward nuclear catastrophe . . . . The US failure to bring Israel to the table led a growing number of the world's nations to question whether US commitments are worth the paper they are written on.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Pentagon's Plan to Seize and Bomb Pagan Island (Petition by Arley Long / Change.org & David S. Cloud / The Los Angeles Times<)
The small Pacific islands of Pagan and Tinian are home to pristine beaches, majestic mountains and colorful sea life. Now the Pentagon has plans to use Pagan -- the "Crown Jewel" of the Marianas -- for "live-fire training." The US Navy's plans to bomb these islands, would obliterate rare coral ecosystems, wildlife, and important historic artifacts. The Islands residents would be forced from their ancestral lands -- all for the sake of bomb testing. We cannot let this happen.

ACTION ALERT: The USA Freedom Act Is Not the Solution: The Surveillance State Repeal Act Is (Roots Action & Dan Froomkin / The Intercept & Patrick Eddington / Just Security)
There is no sign of an end to the erosion of Constitutional liberties that began under George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks and continues under Barack Obama, a group of seven national security whistleblowers said Monday. They warn that the flawed USA Freedom Act is not a way to legislate freedom from the US surveillance state. The solution is to support a more effective alternative -- the Surveillance State Repeal Act.

ACTION ALERT: Demand a Permanent Ceasefire in Yemen (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & Huffington Post)
Commentary: "It could be argued that Saudi Arabia has become a more dangerous regional aggressor than Israel, because so far, at least, Saudi Arabia's aggression in Yemen, like its aggression in Bahrain, has provoked a less vigorous international reaction than Israel's recent wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Saudi Arabia's campaign is being widely judged a failure in a military sense... Like Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, they have killed many human beings, including many civilians, for no clear military purpose."

ACTION ALERT: Stop Saudi War Crimes in Yemen (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & Al Jazeera America & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com)
Saudi Arabia has declared Saada a military target and ordered civilians to flee the capital. Instead of a five-day cease-fire, Saudi state television channel Al Ekhbariya has announced that the whole of the arid, mountainous province is to become a military target from Friday evening -- an escalation in the Saudi-led coalition's intervention in Yemen's civil war. Escalating conflict in Yemen is making a dire humanitarian situation worse. Sign the petition calling for an immediate and permanent cease-fire.

Mother Earth is Weeping for her Children: Stop the Pentagon's Ecocide
Personal witness: "As I traveled to DC to risk arrest in an action organized by the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR) I was feeling nervous, but also knowing this is what I needed to be doing. This would be my first arrest since I was arrested at the CIA in June 2013, and served a one-year probation sentence after an October 2013 trial."

ACTION ALERT: Dump Funds for Nuke Waste Dump (Nuclear Information Resource Center)
The site would host 70,000 metric tons of radioactive waste inside tunnels that would be too radioactive for workers to install titanium drip shields. The solution? "Robots." But current robots (which are simply sent to take remote pictures already are failing when they enter high radiation areas. The Yucca Mountain Area is one of the most seismically active zones of the “Lower 48 states” and has history of volcanic activity. You may ask: Who chose Yucca Mountain if it is so bad? The answer is simple: Congress

A First-Person Account of the Earthquake in Nepal Daniel Sendecki & Sacha Mlynek / G Adventures (Daniel Sendecki & Sacha Mlynek / G Adventures)
On April 25, 2015 at 11:56am local time, Nepal was struck by a devastating earthquake -- the most powerful disaster to strike the region in over 80 years. G Adventures CEO Tashi Sherpa recounts his harrowing experience following the disaster that struck his home in Nepal.

Ex-US, Russian Brass: 'De-alert' Nukes or Risk Disaster (Bryan Bender / Politico)
Nearly 25 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Washington and Moscow still have nearly 2,000 atomic bombs ready to fly at a moment's notice. That so-called 'hair-trigger' alert is now sparking concerns that deepening distrust between the former foes significantly raises the risk of a nuclear disaster. Today, the former commander of US nuclear forces will join ex-Russian officers and other security leaders in an appeal for the US and Russia to take steps to "de-alert" their nuclear arsenals.

ACTION ALERT: UCS Calls for Obama to Take Nuclear Missiles Off 'Hair-trigger' Alert (Ken Kimmell, Elliott Negin and Eric Schlosser / Union of Concerned Scientists)
Today, decades after the end of the Cold War, some 450 nuclear-tipped remain pointed at Russia and armed for a "hair-trigger" launch. This defense posture, which allows missiles to be launched within minutes, carries significant risk,because it allows nuclear weapons to be fired as a result of a rushed decision and/or an erroneous warning data. We already have come close to a nuclear war on several occasions. Now it the time to remove this threat as a first step toward eliminating all nuclear weapons.

Revolution: Ignorance Is Killing Our Earth (The Daily Beast)
A stunning new documentary by Rob Stewart, the filmmaker behind the award-winning Sharkwater, has released in time for Earth Day. The message of Revolution is sobering: if we continue on our current trajectory, by 2050 we will face a world with no fisheries, no coral reefs, no rainforests, declining oxygen concentrations, and nine billion hungry, thirsty people fighting over what remains. What is needed is a social political and environmental revolution.

ACTION ALERT: For Your Consideration: Principles of a Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons (Beatrice Fihn / International Campaign Against Nuclear Weapons)
The conferences on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons have provided stark and irrefutable evidence that nuclear weapons cause death and displacement on a catastrophic scale, with profound and potentially irreversible damage to health and the environment, to socioeconomic development, and to the social order. No state or international body could adequately address the immediate humanitarian emergency or long-term consequences caused by nuclear weapon detonations.

Wave Good-bye to Nukes -- April 26-27, 2015 (Global Wave 2015 & The World Peace Council)
Governments will meet at the United Nations for four weeks in April-May to review the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Civil society is calling on governments to end the threat of nuclear weapons by negotiating for their complete elimination -- as required by the NPT. The Global Wave will involve a simple public action in cities around the world over 24 hours before the NPT Review Conference. Proceeding westward through each time zone, humanity will 'Wave Goodbye to Nuclear Weapons.'

The Inequality of Water Threatens Societies Worldwide (Sam Ross-Brown / The American Prospect & LeftAction)
The desperate search for vanishing fresh water has unleashed an agricultural version of an arms race. A competition that not only privileges some of the nation's largest agribusinesses -- the ones that can afford to drill deeper and faster than everybody else -- it also threatens state water systems last lifeline. "This is the real potential doomsday scenario in California," Mark Hertsgaard told Democracy Now! A barren aquifer doesn't mean more cutting back -- it means collapse.

ACTION ALERT: Republican Senators Just Voted To Sell Off Your National Forests (Wes Siler / Indefinitely Wild & CREDO and Daily Kos)
Our public lands -- including National Forests, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas -- are arguably our greatest treasure. Well, almost every Republican Senator just voted to sell them to the highest bidder. SA 838 is a budgetary amendment, which backs support for and funding of state efforts to take over federal land and leaves the door open to sell National Forests, Wildlife Refuges and Wildernesses. This is what you can do about it.

ACTION ALERT: Halt Six Tax Breaks for Corporations And the Super-Rich and Generate $100 Billion in Savings (Alex Lawson / Social Security Works & Paul Hogarth / Daily Kos & Hon. Bernie Sanders / US Senate)
Just in time for tax day, Senator Bernie Sanders has figured out how President Obama can close massive tax loopholes with a few strokes of a pen, and he needs our help. Sanders and a coalition of national organizations is asking the president to use his executive authority to direct the Treasury Department and the IRS to end tax giveaways to large corporations, multimillionaire hedge fund managers. Ending six of these loopholes would recover more than $100 billion over the next decade.

Anti-Trident Anti-Nuke Protests Rock Scotland (STV)
The Bairns Not Bombs demonstration from Scrap Trident Coalition aims to see the closure of the base, home to the UK's nuclear weapons system. A Scrap Trident spokesperson said: "As an indiscriminate weapon of mass destruction the UK's Trident breaches international humanitarian law. This means that peacefully and non-violently blocking the entrances to the base is entirely legitimate and lawful."

ACTION ALERT: Say No to Nukes: April 26, Global Wave 2015 (Peace and Planet & Jacqueline Cabasso, Joseph Gerson and Kevin Martin / Truthout )
On April 26/27, people around the world will wave goodbye to nuclear weapons. Will you be among them? Join this international action to raise public awareness and urge governments to agree to a diplomatic process to prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. Anyone can wave goodbye to nuclear weapons.

ACTION ALERT Global Action for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons on April 24-26 (Peace and Planet & Jacqueline Cabasso, Joseph Gerson and Kevin Martin / Truthout )
With plans to spend more than $1 trillion over the next three decades to "modernize" its entire nuclear weapons establishment, the US military budget represents well over one-third of global military spending. This annual expenditure of over half a trillion dollars would go a long way to address and reverse global climate change and provide food security for the millions of US children living in poverty.

ACTION ALERT: From Yale to London Protests Target Fossil Fuels (Katie McChesney / 350.org & The London Guardian)
Something amazing is unfolding on campuses across the country. Yesterday morning, 48 students launched a sit-in at Yale University to demand their administration divest from fossil fuels, and yesterday evening 19 were arrested. Students asked their administration to pick a side: the people or the polluters. Meanwhile, more than 180,000 readers have signed the London Guardian's online petition calling on the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust to divest from fossil fuels.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the War on Africa's Rhinos (Reinhard Behrend / Rainforest Rescue)
South Africa's rhinos are on the brink -- the government wants to legalize trade in rhino horn in an attempt to curb poaching. When this was tried in the past with ivory, a massacre ensued. Please tell the South African government to abandon this wildly misguided proposal.

California TV Commercial Asks Drone Pilots to 'Stop Killing' (David Swanson / War Is a Crime & The Monthly Drone Report)
This may be a first: a television ad campaign in a US state capitol appealing to someone to stop murdering human beings who have, in most cases, already been born. A new 15-second television ad, a variation on one that's aired in Las Vegas near Creech Air Force Base, is debuting this week in Sacramento, Calif. Take a look.

ACTION ALERT: Iran Nuclear Talks A Historic Breakthrough (Barbara Slavin/ Al Jazeera America & Ben Piven / Al Jazeera America & Leon Wofsy)
After a negotiating session that literally went all night, Iranian and US officials announced a historic framework for a long-term nuclear agreement restricting Iran's ability to make nuclear weapons for more than a decade. "Iran's full compliance with its international nuclear obligations would open the door to its receiving treatment as a normal non-nuclear-weapon state," US State Department declared. But many political unknowns may govern how quickly those doors open.

ACTION ALERT: Striking a Blow against Citizens United by Shining a Light on 'Dark Money' (MoveOn & The New York Times & The Huffington Post)
Something stunning is happening: We actually have a chance to strike a blow against Citizens United. As The New York Times reported last week, President Obama could unmask major corporate political donors with a simple executive order -- shining a light on political corruption and delivering a victory in the battle against money in politics. But the corporations and lobbyists flooding our democracy with unrestricted cash are fighting back.

Updated: Google Suspends Anti-War Site's Ad Revenue for Posting Abu Ghraib Photos (Alex Pareene / Gawker & Eric Garris / AntiWar.com)
Since 2006, the venerable libertarian anti-interventionist website AntiWar.com has hosted uncensored photos of abuses committed by US troops inside Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. Recently, AntiWar.com received an automated email from Google suspending the site from Google's ad network, because the page allegedly violates AdSense policy. Either Google is incorrectly enforcing its own policies, or their policies do not allow for controversial -- but clearly newsworthy -- content.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Endless War; Repeal the AUMF (Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives & Joe Garofoli / The San Francisco Chronicle)
Commentary from Congressmember Barbara Lee: "In September 2001, in the wake of 9/11 and the tremendous pressure to support war, I stood up and cast the lone 'no' vote. Now, 14 years later, we're still using that authorization to wage endless war in the Middle East. It's clear there are many real threats to the region, but continuing to use the AUMF to deploy troops is wrong."

ACTION ALERT: Support The People's Budget: A Raise For America (Paul Hogarth / The Daily Kos & The Congressional Progressive Caucus)
Did you ever wish there were champions in Congress offering up better ideas than draconian Republican austerity or corporate Democratic mush? Well, there are. The Congressional Progressive Caucus, a highly diverse, 70-plus member group of House Democrats, has just unveiled the populist, progressive People's Budget. Congress will consider a vote on The People's Budget next week.

ACTION ALERT: Only One Year Left: What We Must Do To Save California's Water (Zack Malitz / CREDO Action & Matt Stannard / Occupy.com)
California's drought is a crisis. According to NASA scientist Jay Famiglietti, California has only one year of water left in its reservoirs. In addition to mandatory rationing, the State should order an immediate halt to illegal dumping of oil and tracking waste into our drinking water aquifers. Meanwhile, as portions of the US begin to exhaust available water supplies, powerful business interests are moving in to seal political deals that will "privatize" water as a commodity for sale to the highest bidder.

ACTION ALERTS: Sign-on Letter to People of Iran; No More Endless US Wars (World Can't Wait / San Francisco)
Action 1: Since some reactionary US Senators wrote a threatening letter to the government of Iran, we are circulating a sign-on letter from people in the US to the people of Iran. Action 2: US bombings, economic strangulation through sanctions, and occupation of Iraq for 24 years are responsible for uncounted deaths -- possibly over 1 million -- leaving a third of the population displaced, in need of emergency aid or dead. We must speak out against any new US attacks on Iraq or Syria.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Bill Gates to Divest from Fossil Fuels (Damian Carrington / The Guardian & Alan Rusbridger, Editor / The Guardian)
Join The Guardian in asking the Gates Foundation and Wellcome Trust to divest from the top 200 fossil fuel companies within five years. As progressive institutions, they should commit to taking their money out of the companies that are driving global warming. US and Chinese companies dominate list of the world's most-polluting coal plants while Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway is on the list of top 25 companies with least efficient and oldest 'sub-critical' coal power plants.

ACTION ALERT: 10 Reasons NOT to Authorize the Use of Military Force (Rep. Dennis Kucinich / Kucinich Action & Fox News)
The Obama administration made its first formal bid in the United States Senate today to seek permission from Congress to wage endless, global war in the name of pursuing ISIS, (which surfaced as a response to US interventions, occupations and other military actions). The Senate hearing was a ball of confusion. Administration officials engaged in a lot of equivocation (doubletalk) when pressed by Senators about the length of the new war and the use of ground troops. (Emphasis added in text.)

Addressing Climate Change Requires a Planetary Marshall Plan (Naomi Klein / The Guardian)
The only historical precedent for a crisis of this depth and scale was the Cold War fear that we were heading toward nuclear holocaust, which would have made much of the planet uninhabitable. The vast majority of nuclear scientists never told us that we were almost certainly going to put our civilisation in peril if we kept going about our daily lives as usual -- which is what the climate scientists have been telling us for years.

Anti-drone Protesters Arrested at Creech Air Force Base (Keith Rogers / Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Overseas operations involving unmanned Predator and Reaper drones are controlled remotely via satellite links by pilots and sensor operators who sit at computer consoles at Creech Air Force Base, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas. On March 6, police arrested Father Louis Vitale and 33 others (including two juveniles) for trespassing and blocking a road at the base, where nearly 150 peace activists had gathered to protest US drone operations in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Export US Killer Drones (CREDO and Daily Kos/ Petition & Martin Matishak / The Hill)
The Obama administration has announced that, for the first time, it would permit the export of armed drones to allies. The announcement came two weeks after Jordan's King Abdullah visited the US and supposedly asked Washington to supply drones to help fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. But the use of armed drones raises profound moral and constitutional questions. Over the years, US drone strikes have killed thousands of civilians including hundreds of children.

ACTION ALERT: Ground Killer Drones: Shut Down Creech Air Force Base (World Can't Wait / San Francisco)
In 2005, Creech AFB secretly became the first US base in the country to carry out illegal, remotely controlled assassinations using the MQ-1 Predator drones, and in 2006, the more advanced Reaper drones were added to its arsenal. Join the national mobilization to shut down killer drone operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, and everywhere. Sponsored by CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Nevada Desert Experience, Veterans For Peace, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom and others.

ACTION ALERT: Netanyahu Weighed In -- Will you? (Kate Gould / Friends Committee on National Legislation & Rabbi Michael Lerner / Tikkun Magazine)
Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and more than 15,000 advocates are on the Hill pressing Congress for anti-diplomacy legislation and new sanctions on Iran. Your members of Congress are hearing a lot of opposition to diplomacy. They need to hear that their constituents support the ongoing talks with Iran. Please call Congress today, and urge them to let diplomacy work.

ACTION ALERT: Netanyahu Stirs Up the War Hawks (MoveOn.org & Associated Press )
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and more than 15,000 advocates are on the Hill pressing Congress for anti-diplomacy legislation and new sanctions on Iran. On the floor of the House, Netanyahu spoke out against the current negotiations. Your members of Congress are hearing a lot of opposition to diplomacy. They need to hear that their constituents support the ongoing talks with Iran. Please call Congress today, and urge them to let diplomacy work.

ACTION ALERT: Victory on Net Neutrality! (Becky Bond / CREDO Action & MoveOn.org)
It's time to jump for joy! We just made history. Together, we literally just saved the Internet from a corporate takeover. The Federal Communications Commission stood up to Comcast and Verizon and voted for real Net Neutrality -- no fast lanes for the rich and slow lanes for the poor. This unlikely victory has been ten years in the making, at least. How did we get here? In a word (okay, in two words) -- people power.

Don't Just Veto the XL Pipeline -- Stop It! (Michael D. Shear and Coral Davenport / The New York Times & Robert Reich / MoveOn.org )
President Obama on Tuesday rejected an attempt by lawmakers to force his hand on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, using his veto pen to sweep aside one of the first major challenges to his authority by the new Republican Congress. President Obama says he'll veto the latest attempt by Congress to push through the Keystone XL pipeline -- which is the right thing to do. But he hasn't yet committed to rejecting this dangerous proposal outright. That's where we come in.

Ban Nuclear Weapons: Endorse the Austrian Pledge (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
The landmark Vienna Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, hosted by Austria from 8 to 9 December 2014, concluded with an extraordinary pledge "to fill the legal gap" for the prohibition and elimination of nuclear weapons. Nations must now commence negotiations on a treaty banning these weapons completely. Nearly 40 nations have signed the Austrian Pledge. The nuclear-armed states -- the US, UK, China, France, India, Israel, Pakistan -- have not.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (Code Pink & Hon. Keith Ellision / US House of Representatives & Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton / Vote for Vets)
In its post-2001 "war on terror," the US has conducted military operations in at least six countries. Yet the Middle East and Africa are plagued by violence, failed governments, and armed fighters seeking to impose their extremist views. Congressional approval of Obama's request for this AUMF implies that US citizens want a new, open-ended war in the region. Rep. Barbara Lee points out that "National security experts have clearly stated that there is no military solution to ISIL"

The Peace Symbol Is 57 Years Old: Declare February 21 International Peace Symbol Day! (Bill Berkowitz / Buzzflash & TruthOut)
Commentary: In honor of the 57th anniversary of the Peace Symbol, I, Bill Berkowitz, fully understanding that I have no official standing, do not possess any super powers, and do not know anyone who will make it thus, hereby suggest that February 21, 2015 be designated as: "International Peace Symbol Day."

ACTION ALERT: Peace & Planet Mobilization For a Nuclear-free, Peaceful, Just and Sustainable World (International Planning Group / Peace and Planet.org)
On January 22, 2015, The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the hands of its Doomsday Clock two minutes closer to midnight, citing the twin interconnected threats posed by nuclear weapons and climate change. It's 3 minutes to midnight! Join us in the streets and meeting halls in New York and in your own capitals and cities worldwide in late April and early May, 2015 during the NPT 5-year Review Conference.

ACTION ALERT: Audit the Pentagon! Where Is the Missing $8.5 Trillion the Pentagon Can't Account For? (Rep. Barbara Lee / US Congress & Lauren Lyster / The Daily Ticker)
The Pentagon is the only federal agency that has never been audited. Spending is a black hole and the DOD faces no accountability in how it uses taxpayer funds. This is undemocratic -- and it's against existing law. The Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 requires ALL federal agencies to pass a yearly audit, but the Pentagon won't comply if there are no consequences for inaction. That's why Barbara Lee and other members of Congress have proposed the Audit the Pentagon Act of 2015.

ACTION ALERT: Just Say 'No' to the AUMF! 5 Reasons Congress Should Reject Obama's ISIS War (Peter Certo / AntiWar.com & Justin Raimondo / AntiWar.com)
At long last (more than six months after the US began bombing targets in Iraq and Syria), the Obama administration has submitted a draft resolution to Congress to authorize US-led military attacks on the Islamic State. The resolution's vague wording will almost certainly be abused. How long is an "enduring" engagement? What's an "offensive" operation? What counts as "combat"? If the AUMF fails to pass, will US forces pick up and leave? To ask the question is to answer it: of course not.

ACTION ALERT: Shut Creech Drone Base (The Shut Down Creech! Steering Committee)
On March 4-6, a mass mobilization is planned in the Nevada desert, north of Las Vegas. The goal: to stop Washington's drone warfare program and end the terror of endless US global wars. CODEPINK, Nevada Desert Experience, Veterans For Peace, Voices For Creative Nonviolence and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom are joining forces this spring in an historical united front at Creech Air Force Base, calling for an end to the violence and injustice inherent in US global terrorism.

ACTION ALERT: Say No to Obama's Request for New War Powers (Jon Rainwater / Peace Action West & Conn Carroll / TownHall.com & Guy Benson / TownHall)
At last. We have an opportunity to weigh in for peace. After six months of US bombing in Iraq and Syria, Congress will finally debate the new war. This is a huge opportunity for pro-peace folks to shape the debate. President Obama's proposed "war powers act" is so riddled with loopholes and lacking in strategic sense that opponents on the left and right have united it condemning it as a "power grab" and a "blank check" for more, unwinnable foreign wars.

Alternatives to Endless War: A Sustainable, Effective Response to ISIS (Jon Rainwater / Peace Action West)
It's not too late to stop an endless war in Iraq and Syria. We've spent over $1.1 billion bombing Iraq and Syria since August 2014, yet Congress has not debated or authorized our latest war. It will take grassroots pressure to move Congress. We can start by popularizing the possible steps towards a political solution. Below are possible ways for Washington to take action now. These are examples of the many alternatives available to move towards a political solution.

ACTION ALERT: Free Raif Badawi: No Flogging for Blogging (Change.org & Jasmine Heiss / Amnesty International)
Raef Badawi is a Saudi citizen who was one of the founders of the "Liberal Saudi Network," a blog that angered Ultra-orthodox clerics of Saudi Arabia. He has been sentenced to 1000 lashes and 10 years in prison. Sign the petition to demand that Saudi Arabia frees Raef Badawy and stops threatening people merely for expressing non-orthodox views on Islam or religion in general.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Senator Menendez from Warmongering on Iran (CREDO Action.com)
Senator Menendez has done more in the last two years than any other Democrat to beat the drums for war with Iran. Menendez is once again pushing a dangerous sanctions bill that, if passed, would sabotage negotiations and put us back on a path to confrontation and unnecessary war with Iran. In response to the president, Menendez offered up bizarre, unhinged comments to the media suggesting the Obama administration's talking points were coming "straight out of Tehran." This is beyond the pale.

ACTION ALERT: The President's Asking for MORE Money for War? (Friends Committee on National Legislation & Pentagon Choices.com)
In negotiations, the most important offer is often the first; it's the baseline for every other proposal. The president's budget request sets the tone for budget negotiations this year. We already know a lot about what the president will propose: approximately $500 billion for the Pentagon and an additional war "slush fund" -- called the "Overseas Contingency Operations" -- to pay for the expanding wars in Iraq and Syria and other expenditures that can't squeeze into that huge figure.

ACTION ALERT: US (and UK, France and Israel) Refuse to Sign UN Resolution of Use of Radioactive Weapons (Ben Griffin / Change.org & The International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons)
Last few days of Change.org petition calling on UK and US to take responsibility over the cleanup of radioactive weapons damage in Iraq. Please sign and share. UK veteran Ben Griffiths and CADU will be handing this petition to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London tomorrow. This is your last chance to sign and share.

Congressmember Wants to Bar "Criminal" Corporations from Political Spending (Ben Johnson / City Pages)
Last year a federal judge found oil giant BP's "profit-driven decisions" lead to "gross negligence" resulting in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Currently BP owes additional payments on top of a $4 billion fine it already paid. Despite that, BP found a way to spend nearly $5 million on political lobbying. Now Rep. Keith Ellison has introduced a bill to bar "criminal corporations" from political spending for six years after a conviction for any felony involving dishonesty, breach of trust, or defrauding the government.

ACTION ALERT: Militarism in the Air We Breathe (David Swanson / War Is a Crime & Letter to the EPA)
If there is a group of Americans to whom Iraqis struggling with the health effects of depleted uranium, cluster bombs, white phosphorous, and all the various poisons of war can relate, it might be the mostly black and largely poor residents of Gibsland, in northern Louisiana. The EPA recently announced plans to burn 15 million pounds of toxic M6 munitions on open 'burn trays' at nearby Camp Minden, a disposal process that is so fraught with health risks that it has been outlawed in other countries.

ACTION ALERT: Save the Irrawaddy River Dolphins; Stop the Don Sahong Dam (Petition: Rainforest Rescue)
The future of the Mekong River’s ecosystem, her people and the rare and endangered Irrawaddy river dolphins are in jeopardy, as plans are rapidly proceeding to build the Don Sahong Dam -- the second dam on the Lower Mekong mainstream. Rainforest Rescue is calling on Mekong Prime Ministers to stop the potentially disastrous project.

ACTION ALERT: Opposition to US Army's Munitions Burn Gains National Support (Laura Olah / Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger & Greg Hilburn / The News-Star)
More than 70 US social and environmental groups have asked the EPA to stop the proposed open burning of 15 million pounds of M6 -- an explosive propellant used to launch artillery shells. Three of the volatile organic compounds in M6 propellant are environmental poisons. M6 contains dinitrotoluene (DNT), which is classified as a probable human carcinogen. DNT is toxic if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin. Such open burns are banned in Canada and many other countries.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the War on Africa's Lions (The International Fund for Animal Welfare)
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed to list the African lion under the ESA. This means the African lion -- the last big cat to be listed under the ESA -- will finally be afforded US federal protections. This would place controls on American trophy hunters who kill these majestic creatures for sport and bring their remains back to display in their homes and offices. The US is responsible for importing over half of the hundreds of lion trophies brought home by trophy hunters each year.

ACTION ALERT: US Troops Return to Fight and Die in Afghanistan: Tell Obama to End Washington's Wars (Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com & Carlo Munoz / Stars and Stripes & Stephen Miles / Win Without War)
Throughout December, despite the claims of the Afghan war ending, US Marines were carrying out training scenarios for their return to Afghanistan. US Marine Corps are planing a return to occupied Afghanistan for "security operations." Officials are declining to say exactly when they'll return, how many there'll be, or what they'll be doing. Americans must be prepared for more US casualties in Afghanistan even after the declared end to NATO's combat mission in the country,

A New Year's Resolution for America (Dennis J. Kucinich / Huffington Post)
Commentary: Our government has been taken over by special interest groups and idealogues, who have distributed our nation's wealth upwards, built a national security state to protect its hold on power and wealth, involved America in destructive, unnecessary wars, ignored escalating violence at home, and broken our nation's laws with impunity. This New Year, let us summoning the vision of the Founders' ceaseless quest: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…."

Playground Politics: Political Polluters Don't Need to Follow the Rules (Ken Kimmell / The Union of Concerned Scientists)
Twelve states are suing the EPA to block new rules on global warming pollution. And even if they lose, there are a string of bills in state houses around the country to gut progress on clean energy and protect fossil fuel interests -- in effect, to roll back years of work and victories you and I have made possible.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Arming the World! (Stephen Miles / Win Without War & Aaron Mehta / Defense News)
What do Ferguson, Staten Island, and Iraq have in common? Their police forces all use weapons donated by the Pentagon and paid for with your tax dollars. The US accounts for 79 percent of weapons sales to the Middle East and the majority of all foreign weapons sales around the world. Global militarization leads to increased violence and instability. That's why we're supporting RootsAction's campaign to end foreign weapons sales.

ACTION ALERT: Release the Report; Jail the Torturers (CODEPINK: Women for Peace & Meteor Blades / The Daily Kos & Dennis Kucinich / Kucinich Action)
On the release of the US Senate Report on Torture, we call for the prosecution of those who planned, coordinated and ordered the criminal acts, detailed in the report, committed by officials and agents of the United States government -- including George W. Bush himself and Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld, and including their lawyers Alberto Gonzalez, Douglas Feith, William Haynes, Jay Bybee, David Addington, and John Yoo.

ACTION ALERT: Tell COP20 Climate Summit: No Greenwashing Dirty Dams! (Amazon Watch & Mariette Le Roux | Agence France-Presse)
At the COP20 in Lima, representatives from 195 countries are working on a new binding treaty of the Convention United Nations Framework on Climate Change to be signed next year in Paris. Many governments, financial institutions and corporations are pushing for large hydroelectric dams as a "clean energy" solution. But large dams -- such as Jirau and Santo Antônio on the Madeira River (one of the most important tributaries of the Amazon) -- are extremely destructive and should be avoided.

World Summit in Vienna Calls for an End to Nuclear Weapons (John Loretz / IPPNW & Akira Kawasaki / Peace Boat & Takashi Okuma / Asahi Shinbum & Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
The third global conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons closed its two days of discussions in Vienna, Austria, on Tuesday. Nearly 160 countries took part. Non-nuclear countries called for continued efforts toward formulating a treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons but the nuclear powers, Britain and the United States (attending the meeting for the first time) opposed the proposals to abolish the world's aging nuclear arsenals. Read some of the major statements below:

ACTION ALERT: Police Killings: State-sanctioned Violence with a Racial Twist (Monique Teal / Daily Kos & Harvey Wasserman / Solartopia)
Every 28 hours a black man, woman, or child is murdered by police or vigilante law enforcement. These un-prosecuted killings of African-American men go way beyond racial prejudice -- they are the calling card of an Orwellian state. The ultimate message is clear: police can kill American citizens without cause and face no public trial. the ultimate cancer we face is the rise of an all-powerful corporate state and its iron grip on a violent, unaccountable private army licensed to kill.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Obama's Continued Expansion the Long War (Tom Hayden / The Peace and Justice Resource Center)
A nonviolent military coup is underway in the United States with Republicans, led by John McCain, ready to seize control of the Senate's military committees. Secretary Hagel, no friend of escalating wars, has been forced from his Pentagon office and President Obama has placed cuts in military spending on hold. The generals are all but demanding a deployment of US ground troops in Iraq -- and perhaps, Syria. Meanwhile, US combat operations in Afghanistan is being extended for another year.

RECLAIM AMERICA: A Post-election Town Hall Meeting & Strategy Discussion
Reclaim America Conference in SF on December 14 After the 2014 elections and facing a Congress determined to dismantle environmental protections and health and social benefits for middle income Americans and the poor in 2015-2016, it's critical that ethically sensitive people develop a strategy to: RECLAIM AMERICA. With George Lakoff, Rabbi Michael Lerner, Mathew Fox, Marianne Williamson, Reginald W. Lyles, Jorge Aquino, Cat Zavis and Rebecca Kaplan

ACTION ALERT: Stop Washington's Provocations in Russia's Backyard (Dennis Kucinich / Former Member, US Congress & Robert Naiman and Megan Iorio / Just Foreign Policy)
A former US Congressmember warns against being misled by Washington propaganda. "Russia's response to the terror unleashed by Western-backed neo-nazis in Crimea and Odessa came after the local population appealed to Russia to protect them from the violence. Russia then agreed to Crimea joining the Russian Federation, a reaffirmation of an historic relationship... Congress' solution? Restart the Cold War!" Sign a petition demanding diplomacy, not belligerence from the US.

Disillusioned Soldiers in the US and Israel Are Refusing to Serve (Travis Lupick / Al Jazeera America & Joseph Dana / Al Jazeera America)
Israeli soldiers who refuse to serve in Gaza war face brief jail sentences, but they believe their small number will slowly grow as more young men and women refuse to be part of an army of occupation. Meanwhile, in Canada, former US soldier Rodney Watson has lived as a prisoner or more than five years, confined to a church that has granted him sanctuary for refusing to serve in the US occupation of Iraq.

ACTION ALERT: Require All Armed Police to Wear Body Cameras (Daily Kos Action & Robert Gammon / The East Bay Express)
Police shootings of unarmed citizens in Ferguson, Missouri and Oakland, California provide strong evidence as to why every police officer in the country should be wearing video-recording devices. Any police officer working the street should be wearing a body camera. Evidence shows both cops and civilians act more positively when there is a camera present. Implementing this policy is the first step to ending police brutality.

ACTION ALERT: The World's Remaining 3,200 Tigers Face a New Foe (Taylor Hill / TakePart)
Between habitat loss and poaching, you would think the 3,200 tigers left in the wild had enough to worry about. Think again. The latest threat to big cats: dogs. A recent study investigated the impact of canine distemper virus -- a disease common in domestic dogs -- on tiger populations. While the disease does not infect domestic cats, big felines such as lions and tigers can contract the virus.

ACTION ALERT: End the Killing of Students Now: Peace, Justice and Democracy for Mexico (The Campaign for Peace and Democracy)
A Statement of Solidarity: "We send our solidarity to the parents of the dead and missing students, to the millions of student protesters, and to the Mexican people! We condemn the murders and human rights violations by the Mexican government and the drug cartels. And we condemn the US and Canadian governments for their support of the Mexican state."

ACTION ALERT: Stop New Cold War and New Wars in Syria and Iraq (Steve Weissman / Reader Supported News & Just Foreign Policy )
The world is on the brink of a new Cold War," former Russian leader. Mikhail Gorbachev warned in Berlin. "Some are even saying that it's already begun." But few Western leaders -- including Obama, the Clintons, and the Bushes -- will find comfort in what Gorbachev is now saying. That is, if they bother to hear him out, which his fellow Nobel laureate in the White House seems unlikely to do. Meanwhile, an urgent petition is calling for an end to the expansion of US wars in the Middle East

Petition Congress to End the Escalation in Iraq & Syria (Tom Hayden / The Democracy Project)
The New War has escalated since we sent this letter November 3, 2014. President Obama has dispatched another 1,500 US troops and requested $5 billion in new funding. The president also has requested a congressional authorization. It is time for Congress to act and widen the public debate. Congress must use its constitutional powers under the War Powers Resolution to place limits on the unauthorized US military intervention in Iraq and Syria.

ACTION ALERT: Peace Groups Push Congress to End War (World Beyond War & War Is a Crime & Roots Action & AntiWar.com & Peace Action West & Mother Jones )
As Veterans' Day (originally Armistice Day) approaches, people around the world are signing a Peace Declaration: Wars and militarism make us less safe rather than protect us, they kill, injure and traumatize adults, children and infants, severely damage the natural environment, erode civil liberties, and drain our economies, siphoning resources from life-affirming activities. I commit to engage in and support nonviolent efforts to end all war and preparations for war and to create a sustainable and just peace.

ACTION ALERT: UN Called to Ban Depleted Uranium as the US Deploys DU-ready Aircraft in Middle East. (The World Can't Wait & David Swanson / Al Jazeera & Roots Action & The Center for Constitutional Rights & Carol Dudek / The World Can't Wait)
Because antiwar activists and medical humanitarians are pushing the issue, the United Nations will be discussing the US use of depleted uranium in weapons, particularly in Iraq, even as the US military makes plans to use them again in the new campaign of bombings. This month, the US has deployed a type of aircraft to the Middle East responsible for more Depleted Uranium contamination than any other platform. Twelve 'A-10's have arrived in the region along with 300 US airmen.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Democrats to 'Ban the Bomb!' (William J. Broad and David E. Sanger / The New York Times & Alice Slater / Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
A recent report by the Federation of American Scientists details how President Obama -- who has repeatedly called for "a world without nuclear weapons" -- now plans a massive and costly increase in the Pentagon's nuclear arsenal. History shows that Mr. Obama has reduced the size of the nation's atomic stockpile far less than did any of his three immediate predecessors, including Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. Anti-nuclear campaigners are calling for letters to be sent to the White House

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama: 'No to Torture' (Credo Action & Charlie Savage / The New York Times & The New York Times Editorial Board)
On President Obama's second day in office he banned torture in the interrogation of terror suspects by executive order, ending a shameful legacy of the George W. Bush administration which embraced waterboarding and other forms of torture in secret CIA prisons and black sites around the world. Now, with just two years left in his second term in office, key members of President Obama's "legal team" are debating an about-face on torture.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Militarizing Our Cities (Elizabeth Beavers / Friends Committee on National Legislation & Molly K. Hooper / The Hill)
As the US begins yet another war overseas, the consequences are reverberating in towns across the country. But new legislation in the House and the Senate could stop the weapons of war from reaching small towns in the United States. From Ferguson, Missouri to Boise, Idaho to Calhoun County, Alabama, cities and counties are getting military grade equipment, free of charge, straight from the Pentagon through the 1033 program.

The First International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons (United Nations & International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
Achieving global nuclear disarmament is one of the oldest goals of the United Nations. It was the subject of the General Assembly's first resolution in 1946. It has been on the General Assembly's agenda along with general and complete disarmament ever since 1959. Yet today, some 17,000 nuclear weapons remain. As of 2014, not one nuclear weapon has been physically destroyed pursuant to a treaty, bilateral or multilateral, and no nuclear disarmament negotiations are underway.

The Real Reason We Are Bombing Syria (Dennis J. Kucinich / Reader Supported News & The World Can't Wait)
The administration's response to the conjunction of this weekend's People's Climate March and the International Day of Peace? Bomb Syria the following day, to wrest control of the oil from ISIS. The Islamic State is both a response to US occupation of the region and, in some cases, was created by torture in US prisons in Iraq; by billions of dollars in US arms strewn about the region; and funded by close US allies Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar, societies where people also have scarcely any rights.

Global March Shows How to Win the Climate Fight (Harvey Wasserman / The Rag Blog)
Commentary: ""The massive People's Climate March, the most hopeful, diverse, photogenic, energizing, and often hilarious march I've joined in 52 years of activism -- and one of the biggest, at 400,000 strong -- has delivered a simple message: we can and will rid the planet of fossil fuels and nuclear power, we will do it at the grassroots, it will be demanding and difficult to say the least, but it will also have its moments of great fun. With our lives and planet on the line, our species has responded."

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: We Need a Vote on New War in Iraq (Hon. Barbara Lee & Jon Soltz/VoteVets & The Huffington Post)
Yesterday marked the 13th anniversary of my vote against the Authorization for Use of Military Force, the bill that laid the groundwork for the state of endless war in which we now find ourselves. As we draw up plans to confront ISIS we are reminded unfortunately of the chaos that ensues when we act without considering all options. Congress must debate and vote on a separate use of force resolution if military strikes continue.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Bomb Iraq or Syria: 5 Signs Your 'Limited' Strategy Is Out of Control (Code Pink & Micah Zenko / Foreign Policy)
Acting without Congressional approval, President Obama has authorized the use of surveillance drones over Syria and is threatening airstrikes inside Syria. The Syrian government has correctly noted that airstrikes in its airspace would constitute an act of US aggression. The President should follow US law and consult Congress before taking military action. As America's recent intervention in Iraq gathers steam, the phrase 'mission creep' has haunted the Administration's actions.

ACTION ALERT: Christian Leaders Call for End to US Strikes in Iraq, Focus on Peaceful Resolution (David Gibson / Religion News Service)
Even as some prominent Christians are calling on the US to take more forceful military action against Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria, more than 50 mainly Catholic and Protestant leaders are telling President Obama to halt American airstrikes and pursue solely peaceful means to resolve the conflict. "While the dire plight of Iraqi civilians should compel the international community to respond in some way, US military action is not the answer," the 53 religious leaders wrote in an Aug. 27 open letter.

ACTION ALERT: War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing (The American Civil Liberties Union)
All across the country, heavily armed SWAT teams are raiding people’s homes in the middle of the night, often just to search for drugs. It should enrage us that people have needlessly died during these raids, that pets have been shot, and that homes have been ravaged. Our neighborhoods are not warzones, and police officers should not be treating us like wartime enemies.

ACTION ALERT: Amnesty Int. to Washington: 'Stop Arming Israel' (The Journal.ei & Amnesty USA & Edith Garwood / Amnesty USA)
The US, as the largest foreign supplier of weapons, munitions, police equipment to Israel, bears a particular responsibility for the use of the weapons it provides. Amnesty International is calling for a UN-mandated international investigation into violations committed on all sides and urges Washington to suspend transfers of munitions, weapons, crowd control devices, and military training to Israel -- until Israel stops violating human rights across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

ACTION ALERT: No New War in Iraq (Council for a Livable World & The World Can't Wait & Revolution)
The US has launched airstrikes on targets in northern Iraq in an effort to counter the forces of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. These are the first US bombs dropped on Iraq since the US ended the war in 2011. US involvement in Iraq has gone from a few hundred troops, to a few hundred more, to -- dropping bombs. The White House says it must act to prevent "genocide." But the same White House continues to provide weapons that are being used to kill civilians in Gaza.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Obama: Don't Resume Bombing Iraq (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & MoveOn & Code Pink & Friends Committee on National Legislation)
Today the United States began bombing Iraq again. Decades of US military intervention fomented the crisis in Iraq today, and more bombing will only mean more bloodshed and instability. President Obama should explain clearly why his decision to order airstrikes in Iraq without Congressional authorization was Constitutional, say clearly what he believes is the legal limit of his authority, and seek explicit Congressional authorization for further military action.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Obama: Don't Resume Bombing Iraq (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & MoveOn & Code Pink & Friends Committee on National Legislation)
Today the United States began bombing Iraq again. Decades of US military intervention fomented the crisis in Iraq today, and more bombing will only mean more bloodshed and instability. President Obama should explain clearly why his decision to order airstrikes in Iraq without Congressional authorization was Constitutional, say clearly what he believes is the legal limit of his authority, and seek explicit Congressional authorization for further military action.

ACTION ALERT: Marking Hiroshima Day and 100 Years After WWI World Beyond War
We've arrived at another anniversary of the nuclear bombs, and 50 years since the Gulf of Tonkin incident didn't happen, and 100 years since the war to end all wars began not ending all wars. But among the signs that another way is possible: the US House has rejected any new presidential war on Iraq. Opinion around the world has shifted against war. We need funds for billboards and ads around the world to bring together those ready to work for an end to war.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the War on Rhinos (Susan V / The Petition Site & Lizabeth Paulat / Care2.com)
The Hluhluwe-Imfolozi park in KwaZulu-Natal has become the southern white rhinos’ last refuge after it was hunted to near extinction in the 1890s. Now the high demand for rhino horns -- fueled by Vietnamese and Chinese markets -- has led to huge incentives to poach and a dramatic increase in rhino killings -- over 1,000 last year alone.

Top US Intelligence Figures Challenge White House to Release "Evidence" on MH17 Downing (Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity / Common Dreams)
An Open Letter to the White House -- US-Russian tensions are building in a precarious way over Ukraine, and we are far from certain that your advisers fully appreciate the danger of escalation. Twelve days after the shoot-down of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17, your administration still has issued no coordinated intelligence assessment summarizing what evidence exists to determine who was responsible.

ACTION ALERT: EPA Preparing to Increase 'Allowable' Radiation Exposure Levels (Joy Thompson / Enformable)
The US Environmental Protection Agency is considering RAISING the allowable amounts of radioactive emissions into the air and water from nuclear power plants! The EPA is proceeding with potential rule changes despite studies that show higher incidences of childhood leukemia repeatedly occur in children living near or downwind of nuclear power plants. Public comment period ends August 3.

ACTION ALERT: Families Are Dying in Gaza: SF Bay Area Man Loses 30 Members of Family in Missile Strike (KGO-TV & A Just Foreign Policy & Abir Elzowidi / Oasis of Peace)
An Israeli missile strike destroyed an entire building in Gaza, killing three generations of one family -- the Jamahs. A relative who lives in the Bay Area spoke to ABC7 News about the pain and sadness he was going through learning of the deaths of 30 loved ones -- including three pregnant women and children ranging in age from six month to 14 years. Another US resident has started a petition after learning of the deaths of five family members, including three small children.

ACTION ALERT: Audit the Pentagon (Hon. Barbara Lee / US House of Representatives)
The Pentagon is the only federal agency that has never been audited. In fact, the DOD has reported to the GAO that it is "unauditable." Because of this mentality, defense spending is essentially a black hole and the DOD faces no accountability in how it spends taxpayer funds. That is why Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and three colleagues have introduced the bi-partisan Audit the Pentagon Act of 2014 to require defense agencies to pass an independent external audit or face a .5% reduction in spending.

ACTION ALERT: Protect Whales from Sonar Cannon (Greenpeace Petition / Causes.org)
President Obama's Administration announced that it has approved the use of seismic testing to explore for offshore oil from Delaware to Florida risking the lives of nearly 140,000 marine mammals. Seismic testing uses sonic cannons to find oil and gas deposits. The blasts are 100,000 times louder than a jet engine and pose an imminent threat to endangered marine species including the right whale and the blue whale as well as dolphin populations.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Imperial President: No More Wars! (Patrick J. Buchanan / Creators Syndicate)
Syria has not attacked us. Syria does not threaten us. Syria's elected leader, President Bashar Assad is fighting against the al Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front and the even more extreme and vicious Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. So why is the White House requesting $500 million more to finance a jihad to overthrow the Syrian government? Look what happened when US intervention toppled Iraq and Libya.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Rush for a New War in Iraq (Just Foreign Policy & Tom Hayden / The Peace & Justice Exchange Bulletin & Robert Naiman / The Huffington Post)
Some press reports have suggested that the US could begin airstrikes in Iraq at any time. Our best tool to stop this is to press President Obama to come to Congress for authorization before using military force, as required by the US Constitution and the War Powers Resolution.

ACTION ALERT: Poll Finds Americans Fed Up with the Iraq War and the Bush Team that Started It (Hon. Barbara Lee & Carrie Dann / NBC News & Kelley Vlahos / The Unz Review)
A divided nation finally agrees on something overwhelmingly: the war in Iraq was simply not worth fighting. Seventy-one percent of Americans now say that the war in Iraq "wasn't worth it," a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Annenberg poll shows, with skepticism about the lengthy war effort up substantially even in the last 18 months. Just 22 percent now believe the 2003 war effort was worthwhile. So why are former Bush strategists being invited on air to call for a new Iraq war?

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Rush for a New War in Iraq (Just Foreign Policy & Tom Hayden / The Peace & Justice Exchange Bulletin<)
Some press reports have suggested that the US could begin airstrikes in Iraq at any time. Our best tool to stop this is to press President Obama to come to Congress for authorization before using military force, as required by the US Constitution and the War Powers Resolution.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Endless War, Pass the WARD Act!
This week, Congresswoman Barbara Lee will offer amendments to the defense spending bill to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force in Iraq and the 2001 blank check for war. Join our 100,000+ activists for peace supporting an end to the AUMF at StopEndlessWar.com.

ACTION ALERT: No New US War in Iraq! (Robert Naiman and Megan Iorio / Just Foreign Policy)
President Obama was right to say that the Iraqi government must be responsible for security in Iraq. President Obama should resist calls for direct US military action in Iraq, including airstrikes. Senate Armed Services Chair Carl Levin has said: "It's unclear how air strikes on our part can succeed unless the Iraqi army is willing to fight." The US war in Iraq ended in 2011 with the withdrawal of our troops, and the last thing we need is a new US war in Iraq.

ACTION ALERT: No New US War in Iraq (Just Foreign Policy & CREDO Action / Working Assets & William Boardman / Reader Supported News)
The US war in Iraq ended in 2011 with the withdrawal of our troops, and the last thing we need is a new US war in Iraq. President Obama has been right to say that the Iraqi government must be responsible for security in Iraq. While what is happening in Iraq is tragic, there is no plausible scenario in which further US military intervention magically creates a stable democracy in with protections for human rights, religious freedom, self-governance and equal rights for women and girls.

ACTION ALERT: Snowden One Year On: Join Reset the Net for Free Protection Against NSA Surveillance
A year ago, Edward Snowden exposed the NSA's widespread surveillance practices. Privacy advocates demanded a change in the law -- but today, the agency's powers remain largely intact. In response to the government's failure to act, Edward Snowden sent a message to the world on June 5, complete with links to sophisticated privacy protection programs for downloading to personal computers and cell phones: "Today we Reset the Net and begin to protect ourselves, en masse, from mass spying.?

Say No To Provocative NATO Military Exercises In Ukraine (Lindsey German, et al. / Information Clearinghouse & The Guardian)
Campaign: "We note with great concern that UK and US troops are scheduled to participate in joint military exercises in Ukraine in July as part of NATO's Rapid Trident manoeuvres. Ukraine is not a member of NATO. Its participation in military exercises by a nuclear-armed alliance with a first-strike policy can only further destabilise the country. We call on the British government to urge the US and other NATO governments to cancel the Rapid Trident exercise."

Lawsuit on Yemen Drone Death: Protestors to Gather at Obama's West Point Address (Abby Zimet / Common Dreams & The World Can't Wait)
Mohammed Al-Qawli remains haunted by the day in January 2013 when he spent hours trying to collect the body parts of his brother Ali, a schoolteacher, and his cousin Salim, a student, both "accidentally" killed in a US drone strike. "The US and Yemeni governments killed a young man who strongly opposed terrorism and tried to bring change through education -- the very same things they purport to want themselves. I want to know why."

ACTION ALERT: Petition to Pardon Cecily McMillan, Victim of NYPD Assault (Dr. Linda Busch-Somach / Change.org)
Occupy Wall Street activist Cecily McMillan was found guilty Monday of felony assault on a police officer. McMillan says a police officer forcefully grabbed one of her breasts, after which she instinctively threw her hands in the air and inadvertently elbowed the officer in the face. McMillan, a grad student who suffered broken ribs in the police attack, now faces a seven year prison sentence for assault on an officer. Her sentencing hearing is on Monday, May 19.

ACTION ALERT: Defend Net Neutrality. Save the Internet. Sign Here (Bold Progressives.org & MoveOn.org & The Washington Post)
Two weeks ago, the FCC seemed set to destroy Net Neutrality. Today, after immense public pressure, the FCC voted to invite public feedback on two proposals -- the bad one and an awesome one. We have 120 days to act. During this time, telecom industry lobbyists will swarm Washington, DC. What do we have? The power of Internet. If you wish to demand Net Neutrality, sign now.

Icepocalypse: NASA Warns Antarctic Ice Collapse is 'Unstoppable' (Jason Hanna / CNN & Anonymisslegion)
New research shows a major section of west Antarctica's ice sheet will completely melt in coming centuries and probably raise sea levels by four feet or more, revealing another impact from the world's changing climate. Fossil-fuel-backed 'climate deniers' continue to dismiss scientific warnings that Earth's climate is being ravaged by Big Oil and Big Coal's global warming gasses. Stop the Carbon Barons from killing the planet and, while you're at it, sign the petition to Free Arturo the Polar Bear.

ACTION ALERT: A Mother's Day Appeal from the Mothers of Iraq and the Mothers of the US (Code Pink)
For this Mother's Day, we reached out to Iraqi mothers asking if they have a message to give to American mothers. Some brave Iraqi mothers shared powerful messages, full of love, hope and pain -- a pain that only someone who lost a son or a daughter to war can understand.

ACTION ALERT: Repeal the War on Terror Spending Bill (Matt Lockshin / CREDO Action.org)
Berkeley, California's courageous Congresswoman, Barbara Lee, has introduced a bill to defund the endless, unwinnable "war on terror." You can't win a war against a noun, so it's time to renounce this costly sham that only shores up the wealth of the war-profiteering .01 percent. Give War the Boot.

ACTION ALERT: More Congressmembers Sponsor 'Money Is Not Speech' Constitutional Amendments (The Pen & PeaceTeam)
If money is speech, the rich will always have a bigger vocabulary and a louder voice. "Free speech" doesn't mean the freedom to spend unlimited amounts of money to promote one's point of view. It means everyone is free to have their opinions heard. Equating money and speech destroys equal access to be heard. Money becomes a means of limiting -- not liberating -- public debate.

ACTION ALERT: Lawyer Who Approved Assassination of US Citizens Seeks Appointment as Federal Judge (Just Foreign Policy & Stephanie Condon / CBS News & Associated Press)
David Barron, who was a lawyer in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, wrote secret legal memos approving a September 2011 drone strike that killed two US citizens. Now Barron has been nominated to the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals. The American Civil Liberties Union is calling on Senators to delay consideration of Barron's nomination until all Senators have the opportunity to read all of the memos Barron has written on government killing with drone strikes.

A Letter to US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy (Katherine Muzik / The Japan Times / Special to Environmentalists Against War)
With this letter, I entreat you to help protect the marvelous coral reef ecosystem at Oura Bay (Henoko) in Nago city, northeast Okinawa, from certain destruction under the US-Japan plan for military expansion. Like you and me, dear Caroline, Lili'uokalani was a strong woman, so I share her words with you here, to give us strength to proceed in this endeavor. I hope you will prove to be just as courageous and strong as she was. I beseech you for help. I know you can, and together, I am sure we can prevail.

Colombia's U'wa People Facing Violent Eviction (Amazon Watch)
For over two decades, the U'wa people of Colombia's cloud forests have fought to keep oil projects -- and the inevitable environmental destruction -- out of their ancestral territories. With the recent expansion of oil exploration next to their sacred Cubogón river (known as the Magallanes project) and bombing of the oil pipeline that runs through their lands, they are organizing an international advocacy delegation to the United Nations.

ACTION ALERT: Humanitarian Relief Ship, Gaza's Ark, Bombed and Sunk (Just Foreign Policy & Fares Akram / Al Jazeera)
Gaza's Ark, an activist boat built a part of an international campaign to defy Israeli siege and bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian inhabitants of Gaza, was damaged after anonymous call to boat's guard warned that the vessel would explode in minutes. The relief vessel, under construction for two years, was preparing to sail in June, with an international crew including citizens from Palestine, Canada, Australia and the United States.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the War against Elephants (International Fund for Animal Welfare)
Fewer than half a million elephants remain in Africa's savannas and jungles -- a 95 percent plunge over the last century. Recently, the killing has surged: Poachers are slaughtering one elephant every 15 minutes, on average, and some populations are now on a path to extinction. US intelligence agencies and the United Nations report that ivory trafficking profits are fueling crime, corruption and violence in fragile African democracies and financing organizations that threaten both US and African security.

ACTION ALERT: Drone-gate: US Air Force Using CIA for Cover in Drone Killings (Just Foreign Policy & The Guardian)
A new documentary -- three years in the making -- identifies the unit conducting CIA strikes in Pakistan's tribal areas as the 17th Reconnaissance Squadron, which operates from Creech Air Force base, 45 miles from Las Vegas. As one operator confides: "The lie is that it's always been the Air Force that has flown those missions. The CIA might be the customer but the air force has always flown it. A CIA label is just an excuse to not have to give up any information. That is all it has ever been."

ACTION ALERT: US Peace Activist Shot by Egyptian Police on Prison. Now on Hunger Strike for More than 80 Days (Code Pink)
Mohamed Soltan is a 26-year-old US citizen who graduated from Ohio State University with a degree in economics. But now, he is literally starving in an Egyptian prison. Mohamed joined the peaceful protests in Egypt against the coup that overthrew democratically elected President Morsi. He was shot at a protest and arrested a few days later He has been on a hunger strike for more than 80 days Email the State Department and Egyptian Embassy calling on them to free Mohamed now!

The Global Day Against Military Spending (New Priorities Campaign & Global Day of Action)
Forty cents of every dollar paid for taxes in 2013 will be spent to cover the costs of present and past wars. US taxpayers spend nearly four times as much on war as they pay for general operations of the federal government. The amount of tax dollars squandered on waste and abuse now totals around $102 billion each year.

ACTION ALERT Stop Tax Breaks for Corporations and Big Oil (Campaign for America & NextGenClimate.org & FairShake.US & RobertReich.org)
Did you do your taxes? Did you pay what you owed? If you're like most Americans, you did. There are serious consequences for tax evasion and most of us see it as our civic duty. That is, unless you are a corporation. In California, lobbyists for banks and big corporations are pushing for two of their favorite loopholes to be renewed -- just in time for Tax Day. Currently, Big Oil doesn't pay any tax to extract oil and gas -- a subsidy that costs Californians $2 billion a year.

ACTiON ALERT: Will US Send Rockets to Al Qaeda via Syria? (Just Foreign Policy & Associated Press & The Guardian & Syria Comment)
On March 28, AP and other media reported that under pressure from Saudi Arabia, the US was considering allowing shipments of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, or "manpads," to Syrian rebels. These weapons can be used to shoot down civilian aircraft. In Syria, these dangerous weapons could wind up in the hands of Al Qaeda. While US officials previously ruled out send manpads to Syria, a senior US official reportedly said "it was being considered anew."

ACTION ALERT: Don't Frack Ukraine (Mark Ruffalo / MoveOn)
The oil and gas industry is using the crisis in Ukraine as an excuse to pressure Congress to rubber-stamp approval of liquefied natural gas exports. But gas exports won't help the situation in Eastern Europe. It's just a ploy by the oil and gas industry to increase fracking and export US fracked gas to the highest bidder abroad, while causing irreparable damage to our climate and to water, air and health here at home.

ACTION ALERT: April 2 -- Spring Days of Action to End Drone Killing, Drone Surveillance, Global Militarization (Know Drones & The World Can't Wait)
Today we issue an international call for Spring Days of Action -- 2014, a coordinated campaign in April and May to End Drone Killing, Drone Surveillance and Global Militarization. The campaign will focus on drone bases, drone research facilities and test sites and drone manufacturers.

ACTION ALERT: President A-Boma Wants to Cut Disarmament Funds to Pay for New Atom Bombs (Katie Heald / Peace Action West & Jay Coghlan / Nuclear Watch)
In his FY-2015 budget, the president is asking for a seven percent increase in funds to build new nuclear weapons. In order to pay for this, he is cutting funds that are supposed to pay for dismantling existing nuclear weapons. Congress is stepping up to challenge these misguided priorities head on. If the Senate's SANE Act and the House's REIN-IN Act pass, they will free $100 billion over the next 10 years to spend on health, education and other social programs.

ACTION ALERT: President A-Boma Wants to Cut Disarmament Funds to Pay for New Atom Bombs (Katie Heald / Peace Action West & Jay Coghlan / Nuclear Watch)
In his FY-2015 budget, the president is asking for a seven percent increase in funds to build new nuclear weapons. In order to pay for this, he is cutting funds that are supposed to pay for dismantling existing nuclear weapons. Congress is stepping up to challenge these misguided priorities head on. If the Senate's SANE Act and the House's REIN-IN Act pass, they will free $100 billion over the next 10 years to spend on health, education and other social programs.

ACTION ALERT: Encourage the President to Lift Sanctions that Keep Life-saving Medicines from Iranian Civilians (Robert Naiman / The Huffington Post & National Iranian American Council)
With international law is in the news because of Russia's occupation and annexation of Crimea and the US and Europe issuing sanctions in response. This is a great time to talk about Washington's failure to comply with international humanitarian law -- by failing to exempt civilians access to medicine from US sanctions imposed on Iran. Rep. Jim Moran is trying to address this by circulating a letter urging the President Obama to assure that Iranian men, women and children have access to medicine.

ACTION ALERT: End the DOD's Phony Budget War; Block the OCO (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & Mattea Kramer / The Huffington Post & TomDispatch)
Despite cries of doom since the across-the-board sequestration cuts hit Washington in 2011, the Pentagon has seen few actual reductions. This bureaucratic juggernaut still accounts for 57% of the federal discretionary budget -- and controls nearly 40% of all military spending on the entire planet. Republicans have been using a trick to protect the military's billions while cutting domestic spending -- by hiding military costs under "Overseas and Contingency Operations." It's time to ban the OCO.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Assault on US Peace Activist in Egypt (Code Pink)
Where was the US Embassy? Impeding the travels of peaceful US citizens, subjecting them to unwarranted detention, brutal physical attacks and expulsion are not the hallmarks of a civilized government. Apologies are in order.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Reject the War Funding (Jim Casonis / Friends Committee on National Legislation & Ivan Eland / AntiWar.com)
We've successfully worked over the last two years to bring down Pentagon spending, which is slated to fall by some $850 billion below what the Pentagon asked for in 2010. Yet in his budget released on March 4, the president requested an additional $80 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations. The US war in Afghanistan is ending. So why is the Obama administration asking Congress for more money for war in 2015?

ACTION ALERT: Congress Wants to End 'Black Budget' Secrecy for 16 US Spy Agencies (AntiWar.com & Hon. Peter Welch / US Congress)
Getting information on the US intelligence spending habits has been virtually impossible. Over the years, only a single dollar figure of all spending everywhere is released publicly, usually in the $70-$75 billion range. There are 16 different US civilian spy agencies (and military intelligence spending on top of that) yet when Congress is asked to approve the spending, it just gets the one number lumping everything together. The only look they've ever really gotten is via a leak from Edward Snowden.

ACTION ALERT: US Threatens Russia over Ukraine Unrest (Associated Press & Sheldon Richman / The Future of Freedom Foundation)
President Obama insists he does not regard the conflict in Ukraine "as some Cold War chessboard in which we are in competition with Russia." He'd be more credible if he were not following his predecessors in acting as though the Cold War still exists. Meanwhile, Russia has ordered 150,000 troops to test their combat readiness in a show of force that prompted a blunt warning from the United States that any military intervention in Ukraine would be a "grave mistake."

ACTION ALERT: Help Protect Wildlife in War Zones by Changing International Law (The Earth Organization)
Zoos, Wildlife Reserves and Animal Sanctuaries are fast becoming Noah's Arks for critically endangered species. It is for this reason that The Earth Organization has presented the United Nations with a resolution that will protect captive wildlife in times of war.

84-Year-Old Nun Jailed: Three Years for Nonviolent Anti-nuclear Protest (BBC News & Jason Ditz / AntiWar.com)
A US judge has sentenced 84-year-old nun and peace activist Megan Rice to 35 months in federal prison under the "Sabotage Act" for breaking into the Y-12 nuclear complex and painting antiwar slogans on the exterior. Rice was initially charged with misdemeanor trespass, but the Obama Justice Department ratcheted the charges up to a felony --sabotage of a military facility -- arguing that the nonviolent protest "endangered US national security."

Campaigners Call on States to Start Discussions for an International Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
The Second International Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons, concluded today with a call from the Mexican hosts for states to launch a diplomatic process to ban nuclear weapons. Over 140 governments participated from all regions of the world. The meeting marked a turning point in the process to outlaw and eliminate these weapons of mass destruction. Austria announced that it would host the next meeting in Vienna later this year.

ACTION ALERT: A Conference on the Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons in Mexico -- February 13-14, 2014 (John Scales Avery / Waging Peace )
On February 13 and 14, 2014, the government of Mexico will host a conference on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. The global peace movement must think carefully about how best to use the opportunities offered by the Mexico conference and by other recent breakthroughs in the struggle to eliminate the danger of a catastrophic thermonuclear war. Sign the petition urging President Obama to honor his commitment to abolish nuclear weapons and participate in the conference.

ACTION ALERT: Defend the Fourth Amendment against NSA Spying (Daniel Doherty / Townhall.com)
Does the Fourth Amendment mean anything anymore? That is essentially the question Sen. Rand Paul posed in a video announcement the day before he formally filed -- along with the organization FreedomWorks -- a classaaction lawsuit against President Obama and top officials at the National Security Agency.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Sentence Nonviolent US Peace Nun to Death (Change.org & Transform Now Plowshares)
Sixteen years in prison is not enough? Sister Megan Rice and her friends, all peace activists, already face 16 years in prison if convicted for a nonviolent peace action. Sister Megan, Greg Boertje-Obed, and Michael Walli went to Oak Ridge, Tennesse, to say NO to nuclear holocaust. Armed with bread, flowers and a Bible, they hammered on a storage facility to symbolize the abolition of nuclear weapons. The defendants face a maximum of 65 years in prison -- the equivalent of a death sentence.

ACTION ALERT: 10 Things President Obama Should Say Tonight and Could Do Tomorrow (Becky Bond / Credo Action)
On Tuesday, January 28, President Obama will deliver his fifth State of the Union Address. Despite the Republican obstructionism, there's a lot the president can accomplish by issuing executive orders and prioritizing his administration's agenda in the Senate.

ACTION ALERT: Use US War Funds to Pay for Vet Care (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & The Huffington Post)
A crucial cost of war is caring for veterans. Now, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is proposing to use money authorized for the war in Afghanistan to pay for his veterans' benefits bill, including reversing the recent cuts to military pensions. While 18 military and veterans' organizations have backed the Sanders bill, some House Republicans oppose Senator Sanders' proposal to use war funds to help vets.

ACTION ALERT -- Sen. Sanders Proposes: Use US War Funds to Pay for Vet Care (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy)
As economists Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes have long argued, a crucial cost of a war is caring for veterans afterwards. Now, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders is proposing to use money authorized for the war in Afghanistan to pay for his veterans' benefits bill, including reversing the recent cuts to military pensions. To date, 18 military and veterans' organizations have backed the Sanders bill.

ACTION ALERT: Sign These Petitions to Help Stop the Next War (CodePink, Women for Peace & Just Foreign Policy & The Daily Kos & The Washington Post)
S.1881, a bill to impose more punishing financial sanctions on Iran, would blow up the successful nuclear talks now underway. President Obama has called this a "march to war." "Members of Congress pressing for this bill are effectively choosing to close the door on diplomacy.... You close the door on diplomacy, and you're left only with a choice between a possible military option or Iran steadily advancing its nuclear program."

ACTION ALERT: Say NO to the Kill-a-Rhino Fund-raising Event (Jeffrey Flocken / International Fund for Animal Welfare)
The Dallas Safari Club has auctioned off the chance to kill one of the world's last black rhinos. They claim they are trying to put a positive spin on trophy hunting by donating the winning bid of $350,000 to conservation efforts for this rare species. Tell the US Fish and Wildlife Service that killing in the name of conservation is unacceptable.

ACTION ALERT: Justice for US Sailors SIckened by Fukushima Radiation (Harvey Wasserman / Common Dreams & EcoWatch)
The roll call of US sailors who say their health was devastated when they were irradiated while delivering humanitarian help near the stricken Fukushima nuke is continuing to soar. Within a day of Fukushima One's March 11, 2011, melt-down, American "first responders" were drenched in radioactive fallout. The lawsuit charges that Tokyo Electric Power knew radiation was pouring into the air and water, but said nothing to the Navy.

ACTION ALERT: Oppose S. 1881 -- AIPAC-backed Sanctions Bill Designed to Start US-Iran War (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post & Bradley Klapper / Associated Press)
The White House has challenged a group of 54 senators -- 38 Republicans and 16 Democrats -- to admit they are working to push the country toward war with Iran. The senators in favor include every Republican except Jeff Flake of Arizona and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Sixteen Democrats are on board including Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, a top ally of President Barack Obama. Many more are understood to be sitting on the fence.

ACTION ALERT: Make the 1 Percent Pay for War (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy )
Chuck Schumer, Robert Menendez, and their Senate friends have introduced a bill to blow up President's Obama's diplomacy with Iran. Let us urge our economic populist friends in the Senate -- people like Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown and Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders -- to call the question by introducing a simple resolution: it is the sense of Congress that if the US goes to war with Iran, the 1 percent should pay the financial cost of the war.

ACTION ALERT: Demand An Unconditional Pardon for Edward Snowden (Justin Raimondo / AntiWar.com )
Commentary: In a rational world, there would be no question about the moral and legal status of the man responsible for exposing this treason to the Constitution: he would be hailed as a hero by every sector of society, from the political class to the working class, and given the Congressional Medal of Honor. In our sorry, sinful world, however, Edward Snowden is on the lam, charged with two counts of violating the WWI-era Espionage Act and facing at least 30 years in prison.

Fax the White House; Demand a Pardon for Whisteblower Edward Snowden (CREDO Action)
The New York Times has published a blockbuster editorial making the case that Edward Snowden should be granted clemency for his role in uncovering the NSA's unconstitutional spying. Send a free fax to make sure the president and attorney general read it.

ACTION ALERT: Overthrow the Speculators (Chris Hedges / TruthDig & Common Dreams )
Once speculators are able to concentrate wealth into their hands they have, throughout history, emasculated government, turned the press into lap dogs, corrupted the courts and hollowed out public institutions, including universities, to justify their looting and greed. Today's speculators have created grotesque financial schemes, from usurious interest rates to legalized accounting fraud, to plunge the masses into crippling debt.

ACTION ALERT: No More US Troops in Afghanistan (John Isaacs & Guy Stevens / Council for a Livable World & Rowan Scarborough / The Washington Times)
The war in Afghanistan has lasted over 12 years. The next several weeks could determine whether or not it will go on for 12 more. Despite the official 'withdrawal deadline' of December 2014, the Obama administration is considering leaving thousands of troops behind for a decade or more. Meanwhile, President Obama's brain trust on Afghanistan has apologized for not knowing how much the US spends on the war each year or the cost in lost lives on the battlefield.

ACTION ALERT: Say "No" to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2014 (The National Taxpayers Union)
Urge Congress to vote "No" the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2014. At a time of persistent debt and deficits, this legislation represents a missed opportunity to restrain military spending, address longstanding waste at the Pentagon, and strengthen our defense posture. Like its Senate predecessor, the new NDAA agreement authorizes the Department of Defense to spend $54 billion over the Budget Control Act's $498.1 billion cap.

Nuclear Famine: Report: How a Small, Limited, Regional Nuclear War Would Kill 2 Billion People (Ira Helfand, MD / International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Physicians for Social Responsibility)
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Physicians for Social Responsibility have co-published a new report that concludes more than two billion people -- a quarter of the world's population -- would be at risk of starvation in the event of a limited, regional nuclear exchange, such as one that could occur between India and Pakistan. A nuclear war using only a fraction of existing arsenals would produce massive casualties on a global scale.

ACTION ALERT: House and Senate Near Deal to Fast-Track TPP, Drafted in Secrecy By and For Corporations (Fight for the Future & Center for Rights & The Huffington Post & The New York Times & The Electronic Freedom Foundation)
The TPP -- drafted in secrecy by and for corporations -- would sacrifice US sovereignty to transnational business interests. While the US media has been nearly silent on disastrous giveaway of US to multinationals, we've found a critical weakness in the TPP plan. If the US Congress refuses to "Fast Track" the agreement, there is a good chance it will completely fall apart. Help us flood Congress with phone calls to stop Fast Track right now.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Block Aid to Syrians (Lakhdar Brahimi / Avaaz.org & BBC News)
Moadamiya, where I live, has been under siege for over 365 days. There are still 8,000 civilians living here and our food supplies have run out. As a citizen journalist, I am now documenting my townspeople dying of hunger. Humanitarian organizations have pleaded to no avail with the Assad regime to break the savage siege against civilians in cities throughout Syria. I call on people of conscience everywhere to pressure their governments to act to break Assad’s siege.

ACTION ALERT: Support a Level Playing Field for Clean Energy (The Union of Concerned Scientists )
A few months back, UCS wrote to ask its members for support in leveling the playing field for clean energy. More than 27,000 UCS supporters responded by sending messages to Congress. Policy makers heard you and took action, adding their names as co-sponsors to bipartisan legislation that will give renewable energy access to the low-cost financing available to the fossil fuel industries. Now, the lead co-sponsor of the bill is asking for your help once again.

ACTION ALERT: Demand Food Safety as Typhoons Spread Fukushima Radiation (The Australian Broadcasting Company & Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network)
Typhoons that hit Japan each year are contributing to the spread of radioactive material from the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the country's waterways. Bluefin tuna tested from off of the California coast has been contaminated with Fukushima cesium. The AMA has called for testing of seafood. Canada is going to start testing its salmon. But until the US starts monitoring and adopts a responsible food-safety policy, we won't know what is safe to feed our families.

ACTION ALERT: The Ark Project: Help Gaza's Children Sail towards Freedom (GazaArk.org)
On November 30, almost 200 mini-Arks will be launched in cities around the world to spotlight the inhumane conditions to which the Palestinians in Gaza -- and particularly the children -- are subjected. From North America and Europe to South Africa and Australia citizens groups will sail small boats on their lakes, rivers and swimming pools and stage community actions with symbolic mini-Arks bearing the message: "Gaza: End the silence! End the Blockade!"

ACTION ALERT: Who's Getting Killed by US Drone Strikes? (Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen and Megan Iorio / Just Foreign Policy)
The Senate intelligence committee) has passed legislation that would require the Administration to publicly report how many civilians and how many "combatants" are being killed in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia by US drone strikes. The CIA has claimed that civilian casualties from US drone strikes have been extremely rare but the record of independent reporting says otherwise. The CIA has never publicly stated on the record how many civilians it has killed.

ACTION ALERT: Support Diplomacy with Iran (Sara Haghdoosti / Berim.org)
After decades of silence, last night a deal was announced between Iran, the United States and members of the international community. Although it's just an interim six-month agreement, yesterday's deal makes military action on Iran far less likely. It builds the trust needed while all sides negotiate towards a final agreement -- and that's truly something to celebrate.

ACTION ALERT: The NSA versus the US Constitution (Michael Boldin / AmericanThinker & OffNow.org)
The National Security Agency looks at literally millions of phone records. It captures millions of emails. It sifts through millions of megabytes of private data. And it does this all without following the requirements of the Fourth Amendment. It can be stopped. How that can be done in a moment, but first, a closer look at current strategies and roadblocks.

ACTION ALERT: Cut Pentagon Pork Not Food Stamps, Medicare or Social Security (Daily Kos Campaigns & Dini Merz / Open Democracy)
The US government spends more on defense [9] than the next thirteen highest-spending countries combined. Not even the Pentagon knows how much money it spend, how much is wasted, or how much is stolen. US military spending is out of control and an unlikely alliance of liberal and conservative groups is determined to rein it in. It's time to audit the Pentagon.

ACTION ALERT: Four Steps Congress Can Take to End the Endless Wars (Friends Committee on National Legislation Washington Newsletter)
The root of Washington's endless wars is the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force, which passed nearly unanimously in the days following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The AUMF's broad and vague language "gives any president the authority to wage war at any time, in any place, for nearly any purpose." The AUMF has led to a state of near-endless war. Presidents Bush and Obama have invoked the AUMF at least 30 times to justify their activities.

ACTION ALERT: Anti-Drone Movement Speaks: 'End the Secrecy, No to Kill List' (Sarah Lazare / Common Dreams & Alex Pasternack / Vice.com & Alison Fu / The Daily Californian)
Activists from across the globe kicked off the largest-ever anti-drone summit Friday with a boisterous White House rally then march to the headquarters of one of the most notorious weapons manufacturers in the world. "After ten years of using drones it is about time that American citizens demand accountability from our government," said organizer Medea Benjamin of Code Pink.

ACTION ALERT: WikiLeaks and the Drone Strike Transparency Bill (Robert Naiman / The Daily Kos )
The Senate Intelligence Committee recently took an important step by passing an intelligence authorization which would require for the first time -- if it became law -- that the Administration publicly report on civilian casualties from US drone strikes. Various UN officials, foreign governments, a broad range of civil society, and many others, including former US Department of State Legal Advisor Harold Koh... have called for the publication of such basic information.

Armed Drones Becoming the Norm? At the Crossroads of Robotic Warfare (Margaret Flowers and Kevin Zeese / Truthout )
We are at a critical crossroads in this new era of robotic warfare. In the global war on terror, remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, make it possible to strike almost anywhere from the comfort of a base close to home. The use of drones has been escalating under the Obama Administration and now includes attacks in countries with which the US is not officially at war. Drones are expected to be used widely in the US beginning as early as 2015.

Two Support Campaigns for America's Veterans (Causes.com)
Veteran's Day was yesterday. What can you do for veterans today? Here are a few campaigns. And, in the days ahead, also look for ways to support the victims and survivors of US military violence in the Middle East, Latin America and around the world.

ACTION ALERT: Free the Arctic 30 (Greenpeace International)
When Greenpeace activists attempted to scale energy giant Gazprom's oil rig on 18 September, the company made a call to Russian special forces to intervene. Twnety-four hours later, armed commandos had illegally boarded our ship, the "Arctic Sunrise," and arrested all 30 people on board, reporting back to Gazprom that "assistance had been provided as requested." All 30 people are now in prison facing trumped up hooliganism charges.

ACTION ALERT: Mobilize against US Killer Drones (David Swanson / War Is a Crime & Alexa O'Brien / The Guardian)
Imagine you awake to the sound of a machine noisily buzzing over your house, and another machine nearby in the sky, and another. These machines and others like them have been around for months. The machines are unmanned drones armed with missiles. Every once in a while they blow up a house or a car or a couple of kids playing soccer or a grandmother walking to the store, sometimes a McDonald's or a shopping center. Imagine that you've learned to live with this.

ACTION ALERT: Petition the UN for a Global Response to the Fukushima Disaster (Jordan Krueger / Credo Action )
Japan must allow a worldwide engineering group comprised of the best scientists and engineers to oversee the unprecedented and incredibly dangerous mitigation TEPCO is poised to conduct on its melted-down nuclear reactors. Recently, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan, triggering small tsunamis. While it didn't trigger a nuclear accident, a disaster of "apocalyptic" proportions could be just days away.

ACTION ALERT: Cut Social Security or Cut Spending on War in Afghanistan? (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & Robert Naiman / Huffington Post)
The House is on record saying that US troops should be out of Afghanistan by December 31, 2014 and, if the president determines that it is necessary to keep US troops in Afghanistan after December 31, 2014, that should be authorized by a separate vote of Congress. The problem is that the Obama administration is already working to finalize an agreement to keep thousands of US troops in Afghanistan after the end of 2014 -- no matter what Congress thinks.

ACTION ALERT: Urgent Petitions for a Global Response to the Worsening Fukushima Disaster (Green Shadow Cabinet & Green Action & The Free Press )
The crisis situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan is deteriorating and threatens not only the survival of the population of Japan but could also become a significant global disaster. The potential for additional massive radiation releases now is cause for grave international concern. The attention and resources of the international community must be focused on Fukushima to resolve this crisis in the safest and most transparent way.

Drone Victims from Pakistan to Speak to Congress (Robert Greenwald / Brave New Foundation & Kevin Gosztola / FireDogLake )
On Tuesday, October 29, 2013 from 10am - 11am, Rafiq ur Rehman -- a primary school teacher from Pakistan whose 67-year-old mother was killed by a US drone strike -- will appear at a Washington briefing along with his children Nabila and Zubair, who were both injured in the drone attack. The want the US government to tell them why their grandmother was killed. The event marks the first opportunity for Congress to hear directly from drone victim survivors.

ACTION ALERT: Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch Accuse US of War Crimes for Drone Deaths of Civilians (Amnesty International & Declan Walsh and Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud / The New York Times)
In October 2012, 8-year-old Nabeela joined her 68-year-old grandmother Mamana Bibi to do daily chores in a large, open field. Moments later, Mamana was blasted into pieces by a US drone that appears to have been aimed directly at her. Amnesty International found no evidence she was endangering anyone, let alone posing an imminent threat to the US. Yet a year has passed and the US has not acknowledged Mamana Bibi's death nor provided compensation. Such wanton acts constitute war crimes.

ACTION ALERT: Appoint Rep. Ron Wyden to Head NSA (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & Greg Miller, Julie Tate and Barton Gellman / The Washington Post)
Because Oregon Senator Ron Wyden is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and has been a consistent and vocal critic of blanket NSA surveillance, he is an ideal candidate to replace retiring NSA chief Gen. Keith Alexander. Wyden's appointment would offer the best opportunity to restore public confidence in NSA's compliance with the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and all US laws -- and to halt the NSA's complicity in US drone strikes that have drawn critiicsm from the UN.

ACTION ALERT: Free 74-year-old Lawyer Lynne Stewart: Support Compassionate Release (Ralph Poynter Change.org)
Renowned defense attorney Lynne Stewart, unjustly charged and convicted for the "crime" of providing her client (an alleged "terrorist" on trial in the US) with a fearless defense, is now dying of cancer in prison. She has been given 16 months to live and her friends and supporters are pleading with the Obama Administration to grant the 74-year-old Stewart (who poses no harm to anyone) a "compassionate release."

US Teams Up With Japan to Spy on China With Global Hawk Drones (John Glaser / AntiWar.com)
The US has announced a deal to base surveillance drones in Japan. The Pentagon swears their purpose is to surveil North Korea... not China. You can bet Beijing won't see North Korea as the primary target. In recent weeks, the Japanese Defense Ministry has indicated a strong interest in using drones to shadow Chinese naval forces in the China Sea. ACTION ALERT: A major conference on drones starts today in the UK, with protest actions scheduled at RAF bases. More info below.

ACTION ALERT: Correcting the Record: How US Sanctions Hurt Iranian Freedoms (Sara Haghdoosti / MoveOn Public Petition )
Rachel Maddow recently suggested that US sanctions were responsible for Iran's protest movements. The truth is, sanctions undercut civil society. Sanctions have closed reformist websites, made it harder for change makers to obtain anti-virus software to protect against cyber government attacks, and have hindered communication by increasing the cost of printing paper. Iranian activists who are on the forefront of change all have come out against sanctions.

ACTION ALERT: Shut Down Nuclear Weapons, Drones and the Arms Industry, Not the Government (Peace Action West & Code Pink & Common Dreams)
While House Republicans shut down the government in their rage at Obamacare, the US is still on course to spend billions of dollars on nuclear weapons that we don’t need as well as an expanding drone air force (for foreign and domestic use) and millions of dollars in expanding arms contracts. But we can rein in some of that wasteful spending in the next few weeks.

ACTION ALERT: Oct. 7 Vote to Block the $1.5-Trillion F-35 Taxpayer Rip-off (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & The Daily Kos)
If the Burlington City Council votes to block basing F-35 warplanes in Burlington, that won't kill the $1.5 trillion taxpayer ripoff, but it will set a crucial precedent. It will prove that the F-35 is politically vulnerable. It will mark a historic defeat of pork-barrel military Keynesianism. It would help change the national posture on unnecessary military spending. It would help abolish the dogma that its necessary to support military spending -- when it's in your district.

Save Billions: Don't Shut Down the Government; Shut Down the NSA (John W. Whitehead / AntiWar.com & Norman Solomon / AntiWar.com)
Commentary: "To the people in control of the Executive Branch, violating our civil liberties is an essential government service. So -- to ensure total fulfillment of Big Brother's vast responsibilities -- the National Security Agency is insulated from any fiscal disruption.... Indeed, the one area not impacted in the least by a government shutdown will be the police/surveillance state and its various militarized agencies, spying programs and personnel."

ACTION ALERT: Stop $8.5 Billion US Loan for New Reactors: Former NRC Chief Calls for an End to Nuclear Power (Tim Judson / Credo Petition & Kazuaki Nagata / Japan Times)
The Department of Energy’s proposed taxpayer loan for the Vogtle nuclear plant would put more than $8 billion in taxpayer money at risk and increase our dependence on dangerous and ecostly nuclear power. Please take action to reject this loan. Meanwhile, speaking during a visit to Japan, the former head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Gregory Jaczko, warned that the world needs to seriously rethink nuclear safety and consider ending its dependence on atomic power.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Russia to Release Greenpeace Crew Arrested for Protesting Oil Drilling in Arctic Sea (Ian Duff / Greenpeace & Shaun Walker / The Guardian)
Crewmembers of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise were taken into custody by armed Russian security forces after being prevented from disrupting oil-drilling work in the waters of the Arctic. Greenpeace notes that seizing their ship in international waters was illegal and is asking people to petition the Russian government to release the detained, nonviolent environmental activists.

ACTION ALERT: "US Drones Killed My Mother" (Robert Greenwald / War Costs & Center for Civilians in Conflict)
US drones have killed at least 176 innocent children. Rafiq, a school teacher from Pakistan, saw his 67-year-old mother killed by a US drone strike in 2012. His children, who were injured in the attack also witnessed their grandmother's horrific death. Rep. Alan Grayson invited the family to testify before Congress but the US State Department blocked Rafiq and his family from appearing, assuring that their story will never be heard by politicians or the US mainstream media.

ACTION ALERT: The Crisis at Fukushima 4 Demands a Global Take-Over (Harvey Wasserman / Nuke Free.org )
We are within two months of what may be humankind's most dangerous moment since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Thousands of tons of contaminated water are pouring through the Fukushima site, carrying long-lived poisonous isotopes into the Pacific. Meanwhile, more than 11,000 fuel assemblies containing more than 85 times as much lethal cesium on site as was released at Chernobyl are at risk. All the the world's resources must be focused on the threat at the Unit 4 reactor.

ACTION ALERT: Encourage Obama to Meet with Iran's New President (Dan Roberts / The Guardian & Sara Haghdoosti / MoveOn Petitions)
The White House has hinted at the possibility of a historic meeting with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani during his visit to the United Nations next week, praising what it called "welcome rhetoric" from Iran on nuclear weapons. In the latest sign of a thaw in relations between the two countries, White House spokesman Jay Carney acknowledged "dramatic" shifts in Tehran's language. You can sign a MoveOn Petition asking Obama to schedule a historic meeting with Hassan Rouhani.

ACTION ALERT: Next Step for Peace in Syria -- Stop US (Norman Solomon /Information Clearing House )
Now that public pressure has foiled US plans to bomb Syria, the next urgent step is to build public pressure for stopping the deluge of weapons into that country. The United States has now joined with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other allies -- directly supplying weaponry to an array of fighters against the Syrian government. That aid supplements the CIA's longtime covert role in helping several countries to airlift weapons and other military equipment to rebel forces.

ACTION ALERT: Support H.R. 200 and Give Kids in Afghanistan the Opportunity to Live without War (Nafisa Abdullah / CREDO Petitions)
The Responsible End to the War in Afghanistan Act (H.R. 200), introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee, could help save the lives of millions and allow us to improve the health of many more. This bill would accelerate the timetable for ending the war in Afghanistan by requiring funds allocated to the armed forces in Afghanistan to be used only for the safe and orderly withdrawal of all US military personnel and Department of Defense contractor personnel in Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: US Plans Nuclear Missile Tests Around International Day of Peace (David Kreiger / Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & Iam Bloom / The Las Vegas Guardian Express)
Two dates this month have special significance to those working for a world free of nuclear weapons: the International Day of Peace (September 21) and the UN High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament (September 26). But instead of honoring these dates and working in good faith to achieve nuclear disarmament, the United States has chosen to schedule two tests of its Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile on September 22 and September 26.

ACTION ALERT: Japan: Stop Denying The "Comfort Women" Justice! (Watchdog.net & Paul Armstrong / CNN & Kyung Lah / CNN)
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has defended the rape and kidnapping of up to 200,000 "comfort women" who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during WWII. Hashimoto explains that the abduction and abasement of these women was simply part of "a necessary system to maintain military discipline."

ACTION ALERT: Japan: Stop Denying The "Comfort Women" Justice! (Watchdog.net & Paul Armstrong / CNN & Kyung Lah / CNN)
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto has defended the rape and kidnapping of up to 200,000 "comfort women" who were forced to serve as sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during WWII. Hashimoto explains that the abduction and abasement of these women was simply part of "a necessary system to maintain military discipline."

ACTION ALERT: If the House Says No to War (Bill Simpich / Reader Supported News & Jim Cason / Friends Committee on National Legislation)
The House of Representatives is poised to vote No on any attack on Syria. This is the moment to bring antiwar forces together, both in the US and around the world. This is the moment that we can build a movement that can make history. As of 8 p.m. last night, Firedoglake reported that the count was 226 leaning or firm No, 62 leaning or firm Yes, with 147 votes remaining undecided. That means the No votes have a majority in the House. Vigils are being held tonight across the country.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: Vote NO on the Syria War (Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen, Sarah Burns and Megan Iorio / Just Foreign Policy & Jack Goldsmith / Lawfare)
The Syria Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) President Obama sent to Congress is dngerously flawed. It doesn't prohibit the use of US ground troops. It isn't limited in duration. It isn't even geographically limited to Syria -- this President or a future President could use it to strike Iran. [1] If this AUMF passes, it is likely to remain; the Iraq AUMF has never been repealed.

ACTION ALERT: Act Now to Stop a War on Syria (War Is a Crime & Democrats.com & Ibrahim Ahmad)
Opposition to a US-led attack on Syria is growing rapidly in Europe and the United States, drawing its strength from public awareness that the case made for attacking Iraq had holes in it. Evidence of "weapons of mass destruction" is "no slam dunk," US officials are saying this time around. A regional or even global war could result. The US military is planning for such scenarios, as if preparing for the apocalypse while igniting it makes the action less insane.

ACTION ALERT: No US Airstrikes on Syria; Poll Shows Americans Opposed to More War (Peace Action West & Reuters)
We've learned this lesson before: a rush to war is always a mistake. And now, suddenly, we're told another US use of military force could happen later this week. The scenes from Syria remind us that chemical weapons are horrific weapons that should never be used. But as four US warships speed towards Syria we need Congress to carefully consider the use of military force.

ACTION ALERT: Oppose White House Call for Unconstitutional Military Attack (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & The Daily Kos)
Republican Sen. Bob Corker and Rep. Eliot Engel -- a Democrat who voted for the Iraq war -- told Fox News that President Obama should strike Syria first and get Congressional approval afterwards. That's not how the US Constitution or the War Powers Resolution say it should go. The Constitution and the War Powers Resolution are clear: Absent an attack on the United States, Congress must approve military action before it takes place.

ACTION ALERT: Prepare to March for Bradley Manning (CODEPINK & The World Can't Wait)
Demonstrations are planned around the country when the verdict is announced in Pfc. Bradley Manning's military trial. Manning faces a life sentence for exposing US military war crimes – including the 2007 video footage from a US Apache helicopter that shows US troops targeting innocent men and children in a public square in Eastern Baghdad. Reuters journalist Namir Noor-Eldeen, driver Saeed Chmagh, and several innocent civilians were killed.

ACTION ALERT: Follow US Law and Cut Military Aid to Egypt (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & The Huffington Post)
In the wake of the military coup in Egypt and subsequent massacres by the Egyptian military against anti-coup protesters, US law is clear: US aid to the Egyptian military must be cut off until the repression stops and democracy is restored. A petition at MoveOn, urges Congress and the President to comply with US laws that bar US aid to the Egyptian military in light of the coup and repression.

ACTION ALERT: Sign the Petition to Make Iraq's Birth Defect Data Public (#Act4Iraq / International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons)
The BBC has reported that a nationwide study into rates of congenital birth defects across Iraq, which was undertaken by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Iraqi Ministry of Health (MoH) will make a link between areas subject to heavy fighting in 2003 and higher rates. The study was launched after concern was generated by reports from medical staff in cities such as Fallujah and Baghdad of spiralling rates of congenital birth defects.

Remembering Hiroshima and Nagasaki (Rachel Kent / Friends Committee on National Legislation)
August 6 marks the 68th anniversary of the first use of a nuclear weapon. Tens of thousands of people in Japan and around the world will commemorate this attack with prayers, vigils and other events. In Hiroshima, people will remember those who died and pray for peace at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony. In the US, Americans are invited to join vigils and remembrances while contacting representatives to call for peace and nuclear disarmament.

ACTION ALERT: A Critical Month for Nuclear Disarmament (David Culp / Friends Committee on National Legislation)
Leading up to a September summit between President Obama and Russian President Putin in Moscow, where nuclear weapons reductions will be discussed, members of Congress need to hear from you. Back in June, it was announced that military leaders had agreed to reduce the nuclear arsenal by one-third, a commonsense reduction that cuts the Cold War-style stockpile to better reflect the security needs of today.

ACTION ALERT: Iran's New President Offers Moderation; AIPAC and Congress Respond with Punishing Sanctions (Damien McElroy / The Telegraph & Ali Gharib / The Daily Beast)
The new Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, has taken the oath of office before parliament in Tehran promising to lead a government of hope and moderation. Against the backdrop of a new push for diplomacy and moderation by Iran, the powerful Washington-based Israeli lobby, AIPAC, is pressuring US politicians to ignore Rouhani's offer of improved relations and, instead, inflict a new round of punishing economic sanctions of the Iranian people. See below to take action.

ACTION ALERT: Scrap the F-35 -- 'The Jet that Ate the Pentagon' (Stephen Miles / Credo Action & Winslow Wheeler / Foreign Policy)
If enough of us speak up to our elected officials and let them know that we want them to end the F-35 program instead of gutting social security and medicare, they'll know that letting that this insane weapons program continue will prove politically costly. Rather than throwing good money after bad, Congress should not spend another penny on the troubled F-35.

ACTION ALERT: Tell US to Join Global Ban on DU Weapons; Demand WHO Release Study on Birth Defects in Iraq (Doug Weir, International Campaign to Ban Uranium Weapons & Dr. Samira Alaani / Change.org )
"I have worked in Fallujah as a pediatrician since 1997 but began to notice something was wrong in 2006 and began logging the cases. We have determined that 144 babies are now born with a deformity for every 1000 live births. We believe it has to be related to contamination caused by the fighting in our city, even now, nearly 10 years later." Why has the World Health Organization's research failed to release its findings on the health problems plaguing Iraq?

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Senate to Halt 'Mobile Chernobyl' Plan (Michael Mariotte / Nuclear Information and Resource Service & Credo)
Congress is considering legislation that would establish "consolidated interim storage" sites for high-level radioactive waste. This would initiate the unnecessary transport of tens of thousands of casks of lethal radioactive waste on our roads and railways for the sole benefit of the nuclear power industry, while endangering the health and safety of millions of Americans.

ACTION ALERT: Opposition to Arming Syrian Rebels Grows (Lindsey Boerma / CBS News & Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy)
Seventy percent of Americans oppose sending US weapons to Syrian rebels, including 74% of independents, 71% of Republicans and 66% of Democrats. [1] Key Members of Congress agree: the House and Senate intelligence committees have blocked an Administration plan to arm the Syrian rebels as a "covert action." Ask your representative to consider signing the Gibson-Welch amendment.

ACTION ALERT: Opposition to Arming Syrian Rebels Grows (Lindsey Boerma / CBS News & Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy)
Seventy percent of Americans oppose sending US weapons to Syrian rebels, including 74% of independents, 71% of Republicans and 66% of Democrats. [1] Key Members of Congress agree: the House and Senate intelligence committees have blocked an Administration plan to arm the Syrian rebels as a "covert action." Ask your representative to consider signing the Gibson-Welch amendment.

ACTION ALERT: An Opening for Negotiation with Iran (Just Foreign Policy & The Huffington Post & Al-Monitor )
There are people in Congress who want a war with Iran, so they're determined to sabotage any diplomatic effort that could help prevent a war. But now there's a rare opportunity to pursue diplomacy with Iran. Iran's new leader, President Rouhani appealed to Iranian voters by saying: let's try to repair our relationships with the West. Iran now has a pro-diplomacy president and this creates a rare opening for diplomacy. Urge your representative to sign the Dent-Price letter.

ACTION ALERT: Obey the Law: US Must Cut Aid to Egypt After Military Coup (Just Foreign Policy & The New York Time )
A military coup in Egypt removed the democratically elected president. The Egyptian military subsequently killed more than 50 people protesting the coup. No matter what one thinks of President Morsi, a coup is a coup. Under US law, US aid to Egypt must be suspended until a democratically elected government takes office. If the law isn't followed, it will send a message that US-backed militaries around the world can overthrow elected governments without losing military aid.

ACTION ALERT: Cut Pentagon's Spending for B61 Nuclear Bomb (Ploughshares & Peace Action West & Friends Committee on National Legislation)
The US is about to buy a B61 nuclear bomb that costs more than its weight in gold -- to fulfill a Cold War mission that no longer exists. On June 27, the Senate's Armed Services Subcommittee cut the B61’s budget by over 30%. Unfortunately, the House Appropriations Committee gave the B61 a $23 million increase. Rep. Quigley has offered an amendment to cut these extra funds. Let Congress know your concerns.

ACTION ALERT: Rally Your Rep to Halt March to War on Iran (Rebecca Griffin / Peace Action West & Marvin Kalb and Michael E. O'Hanlon / The Brookings Institute Blog)
"The United States is on the road to war with Iran." This statement by two prominent foreign policy scholars reflects dangerous thinking shared by too many in the political class. Diplomacy with Iran takes time, and requires effort from both sides. Some people are trying to push us down that road to war, but it's not too late for a detour. Support Reps. David Price and Charlie Dent and their bipartisan letter urging the president to reinvigorate efforts to negotiate with Iran.

ACTION ALERT: Global Nuclear Abolition Week (The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons )
From July 6-13 July 2013, Nuclear Abolition Week kicks off with activities across the world for a ban on nuclear weapons. This global week of action is intended to raise awareness of the unacceptable harm caused by nuclear weapons, and the urgent need for a ban treaty.

ACTION ALERT: Rally Your Rep to Halt March to War on Iran (Rebecca Griffin / Peace Action West & Marvin Kalb and Michael E. O'Hanlon / The Brookings Institute Blog)
"The United States is on the road to war with Iran." This statement by two prominent foreign policy scholars reflects dangerous thinking shared by too many in the political class. Diplomacy with Iran takes time, and requires effort from both sides. Some people are trying to push us down that road to war, but it's not too late for a detour. Support Reps. David Price and Charlie Dent and their bipartisan letter urging the president to reinvigorate efforts to negotiate with Iran.

ACTION ALERT: President Obama: Stop Prosecuting Whistleblowers! (Rabbi Arthur Green and Rabbi Michael Lerner)
Petition: "Your Administration's frenetic struggle to imprison Edward Snowden for revealing that tens of millions of Americans are having their communications monitored by the NSA, and your allowing the Army to continue to prosecute Private Bradley Manning , is shocking, immoral, and unacceptable."

ACTION ALERT: We're Protesting to Restore the Fourth Amendment (Holmes Wilson, Evan Greer, Douglas Schatz, Tiffiniy Cheng / Fight for the Furute & Restore the Fourth & The Huffington Post)
Today, as the US celebrates its founding, recent revelations about NSA spying have brought unparalleled public attention to the US government's surveillance programs.Today, tens of thousands of people will protest in the streets at Restore the Fourth rallies organized in over 100 cities across the country, and hundreds of thousands more will protest on the web and TV. The message is clear: the NSA's mass warrantless surveillance programs violate the 4th Amendment.

ACTION ALERT No More Unconstitutional Wars (Just Foreign Policy & Reuters )
The US Constitution and the War Powers Resolution insist that absent an armed attack on the US, Congress shall decide when to authorize the use of military force. But the Obama Administration has announced plans to arm rebels in Syria and is considering imposing a US "no fly zone," which would mean bombing Syria. Congress has authorized neither. A House and Senate bill would block US intervention in Syria without an affirmative vote of Congress.

ACTION Free Dying Political Prisoner Lynne Stewart (Ralph Poynter / Change.org )
Lynne Stewart is a 73-year-old political prisoner who was sentenced to serve 10 years after representing an alleged terrorist suspect being tried before US courts. Stewart is now dying of cancer. Stewart's family and friends have pleaded with the government to grant her a "compassionate release" so she can obtain outside medical care and spend her remaining days at home. The government has denied the request.

ACTION ALERT: National Four-day Independence Strike Begginning July 4th (Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri / Chemtrail News )
Activists have issued a call for a 4-day Nationwide General Strike together with United We Strike -- from July 4-7. Collectively, what we need to do is JUST GO HOME! and use this four days to shut the country down financially, and do some homework to learn what is actually going on. In the great and peaceful tradition of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, we can accomplish far more this way.

ACTION ALERT on Global Nuclean Weapons (No Nukes, Netherlands)
There are 17,000* nuclear weapons around the world. It only takes one to cause a humanitarian catastrophe on a horrific scale. Yet we've talked ourselves into having 2,000 of them on hair-trigger alert, ready to be launched within minutes. There is only one cure for this threat. We have to ban nuclear weapons

ACTION ALERT: Power the USA with Clean/Renewable Energy Within 5 to 10 Years (Linda Rosch / MoveOn.org Petitions & CREDO Petitions)
A Petition to the White House: As we live in a state of global environmental emergency with extreme weather, extreme drought and increasing food shortages, we urgently need a national project for clean-energy implementation in the US -- a second Manhattan Project for Clean Energy. And send a petition to the White House thanking the president for his promise to reduce and eliminate the impact of coal and carbon burning.

Repeal the Patriot Act (Jim Hightower / The Creators Syndicate)
Commentary: "The Patriot Act -- that grotesque, ever-mutating, hydra-headed monstrosity from the Bush-Cheney Little Shop of Horrors -- has risen again, this time with an added twist of Orwellian intrusiveness from the Obamacans. Since 2006, Team Bush, and then Team Obama, have allowed the little-known, hugely powerful National Security Agency to run a daily dragnet through your and my phone calls -- all on the hush-hush, of course, not informing us spyees."

ACTION ALERT: Impeach National Intelligence Chief James Clapper for Perjury (Aaron Blake / The Washington Post & Derek Khanna / OpEd, Politix)
Misspeaking at a hearing may be a mistake. Misspeaking before the Intelligence Committee is an extremely grievous mistake. But even more egregious here is the Clapper had ample time to correct the record and apparently failed to do so.

Sen. Leahy's Introduces Bill to Sunset Surveillance Programs in 2015 (Jason Ditz / Anti-War.com & Burgess Everett / Politico)
Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy has introduced the most sweeping bill yet dealing with the fallout over revelations of NSA surveillance of phone records and Internet usage. The legislation is notable for its comprehensiveness and because of the author: Leahy is sure to give the measure some time in his committee room, be it for a hearing or a markup.

ACTION ALERT: Pardon Edward Snowden (We the People / The White House & Jason Ditz / Anti-War.com & Kevin Gosztola / Dissenter/Firedoglake)
A White House petition calling for President Obama to immediately and unconditionally pardon Edward Snowden for informing the American public about the NSA's surveillance schemes has reached its goal of 100,000 signatures today, and in less than two weeks. Snowden now becomes the eighth person accused under the Espionage Act by President Obama. No other US President has used this controversial, dated law so freely.

ACTION ALERT: 42 Civilians are Killed and the US Can't Explain Why
 (Robert Greenwald / Brave New Foundation)
More than 40 members of local "jirga" (a gathering of village elders convened to democratically resolve community problems) were killed by a US drone after the Pentagon concluded the meeting had the "signature" of a terrorist assembly. "Signature strikes" cause a high proportion of civilian casualties. The attacks, which violate international law, turn survivors against the US and feed anti-American violence. Sign a petition against the use of "Signature Strikes."

ACTION ALERT: Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Tool for a Corporate Coup against Democracy (George Washington / ZeroHedge.com & Representative Alan Grayson / US Congress)
Analysis: Uncle Sam is receiving information about every phone call that you make (as the NSA concedes), and Uncle Sam has access every other electronic communication of yours, including your e-mails and web browsing and storing it all (which the NSA disputes), then yes, Big Brother is Watching You. I think that it's wrong, and it has to end.

Media Organizations Protest Government Spying (Media Alliance )
in the wake of a week of reports in the UK Guardian and the Washington Post from former Booz Allen NSA contractor Edward Snowden, 86 public interest and civil liberties groups have delivered a letter to Congress. The letter states: "This type of blanket data collection by the government strikes at bedrock American values of freedom and privacy. This dragnet surveillance violates the 1st and 4th amendments of the US Constitution."

The Tshwane Principles and National Security Whistleblowers (Sandra Coliver / Open Society Justice Initiative )
Should whistleblowers be punished for revealing classified information? The Tshwane Principles on National Security were drafted by 22 organizations in consultation with more than 500 experts from more than 70 countries at 14 meetings held around the world, facilitated by the Open Society Justice Initiative.

ACTION ALERT: NSA Surveillance Furor Shows We're Ready for War on Terror to Be Over (Peter Beinart / The Daily Beast)
Obama was right: Americans are sick of the war on terror. We aren't terrified anymore, and we're no longer willing to sacrifice our freedoms. That's why a left-right alliance is denouncing Obama's spy program. It's impossible to understand the furor over the revelations about NSA surveillance without realizing that in his assessment of the public mood, Obama was right: Americans are ready for the "war on terror" to end.

ACTION ALERT: Support the Moral Actions of Edward Snowden (Norman Solomon / AntiWar.com & Dylan Stableford / Yahoo! News & Daniel Ellsberg / The Guardian)
According to Daniel Ellsberg, "there has not been in American history a more important leak than Edward Snowden's release of NSA material, and that definitely includes the Pentagon Papers." With his actions and words, Edward Snowden has given aid and comfort to grassroots efforts for democracy. What we do with his brave gift will be our choice.

ACTION ALERT: The 5 Nuclear Powers Should Attend the Nuclear Disarmament Summit (Petition by Aaron T. / Avaaz.org & Global Zero)
Establishing a nuclear-weapon-free world requires international cooperation. As the first-ever world summit on nuclear disarmament, the 26 September High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament could be the beginning of the end of the nuclear threat. But the nuclear-weapons states -- China, France, Russia, UK, and USA -- have already this year collectively decided not to attend.

ACTION ALERT: Moblize Humanitarian and Diplomatic Aid for Syrian Civilians and Refugees (Jon Rainwater / Peace Action West & John Ray / ITV News)
The civil war in Syria has been horrifying, and the Assad regime has been brutal. The US must join with other nations to support peace and justice. But throwing more guns into a chaotic situation would be a reckless mistake. Please write your senators today and ask them to increase humanitarian aid going to Syrians instead of fueling the conflict with more weapons. And don't forget the millions of refugees driven from Iraq by the violence triggered by US troops and weapons.

ACTION ALERT: Campaign against Yemen Drone Strikes (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & The Huffington Post)
JFP Policy Director Robert Naiman is heading to Yemen on a delegation of US peace advocates, where they will be meeting Gerald Feierstein, the US Ambassador to Yemen. The delegation will urge Ambassador Feierstein to use his influence to end US drone strikes in Yemen -- especially "signature strikes" in which the US doesn't even know who it is targeting.

ACTION ALERT: Prevent Extrajudicial Killings with Drones and Other Weapons (Amnesty International )
The Obama administration claims its use of assassination drones is "legal," "ethical," and "wise." But Amnesty International is gravely concerned that the administration is killing people outside the bounds of human rights and the law. The "global war" theory is being used to justify human rights violations. AI is pushing to have the law at the heart of the "global war" theory -- 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force -- repealed.

ACTION ALERT: Appeal to Syria: Release 16-year-old Ahmed Ismael al-'Akkad (Amnesty International )
An appeal to the government of Syria on behalf of 16-year-old Ahmed Ismael al-'Akkad. Ahmed, who suffers from asthma, and has been held incommunicado in conditions possibly amounting to enforced disappearance since November 20, 2012. He is reported to have been ill-treated and denied medical treatment in a military Intelligence-run detention center.

ACTION ALERT: Consensus Killer Robots Must Be Addressed (Stop Killer Robots.org )
The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots welcomes the UN Special Rapporteur's report and urges all to endorse and implement its recommendations, including the call for an immediate moratorium on robotics weapons systems that, once activated, can select and engage targets without further intervention by a human. This would be a first step towards a comprehensive international ban on these fully autonomous weapons.

Killer Drones & War Crimes: Citizens of Wisconsin Deliver War Crimes Indictment against President Barack H. Obama (Kevin Zeese / Global Research & Wisconsin Coalition to Ground the Drones and End the Wars
)
Five nonviolent activists attempted to deliver an indictment for war crimes to Volk Field Commander Colonel Dave Romuald. They walked peacefully onto the base with the indictment in hand, and asked for a meeting with Colonel Romauld. Instead of a meeting, they were promptly arrested, taken to the Juneau County jail in handcuffs, and charged with disorderly conduct and trespassing.

ACTION ALERT: Monsanto Wages a Stealth Campaign on Food Safety and Truth (Politifact & The Daily Show & The Huffington Post & Associated Press)
Tucked into Section 735 of the "continuing resolution" to fund the US government through September, is a provision relating to the regulation of genetically engineered crops that has food safety activists up in arms. The law "requires the USDA to approve the harvest and sale of crops from genetically modified seed even if a court has ruled against the crop as being dangerous to public safety or the environment." A second attempt to repeal the ruling is pending.

ACTION ALERT: US Stay Out of Syria (VoteVets.org & The Nationa)
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently voted 15-3 in favor of arming and training the Syrian rebels. This is a misguided and dangerous idea and could entangle the Pentagon in a spreading regional war. Case in point: Syrian rebels reportedly are planning to attack Hizbollah in its Lebanese strongholds. Such attacks would mark a significant escalation and spread of what is fast developing into a highly sectarian, regional war.

STOP Act: Put an End to Sexual Violence in the Military (Congresswoman Jackie Speier)
The STOP (Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Prevention) Act takes the prosecution, reporting, oversight, investigation, and victim care of sexual assaults out of the normal military chain of command -- which has proven grossly ineffective -- and places jurisdiction in an autonomous Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office.

World at Risk: A Call to Action from the World's Scientists (A Statement by World Scientists)
Life on Earth is threatened by war, pollution, climate change and population growth. A remarkable statement signed by 520 global scientists from 44 countries is calling for serious and immediate changesto halt destructive technologies, economic systems and human behavior. The signers include Nobel Laureates, members of the US National Academy of Sciences, members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and members of European scientific academies.

ACTION ALERT: Block the $10 Billion B61 Nuclear Bomb (Peace Action West & the Federation of Atomic Scientists)
The federal government is about to spend $10 billion on 400 bombs that even military commanders say have "no military value." Take action below to urge your representative to oppose the B61 bomb Life Extension Program and stop plans to build an atomic bomb that costs more than its weight in gold.

ACTION ALERT: Reject BLM's Call to Frack the Nation
The Obama administration just released its first major fracking policy -- the Bureau of Land Management's proposed rules for fracking on 600 million acres of public land. And it's even worse than we feared The Obama administration's rule for fracking on public lands is a major concession to the fracking industry. Please submit a comment telling the Obama administration to ban fracking on federal lands, not open them up to dangerous fracking.

ACTION ALERT: Tell John Kerry: Investigate Corruption in the KXL Pipeline Review (Friends of the Earth)
In March, the State Department issued its environmental review of the Keystone XL pipeline that Ignored the many studies warning the pipeline will accelerate climate change and endanger communities along its route. It has now been revealed that the firm hired by the State Department to write this flawed review is a dues-paying member of the American Petroleum Institute and sub-contractors hired to do the review have ties to the oil industry.

ACTION ALERT: Demand Accountability for US Drone Killings of Children (Brave New Films & Tabassum Zakaria / Reuters)
United States drone strikes have killed 178 children in Pakistan and Yemen. During a Senate hearing in April 2013, Farea Al-Muslimi, a writer, testified in an emotion-filled voice as he described the shock he experienced first-hand from a US drone attack that devastated his home village in Yemen. Al-Muslimi also described the angry blowback in public opinion from residents against the United States.

ACTION ALERT: Push Back Against the Media Drumbeat for War with Syria (Robert Naiman, Chelsea Mozen, Sarah Burns and Megan Iorio / Just Foreign Policy)
After twelve years of wars promoted by lies and claims of easy victory, the costly Afghanistan war drags on and Washington cuts Head Start, Meals on Wheels, and cancer clinics and threatens to cut Social Security and veterans' benefits. Yet, despite this dismal history, elite media are manufacturing a new drumbeat for war, this time with Syria, even though polls have shown the public is overwhelmingly opposed to US military intervention in Syria's civil war.

Palestinian Refugees from Syria Seek Shelter in Lebanon (American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) & Amnesty International)
More than 40,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria have fled to Lebanon, with some 3,000 refugees arriving each month. Nearly half have sought shelter in refugee camps in southern Lebanon. As Palestinians, they are not eligible by UN mandate to receive UNHCR aid. UNRWA, which is responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees, is overstretched to serve their increasing needs. Meanwhile, Amnesty International is increasing it efforts to assist these families uprooted three times by war. 



ACTION ALERT: Close Guantanamo -- No Forced Feedings, No Illegal Detentions (Amnesty International )
Obama blames an uncooperative Congress for frustrating his effort to close Guantanamo, but he is not without options for doing the right thing, right now. For example, dozens of detainees have been cleared to leave and can be transferred under current US law. People like Shaker Aamer, who the UK government says should be free with his family in London. Resolving such cases can happen now and would be a positive step.



ACTION ALERT: President Obama: Close Detention Facility at Guantanamo Bay (Col. Morris Davis (USAF, Ret.) / Change.org)
I served 25 years in the US Air Force, I was the Chief Prosecutor for the Terrorism Trials at Guantanamo Bay for more than two years. I personally charged Osama Bin Laden's driver Salim Hamdan. And now I need your help. More than 160 men who have never been charged with any offense, much less convicted of a war crime, remain at Guantanamo with no end in sight. The Patriotic thing, the Human thing to do here is to Close Guantanamo.

ACTION ALERT: Restore Funding to Nuclear Non-Proliferation Programs (John Isaacs & Guy Stevens / Council for a Livable World)
The US bomb that devastated Hiroshima during World War II required only 55 pounds of highly enriched uranium, an amount about the size of a grapefruit and easily hidden in a backpack. In 2009, President Obama cautioned that terrorists are seeking to build, buy or steal a nuclear weapon. And yet, incredible as it may seem, programs to stop terrorists from obtaining dangerous nuclear materials are facing significant budget cuts this year.

Guantanamo's Death Row: A Plea to Save Lives and Build Peace (Tom Hayden / TomHayden.com)
Commentary: "Your Guantanamo choice -- to release the hunger strikers or let them die -- reminds me of Margaret Thatcher's similar choice in 1981 when "the Iron Lady," as her admirers called her, allowed 10 Irishmen to slowly starve to death because she would not recognize their most basic human rights.... There are 86 already designated for transfer, 56 of them from Yemen. You have the power, on a case-by-case basis, to release them."

ACTION ALERT: Last Chance to Stop Tar Sands Pipeline, Today -- Earth Day Deadline (Elijah Zarlin / Credo Action & James Hansen / The New York Times & Brad Johnson / Grist )
Monday -- Earth Day -- is the final day to speak out as part of the Obama administration's decision making process on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline which would mean "game over for the climate." Here's why the public's voice needs to be heard: The State Department's "don't worry" environmental impact statement for the proposed Keystone XL tarsands pipeline, was not written by government officials. It was written by a private company in the pay of the pipeline's owner.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Pentagon's Sonic War on Whales (Ted Danson / Oceana )
The Obama administration is considering allowing the use of deadly seismic airgun blasts to search for oil and gas under the ocean floor, the first harmful step toward expanding dangerous offshore drilling to the Atlantic. The US Department of the Interior estimates that 138,500 whales and dolphins will be injured and possibly killed along the East Coast if these tests are allowed to go through.

ACTION ALERT: 157 Held without Charge. Lives Are on the Line, Close Guantanamo Now! (The World Can't Wait / SF Bay Area Chapter )
In the jail cells at Guantanamo, 130 prisoners detained without charge (including many cleared for release) have been on a hunger strike since February 7 -- nearly 70 days in a collective challenge to the world's conscience. There seems to be no limit to the levels of the government's brutal assault against any rights or humanity of these "detainees" -- most of whom have now spent more than 10 years of their lives confined in Washington's Bush-era military prison.

ACTION ALERT: War IS the Answer? & National Tax Freedom Day (Jim Cason / Friends Committee on National Legislation & Benjamin Powell / The Independent & The Huffington Post)
If the question is where more than one-third of all your tax dollars go, then war is the answer. Today, our federal income taxes are due. For every tax dollar we pay, 37 cents go toward Pentagon spending for current and past wars. As a nation, we'll pay $2.76 trillion in federal taxes and another $1.46 trillion in state and local taxes. That equals 29.4 percent of all of the income US citizens will earn this year.

ACTION ALERT: NO US Interference in Venezuela Elections (Alberto Lovera Circula Bolivariano de New York)
Commentary: After the death of Venezuelan president Chavez, supporters of the Venezuelan leader are warning that "the imperialist nations of the world are preparing to attack the Bolivarian Revolution." As Venezuela prepares for a new presidential election on April 11, "the imperialists are intent to intervene and sabotage the election."

ACTION ALERT: Free 73-year-old Civil Rights Lawyer Lynne Stewart (Ralph Poynter / Change.org & Dick Gregory)
A 73-year-old lawyer, suffering from advanced breast cancer faces a 10-year-sentence for the "crime" of offering legal defense services to a client deemed an "enemy" of the US. Despite her age and illness, Lynne Stewart is forced to wear 10 pounds of shackles and chains. Her plight has outraged First Amendment defenders. With her life in imminent jeopardy, Dick Gregory, Pete Seeger, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and 6,000 supporters are demanding Stewart's freedom.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Senate: Pass Gun Background Checks (Gabby Giffords / Americans for Responsible Solutions )
A little over two years ago, a mentally ill young man shot me in the head, killed six of my constituents, and wounded twelve others. Your Senators are set to begin debate this week, but there are some who are threatening to filibuster any vote on the issue. That's unacceptable, and they need to hear from you. Will you stand with Mark and me and sign our petition urging the Senate to pass universal background checks for all gun purchases?

ACTION ALERT: Anti-Drone Protests Surge from Coast to Coast (Code Pink & Peace Resource Center of San Diego)
Join us by signing a letter to General Atomics CEO Neal Blue, urging him to stop manufacturing killer drones! Help us fill up his inbox by sharing this action with your friends!

ACTION ALERT: After 20 Years, the World Has an Arms Trade Treaty! (Amnesty International)
After weeks of intense negotiations at the UN Conference, including roadblocks put up by Iran, Syria and North Korea, a final treaty was adopted! The treaty prohibits the sale of arms used to commit genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. We are now closer than ever to the golden rule: "Governments must prevent arms transfers where there is a substantial risk that they will be used to commit serious violations of human rights." Now, will the US ratify the treaty?

ACTION ALERT: Stop US Aid to Honduran Death Squads (Robert Naiman / SignOn.org & Mark Weisbrot / The Guardian / http://signon.org/sign/kerry-no-aid-to-honduran?source=c.url&r;_by=1135580)
In Honduras, Reagan-era atrocities are back as the Obama administration funds a state implicated in murdering opponents. In a widely circulated surveillance video, two students are murdered in cold blood by heavily armed killers traveling in two large vehicles. The high level of professional training and modus operandi of the assassins have led many observers to conclude that this was a government operation. Were US funds or training involved in this crime?

PROTEST! Guantanamo Hunger Strike DAY 57: April 3, 2013 (The World Can't Wait )
At least 130 of the 166 prisoners confined at Guantanamo have been on a hunger strike for eight weeks. Many have lost 20-30 pounds. They are being denied clean drinking water and their lawyers have been prevented from seeing them. 52 days into the strike, bodily functions are shutting down and are rapidly reaching a point where recovery is impossible. On April 3, as these prisoners face starvation, President Obama will visit San Francisco for a fund-raising dinner at a millionaire's mansion.

ACTION ALERT: For Nuclear Security Beyond Seoul, Eradicate Land-Based 'Doomsday' Missiles (Democracy in Action & David Krieger and Daniel Ellsberg / Waging Peace)
With the US and South Korea engaged in a risky game of provocation with nuclear-armed North Korea, President Obama has the opportunity in his second term to put the world squarely on track to achieve the abolition of nuclear weapons. Please take a moment to send President Obama a message today asking him to take three actions that will make the US and the world safer:

ACTION ALERT: Ban the Bomb; Balance the Budget (Jon Rainwater / Peace Action West & Chris Schneidmiller / Global Security Newswire)
For decades, our useless, good-for-nothing nuclear stockpile has just sat there, mooching off billions of taxpayer dollars. Finally, here's a chance for it to get off the couch and do something useful for a change. It can help us balance our budget. The Defense Department can save $50 billion by reducing nuclear arms spending through the coming decade even without cutting the size of the arsenal beyond levels set by a US-Russian arms control treaty, according to a new expert analysis.

ACTION ALERT: President Obama -- Keep Your Promise; Nuclear Disarmament Now! (Global Zero & Desmond Tutu / The Guardian )
"We cannot intimidate others into behaving well when we ourselves are misbehaving. Yet that is precisely what nations armed with nuclear weapons hope to do by censuring North Korea for its nuclear tests and sounding alarm bells over Iran's pursuit of enriched uranium. According to their logic, a select few nations can ensure the security of all by having the capacity to destroy all." -- Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

ACTION ALERT Support Gitmo Hunger Strikers (Andy Worthington & The World Can't Wait)
On March 14, 2013, 51 attorneys for prisoners at Guantánamo wrote to defense secretary Chuck Hagel to express "urgent and grave concern" about the mass hunger strike that has been taking place at the prison for the last five weeks, involving over a hundred of the 166 men still held -- and to urge him "to address the underlying causes of the strike and bring it to a prompt and acceptable end."

ACTION ALERT: Join Me to Kick Off a Mass Movement Against Gun Violence From Your Living Room on Saturday, March 23rd (Michael Moore / Michael Moore.com )
It is clear to everyone that the majority of Americans have "had it" with how we as a country have recklessly allowed the NRA and gun manufacturers to get away, literally, with murder. That is going to come to an end. On Saturday, March 23 MoveOn.org is sponsoring a national screening of "Bowling for Columbine," with me in New York City. Afterward, I will join you on the Web to take your questions and suggestions and we decide what we are all going to do.

ACTION ALERT: Democrats Set to Cave In on Gun Control (MoveOn & Huffington Post )
After months of promises that, in the wake of Newtown, "this time would be different," congressional Democrats, led by Majority Leader Harry Reid, are on the verge of caving on the three most critical gun violence prevention proposals: universal background checks, a ban on assault weapons, and a ban on high-capacity magazines.

ACTION ALERT: Congress to Vote on Nearly $1 Trillion Pentagon Spending Cuts (Friends Committee on National Legislation & Progressives United)
Next week, your representative will vote for the first time in nearly two years on a proposal that would cut about $900 billion out of the Pentagon budget and invest that money in creating millions of jobs and rebuilding our infrastructure. While this plan will probably not win approval in the full chamber, the number of votes the plan receives will be an important signal to show support for cutting Pentagon spending and investing in renewing the US economy.

ACTION ALERT: Protect Internet Privacy: Stop CISPA! (Daniel Jabbour / Change.org & Emily Flitter and Stella Dawson and Mark Hosenball / Reuters)
Under the guise of cyber-security, CISPA (the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act) is a bill that would grant corporations the power to share our emails, Facebook messages, and other sensitive online data with the government -- all without a warrant. At the same time, the Obama administration is drawing up plans to give all US spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country,

ACTION ALERT: Prevent the Transport of Plutonium Bomb Cores on Our Highways (The Petition Site & Tri-Valley CAREs)
The Department of Energy is planning to ship nuclear bomb cores through New Mexico, Arizona, and California in the back of trucks, from Los Alamos Lab in New Mexico to Livermore Lab in California. Nuclear watchdogs have called the plan "an unnecessarily dangerous, potentially unlawful" proposal.

ACTION ALERT: Why Jail Pushers But Not Bankers? Because, Attorney General Holder Explains, Some Banks Are Too Big to Prosecute (The Progressive Change Campaign Committee & Chris Good / ABC News & Robert Borosage / AlterNet)
Senator Elizabeth Warren had a question for financial regulators at a Senate Banking Committee hearing on money laundering: "How much money does a bank have to launder before people go to jail?" Yesterday Attorney General Holder stated openly what was already apparent. The Justice Department believes that Too Big to Fail Banks are Too Big to Jail. Any attempt to bring criminal indictments against banks or leading bankers might endanger the economy and thus are too big a risk.

How Sequestration Hits Military Families (Jon Soltz / Vote Vets Action Fund )
When Republicans rejected compromise solutions to avoid the "sequester," they ushered in a series of cuts that promise to hurt military families -- at home and in the field. Military families will see medical care, DoD-run schools, social services (including sexual assault prevention and treatment), tuition assistance, child care, and many other programs cut or even eliminated.

ACTION ALERT: Senate Vote on Gun Violence TODAY (MoveOn.org)
Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on multiple measures to reduce gun violence, including a ban on military-style assault weapons -- like the gun used in Newtown. These are the first major Senate votes on gun violence prevention since the Newtown elementary school tragedy. If the bills pass the Senate Judiciary Committee, Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised to push for a full Senate vote. Please contact members of the committee using the link below.

ACTION ALERT: No Back Door to War (Rebecca Griffin / Peace Action West )
Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) are planning to introduce a resolution urging the US government to back Israel, militarily if necessary, should Israel "be compelled to take military action" against Iran -- even if Israel strikes Iran first, with an unprovoked military attack. Such "pre-emptive" acts of aggression used to be called "the ultimate war crime." Contact your senators.

ACTION ALERT: The World's Biggest Gun Show: No Background Checks Needed (Michelle Ringuette / Amnesty International )
On March 18 - 28, 2013, world leaders will have a Final Conference to negotiate the first-ever treaty to will prevent weapons from ending up in the hands of tyrants and child soldiers. The Obama Administration bears heavy responsibility to lead efforts in establishing a strong, human rights-orientated treaty -- during the negotiation. Tell Obama the world needs a Robust Arms Trade Treaty NOW. Take action! Learn More.

Stop Korean War Games, Start Peace Talks (Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space & Russia Today)
The Korean War, known in the US as "The Forgotten War," has never ended. Every year, the US stages a massive joint war games with its ally, South Korea (ROK). These coordinated exercises are both virtual and real. The US-ROK "Key Resolve" and "Foal Eagle" annual war games, usually staged in March, typically last for months and involve tens of thousands of US abd ROK troops. We call upon the US and South Korean governments to stop the costly and provocative war games.

ACTION ALERT: Free Lynne Stewart and Dr. Aafia Siddiqui (The Committee to Stop FBI Repression & The World Can't Wait)
Lynne Stewart is a prominent civil rights attorney who, in 2005, was convicted of conspiracy to aid and abet terrorism after she defended Omar Abdel Rachman, an Egyptian cleric framed and imprisoned on "terrorism" charges. Despite suffering from cancer, Stewart has been shackled and held in chains. The government also refuses to release Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated neuroscientist and a graduate of MIT, who was abducted from Pakistan along with her family in 2003.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Senator Feinstein To Hold Hearings on Drones (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy & The Huffington Post)
Since somewhere between 13 percent and 34 percent of the deaths resulting from U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004 have been civilians, it would appear that there is indeed a risk of killing innocent people in the policy that has been pursued. The Senate Intelligence Committee, which is supposed to oversee the CIA, has never held a public hearing on CIA drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The time for Congressional oversight is long overdue.

ACTION ALERT: Beyond Sequestration: Rein In Pentagon Waste (Friends Committee on National Legislation & Progressives United)
Members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, are backing away from making significant cuts to the Pentagon budget. The Pentagon and some members of Congress claim that cutting $1 trillion over 10 years is too drastic. So we've put together a 90-second video that shows what those cuts look like.

ACTION Green New Deal for Climate (Jill Stein.org & Jenny Brown / Labor Notes & TruthOut)
The argument that unions must choose between jobs and the environment is losing its grip, as climate change becomes more evident. Nurses are demanding a "Robin Hood" tax on Wall Street to fund safe, green energy; auto workers are backing fuel-efficiency standards; taxi drivers are embracing hybrids. Because investment in renewable energy creates more jobs than investment in capital-intensive fossil fuels, people are calling for a Green New Deal to address climate change.

Sanders, Boxer Outline 'Gold Standard' Climate Bill (Hon. Bernie Sanders / The Guardian & George Zornick / The Nation)
Commentary: "Unless we take bold action to reverse climate change, our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are going to look back on this period in history and ask a very simple question: Where were they? Why didn't the United States of America, the most powerful nation on earth, lead the international community in cutting greenhouse gas emissions and preventing the devastating damage that the scientific community was sure would come?"

ACTION ALERT: A Call for Global Protests for Democracy, Solidarity and Justice (David Swanson / War Is a Crime & Natasha Lennard / Salon.com)
Ten years ago, millions of people around the world said "no" to war on February 15, 2003. Now, we say "yes" to peace; "yes" to demilitarizing, to having decent lives, including economic lives, determined by democratic principles. The lesson is we need more global protest and solidarity, not less. The same impulses that drove us to the streets in 2003 are still with us. The politicians who backed the Iraq war still dominate the US, UK and other foreign policy establishments.

Enviros -- including the Sierra Club -- Face Arrest over Tar Sands Pipeline (CBS Local & The Sierra Club)
More than 40 celebrities and environmentalists -- including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Julian Bond, Bill McKibben, Daryl Hannah and NASA climate scientist James Hansen -- were arrested after tying themselves to the White House gate to protest the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada. Sierra Club executive director Michael Brune also was arrested. It was the first time in the group's 120-year history that a club leader was arrested in an act of civil disobedience.

A Policy Agenda for President Obama's Second Term (Friends Committee on National Legislation )
On the even of the president's State of the Union Address, the Friends Committee on National Legislation and 22 faith organizations have sent a document to the White House outlining "our shared foreign policy recommendations for President Obama's second administration."

ACTION ALERT: Take a Chunk out of Pentagon Spending: End the 'Gag Order' Against Cuts to Social Spending (Rebecca Griffin / Peace Action West )
If Congress doesn't break its stalemate by March 1st, automatic spending cuts will kick in. From discussions with congressional staff, it's clear they need to hear more public support for address critical social, educational, health and employment needs by slashing the Pentagon budget. Take action below to call for significant reductions in wasteful Pentagon spending.

First City in US Passes Resolution Against Drones (David Swanson / War Is a Crime & Natasha Lennard / Salon.com)
Shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday, February 4th, the City Council of Charlottesville, Va., passed what is believed to be the first anti-drone resolution in the country. The largely symbolic legislation aims to inspire further safeguarding of privacy as domestic drones proliferate.

ACTION ALERT: Dear President Obama: Honor Iran's Medical Needs (Monthly Review & Campaign for Peace and Democracy & Friends Committee on Legislation & Reuters)
“Iranian Mothers for Peace," in an open letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, have alerted the responsible world bodies and human rights groups to the critical shortage of vital medication due to the US/EU-led sanctions on Iran and their deadly impact on the lives and health of the Iranian people. "The everyday reality we observe on the ground in Iran has convinced us that the draconian sanctions are victimizing the very fabric of the society we intend to strengthen."

ACTION ALERT: Tell Washington: Terminate Development of Autonomous Killer Robots (Human Rights Watch)
Fully autonomous weapons, also known as "killer robots," would be able to select and engage targets without human intervention. Fully autonomous weapons do not exist yet, but they are being developed by several countries and precursors to fully autonomous weapons have already been deployed by high-tech militaries. Some experts predict that fully autonomous weapons could be operational in 20 to 30 years.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Washington Post: 'Conduct a New Poll on US Killer Drone Policy (Just Foreign Policy )
A key reason many in Congress haven't spoken up against the drone strike policy is that many believe the public overwhelmingly supports the policy. A key reason many believe the public overwhelmingly supports the drone strike policy is that the Washington Post said so in February 2012. But the Post's poll question was highly misleading. It's time for the Post to conduct a new poll.

ACTION ALERT: Rally, March, and Die Against Drone Wars in Washington, D.C., on Monday (War Is a Crime)
What you can do to stop drone wars and celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s opposition to militarism, racism, and extreme materialism. March, protest, raise your voice, demonstrate in Washington, DC -- and across the nation.

ACTION ALERT: No US War or Drones in Mali (Just Foreign Policy )
The Los Angeles Times has reported that the Pentagon is putting pressure on the White House to prepare for a significant US military intervention in Mali. So far, the White House is resisting this pressure. The last thing we need is another war. Help us help the White House push back against the Pentagon's pressure for a new war by writing to Congress.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Obama: Pardon CIA Whistleblower John Kiriakou (Brian Sonenstein / Firedog Lake.com & Kevin Gosztola / The Dissenter)
President Obama has opposed waterboarding since the 2008 campaign -- so why is he sending the man who helped end that practice to prison? Former CIA officer John Kiriakou, who helped expose the torture program, is expected to receive a sentence of 30 months in prison. It's a cruel irony that the first agent connected to the CIA torture program to go to prison is the whistleblower who spoke out against the heinous practices of our government.

ACTION ALERT: No US Drone Strikes in Mali Without Congressional Approval ( Just Foreign Policy & The Washington Post)
France has undertaken a major military campaign in Mali. US officials are talking about the possibility of supporting the French military campaign with US drone strikes. Congress hasn't authorized US military intervention in Mali. In particular, Congress hasn't authorized US drone strikes in Mali. Urge your Representative and Senators to publicly insist that the Administration obtain explicit Congressional authorization before conducting drone strikes in Mali.

ACTION ALERT: Afghanistan Needs Trees, Not Troops (Afghanistan Samsortya )
"At Afghanistan Samsortya, we directly address the challenges of environmental degradation, recognizing that a healthy environment is crucial for economic and social well-being. As a grassroots organization directly involving communities in revitalization work, in 2009, we raised funds to establish a nursery that has now produced thousands of tree saplings."

ACTION ALERT: $1 Trillion in Pentagon Cuts Still on the Table (Friends Committee on National Legislation )
Congress did something extraordinary at the beginning of this year. Despite intense pressure from military contractors and billions of dollars spent by defense lobbyists, our elected officials left in place deep cuts in Pentagon spending. Now we need to keep up the momentum! Make sure that your member of Congress knows where you stand on Pentagon cuts.

ACTION ALERT: From 'I Have a Dream' to 'I Have a Drone' (The World Can't Wait )
Even if the White House doesn't know a target's name, he can still be marked for death. Obama has provided the CIA with authority to kill not only suspected militants, but unknown individuals it believes follow a pattern of militant activity, in what it terms "signature strikes." The drone program has killed an undisclosed number of civilians.

ACTION ALERT: Senators: Question Brennan and Other Admin Nominees on Drone Policy! (Just Foreign Policy & Human Rights Watch)
President Obama has announced his new national security team: Chuck Hagel at Defense, John Kerry at State, John Brennan at the CIA. Each of these officials will have a say in whether US drone strike policy will be further entrenched than it is today, or whether US drone strike policy will become more transparent and accountable, and be brought into full compliance with US and international law. JFP has created a petition calling for the Senate hearings to address the issues raised by the drone program.

ACTION ALERT: Petition President for Action on Fukushima Fallout in US (Kimberly Roberson / Change.org)
We are in the midst of an ongoing radiation crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in Japan. Some are saying "this is not Chernobyl" and for that matter it may turn out to be worse. Now we are learning that the water pumped in from the ocean to cool the Fukushima reactors is flowing back to sea mixed with deadly plutonium. Particulates, radioactive iodine and other radioisotopes from Fukushima have traveled across the US as far as Massachusetts.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Shipments of Plutonium Bomb Cores on US Roads (Scott Yundt and Marylia Kelley / Tri-Valley CAREs' Citizen's Watch )
Plutonium bomb cores, often called pits, are Category I/II special nuclear material, requiring the highest level of security, however, the US Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration is currently planning to truck these plutonium bomb cores across three states to the Livermore Lab, a sprawling facility located near San Francisco, California.

ACTION ALERT: Two Petitions Against Gun Violence (Progressive Change Campaign Committee & MoveOn.org)
Hours before 20 children were tragically killed in Connecticut, a man attacked 22 school children in China. None of those kids died -- the attacker only had a knife. Guns kill people. Now's the time to say it -- and to promise kids in our communities that we will keep saying it until there is action.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: Put the Nuclear Weapons Budget on the Table (Council for a Livable World )
The showdown on the so-called "Fiscal Cliff" in Washington has begun. On the table is $1 trillion in automatic spending cuts of equal parts domestic and Pentagon spending, as well as the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. And the deadline is December 31st. Congress and the White House are trying to devise a different deal. But with $1 trillion in cuts still needed, if we don’t cut the Pentagon -- and specifically the nuclear weapons budget -- that means more cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

ACTION ALERT: Grassroots to Obama: Jobs Not War -- End the Afghan War (The New York Daily News & War Is a Crime)
United for Peace and Justice, US Labor Against the War and 54 other groups have signed onto the Jobs Not Wars petition; they plan to send it to the White House and Congress around Inauguration Day. Jobs, not wars. That was the clear will the majority of Americans forcefully and democratically expressed last November with the re-election of Barack Obama.

ACTION ALERT: Nuclear Safety Oversight: Saving Dollars, Making Sense (Alliance for Nuclear Accountability )
The House FY13 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) makes several dramatic changes to our country's nuclear safety standards. These changes were hardly discussed and were made without the attention of most members. Now, the Senate has a responsibility to protect American lives and tax dollars by affirming the primacy of safety in America's nuclear enterprise through its FY13 NDAA.

ACTION ALERT: Help Protect Safety Standards at Nuclear Weapons Sites (Alliance for Nuclear Accountability )
The Republican controlled House Armed Services Committee included some really terrible things in their National Defense Authorization Act earlier this year. This week, the Senate is debating their version of the bill and next week a conference committee will write the final bill. This is the critical time to contact Congress and insist on essential improvements to the flawed NDAA.

ACTION ALERT: Let's Finally End the War in Afghanistan (Agence France-Presse & Council for a Livable World)
The US has announced that some 10,000 troops will remain in Afghanistan after NATO combat operations end at the end of 2014. The plan is in line with recommendations from General John Allen, commander of ISAF forces in Afghanistan to leave 60,000 US troops in the country through 2014. At the same time, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has offered amendment No. 3096 to the defense authorization bill on the Senate floor to urge an accelerated withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: Cars vs. Land: Eco-activist Risks Death in Attempt to Halt Road in Trinidad (Trinidad Express & Trinidad Guardian)
Environmental activist Dr. Wayne Kublalsingh is facing death in a protest fast, hoping to halt a $2.1 billion road that would destroy traditional agricultural land in Trinidad. As the Oxford-educated activist begins to suffer the onset of renal failure, heavy equipment has begun to remove the topsoil from acres of land. Residents of homes -- whose ancestors settled the land more than 100 years ago -- watched helplessly as their fruit trees and a forest were turned into open fields.

ACTION ALERT: An Urgent Appeal for Signatures to Save the Children of Fukushima (Fukushim-Syonei Blog)
One and half years after the Fukushima nuclear disaster, more than 260,000 children remain in the highly contaminated areas. Although the parents are striving to protect their children, their protection measures cannot be the solution to prevent radiation exposure. Recent studies have found 43% of 42,000 children have abnormal thyroid growth. We demand of the government support collective evacuation of the children to a safe and healthy environment.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Korea's War on Whales (Patrick Ramage / The International Fund for Animal Welfare)
We only have two weeks to try to save endangered North Pacific minke whales from Korean harpoons. Please act now. At the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting in July of this year, the Government of the Republic of Korea announced its intention to begin killing endangered North Pacific minke whales. The deadline to submit their proposal is December 3.

ACTION ALERT: No More Broken Promises (Suzanne Nossel / Amnesty International USA )
Commentary: "This is the moment that will define the future of the US' commitment on human rights. President Obama's second term will determine whether the post 9/11 stains on the US' human rights record are an anomaly or the 'new normal.' 
By taking bold steps to restore respect for human rights President Obama can help ensure justice, security and accountability here in the US and around the world. That's why he must take three bold actions immediately."

ACTION ALERT: President Obama -- Stop Blocking Global Ban on Depleted Uranium Weapons (Ban Depleted Uranium.org & International Coalition to Ban Uranium Weapons)
On November 5, 138 United Nations members supported a resolution calling for a precautionary approach to depleted uranium weapons. The United States (a producer and user of these weapons), together with the United Kingdom, France and Israel were the only four to vote against. They also sought to block similar resolutions in 2007, 2008 and 2010. The UN General Assembly will take up a final vote this December.

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama to Stop US Nuclear Muscle Flexing (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & The Acronym Institute)
The US Air Force is at it again. They have scheduled a test of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile for the early hours of November 14. Minuteman III missiles are on hair-trigger alert in silos in Montana, Wyoming and North Dakota. They carry thermonuclear warheads at least eight times more powerful than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima.

ACTION ALERT: Tell the Media to Cover Climate Change (Michael Kieschnick / CREDO Action & Michael Calderone / Huffington Post)
Hurricane Sandy provides a teachable moment to educate the public about the connection between extreme weather and oceans that are warming due to fossil-fueled climate change. But too many major news outlets and reports are still relying on hackneyed weather reporting -- windblown "reporters" with microphones on beaches -- rather than asking why storms are getting bigger and more dangerous

ACTION ALERT: 46 Groups Protest Plutonium Bomb Core Shipments to the San Francisco Bay Area (Letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu / Tri-Valley CARES and Concerned Organizations )
We, the forty-six local, regional, state and national organizations listed below (including Environmentalists Against War), write to express our collective concern about an unnecessarily dangerous, potentially unlawful proposal to transport plutonium bomb cores from Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico to the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California.

ACTION ALERT: Call for a Nuclear Weapons-Free Middle East; Reject Plans for a US Park to Honor Nuclear Bombs (United for Peace and Justice & Hon. Dennis J. Kusinich / US House of Representatives)
Iran has attacked no one, yet both the United States and Israel continue to threaten Iran with a military attack unless Iran agrees to halt uranium enrichment. Whether or not one agrees with Iran's interpretation of its rights under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, this is a matter to be resolved by diplomacy, not war. Meanwhile, Rep. Dennis Kucinich has led a successful bipartisan effort to defeat a bill to establish a new national park celebrating the Manhattan Project.

ACTION ALERT: In the Next Presidential Debate, Let's Get a Question on Drones (Just Foreign Policy )
During the last two presidential debates, the foreign policy discussion -- what little there has been -- has largely centered around the murder of four members of the US embassy staff in Benghazi. But while these four deaths were certainly grievous, the killing of hundreds of civilians in Pakistan from US drone strikes has so far been ignored -- and that's outrageous.

ACTION ALERT: In Next Debate, Let's Get a Question on Drones (Just Foreign Policy )
During the last two presidential debates, the foreign policy discussion -- what little there has been -- has largely centered around the murder of four members of the US embassy staff in Benghazi. But while these four deaths were certainly grievous, the killing of hundreds of civilians in Pakistan from US drone strikes has so far been ignored -- and that's outrageous.

ACTION ALERT: 50 Years After the Cuban Missile Crisis, Time to Eliminate Land-Based Missiles (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & The Acronym Institute)
Fifty years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis had the US and Soviet Union at the precipice of nuclear war. Now -- 50 years later -- the US still keeps 450 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles on high alert. The missiles and the thermonuclear warheads that they deliver can reach nearly any place on Earth in 30 minutes or less, drastically raising the risk that -- in a time of crisis -- the missiles could be launched because of a false warning.

URGENT ACTION ALERT: Russia Appeals to US to Save Polar Bears (Frances Beinecke / Natural Resources Defense Council )
Action is needed by October 4 for US to act on Russian plea to join in calling for a ban on the killing of polar bears. Last Friday the Russian Federation sent a letter to the Obama Administration promising that Russia would support a resolution to ban the international polar bear fur trade if the US government introduces it.

ACTION ALERT: Mission to Pakistan to Challenge US Drone Killings (Robert Naiman / Just Foreign Policy and Common Dreams )
Just Foreign Policy's Robert Naiman is traveling to Pakistan as part of a peace delegation to protest US drone strikes. He will deliver this petition from to the US Embassy in Pakistan. Naiman explained: "I will join 34 other Americans in visiting Pakistan, meeting with the families of victims of US drone strikes, participating in a peace march against the drone strikes, and delivering a petition to US and Pakistani officials from Americans, calling for the drone strike policy to end.

ACTION ALERT: Bring Pentagon Spending to the Campaign Trail (Friends Committee on National Legislation )
Members of Congress have just cast what is likely to be their last vote before the election. Today, the Senate passed legislation to keep the government running through next March, matching what the House approved last week. With that critical piece of business taken care of, politicians are headed home to campaign. Make sure your candidates hear your concern about runaway Pentagon spending. And take action at the following link.

ACTION ALERT: Jeju Island Navy Base Controversy Divides Enviros (Koohan Paik / Save Jeju Now)
The IUCN, the world's largest and oldest conservation organization, is holding its quadrennial convention on Jeju Island, South Korea. But what conference planners weren't expecting was massive protests from the local community and international activists, against a gigantic US Navy base being built seven kilometers away. As a result of this controversy, an emergency motion to stop base construction has been drafted. It will be voted on this Saturday, September 15.

ACTION ALERT: Wake Up, World: Syrians are Dying (Amnesty International )
Amnesty International just completed a mission in Syria, where we met with residents caught in the bitter battle for control of Aleppo -- the country’s economic capital and largest city. Amnesty Crisis Adviser Donatella Rovera shot alarming video footage of families who are living amidst the bombings, executions and other atrocities being committed by government forces and militias working alongside the Syrian military. 



ACTION ALERT: Stop The Execution Frenzy in Gambia (Amnesty International )
Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh has set mid-September 2012 as a deadline for carrying out a sickening plan "to rid the country of all criminals." But he's already proven that he's not willing to wait long. 

The executions carried out last week were the first in 27 years -- effectively ending an unofficial moratorium! Gambia is now the first West African country to execute prisoners in recent history.

ACTION ALERT: Save Jeju Island (Bruce Gagnon / GNAWNPS & Roots Action)
A coordinated international campaign is trying to save South Korea's beautiful Jeju Island from destruction. The World Conservation Congress 2012 is being held on Jeju Island -- while just four miles away, in the island's Gangjeong Village, construction is beginning on a massive new naval base to be used by the US.

ACTION ALERT: War on Wolves: Endangered Grey Wolf Targeted (EarthJustice )
Wyoming's gray wolves may lose their endangered species protection. Many of those responsible for the anti-wolf policies in Wyoming today basically wish for the return of the days when virtually no wolves occupied the northern Rockies landscape. Take action.

ACTION ALERT: Block Arms Sales to Human Rights Abusing Governments (Peace Action West & Associated Press & Amnesty International)
Late night clashes with riot police in the divided Gulf nation of Bahrain have left a 16-year-old boy dead. Yousef al-Muhafedha, of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights, said Husam al-Hadad was beaten by security forces late Friday and died from his injuries. In May, the US authorized a new shipment of arms to Bahrain despite the fact that not a single senior official hase been investigated for the many documented acts of torture, imprisonment, and killings.

ACTION ALERT: UNESCO Sacrifices Wildlife Preserve for Uranium Mine (Rainforest Rescue )
UNESCO describes the Selous Game Reserve as an immense sanctuary “relatively undisturbed by human impact” and inhabited by “large numbers of elephants, black rhinoceroses, giraffes, hippopotamuses and crocodiles.” Nevertheless, UNESCO has now accepted a boundary change of the Reserve that will permit the mining of uranium in the conservation area for supplying nuclear power plants.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Call on NBC To Cancel Pro-war Reality Show, 'Stars Earn Stripes' (Jody Williams, Desmond Tutu, Mairead Maguire, Shirin Ebadi, José Ramos-Horta, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Rigoberta Menchú Tum and Betty Williams / The Guardian)
Commentary: As Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, it is our belief that this program [Stars Earn Stripes] pays homage to no one anywhere and continues and expands on an inglorious tradition of glorifying war and armed violence. Military training is not to be compared, subtly or otherwise, with athletic competition by showing commercials throughout the Olympics. Preparing for war is neither amusing nor entertaining. Real war is down-in-the-dirt deadly.

ACTION ALERT: Paul Watson Seeks Safest Harbor From Japan Extradition (Tom Hayden / Tom Hayden.com)
Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson skipped bail and went missing July 19 in Germany and now is the target of an Interpol global alert. Watson was arrested in May on a decade-old charge of disrupting illegal shark-finning activity in Costa Rica. Watson was out on bail pending a German decision on an extradition request. Sea Shepherd suspects Japan is behind the decade-old Costa Rican request and hopes to have Watson tried in Japan where he would likely be imprisoned.

ACTION ALERT: Veterans, Military Families, Peace Groups Protest NBC's Stars Earn Stripes (RootsAction.org, Just Foreign Policy, Veterans For Peace, and Military Families Speak Out)
As part of the publicity campaign for its new "reality" show, Stars Earn Strips, NBC added the words "War Is Fun!" to a promotional photo. RootsAction.org, Just Foreign Policy, Veterans For Peace, and Military Families Speak Out have launched a campaign at http://StarsEarnStripes.org targeting NBC's new program, "Stars Earn Stripes," which the network began advertising during its Olympics telecast. The show will debut on August 13th.

ACTON ALERT: End US Military Aid to Mexico (Presente.org & Democracy Now! & Ioan Grillo / Global Post )
Since 2008, the U.S. Government has given Mexico more than $2 billion in military aid, most of which goes to fight the failed drug war.2 Many agree that the current war on drugs is a complete failure. A new peace movement to end the U.S.-sponsored drug war begins with buses rolling and feet marching from the Tijuana–San Diego border on August 12 through 25 U.S. cities to Washington, DC, in September.

ACTION ALERT: Nuclear Free Future Month (Nuclear Free Future)
It's time to end the toxic legacy of the nuclear age and the threats posed by the existence of nuclear weapons and their evil twins, the 440 "peaceful" nuclear reactors desecrating our earth. Each one of these vulnerable reactors is a potential Fukishima waiting to happen, either by force of nature or human error. Similarly, the estimated 20,000 nuclear bombs on our planet are subject to catastrophic accidental or intentional use.

ACTON ALERT: Tell Congress to Expedite Renewable Energy (EcoWatch et al.)
This petition calls on Congress to expedite renewable energy. We can transition to a cleaner, renewable energy future, but Congress needs to pass the legislation to get us there. This petition unites the voices of Americans who demand our leaders take seriously the energy and climate crisis and immediately work to implement the policies to move our country toward a sustainable future.

ACTION ALERT: Stop US Sales of Assault Weapons, Stop Civilian Mass Killings in the US, and Stop Arming Mexican Drug Cartels (Brave New Films & Michael Moore)
Here is the brutal truth: 70 percent of the AR-15s and other guns used by drug lords, gangs, and kidnappers in Mexico come from the United States. Inside the US, guns are responsible for more than 80% of all the weapons deaths in the world's 23 richest countries combined. Guns kill an average 24 US citizens (two Aurora massacres) every day of the year. Sign the petition to control the sales of assault rifles and other tools of mass destruction.

ACTION ALERT: Stop NRA's Attempt to Halt Protections to Condors, Eagles (Democracy in Action & Kierán Suckling / Center for Biological Diversity)
The National Rifle Association has taken legal action to block the EPA from protecting wildlife and people from being poisoned by lead hunting ammunition left in the wild. Millions of birds are needlessly poisoned every year by toxic lead ammo left in the wild, including bald eagles, swans and endangered California condors. The NRA is determined to keep the EPA from protecting millions of birds who die every year from poisoned by lead bullet fragments.

ACTION ALERT: Reject Republicans' Billions-for-Bombs, Nada-for-Kids Budget (Murshed Zaheed / Credo Action & Josh Rogin / Foreign Policy)
Senate Democrats won't agree to any deal to avoid $1.2 trillion on impending defense and entitlement cuts without new taxes, according to Senate leadership member Patty Murray. Murray recently joined Senator Harry Reid in holding the line against House Republicans' efforts to undo mandated cuts to military spending, and to pay for it by cutting food stamps, school lunches and children's healthcare.

ACTION ALERT: Demand Reinstatement of Federal Ban on Weapons of Mass Destruction (Credo Action)
"The shock and trauma from the images and stories from Aurora are still very much with us, and it is impossible to put into words the pain being felt by families and friends of the victims.But that doesn't mean we shouldn't speak out. In the wake of this massacre, it's time to put aside politics and reinstate the federal ban on assault weapons."

ACTION ALERT: NBC Invents War-o-tainment (David Swanson / War Is a Crime & StarsEarnStripes.org)
If you've watched the Olympics, you've probably seen ads promoting an NBC war-o-tainment reality show co-hosted by retired US General Wesley Clark and co-starring Todd Palin. The ads brag about the use of real bullets but the chances are slight that any of the celebrities engaged in "war competition" on "Stars Earn Stripes" will be shot and killed. RootsAction.org and Just Foreign Policy want NBC to show the real cost of war, not a game-show fantasy.

ACTION ALERT: End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act; Stop Taxpayer-funded Modern Slavery (Bob Fertik / Walk Free & Democrats.com )
In Iraq and Afghanistan, private contractors working for the US government pocketed billions of dollars while filling jobs with slave labor. Almost 70,000 people have signed the petition calling on the US Senate to pass the End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act -- can you take a moment to add your name?

UN Meets on Global Treaty to Control Arms Sales (Amnesty International )
We're at a crucial point in the arms trade treaty negotiations. These talks will determine if weapons and ammunition can be kept out of the hands of the world's worst human rights abusers. the NRA is spewing a string of misrepresentations and lies in hopes you'll take your eye off what is really important -- protecting countless human lives. Sadly, the US -- the world's biggest exporter of arms --is likely taking a position that would make the NRA proud. 



ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama: Don't Give In To Warmongers (David Elliot / USAction & TrueMajority )
The next week is critically important for those of us who want to avoid an unnecessary and costly war with Iran. Iran has come to the table for negotiations about the future of its nuclear program. A new round of multilateral negotiations is taking place in Moscow right now. But the Obama administration is under tremendous pressure from warmongers who would abandon diplomacy and follow a path that would make war inevitable. We need to speak out now.

ACTION ALERT: No US War on Iran (Progressive Democrats of America )
It's astonishing, but even after wars of choice cost us dearly and ravaged the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan, the warmongers want more. They're running ads calling for more war. More destruction. More wasted lives and wasted resources. It's up to us to stand up for peace and diplomacy!

ACTION ALERT: The 2012 "Know Drones Tour" (Nick Mottern / War Is a Crime )
The purpose of the 2012 Know Drones Tour is to do sidewalk public education, working with other groups to help generate a citizens movement to stop US drone attacks and to stop further development and sale of killer drones and spy drones. The first phase of the tour was conducted between April 12 and May 27, when the tour team visited the home districts of five members of Congress who are on the Congressional Unmanned Systems (Drone) Caucus. Events continue through June and July.

ACTION ALERT: End Polluter Welfare (Credo Action & Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Keith Ellison)
How much money will you give to the fossil fuel industry today? A lot -- even if you don't fill up your gas tank. $30 million of our tax dollars go to oil, coal and gas polluters daily in the form of subsidies, tax breaks and loopholes. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Keith Ellison have introduced the End Polluter Welfare Act to end these giveaways. Tell Congress: It's time to end polluter welfare. Click below to automatically sign this petition:

Iraqi Trade Unionists Targeted by Oil Ministry Need Support (US Labor Against War )
Iraqi workers at the Maysan (Missan) Oil Company * organized a demonstration to demand their rights and to protest management corruption and abuse.** The workers had received permission to conduct the demonstration which was militant but entirely peaceful and then were punished for doing so. The Oil Ministry responded with warnings, reprimands, demotions, and reductions in compensation affecting 26 workers and three union officers.

ACTION ALERT: Support a Bulletproof Arms Trade Treaty (Amnesty International )

ACTION ALERT: Support a Bulletproof Arms Trade Treaty (Amnesty International )
Did you know that every year enough bullets are made to kill every person on this planet … twice? And that eight million new guns are manufactured to fire them? The arms trade is a booming and deadly business. But it's also an industry, which is not globally regulated. In order to help stop irresponsible arms transfers globally, Amnesty International has called for a global Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) to hold irresponsible arms suppliers and dealers to account.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Reid to Stand Strong on Pentagon Spending (Ross Wallen / USAction.org & David Rogers / Politico)
When Congress failed to make a deal on the debt ceiling last year they promised to do something they've never done before -- cut over $50 billion from the Pentagon budget. But House Republicans are betraying their promise, and threatening to break the law by passing Military spending bills that not only shield the Pentagon from any of the cuts they promised to make, they actually increase spending on war and weapons by $8 billion. Don't let it happen.

ACTION ALERT: Free the Anti-NATO Nine (Committee to Stop FBI Repression )
Nine people continue to be held in jail in Chicago, arrested before or during the protests against the NATO summit. They face felony charges and even terrorism charges, while the NATO generals responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands have left town to return to their occupation of Afghanistan and plotting for their next war. Five activists were arrested without any evidence of their involvement in violence, other than the statements of undercover FBI provocateurs.

ACTION ALERT: Get US / NATO Nuclear Weapons Out of Europe (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation & The Acronym Institute)
After President Obama called for a nuclear-weapon-free world at the 2010 NATO summit -- and urged a reduction in reliance on nuclear weapons -- NATO members Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands called for US tactical nuclear weapons to be removed from Europe. The US refused. The Cold War ended over two decades ago, yet business as usual continues with more than 200 US nuclear bombs deployed in five European countries under a NATO nuclear sharing agreement.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Pentagon Wasting Taxpayer Money Subsidizing NASCAR (Hon. Betty McCollum / US House of Representatives )
Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN) expressed her outrage at the level of waste in the National Guard's recruitment budget. In 2012, the Guard is spending $26.5 million to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s car in NASCAR races for the purposes of recruitment. Over the past five years Earnhardt's racing team has received over $136 million in taxpayer funds from the National Guard -- making him the highest paid military contractor in professional sports.

ACTION ALERT: Counter Summit for Peace and Economic Justice in Chicago May 18-19 (NATO-Free Future & United for Peace and Justice )
Register to join the Counter-Summit for Peace and Economic Justice as NATO delegates gather to meet in Chicago on May 18-19. Twenty eight workshops will explore: NATO’s new role as a global military and economic alliance; organizing a grassroots movement to move the money from the Pentagon to fund jobs and human needs; preventing a war in Iran and ending the war in Afghanistan and wars for all time.

Veterans For Peace Calls for an End to NATO Veterans For Peace (Veterans for Peace)
NATO has always been a war-making institution lacking in accountability to the peoples of the nations it claims to represent. NATO has militarized the nations of Europe against the will of their people, now maintains hundreds of nuclear weapons in non-nuclear European nations in blatant violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and is threatening Russia with missile base construction on its borders.

ACTION ALERT: Stop New Nuclear Bomb Plants (Tri-Valley CARES)
Some members of Congress are currently pushing to build a huge plutonium facility for nuclear weapons at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, even though President Obama proposed postponing its construction for at least five years. There is no need for this bomb plant, yet it would cost over $5 billion to construct. On May 16, the House of Representatives will decide whether or not to authorize construction for next year.

ACTION ALERT: The EPA Can Stop Keystone XL from Being Rubber-stamped (Elijah Zarlin / CREDO Action )
News broke Thursday that TransCanada has secretly submitted its permit application for the Southern portion of the Keystone XL Pipeline to the Army Corps of Engineers. The Southern portion of the Keystone XL Pipeline is a major threat to America's land, water and climate. Don't let TransCanada evade a full review of its dangerous project. The Army Corps, which has an abysmal environmental track record, could approve the project in 45 days — or sooner — unless the EPA steps in.

ACTION ALERT: Keep Agent Orange Off Our Dinning Tables (Food Democracy Now)
Dow Chemical is petitioning the Department of Agriculture to approve a new genetically engineered corn that tolerates the extremely toxic chemical herbicide 2,4-D, a major component of the Vietnam War era defoliant Agent Orange. Numerous studies have linked 2,4-D to cancer, lowered sperm counts, liver disease and Parkinson's disease, reproductive problems and thyroid dysfunction. Act to prevent Agent Orange spraying on our farmlands.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Federal Budgets that Prioritize Weapons over Welfare (Ross Wallen / USAction & TrueMajority )
When the Soviet Union collapsed, a big part of the reason why was that they had been spending massive amounts of money on an arms race with the US. To afford more bombers, fighter jets, and nuclear missiles, the Soviets cut social programs, health care, education, and food subsidies. If Paul Ryan and GOP have their way, the US budget would follow the same Soviet priorities -- slashing social programs so we can buy more and more weapons we don't need.

ACTION ALERT: End the War in Afghanistan NOW (Sojourners)
After 10 years in Afghanistan, our relationship with the Afghan people continues to deteriorate: Witness the massacre two weeks ago by a U.S. soldier, the burning of Korans and resulting violence, and the Taliban pulling out of peace talks.

ACTION ALERT; End the War in Afghanistan NOW (Sojourners)
After 10 years in Afghanistan, our relationship with the Afghan people continues to deteriorate: Witness the massacre two weeks ago by a U.S. soldier, the burning of Korans and resulting violence, and the Taliban pulling out of peace talks. We must rethink why we’re still at war, and we must speak out as peacemakers. How many tears will be shed, how many prayers lifted up, how much violence will we both inflict and suffer before our nation repents from war?

March 21, 2012; National Day of Action to Stop Funding for Nuclear Bombs (Tri-Valley CAREs)
The U.S. Department of Energy wants Congress to give them MORE money for new bomb factories and bombs. On Wednesday, March 21, people all across America will have an opportunity to raise their voices together to tell the nuclear weapons makers "NO."

The Mysterious US Weapons Ship: Where Is It Headed? (Amnesty International )
A Dutch ship is transporting U.S. weapons and explosives to an unknown destination. Its cargo includes cartridges for weapons, fuses, detonators and other ammunition. Up until March 14, the destination was listed as Port Said -- ostensibly to supply the Egyptian military. This is shocking given the Egypt’s brutal repression, killing more than 100 protesters in the last five months. Now the Navy says the ship is not docking in Egypt, but it will not say where the ship is headed.

ACTION ALERT; Tell the FAA: Don't let aerial drones spy on Americans (CREDO)
Congress and President Obama recently enacted a law directing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue regulations that will open up the sky to the domestic use of unmanned aerial drones. Yet Congress failed to establish any rules to ensure that drones won't be used to spy on Americans. That's why CREDO is working to create a critical mass of public pressure to tell the FAA: Don't let aerial drones spy on Americans. Click below to sign the petition.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Obama to Reduce, Eliminate Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
Every President gets one significant opportunity to revise and update US nuclear weapons strategy. Now President Obama has this opportunity and is developing guidance that will determine the role and the number of US nuclear weapons. Now is the time to press President Obama to make good on his pledge to "put an end to Cold War thinking" and pursue further, dramatic steps that would make us all safer from the threat of nuclear weapons.

No More Child Soldiers: No More Konys (Amnesty International )
A viral video exposing the horrors wrought by Joseph Kony and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has triggered an avalanche of attention, bringing awareness to tens of millions of people in just a week's time. Now Amnesty needs your help to transform unprecedented public awareness into meaningful action.

Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities (David Swanson / War Is a Crime )
"Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is not self-enforcing and, whereas statement of the inherent dignity and of the equal and supposedly inalienable rights of all members of the human family achieves little without a struggle against greed, injustice, tyranny, and war," this new proclamation may guide us "to strive by energetic use of creative nonviolence to promote the actual observance of what have never been but indeed should be made universal, equal, and inalienable rights and freedoms...."

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Execution of Iranian for 'Cyber Crime' (Elise Auerbach / Amnesty International)
Yesterday, Iranians went to the polls for parliamentary elections. But many bloggers, students, journalists, and filmmakers were unable to vote. They were in jail. Canadian resident and web programmer Saeed Malekpour, faces a death sentence and could be executed at any time. Iran's 2009 law on "cyber crimes" allows the death penalty for "decadence on the Internet." Malekpour was sentenced to death in 2010 after a trial in a Revolutionary Court that lasted about 15 minutes.

Large Coalition Asks for Obama's Nobel Peace Prize to Be Rescinded (War Is a Crime.org)
The signers of this petition include an array of US peace groups and peace activists who wish to endorse the investigation that Stockholm's Administrative Board has reportedly begun to respond to allegations that the prize no longer reflects Nobel's will that the award was to diminish the role of military power in international relations. Honoring both nonviolent human rights advocates and mass murderers has compromised the prize's goal of encouraging world peace.

ACTION ALERT: Voices from Syria (Sanjeev Bery / Amnesty International USA )
You have heard the stories on the news -- Syrian cities are being besieged, and civilians are dying in droves at the hands of their own government. Just today, a US journalist and a French photographer were killed while covering the violence in Homs. Amnesty International is on the Syrian border, collecting stories for the world to hear.

ACTION ALERT: Encourage President Obama to Drastically Cut the Nuclear Arsenal (Democracy In Action)
The Obama administration reportedly is examining options for deep cuts in the US nuclear arsenal, including options for three levels of cuts in deployed strategic nuclear weapons: 1,000 to 1,100; 700 to 800; and 300 to 400. This would signal to the world that the US is finally serious about achieving the nuclear disarmament it is obligated to accomplish under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The same treaty that applies to Russia, the UK, France and China. Please contact the White House.

ACTION ALERT: Afghanistan's Starving Children (Emma Murphy / ITN & MSNBC Nightly News & John Cookson / RAWA)
The US has been in Afghanistan for more than 10 years and, today, the country has 15 million chronically malnourished children. Each year 30,000 children die of starvation. Those that survive grow up stunted, deformed and with lowered IQs. There are quick and proven ways to prevent mass child malnutrition -- including RUTF(ready-to-eat therapeutic foods). If the US has billions to fly drone missions, stage night raids, surely it can spare a few million to save Afghanistan's starving children.

ACTION ALERT: British Computer Geek Begins 10th Year in Prison for 'Hacking' US Military Computers (BBC World News & The Daily Record)
Gary McKinnon, a British citizen who has Asperger's syndrome, hacked into US military computer systems in 2002 while searching for information on UFO. He was sent to jail and fears extradition to the US. On the tenth anniversary of his confinement, McKinnon's mother and Shami Chakrabarti, the director of human rights group Liberty, appealed to Downing Street to show compassion and put an end to a McKinnon's "unfair" confinement.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress They Must Cut Military Spending (The New Priorities Network & The Pew Research Center)
Under last year's deficit deal, military and domestic programs are supposed to be cut equally over the next ten years. The Pentagon has barely been nicked. Its budget will shrink for one year, then start growing again. But domestic programs have suffered massive cuts. Now McCain wants to stop the clock, suspend next year's cuts, and establish the principle that military spending cannot be touched. It's up to us to say: NO!

ACTION ALERT: The SANE Act Would Cut the Nuclear Weapons Budget (Tri-Valley CARES)
On February 8, 35 congress members introduced H.R. 3974, a bill to cut $100 billion from nuclear weapons programs over ten years. The SANE Act (Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures) would eliminate funding for the CMRR-nuclear facility, the Uranium Processing Facility, the MOX plutonium fuel plant and the so-called "Life Extension Programs" for atomic bombs. SANE would also cut funds for ballistic missile subs, land-based missiles, and aircraft bombers.

ACTION ALERT: Award Pfc. Bradley Manning the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize! (FiredogLake & Wired Magazine)
Sign our letter urging the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award Bradley Manning with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 and call attention to both his contributions to peace as well as his unjust treatment by the US government. President Obama won the prize in 2009 -- a few months before Manning was arrested in Iraq. This could be the first time one Nobel Peace Prize recipient has been inhumanely and unjustly imprisoned by a previous Peace Prize recipient.

ACTION ALERT: IRAN: Who Is the Real Threat? Take the Test (The World Can't Wait)
In 2007, when the Bush regime was threatening to attack Iran, (with substantially the same justification the US is now using to impose sanctions on Iran), World Can't Wait circulated a "history lesson" quiz on dozens of college campuses and street corners. Most people flunked. Students on the "elite" campuses also did terribly. Take the test: If you answer all 7 questions correctly, you'll win the first-ever World Can't Wait surprise quiz prize.

ACTION ALERT: The Invisible War: The Pentagon's 'Rape Problem' (Anu Bhagwati / SWAN (Service Women's Action Network) )
A new film, "The Invisible War," has spurred Representatives Mike Turner (R-OH) and Niki Tsongas (D-MA) to form the Military Sexual Assault Prevention Caucus to "provide a bipartisan forum for all Members of Congress to learn about the problem, work with the Department of Defense to shape policy and create legislative solutions that improve Servicemember morale and welfare."

ACTION ALERT: Constitutional Amendment to Take the Cash Out of Politics (Hon. Dennis Kucinich / US Congress & David Swanson / War Is a Crime)
Congressman Dennis Kucinich has introduced a Constitutional Amendment to address the Supreme Court's ruling that "Corporations are people" with the right to spend unlimited cash on political campaigns. The amendment says: "All campaigns for President and Members of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate shall be financed entirely with public funds. No contributions shall be permitted to any candidate for Federal office from any other source, including the candidate."

ACTION ALERTI: Repeal the Farce of 'Corporate Personhood' (Jim Hightower / Jim Hightower's Blog & Don Cavallaro / SeaCoast Online)
Commentary: The idea that corporations are "persons' with the Constitutional right to buy elections with bottomless troves of corporate cash is an absurd perversion. A person, after all, has a navel. Where's the corporate navel -- or its heart, brain, or soul? If corporations are the same gender and they want to merge, would that be prohibited in states that don't recognize civil unions? If you sue a corporation into bankruptcy, should that now be considered murder?

ACTION ALERT: Charlottesville, Va., City Council Passes Resolution Opposing War on Iran (David Swanson / War Is a Crime.org )
On January 17, 2012, the City Council of Charlottesville, Virginia, home of Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe, passed a resolution opposing the launching of a war on Iran, as well as calling for an end to current ground and drone wars engaged in by the United States and urging Congress and the President of the United States to significantly reduce military spending. This is believed to be the first such resolution in the country but other cities may soon vote on similar resolutions based on this draft.

ACTION ALERT: Honor Dr. King; Raise Your Voice Against Gun Violence (Dennis Henigan / Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once observed that "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that." On Sunday, the sad first anniversary of the Tucson shooting, many thousands of Americans joined together to light candles of remembrance and protest against the darkness of gun violence.

ACTION ALERT: Urge Your Legislators to Commit to Nuclear Disarmament (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
Help build a stronger network of legislators in the United States and around the world working for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND), a global cross-party network of over 800 legislators in 80 countries, supports and enables legislators to take action on key initiatives.

ACTION ALERT: The Due Process Guarantee Act (Editorial / San Francisco Chronicle)
Due process is one of this nation's most cherished rights, a defining attribute of a free country. Yet President Obama recently signed a $662 billion defense bill that obliterates due process by giving the military the authority to detain terrorism suspects indefinitely -- even if they are US citizens. Now Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) have sponsored bills to guarantee that defense bill provisions will not usurp the right to due process for American citizens.

ACTION: Charlottesville City Council Prepares to Support Peace (David Swanson / War Is a Crime.org )
At the first meeting of the new Charlottesville, Va., City Council, four of the five city council members publicly expressed their intention to support a resolution asking Congress to reduce military spending. The resolution is likely to be discussed and voted on at the council's next meeting on the evening of January 16th, Martin Luther King Day.

Action Alert: Say 'No' to Dow Chemical's Plan to Spray Agent Orange on GE Corn (The Cornucopia Institute)
Dow Chemical is seeking USDA approval for a genetically engineered version of corn that is resistant to 2,4-D, an herbicide in the formulation of the highly toxic defoliant Agent Orange which was extensively used by the military to destroy forests and crops in Vietnam. The USDA posted the request in the December 27, 2011 edition of the Federal Register -- a well-established ploy to reduce media coverage and limit public response. The public now has less than60 days to comment.

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama to Veto Indefinite Detention (Laura W. Murphy / American Civil Liberties Union)
There are moments in America when our freedoms depend on the willingness of a President to act firmly and decisively to sustain our fundamental values. This is one of those moments. We cannot allow our leaders to cross that dangerous line. The future of American freedom rests in President Obama's hands. Let's make sure he's holding a veto stamp.

ACTION ALERT: Rep. Kucinich: 'Federal Reserve Has Captured Control of Our Government' (Eric W. Dolan / RawStory & Hon. Dennis J. Kucinich / US Congress)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) called for the US Federal Reserve to be reformed after Bloomberg reported the central bank secretly loaned nearly $8 trillion to financial institutions from 2007 to 2009. Kucinich has proposed legislation, called the National Emergency Employment Defense (NEED) Act, that would incorporate the Federal Reserve within the United States Treasury and thereby make it accountable to Congress.

ACTION ALERT: Key Senate Vote on Indefinite Detention (Chris Anders / ACLU)
The Senate is about to vote on an amendment that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans, and your senators need to hear from you now. There could be a vote TODAY on whether Congress will give this president -- and every future president -- the power to order the military to indefinitely imprison people anywhere in the world without charges or trials. The power is so broad that even US citizens -- even within our own country's borders -- could be swept up and held by the military.

ACTION ALERT: Key Senate Vote on Indefinite Detention (Chris Anders / ACLU)
The Senate is about to vote on an amendment that goes to the very heart of who we are as Americans, and your senators need to hear from you now. There could be a vote TODAY on whether Congress will give this president -- and every future president -- the power to order the military to indefinitely imprison people anywhere in the world without charges or trials. The power is so broad that even US citizens -- even within our own country's borders -- could be swept up and held by the military.

ACTION ALERT: Supporting the War Is Betraying the Troops (Eric Newhouse / Truthout & James Kvaal / BarackObama.com)
More than half of America's soldiers (about 700,000 of the 1.3 million who have served, or 53 percent) have returned home from Iraq and Afghanistan with medical and mental problems that need treatment. They also need the stability that comes from employment. A bill recently signed by the president provides tax credits for small businesses that hire unemployed veterans. Send the message that this is proof that Congress can still come together and act when Americans demand it.

ACTION ALERT: Shell Eyes Oil Reserves in Iraq; Turns a Blind Eye to Pollution in Nigeria (Reuters & Shell & Amnesty International USA )
Royal Dutch Shell has pulled out of oil-development talks with the Kurdistan Regional Government in an effort to protect its lucrative investments in southern Iraq. Shell has won a 44% stake in three major oil fields -- part of a $17 billion gas deal with the Iraqi government. Meanwhile, Shell has failed to clean up its legacy of pollution in Nigeria where two major oil spills in 2008, disrupted the lives of the 69,000 people in the Niger Delta. Shell has yet to take full responsibility for the spills or the clean-up.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress to Read the 99%'s Deficit Proposal (War Is a Crime & Kevin Zeese / October 2011.org & Occupy Wall Street)
After asking the Congressional Super Committee to tax the rich and cut military spending (and being arrested for that offense), the Occupy movement held its own 99% Super Committee Hearing with top experts and produced a specific list of solutions based on sound fiscal policies and popular demand. An aide to a co-chair of the committee called it "the first actual proposal" they'd received. SIGN THE PETITION in support of the "99%'s Deficit Proposal."

ACTION ALERT: Stop War on Iran Petition (Stop War on Iran Campaign)
Under cover of a bogus report by a UN agency, the US, Britain and Israel are laying the groundwork for a military attack on Iran. But a close look at the latest IAEA report reveals no new evidence. Rather it is a biased rehash of old charges with very little factual support. Even before the release of the "secret" report, Washington and its allies were using the IAEA document to threaten all-out war. Fact: The US possesses over 10,000 nuclear weapons; Israel has an estimated 300; Iran has none.

ACTION ALERT: Defend the Constitution Against Nationwide Police Crackdown on Peaceful Public Dissent (Hon. Dennis J. Kucinich / US House of Representatives )
"After two months of peaceful protest against the people and institutions that wrecked our economy, police officers under orders from the Mayor of New York City raided Occupy Wall Street and evicted protestors from Zuccotti Park. The First Amendment guarantees all of us the right to peacefully assemble and express our views. But similar nighttime raids executed by mayors in Oakland, Portland and Atlanta have cast a dangerous shadow over our liberties."

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Unthinkable (John Isaacs and Guy Stevens / Council for a Livable World & Robert Dreyfuss / The Diplomat)
Over the next two weeks, the Senate is scheduled to debate and vote on amendments to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill. This legislation sets funding levels for critical programs to keep dangerous nuclear and radiological materials out of the hands of terrorists and reduce the global threat posed by nuclear proliferation. Urge your Senator to support FULL funding for nuclear terrorism prevention and nuclear nonproliferation programs

ACTION ALERT: How Risky is US Nuclear Strategy? (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
How risky is our current nuclear strategy? Surprisingly, no one knows! If you agree that gaping hole in our national security needs to be plugged, join a former Director of the National Security Agency and other prominent individuals in asking Congress to authorize an objective study of the risk. Sign-on petition is available online.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress and the President to Read the Pact that Outlawed War (RootsAction.org & Jared Ball / Black Agenda Report)
November 11th was not consecrated to celebrate war or to "support the troops." Originally called "Armistice Day," the holiday began in 1918 to mark the end of World War I and promote the idea of ending all war. After a 10-year campaign, war was legally banned in 1928. "Wars produce veterans on both sides," Jared Ball notes. "Nat Turner was a veteran, as was Sitting Bull.... Let us commemorate their sacrifce, too."

ACTION ALERT: New Campaign Asks US and Israeli Air, Missile, and Drone Crews to Refuse to Attack Iran (Don't Attack Iran.org)
We are at an historic moment when decisions are being made in the United States and Israel on whether and when to attack Iran. These will be decisions by politicians and individual commanders and air, missile and drone crewmembers charged with the responsibility of raining down munitions in a strike that will likely kill hundreds if not thousands of Iranian people and potentially spread deadly nuclear contamination to millions in Iran and surrounding nations.

Fallout over Florida? NASA's Risky Gamble (Karl Grossman / CounterPunch )
Russia launched its Phobos-Grunt space probe Wednesday and it reached low Earth orbit, but then its engines failed to fire. As a result, the spacecraft has remained in low Earth orbit and "will come crashing down [to Earth] in a couple of weeks if engineers fail to fix the problem." The probe is loaded with 12 tons of "highly toxic fuel." A similar problem with NASA's Mars rover, could release 10.6 pounds deadly plutonium, which would be widely dispersed around the Earth.

ACTION ALERT: US Out of Afghanistan; No Escalation in Pakistan (Tom Hayden / The Peace and Justice Resource Center)
While monitoring possible deception during the Iraq pullout, it is important for the peace movement to engage in the effort to end the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Experience shows that a vibrant anti-war movement is a necessary element in ending these wars. All US troops out of Afghanistan by 2014. Demand the end of torture, and advocate peace diplomacy now. In Pakistan, block a further US escalation of ground troops and halt the rising number of US drone attacks.

ACTION ALERT: UK Preparing for US/Israel Attack on Iran (The Guardian )
British officials are reported to be considering contingency options to back up a possible US/Israeli military attack on Iran as concerns mount over Tehran's alleged intentions to use its peaceful nuclear energy program to build the same kind of nuclear weapons that Israel already possesses. Please contact the White House and your elected representatives to express your grave concerns over these reports.

ACTION ALERT: Stop US Arms Sales to Bahrain (Amnesty International )
Since February of this year, the military, security and police forces of Bahrain have used tanks, armored vehicles, small arms and projectile weapons to inflict deaths and injuries on protestors demanding greater political freedom. The US State Department is coming under fire for considering a $53 million arms sale to Bahrain's repressive regime the Department of Defense has proposed selling even more military equipment to those same armed forces.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Obama to Leave Afghanistan (John Isaacs and Guy Stevens / Council for a Livable World & Robert Dreyfuss / The Diplomat)
President Obama's has announced a decision to bring all US troops home from Iraq by the end of the year. In addition to thanking him for this decision, we should ask that he also end the US war in Afghanistan. For the first time, in meetings with Pakistani officials, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton went on record as raising the question of a US ceasefire in Afghanistan. It may be recognition that there's no military solution to this decade-old conflict.

ACTION ALERT: Stop an Expanding US War in Pakistan (Tom Hayden / The Peace and Justice Resource Center )
Slowly but surely, the US is creeping closer to a disastrous war in Pakistan. The peace movement and its political and media allies need to be ready. There is a growing community of activists and journalists protesting the aerial drone wars over Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya. But the debate about drones cannot be isolated from the context of their use in the Long War as a substitute for US ground troops as a forward extension of Washington's military presence.

ACTION ALERT: Statement of Solidarity with 14,594 Occupiers in 1,868 Cities (The General Assembly at Occupy Wall Street & YES! Magazine )
A Statement of Principles from the OWS General Assembly: " As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies...." And read "10 Ways to Support the Occupy Movement" to see how you can become involved -- as a participant or a supporter.

ACTION ALERT: Wall Street Sit-In Goes Global Saturday (Alastair MacDonald / Reuters )
"For an October revolution, dress warm." That's the word going out -- politely -- on the Web to rally street protests on Saturday around the globe from New Zealand to Alaska via London, Frankfurt, Washington and, of course, New York, where the past month's Occupy Wall Street movement has inspired a worldwide yell of anger at banks and financiers. How many will show up, let alone stay to camp out to disrupt city centres for days, or months, to come, is anyone's guess.

ACTIN ALERT: Wall Street Sit-In Goes Global Saturday (Alastair MacDonald / Reuters )
"For an October revolution, dress warm." That's the word going out -- politely -- on the Web to rally street protests on Saturday around the globe from New Zealand to Alaska via London, Frankfurt, Washington and, of course, New York, where the past month's Occupy Wall Street movement has inspired a worldwide yell of anger at banks and financiers. How many will show up, let alone stay to camp out to disrupt city centres for days, or months, to come, is anyone's guess.

ACTION ALERT: Occupy Everywhere to Stop US Occupations of Other Countries (Debra Sweet / The World Can't Wait)
Hundreds of thousands of US military, support staff and private contractors are "occupying" two countries in the Middle East, in a mission to enforce, with a vengeance, US domination over the region, employing night raids, torture, and terror towards the civilian population. We've got to end those occupations! Videos document protests from San Francisco to Kabul.

US Political Prisoner and Peace Activist Helen Woodson Released after 27 Years (The Nuclear Resister )
In 1984, Helen Woodson, Larry Cloud Morgan, Fr. Paul Kabat and Fr. Carl Kabat -- the Silo Pruning Hooks -- used a sledgehammer and pneumatic jackhammer to disarm a nuclear missile silo in Missouri. Except for a few days of freedom, Woodson has been jailed since 1984. Her only crime: a nonviolent direct actions against nuclear weapons, war, and the desecration of the environment. She is one of scores of anti-war prisoners of conscience now imprisoned in the US.

Occupy Wall Street Sabotaged (Alliance for Global Justice)
On the eve of a major anti-war protest and in the midst of its support for Occupy Wall Street, the Alliance for Justice's Internet and phone connections were sabotaged and Authorize.net, the firm that handles online donations, announced it would no longer process OWS donations and was seizing $60,000 in contributions. Authorize.net is a division of CyberSource Corp., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Visa -- a New York Stock Exchange traded company.

ACTION ALERT: On October 6 Let's Make Some Noise for Peace (Robert Naiman / Al Jazeera & Just Foreign Policy & Campaign for Peace and Democracy)
The US Congress' "Supercommittee" is seeking to cut the country's budget by $1.2 trillion -- and one option would be to end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and to cut the military budget. On October 7, 2011, the United States will have been at war for ten years. Let's mark the occasion by making a clamor for peace so loud that Congress, the president, and big media will have to pay attention. Get ready to make some noise on October 6.

Abolition 2000 Envisions a World Without Nuclear Weapons (Jonathan Frerichs / World Council of Churches )
A coalition of some 2,000 organizations that want to abolish nuclear weapons met in Geneva on 16 September 2011. The program included a panel of civil society representatives hosted by the World Council of Churches (WCC) to examine prospects for nuclear disarmament. After years of little progress, support for abolishing nuclear weapons is growing. At the United Nations, 133 countries are now in favor of a Nuclear Weapon Convention.

ACTION ALERT: #OccupyTogether: The Best Among Us (Chris Hedges / TruthDig )
There are no excuses left. Either you join the revolt taking place on Wall Street and in the financial districts of other cities across the country or you stand on the wrong side of history. Either you obstruct, in the only form left to us, which is civil disobedience, the plundering by the criminal class on Wall Street and accelerated destruction of the ecosystem that sustains the human species, or become the passive enabler of a monstrous evil.

Hundreds Held in anti-Wall Street Protest (Al-Jazeera)
New York City police said about 700 protesters have been arrested after they swarmed the Brooklyn Bridge and shut down a lane of traffic for several hours. Witnesses described a chaotic scene on the famous suspension bridge as a sea of police officers surrounded the demonstrators in orange mesh netting. Some protesters tried to get away as officers started handcuffing marchers.

ACTION ALERT: 700 Airline Pilots Join Wall Street Occupation. Call to Occupy DC on October 6 (Forbes Magazine & War Is a Crime )
Hundreds of uniformed pilots have joined the youthful Occupy Wall Street protesters, staging their own protest outside of Wall Street and holding signs declaring "Management is Destroying Our Airline." According to FltOps.com first year pilots make as little as $21,600 a year. Meanwhile people are flocking to the Occupation site, joining across race, age, gender, and culture. Labor unions are joining in a movement that was not begun by labor unions. Now a new occupation is planned for DC on Oct. 6

ACTION ALERT: Freeze the Nukes; Fund the Future (Marylia Kelley / Tri-Valley CAREs )
Congressman Ed Markey is asking his colleagues in the House of Representatives to sign onto his letter to the "super committee," tasked with identifying $1.5 trillion dollars in budget reductions over the coming decade. Instead of spending $50 billion a year on the US nuclear arsenal, the letter asks the Super Committee to cut $20 billion a year from the US nuclear weapons budget. "Cut Minuteman missiles," the letter states, "Do not cut Medicare or Medicaid." Ask your Rep. to sign on. Deadline: October 4.

Concerns Continue to Mount on US Bioweapons Violations (Janet C. Phelan, Contributing Writer / Activist Post )
Biological weapons pose a significant threat to all human life on our beautiful, besieged planet. The US is guilty of multiple violations of the international bioweapons treaty, the BWC. This article, which summarizes the violations. The BWC will be meeting in December in Geneva. ACTION: See the Alert on Google's apparent censorship of the ActivistPost Website.

A Message from Occupied Wall Street (Occupy Wall Steet.org)
Communiques from Occupied Wall Street. "On September 24th, 2011, the lie revealed itself. We live in a world where only 1 percent of us are protected and served." "A message to blue-collar police: Do not do what you are told. We are peaceful and you know this. We offer you coffee in the morning and water in the day. We are expressing the same frustration that you feel. You are the 99 percent." Protest police violence.

Tasers and Mass Arrests on Wall Street (Reader Supported News & Danny Schechter / In The Public)
Despite Internet interference, word is getting out: Occupywallstreet.org is reporting 55 arrests during today's community march. While the live feeds were up I witnessed a very powerful arrest of a law student whose parents were recently evicted from their home. He dropped to his knees and gave an impassioned plea for the American people to wake up! There are reports of police kettling protesters with a big orange net, at least five maced, and police using tasers.

Citizens Cuffed, Beaten, Maced and Arrested in America's Tahrir Square (CBS & New York Daily News and The Village Voice )
Despite having their headquarters in downtown Manhattan, the major TV broadcasters have failed to produce stories about the Wall Street protests that have been taking place in the nearby streets. Coverage appears to be limited to a few online reports and photos of the crowds of protesters and police arrests. Here is a sampling of some recent print reports from the New York-based media.

NYPD's Crackdown on the Protest: Live Blog (Kevin Gosztola / Dissenter & FireDogLake)
Fifty to eighty people have been arrested in New York City as part of the Occupy Wall Street protest. The NYPD is cracking down on those involved in the action and the NYPD is surrounding Liberty Park (Zuccotti Park) where people have been occupying for the past week. Suspicions are high with many believing those in the park will be forced to disperse or arrested.

Mayors for Peace Reaches 5000 Members in 151 Countries (Mayors for Peace)
Mayors for Peace is proud to announce that its membership has surpassed the 5,000 mark, making Mayors for Peace not only the fastest-growing association of local governments in the world, but also, by far the largest international, direct-membership association of local governments. See how your city can join in the global grassroots movement away from war.

ACTION ALERT: 70 Congress Members Ask 12 Congress Members to End the Damn Wars (David Swanson / War Is A Crime & Ryan Grim / The Huffington Post)
To date, the Afghan and Iraq wars have cost taxpayers at least $2.3 trillion, with an additional $884 billion in future costs for veterans and families. This adds up to a total of at least $3.2 trillion. By ending the wars and paying for a safe, orderly, and responsible redeployment of troops from both Afghanistan and Iraq, we can go a long way toward meeting our fiscal challenges while saving more than $1.8 trillion (from current law spending levels over ten years. Has your Rep. signed on?

Mayors for Peace Reaches 5000 Members in 151 Countries (Mayors for Peace)
Mayors for Peace is proud to announce that its membership has surpassed the 5,000 mark, making Mayors for Peace not only the fastest-growing association of local governments in the world, but also, by far the largest international, direct-membership association of local governments. See how your city can join in the global grassroots movement away from war.

ACTION ALERT: Cluster Bomb Ban Powers Ahead Despite US Absence (Trust.org & Human Rights Watch & Stop Cluster Bomb Munitions.org)
The new international convention banning cluster bombs is already having a powerful impact. Despite the absence of the United States, Russia, China and other major powers, 110 countries have signed and ratified a treaty calling for a ban on these indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction. At the meeting in Beirut, Afghanistan added its name to the treaty, despite pressure from the US government.

ACTION ALERT: Making 'Never Again' a Reality (Friends Committee on National Legislation )
Millions of people around the world live with the constant threat of armed conflict and human rights abuses. Eight percent of the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have perished from the violence, hunger, and disease that have accompanied ongoing war there. In December 2010, the US Senate passed Senate Resolution 71 calling for the US to improve its ability to prevent genocide and mass atrocities. Congress now needs to pass binding legislation. Act today.

ACT TODAY to Cut the Nuclear Weapons Budget (Marylia Kelley / Tri-Valley CAREs )
Today, September 6, the Senate Energy & Water Appropriations Subcommittee is deciding how much money should go to nuclear weapons. The House earlier cut funding for a new plutonium bomb plant. If built, this plant would enable the US to increase the number of plutonium bomb cores it produces from 20 per year up to 80 per year. We do not need more plutonium bomb cores! Contact the Senate and demand that budget cuts start with nuclear weapons!

ACTION ALERT: Preventing Climate Wars (Friends Committee on National Legislation )
Climate wars are not a thing of the future. They are breaking out around the world right now. Many countries already struggling with problems such as poverty, poor governance, and scarce resources are also experiencing water scarcity, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events. Climate change is deepening and magnifying societal tensions and instability around the world.

ACTION ALERT: 1,252 Arrested in 14 Days of White House Protests against Tar Sands Pipeline (TV News Lies & The Christian Science Monitor)
Protesters hope to persuade President Obama not to approve the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline that would run from Canada to Texas. But the State Department already says its safe, and supporters point to thousands of new jobs. Earlier this year, the pipeline was ordered shut down after charges that its continued operation would be hazardous to lives and the environment. In addition to creating a terrorist target, a pipeline spill could devastate the aquifers of the US heartland.

ACTION ALERT: Time to Disband NATO: A Rogue Alliance (Alice Slater / Common Dreams )
When the Cold War ended, many believed there would be a peace dividend, nuclear disarmament, and dismantling of the war machine with industrial conversion to peaceful technology. Instead, we've witnessed the aggressive expansion of NATO, to include the former Soviet Republics, right up to the Russian border, which should be a wake-up call to many living in the American Empire.

ACTION ALERT: Organize to Oppose War Spending (Brave New Foundation)
The debt-ceiling deal gives us our first real chance in more than a decade to make significant cuts to our country's out-of-control war budget. The war industry is already putting pressure on Capitol Hill to protect their profits. Members of the newly-announced deficit committee have together taken around $1 million in campaign and PAC contributions from military contractors since 2007, and these firms plan to "cash in" on these donations to stop cuts to their war contracts.

ACTION ALERT: Reject Another Two Years for US Troops in Iraq (Ashwin Madia
/ Vote Vets.org & David Dayen / FiredogLake)
When the President promised "all our folks are going to be out of [Iraq] by the end of the year," the dominant message to the American people continued to be that "the war is over" and it's just a matter of bringing the last men and women home. But this isn't true. And when the public finds out about this, you can expect a fair bit of outrage. Write Congress now and demand an end to any extension of Washington's military involvement in Iraq.

From Hiroshima to Fukushima to Livermore: Protests at California Bomb Plant (Tri-Valley CAREs)
As part of the national “Nuclear Free Future Month,” a broad coalition of San Francisco Bay area groups is organizing two events at the Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Weapons Laboratory, one of the two principle US facilities engaged in nuclear weapons research and development.

ACTION ALERT: Nuclear-Free Future Month -- It's Time to Ban the Bomb (Nuclear Free Future)
August 6th and 9th mark the 66th anniversaries of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the wake of the catastrophic events in Fukishima, with over 200,000 people evacuated and radioactive toxins circling the globe and contaminating the global food supply; with workers risking their lives to stop the ongoing radiation at the six damaged nuclear reactors, let us use these August days of remembrance to continue our work for a Nuclear Free Future.

ACTION ALERT: Restore Independent Science Advice to Congress! Vote Due Today! Call Washington! (Michael Halpern / Union of Concerned Scientists)
The House is slated to vote to restore funding to the OTA on Friday, July 22. Help restore independent science advice to Congress by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and urging your representative to support the Holt amendment to the legislative branch appropriations bill.

ACTION ALERT: $6 Billion for Bechtel Nuclear Bomb Plant (Subhankar Banerjee / Truth-out )
When we have more than 45 million people living below the poverty line in the US and public services are being cut drastically, should the federal government be handing out $6 billion to build a new plutonium facility whose primary beneficiary would be Bechtel? It is not a New Mexico issue, it is a national and international issue.

Bike for Peace Meets with Aung San Suu Kyi in Burma (Bike for Peace)
Bike for Peace seeks to develop a concern for the local environment while creating an understanding of the national and global consequences of individual and community actions. The first campaign was run in 1978 in Northern Ireland. Bike for Peace, Norway, conducted a bicycle tour in Mayanmar from June 21 to July 2 with 10 people bicycling around 50 km per day. The former Prime Minister of Norway and the President of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights were among the participants on this tour.

ACTION ALERT: Desperate Somalis Fill 'World's Largest Refugee Camp' (Nazinine Moshiri / Al Jazeera)
Doctors say more aid is desperately needed to help Somalis fleeing to refugee camps in Kenya. The international community has finally taken notice of Dadaab, the world's largest refugee camp, but doctors say the situation is becoming increasingly worse, and that more aid is needed.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Senate Bill Authorizing Military Detention of US Citizens in the US (ACLU & Disappeared News & The New York Times)
Because of our collective action, the Defense Authorization bill is headed for the Senate floor without a provision that would have granted this and all future presidents a blank check to involve the US in a worldwide war without end. Unfortunately, the Senate bill includes several dangerous provisions that would erode our civil liberties by giving the military expanded powers to investigate and detain civilians both abroad and inside the United States.

ACTION ALERT: Livermore Lab: Perception versus Reality (Marylia Kelley / San Francisco Chronicle )
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory near San Francisco should really be called a Nuclear Weapons Laboratory -- some 89 percent of the $1.2 billion in 2012 federal funding requested for the Lab would be devoted to nuclear weapons activities. We need clean energy, environmental restoration, developing a "green" economy more than we need new nuclear bombs. The final bill goes to the president before Oct. 1. Demand a "green" lab budget.

ACTION: Tell Congress to End the War NOW -- Not in 2014 (USAction & TrueMajority & Roots Action & Firedog Lake)
President Obama has promised to bring home 30,000 of the more than 100,000 troops in Afghanistan by next year. The other 70,000 troops will stay at least until 2014 -- and possibly longer. The president's plan marks important progress, and it proves that the debate is shifting from whether to end the war to how quickly we should end it. But that's not nearly enough. You can't 1/3 end a war. The time to end the Afghanistan war is NOW, not in 2014.

ACTION ALERT: Trillion Dollar Boondoggle: End the War on Drugs (The Drug Policy Alliance & The Alliance for Global Justice)
On the 40th anniversary of Nixon's declaration of the "war on drugs" -- a war that's destroyed countless lives and cost the American public more than $1 trillion -- Congress MUST finally act to end this shockingly wasteful, counterproductive campaign. To make sure they get the message, the Drug Policy Alliance has designed a trillion dollar bill -- to symbolize this staggering waste of money -- and is inviting Americans to petition Congress to put and end to this costly, unwinnable war.

US Mayors for Peace Call for Demilitarization and Disarmament (Jackie Cabasso / Western States Legal Foundation )
The Annual Meeting of the US Conference of Mayors (USCM) will be held in Baltimore from June 17 – 21. The meeting will be attended by activists representing Mayors for Peace. The USCM will be considering two anti-war resolutions: the Code Pink-initiated Bring Our War Dollars Home resolution and the Mayors for Peace Nuclear Disarmament resolution.

ACTION ALERT: End US Support for Bahrain's Repressive Government (The Campaign for Peace and Democracy / The Nation & Agence France-Presse)
Like many autocracies in the region, Bahrain has been a key US partner. It provides a home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, responsible for ships in the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and the coast of East Africa. This is why Washington's response to the vicious repression in Bahrain has been so muted -- in contrast to forceful denunciations of repression in countries outside the US orbit, such as Iran and Libya. Democracy is no less precious for the people of Bahrain.

ACTION: 27 Senators Urge Major Afghan Troop Cuts by July (John Isaacs and Guy Stevens / Council for a Livable World)
Twenty-seven Senators sent President Obama a letter demanding "a sizable and sustained reduction of US military forces in Afghanistan, beginning in July 2011." President Obama is expected to make a decision on troop levels in coming days. Read the letter and check our list to see if your Senator signed. Let your Senators know how you feel about ending this never-ending war.

ACTION: Rescind Obama's "Transparency Award" Now! (David Swanson, et al / War Is a Crime)
On March 28, 2011, President Obama was given a "transparency award" from five "open government" organizations. Ironically -- and quite likely in response to growing public criticism regarding the Obama Administration's lack of transparency -- heads of the five organizations gave their award to Obama in a closed, undisclosed meeting at the White House.

ACTION ALERT: Honor Memorial Day; End the Wars (Drew Hudson / USAction / TrueMajority & George Zornick / The Nation Blog)
On May 30, Memorial Day, Americans will gather at parades, barbecues and family functions to remember our veterans and those we lost to war. But this Memorial Day, we've got a real reason to hope for a more peaceful future. A few days ago, we came within 11 votes of ending the war in Afghanistan. That's more support than ever before for ending the war and includes endorsements from some of the most powerful people in Congress, including Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

ACTION ALERT: Stop CEDA -- A "Clean Energy Bank" that Bankrolls Nuclear and Coal! (Nuclear Information and Resource Service & Union of Concerned Scientists)
A proposal by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) for a federal Clean Energy Development Administration (CEDA) would expose US taxpayers to excessive risk, eliminate proper congressional oversight, and fail to guard against undue industry and Wall Street influence. This "clean energy" bank would, in fact, provide lavish taxpayer-backed loans to private industry to build new nuclear reactors and certain coal projects.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Weapons Makers from Using Tax Dollars to Lobby for Bombs (MoveOn.org & Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger / Los Angeles Times)
Right now giant defense contractors like Lockheed-Martin, Halliburton, and Blackwater are allowed to funnel taxpayer money from government contracts into lobbying and secret political contributions for their friends in Congress. In a new video, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich calls on President Obama to go further and ban all political spending by corporations that get most of their business from government contracts.

ACTION ALERT: Libya -- How We End the War (Hon. Dennis J. Kucinich / US House of Representatives & Charlie Savage / The New York Times)
Lawmakers from both parties have accused President Obama of violating the US Constitution and the War Powers Resolution by continuing American participation in NATO's air war in Libya without Congressional authorization. If the President won't follow the Constitution and if he won't follow the War Powers Act, Congress will have to defund his intervention or take formal action to demand the President remove the troops.

ACTION ALERT: The Worst Bill Ever in Congress (David Swanson / WarIsACrime.org)
The "Defense Authorization" bill now before Congress, HR 1540, is arguably the worst bill ever considered likely to pass into law. It includes $118 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wars a majority of Americans wants ended. This bill also includes $553 billion for other military waste. That's enough money to save and improve a lot of lives if it weren't being dumped into the war machine. But that's not why it's the worst bill ever.

Armed Federal Agents Declare War on ... Milk (Carolyn Lochhead / San Francisco Chronicle)
Pennsylvania Amish farmer Dan Allgyer has become a cause celebre for raw milk drinkers as the target of a Food and Drug Administration campaign -- using sting operations and guns-drawn raids usually reserved for terrorists and drug lords -- to eliminate unpasteurized milk. Allgyer has refused media requests for interviews on religious grounds, and is said to be reluctant even to hire a lawyer to defend himself out a belief in nonviolence.

ACTION ALERT: Oppose GOP's New Worldwide War Authority (American Civil Liberties Union & Alexander Higgins.com)
A few top congressional insiders are aiming to sneak new worldwide war authority in to a "must pass" piece of legislation: the Defense Authorization bill. This new war authority would override the US Constitution and give the president -- not Congress -- the power to unilaterally take our country to war wherever, whenever and however he or she sees fit. It would essentially declare a worldwide war without end.

ACTION ALERT: It's Time the US Became a Democracy: Scrap the Electoral College (John Diaz / San Francisco Chronicle)
Commentary: "The Electoral College was an anachronism even before the 2000 election when Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the presidency to George W. Bush. Frustration with the Electoral College led the California Assembly to vote 51-21 last week to support AB459 and join a growing national movement to bypass the Electoral College. Let's do it the straightforward way: The presidential ticket with the most votes wins. Put it in the Constitution."

ACTION ALERT: The Worst Bill Ever in Congress (David Swanson / WarIsACrime.org)
The "Defense Authorization" bill now before Congress, HR 1540, is arguably the worst bill ever considered likely to pass into law. It includes $118 billion for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wars a majority of Americans wants ended. This bill also includes $553 billion for other military waste. That's enough money to save and improve a lot of lives if it weren't being dumped into the war machine. But that's not why it's the worst bill ever.

ACTION ALERT: New Authorization of Worldwide War Without End? (American Civil Liberties Union & CREDO)
Do we really want to give the next President Bush the right to wage war without end? There's a reason the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war. Congress may soon vote on a new declaration of worldwide war without end and without clear enemies. A "sleeper provision" deep inside pending defense bills could become the single biggest hand-over of unchecked war authority from Congress to the executive branch in modern US history.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the War on Drugs (Bob Fertik / Democrats.com)
Since the declaration of a "war on drugs" 40 years ago, America has spent at least $1 trillion on the drug war. It cost US taxpayers at least $51 billion in 2009 at the state and federal level. That's $169 for every man, woman and child in America. If Congress wants to cut wasteful spending, this is a good place to start.

ACTION ALERT: Invoke War Powers Act to Halt Bombing Deaths of Civilians in Libya (International Action Center )
On May 19, the war against Libya will reach its 60-day mark. On that date, this criminal war will be in explicit violation of the War Powers Act. On May 13, NATO bombs killed 11 Islamic religious leaders and injured 47 others in an unarmed religious peace delegation. NATO bombs have hit numerous civilian targets including the Libyan Down's Syndrome Society, which serves disabled children. An air strike on a private home killed one of Col. Gadhafi's sons and three of his grandchildren.

ACTION ALERT: Urgent Appeal for Funds to Complete Film on Genocide in Central Africa (keith harmon snow / Water From the Roots of the Grass)
I will very soon travel for very important interviews and gather some much-needed footage for our documentary on genocide. This is a risky mission, and I cannot share too many details. But this trip is vitally important to gain access to top government officials and to shoot essential footage. In the past year, we collected over 60 hours of critical interviews, gathering personal testimonies of government and military officials, academics, and genocide survivors.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Uganda's 'Kill the Gays' Law Now (All Out. org )
Conservative lawmakers in Uganda are working to advance a bill that would sentence lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to death. A conservative leader recently presented the Ugandan parliament with 2 million signatures in support of the law calling for genocide against the country's sexual minorities. Uganda's proposed "kill the gays" bill could come up for a vote in the next 72 hours if we don't act now.

ACTION ALERT: GreenScare: The New War on Environmentalism (Joshua Frank and Jeffrey St. Clair / Kickstarer)
Two established investigative reporters are hoping to raise funds to publish a book exposing government repression of environmental activism. Both spent two years crossing the country uncovering the events that have rocked the environmental community since 9/11. FOIA requests and interviews with dozens of activists reveal frightening new federal policies and tactics intended to destroy the radical environmental movement.

ACTION ALERT: With bin Laden Dead, It's Time to End the War (USAction / TrueMajority & MoveOn.org & Liz Halloran / National Public Radio)
With the death of Osama Bin Laden, it's time to end the war in Afghanistan and bring our troops home. President Obama has promised to begin a major drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan this summer. Now that bin Laden is dead, there's even more reason to end the longest war in US history. But not everyone agrees. Some Conservatives in Congress are already arguing that we should invest MORE troops, money and time in the region. Let Congress and the White House know what you think.

ACTION ALERT: Feed Hungry Kids? Or Build Nuclear Bomb Plants? (Peace Action West & Tri-Valley CAREs)
Republican Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) is threatening to take $500 million worth of food away from poor children because "we can't afford it." But Congress manages to find billions to spend on nuclear weapons every single year. I want to change those priorities, don't you?

ACTION ALERT: Ban Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon -- Wednesday Deadline (Elijah Zarlin / Credo Action & The New York Times & EarthWorks Action)
Uranium mining rips up huge tracts of land to extract radioactive material for use in nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants. The Bureau of Land Management is currently taking comments on a plan to grant 1,1000 mining claims for companies that want to excavate the precious lands and vital watershed of the Grand Canyon in search of a lucrative harvest of radioactive rock.

ACTION ALERT: Act Now to Prevent Further Radiation Poisoning of Japanese Children (Nuclear Information and Resource Service & Green Action Japan)
The Japanese government has made an unconscionable decision to increase the allowable radiation dose for children attending school in Fukushima Prefecture to 20 MilliSieverts/year -- or 2 rems/year. This is 20 times the allowable standard for the public in the US -- and 20 times above the previous allowable standard in Japan. Please sign the petition, which will be presented to government officials today, April 30, 2011.

ACTION ALERT: Bradley Manning Wins Reprieve: Civil Disobedience May Have Prompted an End to Torture of US Soldier (John Milburn / Associated Press & Scott Horton / Anti-War Radio)
Bradley Manning, the Army private suspected of releasing some of the unauthorized classified information disclosed by WikiLeaks, was recently moved from the Marine brig in Quantico, Va. to a Correctional Facility in Kansas. In Quantico, Manning had been stripped of his clothes and held in solitary confinement 23 hours a day. Following growing criticism over his treatment, Manning reportedly will now housed with other inmates.

ACTION ALERT: Not $1 More for War (Editorial / The New York Times & True Majority)
The GOP budget plan pushed through the House this month would spend $7.5 trillion on the military over the next dozen years. And that does not include the cost of actual war-fighting. The country cannot afford to spend that much, and it doesn't need to. Nonetheless, BOTH parties are still talking about increasing Pentagon spending. That's why we've launched the "Not $1 More" campaign -- to tell Congress to "put the guns on the table" and make the Pentagon live by the same budget rules as everyone else.

ACTION ALERT: This Tax Day, Make THEM Pay (Michael Moore / Reader Supported News & Credo Action & USA Action / True Majority)
The joke's on us, folks. GE and tons of other corporations will have a tax bill for 2010 of ZERO. GE had $14.2 billion in profits in 2010. Yet they will contribute NOTHING to the federal government while every last dime is soaked from us. Find out what you can do to protest the outlaw habits of the super-rich. Find a Tax Day demonstration near your home and join the protests on Monday, April 18.

ACTION ALERT: Balance the Budget; Cut the Pentagon (USAction & TrueMajority & President Barack Obama)
President Obama today proposed reducing the deficit through almost $800 billion in cuts. The biggest problem facing this country isn’t the deficit. It's the lack of jobs. But if we're going to address the deficit, the place where we need to cut first and most is not in the area of domestic spending, where the President proposes most of his reductions. No. The place we need to cut first is the Pentagon.

ACTION ALERT: End the Torture of US Soldier Bradley Manning (Bradley Manning Support Network & Avaaz)
To date, 425,000 people (and counting!) have joined the campaign to stop the torture of Private Bradley Manning who has been imprisoned and subjected to torture at a US military prison in Quantico, Virginia. Some 250 of the US's most eminent legal scholars have signed a letter protesting the treatment of accused Wikileaks source Pfc. Bradley Manning. When Manning's supporters attempted to leave flowers at Quantico base, they were restrained, assaulted and jailed.

Nationwide Protests from New York to San Francisco (WCBS Radio & ANSWER Coalition)
For the second time in less than a month, protesters have filled New York's Union Square to call for an end to US wars, a halt to the killing of innocent people and the redirection of foreign spent on foreign wars to help millions of American citizens who are out of work, losing their homes, and trapped in a society that offers little healthcare protections for millions of families.

ACTION ALERT: Afghanistan Needs a No-Fly Zone (Roots Action)
One reason people doubt the US government's noble motives is the constant killing of innocent civilians, many of them from the air. The president of Afghanistan has asked US forces to stop all operations that cause civilian fatalities. What Afghanistan urgently requires, as a first step, is a No-Fly Zone.

ACTION ALERT: This Weekend: March Against the Costs of War (Debra Smith / The World Can't Wait)
US occupations, bombs, and secret operations have wreaked havoc in the Middle East since 2001, sold to the public on the basis of being in the "US' national interest." The US occupation of Iraq has caused the worst humanitarian crisis of our time: over 4.1 million refugees; 1.2 million killed; the wholesale destruction of the infrastructure, agriculture, electrical, and educational systems. Some 50,000 US troops and tens of thousands of private mercenaries remain at 17 permanent bases.

ACTION ALERT: How Much Did YOU Pay for War this Year? (Derrick Crowe and Robert Greenwald / The Brave New Foundation )
Did you know that the Afghanistan War alone costs us roughly $2 billion per week? When you include the Iraq War and other military spending, it turns out that more than 27 percent of your income taxes will be spent on war. To find out how much of your money has gone to fund a war that’s not making us safer, visit our new Afghanistan War Tax Calculator.

ACTION ALERT: April 4, Honor MLK with an International Day of Action (We Are One.org & MoveOn.org)
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., where he had gone to stand up for workers' rights. Join us to make April 4, 2011 -- and the days surrounding it -- a time to stand in solidarity with working people in Wisconsin and dozens of other states where corporate-bought politicians are trying to take away the rights Dr. King gave his life to defend.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Spending US Dollars on War in Libya (Roots Action & Richard Sisk / New York Daily News )
Without the authorization of Congress that the Constitution and the War Powers Act require, the President has taken the nation into yet another war. The taxpayers' bill for operations in Libya is headed to at least $1 billion in a conflict that Pentagon Chief Robert Gates said Sunday was not "a vital interest for the US."

Blessed Are the Peacemakers, for They Shall Be Jailed (Disarm Now Plowshares / Posted in accordance with Title 17, Section 107, US Code, for noncommercial, educational purposes.)
Two priests, a nun and two women in their 60s who cut through fences at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor to protest submarine nuclear weapons were sentenced Monday to prison terms ranging from two to 15 months.. About 250 people gathered at the courthouse to support the Plowshares activists with their presence, song, and prayer.

A Petition Against Quagmire in Libya (Tom Hayden / The Peace Exchange Bulletin)
At least ten thousand Americans are expected to sign the following petition against a quagmire in Libya, which is to be delivered to the White House and by local activists to their elected representatives. The campaign against a Libyan quagmire flows out of continuing grass-roots pressure against the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

ACTION ALERT: March 19 Actions Against War (The World Can't Wait)
WE CANNOT BE SILENT as remote-controlled drones bomb civilians in rural Pakistan ... as whole villages are obliterated by 25 tons of bombs dropped in Afghanistan... as permanent bases are established in Iraq. Send a message to the people of the world on March 19, the anniversary of "shock and awe" on Iraq. A million civilians killed in Iraq? According to a 2006 Johns Hopkins/Bloomberg School of Public Health survey, that would seem to be the human impact of the US invasion.

ACTION ALERT: Critical Vote on March 10 -- Democrats Roll Out Climate Change Big Guns, Republicans Remain Immune (Suzanne Goldenberg / The Guardian of London & Common Dreams)
Democrats have attempted to get Republicans to confront the science on climate change, in an effort to halt moves to block regulation of greenhouse gas pollution. But it's not clear that the appeal to reason worked. California Democrat Henry Waxman described the Republican's bill as 'breathtakingly irresponsible'. Call Congress: Let the GOP know what you think about being held accountable to sound science.

ACTION ALERT: Public Tells Pollsters, 'Save Social Security, Tax the Rich and Halt Nuclear Loans' (Nuclear Information and Resource Service & The Wall Street Journal)
The Department of Energy's loan "guarantee" program would spend $10.2 billion for new reactor construction and another $2 billion for uranium enrichment plants. Why should Congress be cutting programs like Planned Parenthood, legal services for the poor, public broadcasting, college loans to enrich the nuclear lobby? According to a new Washington Post/NBC News poll, cutting nuclear loan subsidies is the most popular budget cut the American people would demand.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the GOP's War on the EPA and the Environment (EDAF & EPA & NRDC & EDF)
The US House of Representatives has passed a variety of "polluter earmarks" that will gut critical funding for America's landmark clean air programs that save lives and grow the economy. The fight now moves to the Senate where we need your help to hold the line and oppose this outrageous polluter assault.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the GOP’s War on Wildlife (Defenders of Wildlife)
This could be the week the Senate approves the most anti-environment, anti-wildlife legislation in the last 15 years. This is a bill that would deny protections for wolves, polar bears, walruses and scores of other species. It’s a bill that would slash conservation funding, mean dirtier air and water and effectively shutter national wildlife refuges for lack of funding. It’s a scorched earth, anti-environment bill and we need your help to stop it. Please contact your senators.

Campaign to Try Bush for War Crimes in Spanish Courts Gains Momentum in US (War Is a Crime.org & The Center for Constitutional Rights)
The Spanish government has shown a willingness to prosecute US war criminals. While President Obama claims the right to protect members of the Bush-Cheney administration from prosecution for torture, human rights groups spent Valentine's Day 2011 visiting the Spanish Embassy in Washington, D.C., and carrying flowers to Spanish colsulates around the US to honor the one country that is willing to work to prosecute former top Bush officials for torture.

The Next Global Revolution: The Uncut Movement Blows the Whistle on the Super-rich (Johann Hari / The Nation)
Imagine a parallel universe where a "Green Tea" Party of enraged citizens gathered in every city, week after week to demand the government regulate the behavior of corporations and the superrich, and force them to start paying taxes. The protesters sit-in and shut-down the shops and offices of the largest and richest tax scofflaws. The movement is called "Uncut." It's taken the UK by storm and now it's coming to the US.

ACTION ALERT: Target Corporate Tax Dodgers: Day of Action, February 26th (The DC chapter of US Uncut)
US Uncut is about taking action against unnecessary and unfair cuts to public services across the US. The GOP has made it clear that they are targeting Social Security, Medicare, education; health care reform; needed investments in infrastructure, climate change and job creation. Meanwhile nearly two-thirds of US corporations don't pay any income taxes. On February 26, US Uncut will turn the tables and target the corporate tax-dodgers.

ACTION ALERT: Target Corporate Tax Dodgers: Day of Action, February 26th (The DC chapter of US Uncut)
US Uncut is about taking action against unnecessary and unfair cuts to public services across the US. The GOP has made it clear that they are targeting Social Security, Medicare, education; health care reform; needed investments in infrastructure, climate change and job creation. Meanwhile nearly two-thirds of US corporations don't pay any income taxes. On February 26, US Uncut will turn the tables and target the corporate tax-dodgers.

ACTION ALERT: The Shame Of Being An American (Paul Craig Roberts / Antiwar.com & Just Foreign Policy)
Commentary: "The US government has overestimated the amount of shame that it and American citizens can live down. Does democracy really exist in a land where the media is incompetent and the government... lies through its teeth every time if opens its mouth?" An unnecessary and illegal war, conveniently based on 'Curveball's' lies, killed one million Iraqis, displaced 4 million, left 4,754 US troops dead and wasted $3 trillion of US resources.

ACTION ALERT: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Readies National Guard Against Unions (DisInfo.com & Mother Jones Blogs & Progressive Change Campaign Committee)
In a page out of the Mubarak/Gaddafi playbook, Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker has threatened to call out the National Guard in a show of armed force to intimidate growing mass protests by citizens angered over Walker's plan to deny workers their historic collective bargaining rights. This is particularly egregious since Wisconsin is known as the birthplace of the country's union movement for workers' rights.

ACTION ALERT: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker Readies National Guard Against Unions (DisInfo.com & Mother Jones Blogs & Progressive Change Campaign Committee)
In a page out of the Mubarak/Gaddafi playbook, Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker has threatened to call out the National Guard in a show of armed force to intimidate growing mass protests by citizens angered over Walker's plan to deny workers their historic collective bargaining rights. This is particularly egregious since Wisconsin is known as the birthplace of the country's union movement for workers' rights.

ACTION ALERT: Army Vet and CIA Official Assaulted as Clinton Praises Human Rights (David Swanson / War Is a Lie.com & Robert Parry / Consortium News)
As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke in Washington, about the failures of foreign leaders to respect people's freedoms, a 71-year-old US veteran Army officer who spent 27 years in the CIA, turned his back in silence. He was then attacked and bloodied by Capitol police, wrestled from the meeting room and hauled off to jail. As he was ejected from the hall, Ray McGovern broke his silence, protesting. "So this is America?"

ACTION ALERT: Stop Military Rapes -- The Pentagon's War Crimes against Women (NBC NIghtly News & The Daily Beast & Service Women's Action Network)
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld, along with 14 current and former members of the US military were charged in a lawsuit that claims the Pentagon turned a blind eye to reports from women who were sexual assaulted and raped by fellow service members. There were 3,230 complaints of sexual abuse by members of the military during fiscal year 2009 -- up 11 percent from the previous year.

ACTION ALERT: Obama's $36 Billion Nuke-powered Giveaway (Harvey Wasserman / The Free Press)
Barack Obama's 2012 budget marks a major escalation in the nuclear war against a green-powered future. Amidst massive budget cuts for social and environmental programs, Obama wants $36 billion in loan guarantees for a reactor industry that cannot secure sufficient private "marketplace" financing for new construction. In the past decade, the reactor industry has spent at least $640 million lobbying for these massive taxpayer bailouts.

ACTION ALERT: Congressmembers Challenge Democrats to End the War in Afghanistan (Tom Hayden / The Peace Exchange Bulletin)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Oakland) is proposing that the Democratic National Committee officially commit itself to a policy of "prioritizing job creation and a swift withdrawal of US armed forces and military contractors in Afghanistan which must include a significant and sizable reduction no later than July 2011." The DNC will take up the resolution at its Feb. 24-26 meeting in Washington, DC. Call your representatives and tell them how you feel about this resolution.

VALENTINE'S DAY ACTION ALERT: Encourage Spanish Courts to Put US War Crimes on Trial (Roots Action & War Is a Crime & Code Pink et al.)
If you've wanted to be part of a powerful effort to bring Bush-era officials to justice for their crimes, now is your chance. We've joined a national effort to reach out to the people of Spain, whose courts are considering prosecuting six of Bush's lawyers under international law. Our campaign includes an open letter and ads in prominent Spanish newspapers and billboards. Demonstrations in SEVEN US cities on Valentine's Day.

Demand Al Jazeera: Counter the 'Sad State of US Media' (Al Jazeera & Katrina vanden Heuvel and Ryan Grim / Grit TV)
Available in more than 100 countries and nearly 220 million households around the world, Al Jazeera English is recognized as a valuable, groundbreaking network that provides unparallel coverage of some of the most important and under covered regions in the world. However, most cable companies refuse to offer Al Jazeera to viewers in the US. Meanwhile, in a video discussion, the Huffington Post's Ryan Grim and The Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel lament the "Sad State of US Media."

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Media Blockade: Allow Americans to View Al Jazeera (Ryan Grim / Huffington Post)
Canadian TV viewers looking for the most thorough and in-depth coverage of the uprising in Egypt have the option of tuning into Al Jazeera English, whose on-the-ground coverage is unmatched by any other outlet. American viewers, meanwhile, have little choice but to wait until one of the US cable-company-approved networks broadcasts footage from AJE. What they can't do is watch the network directly. ACTION ALERT: Allow US Access to Al Jazeera newscasts.

ACTION ALERT: Mubarak Must Go (Jeff Cohen / Consortium News & David Swanson / War Is a Lie)
As a popular uprising challenges the pro-US dictatorship in Egypt, Washington's cynical strategy of talking about democracy while relying on repressive Arab regimes to maintain order is entering a dangerous moment. The course of this history could have been quite different, as Jeff Cohen notes. Action: contact the White House and encourage President Obama to take the side of Egypt's people and urge the Egyptian military to refuse illegal orders to attack civilians.

ACTION ALERT: 150 Leading Activists Challenge Obama to Become a Peace President (Via David Swanson / War Is a Crime)
We, the undersigned, share with nearly two-thirds of our fellow Americans the conviction that our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq should be ended and that overall military spending should be dramatically reduced.... We vow not to support President Barack Obama for renomination for another term in office, and to actively seek to impede his war policies unless and until he reverses them.

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama: Keep Nukes out of the State of the Union Address (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
President Obama's State of the Union Address on January 25 may include a call for Congress to enact a "Clean Energy Standard" that would support new nuclear reactors and "clean" coal plants. A final decision has not been made and the issue is still the subject of debate within the Administration. Please tell the President that nuclear power and coal have no place in a "Clean Energy Standard."

ACTION ALERT: The Pentagon Desecrates a National Holiday (Brave New Films/Rethink Afghanistan)
The Pentagon sank to a new low this week in their attempt to sell the Afghanistan War to the American people. At their Martin Luther King, Jr., Day observance, a Pentagon official actually claimed that if King were alive today, he might support the war.

ACTION ALERT: 5 Steps Congress Can Take to Prevent More Shootings (DJ Jaffe/ Huffington Post & New York Post)
Now that someone with mental illness has shot one of Washington's own, maybe Congress will start to pay attention to its abysmal failure to provide care for the most seriously mentally-ill Americans.

ACTION ALERT: 5 Steps Congress Can Take to Prevent More Shootings (DJ Jaffe/ Huffington Post & New York Post)

ACTION ALERT: Violence and Threats Have No Place in Democracy (Keith Olbermann / 'Countdown' & CREDO Action)
A Special Comment on the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords: "We need to put the guns down. Just as importantly, we need to put the gun metaphors away -- and permanently. This morning in Arizona, this age in which this country would accept 'targeting' of political opponents and putting bulls-eyes over their faces and of the dangerous blurring between political rallies and gun shows, ended."

ACTION ALERT: Stop the War on Wildlife -- Aerial Gunning of Wolves (Center for Biological Diversity)
Just when we thought the state of Alaska's war on wildlife couldn't get any more gruesome, the state is trying to kill wolves from helicopters on a national wildlife refuge. Alaska and Interior's rationale for the wolf killing is that Unimak Island's caribou herd is declining -- but there's little evidence that wolves are to blame.

ACTION ALERT: Two Years after "Cast Lead," Hold Israel Accountable (Josh Ruebner / US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation)
Two years ago on December 27, Israel launched an attack against the 1.5 million besieged people of the Palestinian Gaza Strip. In an all-out, 22-day assault Codenamed "Operation Cast Lead," Israel killed approximately 1,400 Palestinians, mostly civilians. US cables released by Wikileaks, reveal the US knowingly failed to hold Israel to the "single universal standard that applies to every country."

ACTION ALERT: Acute Danger of War over Korea (International Action Center)
The right-wing government in South Korea is once again threatening live-fire war "exercises" off the coast of North Korea. The DPRK has made it very clear that this would be an act of war to which it would respond vigorously. The US, meanwhile, has blocked an agreement to resolve the crisis during a day-long meeting of the Security Council at UN headquarters on December 19.

Hope, Real Hope, Is About Doing Something: The December 16 Protests (Chris Hedges / TruthDig)
On December 16, I will join Daniel Ellsberg, Medea Benjamin, Ray McGovern and military veteran activists outside the White House to protest the futile and endless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of us will, after our rally in Lafayette Park, attempt to chain ourselves to the fence outside the White House. It is a pretty good bet we will all spend a night in jail. Hope, from now on, will look like this.

ACTION ALERT: Assange Jailed. Wikileaks Petitions: Defend the Internet
Julian Assange is being held without bail. He has pissed off some Serious People, and there have been a lot of attempts to prevent Wikileaks from posting what he says is killer information on Bank of America (it's assumed), Guantanamo Bay (Prison, it's assumed), and more.

ACTION ALERT: Arrest of "Merchant of Death" Shows Need for Global Arms Control (Oxfam International)
More than 740,000 people die each year as a result of the violence associated with armed conflicts and criminality. Viktor Bout, the Russian-born arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death," was able to operate freely for lack of any international binding rules on the sale of weapons. The legal vacuum that has existed for the past 20 years shows need for robust global arms trade agreement.

WikiLeaks: Israel's Security Concerns Often Clash With US Interests (Josh Ruebner / The Huffington Post )
WikiLeaks has done a great service by exposing the inner workings of how US diplomacy is drowning the region in weapons -- srming both Israel and it's Arab neighbors in a quest for regional control and profits from weapons sales. As President Jimmy Carter once said: "We cannot be both the world's leading champion of peace and the world's leading supplier of the weapons of war."

ACTION ALERT: Stop These Wars in DC on December 16 (Veterans for Peace)
The wars that most Americans want ended are not ending, and the war machine that most Americans want cut back is growing. if the war machine continues on its current course, we will not survive it economically, environmentally, or with any civil liberties intact -- if a nuclear blowback or nuclear proliferation doesn't takes us out first. Which would you prefer: go to jail for a few hours or live with the certain knowledge that your children and grandkids are going to eventually be killed?

ACTION ALERT: Stop US Escalation of Tension between the Two Koreas (International Action Center)
On Nov. 23, the government of South Korea mobilized 70,000 troops for a week of military maneuvers off the border of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea. South Korean forces fired shells into waters off the DPRK in an area that the north has a longstanding claim to be within its territory -- a claim that had been accepted by prior south Korean governments. The DPRK responded to the provocation with a deadly and disproportionate attack. Conducting "war games" now risks further escalation.

ACTION ALERT: Military Starts Low-Altitude Training Flights in New Mexico (Seth Mosgofian / Peaceful Skies Coalition & Santa Fe New Mexican)
The Air Force has proposed low-altitude flights in and around Northern New Mexico to train for missions in Afghanistan. Local residents "strongly object to the noise, the pollution, the disturbance of the peace and the risk to our homes and lives these flights will present, as well as the alleged purpose.... This training is not for defense, it is for offense."

ACTION ALERT: Say NO to Four More Years in Afghanistan ( Kevin Zeese
 / Voters for Peace)
The Afghanistan War is currently costing the United States $8 billion in borrowed dollars every month. The Obama administration is now talking about a four-year exit plan, for what is already America's longest war. Four years! That is as long as the Civil War. That is longer than World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Drones and Challenge Obama's Illegal 'Kill List' (Brave New Films/Rethink Afghanistan & The Center for Constitutional Rights)
Drone strikes and other extrajudicial killings outside of war zones are skyrocketing under the Obama Administration -- and US citizens are on the kill list. Some estimates indicate that more than 90 percent of those killed in secret US drone attacks are civilians, a fact that increases hatred for America and puts our nation at risk. Meanwhile, the White House also insists it has the right to kill US citizens.

ACTION ALERT: 'War Is A Lie' -- Buy this Book and Stop the Next War (David Swanson / War Is a Lie.com)
WAR IS A LIE is a thorough refutation of every major argument used to justify wars, drawing on evidence from numerous past wars. This is a handbook to be used in debunking future lies before future wars have a chance to begin. ACTION: Let's push this book to the top of the Amazon best-seller charts -- by November 22 -- and topple the current No. 1 titles -- by George W. Bush and Glenn Beck.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association to Halt Investments that Support Violations of US, International Law (Jewish Voice for Peace)
On December 10th, Human Rights Day, as part of our ongoing TIAA-CREF campaign, groups around the country will be participating in actions to highlight Catepillar's complicity in Israel's violations of US and International law, and the inappropriateness of TIAA CREF -- whose tag line is "finance for the greater good" -- investing in them.

ACTION ALERT: Biden: Critical Opportunity to Reduce Nuclear Threat Is at Risk (BBC World News)
Vice-President Joseph Biden has warned the US that failure to ratify a new nuclear arms control treaty with Russia will "endanger our national security." Get up to speed on the debate over nuclear arms reduction and the new START treaty by reading the following background articles. And then get involved by contacting your representatives.

A Petition Against Four More Years of War (Tom Hayden / The Peace Exchange Bulletin)
The following petition is an overnight response to the sudden announcement that President Obama and his NATO allies are planning to maintain troops in Afghanistan beyond 2011 and well into 2014. Obama is testing the waters of public opinion with this proposal. Only a forceful and rational pushback by public opinion can keep the US from sliding further into an endless, unwinnable and unaffordable war.

ACTION ALERT: Pass the DISCLOSE Act This Year! (Disclose Act.com)
In January, the Supreme Court overturned more than 100 years of election law with a ruling that unleashed millions of dollars of secret, undisclosed corporate contributions used to influence this year's elections. To combat the new, unregulated influence over elections, the House of Representatives passed the DISCLOSE Act. It is time for the Senate to act on this critical piece of legislation.

ACTION: Thank You, Senator Feingold (Jim Dean /Democracy for America)
We lost a lot of bold leaders on November 2, but Senator Russ Feingold is in a class all his own. When other Democrats capitulated to George Bush and supported the Iraq invasion, Feingold voted against war. Two years later, he was the first Senator to call for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Please consider sending the Senator a short message of thanks for all the work he's done for peace over the years.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Delivery of CAT D9 Bulldozers to Israel (US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation)
Caterpillar is delaying the delivery of tens of D9 bulldozers (valued at $50 million) to the Israeli military in the midst of a civil trial in Israel brought by the parents of US peace activist Rachel Corrie (who was killed by a CAT D9 bulldozer being used to demolish Palestinian homes).

ACTION ALERT: Stop Delivery of CAT D9 Bulldozers to Israel
Caterpillar is delaying the delivery of tens of D9 bulldozers (valued at $50 million) to the Israeli military in the midst of a civil trial in Israel brought by the parents of US peace activist Rachel Corrie (who was killed by a CAT D9 bulldozer being used to demolish Palestinian homes).

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama It's Time to De-Alert All Nuclear Weapons (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation)
The US and Russia maintain about 1,000 nuclear weapons each on hair-trigger alert, ready to fire within moments of an order. This Cold War posture is outdated and extremely dangerous. Please take a moment write the president and ask him to take a bold step forward by working with Russian President Medvedev to de-alert US and Russian nuclear arsenals and declare a policy of No First Use.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Caterpillar & Washington: No More Militarize Bulldozers for Israel (Jewish Voice for Peace)
The Israeli press is reporting that Caterpillar is withholding the delivery of tens of D9 bulldozers -- valued at $50 million -- to the Israeli military. These weaponized bulldozers are used to illegally destroy homes of Palestinian families. One of these bulldozers killed Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old US peace activist. With a trial over Corrie's death now in progress, Caterpillar has suspended sales.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Proposed Naval Warfare Training Range in Pacific Northwest (Amber Jamieson / Wild California)
The US Navy has proposed increasing its warfare training operations over 134,000 nautical miles off of the Pacific Northwest. Land and ocean exercises will include ships, planes, rockets, drones, bombing missions, missile and torpedo firing, underwater detonations, undersea warfare training, high-frequency sonar experiments and the use of toxic chemicals like lead, mercury, cadmium, and white phosphorus.

WikiLeaks Wins Information War: New Torture, Civilian Casualties to Be Revealed (Peace and Justice Research Center & Al Jazeera & The London Guardian )
The discolsure of 400,000 documents by WikiLeaks reveals new cases of torture and higher numbers of civilian casualties in Iraq. US and UK officials have insisted that no official record of civilian casualties exists but the logs record 66,081 non-combatant deaths. More than 15,000 civilians died in previously unknown incidents. ACTION: Sign the petition to Defend Wikileaks.

ACTION ALERT: Washington Post Slanders Honduran and Nicaraguan Democracies (Alliance for Global Justice)
On Oct. 20, the Washington Post published an editorial misrepresenting the situation in Latin America. We don't think that ownership of a printing press entitles editors to tell deliberate lies. We urge people of good will to flood the Post with letters. If your local newspaper republishes the Post editorial, we urge you to send your letter to the local paper as well. Read the "Talking Points."

WikiLeaks Wins Information War: New Torture, Civilian Casualties to Be Revealed (Peace and Justice Research Center & Al Jazeera & The London Guardian & )
The discolsure of 400,000 documents by WikiLeaks reveals new cases of torture and higher numbers of civilian casualties in Iraq. US and UK officials have insisted that no official record of civilian casualties exists but the logs record 66,081 non-combatant deaths. More than 15,000 civilians died in previously unknown incidents. ACTION: Sign the petition to Defend Wikileaks.

ACTION ALERT: Investigate the Chamber of Commerce's Use of Foreign Funds in US Election Campaigns (Matt Lockshin / CREDO Action from Working Assets & Think Progress)
The US Chamber of Commerce is the poster child for corporate corruption of our electoral system. The Chamber has pledged to spend $75 million on ads attacking candidates who stand in the way of the biggest and wealthiest corporate interests. Now a Center for American Progress report reveals some of the corporate cash may be coming from foreign entities, a federal crime. Demand a DOJ investigation.

ACTION ALERT: The Tenth Year of War (Kevin Zeese / Voters for Peace)
Today, the 10th year of the Afghanistan War begins. This costly, counterproductive, unnecessary, damaging war is destroying one of the poorest countries in the world, killing Afghan civilians at horrific rates. The US holds thousands of Afghans in prisons without charges. Torture is reported. Robotic drones kill by remote control. Our country is made less secure by such acts. Write the President.

ACTION ALERT: Operation Recovery -- Heal the Troops and End the Wars (Kevin Zeese / Voters for Peace & Iraq Veterans Against the War)
As many as 12% of combat troops in Iraq and 17% of those in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope with war trauma. By winning a soldiers' "Right to Heal", we will be withdrawing this 12 to 17 percent from the fighting force -- a reduction of force that could cripple the military's ability to continue the occupations.

ACTION ALERT: DC March for Peace & Jobs - October 2, 2010 (War Is a Crime / Progressive Democrats of America)
In just two days, tens of thousands of union members, community activists, students, entertainers, civil and human rights leaders, and concerned citizens will gather for peace, jobs, justice, and education for all Americans in the 10.2.10 One Nation Working Together March. PDA and our Medicare for All allies will demand, "Hands off Medicare and Social Security!"

ACTION ALERT: Protest Nuclear Waste on September 29 (Nuclear Information Resource Service)
Nuclear energy production is the number one producer of new radioactivity on Earth, followed by nuclear weapons production. Join us in sending a message: NO MORE! Sign a letter; send a photo to the government's Blue Ribbon Commmission!

ACTION ALERT: 2010 the Deadliest Year for Troops in Afghanistan, Surpassing 2009 Record (Kevin B. Zeese / Voters for Peace & Agence France-Presse & Reuters)
Another sad milestone was reached in Afghanistan this week. Even though it is only September, 2010 is already the deadliest year for our troops. More troops have been killed so far this year than in any previous year of this war, the longest war in American history. More and more Americans are saying the war is a mistake. Contact the White House to insist that we end this costly, unwinnable war.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Militarization of the DREAM Act (Change.org)
The DREAM Act has been promoted as a chance for undocumented youth to gain "legalization." It has been touted as an education bill. However, because college attendance rates are low for many undocumented immigrants and little is done to help undocumented youth go to college, this will force many youth to choose the military as their only choice for legalization. We believe this is immoral and an unfair choice.

ACTION ALERT: EAW's Letter to Michelle Obama and the White House Response (Gar Smith / Environmentalists Against War)
On August 1, EAW published text and videos detailing an unprecedented increase in cancers and deformed babies following the US attack on Fallujah. We sent copies of these postings, with a letter requesting action, to First Lady Michelle Obama, Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and Congressmembers Pelosi and Lee. Today, we received a letter from the White House. Please copy and send the video to your representatives.

EAW's Letter to Michelle Obama and the White House Response (Gar Smith / Environmentalists Against War)
On August 1, EAW published text and video postings detailing the unprecedented increase in childhood cancers and deformed babies following the US attack on Fallujah, Iraq's "City of Mosques." We sent copies of these postings, with a letter requesting action, to First Lady Michelle Obama, Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and Congressmembers Pelosi and Lee. Today, we received a letter from the White House.

Now Showing: Countdown to Zero (Hugh Gusterson / The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists)
It is unclear whether nuclear weapons will be abolished, but it is clear that the nuclear abolitionist movement is now being mainstreamed. Exhibit A in this process is the new general release film, Countdown to Zero, made by the same team that brought us An Inconvenient Truth. The movie's slogan: "More than a movie. It's a movement."

ACTION ALERT: Protest Government's Mass Killings in Sri Lanka (Muthamizh Vendhan / Change.org)
People from across the globe are condemning the Human rights violations of Srilankan government. And civilized society is fighting hard to establish the justice to the Tamils. Killing of nearly 140,000 innocents, war crimes, ongoing slaughter on the journalists, moderates, reformists, artists and having opposition leader behind the bars make the Srilanka as a criminal and a failed state.

ACTION ALERT: 97 Congressional Candidates Oppose War Spending (Coalition Against War Spending)
Ninety-seven congressional candidates and 34 national organizations are opposing any more funding for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The 97 candidates are from 29 states and Washington, D.C., and include 32 Greens, 24 Libertarians, 22 Democrats, 7 Independent Greens, 5 Independents, 4 Peace and Freedom, 1 Republican, 1 Socialist, and 1 West Virginia Green. Eighty-four are candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, and 13 for the Senate.

ACTION ALERT: Use Pakistan's Military Funding to Flood Recovery (The Campaign for Peace and Democracy & Labour Party Pakistan)
The recent floods represent the worst disaster in Pakistan's history. The country has been devastated. The State, stripped of its capacity to meet peoples' needs by neoliberalism and militarism alike, has been found wanting. In addition to donating funds, people are invited to sign a petition calling for priorities that value people's over the demands of Pakistan's military.

ACTION ALERT: The Iraq Legacy: Tell It Like It Is (Medea Benjamin / OpEd News)
With the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, the administration, the military and the media are trying to put a positive spin on this grim chapter of US history. But the bitter truth is that the US intervention has been an utter disaster for both Iraq and the United States. ACTION: Sign the "Iraq Debacle Petition!" to support the victims of this war -- at home and abroad.

ACTION ALERT: August 21-22 -- Protest 3rd Battalion's Deployment to Iraq (The World Can't Wait)
While the Pentagon and the Media celebrate the return of troops from Iraq, 5,000 soldiers with the 3rd Battalion based in Fort Hood, Texas, have been told they are to be sent to Iraq next week. Iraq Veterans Against War is holding a protest demonstration to draw attention to the fact that -- beyond the hype -- the war will continue to put the lives of young Americans -- and Iraqi civilians -- at risk.

ACTION ALERT: International Petition for Full Freedom for Mordechai Vanunu (Eileen Fleming / Arabisto.com)
All whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has wanted since he emerged from 18 years in a tomb-sized windowless cell on April 21, 2004, has been the right to leave Israel and fade into the world, to have a job, a home and family. Sign the petition demanding that the Israeli government cease its persecution of Vanuna and recognize his human right to travel freely in the world.

Video Evidence of Mass Killing by US/NATO (Derrick Crowe, Robert Greenwald / The Brave New Foundation)
US and allied forces in Afghanistan have denied they killed several dozen civilians in Sangin District of Helmand Province on July 23. But our new video exposes the truth about one of the worst civilian casualty incidents of the war. Watch our exclusive interviews with survivors and demand that your elected officials act to prevent future catastrophes like this.

ACTION ALERT: Rally for Bradley Manning August 8: Plus Video of WikiLeaks Confernce (The World Can't Wait)
The unified message of the Defense Department -- that leaking evidence of US war crimes is criminal, while committing them is not -- is being delivered to the media by Robert Gates and Michael Mullen. They both use the phrase, "Wikileaks might already have blood on their hands," which is a surety in the case of Gates and Mullen, two top military leaders who both served under the Bush regime.

ACTION ALERT!: Obama Warned Israel May Bomb Iran this Month (Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity)
Six top former US intelligence and defense officials write the White House to warn "the likelihood that Israel will attack Iran as early as this month. Israel's leaders would calculate that once the battle is joined, it will be politically untenable for [the US] to give anything less than unstinting support to Israel. This can be stopped only if you move quickly to preempt an Israeli attack by condemning such a move before it happens."

ACTION ALERT: Hiroshima Day Poem -- US and World Events (International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons)
Join us to honor the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on this 65th remembrance of the use of atomic weapons and to work toward nuclear disarmament.

ACTION ALERT: Oppose US Military Bases & Neoliberal Economics in Latin America (Campaign for Peace and Democracy & Coalition Partners)
The goal of the continental campaign is to make Latin America a region of peace. We believe that Latin America should be a region of peace. Militarism and violence are obstacles to the development of a just society. We oppose the Colombia-US bases agreement.

ACTION ALERT: The Human Impact of Conflict in Pakistan (Christoph Koettl / Amnesty International USA)
Northwest Pakistan, including the Swat valley -- once known as the "Switzerland of Pakistan" for its scenic and natural beauty -- is now the center of a deadly triangle between the Taliban, Pakistani army forces and US drone attacks. Fighting has left millions homeless. The innocent men, women and children trapped in this violence are not acceptable casualties of war. We must draw a line now.

ACTION ALERT: Vote Against Afghan War Funding (Joanne Landy and Thomas Harrison / Campaign for Peace and Democracy)
US intervention in Afghanistan is facing increasing challenge, and this week's dramatic Wikileaks revelations -- the biggest US war expose since Dan Ellsberg's Pentagon papers -- make it all the more difficult for Congress to keep funding this horrific war.

ACTION ALERT: Two Important House Votes. Troops out of Pakistan; No More Funds for War (Hon. Dennis Kucinich / US House of Representatives)
This week Congress will consider two very important votes for the future of this country and the future of the world. The first deals with Pakistan -- House Concurrent Resolution 301 and a second that deals with $33 billion in supplemental funding to keep the War in Afghanistan going. Also, an honor roll of 88 politicians who are committed to voting against any further increase in war funding.

ACTION ALERT: Tuesday Vote Expected on War Escalation Funding (War Is A Crime & Brave New Films)
On July 1st, 162 congress members voted to require a withdrawal plan and end date for the occupation of Afghanistan, and 100 voted to fund only withdrawal, no continuation of war, while 25 voted to simply stop dumping any money into this war. Now all of them must vote yes or no, probably on Tuesday, on whether to fund a $33 billion escalation of the war in Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: Pentagon Waste: Cut Spending by Eliminating Waste (Friends Committee on National Legislation)
The Pentagon wastes more money than some other cabinet agencies spend in a year. Yet when Congress and the president talk about cutting government spending, they start by saying "of course we should exempt the Pentagon from cuts." What?! The Pentagon is the first place to find savings at the level of billions of dollars. Why protect waste?

ACTION ALERT: The Human Cost of Moving Fuel in a War Zone (Brigadier General Steven M. Anderson, US Army (Retired) / VoteVets.org)
Moving fuel in a warzone. It's probably the most dangerous job in the world, costing over 1000 American lives. I should know. I was the Chief Logistics Officer under General David Petraeus in Iraq. The Senate is considering a clean energy climate plan, that will cut our dependence on foreign oil in half. Renewable technologies will help us here at home and save American lives abroad. Please sign our petition.

ACTION ALERT: Save War Crimes Whistleblower Patrick Manning (World Can't Wait & The New York Times)
A US soldier arrested on charges of leaking a video of a deadly American helicopter attack in 2007 has also been charged with downloading more than 150,000 highly classified diplomatic cables. Pct. Bradley Manning (who had the courage to leak Army videos of a war crime) faces court martial while the soldiers in the video -- and the commanders who ordered the massacre -- are under no arrest, no scrutiny, not even investigation.

Did You Get The Memo? America Is Now A TWO "War Party" System (The Pen)
When Michael Steele accidentally spoke the truth (while hypocritically trying to condemn President Obama for any possible reason) that "the one thing you don't do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan," he was condemned by BOTH the Republican and Democratic leadership. Apparently he did not get the memo that BOTH major parties are now for endless, ruinous and vain foreign wars and occupations.

ACTION ALERT: Challenge War Funding (Coalition against War Spending & Kevin Zeese / Voters for Peace & David Rogers / Politico)
It was reported that Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, David Obey was blocking war funding over the failure to pass the economic relief bill which would extend funding to aid states and cities, extend unemployment benefits as well as provide tax breaks for individuals and business. This is an opportunity to thank Obey and urge him to continue to block funding of the wars.

ACTION ALERT: How to Cut the Deficit by $960 Billion (Friends Committee on National Legislation)
On June 11, 2010, Rep. Barney Frank presented a detailed plan to cut $960 billion from the Pentagon budget over the next ten years -- cuts that would reduce military spending by almost 20 percent while strengthen security. Urge your representative to sign a bipartisan letter to the President's deficit reduction commission.

A Plan to Cut Pentagon Waste by Nearly $1 Trillion (Peace Action)
A new report from the Sustainable Defense Task Force, formed by House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) identifies reductions in Pentagon spending while maintaining strong defense capabilities as the best response to the nation’s mounting fiscal restraints.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Israeli Attack on Gaza Freedome Flotilla (United for Peace and Justice & The Palestinian Center for Rapprochement)
Last night, the Israeli navy attacked humanitarian ships in international waters in the middle of the night. Reports indicate that 10-16 humanitarian activists were killed and 50-60 were injured. On board were 750 people from 40 different countries, including 35 international politicians. Please take action to demand that Israel accept responsibility and reveal the names of the dead and injured.

ACTION ALERT: H.R. 5353 -- A Bill to Freeze the Wars, Cut the Deficit, and Reduce Taxes (John Nichols / The Nation & Hon Alan Grayson)
"What George Orwell wrote about in 1984 has come true. What Eisenhower warned us about concerning the 'military-industrial complex' has come trues. War is a permanent feature of our societal landscape, so much so that no one notices it anymore. "The purpose of the 'War Is Making You Poor Act' is to connect the dots, and to show people in a real and concrete way the cost of these endless wars."

ACTION ALERT: Why Is It Legal for Terrorists to Buy Guns in US? (Mayors Against Illegal Guns & The Washington Post)
Under current federal law, the FBI can stop suspects on the terrorist watch list from boarding an airplane, but they cannot stop them from buying guns or explosives. Testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg described this "a serious and dangerous breach of national security." America's mayors are circulating a petition to restrict weapons sales to terror suspects.

ACTION ALERT: Iraq: Bloody Policies and Criminal Authorities: Arrests, Assassinations, Deportation of Millions, Torture (The BRussells Tribuna)
Repression in Iraq takes multiple forms: deprivation of resources and services, arrests, assassinations, deportation of millions, torture of every kind, death squads, hanging and other death penalties, confiscating property and houses, blowing up residences, markets and groupings, killing at checkpoints and in the streets for no reason. Sign petition opposing execution of 900 Iraqi prisoners.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the Killing in Iraq and Afghanistan (A Just Foreign Policy.org)
The number of Iraqis slain since the US invasion of March 2003 is shocking and sobering. It is at least 10 times greater than most estimates cited in the US media, yet it is based on a scientific study of violent Iraqi deaths caused by the US-led invasion and occupation. ACTION ALERT: Sign the petition demanding a timetable for withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: Capital Teach-In-- Vote No on Funding Escalation (Defend War & After Downing Street)
Funding an escalation of war in Afghanistan with $33 billion is: illegal, immoral, against the public will, economically catastrophic, counterproductive on its own terms, and a cynically motivated intentional failure. Call Congress at (202) 224-3121 and tell your representatives that you will vote against them if they vote to fund an escalation in Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: Lawsuit Settled in DC Mass Arrest: $18,000 for Each Arrestee. Must file by May 17 (International Action Center)
Ten years ago this month, the IAC initiated a demonstration against the Prison Industrial Complex in front of the Department of Justice in Washington, DC. After the rally ended, police closed the streets and arrested 700 protesters, along with members of the media and passersby. The Partnership for Civil Justice Fund filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of those arrested and has just won a $14 million settlement.

ACTION ALERT: US Funding Colombia Repression? (Andrew Hudson / Human Rights First)
Exposing links between local politicians and paramilitary death-squads: does this sound like grounds for arrest to you? In Colombia it can be. Colombian activist Carmelo Agamez has been in prison for over a year on bogus charges -- targeted with trumped-up charges designed to stigmatize and silence human rights defenders.

ACTION ALERT: Don't Let US Get Away With Murder (Rethink Afghanistan)
On February 12, US and allied special forces attacked a baby shower in Gardez, Afghanistan, killing two local officials and two pregnant women. Instead of getting immediate medical treatment, reports indicate that the special forces focused on destroying evidence of their crime, going so far as to dig the bullets out of the bodies. Sign the petition demanding an independent UN investigation of this atrocity.

ACTION ALERT: Ban "Conflict Minerals" (Amnesty USA)
Minerals found in our cell phones and other electronics are fueling a vicious cycle of rape, war and other human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Help us bring down the multimillion-dollar conflict minerals empire!

ACTION ALERT: Ban the "Gun-Show Loophole" (Bob Fertik / Mayors Against Illegal Guns)
Eleven years ago this week, twelve students and one teacher were killed at Columbine High School. Two of the weapons used in that shooting were bought as a result of the Gun Show Loophole that enables firearms to be purchased without a background check. A coalition of more than 500 mayors dedicated to keeping criminals from illegally obtaining firearms -- is campaigning to demand that Washington block the Loophole.

ACTION ALERT: Afghanistan: A Chance to Stop the Killing (Friends Committee on National Legislation)
The House plans to approve $33 billion more for the US war in Afghanistan. Yet, here on Capitol Hill, FCNL's lobbyists are finding support for proposals to end that US war responsibly. Changing the war mentality of Congress will not be easy. Thousands have signed FCNL's petition for a new US policy in Afghanistan, including a responsible withdrawal. We're delivering those petitions to members of Congress right now.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Militarism on Earth Day with Brown Bag Vigils (Progressive Democrats of America & Las Vegas Sun)
April 22nd marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. 40 years later, here in the United States, we find our leadership continuing to ignore the voice of reason and peace while lending an ear to the destructive council of the fanatical and uninformed. Instead of looking for innovative ways to conserve energy and promote health we continue to support the worst polluter in the world, the US Department of Defense.

ACTION ALERT: One Drop in a Sea of Blood (Michael Prysner / ANSWER Coalition)
The harrowing Apache footage released by WikiLeaks gives us a stomach-turning glimpse of war. Seventeen minutes of cold-blooded massacre in a war of more than seven years. A brief clip of one Apache video; a quick look at one part of one mission. Hundreds of those missions take place every day.

ACTION ALERT: What Are You Doing on Tax Day? (War Resisters League)
Over $1 trillion has been spent on the invasions and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan since October 2001. Nearly half of each tax dollar goes to the Pentagon and military contractors while cities and states are closing schools, cutting services, and furloughing staff. Thousands of civilians and soldiers have died with no evidence that the world is safer. Protest on tax day to demand and end to increasing military budgets.

ALERT: Solidarity Against Nuclear Threat: A Letter to 47 World Leaders (Project for Nuclear Awareness)
EMERGENCY PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD 9 am Monday morning, April 12th at Peace House, 1233 12th St. NW, Washington, DC (3 blocks west of the Washington Convention Center where the 47-Nations' Nuclear Security Summit is happening April 12-13. Background: Transcript of press conference by Presidential Secretary Robert Gibbs on APril 6, 2010.

ACTION ALERT: Progress on Nuclear Weapons. Tell Congress to Follow Through (Ben Cohen / True Majority)
The country's stack of strategic nuclear warheads has stayed at the same crazy level for nearly 20 years. Until now. The new nuclear arms reduction treaty which President Obama plans to sign this week with Russia's President Medvedev will start cutting those stockpiles again. It's a fantastic step toward closing the book on the Cold War, at last. That is, IF the Senate approves the treaty.

ACTION ALERT: Disarmament Summer Campaign (Think Outside The Bomb.org)
April 5th marks the one year anniversary of President Obama's famous speech in Prague that ultimately won him a Nobel Peace Prize for his vision. We share a vision of a nuclear weapons free world and are working hard to achieve it. Call or email the White House today and let President Obama know that building new nuclear weapons factories is incompatible with a nuclear weapons free world.

ACTION ALERT: Support Progress on US-Russia Nuclear Disarmament ( Matt Holland / TrueMajority / USAction)
Last week, Russia and the USA signed an agreement to reduce their nuclear arsenals by a third. And next week, Obama is hosting leaders from 48 countries to talk about going even further in pursuit of a nuclear-free world. public support is crucial. Please sign this petition, which will be delivered to world leaders when they convene at the White House on April 12.

ACTION ALERT: Bring the Troops – and the Bucks – Back Home (Voters for Peace)
March 29, 2010 marked the anniversary of the last combat troops leaving Vietnam and ending US military involvement in the Vietnam War. Wars can be ended. Even wars that seem central to continuing American Empire become unnecessary wars if they are resisted.

ACTION ALERT: Pentagon Attacks Crusading Investigative Web Site (Michael Collins / OpEd News)
Since its launch three years ago, WikiLeaks -- founded by Chinese dissidents, journalists, mathematicians and start-up company technologists, from the US, Taiwan, Europe, Australia and South Africa -- has produced more scoops than the Washington Post has in the past 30 years. Now, the Army Counterintelligence Center has concluded that WikiLeaks is a risk to US security and must be destroyed.

ACTION ALERT: US, Russia Reach Deal to Reduce Nucelar Weapons (Friends Committee on National Legislation & The Washington Post & The Guardian)
The US and Russia have reached a deal on their most extensive nuclear arms-control agreement in nearly two decades. The pact, which would cover an estimated 25,000 of the world's 26,000 nuclear weapons, appeared to represent President Obama’s first victory in his ambitious agenda to move toward a nuclear-free world. ACTION: Ask your senators to vote to ratify the START follow-on agreement when the president submits it.

ACTION ALERT: Indonesian Army, Implicated in Assassinations, Set to Get US Aid (Allan Nairn / Z Space)
According to senior Indonesian officials and police, the US-trained Kopassus special forces assassinated a series of civilian activists during 2009. The news comes as President Barack Obama is reportedly set to reverse longstanding US policy of restricting categories of US assistance to Kopassus, a force which, during its years of US training, has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians.

ACTION ALERT: Massive Peace Protest in DC. Hundreds More across US
Thousands of people are headed to the nation's capital to protest on the seventh anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. More than 150 Iraq protests and demonstrations occurring across the country.

ACTION ALERT: March 20 Anti-war Demonstrations in Washington, DC (Michael E. Ruane / Washington Post)
A major protest, against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will begin with a noon rally in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House on March 20. A march will follow. Organizers said that the Afghanistan conflict has become "Obama's war." They criticized the continued fighting there and in Iraq, and said the president's war policies were just like former President George W. Bush's.

ACTION ALERT: Remember Rachel Corrie (Cindy Corrie / A Jewish Voice for Peace)
This month, a civil lawsuit in Israel in the case of our daughter Rachel Corrie will converge with the seven-year anniversary of her killing in Gaza. Rachel, 23, was crushed to death by an Israel Defense Force (IDF) Caterpillar D9R bulldozer as she tried nonviolently to offer protection for a Palestinian home.

ACTION ALERT: War in Afghanistan Privileged Resolution (Hon. Dennis Kucinich / US House of Representatives)
This week a privileged resolution will be brought to the floor of the House of Representatives in an attempt to get America out of the war in Afghanistan. This resolution requires the President to remove the troops within 30 days from the time the resolution is passed and no later than December 31st. Please, contact members of Congress. The vote will occur on Wednesday.

Action Alert: This Is How We Stop Blackwater (LiAnna Davis / CREDO Action from Working Assets)
More than 22,000 mercenaries are operating in Iraq and Afghanistan, and these unaccountable hired guns have shot civilians and participated in torture at Abu Ghraib and other detention facilities. The Stop Outsourcing Security Act, would prohibit hiring private mercenaries like Blackwater to perform tasks traditionally done by the military.

ACTION ALERT: How Kucinich's Resolution to End the War Will Help Us End the War (David Swanson / After Downing Street)
On March 4, Congressman Dennis Kucinich plans to introduce a privileged resolution to end the Afghan War. The resolution requires that the House debate, within the next week, the continuing war in Afghanistan, now the second longest war in US history. While the resolution may not win a majority vote, it will put many congress members on record as to whether they support or oppose this costly war.

ACTION ALERT: No Funds for More Wars (EuroNews & Peaceteam & Campaign for Peace and Democracy)
US President Barack Obama�s presence in Oslo was not lost on environmentalists. �I think it does diminish the prize and it is a great disappointment and I think it undermines all of the work for peace and justice that really needs to continue happening,� said Frida Berrigan. Let the President know your thoughts. Take action by faxing, emailing, calling and writing to the White House. See the links and actions below.

ACTION ALERT: President Obama's Wars Meet Resistance in US and Afghanistan (Al Jazeera & Friends Committee on National Legislation)
For many Afghans, President Obama's strategy of even more troops does not fit into their vision of what will bring peace. Meanwhile, President Obama presents us with a historic opportunity to free the world of nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, our Senate stands in the way of that achievement. We have to persuade Congress to support Obama's agenda for a world without nuclear weapons.

ACTION ALERT: More Troops & Drones Get You the Peace Prize? (Debra Sweet / The World Can't Wait )
Commentary: When it was first announced that Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, I asked "What about the Nobel prize for war-mongers?" Some people unsubscribed from this newsletter, offended that I was pointing out a contradiction that much of the world sees easily enough. On Saturday, December 12, there will be a demonstration across from White House in Lafayette Park from 11 AM to 4 PM/

ACTION ALERT: Obama's Escalation Will Be Immediately Opposed (Harvey Wasserman / The Free Press)
Tonight at 8pm EST President Barack Obama is set to announce his commitment to the worst blunder in US policy since Lyndon Johnson escalated the Vietnam War. There were those who knew the Gulf of Tonkin �incident� on which LBJ's war powers had been based was a complete deception. But it was not until the mass marches on the Pentagon and elsewhere in 1967 that one could say a truly national grassroots anti-war movement had taken shape. Find out about planned protests in YOUR neighborhood.

ACTION ALERT: Prepare to Protest Afghan Escalation (World Can�t Wait & Progressive Democrats of America)
On Tuesday, December 1st, President Obama will announce plans to expand the occupation of Afghanistan with 34,000 more troops. This is not a "good" war. Afghanistan is now really Obama's war. The richest country with the most powerful highly militarized empire is destroying one of the poorest countries.

ACTION ALERT: Saharan Peace Hero Fasts to Return to her West Saharan Home (Cindy Cooper / On the Issues Magazine & Giles Tremlett / The Observer & The Robert F. Kennedy Center)
Aminatou Haidar, known as the "Gandhi" of the Western Sahara for her advocacy for the human rights of her people, was stopped from returning home after returning from New York where she received an award for her nonviolent advocacy. On November 15, Haider began a hunger strike on a mat in the airport. Thousands of supporters (including filmmaker Pedro Almod�var) have flocked to the airport to demanding justice for Aminatou Haidar.

ACTION ALERT: Bills to Stop the Afghan Surge (US Rep. Barbara Lee and The Peace and Justice Resource Center)
While thousands of peace activists flooded the White House with calls, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced her legislation, HR 3699, prohibiting taxpayer funds for more combat troops to Afghanistan.

National Call-in Against War Nov. 23-25 (Kevin Zeese / Voters for Peace)
For three days, people from every corner of the country will be flooding the White House with calls. We oppose sending more troops to Afghanistan; we want the troops that are there now to be brought home! If you cannot get through on Monday, call on Tuesday or Wednesday.

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama: No to Escalation in Afghanistan (Matt Lockshin / Credo Action)
Despite over $1 trillion in costs and the majority of Americans opposing escalation, President Obama continues to move towards increased military action in Afghanistan. Less than a 100 members of Al Qaeda remain in the country. American activities are believed to be a destabilizing force in neighboring, nuclear-armed Pakistan. A corrupt Karzai government is being propped up by American intervention. The cost of escalation is estimated to be another $100 billion.

ACTION ALERT: Army Sends Infant to Protective Services, Mom to Afghanistan (Friends of Alexis and Courage to Resist)
Take action to protest the treatment of single mother, Specialist Alexis Hutchinson who has stated: "It is outrageous that [the US Army] would deploy a single mother without a complete and current family care plan. I would like to find someone I trust who can take care of my son, but I cannot force my family to do this. They are dealing with their own health issues."

Realities of War Conference: Nov 8, 2009. in San Diego (University of California at San Diego Student Groups & Supporters)
Realities of War Conference with Congressmember Bob Filner, USMC Veteran Cpl, Rick Reyes, TV/radio host Bree Walker, more. The day's events and workshops will be followed by a sunset vigil "Bring their Buddies Home" along N Torry Pines Rd "We wil provide each participant with a memorial page to wear bearing the name of a US military fatality in war."

War and Health Care: The War Resolution Reconsiders and a Health Care Petition Offered (Hon. Dennis J. Kucinich / House of Representatives)
When you hear people say: "If only we had known then what we know now," remember, some did know of the false case for war against Iraq. Since so many know now we should not have invaded Iraq, why are we still there? AND a petition: Whereas Universal Health Care was proposed by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 and nearly 100 years later, 87 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, economic justice demands passage of single-payer health care reform.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Military Rapes in Guinea (Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH / CARE)
The atrocities in Guinea are just the tip of the iceberg. In many countries, an often-unseen cycle of sexual violence against women lurks beneath the surface. According to the US State Department, 36 women and girls are raped every day in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the world's shame.

ACTION ALERT: President Obama Wins Nobel Prize. Send a Message (President Barack Omama & Avaaz & World Can�t Wait)
President Obama has called the Nobel Prize "to give momentum to a set of causes." The president deserves to hear our congratulations � but also our message to be bolder. Let's do our part to define the challenge this Prize poses to our president � let�s flood Obama with a million messages of encouragement pressing him to turn hope into action on nuclear disarmament, climate, and peace in the Middle East and Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: Dear Mr. President. Congratulations on the Nobel Peace Prize. (Drew Hudson / TrueMajority / USAction)
Just nine months after taking office, President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. While we remain mired in two wars right now, many of us share the Committee's hope and expectation that Obama will end these conflicts, and lead our country and the world towards a more peaceful future. Let's congratulate President Obama today and remind him that while there's more to be done.

Eight Years On: A 'Quaker Colonel' Reflects on the Afghan War (Col. Dan Smith (Ret.) / Quakerscolonel.blogspot.com)
October 7/8 will mark the eighth anniversary of the opening salvo on the �Taliban� faction of the ruling Afghanistan government, institutions, and people. At that point, there will be only 123 days � almost exactly one third of a year � before the White House, the Pentagon, and the American public find that the nation�s escalating involvement in Afghanistan has surpassed the length of another U. conflict � the American Revolutionary War.

Resisting the Push to War in Afghanistan and Pakistan (National Priorities & Tom Hayden & Rep. Barbara Lee)
The Obama Administration is in the process of preparing a set of benchmarks which will be used to gauge the progress of US military and civilian operations in Afghanistan. It has been widely reported that as a result of this assessment, Gen. McChrystal may request that as many as 45,000 additional US troops be sent to Afghanistan.

Rethinking Afghanistan and Surge the Resistance (Democracy Now! & World Can't Wait )
Eight years have passed since Laura Bush declared that "because of our recent military gains, women are no longer imprisoned in their homes" in Afghanistan. For eight years, that claim has been a lie. (See the video clip.) The truth is that American military escalation will not liberate the women of Afghanistan. Instead, the hardships of war take a disproportionate toll on women and their families.

ACTION ALERT: Jews Call on Israel to Release Palestinia Peace Advocate (Sydney Levy / Jewish Voice for Peace )
On September 22, Palestinian Peace Activist Mohammad Othman was arrested by Israeli soldiers on the Allenby Bridge Crossing, the border from Jordan to Palestine. He was returning from a trip to Norway, where he was advocating for Palestinian human rights. Jewish Voice for Peace is calling on peace activists around the world to write US President Obama, asking that he press Israel for Mohammad�s release.

ACTION ALERT: Demand Release of G-20 Detainees! Drop All Charges and End Repression NOW! (Bail Our the People)
ign the online petition to Federal Officials, Congressional leaders, the Pennsylvania Congressional Delegation, the Pennsylvania Legislature, the Mayor of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Police Chief, Pittsburgh city officials, Pittsburgh business leaders, the Allegheny County Council and local and national media demanding an immediate release of all detainees, that all charges be dropped, and calling for an independent investigation.

Anti-War Protest to Shut Down Army Experience Center at Philadelphia Mall (The World Can't Wait)
Protesters will gather at the site of a pilot project where the US Army uses violent video games and simulated war exercises to attract youth into military service. The Pentagon is committed to establishing Experience Centers in malls across the country.

ACTION ALERT: OpEdNews Journalist and Six Protesters Charged With Criminal Conspiracy After Arrest (Linda Milazzo / OpEd News & Rob Krall / OpEd News)
Six members of various anti-war groups and an OpedNews journalist were arrested at a protest organized to shut down the Army Experience Center, located in Philadelphia's Franklin Mills Mall. Reporter Cheryl Biren was rough-handled by an arresting officer and held in two different jails for a total of 14 hours before being released at 5 AM without even the opportunity to use her cell phone to call for a ride home.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress "We Need an Exit Strategy for Af/Pak War" (Tom Hayden / The Huffington Post)
August was the cruelest month for US forces in Afghanistan, with at least 49 killed. The numbers exceeded the previous high of 43, as a result of the new escalation of fighting approved by President Obama. At the current rate, more than 1,000 additional American soldiers will be killed in the next two years. We, the undersigned, believe the US military interventions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq are quagmires that threaten a without end.

ACTION ALERT: Boycott Ahava (Nancy Kricorian / AlterNet )
The Hebrew word �Ahava� means love, but there is nothing loving about what the company is doing in the Palestinian territory of the West Bank. AHAVA, an Israeli cosmetics company, has situated its main manufacturing plant and showroom at the Israeli Jewish settlement Mitzpe Shalem in the Occupied Palestinian West Bank. Moreover, Ahava�s capture of Palestinian natural resources from the Dead Sea is a violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Idaho�s War on Wolves (Defenders of Wildlife)
On August 24, the department began selling an estimated 70,000 permits to hunt and kill wolves in Idaho. That�s 70 guns for each wolf in Idaho! This could be the worst wolf massacre in the Lower 48 United States since the 1930s. Hundreds of defenseless wolves will be shot, with many surviving wolf pups left to starve to death. Unless we stop it.

Action Alert: Congess Must Reassert Itself On War Powers Now, BEFORE We Get Worse Than Bush (Peace Team)
Even in appointing a special counsel to look into torture, Eric Holder essentially directed him to IGNORE whether a crime was committed in ordering torture. The only mandate lifelong Republican prosecutor John Durham has been given is about whether personnel EXCEEDED the instructions. The fact is that NO member of these agencies could have believed in good faith that torture techniques condemned when used by every other totalitarian regime were suddenly acceptable behavior.

Action Alert: Where Is the Afghanistan Debate? (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR))
With new polls showing the American public becoming increasingly critical of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, the Sunday morning network talkshows turned primarily to Pentagon officials and war boosters to discuss the issue, continuing the media marginalization of critics of the escalation of the war.

ACTION ALERT: Remembering Ted Kennedy (Friends, Family and Colleagues)
�Edward M. Kennedy�the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply�died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port. We�ve lost the irreplaceable center of our family and joyous light in our lives, but the inspiration of his faith, optimism, and perseverance will live on in our hearts forever."

ACTION ALERT: President Obama Blasts Pentagon Spending on Useless Weapons (Associated Press & True Majority)
President Obama chastised the defense industry and a freespending Congress yesterday for wasting tax dollars on weapons and strategies better suited to fight Soviet armies on the plains of Cold War Europe than insurgents in the mountains of Afghanistan. Take action to support Obama�s Call to Defund Unneeded, �Exotic� Weapons

Action Alert: Protest Attack Against Offices of V�a Campesina (V�a Campesina in Honduras)
Last night at 11:23 pm, during curfew which began at 10pm, unknown individuals driving a cream colour Toyota Turismo with the license plate PCA1981 fired bullets at the office of V�a Campesina located in the Alameda neighbourhood of Tegucigalpa. In addition to the recent attack on V�a Campesina, a bomb capable of killing 15 people went off in the building of the Beverage Workers Union. Both organizations are part of the National Front Against the Coup. Please take acton.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Israel to Free Ezra Nawi (Cecilie Surasky / Jewish Voice for Peace & Ethan Bronner / The New York Times)
Nawi, a Jewish Israeli of Iraqi descent, is a threat to the settlers and the Israeli government because he has brought international attention to efforts to illegally remove Palestinians from the Hebron region. His crime? He tried to stop a military bulldozer from destroying the homes of Palestinian Bedouins in the South Hebron region. Join Naomi Klein, Neve Gordon, Noam Chomsky and thousands of others and tell Israel not to jail Ezra Nawi, one of Israel�s most courageous human rights activists.

ACTION ALERT: Bombs Will Kill Women in Afghanistan (Sonali Kolhatkar / Afghan Women's Mission)
Eight years have passed since Laura Bush declared that "because of our recent military gains, women are no longer imprisoned in their homes" in Afghanistan. For eight years, that claim has been a lie.

ACTION ALERT: Tell President Obama to Make Drastic Nuclear Cuts
The Moscow Summit between President Obama and President Medvedev demonstrated improved US-Russian relations, but very modest progress on nuclear disarmament. President Obama promised �dramatic� cuts in nuclear arsenals in a new agreement with the Russians. The announcement that a new US-Russia treaty will seek to limit each side�s nuclear warheads to between 1,500 and 1,675 represents some progress, but it is far too modest. Send a message.

ACTION ALERT: Stop Funding for the F-22 (Matt Holland / TrueMajority / USAction & The New York Times)
Despite the objections of the Air Force, the Secretary of Defense, and you, the Senate is on track to pass a defense authorization bill that includes billions in extra spending on F-22 fighter jets we don't need. The full Senate will begin review of the bill right after this week's recess, and if we convince them to take the planes out, we can avoid an ugly confrontation.

ACTION ALERT: Nuclear Weapons: The Only Solution (Avaaz )
The only real solution to the proliferation crisis is the elimination of all nuclear weapons worldwide. Take action and sign the petition calling for "Global Zero" and bring a powerful democratic voice to the US-Russia summit next week.

ACTION ALERT: Denounce the Human Rights Abuses in Honduras (COFADEH & School of the Americas Watch)
The situation in Honduras turned violent when over 10,000 people gathered in the streets to protest the coup Monday evening. Using tear gas, high-powered water and guns (it is still not clear whether soldiers were armed with rubber bullets or otherwise) many people were wounded and there has been one confirmed death in the capital, Tegucigalpa. In the capital, pro-coup marches are occurring, defended by the police and national guard.

ACTION ALERT: Israelis Attack Humanitarian Aid to Gaza
Last night, Israeli Occupation Forces attacked and boarded the Free Gaza Movement boat, the SPIRIT OF HUMANITY, abducting 21 human rights workers from 11 countries, including Noble laureate Mairead Maguire and former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The passengers and crew are being forcibly dragged toward Israel.

ACTION ALERT: Condemn Honduran Coup and Restore Honduran President Zelaya (International Action Center / Centro de Acci�n Internacional)
Demand that the Barack Obama administration and the US Congress unequivocally condemn the unconstitutional and anti-democratic military coup in Honduras and insist that the military regime and the newly appointed but illegitimate president of Honduras restore President Zelaya to office, free all the imprisoned popular leaders and remove the curfew.

ACTION ALERT: Honduran Coup (Campaign for Labor Rights)
President of Honduras Manuel Zelaya confirmed he is in Costa Rica, as he was kidnapped by Honduran military officers, who dragged him from his residence. Zelaya's supporters are asking people to defend democracy by calling the State Department and White House to demand: A cut-off all military aid to Honduras until Pres. Zelaya and Chancellor Rodas are safely returned to office and support any international movements to bring the coup plotters to justice.

ACTION ALERT: Demand Afghanistan Exit in "Defense: Authorization Bill (David Swanson / After Downing Street)
Rep McGovern's amendment (HR 2404) to the Defense Authorization bill calls for an "exit strategy" to end US military involvement in Afghanistan. Although the right strategy remains to collect co-sponsors for the stand-alone bill, it is this amendment that will actually be voted on. Increasing the number of co-sponsors for HR 2404 will help raise visibility of the issue and make it more politically safe for Members to vote in favor of the amendment. Vote due today: Thursday!

ACTION ALERT: June 25 Torture Accountability Action Day
On June 25, demonstrations, vigils and actions will be held across the USA � in Salt Lake City, Seattle, Portland, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Anchorage, Pasadena, Bryn Mawr (Philly Area), Tampa, Thousand Oaks , Boston, and San Francisco � to demand that the individuals who debased our country by authorizing torture of foreign detainees and US citizens be held accountable for their actions.

ACTION ALERT: Only 3 More Votes Needed to Stop War Spending Bill (Voters for Peace & Democrats.com)
According to Democrats.com: "All 178 House Republicans plan to vote against the $100 billion Iraq/Af/Pak War Supplemental to protest $5 billion for the International Monetary Fund. That means 39 Democratic opponents could defeat the bill. 36 Democrats promised to vote no, so we only need 3 more." See below for action links and phone numbers.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the $106 Billion War Spending Supplemental
The Virtual Phonebank is a new tool that will connect your phone to each key office and even let you leave a message after hours. Ask all the fence-sitting congress members to vote No on the $106 billion war supplemental.

ACTION ALERT: Another Act of Domestic Terrorism (Kate Stayman-London / CREDO Action )
The deadly shooting at the Holocaust Museum underlines the urgency of finding ways to stop thes courge of gun violence in America. One action Congress can take is to close the gun show loophole that allows criminals and corrupt gun sellers to avoid the background checks required by the Brady Bill. Contact your representatives to let them know about your concern over the circumvention of gun legislation.

ACTION ALERT: Fire Casey: We Need a New Top Dog in the Army! (Winograd for Congress & PeaceTeam.net)
The headlines read � "Army Chief Says US Ready to be in Iraq 10 Years." Did General George Casey, the Army Chief of Staff, somehow miss the message of the Presidential election? Marcy Winograd, 36th congressional district candidate, reminds General Casey that the American people voted for a President who promised to get us out of Iraq, not to prolong the agony of occupation.

ACTION ALERT: June is Torture Awareness Mont (National Religious Campaign Against Torture)
The fight to end US-sponsored torture is not over. At noon on June 11, the National Religious Campaign Against Torture will sponsor a major religious public event in front of the White House asking President Obama to create a Commission of Inquiry. A broad community of religious organizations have made Torture Awareness Month resources available online. See below.

ACTION ALERT: Investigate Cheney's Iraq-Torture Scandal (Democrats.com)
Just five days after 9/11, Dick Cheney announced his plan to work "the dark side" on Meet the Press. For the next seven years, he fulfilled his promise through torture and other war crimes. Still, most of the Corporate Media refuses to cover the biggest scandal in American history. It's time for Congress to investigate the massive Iraq-Torture Scandal � and for the Department of Justice to prosecute Dick Cheney for creating it.

ACTION ALERT: Repeal the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (Center for Constitutional Rights &)
Last week, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Civil Liberties Defense Center and civil rights attorneys moved to dismiss the federal indictment against animal rights activists for "conspiracy to commit animal enterprise terrorism." Charges against the "AETA 4" include protesting, chalking the sidewalk, chanting and leafleting, and the alleged use of "the Internet to find information on bio-medical researchers." These actions are clearly protected by the First Amendment.

ACTION ALERT: National Protests Against US Torture on May 28 (Was Criminals Watch.org)
There is abundant evidence that war crimes were committed by the Bush Administration. Indeed more evidence appears on an almost daily basis. The question is very simple: Will any officials of the Bush administration who are responsible for the �war on terror� be indicted and held accountable for those crimes?

ACTION ALERT: National Protests Against US Torture on May 28 (Was Criminals Watch.org)
There is abundant evidence that war crimes were committed by the Bush Administration. Indeed more evidence appears on an almost daily basis. The question is very simple: Will any officials of the Bush administration who are responsible for the �war on terror� be indicted and held accountable for those crimes?

ACTION ALERT: KBR Got Bonuses for Work that Killed Soldiers (Jeremy Scahill / The Nation)
The Department of Defense paid former Halliburton subsidiary KBR more than $80 million in bonuses for contracts to install electrical wiring in Iraq. The award payments were for the very work that resulted in the electrocution deaths of US soldiers, according to Department of Defense documents revealed today in a Senate hearing. ACTION: Sing a petition protesting the expenditure of taxpayer dollars to a company whose shoddy work is responsible for the deaths of US soldiers.

ACTION ALERT: Vets and Voters Oppose War Spending and Afghan Surge (Farah Stockman / The Globe Staff & Voters for Peace)
President Obama's $94.2 billion war-funding bill would support 21,000 additional combat troops and military trainers for Afgrhanistan. Representative James McGovern of Massachusetts � who has launched the only effort in the US House to oppose President Obama's plans for the Afghan war � received an unexpected boost of support yesterday from a group of Afghan and Iraqi war veterans, who raced around Capitol Hill lobbying for his bill. See ACTION ALERT in second story.

ACTION ALERT: US Military Fires an Arabic Linguist for Being Gay (Lieutenant Dan Choi / CREDO Action)
"I am gay." As an infantry officer, an Iraq combat veteran and a West Point graduate with a degree in Arabic, I refuse to lie to my commanders. I refuse to lie to my peers. I refuse to lie to my subordinates. As a result, the Army sent a letter discharging me on April 23. The letter is a slap in the face. It is a slap in the face to me, and it is a slap in the face to the soldiers who I have commanded and served with over the last decade.

ACTION ALERT: The Torture Testimony that Cheney is Trying to Drown Out (Sharon Kelly / Human Rights First)
Why is Dick Cheney suddenly making such a loud case for torture? His side of the debate is trying to drown out new evidence that torture actually weakened American security. Urge President Obama to set up a nonpartisan inquiry on torture to evaluate the full cost of abuses, look at how we got there, and come up with safeguards so we don't repeat the same mistakes.

ACTION ALERT: Help Stop the Sri Lankan Bloodbath (Avaaz.org)
Tens of thousands of civilians are trapped in a shrinking 3-square-kilometer conflict zone � bombarded by government artillery and used as human shields by Tamil Tiger rebels. The Japanese government, Sri Lanka's largest donor and closest regional partner, has the power to help stop this humanitarian disaster. Send a message to Japan�s Foreign Minister Nakasone demanding that Japan act to prevent further civilian deaths.

ACTION ALERT: Keep the Pork out of the Pentagon Budget (Matt Holland / True Majority)
The full Pentagon budget hasn't even been drafted yet. But some members of Congress are already trying to slip billions of dollars of pork-barrel weapons projects into the supplemental budget request for Iraq and Afghanistan. The Air Force doesn't want the C-17, and the Secretary of Defense explicitly asked to *cut* the planes from the budget. The only people who still want the planes are the contractors � and the politicians who accept the money of the weapons-makers lobbiests.

Pete Seeger Deserves One More Honor � the Nobel Peace Prize (Peter Dreier / Common Dreams)
More than 15,000 admirers celebrated Pete Seeger's 90th birthday with him at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, which included a greeting from President Barack Obama. Seeger's admirers have launched a campaign to nominate him for he Nobel Peace Prize. A petition signed by more than 28,000 individuals appears on a website designed to promote the singer/activist's nomination for the Nobel honor. It is well-deserved.

Hold Motorola Shareholders Accountable! (US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation)
After a year of the Hang Up On Motorola boycott campaign, Motorola's management still doesn't understand that they are responsible for their products systematically being used to violate Palestinian rights.

ACTION ALERT: Putting the Military to Work for the Environment (Green Living Tips)
If your green support group is planning an activity such as a local clean-up day or plant-a-tree activity, it's often quite easy to get some extra help from local military bases. All you have to do is draft a press release for the event, along with an invitation for all military members to attend.

ACTION ALERT: Impeach Torture-Memo Judge Jay Bybee (Kevin Zeese / Voters for Peace & Vincent Warren / Center for Constitutional Rights)
Bybee was the primary author of legal memoranda justifying torture during the Bush administration. When he was confirmed for the federal bench this information was denied. Now that Bybee's fundamental role is known, how can he remain a judge in the US federal courts? His lifetime appointment will continue the legacy of torture under President Bush, rather than put it behind us.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: Fund Aid, Not War (Friends Committee on National Legislation)
Next week, the House will consider President Barack Obama's request for billions of dollars to fund the war in Iraq and expand the war in Afghanistan. Although the president has laid out a strategy in Afghanistan that includes diplomacy and development, the vast majority of the funds in this war supplemental bill will be focused on military troops, guns, and ammunition.

A People�s Campaign to Defund the War (War Tax Boycott)
The War Tax Boycott was initiated in September 2007 by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee. Last year more than 500 people around the US joined the War Tax Boycott ending April 15, 2008. They redirected more than $300,000 to humanitarian programs ranging for relief to survivors of Hurricane Katrina, support for Iraqi refugees in Jordan, and free food for hungry families in the US.

ACTION ALERT: Obama Proposes $83 Billion War Budget � Bigger than Bush (BBC News & Voters for Peace)
President Barack Obama is reportedly seeking $83.4 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan this year at the same time the US is facing an economic crisis unlike any it has seen 80 years. President Obama has introduced a military budget that is $21 billion larger than the Bush military budget. On top of this he is preparing to ask Congress for more war funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan � an additional $75.5 billion is expected. Please contact Washington at the link below.

ACTION ALERT: Protest US Arms Transfers to Israel (Amnesty International)
Amnesty International researchers visiting Gaza and southern Israel during and after the fighting found evidence of war crimes and violations of international law, some involving US weapons. Amnesty researchers this week confirmed a massive shipment of US weapons to Israel on March 22, despite clear evidence of Israeli human rights violations, some amounting to war crimes, including the use of US-made white phosphorous munitions. Contact the White House and State Department.

ACTION ALERT: What Happened to Obama's Campaign Promise of Peace? ( Josh Mitteldorf / OpEd News & Kevin M. Martin / Peace Action)
President Barack Obama has announced his plans to send another 21,000 troops to Afghanistan. This poorly conceived strategy continues failed Middle East policies where military engagement serves as the primary tool. The war weary American publics increasingly thinks that the Afghanistan war was a mistake. Take Action.

ACTION ALERT: US Opposes "Water as a Human Right" (Wenonah Hauter / Executive Director, Food & Water Watch)
We've flooded Congress with more than 17,000 messages objecting to the actions by US representatives at the World Water Forum in Turkey, which removed language declaring water as a human right and public good from the final ministerial document. Help us get to 50,000!

ACTION ALERT: Investigate Cheney's Personal "Assassination Ring" (The Pen & The Peace Team)
Remember when former Vice President used to claim that he constituted a peculiar fourth branch of government unto himself, claiming executive privilege as part of the executive branch? Now we learn that Dick Cheney reportedly ran his own private worldwide "assassination squad," reporting only to himself. Congress must launch its own investigation. The staggering criminality of the previous administration cannot be swept under the rug.

ACTION ALERT: Ask the President for a New Policy on Foreign Wars (Peace Action)
Six years ago today the US invaded Iraq. It is staggering to reflect on the losses both Americans and Iraqis have suffered. A million Iraqis have died in the past six years; and, according to the United Nations another 4.2 million have been displaced. We must remind our new President that it is not enough to shift away from the failed policies of the former administration and that he promised a completely new direction � a new path for American foreign policy and he can start with Afghanistan.

ACTION ALERT: March on the Pentagon This Weekend (Peace Action et al.)
The war in Afghanistan is escalating with 17,000 troops. More war will create greater instability and more threats to US national security. The U.S. has more effective tools to resolve these conflicts. Please join us this Saturday, March 21, 2009. Gather at 12 noon in Washington, DC for a rally followed by the march to the Pentagon, and then to the offices of Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and KBR (the former Halliburton subsidiary).

ACTION ALERT: Obama Posed for Decision on Afghanistan & 10 Reasons to End the Occupation of Afghanistan (Kevin B. Zeese / Voters for Peace)
President Obama is expected to make a final decision on his Afghanistan strategy next week. He is faced with widespread evidence of failure and a history of a country that has proven time and again to be "the grave yard of empires." It is time to bring US troops home.

ACTION ALERT: Prepare for Iraq War Anniversary on March 19 (Voters for Peace)
Voters for Peace is working with activists in the San Francisco Bay Area on a project to reduce the military budget by 25% as a first step toward putting the necessities of the American people before weapons. The goal of the campaign is to begin to cut the bloated U.S. military budget which makes up more than half of federal discretionary spending and equals the spending of the whole world combined. The initial goal is a 25% cut in the military budget.

ACTION ALERT: Criminal Prosecution and Accountability of Bush & Cheney (ProsecuteBushCheney.org)
Overwhelming evidence of probable cause for prosecutions is in the public realm, in some cases including public confessions and other evidence of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. No one should be denied a fair trial, but no trials should be delayed which are already compelled by the evidence. A prosecutorial investigation would be the most effective tool for producing additional evidence.

ACTION ALERT: US Still Fighting Two Wars (Voters for Peace)
The United States continues to find itself embroiled in two wars that are draining the strength of the country, already weakened by economic collapse and years of war. Iraq and Afghanistan present different challenges for the peace movement but both need our immediate attention.

ACTION ALERT: Protest Nightly Invasions of Palestinian Villages in the West Bank (Haggai Matar / New Profile & Anarchists Against the Wall)
"The following item provides detailed information on the current military onslaught against West Bank Palestinian villagers peacefully resisting the theft of their lands and livelihoods by Israel's "separation wall." It was compiled and circulated by activist Haggai Matar of Anarchists Against the Wall and New Profile."

ACTION ALERT: Demand a Truth Commission to Investigate Bush/Cheney Crimes (Jim Dean / Democracy For America)
Remember the last time a Republican President broke the law? Congress established the Church Commission to investigate Richard Nixon and Watergate. Presidential abuses that go unchecked and unquestioned, become legally-accepted precedent. Only if Congress takes action can we protect our country and the world from a lawless American President in the future.

ACTION ALERT: March 3 DC Demo � Why I�ll Get Arrested to Stop the Burning of Coal (Bill McKibben / Yale Environment 360)
Make history March 2, 2009 in Washington, DC. Be part of the largest mass civil disobedience for the climate in US history. Environmentalist Bill McKibben will join demonstrators who plan to march on a coal-fired power plant in Washington DC. In his article for Yale Environment 360, McKibben explains why he�s ready to go to jail to protest the continued burning of coal.

ACTION ALERT: End the Recruitment of Child Soldiers (Larry Cox / Amnesty International USA)
Around the world today, children are not only war's victims, but also its combatants. Help us expose and bring to justice those who recruit and use child soldiers.

ACTION ALERT: Save our Economy: Cut the Military Budget (Progressive Democrats of America)
With the economy in awash in debt, there a major step that can be taken to help stem the tide � cutting wasteful military spending. Outdated weapons, weapons that don't work, hundreds of overseas military bases, and so on. Ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will save $162 billion. We can cut this budget by 25% and still maintain the most powerful military in the world. It's time to foucs on domestic needs. Send an email to Congress and the president. Take action now

ACTION ALERT: Request A Special Prosecutor for Bush, Cheney (Voters for Peace)
The US is a nation that holds that no one is above the law. If war crimes were committed, accountability is required. The world knows the US government violated international law in recent years. How does the US demonstrate adherence to the rule of law without investigating allegations of such violations and holding responsible those who have ignored the law? Please join the call for empowering a special prosecutor to examine these crimes as a means of restoring US respect for international law.

ACTION ALERT: Ask Sec. of State Clinton to Investigate Potential War Crimes in Gaza. (Amnesty International)
An Amnesty International research team recently found evidence of US-made weapons were used in Israel�s attack on the civilian residents of Gaza, including the misuse of white phosphorus munitions. Amnesty is urging concerned Americans to contract Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to demand that she immediately call for an investigation into Israel�s use of US weapons of mass destruction in Gaza.

ACTION ALERT: Obama�s Surge of Troops to Afghanistan (Peace Action & Credo Action)
President Obama was right when he said we need to focus more resources on Afghanistan. But rather than completing an examination of all available options, he has decided to deploy 17,000 more troops without a clear plan for turning things around. Sec. Gates and Obama announced plans to deploy an additional 17,000 troops � a 50 percent increase � despite the fact that the Pentagon has not determined a long term strategy for the conflict, including exit strategy.

ACTION ALERT: Help for the Congo (Mercy Corps)
21-year-old Elizabeth Aziza lives in a tent pitched at an orphanage on the outskirts of Goma, a city in eastern Congo that has seen its population swell by a quarter-million people over the last few months. Nearly all escaped their villages as they were attacked. Most lost their homes. Many saw their loved ones killed.

ACTION ALERT VICTORY! Nuclear Bailout Stripped from Stimulus Package! (Michael Mariotte / Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
After a deluge of public oppositions, including more than 10,000 letters to Congress in one week, the $50 Billion in taxpayer loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors and "clean coal" plants has been stripped from the final economic stimulus bill. "Your actions made a huge difference," says Michael Mariotte, Executive Director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service.

Action Alert: No A Bailout for the Nuke Labs (Council for a Livable World)
Help prevent $1 billion in funding for nuclear weapons infrastructure programs. When the House of Representatives created its version of the economic stimulus bill, no funding for the nuclear weapons complex was included.

ACTION ALERT: Reject Nomination of Raytheon Lobbyist William Lynn (Voters for Peace)
The nominee for Deputy Secretary of Defense, the chief operating officer of the Pentagon, is a lobbyist for Raytheon. William Lynn, is due $1.5 million in payouts for his work lobbying for the defense industry. This revolving door has to stop. We need to break the military-industrial complex and stop having defense contractors and their lobbyists working on the inside of the Pentagon.

ACTION ALERT: Sign the Treaties on Landmines and Cluster Bombs (Ban Mines USA & Friends Committee on National Legislation)
On December 3rd, as half of the world�s governments signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions in Oslo, a spokeswoman for the Obama Transition Team said that the next president would �carefully review the new treaty.� Contact the White House to encourage swift action on signing this international treaty.

ACTION ALERT: No Taxpayer Loan Guarantees for New Nuclear Reactors! (Michael Mariotte / Nuclear Information and Resource Service)
On January 27, the US Senate Appropriations Committee snuck in a late-night provision to the President's economic stimulus package that would allow as much as $50 BILLION tax dollars to be used as loan guarantees for constructing new nuclear reactors. This would be on top of the $18.5 Billion taxpayer dollars already authorized by Congress during the Bush administration. ALERT: Send letters to the Senate about this proposal.

ACTION ALERT: Jews for Gaza (Jews in Solidarity with Palestine)
Nearly a thousand women, men and children killed by US-made Israeli bombs. Thousands more wounded.1.5 million under siege for the past 18 months, without food, water, medicine, fuel. Collective punishment for resisting occupation; emergency aid blocked. Massive violations of international law. Apartheid wall. Racist oppression. Homes and land stolen. Forced into refugee camps. 60 years of occupation, from the river to the sea. We Say Enough!

ACTION ALERT: Join the Obamas and the Bidens for a Day of Service in Honor of Dr. King (Mercy Corps & Global Citizen Corp)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of freedom and justice for all. He knew that when people join together, they can make the world a better place.This Monday, January 19, please answer President-elect Obama's call to service. Join one of the many groups leading service projects to bring Dr. King's dream to life. Volunteer in your own community, or go online and lend your skills to those in need thousands of miles away.

US Prevents UN Condemnation of Israel; Jewish MP Compares Israel�s Attacks to Nazis (Yitzhak Benhorin / YNet & Sir Gerald Kaufman / House of Commons & George Galloway / House of Commons & Lynn Pollack / Jewish Voice for Peace)
Israel and the US succeeded in preventing a UN announcement condemning the Jewish state for its strike on a UN compound in Gaza. Meanwhile, Sir Gerald Kaufman, a member of Britain's a member of the Jewish Labour movement compared the actions of Israeli troops in Gaza to the Nazis who forced his family to flee Poland. Kaufman called for an arms embargo against Israel.Finally, Lynn Pollack of Jewish Voice for Peace, praises the Daily Show for speaking truth to power.

ACTION ALERT: Join the Obamas and the Bidens for a Day of Service in Honor of Dr. King (Mercy Corps & Global Citizen Corp)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed of freedom and justice for all. He knew that when people join together, they can make the world a better place.This Monday, January 19, please answer President-elect Obama's call to service. Join one of the many groups leading service projects to bring Dr. King's dream to life. Volunteer in your own community, or go online and lend your skills to those in need thousands of miles away.

ACTION ALERT: Canada's Shame: Conservative Government Stands Alone in Votes against Human Rights (Canadian Peace Alliance)
On January 12, 2008 the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to condemn the "massive violations of human rights" by Israel in Gaza. Thirty three countries voted in favour of the resolution and, shamefully, Canada was the only country to vote against. ACTION: Send a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

ACTION ALERT: Cast your Vote for the Global Elimination of Nuclear Weapons by 2020 (Change.org)
The Social networking site Change.org is hosting an open forum to determine the top 10 policy recommendations to the Obama administration. Please cast your vote calling for US Leadership to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Globally. The Final Round of Voting ends on Thursday, January 15.

ACTION ALERT: Want to End the Violence in Gaza? Boycott Israel (Naomi Klein / The Nation)
It's time. Long past time. The best strategy to end the increasingly bloody occupation is for Israel to become the target of the kind of global movement that put an end to apartheid in South Africa.

ACTION ALERT: CEASE FIRE NOW! (Gush Shalom / Haaretz & Avaaz & Toni O'Loughlin / The Guardian)
Israel's preeminent peace group writes: "The killing of hundreds of Palestinians and the destruction of the infrastructure of life in the Gaza Strip are abominable acts. Those who hope to reap electoral profits from them are greatly mistaken." Avaaz petition calls for Cease Fire in Gaza. And Israel's supreme court orders the government to allow the international media into Gaza to report on the effect of the air strikes on Palestinians.

ACTION ALERT: Peace Activists to Deluge White House with Tossed Shoes Wednesday, Dec. 17 (Code Pink & Shoes for Bush)
In solidarity with an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at George W. Bush at a Baghdad press conference Sunday, peace activists will gather outside the White House with bags of shoes representing Iraqis and U.S. soldiers who have died since the Bush Administration�s illegal invasion of Iraq. If you can't get to DC, you can mail shoes to the White House.

American Woman among 18 Abducted at Gunpoint by Israeli Troops in Gaza (Window to Palestine.blogspot.com)
Darlene Wallach, a human rights observer from San Jose, California, was among eighteen persons abducted off the coast of Gaza on November 18, 2008. All eighteen were fishing in Gaza waters in zones authorized for Palestinian fisherman by the Oslo agreements of 1993 and 1994. They were abducted at gunpoint by Israeli frogmen and taken to Israel, along with the fishing boats.

ACTION ALERT: Petition to Oppose a Bush �Self-Pardon� and Ten Reasons to Impeach Bush & Cheney (Bob Fertik / Democrats.com)
Democrats.com asked Americans to launch a massive movement against the possibility of the Bush administration issuing executive �self-pardons� to the president and top government officials � current and former. A petition to this effect was signed by more than 46,000 citizens and Congress took notice. On November 21, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introduced H.Res. 1531 urging President Bush not to pardon senior administration officials for crimes the President authorized.

ACTION ALERT: Closing Guantanamo; Ending Torture (Human Rights First & Amnesty International & Virginia School of Law)
More than 65,000 people joined Human Rights First's call on the presidential candidates to declare that they would end torture. We won: President-elect Obama has clearly and repeatedly stated his opposition to torture. Amnesty International has set a human rights challenge to President Obama for his first 100 Days in office to set a closing date for Guantanamo Prison, issue an executive order banning torture and ensuring accountability for human rights violators.

ACTION ALERT: Letters to President Elect Obama: Support Troops, Honor Veterans (Peace Action & VoteVets.org)
Peace Action asks that Americans "remember Armistice Day and our Veterans by taking action to bring US troops home from the failed war on terrorism and support them when they are here. Sing the No Soldier Left Behind plan." Vote Vets writes: "Now is the time for President-Elect Obama to show the nation that he recognizes it is important to bring our greatest veterans into his administration. One way he can do that is to name Max Cleland and Tammy Duckworth to a role in his administration."

ACTION ALERT: Obama Plans to Close Guantanamo as Amnesty Action Calls for Public Pressure (Matt Apuzzo & Lara Jakes Jordan / Associated Press & Amnesty International)
President-elect Barack Obama's advisers are crafting plans to close the Guantanamo Bay prison and prosecute terrorism suspects in the US a plan that the Bush administration said was easier said than done. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has announced a "100 Days Campaign" to restore America's commitment to human rights by (1) closing Gitmo, (2) banning government torture, and (3) creating a commission to investigate human rights crimes committed by the government.

ACTION ALERT: Send a Million Messages to Brack Obama (Avaaz.org)
This is a time for celebration of democracy, but already the sharks are starting to circle � oil companies, war contractors, conservative lobbyists, and the powerful neo-con clique that brought us the war in Iraq are looking for ways to dim the prospects for change. Obama has promised national unity, and these interests will ask a high price for that unity. Global messages of hope and and an invitation to work with the new President � will be displayed on a giant wall in Washington.

ACTION ALERT: Condemn Expanded US War on Syrian and Pakistan (International Action Center)
All who want to stop the Bush White House from starting another war should immediately protest the unilateral, unjustifiable and criminal October 26 U.S. assaults on Syrian and Pakistani sovereignty. Don�t let Bush get away with expanded war crimes in the Middle East. Condemn his efforts to hand a wider war to the next administration.

ACTION ALERT � On Oct. 27: Protest AFRICOM at the IPOA Summit in DC (Resist Africom.com)
The meeting of the International Peace Operations Association (IPOA) follows on the heels of the Pentagon's October 17 commemoration ceremony for the newly established US Africa Command at AFRICOM's headquarters � at a US base in Stuttgart, Germany. An African Union representative pledged support for AFRICOM's agenda and Mali announced plans for FLINTLOCK, a joint-US military exercise set for November 3-20.

ACTION ALERT: Why the Bailout Vote May Fail Help Make Sure it Does! (David Swanson / OpEd News.com & Michael Moore)
oday's vote on the Paulson Plunder Act of 2008 may fail. It should. You should help block it by phoning your representative and promise to vote for them in November only if they vote NO on this grand larceny today. We do have a chance at winning on this and blocking this bill. Here's why.

ACTION ALERT: 9/11 War Crimes Tribunal: The Truth Can Move Us Forward (Hon. Dennis J. Kucinich / US House of Representatives)
America must move from the errant, retributive justice of 9/11 to a healing, restorative process of truth and reconciliation. Before the Congress adjourns, I will bring forth a proposal to establish a National Commission on Truth and Reconciliation, with the power to compel testimony and gather official documents to reveal not only the underlying deception which has divided us, but in that process of truth-seeking, set our nation on a path of reconciliation.

ACTION ALERT: Stop the India/US Nuclear Weapons Deal (Andrew Lichterman / Disarmament Acticist.org)
The imminent US/India nuclear weapons agreement will undermine an already shaky Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) regime by giving a country that developed nuclear weapons outside the Treaty the benefits of international nuclear trade. In general, the deal reinforces the legitimacy of nuclear weapons and weakens global rule of law. Write to Congress today.

ACTION ALERT: Impeachment Advocates Meet in Andover (David Swanson / Global Research & Afterdowningstreet.org)
Next weekend in Andover, Mass., a group of attorneys, academics, and activists will gather to plan the prosecution of Dick Cheney, George Bush, and the lawyers and advisors who, together with them, are responsible for war crimes. The conference is open to the public and expected to be well attended. For details, see: http://war-crimes. Info

ACTION ALERT: Stop the War on Freedom in the Streets of Denver (Troops Out Now Coalition)
In the past few days, Denver police have engaged in deliberate provocations and violence against activists. On Monday night, they began beating and pepper spraying protesters and engaging in illegal mass arrests. On Tuesday, they clubbed and arrested Denver activist Carlo Garcia and Code Pink member Alicia Forrest. The only acts of violence taking place in Denver are being committed by police trying to silence dissent. Check out the online videos.

ACTION ALERT: Conyers Calls Special Hearings on Evidence Cheney Faked WMD Evidence and Bush Lied (Ralph Lopez / Impeachment Left to Right & Ron Suskind / The Huffington Post)
House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers has taken the unusual step of calling his committee back from summer recess to investigate charges that the Bush administration forged a letter falsely linking Saddam to WMDs and 9/11. ACTION ALERT: Call congress; contact the media; deliver ONE MILLION signatures to Congress by September 18 urging them to exercise their Constitutional authority and "mandate to hold this President - and all future Presidents accountable."

ACTION ALERT: Nuke Bombers Seen Refueling over US; Massive US Naval Armada in Gulf (Robert N Smith (USN Retired) & Stop War on Iran)
A retired military officer expresses alarm at the sighting of a nuclear-capable B-52 refueling at unusually low altitude over eastern Tennessee � with air-to-surface missiles clearly visible on its wings. Meanwhile, the US and Britain are assembling the largest military armada since WWII as the US increases its threats over Iran's nuclear energy program. ACTION: Copy and send the list of US warships in the region to your representatives and demand an accounting of this Washington's plans.

ACTION ALERT: Hiroshima-Nagasaki Remembrance Events Nationwide
August 6th and 9th will mark the 63rd anniversaries of the U.S. atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Expanding the traditional anniversary period will allow more opportunities for groups to plan and organize events focusing on all aspects of the nuclear issue. Activities are scheduled across the country, from the Livermore nuclear weapons lab in California to Washington DC. For a complete list of events, check the Nuclear Free Future Web site.

ACTION ALERT: August Declared Nuclear-Free Future Month (Western States Legal Foundation)
August 6th and 9th 2008 will mark the 63rd anniversaries of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Expanding upon the traditional anniversary period, United for Peace and Justice, the largest anti-war coalition in the country, has declared August "Nuclear-Free Future Month."

ACTION ALERT: August Declared Nuclear-Free Future Month (Western States Legal Foundation)
August 6th and 9th 2008 will mark the 63rd anniversaries of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Expanding upon the traditional anniversary period, United for Peace and Justice, the largest anti-war coalition in the country, has declared August "Nuclear-Free Future Month."

ACTION ALERT: Pelosi 'Would Impeach' Bush Given 'Evidence' of Crimes. Like Iraqi 'Prisoner Boxes'? (David Swanson / After Downing Street & The Memory Hole)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told "The View" today that she'd impeach George W. Bush if anybody knew of a crime he'd committed. Please fax copies of Hon. Dennis Kucinich's articles of impeachment to the House Speaker. Many other document detailing Bush's crimes against international law and the US Constitution are readily available on the Internet. See below for additional resources.

ACTION ALERT: Protest War and US/Israel Plans to Attack Iran
The threat of a US/Israeli attack against Iran is growing � but so is grassroots opposition. What we do in the next few days and weeks can make a difference. In Congress, support is growing for House Resolution 362 and Senate Resolution 580, both of which call for a air, sea, and land blockade of Iran � an act of war. On July 22, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned that Iran had two weeks to halt its development of nuclear energy. That deadline expires on August 5. Prepare to act on August 2!

ACTION ALERT: CBS Fakes News to Cover Up McCain's Errors (Moveon.org)
CBS let down the public by covering up John McCain's lack of understanding about Iraq. CBS should correct the record by airing what McCain actually said and explaining why he was flat-out wrong. Watch the side-by-side CBS coverage, which substituted an edited response in place of McCain's actural, error-ridden, reply to a question from CBS anchor Katie Couric. Sign the petition demanding that CBS acknowledge the falsification and pledge to present the news unaltered.

ACTION: COINTELPRO Comes to My Town: My First-Hand Experience With Government Spies (Dave Zirin / Op Ed News)
I have been a target of state police surveillance for activities � in my case against the death penalty � that were legal, non-violent, and, so we assumed, constitutionally protected. In classified reports compiled by the Maryland State Police and the Department of Homeland Security our seditious crimes, as reported by a police infiltrator named "Lucy," involved such acts as planning to set up a table at the local farmer's market and writing up a petition.

ACTION ALERT: Congress to Vote on New Impeachment Resolution (Vote To Impeach & Democrats.com & Impeach for Change)
More than a million citizens have signed a petition supporting a Congressional resolution to impeach George W. Bush. The resolution has seven cosponsors and has been endorsed by several Republicans. Growing pressure has forced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reconsider the "Constitutional remedy." Pelosi recently warned that the deepening political crisis "is, in many ways, more serious than the Constitutional crisis surrounding Watergate."

ACTION ALERT: Congress to Vote on New Impeachment Resolution (Vote To Impeach & Democrats.com & Impeach for Change)
More than a million citizens have signed a petition supporting a Congressional resolution to impeach George W. Bush. The resolution has seven cosponsors and has been endorsed by several Republicans. Growing pressure has forced House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to reconsider the "Constitutional remedy." Pelosi recently warned that the deepening political crisis "is, in many ways, more serious than the Constitutional crisis surrounding Watergate."

ACTION ALERT: Stop Plans for Attack on Iran (Friends Committee on National Legislation & Stop War on Iran.org)
The battlefield for a U.S.-Iran war is being prepared, but, with your help, we can still prevent an all-out war. 221 representatives in Congress are on record supporting a U.S. partial land, sea, and air blockade of Iran. A blockade, even a partial one, is an act of war. Find out if your representative is a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 362: http://action.fcnl.org/r/16230/45326/ .

ACTION ALERT: A Resolution Opposing War on Iran (No War on Iran Coalition-Chicago)
BE IT RESOLVED, That the City Council of the City of Chicago does hereby urge the Illinois Congressional delegation to clearly express the will of the people of Chicago in opposing any US attack on Iran, and urging the Bush Administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with that nation. This model resolution could be submitted to city councils across the nation.

ACTION ALERT: Conyers: Stop the War Crimes (Gordon Prather / AntiWar.com)
The House of Representatives has voted to refer the Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush to the House Judiciary Committee. There is still time for Rep. John Conyers to hold nationally televised hearings on Article VI to indict Bush for "invading Iraq in violation of the requirements of HJ Resolution 114 � and on Article VIII" and for �"invading Iraq, a sovereign nation, in violation of the UN Charter" and US law." Encourage Conyers to take action.

ACTION ALERT: Former US Attorney-General Calls for Impeachment of Bush-Cheney (Hon. Ramsey Clark & ImpeachBush.org & Vote to Impeach.org)
Ramsey Clark writes: "Impeachment is not a political question. Impeachment is a constitutional duty. George Bush has deliberately, falsely and systematically mislead the Congress and the American people concerning the most criminal, costly and harmful acts of his administration, leading us to war, tragic loss of human life, the devastation of Iraq, military expenses reaching trillions of dollars, disruption of the economy that will take decades to overcome."

ACTION ALERT: World Cant Wait on Impeachment (Debra Sweet / The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime)
On June 9, Dennis Kucinich introduced 35 articles of impeachment for President Bush. Robert Wexler co-sponsored. Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment on Vice President Cheney in April 2007. contact everyone you can about the need to repudiate these criminals. We want a situation where no president, and no government can get away with what the Bush regime has done, because people living in this country will not accept it!

Veterans for Peace Demand Impeachment of President Bush and Protest in John Conyers' Office (After Downing Street)
On June 11, 2008, members of the Veterans for Peace (VFP) organization held a press conference, at 1 PM, on Capitol Hill, demanding the impeachment of President George W. Bush. The event took place in room 1629 of the Longworth House Office building.

Veterans for Peace Demand Impeachment of President Bush and Protest in John Conyers' Office (After Downing Street)
On June 11, 2008, members of the Veterans for Peace (VFP) organization held a press conference, at 1 PM, on Capitol Hill, demanding the impeachment of President George W. Bush. The event took place in room 1629 of the Longworth House Office building.

Veterans for Peace Demand Impeachment of President Bush and Protest in John Conyers' Office (After Downing Street)
On June 11, 2008, members of the Veterans for Peace (VFP) organization held a press conference, at 1 PM, on Capitol Hill, demanding the impeachment of President George W. Bush. The event took place in room 1629 of the Longworth House Office building.

Veterans for Peace Demand Impeachment of President Bush and Protest in John Conyers' Office (After Downing Street)
On June 11, 2008, members of the Veterans for Peace (VFP) organization held a press conference, at 1 PM, on Capitol Hill, demanding the impeachment of President George W. Bush. The event took place in room 1629 of the Longworth House Office building.

ACTION ALERT: Support Rep. Kucinich's Call for Impeachment (Democrats.com & Raw Story & Reuters)
History is in the making: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) is on the floor of the House reading 35 Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush. We've waited years to find one Member of Congress brave enough to stand up for our Constitution. Kucinich, a former presidential candidate, accused Bush executing a "calculated and wide-ranging strategy" to deceive citizens and Congress into believing that Iraq posed an imminent threat to the United States.

How to Make a Citizen's Arrest of a War Criminal (After Downing Street.com)
A 7-point guide to identifying, tracking down and arresting more than a dozen Bush administration war criminals. Among the tips: "Apprehend and handcuff the war criminal. Read the war criminal their rights, rights they have denied others." But be aware that a person who makes a citizen's arrest risks exposure to possible lawsuits or criminal charges.

ACTION ALERT: Close Down Guantanamo
n January 11, 2002, the US transferred the first detainees to the US Naval Base at Guant�namo Bay, Cuba. Five years later, despite widespread international condemnation, hundreds of people of more than 30 nationalities remain there. Amnesty activists all over the world will mobilize to call for the closure of the prison facilities at Guant�namo.

ACTION ALERT: Why In the World Would They Destroy Hawaii...On Purpose? (Cathy Garger / OpEd News)
Please read below about the Army's and Navy's plans to do their training and "play war" inside Paradise, while only further destroying the natural resources and life forms within the Pacific Ocean and Hawaiian Islands. Then please help educate others in your own circle of influence about what is going down in the land of Aloha.

ACTION ALERT: Czech Hunger Strike over US Radar Base Spreading around World (Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space & UFPJ)
In Prague, Jan Tamas and Jan Bednar (who is now suffering kidney failure) are into their second week of the hunger strike as part of an effort to give voice to the 70% of Czech citizens who oppose the deployment of the US Star Wars radar. The hunger strike has now spread throughout Europe and other parts of the world including the US. Bruce Gagnon who coordinates the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space, joined the hunger strike on May 24.

ACTION ALERT: US Mayors Call for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament (Mayors for Peace)
The US Conference of Mayors will be holding its annual meeting in Miami June 20-24. Mayors for Peace is asking cities across the US to support resolutions "Opposing Military Intervention in Iran" and "Supporting Elimination of Nuclear Weapons."

ACTION ALERT: Hunger Strikers Face Death to Protest US �Occupation� of Czech Republic (NonViolence.cz & EuropeForPeace.eu & No Bases Initiative)
Jan Bednar's health conditions are deteriorating. He is on his 13th day of hunger strike against the military occupation of the Czech Republic by the United States, part of the Star Wars project. The medical team, his friends and family and sympathizers from all over the world have pleaded with him to stop. Nevertheless he is determined to continue.

ACTION ALERT: Demand US Health Care for Women Veterans
Thousands of female veterans are routinely denied appropriate physical and mental health care as well as treatment for rape and sexual trauma suffered in the course of war at the hands of their male counterparts and commanding officers. The Women Veterans Health Care Improvement Act of 2008 (S.2799), introduced in the Senate last month, will dramatically increase the care available to our women veterans.

ACTION ALERT: Conyers to Bush: Iran Attack = Impeachment (Hon. John Conyers / US House of Representatives)
Please call your Congress Member and ask them to co-sign a letter to President Bush from House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers threatening impeachment if Bush attacks Iran. Below is a note from Conyers asking his colleagues to co-sign. Below that is the letter to Bush.

ACTION ALERT: Stopping Rape as a Weapons of War (Irene Khan / Amnesty International)
Rape is a weapon of war in so many countries around the world, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Colombia and Sudan. And one thing is clear � the problem of violence against women vastly exceeds the resources currently devoted to stopping it. Amnesty International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign is leading an effort to end this systematic violation of women's basic human rights. Support the International Violence Against Women Act.

ACTION ALERT: MAY DAY: A Call To Action (After Downing Street.org)
May 1st is shaping up to be a day of anti-war resistance, with strikes by the ILWU and other unions, plus immigrant rights rallies, and peace and impeachment activities � across the US and abroad.

ACTION ALERT: Cluster Bomb Ban: Paul McCartney Calling (Friends Committee on National Legislation)
The world community is calling for a ban on cluster bombs. On May 19, representatives of more than half the world's nations will gather in Dublin, Ireland, to hammer out the final details of a treaty banning the use and export of all or most cluster bombs.

ACTION ALERT:
Unequal distribution of global resources, increasingly controlled by large multinational companies, global debt policy and unfair international trading practices ultimately could not be maintained without military security. The terror attacks of September 11, 2001 are increasingly used to justify systematic surveillance and the dismantling of constitutional rights.

ACTION ALERT: Condoleeza Rice Lied about Torture: Bush Now Admits He �Approved� It (Robert Greenwald / Brave New Films & Democrats.com)
Thanks to a new report from ABC News, we now know that Condoleezza Rice led White House meetings authorizing torture that were so detailed, "the interrogation sessions were almost choreographed." Sign the "Condi Must Go" Petition. George W. Bush also informed ABC that he personally approved the torture technique known as waterboarding. Bush should be impeached.

ACTION ALERT: Turn up the Heat on Condi: Complicit in Torture (True Majority.org)
Yesterday, ABC News reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice chaired explicit White House discussions about which torture techniques should be used on prisoners. They "were so detailed" that "some of the interrogation sessions were almost choreographed � down to the number of times CIA agents could use a specific tactic." Given these new revelations, Condoleezza Rice can not continue as Secretary of State.

ACTION ALERT: A Responsible Plan for Iraq (TrueMajority.org)
There is a better plan to end the war but it needs your vote of support. A group of Congressional candidates have come up with a responsible plan to get our nation out of this nightmare, and scores of them have already agreed that if elected they will actually carry out the plan, not just keep holding hearings while continuing the war.

ACTION ALERT: Say No to a New Generation of Nuclear Weapons (CREDO Action from Working Assets)

Disgusting Profits by US Armament Companies (Matthew Rothschild / The Progressive)
Since the Iraq War began, aerospace and defense industry stocks have more than doubled. General Dynamics did even better than that. Its stock has tripled.

ACTION ALERT: Protest War: Tax Day Actions, Tuesday, April 15, 2008 (National Committee on War Tax Resistance)
Over $500 billion has been spent by the Pentagon for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the bill is still skyrocketing with an ongoing cost of over $700 million a day. Five years of a war built on lies is 5 years too many. More than 6 years of war on terror has led to more acts of terror worldwide. Get out on tax day and demand that our hard-earned money be used to help people, not kill them!

ACTION ALERT: Stop US Military Support to Countries Using Child Soldiers (Oxfam America.org)
Governments around the world are using children as young as 7 as frontline solders, porters, and spies. The UN estimates that 250,000 children are actively involved in armed conflicts.In many cases, the US is providing military financing, training, and weapons to the very governments that recruit and use child soldiers. A bipartisan bill to curb this military aid could reach the Senate this month. Your action today is critical.

ACTION ALERT: Petition against Czech Missile Bases (Nonviolence Czechoslovakia)
George W. Bush wants to build a missile base in Czech Republic but more than More than 80% of the Czech population are against this project. If you think it is only fair that the Czech people have the right to decide on such an important question by means of a referendum, please consider signing the international petition to "Stop Star Wars.}

ACTION ALERT: Stop Stop-Loss (CREDO Mobile Action / Working Assets)
or the past several years, the military has been using its stop-loss policy as a backdoor draft. This policy involuntarily extends service members' enlistment contracts, thereby preventing them from leaving the military � or coming home from Iraq or Afghanistan � after their term of enlistment has ended. Sign a petition to Defense Secretary Gates, demanding an end to enforced military service.

ACTION ALERT: Admiral Fallon Fired To Clear Way For WW3: Only Impeachment Can Save Us Now (The Pen)
Admiral Fallon, the man who famously said that an attack on Iran would "not happen on my watch" was just "retired". Now, he is no longer on the watch. And they White House is absolutely planning to start a war with Iran and World War 3, against all strategic wisdom. We have one and only one hope. Congress must immediately commence impeachment proceedings against both Dick Cheney and George Bush.

ACTION ALERT: Stop-Loss Congress; No Recess for Legislators while War Rages (Stop-loss Congress.org)
On Wednesday March 12, We will take nonviolent action on Capitol Hill, to ensure that, while thousands of Iraqis, Afghanis, and foreign invaders die and are injured for life, the members of Congress and their staffs do not go home but remain to DO THEIR DUTY, and immediately end the funding of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. No members of Congress goes home until THE TROOPS COME HOME.

ACTION ALERT: What Is War Tax Resistance? And How Can You Get Involved? (War Resistance League & No War Tax)
But before governments can buy weapons and hire soldiers, they must first raise the necessary money through taxes or borrowing. War tax resistance is refusing to pay some or all of those federal taxes that contribute to military spending. War tax resistance is a powerful way to say NO to nuclear weapons and weapons testing, military aid and arms sales, the ludicrous Star Wars missile defense system, covert CIA violence � to say NO to the militarization of the U.S. federal budget.

ACTION ALERT: End the War � Invest in America (MoveOn.org)
On March 19, the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq, we'll honor the fallen and call on our leaders to stop squandering billions in Iraq�and start investing here at home instead. This year, we're marking the anniversary by gathering at hundreds of "New Priorities" Vigils to call for an end to the war and send a clear message to Washington: to heal our ailing economy, we need to end the occupation in Iraq. Follow the links to find a Vigil location in your neighborhood.

ACTION ALERT: Join Opposition to US Missile Defense in Czech Republic and Poland
The US is attempting to place military bases in the Czech Republic and Poland. Despite the strenuous efforts of the Czech and US governments, Czech public opinion remains strongly against the radar, with 70% opposed. These next several weeks are critical, since the Czech parliament will likely be voting soon on accepting the radar.

ACTION ALERT: Bush's Latest Signing Statement Is Grounds for Impeachment (United for Peace and Justice)
On Jan. 25, 2008, George Bush released a signing statement claiming the right to violate four sections of the National Defense Authorization Act, which he had just signed into law. Among the measures Bush wants to ignore: establishing a commission to investigate US contractor fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan, expansing whistleblower protections, requiring US intelligence agencies respond to congressional requests for documents, and bannig permanent bases in Iraq.

ACTION ALERT: Conyers Says He's on Edge of Starting Impeachment (David Swanson)
Chairman John Conyers' House Judiciary Committee met for an hour and 15 minutes with two members of Code Pink to discuss impeachment. Conyers expressed fear of what might happen following an impeachment. et's push Conyers over the edge by flooding his office with phone calls, faxes, and Emails on Monday and Tuesday.

ACTION ALERT: Tell Congress: Reject Bush's Cuts to Public Broadcasting Budget
If you enjoy the programming carried by your local public radio and television stations, it's time to tell Congress: save public broadcasting from Bush's budget axe. Once again, George W. Bush has proposed deep budget cuts for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In previous years, Congress has heard overwhelmingly from their constituents and restored this funding; can we count on you to chime in again this year and save public broadcasting?

ACTION ALERT: Military Budget Has 12 Zeros (Friends Committee on National Legislation)
or the first time in history, the total 2009 U.S. military budget proposed by the president will surpass one trillion dollars. The military budget has increased by 70 percent since President Bush took office, according to the White House. FCNL calculates that the increase may be closer to 100 percent.

ACTION ALERT: The "Great Mystery" of Iraq's WMDs? CBS Ignores Evidence from its Own Show (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR))
A January 27 report on 60 Minutes asked the question: �Why didn't Saddam Hussein tell the world he had no weapons of mass destruction?� CBS ignored the fact that, in an earlier interview with Dan Rather, Saddam Hussein had clearly stated: �Iraq no longer has the weapons.� Why is CBS ignoring its own reporting to distort history? Contact CBS officials and demand honesty in broadcasting.

Colleges �Strike Against War� Returns (Darwin BondGraham / The Daily Nexus)
Last February, thousands of UCSB students, staff and faculty marched against the Iraq war, sporting �Environmentalists Against War� T-shirts and holding signs that exclaimed �Drop tuition, not bombs!� UCSB�s �Strike Against War� inspired at least 27 other major anti-war protests at colleges across the nation. UCSB students are planning a sequel on Feb. 12 to he continuing occupation of Iraq and the prospect of a war against Iran.

We Need a Nonviolent Revolution: Resist in March (Malachy Kilbride & Pete Perry / Washington Peace Center)
We are about to pass into our sixth year of the illegal Iraq War. We have worked long and hard to end this crime against peace. We have written, faxed, e-mailed and lobbied, we have marched and demonstrated, signed petitions and held vigils, and yet this illegal military occupation of Iraq continues. We must not be fooled, lied to, and lulled into a false sense of security with hopes for a positive electoral outcome. Prepare to march in March.

US Biowar Experiments Have Begun at Livermore Lab:: Lawsuit Filed (Tri-Valley CAREs)
Yesterday, ignoring public concerns and without the required notification or circulation of its environmental analysis for public review and comment, the Department of Energy (DOE) opened a bio-warfare agent research facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The new facility, housed in a prefabricated (i.e., portable) building, has now begun dangerous experiments with lethal pathogens such as live anthrax, plague, Q-fever and tularemia.

ACTION ALERT: Defend Free Speech, Free Assembly and the National Mall (ImpeachBush.org)
A free speech battle brewing between the Bush Administration and those who seek to preserve the National Mall as a traditional site for mass protest. The National Park Service is undertaking an initiative (similar to that launched to ban protests from New York City's Great Lawn) that would restrict protest gatherings on the National Mall. Every day that Bush stays in office, we can expect new assaults on civil liberties and the Bill of Rights.It is incumbent upon us all to take action.

Darkness over Gaza: World Condemns 'Collective Punishment' (Al Jazeera and Agencies)
Hamas claimed Sunday night that five patients died because of the cutoff of electricity in hospitals resulting from the Israeli blockade. The Hamas leadership pleaded with Arab leaders and the rival Palestinian Authority, asking them to forget their differences and help the beleaguered Gazans. Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa said that what was happening in Gaza was a "war crime" and urged the West to bring pressure on Israel.

ACTION ALERT: Call-in Day on Impeachment (Democrats.com)
Congressman Robert Wexler is organizing his colleagues to ask House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers to begin Cheney impeachment hearings. We are also asking congress members not on the committee to send their own letters to Conyers. Please Email your Congress Member here

ACTION ALERT: January 11 � Shut Down Guantanamo! (Witness Against Torture)
WAT Statement: "We declare January 11, 2008, six years after the first prisoners arrived at Guantanamo, an International Day of Action to Shut Down Guant�namo. In Washington, DC we will hold a permitted demonstration at the National Mall followed by an orange jumpsuit procession to the Supreme Court."

ACTION ALERT: (Heinrich Buecker / War Is Illegal)
The annual global military expenditure has risen to more than $1,000 billion dollars. Militarism now threatens global biological security. This following one-page declaration spells out the dangers of militarism and lists several actions that can be taken to restrain the proliferation of the international arms industry. The statement has been translated into several languages Feel free to add your name and the name of your organization to the list of people who already signed