Roger Waters and Lowkey to livestream a concert for Palestine
Legendary rockstar Roger Waters and iconic rapper #Lowkey, along with Yusuf Cat Stevens, will be live streaming their concert in aid of #peace, #freedom, and #justice for #Palestine.
The live streaming will be available exclusively on Double Down News on YouTube at 18:30 GMT on Friday, June 21.
Today in Labor History June 9, 1843: Bertha von Suttner was born (d. 1914). She was an Austrian journalist, author, peace activist and Nobel Prize laureate. She was also a friend of Alfred Nobel, who famously told her that there would not be world peace until a weapon was invented that was so deadly it could annihilate countries in seconds. Some say that it was her activism and advocacy that inspired him to include a peace prize as part of his endowment. Von Suttner wrote “Lay Down Your Arms,” an anti-war novel that made her a leading figure in the Austrian peace movement. However, it was also considered a feminist novel for its characters resistance to accepting traditional gender roles. Tolstoy compared her favorably with Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Today in Labor History June 7, 1971: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that clothing with the words "Fuck the Draft" was protected by the First amendment. The Court overturned the conviction of Paul Cohen for disturbing the peace, setting the precedent that vulgar writing is protected under the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
In 1968, Kiyoshi Kuromiya designed this poster and sent orders by mail. He was arrested by the FBI and charged with sending indecent material through the Post Office. Later that year, after beating the charges, Kuromiya defied the authorities by handing out 2000 of the posters at the Chicago Democratic Convention. The photo is of Detroiter Bill Greenshields was taken at random during a 1967 March on the Pentagon and used by Kuromiya.
There has been no draft in the U.S. since 1973. Ending conscription was one of President Nixon’s campaign promises (not because he opposed conscription or imperialistic wars, but because he wanted to undermine the antiwar protest movement). However, if the U.S. and NATO continue their reckless escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, and their threat to station hundreds of thousands of troops along Russia’s entire western border, from Finland to the Balkans, the mass slaughter could rise to the scale of World War II. And this could force the U.S. and Europe to reimpose the draft, so that they are not forced to replicate Ukraine’s desperate move of sending people over the age of 50 to the front. Indeed, Germany is already considering reimposing conscription because they can’t find enough willing volunteers. https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/06/06/germany-is-thinking-about-bringing-back-conscription
Russian warships are heading to the Caribbean for exercises. And according to NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Europe General Christopher Cavoli, Russian submarine activity in the Atlantic are "at a higher level than we’ve seen in years.”
Why?
Because the U.S. and NATO keep escalating their involvement in the Ukrainian war, incl plans to station hundreds of thousands of troops, inclu US soldiers, along Russia’s entire western border, from Finland to the Balkans. Not surprisingly, Russia is treating this as an existential threat.
But a direct military confrontation between NATO & Russia dramatically increases the risk of accidental, or deliberate, use of nukes, which is an existential threat to the entire planet. And even without the firing of nukes, a ground war on this scale would lead to mass slaughter unseen since WWII.
What about Ukraine, you ask. Well, they've already lost >200,000 lives in this war, which they've been losing badly, hence the rationale for the increased NATO involvement. However, escalation of the conflict will only increase the pace, and the scale, of the slaughter of Ukrainians. And in a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia, Ukraine would likely be decimated. So, no, an increase in NATO involvement doesn't help save Ukrainian lives, and might not even lead to its independence.
A negotiated settlement is the only way out of this morass. Yet that isn't even on the table. And news coverage is so scant, and so biased, that most people don't even realize how serious the threat currently is. Even the peace movement is barely making a squeak.
[Etymologically, anarchy is derived from the Greek: αναρχία, romanized: anarchia; where "αν" ("an") means "without" and "αρχία" ("archia") means "ruler". Therefore, anarchy is fundamentally defined by the absence of rulers.]
[Etymologically, anarchy is derived from the Greek: αναρχία, romanized: anarchia; where "αν" ("an") means "without" and "αρχία" ("archia") means "ruler". Therefore, anarchy is fundamentally defined by the absence of rulers.]
[Etymologically, anarchy is derived from the Greek: αναρχία, romanized: anarchia; where "αν" ("an") means "without" and "αρχία" ("archia") means "ruler". Therefore, anarchy is fundamentally defined by the absence of rulers.]
Today in Labor History June 5, 1969: 250 imprisoned U.S. soldiers rioted at the military penal stockade at Fort Dix over barbarous conditions and the tortures being inflicted on them by the US military state. The majority were in prison for going AWOL, resisting the draft, or as conscientious objectors. Many were being held without trial. Their grievances included overcrowding, starvation, beatings, being chained to chairs, forced confessions and participation in an unjust war. 38 of them were charged with inciting to riot. (Note the sign over the entrance to the prison: “Obedience to the Law is Freedom.” The photographer, David Fenton, called it Mussolini-like. It reminds me of the slogan over Auschwitz: “Work Sets You free.” Embarrassed, the military removed the sign soon after the photograph was published).
#Biden calls #America’s democratic values the “grounding wire of our global power” & its #alliances “our greatest asset.” …#Trump, called for withdrawing American forces in #Europe & #Asia & has promised… to cut loose even our closest #allies if they don’t do as he tells them. …Trump sees all countries as unreliable, the relations between them #transactional. That sentiment has spread throughout a #GOP that once championed America’s values abroad…
…#Biden says he remains committed to Ukrainian victory. Asked about the #war’s endgame, Biden says, “#Peace looks like making sure #Russia never, never, never, never occupies #Ukraine.”
…even longtime critics are impressed w/Biden’s efforts in Ukraine.
…Biden says his response has been part of a broader #deterrence strategy. “If we ever let Ukraine go down, mark my words, you’ll see #Poland go, & you’ll see all those nations along the actual border of Russia [fall].”
Today in Writing History June 4, 1917: Laura E. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence Hall won the first Pulitzer prize for biography. They wrote about their mother Julia Ward Howe, the feminist, abolitionist, pacifist author and poet. You can read the biography here.
Howe not only wrote the lyrics to The Battle Hymn of the Republic; she also wrote the pacifist 1870 Mother’s Day Proclamation. Also known as the Appeal to Womanhood Throughout the World, the proclamation called on women to unite worldwide for peace. In 1872, Howe called for a Mother’s Day for Peace to be celebrated each year on June 2. Yet today, women throughout the U.S. and Europe (along with the men) are calling for ever more heavy weaponry and NATO troops to be sent to the Ukrainian killing fields, where over 200,000 Ukrainians have already lost their lives, and where this now direct NATO involvement risks precipitating WWIII between nuclear-armed powers, neither of which show any indication that they are willing to back down or negotiate an end to the slaughter. Where is the peace movement today? Or, is some slaughter justified in the name of capitalism (er, I mean against despotism)? And, if that is true, where are all the people screaming for war against India? Philippines? Italy? Saudi Arabia? El Salvador? Egypt? Sudan? And Israel?
‘Solidarity over hatred’: the small band of Israelis stopping settlers obstructing aid trucks
Israeli #Peace activists confronting settlers acknowledge they are ‘a minority within a minority’
At approximately 10.30am on a scorching Monday, a group of five young Israeli #settlers arrived at the Tarqumiya #checkpoint, west of Hebron in the West Bank, where dozens of aid trucks bound for Gaza were expected.
The settlers had received detailed information about the timing, location, and number of trucks that would pass through the checkpoint that morning. What they had not anticipated was that dozens of peace activists had also gathered in Tarqumiya with a specific mission: to prevent the settlers from blocking the vehicles and ensure that the aid continued its journey to Gaza.
♲ @faab64@diasp.org:> ### ‘Solidarity over hatred’: the small band of Israelis stopping settlers obstructing aid trucks
Israeli #Peace activists confronting settlers acknowledge they are ‘a minority within a minority’
At approximately 10.30am on a scorching Monday, a group of five young Israeli #settlers arrived at the Tarqumiya #checkpoint, west of Hebron in the West Bank, where dozens of aid trucks bound for Gaza were expected.
The settlers had received detailed information about the timing, location, and number of trucks that would pass through the checkpoint that morning. What they had not anticipated was that dozens of peace activists had also gathered in Tarqumiya with a specific mission: to prevent the settlers from blocking the vehicles and ensure that the aid continued its journey to Gaza.
I bet you will not see that on CNN right now: Kann Media reports that the #Israeli government is refusing to accept the American-brokered #peace#proposal for #Gaza
"As of today, all the Nordic countries have signed bilateral #security agreements with #Ukraine. This is a true manifestation of a long-term commitment to #SupportUkraine... guided by Ukraine's needs"
"Volodymyr, you and Ukrainian people can count on continued strong, Nordic support. Our strategic aim is Ukrainian #VICTORY.
The Danish Foreign Minister said that Ukraine will be able to use Danish F-16 fighter jets against Russian targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
Question is, if #Ukraine can stand against the Russian pressure that is advancing rapidly on every front (with massive losses on both sides) and if #NATO is able to keep up sending million tons of ammunition all the way to the eastern front of Ukraine?
It is now a perfect time to have negotiation about a lasting peace between Russia and Ukraine and put an end to this meaningless and devastating war that is destroying our economy, our environment and helping the militarist mad dogs to gain popularity and power all over the world.
A statement from an emergency worker in Rafah:
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"Most of the bodies were charred and burned, while the injured people lost limbs and suffered other injuries due to the use of internationally prohibited weapons that caused the massive fire which erupted. We pulled out approx 50 people and injured people from the area and transported them to field hospitals after official hospitals were forced to evacuate in an attempt to destroy the health system in the Rafah area”
I can't pretend to know anything about your government but I hope, if they lose there, it's a warning to those here. Hopefully, they will stand up for what is right. I just want this horrific genocide to end.
The Spanish, Irish & Norwegian govts announced Wed that they would recognize a #Palestinian state, saying there would be no #peace in the #MiddleEast w/o it.
Israel denounced the move as giving aid to its enemy #Hamas.
The coordinated announcements are purely symbolic — but not w/o some power.
The leaders of the 3 countries said they hoped their recognition would press #Israel, the #Palestinians & the international community toward a #TwoStateSolution to the conflict.
“In the midst of a #war, w/tens of thousands killed & injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis & Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in #peace & #security,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.
Today in Labor History May 21, 1935: Jane Addams died. Addams was a peace activist, sociologist and author. She was a co-founder of the ACLU and a leader in the history of social work and women’s suffrage. In 1931, she became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1889, along with her lover, Ellen Gates Starr, she co-founded Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago. Eventually, the house became home to 25 women and was visited weekly by around 2,000 others. It became a center for research, study and debate. Members were bound by their commitment to the labor and suffrage movements. The facilities included a doctor to provide medical treatment for poor families, gym, adult night school and a girls’ club. The adult night school became a model for the continuing education classes that occur today.
"We are witnessing a historic process -- Russians are leaving for the first time in two centuries," independent Azerbaijani analyst Elhan Shahinoglu told AFP.