2013년 11월 24일 일요일

About 'bible college courses'|Looking to do Correspondence Courses in the Bible and Theology Look here!







About 'bible college courses'|Looking to do Correspondence Courses in the Bible and Theology Look here!








Remarks               at               George               Mason               University,               Fall               for               the               Book,               September               23,               2010.

(Video               available               9-24-2010               at               http://warisacrime.org)               Thank               you               for               being               here               and               skipping               the               Pledge               to               America               event               in               Sterling.
               I'm               going               to               try               to               be               brief               because               I               tend               to               be               very               long-winded               answering               questions,               so               I've               learned               to               leave               time               for               that.

It               may               sound,               as               I               speak,               like               I'm               giving               an               overview               of               a               lot               of               topics,               so               please               keep               in               mind               any               that               you               want               to               ask               questions               about               or               raise               concerns               about.
               I               want               to               thank               GMU               and               Dave               Kuebrich               for               setting               this               event               up               and               another               event               this               evening               set               up               with               the               George               Mason               Progressive               Democrats               of               America               and               the               College               Democrats.

If               there's               anything               we               don't               have               time               to               discuss               here,               we               can               continue               it               there.

I'm               assuming               non-Democrats               with               the               capital               D               are               welcome,               since               I'm               going.
               Democrats               with               a               small               d               are,               I'm               certain,               welcome               too,               despite               the               fact               that               they               would               have               to               be               revolutionaries,               like               the               man               this               university               is               named               for,               not               violent               revolutionaries               --               we're               long               past               the               age               in               which               violence               could               make               any               sense               at               all               --               but               revolutionaries.

If               wars               were               expected               to               come               to               every               capital               in               the               world               that               lacked               democracy               and               spread               democracy               to               those               places               by               blowing               stuff               up,               I               would               think               twice               about               living               this               close               to               Washington,               D.C.
               Eighty-six               percent               of               Americans               in               a               CNN               poll               in               February               said               our               government               is               broken.

That's               essentially               unanimity.

You               can               get               14               percent               of               Americans               to               say               anything.

At               least               17               percent               of               those               with               jobs               get               their               paychecks               from               the               government               or               government               contractors.

Of               course,               they               may               all               be               among               those               who               think               the               thing               is               broken.
               It's               odd               that               we               would               all               think               our               government               was               broken,               call               it               a               democracy,               and               go               fight               wars               to               supposedly               impose               democracy               on               other               countries,               a               concept               that               makes               crystal               clear               how               perverse               our               understanding               of               democracy               is.

Only,               it's               not               odd               at               all,               and               not               hypocritical               on               the               part               of               Americans.

A               majority               of               us               want               to               end               our               current               wars.

A               majority               even               say               the               wars               were               wrong               to               begin               with,               even               though               a               majority               backed               them               at               the               time               (when               the               argument               had               nothing               to               do               with               spreading               democracy).

Very               likely               a               majority               would               think               attacking               Iran               was               a               bad               idea               after               we               did               it,               assuming               we               all               survived               to               share               the               regret.
               A               majority               wants               to               substantially               defund               the               military               and               to               fund               green               energy,               tax               pollution,               and               invest               in               schools               and               jobs               and               housing.

A               majority               wants               corporations               and               billionaires               to               pay               more               taxes,               and               the               rest               of               us               to               pay               less.

A               strong               majority               opposes               bailing               out               Wall               Street.

We               are               not               at               all               inclined               to               give               up               Social               Security,               although               a               plurality               would               like               people               with               large               incomes               to               start               paying               into               it               at               the               same               rate               as               people               with               smaller               ones.
               A               majority               would               shed               not               a               single               tear               if               health               insurance               corporations               were               banished               from               the               face               of               the               earth               rather               than               empowered               to               require               that               we               buy               their               products.

We               want               habeas               corpus               back               and               warrantless               spying               ended.

We               wanted               Bush               impeached.

We               see               no               need               for               putting               weapons               in               space.

We               want               to               strengthen               the               United               Nations.

And               we               want               election               campaigns               paid               for               publicly               instead               of               merely               purchased               by               wealthy               candidates.
               The               same               media               outlets               that               produce               all               this               polling               information               treat               some               of               these               majority               positions               as               jokes.

But               our               government               treats               them               like               the               plague.

And               so               we               start               to               get               the               impression               that               something               is               broken.

If               it's               a               government               of               the               people,               why               does               it               seem               to               be               almost               a               matter               of               chance               when               the               government               occasionally               does               anything               we               want?

Aren't               we               the               people?
               We               have               the               wealthiest               country               in               the               world,               but               we're               way               behind               and               falling               in               measurements               of               health,               infant               mortality,               job               and               retirement               security,               education,               length               of               work               week,               and               so               on.

We               know               our               government's               on               a               path               that               may               someday               be               written               about               as               a               decline               and               fall,               but               we               go               through               cycles               of               imagining               the               destruction               has               been               halted               whenever               the               president               belongs               to               one               political               party               or               the               other               --               a               fact               that               itself               makes               clear               that               our               republic               is               in               critical               condition.

People               like               George               Mason               took               great               risks               to               provide               us               a               government               where               the               opinions               of               one               man               alone               could               not               guide               the               country.

It               was               as               well               known               then               as               now               what               a               recipe               for               disaster               that               would               be.

And               here               we               are               tossing               aside               our               inheritance.
               Our               congress               members               are               expected               to               represent               so               many               people               now,               about               three               quarters               of               a               million               each,               that               they               can               get               away               with               representing               none               of               them.

Over               in               the               Senate,               one               senator               representing               a               half               million               people               has               the               same               vote               as               one               supposedly               representing               34               million.

And               a               group               of               senators               representing               11               percent               of               Americans               can               block               most               legislation               in               the               Senate               and               the               House               through               a               disgusting               invention               called               the               filibuster,               which               we               think               is               cool               because               Jimmy               Stewart               did               it               70               years               ago               in               a               movie               made               by               a               guy               who               also               made               war               propaganda               films               for               the               government.
               We               have               so               much               freedom               as               a               result               of               this               wonderful               system               of               government               that               we               not               only               get               countless               choices               of               automobiles               and               toothpaste               to               choose               from,               but               every               two               years               we               get               to               vote,               in               most               cases,               for               the               less               offensive               of               two               truly               horrible               and               not               terribly               different               candidates.

And               we               don't               have               to               concern               ourselves               any               more               than               that,               since               whoever               wins               will               ignore               everything               we               say               for               a               year               and               11               months,               our               opinions               no               matter               how               well               articulated               are               not               permitted               in               the               corporate               media,               and               unless               we're               very               wealthy               or               willing               to               please               those               who               are               we               don't               have               to               worry               about               running               for               office               ourselves.

What               a               bargain!

It               gives               us               a               ton               of               free               time,               unless               we               want               to               --               you               know               --               earn               a               living.
               I               heard               two               statistics               on               the               radio               driving               over               here.

Last               month               was               the               record               for               foreclosures.

And               the               richest               400               Americans               are               doing               better               than               ever               and               have               piled               up               $1.4               trillion.

Something               is               broken.
               Early               this               year,               the               Supreme               Court               ruled               that               corporations               can               spend               unlimited               piles               of               cash               on               influencing               elections.

The               idea               was               not,               of               course,               to               create               fascism.

There               was               no               praise               for               bribery               and               corruption.

Instead               we're               told               that               spending               money               is               protected               free               speech,               and               that               corporations               are               persons               whose               human               rights               should               be               protected.

Congress               members               and               the               president               expressed               their               dismay.

Then               they               quickly               went               back               to               holding               fundraisers               and               chatting               with               lobbyists               about               possible               career               moves               after               their               government               service.

The               Constitution               doesn't               explicitly               say               that               calling               money               speech               and               corporations               humans               is               lunacy               any               more               than               it               provides               a               definition               for               the               word               'is'.

So,               we               probably               will               have               to               amend               the               Constitution               if               we               keep               it.

The               other               option               is               getting               a               different               Supreme               Court.

But               other               smaller               steps               are               possible               too.
               Dave               Kuebrich               mentioned               to               me               the               Fair               Elections               Now               Act,               a               bill               with               164               cosponsors               in               the               House               and               24               in               the               Senate,               that               would               follow               the               successful               model               some               states               have               used               of               providing               candidates               with               public               campaign               funding               if               they               choose               not               to               take               private               contributions.

This               would               have               to               be               voted               on               and               passed               by               the               servants               of               the               corporations               now               funding               our               politics,               and               it               would               still               not               prevent               unlimited               spending               on               ads               to               influence               elections.

The               spending               just               couldn't               come               from               a               candidate's               campaign.
               Another               bill               called               the               DISCLOSE               Act               would               just               let               us               know               who               was               funding               what.

So,               a               public               service               announcement               from               a               group               called               something               like               Americans               for               Bliss               and               Butterflies               would               have               to               tell               us               if               it               got               its               money               from               Wal-Mart.

This               would               be               like               NPR               telling               you               it               was               sponsored               by               Wal-Mart.

It               would               put               you               on               the               alert,               but               you               still               wouldn't               get               to               hear               the               views               of               critics               of               Wal-Mart               unless               they               won               the               lottery               and               bought               their               own               ad               campaign.
               Dave               told               me               he               took               a               petition               on               these               topics               to               Congressman               Gerry               Connolly's               office               and               might               want               to               do               so               again               after               his               election.

As               long               as               I'm               handing               out               unsolicited               advice,               I               would               respectfully               submit               that               the               time               when               these               people               are               most               likely               to               listen               to               us               --               and               even               then               it's               not               much               --               is               right               before               an               election,               not               after.

I               have               no               idea               why               the               proposal               to               go               after               the               election,               but               a               lot               of               people               would               calculate               as               follows.

It's               too               late               to               beat               Connolly               with               somebody               better               in               a               primary.

The               system               is               rigged               to               allow               only               two               people               to               have               a               chance.

The               other               choice               is               worse               and               Republican.

So               we               should               avoid               criticizing               Connolly               for               some               months               before               each               election,               even               if               he               only               rarely,               if               ever,               does               anything               we               want               him               to.
               But               even               if               VA-11               is               the               wealthiest               district               in               the               country,               I'm               sure               most               people               don't               want               elections               corrupted               by               money.

If               Connolly               wants               people               who               would               vote               for               him               to               actually               turn               out               and               vote,               he               should               do               something               to               give               them               some               enthusiasm.

So,               asking               him               to               do               something               popular               is               not               guaranteed               to               hurt               him.

It's               not               criticizing               him,               and               it's               not               necessarily               bad               for               him               to               request               that               he               do               what               people               want               done.

When               we               have               to               self-censor               such               requests,               as               is               becoming               very               common               all               over               the               country,               the               agenda               for               any               governance               between               elections               is               damaged.
               Our               representatives               strive               to               represent               three               groups               of               people:               the               ones               who               give               them               money,               the               ones               who               produce               cable               television               news               shows,               radio               shows,               and               newspapers,               and               the               ones               in               charge               of               their               political               parties               including               especially               the               president               when               he               is               the               leader               of               their               party.

In               George               Mason's               view               the               president               was               to               execute               the               will               of               the               Congress,               and               no               power               of               the               Congress               was               more               important               than               that               of               impeachment.

Now               Republicans               will               only               impeach               Democratic               presidents,               and               Democrats               will               only               impeach               Democratic               judges.

And               the               executive               is               largely               freed               to               tell               the               legislature               how               to               do               its               job,               rather               than               the               reverse.
               When               Congress               is               too               craven               and               cowardly               to               impeach               someone               or               isn't               sure               what               they've               done               wrong,               do               you               know               what               it               used               to               do?

It               used               to               subpoena               people.

And               it               used               to               take               that               Capitol               Police               force               that               now               does               such               a               fine               job               of               beating               up               peace               activists               in               hallways,               and               it               used               to               send               the               police               to               pick               up               witnesses               who'd               been               subpoenaed.

And               when               people               testified               but               refused               to               respectfully               answer               questions,               or               acted               like               our               recent               attorney               general               Alberto               Gonzales               who               said               "I               do               not               recall"               four               times               a               minute               during               his               testimony,               do               you               know               what               congressional               committees               would               do?

They               would               hold               that               person               in               contempt?

And               do               you               know               where               they               would               hold               them               in               contempt?

In               a               jail               cell.

During               2007               and               2008               Democratic               committees               subpoenaed               dozens               of               top               members               of               a               Republican               administration,               including               the               vice               president               and               the               secretary               of               state,               all               of               whom               told               Congress               to               go               Dick               Cheney               itself.
               So               Congress               asked               the               Justice               Department               to               enforce               its               subpoenas,               and               the               Justice               Department               said               no.

So               Congress               took               it               to               court               and               later               won.

But               with               one               weird               and               partial               exception,               not               a               single               one               of               those               subpoenas               has               been               reissued               and               enforced               by               either               the               new               Justice               Department               or               by               the               committees               themselves.

In               fact,               the               House               Committee               on               Oversight               has               been               basically               put               out               of               its               misery,               and               the               judiciary               and               other               committees               have               crawled               out               of               sight               beneath               the               emperor's               throne.

Congress               just               impeached               and               tried               a               judge               for               getting               lap               dances               and               frozen               shrimp,               and               earlier               this               year               impeached               a               judge               for               groping               people,               but               it               leaves               a               judge               in               a               lifetime               seat               who               wrote               secret               laws               authorizing               aggressive               war               and               torture.

Impeachment               has               been               reserved               for               sex               and               Democrats,               and               the               subpoena               has               gone               the               way               of               the               dodo               bird               --               at               least               unless               Republicans               get               Congress               back.
               Why               don't               we               ever               talk               about               the               problem               of               Congress               handing               all               power               over               to               presidents?

Because               both               political               parties               are               happy               about               it,               and               anything               they               both               want               left               alone               is               not               news.

We               have               a               substantial               right               to               free               speech               in               this               country,               but               a               free               press               is               another               story               altogether.

A               small               cartel               of               mega               media               corporations               has               been               given               our               public               airwaves               without               compensation,               and               the               more               information               we               get               from               them               the               dumber               we               are.

When               Americans               believed               lies               about               the               urgent               need               to               attack               Iraq,               they               believed               them               more               depending               which               media               outlet               they               got               most               of               their               news               from.

I'm               not               naming               any               names.
               Well,               OK,               I'm               naming               names.

Fox               viewers               believe               the               most               falsehoods,               but               a               lot               of               those               falsehoods               originated               in               the               New               York               Times.

And               propaganda               can't               be               undone               any               more               easily               than               a               war               can               be               ended               once               it's               begun.

A               study               in               2005               found               that               among               people               who               said               they               were               on               the               right               politically,               if               you               informed               them               that               Iraq               really               didn't               have               weapons,               they               responded               by               believing               that               lie               more,               rather               than               less,               strongly.

Facts               had               the               opposite               effect               of               what               they               are               supposed               to               have.
               We               need               the               big               media               corporations               broken               up.

We               need               public               media               with               the               funding               walled               off               from               annual               political               debate.

We               need               community               media.

We               need               greater               variety               in               sources               of               information.

And               we               need               high               school               and               college               courses               for               all               students               to               learn               resistance               to               propaganda,               instead               of               teaching               some               students               so-called               public               relations               and               leaving               everyone               else               exposed               to               the               horrors               of,               for               example               .

.

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the               latest               Adolf               Hitler               of               the               month               who's               sure               to               attack               us               any               minute               and               whose               nation               is               in               desperate               need               of               an               altruistic               and               humanitarian               war               in               which               nobody's               likely               to               get               hurt               by               the               time               the               whole               thing               raps               up               next               Tuesday               and               pays               for               itself.
               It's               strange               that               I               mentioned               Mr.

George               Mason's               concerns               for               our               government               without               talking               about               political               parties.

Incredibly,               parties               don't               show               up               in               the               Constitution,               and               our               country               seemed               to               get               along               pretty               well               without               being               dominated               by               them               until               about               the               time               of               Thomas               Jefferson's               presidency.

Now               the               parties               funnel               much               of               the               election               money               to               those               who               know               how               to               take               orders.

In               addition               to               election               money,               by               pleasing               a               party               you               can               get               earmarks               and               weapons               factories,               votes               on               your               bills,               your               name               on               important               bills,               a               seat               in               choice               committees,               etc.

You               also               get               your               name               on               the               ballot               far               more               easily,               get               into               debates               far               more               easily,               and               get               coverage               in               the               media               guaranteed.

But               even               if               one               party               tends               to               be               better               than               the               other,               the               535               voices               on               Capitol               Hill               are               often               reduced               to               2.

The               problem               is               not               compromising               and               cooperating               and               forming               coalitions.

The               problem               is               going               against               your               constituents               to               please               your               party.
               Forming               a               third               party               could               be               useful               as               a               means               of               organizing               activism.

But               it               won't               solve               the               problem.

In               our               winner-take-all               electoral               system,               a               successful               third               party               would               displace               another               party               and               become               a               second               party,               instead               of               a               third.

And               it               would               only               do               that               through               complete               corruption.

If               every               single               person               in               the               United               States               who               does               anything               more               than               vote               --               everyone               who               writes               letters               to               the               editor               and               puts               up               yard               signs               and               marches               in               protests               and               collects               signatures               on               petitions               --               if               all               of               those               people               devoted               all               of               their               work               to               the               Green               Party               tomorrow,               it               would               still               get               nowhere               without               the               Wall               Street               and               corporate               funding               that               buys               the               television               ads.

And               if               we               had               free               air               time,               public               financing,               ungerrymandered               districts,               hand               counted               paper               ballots,               and               all               the               other               desirable               reforms,               then               the               existing               two               parties               would               cease               to               be               such               horrors.
               When               we               switched               the               majority               in               Congress               from               Republican               to               Democratic               in               2006,               a               lot               of               people               expected               a               big               change.

We               even               hoped               the               War               on               Iraq               might               be               scaled               back,               and               instead               it               was               escalated.

But               there               was               an               excuse:               Bush               had               all               the               power,               he               was               a               Republican,               and               challenging               his               power               was               not               a               fair               demand               to               make               of               people               who               nearly               had               heart               attacks               when               they               saw               their               own               shadows.

So,               come               2008               we               took               the               excuse               away.

We               made               sure               the               Democrats               had               big               majorities               in               both               houses               of               Congress               and               a               Democratic               president.

But               there               was               still               another               excuse               remaining               for               not               legislating               the               priorities               of               we               the               people.

It               was               a               much               weaker               excuse,               but               they               played               it               for               all               it               was               worth               and               are               doing               so               to               this               day.
               Can               you               guess               what               it               was?
               Here's               a               hint:               Mr.

Smith               Goes               to               Washington.
               The               filibuster.

Now,               the               filibuster               doesn't               show               up               in               the               Constitution               or               even               in               the               text               that               half               our               senators               think               the               government               was               founded               on,               the               Bible.

It               only               shows               up               in               the               Senate's               own               rules,               which               it               can               change               at               any               time               by               simple               majority.

The               country               got               along               fine               for               many               years               without               the               filibuster,               and               has               changed               it               a               number               of               times,               including               in               1975               in               the               middle               of               a               session.

The               filibuster               is               a               trick               that               allows               41               senators               to               block               legislation,               even               though               it               takes               51               to               make               a               majority.

Senator               Tom               Udall               has               committed               to               raising               the               need               to               fix               this               problem               at               the               start               of               the               next               session,               operating               under               the               pretense               that               the               rules               can               only               be               changed               at               that               time.

But               in               the               meantime,               the               Democrats               have               been               able               to               blame               any               failure               on               Republican               filibusters.

And               the               Republicans               have               been               able               to               filibuster               and               then               blame               the               failure               on               the               Democrats.

That               Republican               account               is               a               simpler               message               and               one               given               more               air-time,               and               one               with               some               truth               to               it.

The               filibuster               excuse               is               only               there               because               the               Democrats               choose               to               leave               it               there.

Of               course,               the               Senate               will               not               actually               end               the               filibuster               rule               in               January               unless               there               is               a               huge               public               uproar,               and               polls               suggest               that               people               who               know               what               the               filibuster               is               tend               to               oppose               it,               but               people               don't               tend               to               know               what               it               is.
               Last               week               on               the               17th               was               Constitution               Day,               a               day               to               celebrate               a               very               short               document               that               people               are               also               unfamiliar               with.

I               have               a               copy               in               my               wallet.

Raise               your               hand               if               you               know               what               Article               I               of               the               U.S.

Constitution               is               about.
               There               was               a               headline               in               the               Onion               that               read               "Area               Man               Passionate               Defender               Of               What               He               Imagines               Constitution               To               Be."
               Our               elected               officials,               even               on               local               school               boards               and               so               forth,               swear               oaths               to               defend               the               Constitution.

We               kick               in               doors               at               night               and               shoot               families               in               Afghanistan               to               supposedly               defend               the               Constitution.

But               we               can't               know               if               people               are               doing               their               jobs               unless               we               read               the               thing.

We'll               still               have               the               problem               of               all               of               its               many               shortcomings,               but               we'll               be               able               to               better               protect               what               it               does               provide               if               we               know               what's               in               there.

And               if               you               think               you'll               forget,               just               carry               it               with               you               like               I               do.

Read               it               to               Capitol               Police               officers               as               appropriate.
               We               are               supposed               to               have               a               transparent               government               answerable               to               we               the               people.

If               you're               a               Republican               and               like               wars               and               don't               believe               in               global               warming               or               the               round               globe,               then               Dick               Cheney               holding               secret               meetings               with               oil               company               CEOs               to               plan               our               military               and               energy               policies               is               no               big               worry.

If               you're               a               Democrat               and               convinced               that               anything               Republicans               consider               satanic               communism               must               be               pretty               good,               then               Obama               holding               secret               meetings               with               health               insurance               and               pharmaceutical               companies               to               set               our               healthcare               policies               is               just               part               of               the               game.

But               if               you're               a               human               being,               you               should               be               worried.

Secret               government               has               not               proven               to               be               a               way               to               get               the               wisest               and               most               honest               advice.

It's               proven               to               result               in               people               doing               things               in               secret               that               we               wouldn't               let               them               get               away               with               in               public.
               For               two               and               a               quarter               centuries               presidents               have               accumulated               power               and               passed               it               on               to               their               successors,               who               have               accepted               what               they've               been               given               and               added               a               little               more               --               or               a               lot               more               in               some               cases.

The               president               we               needed               after               Bush,               in               the               absence               of               a               Congress               with               a               pulse               or               a               populace               out               en               masse               shutting               the               city               down               with               its               demands,               the               president               we               needed               (but               will               never               get               without               compelling               it               ourselves)               was               one               who               came               in               and               said:
               We               will               henceforth               have               the               rule               of               law,               not               the               law               of               rulers.

The               new               Justice               Department               will               answer               to               our               Constitution,               the               treaties               that               form               a               part               of               it,               and               the               statutes               that               are               on               our               law               books,               not               to               me.

Crimes               will               be               investigated               and               prosecuted,               beginning               with               the               most               serious               crimes               by               the               highest               officials.

Where               appropriate               cases               will               also               be               referred               to               the               International               Criminal               Court.

Laws               that               have               been               created               through               signing               statements,               secret               memos,               and               executive               orders               and               decrees               are               not               laws.

They               will               all               be               made               public               if               they               are               not               yet.

They               will               all               be               eliminated.

We               will               make               public               all               evidence               of               the               workings               of               our               government               that               does               not               needlessly               endanger               someone.

This               will               include               text,               photographs,               and               videos,               including               those               depicting               horrible               acts               of               torture,               rape,               and               murder.

We               are               past               the               point               of               outraging               people               abroad.

What               they               need               to               understand               is               that               we               are               repudiating               such               conduct,               forswearing               similar               behavior               in               the               future,               and               backing               up               our               words               by               deterring               crime               through               law               enforcement               and,               where               the               courts               see               fit,               through               restitution               to               victims.

Allowing               this               information               to               dribble               out               in               the               form               of               partial               rumors,               accompanied               by               the               certainty               that               no               one               is               being               held               accountable,               would               merely               encourage               animosity               abroad               and,               at               home,               the               militarism,               xenophobia,               and               bigotry               behind               these               crimes.

Before               long               we               would               be               having               churches               trying               to               burn               Korans.

It               is               better               to               turn               the               page,               not               by               blithely               announcing               that               I've               turned               a               page,               but               by               fully               airing               the               facts               and               punishing               those               responsible               rather               than               waiting               for               someone               else               to               attempt               to               punish               us               all,               including               the               innocent,               be               it               with               a               bomb               in               Times               Square               or               something               even               worse.
               This               wasn't               what               Barack               Obama               said.

It               was               even               further               from               what               he               did.

He               re-wrote               laws               with               signing               statements,               kept               open               the               option               of               creating               laws               with               secret               memos,               and               this               week               appeared               to               announce               his               intention               to               violate               a               law               prior               to               its               passage.

He               publicly               told               the               attorney               general               to               back               off               torture               prosecutions.

He               allowed               his               staff               to               make               clear               that               he               claims               the               power               to               torture               and               rendition               if               he               chooses.

He               expanded               presidential               powers               of               secrecy               and               immunity               tremendously.

A               decision               in               the               ninth               circuit               court               of               appeals               last               week               agreed               with               the               current               Justice               Department               and               denied               torture               victims               access               to               courts               to               sue               for               damages,               on               grounds               of               national               security.

Why               is               it               compensating               victims               that               endangers               our               security               and               not               the               torture               itself?

If               a               piece               of               evidence               might               actually               endanger               someone,               why               not               have               a               judge               review               that               claim               in               closed               chambers               rather               than               blocking               whole               categories               of               law               suits?
               As               the               Democratic               nominee               for               the               White               House,               Obama               reversed               his               promise               to               filibuster               any               bill               giving               immunity               to               corporations               that               have               helped               the               government               spy               on               us               without               warrants;               he               supported               the               bill.

Warrantless               spying               programs               have               apparently               continued,               which               is               what               things               tend               to               do               when               they               are               rewarded               rather               than               punished.

And               when               you               grant               immunity,               you're               not               just               pardoning               crimes,               you're               also               preventing               the               public               from               learning               exactly               what               crimes               you're               pardoning               and               even               whom               you're               pardoning.

We're               left               to               guess               based               on               such               circumstantial               evidence               as               AT&T's               sponsorship               of               the               Democratic               National               Convention               in               Denver.
               The               announcement               of               the               closure               of               Gitmo               was               a               nice               start,               and               would               have               been               easy               to               follow               through               on.

You               just               had               to               try               people               for               crimes               in               credible               courts               of               law               or               set               them               free.

But               President               Obama               decided               there               was               a               third               category               of               prisoner,               those               he               wanted               to               hold               indefinitely               without               putting               them               on               trial.

And               the               larger               prison               at               Bagram               was               never               a               big               issue               in               the               news               anyway.

So               our               death               camps               --               which               is               what               you               call               a               place               you               take               people               and               give               them               no               hope               of               ever               leaving               --               are               still               grinding               along.
               Adding               insult               to               injury,               President               Obama               stood               in               front               of               the               Constitution               in               the               National               Archives               and               threw               habeas               corpus               out               the               window.

After               800               years               of               believing               people               should               be               given               a               fair               trial               before               imprisonment,               I               guess               it               was               time               for               a               change.
               In               England               they               have               had               non-stop               inquiries               into               the               Iraq               War               lies               since               2003,               and               memos               have               leaked               out,               tell-all               books               have               been               published.

In               this               country,               the               Iraq               War               is               being               recuperated.

You               can't               have               wars               without               lies.

We're               going               to               have               more               wars.

So,               we               can't               leave               people               thinking               the               Iraq               war               was               all               bad.

Three               weeks               ago               the               President               spoke               from               the               oval               office               and               breathed               new               life               into               all               the               lies.

The               War               on               Iraq               was               begun               to               disarm               a               nation,               he               told               us.

Our               innocent               troops               go               caught               up               in               the               barbarians'               civil               war.

But               we               kept               on               killing               them               for               their               own               good.

And               with               dedication,               the               war               was               then               won               in               2007               through               a               surge               of               additional               troops.
               That               surge               was               in               reality               very               small               and               the               reasons               for               the               gradual               decline               in               violence               had               nothing               to               do               with               it               and               are               not               present               in               Afghanistan               --               reasons               including               massive               death               and               displacement,               a               unilateral               ceasefire               by               the               largest               militia,               bribery,               and               indications               followed               by               a               commitment               to               withdraw.

None               of               the               surge's               political               goals               were,               in               fact,               accomplished               at               all.
               But               this               was               a               speech               by               a               man               who,               for               the               first               time               in               the               history               of               the               Nobel               Peace               Prize,               had               given               an               acceptance               speech               arguing               for               the               necessity               of               war               and               his               power               to               launch               wars.

George               Mason               said               at               the               Constitutional               Convention               "I               am               against               giving               the               power               of               war               to               the               executive,               because               he               is               not               safely               to               be               trusted               with               it               --               or               to               the               Senate               [...]               I               am               for               clogging               rather               than               facilitating               war."
               We               joined               with               many               other               nations               in               1928               in               criminalizing               war.

War               has               been               a               crime               ever               since.

Our               ambassador               to               France               at               the               time,               who               also               got               a               Nobel               Peace               Prize               for               this,               told               the               French               ambassador               that               he               would               not               accept               any               loopholes               for               defensive               wars               or               good               wars.

If               all               war               was               not               banned,               he               argued,               any               loophole               would               be               expanded               to               the               point               of               rendering               the               whole               agreement               meaningless.

But               when               our               Senate               ratified               the               treaty               it               added               an               exception               for               defensive               war.

And               for               several               decades               we've               behaved               as               if               the               treaty               were               meaningless,               even               though               the               same               ban               on               aggressive               war               was               created               again               in               1945               in               the               United               Nations               Charter.
               We're               currently               moving               in               the               direction               of               smaller               but               more               secretive               and               criminal               wars.

We               have               a               drone               war               on               Pakistan               without               having               had               any               public               or               congressional               debate               over               whether               to               have               a               war               with               Pakistan.

A               United               Nations               report               in               June               concluded               that               the               U.S.

drone               attacks               on               Pakistan               were               illegal.

We               have               a               military               increasingly               privatized               and               employing               unaccountable               mercenaries.

We               have               special               forces               operating               now               in               75               countries,               but               we               don't               know               what               all               the               countries               are.

The               CIA               reportedly               has               a               secret               and               unaccountable               3,000-man               army               in               Afghanistan.
               The               Obama               administration               has               declared               that               it               has               the               right               to               assassinate               Americans,               and               I               have               yet               to               see               anyone               respond               by               questioning               where               the               hell               they               got               the               right               to               assassinate               non-Americans.

Our               latest               addition               to               the               Supreme               Court,               Elena               Kagan,               at               her               confirmation               hearing               said               the               war               we're               in               is               everywhere               and               has               no               identifiable               end               in               time.
               General               Petraeus               is               quoted               on               Afghanistan               saying               "I               don't               think               you               win               this               war.

I               think               you               keep               fighting.

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This               is               the               kind               of               fight               we're               in               for               the               rest               of               our               lives               and               probably               our               kids'               lives."
               At               Obama's               direction               the               military               budget               and               the               size               of               the               military               have               been               increased               in               2009               and               again               in               2010.

Half               of               our               discretionary               public               spending               goes               into               the               military.

This               is               the               primary               reason               college               isn't               free.

European               nations               make               college               free               or               a               lot               closer               to               it,               on               top               of               providing               free               healthcare               and               childcare               and               preschool               and               retirement               and               family               leave               and               vacations.

Yes,               they               pay               more               in               income               tax,               but               we               pay               more               in               state               and               local               and               payroll               taxes,               which               narrows               that               gap.

The               main               difference               is               that               Europeans               get               things               in               return               for               the               taxes               they               pay.

We               get               the               honor               of               bailing               out               Wall               Street               and               the               privilege               of               funding               a               military               larger               than               the               next               15               biggest               militaries               in               the               world               combined.

And               that's               about               it.

We               don't               get               a               lot               more,               which               is               why               we               don't               like               taxes.
               But               we               sometimes               think               military               spending               is               a               bright               spot               in               our               economy,               not               understanding               that               the               military               spending               is               destroying               our               economy.

Each               billion               dollars               of               government               spending               invested               in               the               military               creates               about               12,000               jobs.

Investing               it               instead               in               tax               cuts               for               personal               consumption               generates               approximately               15,000               jobs.

But               putting               it               into               healthcare               gives               us               18,000               jobs,               in               home               weatherization               and               infrastructure               also               18,000               jobs,               in               education               25,000               jobs,               and               in               mass               transit               27,700               jobs.

In               education               the               average               wages               and               benefits               of               the               25,000               jobs               created               is               significantly               higher               than               in               the               military's               12,000               jobs.

Military               spending               is               a               lost               opportunity,               a               drain               on               our               treasury.
               While               a               majority               of               Americans               would               be               happy               to               cut               back               on               military               spending,               most               don't               want               to               cut               it               back               as               much               as               is               needed,               and               many               don't               want               to               give               up               the               habit               of               launching               wars.

Even               if               the               Iraq               War               was               a               bad               one,               other               wars               are               good:               World               War               II,               the               American               Revolution,               maybe               the               Civil               War               (depending               where               you're               from),               or               even               the               war               in               Afghanistan.

Not               all               wars               are               based               on               lies,               or               so               we're               told.
               The               fact               is               that               all               wars               have               always               been               and               always               will               be               based               on               lies.

World               War               II               had               nothing               to               do               with               saving               the               Jews               and               did               not               save               them.

Roosevelt               refused               to               increase               the               immigration               quota               and               killed               a               bill               that               would               have               allowed               20,000               Jewish               refugee               children               to               enter.

The               allies               refused               to               work               with               Germany               when               it               wanted               to               expel               the               Jews,               and               did               not               want               to               rescue               them               when               Germany               had               decided               to               kill               them               all.

Roosevelt               lied               about               allegedly               unprovoked               German               submarine               attacks,               just               as               Wilson               had               done               to               get               us               into               the               war               to               end               all               wars.

Roosevelt               used               a               forged               map               to               claim               Germany               had               plans               to               take               over               the               Americas.
               And               we               spent               years               planning               a               war               with               Japan               motivated               by               interests               in               Asian               markets.

In               1935,               Roosevelt               bestowed               Wake               Island               on               the               U.S.

Navy               and               gave               Pan               Am               Airways               a               permit               to               build               runways               on               Wake               Island,               Midway               Island,               and               Guam.

Japanese               military               commanders               announced               that               they               were               disturbed               and               viewed               these               runways               as               a               threat.

So               did               peace               activists               in               the               United               States.

By               the               next               month,               Roosevelt               had               planned               war               games               and               maneuvers               near               the               Aleutian               Islands               and               Midway               Island.

By               the               following               month,               peace               activists               were               marching               in               New               York               advocating               friendship               with               Japan.
               This               escalated               for               years               as               Roosevelt               and               Churchill               longed               for               a               Japanese               attack               on               U.S.

forces.

Our               country               began               giving               airplanes               and               training               and               pilots               to               China               for               its               efforts               to               bomb               Japan.

The               first               U.S.

pilots               didn't               fly               missions               until               12               days               after               Pearl               Harbor,               but               Washington               had               made               sure               Japan               knew               about               it.

And               our               ambassador               repeatedly               warned               the               state               department               of               the               plans               for               the               attack               on               Pearl               Harbor,               which               was               not               in               the               United               States               --               remember               --               but               in               the               middle               of               the               Pacific               on               an               island               whose               queen               we'd               overthrown               on               behalf               of               sugar               plantations.
               The               United               States               cut               off               Japan's               economy,               including               oil               and               scrap               metal.

Japan's               survival               was               at               risk               when               Roosevelt               told               his               cabinet               officials               he               expected               the               Pearl               Harbor               attack               to               come               on               December               1st.

He               was               off               by               6               days.
               Wars               are               never               justifiable,               and               planning               for               them               makes               them               almost               inevitable.

It               also               puts               us               at               risk               of               triggering               a               nuclear               holocaust               that               would               eliminate               all               life               on               earth.

It               also               puts               the               earth               at               risk,               among               other               ways,               through               the               consumption               of               oil.

The               largest               user               of               oil               in               this               country               is               the               military.

If               the               Pentagon               were               a               country,               it               would               be               in               32nd               place               in               oil               use.

I               know               Bill               McKibben               spoke               about               pollution               here               this               week.

I               hope               he               mentioned               this               vicious               cycle               of               burning               oil               in               wars               fought               in               large               part               for               control               of               oil.
               The               night               before               last,               I               had               dinner               with               the               president               of               Iran,               Mahmoud               Ahmadinejad,               who               did               something               I               don't               think               an               American               president               has               done               in               generations.

He               met               with               peace               activists               to               discuss               ways               to               keep               the               peace.
               A-ha,               you               may               be               thinking,               but               if               you               had               evil               intentions,               wouldn't               you               want               to               disarm               the               other               side               by               talking               peace?

Don't               people               who               meet               with               this               man               risk               being               played               for               suckers?

Wasn't               Roosevelt               right               to               refuse               to               meet               with               Hitler               on               the               grounds               that               we               were               too               busy               ramping               up               weapons               production               in               case               we               had               to               fight               him?

Isn't               talking               to               people               a               form               of               appeasement               that               just               encourages               them?
               But               encourages               them               in               what               exactly?

The               United               States               overthrew               Iran's               elected               president               58               years               ago               and               installed               a               dictator.

Iran               eventually,               in               the               late               1970s,               drove               out               its               dictator,               in               large               part               through               nonviolent               resistance,               something               Gandhi               had               recommended               to               the               Germans,               by               the               way.

As               the               United               States               occupies               the               nations               to               the               east               and               west               of               Iran,               and               Iran               has               not               itself               attacked               another               nation               since               long               before               the               United               States               existed,               what               are               we               afraid               Iran               will               do?
               The               story               is               that               we               don't               want               them               to               have               nuclear               energy               because               it               would               put               them               closer               to               having               nuclear               weapons               if               they               chose               to.

But               we've               embargoed               Iran               to               keep               out               parts               for               windmills               and               other               green               energy.

We're               treating               Iran               as               we               treated               Germany               and               Japan               between               the               two               world               wars.

None               of               which               is               to               suggest               that               Iran               has               a               clean               record               on               human               rights               or               a               healthy               democracy.

But               wars               don't               fix               those               problems.

And               nothing               is               worse               than               war.

And               if               that               was               the               basis               for               a               war               wouldn't               we               have               bombed               Saudi               Arabia               by               now?
               A               resolution               is               being               circulated               in               Congress               that               would               ask               Israel               to               attack               Iran.

Senator               Lindsay               Graham               recently               proposed               that               we               attack               Iran.

Some               of               the               most               powerful               forces               in               our               country               have               been               pushing               for               this               for               years               and               will               keep               pushing               as               long               as               it               takes,               unless               we               turn               things               around.
               One               chance               to               start               doing               that               is               on               October               2nd.

Antiwar               activism               is               in               a               strange               place               this               week,               as               the               big               push               from               progressives               has               been               to               let               gays               and               lesbians               and               immigrants               take               part               in               our               war               crimes.

In               fact,               the               legislation               just               defeated               in               the               Senate               would               make               college               and               the               military               the               paths               to               citizenship               for               immigrants,               without               providing               funding               for               college,               and               without               permitting               nonviolent               public               service               in               place               of               participation               in               the               war               machine.

With               those               misguided               measures               defeated,               perhaps               we               can               focus               on               getting               the               heterosexual               citizens               out               of               our               wars               by               organizing,               educating,               resisting               recruitment,               and               lobbying               congress               to               vote               No               on               the               larger               bill               that               is               now               in               play               which               would               dump               hundreds               of               billions               into               the               military,               $150               billion               into               the               wars,               and               a               good               chunk               into               building               permanent               bases               in               Afghanistan.
               In               July               115               congress               members               voted               No               on               war               money.

It's               harder               to               get               them               to               do               so               when               the               rest               of               the               military               is               in               the               same               bill,               but               we               have               to               try.

What's               encouraging               is               that               labor               and               community               and               civil               rights               groups               that               have               shied               away               from               opposing               wars               are               now               beginning               to               work               with               the               peace               movement,               with               the               understanding               that               we               all               want               to               move               the               money               from               wars               and               the               military               to               the               places               it's               needed.

We               could               have               20               high-paying               green               energy               jobs               for               every               soldier               sent               to               Afghanistan.

And               we               can               push               more               effectively               for               that               change               if               we               all               work               together               on               domestic               issues               while               insisting               that               all               useful               projects               be               funded               in               bills               that               are               clean               of               war               money.
               On               October               2nd               a               major               and               historic               march               on               Washington               is               planned               that               will               unite               this               broader               coalition.

See               http://onenationforpeace.org               And               PDA               is               organizing               lobbying               and               other               events               the               day               before,               so               check               out               http://pdamerica.org
               Finally,               I               want               to               mention               one               area               close               to               home               we               should               be               focused               on.

The               rights               to               organize,               form               a               union,               and               strike               are               severely               limited               in               this               country.

Tens               of               millions               of               Americans               would               belong               to               unions               by               tomorrow,               who               today               do               not,               if               these               rights               were               protected.

Instead,               those               who               try               to               exercise               what               should               be               basic               human               rights               risk               retaliation,               and               the               legal               penalties               for               such               retaliation               are               not               significant               enough               to               be               noticed               by               a               large               corporation.
               So               when               people,               like               the               cafeteria               workers               at               this               university,               find               the               courage               to               try               to               exercise               these               rights,               they               are               doing               so               on               behalf               of               all               of               us,               and               we               have               a               duty               to               support               them.

If               someone               could               go               to               the               gym               and               exercise               for               you               and               keep               your               body               in               good               health               while               you               sat               on               the               couch,               you'd               probably               say               you               supported               them.

These               workers               are               exercising               our               democracy,               which               will               otherwise               wither               and               die.

I               should               think               the               very               least               we               could               do               is               say               we               support               them,               and               that               we               ought               to               strategize               other               ways               to               back               them               up.
               To               do               so               we               don't               need               to               determine               whether               we               think               their               employer,               Sodexo               --               and               ultimately               George               Mason               University               --               is               giving               them               the               wages               or               benefits               or               control               of               their               jobs               that               is               merited.

We               just               need               to               know               that               they               feel               strongly               enough               about               it               to               take               significant               risks               that               will               help               protect               the               rights               of               everyone.

When               they're               satisfied,               I'll               be               satisfied.
               Thank               you.






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