Why I Spoke Out at Obama's Foreign Policy Speech
This article was first published at Common Dreams. Having worked for years on the issues of drones and Guantánamo, I was delighted to get a pass (the source will remain anonymous) to attend President Obama’s speech at the National Defense University. I had read many press reports anticipating what ...
Why I Interrupted Obama Counter-terrorism Adviser John Brennan
Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan spoke at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington DC on April 30 to mark the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden. It was the first time a high level member of the Obama Administration spoke at length about the U.S. drone strikes that the ...
Ten reasons why AIPAC is so dangerous
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of the most powerful lobby organizations in the country. AIPAC’s clout helps fuel a never-ending cycle of violence in the Middle East. Here are ten reasons why AIPAC is so dangerous. 1. AIPAC is lobbying Congress to promote a military confrontation ...
Jailed for Sailing to Gaza, Challenging the Blockade
Written by Medea Benjamin and Robert NaimanTwo boats full of courageous passengers were on their way to Gaza when they were intercepted on Friday, November 4, by the Israeli military in international waters. We call the passengers courageous because they sailed from Turkey on November 2 with the knowledge that ...
Congress Sees Middle East Through AIPAC-Colored Glasses
During August recess this year, 81 members of Congress went on a junket to Israel funded by the Israel lobby group AIPAC (well, funded by the American Israel Education Fund, but they are really one and the same) to “learn first-hand about one of our closest friends and allies.” While ...
Ten Reasons to Move Cheney’s Book to the Crime Section
Former Vice President Dick Cheney was given a multi-million contract to write a book about his political career. According to Cheney’s media hype, the book, called In My Time, will have “heads exploding all over Washington.” The Darth Vader of the Bush administration offers no apologies and feels no remorse. ...
The ceremonies for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC were kicked off on August 24 at an event billed as Honoring Global Leaders for Peace. But some of those honored are a far cry from King’s beloved community of the poor and oppressed. The tribute to ...
Iraq Withdrawal? Don't Take It to the Bank
Written by Medea Benjamin and Charles DavisSince coming to Washington, Barack Obama has won a Nobel Prize for Peace, but he hasn’t been much of a peacemaker. Instead, he has doubled down on his predecessor’s wars while launching blatantly illegal ones of his own. But, as his supporters would be ...
Does Your Congressperson Represent You - or Israel?
In this time of economic austerity, when jobs are being slashed and Americans are fearful about their future, the Congressional recess is the time for our elected representatives to be home in their districts, reaching out to their constituents and servicing the people they are paid to represent. Instead, this ...
Stop Sacrificing US Soldiers for Afghan Debacle
The 38 deaths in Saturday’s helicopter crash in Afghanistan include 31 Americans, making this the deadliest day for U.S. forces since the war began. The tragic loss of American lives might be worth the sacrifice if it was making America safer, or if our presence was significantly improving the well-being ...
Enormous Cuts in Military Spending? Read the Fine Print
Written by Medea Benjamin and Charles DavisIn this age of austerity, all the politicians are talking about the need for spending cuts. But when it comes to shared burdens and slashed budgets, don't expect the Pentagon to start holding bake sales, despite what you may have heard about reductions to ...
Advice Hillary Clinton Should, But Won’t, Give to Economically-Strapped Greece
When U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Greece, she praised the Greek government’s austerity measures to reduce deficits and cut spending. The U.S. and Greece face a common challenge of dealing with soaring deficits, but they also face something else in common: a refusal to deal with out-of-control military ...
By Torpedoing the Gaza Flotilla, Israel Sunk its Own Ship
Instead of high-fiving each other for their success in thwarting the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Israeli officials should be throwing overboard the propaganda hacks who catapulted the flotilla into headline news for weeks and left Israel smelling like rotten fish.Last year, when the Israeli military killed nine aboard the Turkish ship, ...
International solidarity and history in the making
Today we had a great international press conference. There were representatives from Greece, Sweden, France, Norway, Canada, Spain, Turkey and of course, the U.S. The room was packed with press and passengers; there was really a feeling that we are part of something historic. Our US speakers were Ann Wright ...
More from Athens: 'It's Unbelievable How Inhumane and Violent They Are'
Today we had a long meeting about whether or not we should do some visible protests against the Greek government for holding up our ship and if so, where we should do the actions. We even had a scouting team go out, which brought back all kinds of ideas. My ...
Is Greece Being Blackmailed to Put the Brakes on Gaza Flotilla?
The 50 passengers and crew on the U.S. boat to Gaza have converged in Athens, Greece, ready to head out to sea to join an international fleet of ships that will challenge the Israeli-imposed naval blockade of Gaza. But on Thursday, June 23, when the boat was scheduled to leave ...
Setting Sail for Gaza, Armed with Love Letters and a Missive from Dr. King
“I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him,” said Dr. Martin Luther King as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. These words will guide me and other passengers aboard ...
Will U.S. Mayors Vote Against War?
Senate Armed Services Chair Carl Levin—a Democrat from Michigan--had just put down the gavel, marking the end of the confirmation hearing for Leon Panetta to be the next Secretary of Defense, when Detroit-born CODEPINK activist Tighe Barry jumped up. “Shame on you, Senator Levin, for supporting endless wars while Detroit ...
Needed: An Antiwar Movement That Puts Peace Over Politicians
Written by Medea Benjamin and Charles DavisAfter campaigning as the candidate of change, the man awarded a Nobel Prize for peace has given the world nothing but more war. Yet despite Barack Obama's continuation – nay, escalation – of the worst aspects of George W. Bush's foreign policy, including his ...
Come Dance With Me--and Thomas Jefferson
Dancing can be dangerous. In Ceausescu’s Romania I was arrested for dancing without a partner. In newly independent Guinea Bissau, my dancing partner was thrown in jail for boogying before the President and his wife had the first dance. In Cuba I was awoken at 4am to bail out a ...
Obama Should Follow His Own Advice on the 'Moral Force' of Non-Violence
Written by Medea Benjamin and Charles Davis Given that President Obama daily authorizes the firing of hellfire missiles and the dropping of cluster bombs in places such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, it was awful odd seeing him wax eloquent this week about the “moral force of non-violence” in places ...
Endless War and Empire: Your Tax Dollars at Work
By Medea Benjamin and Charles DavisDeath and taxes are the only certainties in life. And as it turns out, they go hand in hand. While our fiscal woes have led Congress to slash food aid this year to the world’s poor -- rest assured, fellow Americans -- the U.S. government ...
Obama on Libya: George W. Bush 2.0
by Medea Benjamin and Charles Davis His lines may be better delivered, but Barack Obama is sounding – and acting – more like the heir to George W. Bush than the answer sold to the public in his award-winning ad campaign. Indeed, when not sending billions of dollars to repressive ...
Instead of Bombing Dictators, Stop Selling Them Bombs
Written by Medea Benjamin and Charles DavisWhen all you have is bombs, everything starts to look like a target. And so after years of providing Libya’s dictator with the weapons he's been using against the people, all the international community – France, Britain and the United States – has to ...
From 'Liberation' to Occupation: 10 Reasons Iraq Was No Cakewalk
Written by Medea Benjamin and Charles Davis March 19 marks the eighth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, a nation that had no weapons of mass destruction and was not involved in the 9/11 attacks. It was sold to the American public as a war to defend our nation and ...
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May 26th, 2013
Why I Spoke Out at Obama's Foreign Policy Speech
This article was first published at Common Dreams. Having worked for years on the issues of drones and Guantánamo, I was delighted to get ...
May 1st, 2012
Why I Interrupted Obama Counter-terrorism Adviser John Brennan
Counterterrorism adviser John Brennan spoke at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington DC on April 30 to mark the one-year anniversary of the killing ...
February 29th, 2012
Ten reasons why AIPAC is so dangerous
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one of the most powerful lobby organizations in the country. AIPAC’s clout helps fuel a never-ending cycle ...
November 4th, 2011
Jailed for Sailing to Gaza, Challenging the Blockade
Written by Medea Benjamin and Robert NaimanTwo boats full of courageous passengers were on their way to Gaza when they were intercepted on Friday, November ...
September 16th, 2011
Congress Sees Middle East Through AIPAC-Colored Glasses
During August recess this year, 81 members of Congress went on a junket to Israel funded by the Israel lobby group AIPAC (well, funded by ...
August 29th, 2011
Ten Reasons to Move Cheney’s Book to the Crime Section
Former Vice President Dick Cheney was given a multi-million contract to write a book about his political career. According to Cheney’s media hype, the book, ...
August 26th, 2011
The ceremonies for the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC were kicked off on August 24 at an event billed as Honoring ...
August 29th, 2011
Ten Reasons to Move Cheney’s Book to the Crime Section
Former Vice President Dick Cheney was given a multi-million contract to write a book about his political career. According to Cheney’s media hype, the book, ...
April 14th, 2011
Endless War and Empire: Your Tax Dollars at Work
By Medea Benjamin and Charles DavisDeath and taxes are the only certainties in life. And as it turns out, they go hand in hand. While ...
July 10th, 2011
By Torpedoing the Gaza Flotilla, Israel Sunk its Own Ship
Instead of high-fiving each other for their success in thwarting the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, Israeli officials should be throwing overboard the propaganda hacks who catapulted ...
December 31st, 2010
15 Good Things to Celebrate in a Bad Year
This year was marked by turmoil at home and abroad, including a deepening financial crisis that continues to leave millions jobless and homeless, as well ...
August 11th, 2011
Does Your Congressperson Represent You - or Israel?
In this time of economic austerity, when jobs are being slashed and Americans are fearful about their future, the Congressional recess is the time for ...
August 6th, 2011
Stop Sacrificing US Soldiers for Afghan Debacle
The 38 deaths in Saturday’s helicopter crash in Afghanistan include 31 Americans, making this the deadliest day for U.S. forces since the war began. The ...
March 17th, 2011
From 'Liberation' to Occupation: 10 Reasons Iraq Was No Cakewalk
Written by Medea Benjamin and Charles Davis March 19 marks the eighth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, a nation that had no weapons of ...
'The East'
Why have you started a comedy festival in northern Michigan in the middle of winter?
Because if you were here in the dead of winter in the middle of nowhere (which is actually somewhere to us), you'd need a few laughs too ... Continue Reading
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Michael Moore on the Rachel Maddow Show, 2/27/12
