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21 March 03
Dear Mr. Bush and other PNAC Fans,
You have watched too many James Bond movies. You forget that the great majority of us want a peaceful world. Right now you have half the people in America brainwashed, but they will lose faith when the truth comes out. We don't want a "Pax Americana" at gunpoint by the U.S. military. Nor do we have enough young men to spare for your plans. Life is a powerful force for good and there are souls on earth now who will eventually defeat you and set things right. Please stop this murderous illegal war now. Your plans for world domination are destined to fail.
Sincerely, Nori Muster
Pray for Peace News Editor
Is Your Country Safe from Pax Americana?
Countries the U.S. has bombed since 1945:
Japan August 6, 1945
China 1945-46
Korea and China 1950-53 (Korean War)
Guatemala 1954
Indonesia 1958
Cuba 1959-1961
Guatemala 1960, 1967-69
Congo 1964
Peru 1965
Laos 1964-73
Vietnam 1961-73
Cambodia 1969-70
El Salvador 1980s
Nicaragua 1980s
Grenada 1983
Lebanon 1983, 1984 (both Lebanese and Syrian targets)
Libya 1986
Iran 1987
Panama 1989
Kuwait 1991
Iraq 1991-present
Somalia 1993
Bosnia 1994, 1995
Sudan 1998
Afghanistan 1998, 2001-present
Yugoslavia 1999
Resources:
article and site where we found this list. List has been modified to reflect 2000-present. Please send any information I'm missing: contact.
Another excellent article http://www.zmag.org/grossmanciv.htm
20 March 03
Subject: Being Alive Now
by Mark Marford, columnist
Stop thinking this is all there is. . . . Realize that for every ongoing war and religious outrage and environmental devastation and bogus Iraqi attack plan, there are a thousand counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale, from flower box to cathedral. . . . Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh and just throw in the karmic towel. . . . Realize that this is the perfect moment to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal volume; right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious and conflicted and bilious . . . there's your opening. Remember magic. And finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift, the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable.
15 March 03
Rainy Day in L.A.
Today 50,000 people gathered in Downtown to march and dance in the rain. It was really coming down. This was no "Hollywood" rainstorm. It was real and it's still raining into the evening.
Massive demonstrations also took place in Japan, Spain, Australia, U.K., Washington DC, Pakistan, and all over the world. Tomorrow there will be more demonstrations. Peace is a way of life. It was good to see everybody today. Love to you all! Victory to the peace movement!
15 March 03
Vive La France - Support French Companies
Air France. Air Liquide. Airbus. Alcatel. Allegra (allergy medication). Aqualung (including: Spirotechnique, Technisub, US Divers, and SeaQuest). AXA Advisors
Bank of the West (owned by BNP Paribas). Beneteau (boats). BF Goodrich (owned by Michelin). BIC (razors, pens and lighters). Biotherm (cosmetics). Black Bush. Bollinger (champagne).
Car & Driver Magazine. Cartier. Chanel. Chivas Regal (scotch). Christian Dior. Club Med (vacations). Culligan (owned by Vivendi).
Dannon (yogurt and dairy foods). DKNY. Dom Perignon. Durand Crystal
Elle Magazine. Essilor Optical Products. Evian.
Fina gas stations and Fina Oil (billions invested in Iraqi oil fields). First Hawaiian Bank.
George Magazine. Givenchy. Glenlivet (scotch).
Hennessy. Houghton Mifflin (books). Jacobs Creek (owned by Pernod Ricard since 1989). Jameson (whiskey). Jerry Springer (talk show)
Krups (coffee and cappuccino makers).
Lancome. Le Creuset (cookware). L'Oreal (health and beauty products). Louis Vuitton.
Marie Claire. Martel Cognac. Maybelline. Mephisto (shoes and clothes). Michelin (tires and auto parts). Mikasa (crystal and glass). Moet (champagne). Motel 6. Motown Records. MP3.com. Mumms (champagne).
Nissan (cars; majority owned by Renault). Nivea. Normany Butter.
Parents Magazine. Peugeot (automobiles). Pierre Cardin. Playstation Magazine. ProScan (owned by Thomson Electronics, France). Publicis Group (including Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising).
RCA (televisions and electronics; owned by Thomson Electronics). Red Magazine. Red Roof Inns (owned by Accor group in France). Renault (automobiles). Road & Track Magazine. Roquefort cheese (all Roquefort cheese is made in France). Rowenta (toasters, irons, coffee makers, etc.). Royal Canadian.
Salomon (skis). Sierra Software and Computer Games. Smart & Final. Sofitel (hotels, owned by Accor). Sparkletts (water, owned by Danone). Spencer Gifts. Sundance Channel.
Taylor Made (golf). Technicolor. T-Fal (kitchenware). Total gas stations.
UbiSoft (computer games). Uniroyal. Universal Studios (music, movies and amusement parks; owned by Vivendi-Universal). USFilter.
Veritas Group. Veuve Clicquot Champagne. Vittel. Vivendi.
Wild Turkey (bourbon). Woman's Day Magazine.
Yoplait (The French company Sodiaal owns a 50 percent stake). Yves Saint Laurent.
Zodiac Inflatable Boats.
14 March 03
Peace Prevails
Everyone seems so sure that Bush is going into Iraq. There's going to be a bump in the stock market, the dollar, oil prices will go down, etc. The war will be fast and "everybody" in Iraq wants it.
Sure. Actually, there will be large protests this weekend. The U.N. will get a few more months to complete inspections, disarm Iraq, and lift sanctions. Iraq will agree to continued inspections and monitoring. That's what will happen.
Bush just wants this war to destroy Iraq again and seize the oil contracts from France. If he goes through with his plans in defiance of world opinion, it will be a crime against humanity. Bush would destroy our international institutions and cast us into a pre-1939 world, dooming the twenty-first century to an unwinnable feud.
A world dominated by a military "Pax Americana" is not my idea of the American dream. No thanks. I'm going to be outside tomorrow in the rain with my sign and my camera. This war is called off. War is over if you want it.
14 March 03
Why do we March for Peace?
According to a letter by Laurie Garrett of Newsday that was circulated on the Internet this week:
American security and military speakers [said] that, "We need to attack Iraq not to punish it for what it might have, but preemptively, as part of a global war. Iraq is just one piece of a campaign that will last years, taking out states, cleansing the planet."
13 March 03
Did Saddam Really use Gas?
The following letter appeared in the Times in regards to the deaths of Kurds in Halabja, Iraq. "Ever since then-President George H.W. Bush decided he wanted to wage war on Iraq, government officials have referred to these tragic 1988 deaths from chemical weapons, saying that Saddam Hussein had "gassed his own people." Readers may be surprised to know that a Marine Corpos report concluded in 1990 that those deaths resulted from Iranian weapons, not Iraqi weapons. The condition of th ebodies indicated cyanide gas was the likely agent. Iran was well known for using cyanide agents, but Iraq was not.
the deaths occurred during the Iran-Iraq War in an area where battles were being waged. The 1990 report (U.S. Marine Corps historical document FMFRP 3-203, Appendix B) states, ". . . we conclude that the Iranians perpetrated this attack."
D.H., Northridge
American Dream Revisited
Certain conservatives in the American government visualize an American dream of world military domination and enforced global trade. They think they can "strong arm" less powerful countries into voting for their plan and cut off financial aid to people who do not comply. They're beholden to giant corporations that spread pollution, enslave workers, and feed on the public natural resources. This is the Big Brother American nightmare that George Orwell warned us about in his book 1984. World domination is something of Ian Flemming novels; it's certainly different from the mainstream consensus of what a good American dream would be like.
Now let's digress for a minute to talk about the American Dream in general. I've heard people say lots of negative things about it lately. The first myth is that greed among our "leaders" exemplifies the American Dream. That's wrong. Our so-called leaders (like Bush and Cheney) are doing things now that will bring on bad karma down the road. In fact, they could kill the American Dream, because part of the dream is that we have social mobility and a big middle class, where everyone lives comfortably. If our "leaders" bring in their desired tax changes, wars, and destruction of the environment, they will morph our country into a system with an elite rich class ruling over mostly poor masses.
A more appropriate expression of the American dream is to simply live a good life. This means the ability to earn an honest living and the freedom to live the way you want, undisturbed, and in a place you enjoy. Honest Americans want the same things for all people in the world.
However, let's have a look at this nightmare. I believe that we benefit from all types of dreams, whether they appear "good" or "bad" to our ego. Since we often get off center as we suffer through the bumps and bruises of life, the bad dreams come to nudge us back onto our highest path. Perhaps the current American nightmare will result in more consciousness and conscience in the future. While we must tolerate nightmares and other disturbing dreams, it's important to remember that we also have an obligation to dream of our highest possible reality. As the folks demonstrating for continued UN inspections and a peaceful resolution to the Bush-Iraq crisis say: "Here's to new & healthier dreams!"
09 March 03
Important Notice in Case of War
There is still time to stop this war. However, if Bush bombs Bagdad against the will of world opinion, thousands of Americans are committed to emergency demonstrations. Large cities have designated places to assemble, but if you are unsure of where to go in your area, just to to your city hall or federal building (if you have one), or at a church. Even if you feel you would be the only person demonstrating against the war, please do it for the sake of history and future generations. Your effort will add your town to the list of places where people stood up to the war. Write to the White House and your legislators now to tell them that you plan to demonstrate. Click here to contact the government and media.
We still have the March 15 demonstrations, and possibly more future opportunities to tell them that the peace movement is strong and the people will do everything necessary to prevent this senseless and brutal war. Bush has not yet made a case for a war that would kill thousands of innocent Iraqis and only serve to bring more terrorist attacks at home, while illegally enriching Haliburton and other American companies that have already signed contracts to rebuild Iraqi oil fields (again).
02 March 03
A Battle of Words
How Language Plays a Major Part in Bush's Military Build-up
If the TV news reporters keep interviewing people about what happens "after" the war, then peace-loving people have a dilemma. How in the world do you argue that war can be avoided? It leaves other questions unanswered too. Do they really know for sure there will be an "after"? What if this war ignites a series of wars, with more terrorism directed at our own country? What if Bush decides that another "evil" country is the next battleground? When do we get to "after" then? How many "evil" countries are there? Is it "inevitable" that we must fight them too?
If TV commentators say that war in Iraq is inevitable, it plays right into the war mongers' hands. It's their best P.R. Once people believe that war is inevitable then hope is lost. Everyone might as well just sit back and wait for the bombs to fall and the blowback to begin. However, there are courageous people who resist Bush's lies and go out to protest to prevent the war. That proves that hope is alive and well. Only some people believe that war is inevitable, after all.
Wise thinkers say that whatever you believe ultimately comes to pass. Whatever you fear you draw to yourself. Fighting the war of words takes courage, faith, and trust in what is good about life. Everyone with faith must take a stand for life and for love. The words "life" and "love" counteract negative words like "war is inevitable." The courageous thing to do is to concentrate on how you want the course of history to unfold and then live that truth.
If people started to believe that war is a crime and that Bush should be impeached, then the public discussion would change. What if this situation goes down in history as the "Bush Crisis"? Then the words decree that he and his administration shoulder the blame for the devastation his proposed war on evil will bring. The war of words is fought on paper, on video tape, on the telephone, on the Internet, and in face to face discussions. Speaking your truth is your duty and your charge in this desperate twilight time.
09 Feb. 03
Powell's Speech to the U.N. Plagiarized
Real Authors of Iraq Dossier Blast Blair
William Rivers Pitt | Blair-Powell UN Report Written by Student
BBC | UK defends 'Copied' Iraq Dossier
[Pray for Peace News News received this letter today from David Raphael Isaacson and we feel it's important to share with our readers. Visit Isaacson's web sites at: Deva 62 and Merlin ~ed.}
Greeting to all my friends...I hope this letter finds you well.
Since everyone has some spin on all that is occuring in the news, here is a message that I was inspired to write. If it means anything to you, great! (If not, that's ok too).
We are a microcosmic reflection of the whole. It is never really about what's happening outside but for what it shows us about ourselves. The drama currently unfolding on the world stage today, is the magnified reflection of the inner turmoil we all carry inside. Perhaps by manifesting it out in the open (in such a big way), the human self can not avoid looking at the shadows on its own face, mirrored back.
Personal Responsibility
I believe that by changing ones' self, we can powerfully affect the universe. This is why I have continued to follow in the healing path. I believe healing of the self is the most powerful thing I as an individual can do to help promote world peace. This is my bottom line.
I thank you for being a part of my effort to make the world a better place. As you heal as individuals, you make a difference to the whole.
It is All about You !
29 Jan. 3
State of the Union
The state of the union is Orwellian. Here are some articles about Bush's speech: All He Left Unsaid, by William Rivers Pitt.
Bush's Orwellian Address Happy New Year: It's 1984, by Jacob Levich
Comment by Pray for Peace News eds. These are the categories of dishonest behavior:
Taking things that don't belong to you
Saying things you know are not true
Giving or allowing false impressions
Buying influence
Hiding or divulging information
Taking unfair advantage
Committing personal decadence
Perpetrating interpersonal abuse
Permitting organizational abuse
Violating rules
Condoning unethical actions
Balancing ethical dilemmas
Engaging in a conflict of interest
Let's see these values take root in American business and in the White House itself. We'll be watching.
