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Green Party welcomes news of troop withdrawal from Iraq, urges further steps for peace

Green Party leaders welcomed the news of the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq by the end of December, calling the presidential order more than eight years overdue.  Greens urged President Obama to let the troops come home to be with their families for the holiday, rather than stationed or redeployed elsewhere.

“We’re glad that President Obama is calling all US military personnel home from Iraq and has ignored Republican demands to prolong the occupation.  The President is honoring a binding Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Iraq that President Bush signed.  The US must make every effort now to help US troops return to their civilian lives, especially those who’ve been wounded or have suffered psychological trauma because of the war.  We owe the troops a great debt and an apology for sending them to fight in a war based on deception and cooked intelligence,” said Carl Romanelli, Pennsylvania Green and member of the party’s International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl).

Greens noted that the withdrawal is the result of the Iraqi government’s insistence and that the Obama Administration was initially reluctant to comply with the agreement (http://www.nationaljournal.com/u-s-troop-withdrawal-motivated-by-iraqi-insistence-not-u-s-choice-20111021). 

The Green Party opposed the invasion of Iraq since its inception in March 2003 and demanded withdrawal afterwards.  Greens blamed both Democrats and Republicans for transferring congressional war powers to the White House in Oct. 2002 despite uncertainty about WMD allegations (later revealed to have been the product of manipulated intelligence), forged evidence of nuclear weaponry, and implausible claims of cooperation between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda.

Greens participated in protests throughout the US against the Iraq War, and — unlike many Democrats who claimed to oppose the war — continued to protest after President Obama’s election.

The Green Party called on President Obama to take further steps to ensure peace:

• The Obama Administration must also withdraw remaining personnel from private US security firms, whose presence in Iraq would constitute a low-level military occupation. These include thousands of State Department security contractors, despite the abuses and fraud in Iraq by firms like KBR and Xe (formerly Blackwater), which are not subject to the same restrictions and public scrutiny as US  military personnel.  (See “Out of Iraq: What Will the War Service Industry Do Now?” by Dina Rasor, Truthout, Oct. 26, http://www.truth-out.org/out-iraq-what-will-war-service-industry-do-now/1319637699)

• The US owes Iraq billions of dollars in reparations for the loss of hundreds of thousands of civilian lives, many more wounded and displaced, and destruction of the country’s infrastruction in an unnecessary war.

• The US should cease pressing Iraq to transfer control over much of the country’s oil resources to US and UK energy companies, such as the hydrocarbon law still stalled in the Iraqi Parliament.  The Iraqi people have consistently opposed the deal and prefer that their country’s oil be developed and produced by Iraqi state-owned companies.

• The Obama Administration must withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, end air strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Libya, Somalia, and other countries, and cancel funding for Israel’s military assaults on Palestinians.  The continuing US military action in these countries remains a threat to peace in the region.

• Congress must reduce the bloated military budget and reject the Bush-Cheney-Obama policy of warfare for preemptive and aggressive purposes, such as ousting other heads of state.  The cost of the Iraq War for the US has surpassed three trillion dollars, an economic loss that aggravated the current economic crisis.  The human cost includes nearly 4,500 lost American lives and over 32,000 seriously wounded.  (More information: Costs of War,http://costsofwar.org)

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Link to a story at Vancouver Sun: here.
Protesters are returning to Tahrir Square.

Two students (down from four at first) were suspended from Riverhead High School, because they kneeled in a hallway, in a stunt and/or tribute related to Tim Tebow, who kneels on the football field.

Is suspension appropriate?

It is ridiculous for these students to be suspended.  Suspension is not a good penalty for students. It only deprives students of educational time. Truly “bad kids” are glad to be suspended and miss school. Suspension should only be used when all other methods have failed.

In addition, it is foolish to act like the Tebowing incident was a big safety problem. Principal David Wicks’ premise is that if there was a fire drill, it would be difficult to clear the hallway. He must be thinking about how fast him and his adult knees could get up. A bunch of 17 and 18 year-olds could pop up pretty quickly if need be.

There are huge problems with punishing these students. It is definitely suppressing their freedom of expression (Freedom of Speech). And, if the action had any religious overtones for any of them, it is suppressing their Freedom of Religion. It is not enough for the principal and the superintendent of schools to assert that the action was not religious.

It is also disconcerting that some — but not all — of the participants were suspended. The school district went after the organizers of the event. That strategy is the way the NYPD and other unfair, government agencies, go after the leaders of demonstrations. It is a trick to keep any dissent or free-thinking stifled, and to go after future leaders.

Whose responsibility is it to make the hallways at Riverhead High School Safe?

If the hallways at Riverhead High School are so crowded, that teenagers cannot joke around, kneel down, or make a scene once in awhile, then the hallways of Riverhead High School need to be made more safe by the administration. The principal and the school board should be in trouble for putting students in an overcrowded situation, where any movement out of the norm becomes a potential fire hazard. The principal and school board could use building use or scheduling strategies to alleviate the problem that is their responsibility to fix. And, the community could help by figuring out how to better fund and design schools to meet the developmental needs of the empowered young people in their midst.

Better Solutions

The principal of Riverhead High School could still turn this situation around. Like the government which needs to listen to the occupiers, this school district needs to listen to its students. Why was this maneuver so interesting to them? Is there a level of boredom with their school work? Should Performance Art be added as a class? Is football a distraction? (And, if so, should the school deal with that by allowing football connections and art in the school and/or giving all the students more outside-the-day opportunities to celebrate something that motivates and interests them?)

Listening sessions with the students who participated would be highly desirable. Though, those listening sessions won’t work, if there are punishments on the table.

As for the students that led this event…a good educator would zoom in on them. A good educator would realize the potential of those students to achieve great things. Those students should be put into a leadership seminar. Those students should be given classes or assignments to understand the power of ideas and leadership. And, someone should find a project for them that will better help the school and/or outside community.

Part of the problem with Long Island and the suburbs, is that things are very homogenized, and life moves along in a fairly boring, status quo way. The Tebowing students at Riverhead High School created a cultural event that attracted attention and started a dialogue. That was an excellent development. And, if the school leaders can let go of their first, bad reaction, and open their eyes, perhaps great good can come from this situation.

(excerpt from) Huffington Post
Tebowing Suspensions: Riverhead High School Student Athletes Suspended

Visitors to Tebowing.com can see images from around the world of people striking the signature pose — going down on one knee and putting head in hand — made famous by Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow. There is a picture of someone “Tebowing” in Grand Central Station in Manhattan, Olympic gold medalist Lindsey Vonn “Tebowing” after finishing first in a major ski event and even someone doing it the Forbidden City in China.

It seems like Tebowing has been embraced everywhere… except for Riverhead High School in Long Island, N.Y.

Despite the fact that the “No Fun League” didn’t penalize Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch for Tebowing over Tebow after a sack, this sort of behavior has drawn a harsh penalty at a New York high school. Four student athletes at Riverhead High were suspended after staging a Tebowing session in a school hallway…

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The Actual Video, Stats and Comments

The question of the punishment of the Riverhead Tebowing students is the Yahoo poll for today! Pretty good attention-getting for a bunch of high school students. The video is posted at at least two local, Riverhead newspapers. At one posting there are over 50,000 views, and at the other one there are over 90,000 views. The video is fun to watch. And, I noticed how interesting it was for the young men to try to show an expression of reverence. I think the modeling they are doing – without exactly getting it – of someone’s spiritual tribute, is another hidden benefit of this practice that local educators entirely overlooked.

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Bonus Video: Harry Chapin’s Song “Flowers Are Red” muses on the topic of students, creativity, and punishment:

Saturday, December 17th at 12PM
DUARTE SQ. PARK, 6th AVE & CANAL in NYC
Protect & Celebrate the Occupy Movement
for social and economic justice

Join artists, musicians, and local community members for an all-day performance event in support of Occupy Wall Street and the occupation of space and reclaiming of the commons.

Freedom of expression and the right to assemble are sacred human freedoms. Through bold, courageous actions, Occupy Wall Street has renewed a sense of hope, revived a belief in community and awakened a revolutionary spirit too long silenced. To Occupy is to embody the spirit of liberation that we wish to manifest in our society.

On Saturday, December 17th – the 3 month anniversary of the birth of this movement, we will gather to celebrate Occupy Wall Street and to occupy space together.

And, for folks who can get to DC on Dec 17th:

Occupy DC has a big event to support Bradley Manning (who allegedly leaked government secrets about the war):

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Description: The “Free Bradley Manning – Bradley Manning Support Network” has organized a Rally and March from 12-3pm at Fort Meade. Supporters will meet at Ft. Meade’s main gate. After a rally, supporters will march along MD 175/Rouse Pkwy/Annapolis Rd, one mile, to Llewellyn Ave. The military courtroom is located on Llewellyn Ave just inside Ft. Meade. Afterwards, we’ll march back to the main gate (and return to odc).

Houston Police non-emergency number:  713-884-3131
Houston Police Public Affairs contact:  public DOT affairs AT cityofhouston DOT net
Any politicians, civil rights groups, or human rights groups who you feel may pay attention to your concerns.
Look for future action updates at Occupy Houston

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Story at Hispanic Business News: here.

Video of Houston Police covering their tracks with a big, red tent over the occupiers:

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Why you must do something about this…

As part of the D12 Coordinated West Coast Port Blockade yesterday, Houston occupiers laid down in the road to stop traffic to the port. Instead of simply negotiating and/or arresting them, the Houston Police used a new system — a system we must all stop immediately. The Houston Police covered the demonstrators with a huge, red tent, which then allowed the police to struggle with and arrest the demonstrators in secret. This practice is a violation of basic human rights for those being arrested. This practice is a violation of basic civil rights for the people observing who want to monitor their government, and be witness for their fellow citizens. This practice is a violation of the rights of any press people who want to report on a police incident. This practice is a violation of the most basic principles of government transparency and accountability.

The Houston Police Tent Method must be stopped. It is an escalation of sneaky police practices which our governments have been using against peaceful protesters. Already, rows of police officers have made human shields to try to cover up as their fellow officers rough up or arrest demonstrators. Then, there is the targeting and arresting of the press. If we let police use tents to cover up their actions, we will have let America sink to a new low of human rights practices, right up there with the most oppressive countries in the world.

In addition…Isn’t the police use of a tent the biggest slap in the face you ever received as a citizen? American citizens can’t use tents when we want. We have been blocked and raided trying to use tents to demonstrate, occupy, and petition our government. But, the police are going to use tents as a weapon against us, to hide their corrupt practices from the eyes of the press and the eyes of the world? How twisted could our government get?

Please contact the Houston Police and make sure they understand your concerns about this practice. Ask the Houston Police: What is it that you have to hide?