Letter to Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission Urges Open Meetings
(Reprinted from the ACLU of Wisconsin here)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 13, 2013

CONTACT: Sarah Karon, Communications Director, (608) 469‑5540, skaron@aclu-wi.org

MILWAUKEE – Today the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin and 12 community organizations urged Milwaukee’s Fire and Police Commission to hear public testimony before approving a new standard operating procedure on strip searches, body-cavity searches and other types of “citizen contact.”

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn indicated at the March 21 commission meeting that the department was revising the procedure.

The change comes in the wake of public outcry over a series of police misconduct allegations. Last October criminal charges were brought against four Milwaukee police officers for conducting illegal strip and body-cavity searches. Recently the commission revealed that in 2012, police made 260,000 officer-initiated traffic and subject stops in Milwaukee, a city with about 600,000 residents.

The commission has not said whether it will solicit public testimony before adopting the new procedure. In a letter sent today, the ACLU of Wisconsin and other organizations urged the commission to hold open meetings to allow citizens to comment on the policy.

“Given the seriousness and complexity of these issues, it is imperative that this process be transparent,” the letter said.

“The public should be allowed to provide feedback on a matter that affects them hundreds of times a day,” added Chris Ahmuty, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin. “Clearly this is an opportunity for the department to increase public trust.”

Thirteen organizations signed the May 13 letter to FPC Executive Director Michael G. Tobin and Chair Sarah Morgan. To view a copy of the letter, click the PDF link at the bottom of this page.

The organizations are: American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin, ARACOPA Coalition, Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin, Justice Coalition, MICAH, NAACP – Milwaukee Branch, National Lawyers Guild-Milwaukee Chapter, Peace Action Wisconsin, Repairers of the Breach, Reproductive Justice Collective, True Skool, Urban Underground and Voces de la Frontera.

The ACLU of Wisconsin is a non-profit, non-partisan, private organization whose 7,000 members support its efforts to defend the civil rights and liberties of all Wisconsin residents. For more on the ACLU of Wisconsin, visit our website, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter at @ACLUofWisconsin and @ACLUMadison.

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Seven years ago as I was packing my bags to leave Venezuela, President Hugo Chavez ended his weekly national TV show with, “I stand in solidarity with my brother, George Martin of United for Peace & Justice.”

My brother, Hugo Chavez. Physically, we shared similar characteristics: same height, same skin tone, round faces and thick bodies with broad chests. Spiritually and most importantly, we shared a common love of humanity, peace and justice and world citizenship. You know how it is when you meet someone for the first time and you make an instant, magnetic connection.…that’s how it was for Chavez and me.

Understanding well that Pres. Chavez was a controversial figure in the mainstream media, I have done many national media interviews about him. The corporate media is often politically slanted and he is often demonized as a horrible dictator when in fact that he was the most popular elected official in the Western Hemisphere.

On the 5^th anniversary of 2002 US driven coup against Pres. Chavez (lasted only 47 hours), I partied in the streets of Caracas with much more than a million people, many with their constitution in their back pocket, celebrating their government.

On that day, I brought a letter for Chavez from Milwaukee’s Welfare Warriors thanking Venezuela for giving free heating oil through CITGO to welfare mothers in Milwaukee.

Historically, many things are seen differently in retrospect and I take this opportunity to share my personal experience and global view.

During the 2005 World Social Forum in Caracas, a small delegation of US and European peace leaders met with President Chavez. Representing the US peace movement were my friends: Medea Benjamin of Code Pink, Cindy Sheehan who lost her son in Iraq and myself as Co-Chair of United for Peace & Justice, the US’s largest antiwar coalition.

We sat around a coffee table for more than three hours, learned much more about Venezuela and discussed global peace issues.

President Chavez explained that local committees functioned in most Venezuelan cities and communities. These committees had all participated in the development of Venezuela’s new constitution and the implementation national missions.

Chavez began talking about the plight of Venezuela’s poor — his people and how they had been one of the most illiterate countries on earth. Through local committees open to everyone, Venezuela implemented a national mission on reading and in one year became the most improved reading country on earth. This national committee structure also implemented a mission for energy saving light bulbs and replaced every standard light bulb in the country in one year.

International Women’s Day was approaching and Medea Benjamin asked Chavez if he would endorse it as it in relates to the Iraq War. He spoke vibrantly, gesturing that he would ask all the “beautiful mujerus (women) of Venezuela” to organize in their local committees to demonstrate against the Iraq War on International Women’s Day.

At the United Nations in 2005, Chavez stood up against the war in Iraq with his infamous speech about smelling the devil (Pres. George Bush). I thanked him for speaking out against the war.

Pres. Chavez said, “George I don’t think that I would do that again because I was alone and no other presidents would stand up against the US war.”

Medea Benjamin said, “President Chavez, what if we in the peace movement had the time to work with our allies in other countries to influence their governments to also stand up against war.

Then, I said to him, “President Chavez, what if we had hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating outside the U.N. at the same time.

Chavez quickly said, “George, let’s do it in September!” And we all laughed out loud.

As we continued open discussion around the coffee table, Medea pointed out that I was interrupting the President. Chavez said, “No, no… you talk George. I talk all the time…I want to hear what you’re thinking about.”

I said to him, “President Chavez, Venezuela and South America are nuclear weapons free. Will you work to keep it that way?”

Chavez said, “George, I am against weapons. I’m against the bombs attacks against Iraq and Japan. I was captain of the guard in this presidential palace when our president asked us to shoot our own people that’s when I became political!”

President Chavez continued, “I have to have typical military weapons in defense…look at the 2002 coup and we continue with the support of our people in peace.”

In the mainstream media’s depiction of Chavez, he was often characterized negatively as Socialist, bringing cold war era US against the socialist and communist mis-notions.

Thanks to Occupy, the conversation is open and more honest about capitalism versus socialism. There is a current debate here in the US about shifting federal budgets from militarism to meet human needs. Many European countries have shifted to meet human needs since the end of World War II.

Beyond the politics and the “isms” and as a person who grew up in Milwaukee, I simply see Chavez’s leadership as one of “sharing” the resources of his country blessed with great oil deposits with the people of that country and poor people throughout the South America, the Caribbean and North America. President Hugo Chavez will be missed deeply.

As our meeting ended, we came to say good-bye to each other. President Chavez, with hands held up chest high and his palms outward, hit me on my chest twice…boom-boom.  I hit him back on his chest…boom-boom. We hugged each other tight and both said, “My Brother.”

The post My Brother, Pres. Hugo Chavez appeared first on Peace Action Wisconsin.

A coalition of dedicated solidarity activists in Milwaukee is being built, including health care professionals, attorneys, and peace activists, who are actively developing a project in Milwaukee to provide medical care to a child injured by a US drone strike.

We are partnering with the No More Victims project, which has shown consistent success in providing medical assistance to war-injured children and their families since 2003.  Children injured by US forces in Iraq were flown to the United States to receive urgently needed medical care, including prosthetic limbs, reconstructive surgery, prosthetic limbs and skull plates, surgery for life-threatening internal injuries; treatment for severe burns, complex retinal surgery, and rehabilitative care — all set up on a pro bono basis by community activists dedicated to peacemaking and non-violence. The stories of these families and children, including significant mainstream and alternative media coverage, can be viewed on the No More Victims website (www.nomorevictims.org).

We discussed the Milwaukee project with Cole Miller, Founding Director of No More Victims, during his recent speaking engagement here. Miller has agreed to consult with us throughout the project and assist with contacts and outreach. We must begin by gathering the information, materials and
Thus, we are hereby requesting your assistance in identifying civilian victims in need of help. Our focus is on children, but we wish to obtain information about civilians of any age who have been injured by drones. The information we need is the following:funding necessary to realize a project in Milwaukee. Our particular area of interest is providing medical care to a Pakistani or Afghan child injured by a U.S. drone strike who would benefit substantially from medical treatment unavailable in the child’s home country.  We also need to gather specific details and information about US drone strikes that injure civilians. These materials will be used for education and outreach to other peace communities.

1. Date of the strike.
2. Approximate number of civilians killed or injured.
3. Witness statements and local news reports (if they exist and can be collected).
3. Medical reports that can be used to assess needs and develop treatment plans.
4. Contact information for the family or someone who can facilitate communication.

We feel it is of the utmost, timely importance to allow child victims of U.S. drone strikes and their families to tell their stories to the American people. As citizens, we also feel a pressing duty to repair some of the damage our weapons have inflicted on defenseless civilians. Please help us if you can.

Thank you,

Mike Helbick, Program Director, Peace Action Wisconsin
Cole Miller, Founding Director, No More Victims
Atty. Arthur Heitzer, President, National Lawyers Guild — Milwaukee Chapter
Lydia Homann, President, Teen Peace Council
Dr. Ariba Khan, Pakistani Physicians Society of Wisconsin

To get involved or for more information:  414–964-5158, or info@peaceactionwi.org.

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Dirty Wars — Discuss the Book, See the Movie!

Friday, June 21

Book Discussion: 5:30 pm: Boswell Books (2559 N Downer Ave, Milwaukee)
Film Premiere:  Show time between 7/7:30 pm:  Downer Theater (2589 N Downer Ave, Milwaukee)

Milwaukee native Jeremy Scahill recently released a new book and film, Dirty Wars.

Come out to Boswell Books for a brief book discussion with Peace Action Wisconsin, and then see the Milwaukee premiere of Dirty Wars the film directly after.  Watch the trailer here!

In Dirty Wars, Jeremy Scahill, author of the New York Times best-seller Blackwater, takes us inside America’s new covert wars. The foot soldiers in these battles operate globally and inside the United States with orders from the White House to do whatever is necessary to hunt down, capture or kill individuals designated by the president as enemies.

Call Peace Action and tell us you’d like us to get you
advanced tickets for the film!

Exact show time of film to be announced — call 414–964-5158 or email info@peaceactionwi.org for more info.

In the meantime, watch Jeremy Scahill discuss Dirty Wars on Democracy Now!

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Saturday, June 22, 10 am — 4 pm
Peace Action Wisconsin (1001 E. Keefe Ave.)

Join Peace Action staff and volunteers in cleaning, rearranging, and painting the Peace Action Center.

Paint some walls, talk some peace, have a good time.

Lunch will be provided.

For more info, please call 414–964-5158 or email info@peaceactionwi.org

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From RT, original posting here.
5/5/13

Watch the 14-minute report here, including interviews inside and outside of Israel.

Strong blasts hit the outskirts of Syria’s capital early on Sunday, with reports saying that they were results of Israeli airstrikes on a military research center. Other sources suggest Damascus Airport was hit.

Massive explosions have been heard near Mount Qasioun in Damascus. The area hosts the Jamraya military research center, which came under Israeli attack earlier in January and marked the first incursion by Israel into Syrian airspace in six years.

A senior US official confirmed to NBC News that Israeli Air Force bombed the military research center.

The overnight Israeli strike reportedly targeted Iranian-supplied missiles to Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, a Western intelligence source told Reuters. “In last night’s attack, as in the previous one, what was attacked were stores of Fateh-110 missiles that were in transit from Iran to Hezbollah,” the source said.

The post Israel launches second Syria airstrike in two days — reports appeared first on Peace Action Wisconsin.

Saturday, June 29, 9:30 am — 1:00 pm
Miracle League Field Complex, 9050 N. Swan Road (formerly 91st Street) Milwaukee

We’re looking for volunteers, ages 12–16, to join the Teen Peace Council in partnering with a Miracle League participant throughout the morning’s games. It’s a great opportunity to serve other young people, and a rewarding experience for all involved.

The Miracle League believes everyone deserves the chance to play baseball. The league allows all children to play organized baseball, regardless of ability. Kids with special-needs dress in uniforms, make plays in the field and round the bases, just like their peers in standard little leagues.

Miracle League baseball is played on a custom-designed field featuring a cushioned, rubberized, completely flat surface to prevent injuries and allow access for the visually impaired and those in wheelchairs. All areas of the field, including the dugouts and restrooms, are universally accessible.

For more info or car pool:  call 414–964-5158 or email info@peaceactionwi.org

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Paul Ryan’s “Mind is Open” to a Framework for
Defense Transition Assistance

by Mike Helbick, Program Director, Peace Action Wisconsin
April 30, 2013 

Today, Paul Ryan held a Town Hall meeting in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.  Mary Laan, Peace Action member and a leader in Wisconsin’s Move to Amend initiative, was hand-chosen by Ryan to ask the first question following his presentation on federal spending priorities.  She asked:

“Between the years 2000 and 2011, the counties of Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth received a combined sum of over $1.5 billion dollars in defense contracts.  As the monetary amount and frequency of these contracts lessen in the coming years due to the end of the war in Afghanistan and sequestration, we will see many people out of work, as in Oshkosh, where over 1,200 workers will have lost their jobs by July of this year.”

“Would you support Congressional action to create a commission to study and implement conversion of industry, with input from the affected businesses themselves, to the production of products that enjoy a more stable market?”

“I’ve never been asked that question before,” replied Rep. Ryan.  “I’m not sure I know how to answer that.”

Although conversion of industry has been implemented successfully throughout American history after World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, the need for conversion today has not yet made the mainstream radar.  It’s not surprising that Rep. Ryan had not been approached with the idea.

But dialogue on the need to create a framework for the transition of defense industry is beginning to be discussed by workers and producers alike that are starting to feel the economic effects of the draw-down of the war in Afghanistan and sequestration.  And if they haven’t yet felt the effects (as they certainly have in Oshkosh), forward-thinking unions and companies know they will be forced to deal with this issue at some point, sooner or later.

Ryan utilized most of his response time to criticize Pentagon budget reductions, take aim at the President’s budget proposals, and reiterate the relationship between Pentagon spending, our nation’s safety, and the well-being of our troops.  He believes that his duty as Representative is to “stop the Pentagon from being hollowed out beyond where they say they can go.”

Our nation’s Pentagon spending, after sequestration, remains at levels comparable to spending during the height of the Vietnam and Cold wars.  Quite the opposite of hollowing the Pentagon budget, Ryan’s proposals bloat it and allocate money for equipment that the Pentagon doesn’t even want.  Still, Ryan insisted that our military’s “burn rate” is going through military hardware quickly and spoke soberly of the need to “replenish our equipment.”

In addressing Oshkosh Corporation specifically, Ryan said the company had already diversified some of its industry in the past and did not enjoy success.  He mentioned its production of fire trucks for surrounding communities that no longer have enough money to buy them due to budget constraints.  Still, according to Oshkosh Corporation itself, the impending mass-layoffs are due to the end of the demand for military vehicles produced for the war in Afghanistan, not the absence of demand for other products it produces.

Ryan’s direct answer to Mary’s question of whether or not he would support the creation of a committee to study and implement conversion of industry was somewhat positive.  “If there is a commission that can be done to do that, my mind is open to looking at that,” Ryan said.

Paul Ryan’s mind is open?  We’ll believe it when we see it.

In the meantime, we’ll take him at his word and follow up.  After all, this isn’t a partisan initiative – it’s about saving and creating good jobs for hard-working Wisconsin families.

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It was on Mach 30th, 2013, the last day of the World Social Forum in Tunis when around 40 representatives of different peace movements of the world got together in a room of the Hotel Hanna International, in order to celebrate the Assembly of Convergence on Syria.  Although the title under which the Assembly had been announced two days before: “Dialogue for Peace in Syria: what to do?” did not seem offensive at all to any of the existing political currents involved in the conflict in and around Syria, the Tunisian organizers of the WSF had been afraid that the Assembly could raise provocations from either part of the highly polarized spectrum. In fact there had been even violent clashes in the days before the Assembly, between the supporters of the Syrian government and the followers of the revolutionary process in Syria.

• the promotion of local cease fires on the different battle grounds among the military and paramilitaries (Shabihas) on the one side and the Free Syrian Army and the so called “Special Brigades” (al Nusra etc.) on the other side.
• The creation of “warfree zones” where the government refrains from airstrikes and the opposition forces from military attacks, should be dedicated to the basic care of the civilian population; this implies also the possibilities for Syrian and international aid organisations like the Red Cross or the Red Half Moon to be able to pass the roadblocks of either side.
• The presence of delegations of international observers and independent journalists who would guarantee the free flow of information, particularly with regard to the situation of Human Rights.
• Control of boarders through independent international commissions in order to:

1. Stop all arms supplies from wherever they come
2. To stop foreign fighters from entering the country

• Release of all women prisoners and prisoners with a precarious health situation.
• Special protection of National Patrimonies which should be evacuated by the military forces of each side
• Possibility of water and food supply for the civilian population, and
• The preparation of an INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE under the auspices of the worldwide civil society.

The post Conclusions on Syria from the World Social Forum 2013 appeared first on Peace Action Wisconsin.

“Given our own history with intelligence assessments, including intelligence assessments related to weapons of mass destruction, it’s very important that we are able to establish this with certainty and that we are able to present information in a way that is airtight.”

–Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee

A letter from the White House to Congress today said, “with varying degrees of confidence,” that the Assad regime in Syria has used chemical weapons.  John Kerry says sarin, a chemical agent, has been used twice, although the letter does not assert that belief.

Israel has claimed, for some time that Assad used chemical weapons (and in December, and was eventually forced to admit that there was no evidence).  Two days ago, on April 23, Israel again made the accusation.  That same day, John Kerry said, “The information that I have at this point does not confirm it to me (in a manner) that I would feel comfortable commenting on it as a fact.”

Two days later, still neither Kerry nor the White House appear comfortable affirming the accusation as fact, but they certainly have used the accusation to ramp up discussion on the “red line” in Syria, and that “all options are on the table” for when that is crossed.  And you wouldn’t know that the claims of Assad’s use of chemical weapons haven’t been substantiated upon reading today’s headlines, such as NBC’s “White House:  US Believes Syrian Regime Used Chemical Weapons,” or The Guardian’s “Chuck Hagel says Syria used chemical weapons on ‘small scale.’”

Interestingly enough, the US has apparently repeatedly expressed concern about chemical weapons falling into the hands of terrorists in Syria.  On January 2, a “prominent member of the Free Syrian Army” claimed that it possesses “all the components to produce chemical weapons and have the know-how to put them together and use if necessary,” and would use them if Assad uses his first.  Assad claims that he is being framed for the use of chemical weapons by opposition forces, and has asserted this for some time.

“We cannot confirm the origin of these weapons,” said Hagel, “but we do believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria would very likely have been originated with the Assad regime.”

The jury is obviously out as to the validity of the claims of the Assad regime, Israel and the U.S.  What we do know is that we are dangerously close to even more direct, official U.S. military intervention in Syria.

U.S. military intervention will lead to more bloodshed and, if chemical weapons indeed are being used by the Assad regime on a small scale, a U.S. invasion would likely lead to the use of chemical weapons on a larger scale.

Lastly, if the U.S. government isn’t even claiming to be 100% certain of Assad’s use of chemical weapons (as it was when it presented “evidence” that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction), we should proceed with caution and learn our historical lessons.  Let’s push negotiations and an end the flow of weapons, fighters, and money into Syria.

Sources here, here, here, and here.

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