Tomorrow a dear friend and I will facilitate a day-long nonviolence training entitled "Nonviolence in a New Era." Our goal is to emphasize the need for nonviolent solutions to local, national, and global problems. While many American citizens (not to mention internationals) are basking in the glow of newly elected President Barack Obama, the realities of two brutal occupations, an increasingly dire economic crisis, global food shortages, environmental degradation, and deficient political leadership remain. All passion and 'change' rhetoric aside, real solutions will take the efforts of various sectors of the citizenry coming together (as they did to elect Obama); it will be a bottom-up process.
It is my sincerest belief that these solutions ought to be rooted in the principles of nonviolence. They should build on the radical but nonviolent traditions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Henry David Thoreau, Cesar Chavez, Dorothy Day, and others. Violence begets violence, and as any dedicated peace activist knows, the United States is the world's greatest "purveyor of violence" and has outdone itself since MLK spoke those words on April 4, 1967, exactly one year before he was murdered.
If we are to curb the disastrous results of state- and corporate-sponsored warfare, not to mention the "terrorist" reaction to it, we will need to be as vehemently nonviolent as those actors are violent. We will need to insist on peace as strongly as they insist on war.
We will need tools to combat violence in our world, our country, our neighborhood, our household, and even within ourself. These tools cost far less than what it costs to pursue violent means. Some of these tools will be taught for a modest fee at tomorrow's training. But we hope that the participants do not see our list as exhaustive. As Gandhi said, we are only at the beginning stages of unleashing the full potential of nonviolent action on the world. So much power has still not been realized.
There is no better time for young people to come together under the roof of nonviolence than today. We can only hope that our efforts spread like seeds in the wind. Let them spread to the turbulent communities of Balitmore facing foreclosure and other struggles. Let them spread to the offices of policymakers in Washington and across the nation. Let them spread to households plagued by domestic violence and to schools controlled by gangs and armed security guards.
And let our efforts spread to the innermost thoughts of all people. Nonviolence must ultimately come from within.
Our training is one small step in a vast, unfolding process. We are not leaders or trailblazers but participants in what we hope is a turning point in history on par with any humanity has ever witnessed - a turning point toward peace and justice.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
If the Shoe Fits...
While I consider the throwing of shoes at outgoing President Bush to be more of an expression of rage than productive opposition, I cannot help but admire the courage and creativity of Mr. Al-Zeidi. As a journalist, his action was a marked departure from the media's ever-present submission to power in the post-9/11 world. I went to school with aspiring journalists trapped in the liberal vs. conservative/Democrat vs. Republican model, which implies that a journalist's job is to maintain the status quo and read the Washington Post/New York Times for her news. I have witnessed more than enough of the feeble attempts of the White House Press Corps to keep Dana Perino or any of the other presidential propagandists honest. I have heard the detached calls for "professionalism" and "objectivity" in a time when truth and boldness in pursuit of peace and justice are needed far more than formalities.
What this brave Iraqi man did sends the message that journalists are people too. It sends the message that journalists, too, have opinions and are not afraid to share them, even when it means risking their jobs, their freedom, or even their lives (from the reports I've read, he could have been beaten to death by Prime Minister al-Maliki's guards). Al-Zeidi is a hero to any journalist who has suffered through the countless lies and distortions of a Bush press conference without ever posing a real question. He is a hero to all Iraqis and Americans alike who whince whenever Bush erroneously claims that the United States is "winning" in Iraq or that the surge was "successful" or that the sacrifices are "worth it."
Of course, while his own news organization, Al-Baghdadia television, is publicly supporting his "free speech" and condemning his ill-treatment at the hands of Iraqi government forces, some of his colleagues in the room claimed to be humiliated by the bizarre spectacle. I say it is Bush who should be humiliated. Already unique in many ways, particularly when the subject is public (dis)approval, Bush can now claim to be the first president to ever have to duck a shoe at a controlled press conference, one that would have otherwise featured undue praise and scripted questions. Can anyone imagine something like this happening to Barack Obama or former President Bill Clinton?
But it's hard to have much sympathy for Mr. Bush. After all, he's only dodging shoes. Victims of his policies would surely welcome dodging shoes - instead of bombs and bullets.
What this brave Iraqi man did sends the message that journalists are people too. It sends the message that journalists, too, have opinions and are not afraid to share them, even when it means risking their jobs, their freedom, or even their lives (from the reports I've read, he could have been beaten to death by Prime Minister al-Maliki's guards). Al-Zeidi is a hero to any journalist who has suffered through the countless lies and distortions of a Bush press conference without ever posing a real question. He is a hero to all Iraqis and Americans alike who whince whenever Bush erroneously claims that the United States is "winning" in Iraq or that the surge was "successful" or that the sacrifices are "worth it."
Of course, while his own news organization, Al-Baghdadia television, is publicly supporting his "free speech" and condemning his ill-treatment at the hands of Iraqi government forces, some of his colleagues in the room claimed to be humiliated by the bizarre spectacle. I say it is Bush who should be humiliated. Already unique in many ways, particularly when the subject is public (dis)approval, Bush can now claim to be the first president to ever have to duck a shoe at a controlled press conference, one that would have otherwise featured undue praise and scripted questions. Can anyone imagine something like this happening to Barack Obama or former President Bill Clinton?
But it's hard to have much sympathy for Mr. Bush. After all, he's only dodging shoes. Victims of his policies would surely welcome dodging shoes - instead of bombs and bullets.
Successful 'Gun Swap' in Argentina
Gun Swap Wildly Successful
Marcela Valente. Inter-Press Service. December 8, 2008
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45034
BUENOS AIRES - As a disarmament campaign launched 17 months ago in Argentina nears its end, the government and civil society groups involved in the initiative announced that it has far exceeded even the most optimistic projections, despite the lack of publicity.
The Interior Ministry reported that the programme, in which people voluntarily swap their firearms for cash, has so far collected over 102,000 guns and 721,000 munitions, all of which were destroyed.
During the campaign, which was launched in July 2007, people were urged to anonymously hand over their illegally or legally owned firearms -- revolvers, pistols, shot guns, carbines or rifles -- and ammunition in exchange for sums running from 100 to 450 pesos (34 to 150 dollars), at fixed and mobile stations set up around the country by the Interior Ministry.
An amnesty for those who surrender illegal weapons, or guns with expired permits, ends on Dec. 11, when the campaign winds up. After the deadline, anyone found in illegal possession of a firearm could go to jail.
"The plan worked very well, despite the low level of publicity. We hope there will be a new extension," Carola Cóncaro, with the Institute of Comparative Studies in Penal and Social Sciences (INECIP), told IPS.
INECIP forms part of the Argentine Disarmament Network (RAD), which presented the proposal for the gun swap programme to the Interior Ministry.
The RAD initiative emerged in 2004, after a 15-year-old boy in the town of Carmen de Patagones, in the eastern province of Buenos Aires, opened fire in his school with a revolver, killing three of his classmates and injuring five.
"We thought the programme would be a success if we managed to recover 35,000 or 45,000 guns, and we took in over 100,000," said Cóncaro. "So it was totally successful, and would have been even more so if there had been publicity, and if we would have had more human resources and more stations set up around the country to receive the guns."
Adrián Marcenac, of the Alfredo Marcenac Civil Association, also said he was "very pleased" with the results. In a conversation with IPS, Marcenac, whose son was killed in a random shooting, said the results of a programme carried out with virtually no media support were "doubly valid."
Marcenac pointed out that the law that created the gun swap programme also projected an awareness-raising campaign on the risks of owning firearms. "We didn't get very far on that point, and it's really needed, but I hope we can do so with an extension of the programme," he said.
Adrián's son Alfredo was 19 years old when he was shot and killed by a stranger in 2006 while walking down the street in Buenos Aires.
The shooter, who had a gun licence despite the fact that he was mentally ill, simply began to shoot people at random on the street, firing his gun 11 times.
According to official figures, there are 1.2 million legally owned guns in Argentina and at least that many unregistered guns.
The results of a survey by the Mora y Araujo polling company coincided with those figures, indicating that 2.2 million civilians are armed in this country of nearly 38 million people.
The promoters of the campaign said the idea is not to combat crime but to reduce gun-related violence.
A study by the Secretariat for Criminal Policy found that 10 people a day die in Argentina from gunshot wounds, but only three of the 10 deaths are robbery-related. The rest are the result of fights, suicides or accidents.
"The increase in demand for weapons among civilians is fuelled by people's fear of becoming a victim of a crime, but that is not the right answer, because it has been proven that, if there are more guns out there, there is more violence, damages and death," said Cóncaro.
The Secretariat reported that firearms are the second cause of death in Argentina, and that 28 percent of gun-related deaths occur in the family home.
In the case of domestic violence, the risk of death is 12 times greater if there is a firearm in the house.
The civil society groups comprising the Argentine Disarmament Network presented their proposal for a gun swap campaign to the Interior Ministry in 2006, following the model used in other cities in Argentina and in Brazil, where some 440,000 firearms were withdrawn from circulation in 2004.
The activists say the campaign should continue, due to the strong response it received. To that end, the Interior Ministry introduced a new draft law in late November, to fund an extension of the gun swap programme and amnesty.
Marcela Valente. Inter-Press Service. December 8, 2008
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?
BUENOS AIRES - As a disarmament campaign launched 17 months ago in Argentina nears its end, the government and civil society groups involved in the initiative announced that it has far exceeded even the most optimistic projections, despite the lack of publicity.
The Interior Ministry reported that the programme, in which people voluntarily swap their firearms for cash, has so far collected over 102,000 guns and 721,000 munitions, all of which were destroyed.
During the campaign, which was launched in July 2007, people were urged to anonymously hand over their illegally or legally owned firearms -- revolvers, pistols, shot guns, carbines or rifles -- and ammunition in exchange for sums running from 100 to 450 pesos (34 to 150 dollars), at fixed and mobile stations set up around the country by the Interior Ministry.
An amnesty for those who surrender illegal weapons, or guns with expired permits, ends on Dec. 11, when the campaign winds up. After the deadline, anyone found in illegal possession of a firearm could go to jail.
"The plan worked very well, despite the low level of publicity. We hope there will be a new extension," Carola Cóncaro, with the Institute of Comparative Studies in Penal and Social Sciences (INECIP), told IPS.
INECIP forms part of the Argentine Disarmament Network (RAD), which presented the proposal for the gun swap programme to the Interior Ministry.
The RAD initiative emerged in 2004, after a 15-year-old boy in the town of Carmen de Patagones, in the eastern province of Buenos Aires, opened fire in his school with a revolver, killing three of his classmates and injuring five.
"We thought the programme would be a success if we managed to recover 35,000 or 45,000 guns, and we took in over 100,000," said Cóncaro. "So it was totally successful, and would have been even more so if there had been publicity, and if we would have had more human resources and more stations set up around the country to receive the guns."
Adrián Marcenac, of the Alfredo Marcenac Civil Association, also said he was "very pleased" with the results. In a conversation with IPS, Marcenac, whose son was killed in a random shooting, said the results of a programme carried out with virtually no media support were "doubly valid."
Marcenac pointed out that the law that created the gun swap programme also projected an awareness-raising campaign on the risks of owning firearms. "We didn't get very far on that point, and it's really needed, but I hope we can do so with an extension of the programme," he said.
Adrián's son Alfredo was 19 years old when he was shot and killed by a stranger in 2006 while walking down the street in Buenos Aires.
The shooter, who had a gun licence despite the fact that he was mentally ill, simply began to shoot people at random on the street, firing his gun 11 times.
According to official figures, there are 1.2 million legally owned guns in Argentina and at least that many unregistered guns.
The results of a survey by the Mora y Araujo polling company coincided with those figures, indicating that 2.2 million civilians are armed in this country of nearly 38 million people.
The promoters of the campaign said the idea is not to combat crime but to reduce gun-related violence.
A study by the Secretariat for Criminal Policy found that 10 people a day die in Argentina from gunshot wounds, but only three of the 10 deaths are robbery-related. The rest are the result of fights, suicides or accidents.
"The increase in demand for weapons among civilians is fuelled by people's fear of becoming a victim of a crime, but that is not the right answer, because it has been proven that, if there are more guns out there, there is more violence, damages and death," said Cóncaro.
The Secretariat reported that firearms are the second cause of death in Argentina, and that 28 percent of gun-related deaths occur in the family home.
In the case of domestic violence, the risk of death is 12 times greater if there is a firearm in the house.
The civil society groups comprising the Argentine Disarmament Network presented their proposal for a gun swap campaign to the Interior Ministry in 2006, following the model used in other cities in Argentina and in Brazil, where some 440,000 firearms were withdrawn from circulation in 2004.
The activists say the campaign should continue, due to the strong response it received. To that end, the Interior Ministry introduced a new draft law in late November, to fund an extension of the gun swap programme and amnesty.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories."
PREAMBLE
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,
Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people,
Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,
Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,
Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,
Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge,
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4.
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5.
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6.
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10.
Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.
(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14.
(1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
(2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15.
(1) Everyone has the right to a nationality.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16.
(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17.
(1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
(2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19.
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20.
(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.
(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22.
Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23.
(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.
(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24.
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25.
(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26.
(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
(2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
(3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27.
(1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
(2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28.
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.
Article 29.
(1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
(2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
(3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Iraq war vet André Shepherd seeks asylum in Germany
Iraq war vet André Shepherd seeks asylum in Germany
By Military Counseling Network, Connection e.V., and Courage to Resist. December 3, 2008
FRANKFURT, Germany - U.S. Army Specialist André Shepherd applied for asylum in Germany Nov. 26, becoming the first Iraq War veteran to pursue refugee status in Europe.
After attending college and failing to find meaningful employment, Shepherd enlisted in the military early in 2004. The promises of financial security and international adventure easily trumped working at a fast food chain. He became an Apache airframe mechanic, hoping to someday qualify up to the role of helicopter pilot.
His first unit was already deployed to Iraq when he completed his training, so he joined them immediately, with only one day at his unit's home in Germany. Shepherd spent six months on a forward operating base near Tikrit, working 12-hour days to keep the heavily armed Apaches (and their signature Hellfire missiles) in the air.
Though he enlisted in order to bring freedom, prosperity and peace, Shepherd found none of these traits in the locals with whom he interacted.
"Some had the look of fear, while others looked outright angry and resentful," he said of locals contracted for jobs around the base. "I began to feel like a cruel oppressor who had destroyed the lives of these proud people.
"Our unit did a lot of good things, giving schools books and bringing clothes to children," he said. "These actions helped my conscience a bit, but I kept thinking to myself, 'Had we not invaded, would these people need this aid now?' " ...
This disposition came to a head in 2005, when the German Federal Administrative Court officially declared the Iraq War violated international law, citing the assault launched by the United States as an act of aggression.
A German army officer had refused an order to develop a computer he feared would be utilized by the United States against Iraq. He was demoted and a criminal complaint was filed against him for insubordination. The federal court reversed the demotion because the charges contravened a paragraph in the German Constitution guaranteeing the right to freedom of conscience.
Shepherd's application also cites a European Union regulation providing refugee status to a soldier who is in danger of being prosecuted if military service "would include crimes or acts" which violate international law. The application refers to the Nuremberg Trials, stating "It is established that a person cannot defend his or her actions by explaining that they had simply been following orders."
In effect, Shepherd's asylum application calls on Germany to clarify the nature of its opposition to the war in Iraq. The United States utilizes German airspace on a daily basis to carry out operations vital to the war, and U.S. bases within the country are home to roughly 60,000 American service members.
"We should not be forced to fight an illegal war, nor should we be persecuted for refusing to do so," Shepherd said. "During the past five years we have waged a preemptive, internationally condemned war that was shown to be founded on a series of lies. After learning the truth about the nature of my military's endeavors, I refuse to continue to be a part of this."
“We are honored to help support this courageous war veteran turned resister in whatever ways possible,” declared Jeff Paterson, Project Director of Courage to Resist—a U.S.-based organization dedicated to supporting U.S. troops who refuse to fight.
Listen to Andre's 23:30 min. interview with Courage to Resist
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Cluster bombs are over, if U.S. wants it
Nations to Sign Landmark Ban on Cluster Bombs
Obama Should Reverse US Refusal to Join Treaty
December 2, 2008
The cluster bomb treaty will save countless lives by stigmatizing a weapon that kills civilians even after the fighting ends. President-elect Barack Obama should make joining the cluster ban treaty a top priority.
Steve Goose, director of the Arms Division at Human Rights Watch
Related Materials:
Cluster Munition Information Chart
Move by US, Others to Support Cluster Munitions Fails
Georgia: More Cluster Bomb Damage Than Reported
(Oslo, December 2, 2008) - The new international treaty banning the use of cluster munitions, to be signed in Oslo on December 3 by about 100 nations, will save thousands of lives, Human Rights Watch said today. The ban, the most significant arms control and humanitarian treaty in a decade, is supported by the overwhelming majority of NATO members but was opposed by the Bush administration.
"The cluster bomb treaty will save countless lives by stigmatizing a weapon that kills civilians even after the fighting ends," said Steve Goose, director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch. "President-elect Barack Obama should make joining the cluster ban treaty a top priority."
The Convention on Cluster Munitions opens for signature on December 3, 2008, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and anniversary of the 1997 signing of the treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. The two-day signing conference will start with countries affected by cluster bombs, including Laos, which still suffers the effect of US Vietnam-era bombings, and Lebanon, target of Israeli cluster bombs during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. The "core group" that led the Oslo Process, which produced the treaty, will also be among the first signatories (Norway, Austria, Holy See, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and Zambia).
Many of the world's past users, producers, exporters, and stockpilers will sign, as well as many of those contaminated from past use.
The convention prohibits the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions. It commits nations to clear affected areas within 10 years, declare and destroy stockpiled cluster munitions within eight years, help affected nations with clearance, and provide comprehensive assistance to victims of the weapon. The treaty will go into effect after 30 nations have signed and ratified it.
Cluster munitions can be fired by artillery and rocket systems or dropped by aircrafts, and typically explode in the air and send dozens, even hundreds, of tiny bomblets over an area the size of a football field. Used in urban areas, they invariably kill and wound civilians. Used in any circumstance, they can harm civilians decades after the war is over, as "duds" on the ground act like landmines, exploding when touched by unwitting civilians.
Both governments and nongovernmental organizations campaigning for the treaty intentionally built on the precedent set by the 1997 Antipersonnel Mine Ban Treaty, which proved to have an effect beyond the nations that signed it. Although the United States has still not signed the Mine Ban Treaty, for example, it has not used, exported, or produced any antipersonnel landmines since the treaty was negotiated 11 years ago.
Nongovernmental organizations, deminers, and cluster victims are attending the signing ceremony in Oslo City Hall, along with dozens of foreign ministers and other government officials. A delegation from Human Rights Watch is attending, along with its partners in the Cluster Munition Coalition, which it helped found and co-chairs. In 1999, Human Rights Watch was the first nongovernmental organization to call for a global halt to the use of cluster munitions.
"We'd love to see Washington, Moscow, and the others sign the treaty, but we think the ban will so stigmatize cluster bombs that even those who don't join now will be deterred from using the weapon," Goose said. "But a US decision to sign would certainly signal President Obama's commitment to multilateral action after the go-it-alone Bush era."
Obama Should Reverse US Refusal to Join Treaty
December 2, 2008
The cluster bomb treaty will save countless lives by stigmatizing a weapon that kills civilians even after the fighting ends. President-elect Barack Obama should make joining the cluster ban treaty a top priority.
Steve Goose, director of the Arms Division at Human Rights Watch
Related Materials:
Cluster Munition Information Chart
Move by US, Others to Support Cluster Munitions Fails
Georgia: More Cluster Bomb Damage Than Reported
(Oslo, December 2, 2008) - The new international treaty banning the use of cluster munitions, to be signed in Oslo on December 3 by about 100 nations, will save thousands of lives, Human Rights Watch said today. The ban, the most significant arms control and humanitarian treaty in a decade, is supported by the overwhelming majority of NATO members but was opposed by the Bush administration.
"The cluster bomb treaty will save countless lives by stigmatizing a weapon that kills civilians even after the fighting ends," said Steve Goose, director of the Arms division at Human Rights Watch. "President-elect Barack Obama should make joining the cluster ban treaty a top priority."
The Convention on Cluster Munitions opens for signature on December 3, 2008, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and anniversary of the 1997 signing of the treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. The two-day signing conference will start with countries affected by cluster bombs, including Laos, which still suffers the effect of US Vietnam-era bombings, and Lebanon, target of Israeli cluster bombs during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. The "core group" that led the Oslo Process, which produced the treaty, will also be among the first signatories (Norway, Austria, Holy See, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, and Zambia).
Many of the world's past users, producers, exporters, and stockpilers will sign, as well as many of those contaminated from past use.
The convention prohibits the use, production, transfer, and stockpiling of cluster munitions. It commits nations to clear affected areas within 10 years, declare and destroy stockpiled cluster munitions within eight years, help affected nations with clearance, and provide comprehensive assistance to victims of the weapon. The treaty will go into effect after 30 nations have signed and ratified it.
Cluster munitions can be fired by artillery and rocket systems or dropped by aircrafts, and typically explode in the air and send dozens, even hundreds, of tiny bomblets over an area the size of a football field. Used in urban areas, they invariably kill and wound civilians. Used in any circumstance, they can harm civilians decades after the war is over, as "duds" on the ground act like landmines, exploding when touched by unwitting civilians.
Both governments and nongovernmental organizations campaigning for the treaty intentionally built on the precedent set by the 1997 Antipersonnel Mine Ban Treaty, which proved to have an effect beyond the nations that signed it. Although the United States has still not signed the Mine Ban Treaty, for example, it has not used, exported, or produced any antipersonnel landmines since the treaty was negotiated 11 years ago.
Nongovernmental organizations, deminers, and cluster victims are attending the signing ceremony in Oslo City Hall, along with dozens of foreign ministers and other government officials. A delegation from Human Rights Watch is attending, along with its partners in the Cluster Munition Coalition, which it helped found and co-chairs. In 1999, Human Rights Watch was the first nongovernmental organization to call for a global halt to the use of cluster munitions.
"We'd love to see Washington, Moscow, and the others sign the treaty, but we think the ban will so stigmatize cluster bombs that even those who don't join now will be deterred from using the weapon," Goose said. "But a US decision to sign would certainly signal President Obama's commitment to multilateral action after the go-it-alone Bush era."
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Visit the Peace Mural!
WASHINGTON DC EXHIBITION INFO
Nearly 15 years in the making, Huong’s Peace Mural is the culmination of searing memories that bring history to life and depict the universal pain of war and hope for peace. The complete mural includes nearly 2000 paintings. When fully presented, the mural stands 8' feet tall and 600 feet long. Exhibition of the mural often includes a number of free-standing pieces from Huong's private war/peace collection. The combined presentation captures highly evocative images and concepts depicting multiple themes including: Voices of Children; Voices of the Troops; Mothers in War; The Peace of all Nations; The Flag at War; The Displaced and the Disabled; The Cry of Refugees; and The Tortured.
Far more than simply an exhibition of art, the Peace Mural is highly interactive and participatory as it evokes civic engagement and calls forth from viewers a response through reflection, dialogue and action. Viewers are invited to “sign on” for peace by adding their own thoughts and comments to panels scattered throughout the mural. Exhibitions are typically accompanied with a series of community dialogues, educational events, artistic presentations and public actions.
Most of these sidebar events take place on site at the exhibition and are sponsored by a variety of local partner organizations. The mural is both deeply spiritual and politically reflective as it calls forth citizen and community response. But most of all, it resonates a challenge and hope for peace in ways that only art can do. It inspires, it disturbs, and evokes personal responsibility. The Peace Mural is an expression of “people’s art” as it informs and shapes civil society and stimulates vibrant participatory democracy.
About the Artist HUONG: A young journalist at the time of the Vietnam War, Huong climbed aboard one of the last refugee boats before the fall of Saigon, wearing only one shoe and carrying her infant son in arms. She first settled in Alaska where she swapped her pen for a brush in an effort to”paint out” the passions within her. Eventually she launched an art career that has captured the attention of art audiences and critics internationally. Not unlike Picasso’s own war protest painting Guernica, Huong’s paintings collectively form a body of work addressing the global issues of war and peace. Through hundreds of painted canvases, the Peace Mural is a symbol of Huong’s determination to purge our culture from the ways of war and to advance an emerging culture of peace. Some of Huong's Other Works:
The War Pieces
The Peace Pieces
Let's Think Peace
The Flag at War
About the Peace Mural Foundation : Huong has recently given custody of her Peace Mural to The Peace Mural Foundation, Inc, a non-profit organization established to carryout a mission "to promote civic education and action for peace and justice through the arts." The Washington DC Exhibition is the Foundation's inaugural effort. Plans are underway to bring the Peace Mural to New York City in the summer of 2009, followed by a tour of universities and communities across the U.S. in 2009-2010. As a public charity, the Foundation depends on contributions to support its activities. Please help us carry this message forward by making a contribution today. You can do that right now with your credit card at this secure site: DONATE NOW. Checks, payable to the Peace Mural Foundation, Inc., can be mailed to: Peace Mural Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 600981, Jacksonville, FL 32260.
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