September, 29 2015, 01:00pm EDT
Iowa Presidential Race Targeted by Military Vets and Anti-Drone Television Commercials on Major News Networks
Military veterans attempting to inject "murder drones" into the Presidential Race discussion in Iowa are running a series of sometimes graphic television commercials on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC in the Des Moines area asking military personnel to "refuse" to follow orders to "fly" drones.
The spots can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=2lXLFIE8fEQ
IOWA
Military veterans attempting to inject "murder drones" into the Presidential Race discussion in Iowa are running a series of sometimes graphic television commercials on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC in the Des Moines area asking military personnel to "refuse" to follow orders to "fly" drones.
The spots can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=2lXLFIE8fEQ
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=2lXLFIE8fEQ
The :15 second paid commercials - which show images of dead children killed by U.S. drones - have now been shown in seven U.S. cities, all located near drone operating centers, from New York to California. One internet provider in New Mexico, with links to the defense industry, refused to run the spots. The Iowa ads are sponsored by KnowDrones.com, and Veterans for Peace/Des Moines.
"We are very pleased to introduce the television spots to Iowans and the Presidential candidates," said Nick Mottern, KnowDrones.com coordinator, "Through the images of children killed in drone attacks American people can see the illegality and immorality of the U.S. policy of systematically killing people without due process."
Earlier this month, in what is probably a first, the Air Force Times published a controversial half page advertisement from 54 U.S. military veterans and veterans organizations urging Air Force drone operators and other military personnel to refuse their orders...and not fly drone surveillance/attack missions.
https://tinyurl.com/RefuseToFlyAFTimesAd or https://tinyurl.com/RefuseToFlyAFTimesAdPage28
Additionally, anti-war critic and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern and FBI whistleblower Coleen Rowley are touring Iowa to talk about drones and national security issues. Sponsored by Iowa Veterans for Peace, and seeks to raise the level of Iowans' understanding of national security issues, they speak at the Ames Public Library at 7 p.m.Tuesday, and at 101 Olin Hall at Drake University at 7 p.m.Wednesday.
They have spoken to groups in Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Falls and Waterloo. On Sunday they spokes at St. Ambrose University in Davenport and to a consortium of Mennonite congregations near Parnell. On Monday, they spoke at the Englert theater in Iowa City, in an event sponsored by the University of Iowa Lecture Series and Veterans for Peace. They were joined at that event via live video by Edward Snowden, who is in exile in Russia.
Veterans For Peace is a global organization of Military Veterans and allies whose collective efforts are to build a culture of peace by using our experiences and lifting our voices. We inform the public of the true causes of war and the enormous costs of wars, with an obligation to heal the wounds of wars. Our network is comprised of over 140 chapters worldwide whose work includes: educating the public, advocating for a dismantling of the war economy, providing services that assist veterans and victims of war, and most significantly, working to end all wars.
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Major Media Outlets Urge Biden, Trump to Commit to 2024 Debates
"There is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation."
Apr 14, 2024
After Tuesday previews by CNN and The New York Times, a dozen major U.S. news outlets on Sunday called on Democratic President Joe Biden, who is seeking reelection, and former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, to agree now to debate each other.
Although the presidential primary season is ongoing, the two historically unpopular candidates have already secured enough delegates to receive their parties' nominations at the conventions this summer. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) last year announced the date, time, and location of three debates scheduled for September and October.
"With the contours of the 2024 general election now coming into clear focus, we—the undersigned national news organizations—urge the presumptive presidential nominees to publicly commit to participating in general election debates before November's election," says the joint letter signed by ABC News, The Associated Press, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, NewsNation, NBC News, Noticias Univision, NPR, PBS NewsHour, and USA Today.
"General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years."
"General election debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years, dating to 1976," they wrote. "In each of those elections, tens of millions have tuned in to watch the candidates debating side by side, in a competition of ideas for the votes of American citizens."
The news organizations noted that "though it is too early for invitations to be extended to any candidates, it is not too early for candidates who expect to meet the eligibility criteria to publicly state their support for—and their intention to participate in—the commission's debates planned for this fall."
"If there is one thing Americans can agree on during this polarized time, it is that the stakes of this election are exceptionally high," the letter concludes. "Amidst that backdrop, there is simply no substitute for the candidates debating with each other, and before the American people, their visions for the future of our nation."
In a Thursday letter to CPD leaders acknowledging the media organizations' call, Trump's campaign wrote that "the commission must move up the timetable of its proposed 2024 debates to ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting, and we would argue for adding more debates in addition to those on the currently proposed schedule."
"We have already indicated President Trump is willing to debate anytime, anyplace, anywhere—and the time to start these debates is now," the campaign letter adds. This, despite the Republican National Committee's 2022 withdrawal from the CPD.
At a Saturday rally in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, Trump stood next to a podium with a sign that said "anytime, anywhere, anyplace" and renewed his call for Biden to debate him. The twice-impeached former president—who faces four ongoing criminal cases—has a track record of defying debate rules.
As ABC Newsdetailed Sunday:
Biden has mostly avoided commenting publicly on engaging in debate with Trump. Asked following his State of the Union address in March if he would commit to one, Biden remarked to ABC News: "It depends on his behavior."
"Well, if I were him, I'd want to debate me too," Biden said earlier in March, after Trump challenged him to debate "anytime, anywhere, anyplace."
"He's got nothing else to do," Biden added.
The Times reported earlier this week that "the Biden campaign has not ruled out agreeing to the debates, according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions, who requested anonymity to share details intended to be private. But the campaign does not see an advantage to publicly committing to participate this early in the year, the person said."
Trump declined to participate in the Republican primary debates this cycle and Democrats didn't hold any, despite protests from longshot candidates. In 2020, there were only two presidential debates; a third was canceled after Trump tested positive for Covid-19 and refused to shift to a remote format.
In February, Ralph Nader, who has run for president as an Independent, suggested holding presidential debates in major cities and swing states, writing in a Common Dreams opinion piece that "unlike the one-shoe-fits-all model of the CPD, this proposal would provide a greater variety of debate formats and reflect national issues by the moderators but also regional issues."
"The proverbial named 'empty seat' for no-show candidates would be visible to millions of TV viewers if an invited candidate declined to participate," he argued. "All that is needed to make these debates happen is for the mayor and city council in each city to establish a representative host committee to organize the details of when, where, and how these debates are to be planned."
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Abortion Rights Supporters Rally in Florida Ahead of Ballot Measure Vote
"There is no medical reason for abortion bans and there is no medical reason for the government to be forcing their way into our exam rooms," said one doctor.
Apr 14, 2024
Supporters of a Florida ballot measure that would outlaw pre-viability abortion bans kicked off the "Yes on 4" campaign in Orlando on Saturday, after the state Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the proposed amendment can be considered in November.
Abortion care patients, their partners, healthcare providers, and pro-choice politicians were among those who gathered in Lake Eola Park to express support for the proposed amendment to the Florida Constitution.
The Orlando Sentinelreported that Danielle Tallafuss spoke through tears about her decision to get an abortion in 2020 after a scan at around 20 weeks revealed a heart defect that would require multiple surgeries before age 2, if the child, whom she named Nathaniel, even lived that long.
"It was a decision we made out of love, compassion, and doing what was best not just for the son we already had at home, but for Nathaniel, who would have had to suffer through treatments that most adults wouldn't be able to handle before he could even take his first steps," Tallafuss said.
According toReuters:
Derick Cook, a Florida resident, described how his wife finally got pregnant after multiple miscarriages. But a complication at 16 weeks meant her fetus would not survive and threatened her life. Florida had enacted a 15-week abortion limit a few weeks before.
"The doctor told us that because of the ban, there was nothing he could do to help," Cook said, even though the law allows abortions when the mother's life is at risk.
Cook's wife, Anya, delivered the fetus in a hair salon the next day and nearly died at the hospital from blood loss, he said.
On the same day that Florida's right-wing Supreme Court greenlighted the ballot measure earlier this month it also upheld the state's 15-week abortion ban—and effectively approved a more recent law banning most abortions after six weeks, before many people even know they are pregnant. The stricter policy is set to take effect May 1.
The court's early-April decision to let Floridians weigh in on abortion rights "underscores the crucial role of Florida's ballot initiative process, which provides voters an important opportunity to take the reins when politicians aren't representing our interests," Yes on 4 campaign director Lauren Brenzel said earlier this month.
"Polls have consistently shown well over 60% of Florida voters support limiting government intrusion in the personal healthcare decision of accessing abortion care," she pointed out. Notably, the measure needs that percent of support to pass.
"The fact is, we can never know what someone else is going through—we're not in their shoes. That's why we must vote 'yes' on this amendment: to keep government out of our exam rooms and make sure Florida families and the doctors who treat them can make the decisions that are right for them," she added.
As Dr. Marian Sampson, an OB-GYN with Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, told the Sentinel, "Trust me when I say there is no medical reason for abortion bans and there is no medical reason for the government to be forcing their way into our exam rooms and standing between me and my patients."
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a failed Republican presidential candidate, signed both the 15- and six-week bans. He was unable to run a primary campaign that could compete with former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP candidate to face President Joe Biden in November.
Trump kicked off this week by highlighting his role in reversing Roe v. Wade—appointing three right-wing U.S. Supreme Court justices willing to erase nearly half a century of abortion rights—and endorsing state-level ban efforts over a federal prohibition. He then said Friday that a nationwide policy is long longer needed "because we broke Roe v. Wade."
Biden, meanwhile, has faced some criticism for comments on abortion, but his reelection campaign has also emphasized his support for reproductive freedom, sometimes using statements from First Lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
"Donald Trump is the architect of this healthcare crisis. And that is not a fact by the way that he hides. In fact, he brags about it," Harris said Friday. "Here's what a second Trump term looks like. More bans, more suffering, and less freedom. Just like he did in Arizona, he basically wants to take America back to the 1800s. But we are not going to let that happen."
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Iran Launches Drone Attack Against Israel Over Consulate Bombing
"Netanyahu will use it as the pretext for another provocation, because he's bent on starting this war," one writer predicted.
Apr 13, 2024
Iran on Saturday launched several drones and missiles toward Israel in
retaliation for the nation's deadly bombing of the Iranian consulate in Syria earlier this month.
According toCNN, this statement from Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps was read on Iranian state-owned Press TV: "In response to the Zionist regime's crime in attacking the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus, the IRGC's air force hit certain targets in the territories of the Zionist regime with dozens of drones and missiles."
"The United States should avoid taking any military action in connection with the Israel/Iran conflict."
Israeli and U.S. officials also
confirmed the IRGC launch, estimated by Israel to involve over 100 drones.
"A short while ago, Iran launched unmanned aerial vehicles from its territory towards the territory of the state of Israel," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. "The air defense array is on high alert at the same time as the air force planes and navy ships that are on a mission to protect the country's skies."
"The IDF is monitoring all targets," added the IDF, which has been waging war on the Gaza Strip since a Hamas-led attack on Israel October 7. "We ask the public to adhere to and follow the instructions of the Home Front Command and the official IDF announcements regarding the matter."
Iran's drone launch by comes after Iranian officials have reportedly been sending a message to the Biden administration through back channels: "We will attack the forces that attack us, so don't fuck with us and we won't fuck with you."
Further fueling fears of a new regional war, U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday: "We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel."
An American defense official said Saturday that "U.S. forces in the region continue to shoot down Iranian-launched drones targeting Israel... Our forces remain postured to provide additional defensive support and to protect U.S. forces operating in the region."
As the death toll in Gaza has mounted—the Israeli assault, which the International Court of Justice has determined is plausibly genocidal, has killed at least 33,686 people—Biden has faced intense pressure to condition or even cut off military aid to Israel.
In response to Iran's attack on Israel, Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director at Democracy for the Arab World Now, said in a statement that "the United States should avoid taking any military action in connection with the Israel/Iran conflict or further entangle U.S. armed forces in unauthorized and dangerous fighting in the Middle East."
"The Biden administration should call on Israel to immediately announce a cease-fire in Gaza and to refrain from using U.S. weapons in any further unlawful attacks against other countries' embassies and diplomatic facilities," she added.
On top of the nearly $4 billion in military aid that the U.S. gives Israel annually, the Biden administration has been shipping arms to the IDF since October and pushing for a new package worth over $14 billion that requires congressional approval.
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Saturday that "in light of Iran's unjustified attack on Israel, the House will move from its previously announced legislative schedule next week to instead consider legislation that supports our ally Israel and holds Iran and its terrorist proxies accountable."
Late Saturday, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Shucker (D-N.Y.) released a statement commending the Israeli and American troops who stopped most of the missiles and drones, condemning Iran's attack, and saying that "it is even clearer that the best way to help Israel is for the House to quickly pass the Senate's bipartisan national security supplemental next week."
Appearing on Al Jazeera Saturday, Sultan Barakat, a professor at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the Iranian consulate to secure more U.S. weapons and try to silence anti-war critics.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights group, argued that "the Biden administration emboldened the far-right Israeli government to manufacture this crisis by repeatedly giving it carte blanche to violate international law without any accountability—from murdering journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, to expanding illegal settlements, to committing a genocide in Gaza, to bombing an Iranian Embassy complex in Syria."
Sana Saeed, a media critic with
AJ+, said on social media Saturday that there will be "lots of incoming analysis for the next several hours, but there's really just one thing to know: None of this was inevitable nor did it start with Iran. This is U.S.-Israeli belligerence; this is Joe Biden's foreign policy and Israel's war expansionism as it conducts a genocide."
Trita Parsi, an expert on Iran and the Middle East and EVP at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, also weighed in on social media, pointing to a specific example from over 25 years ago "that shows that the Iranian retaliation against Israel could perhaps have been evaded."
"The U.S., U.K., and France prevented the U.N. Security Council from condemning the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus despite it being a flagrant violation of international law," Parsi highlighted. "The Iranians have hinted that had the UNSC strongly condemned Israel, Iran might have refrained from retaliating against it."
"Certainly, the 1998 episode does not prove that Iran's retaliation against Israel today could have been prevented. But it does suggest that there was an opportunity to de-escalate that the U.S./U.K./FR ignored or dismissed," he added. "Then again, that fits perfectly with Biden's record of the past seven months as opportunity after opportunity to de-escalate and end the war in Gaza has been actively dismissed by him."
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