October, 07 2012, 09:45am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Medea Benjamin, medea@codepink.org, +923.365.978.798
Alli McCracken, alli@codepink.org, +923.419.853.545
CODEPINK Anti-Drone Delegation Brings Message of Solidarity to Tribal Areas in Pakistan Off-Limits to Foreigners for a Decade
WASHINGTON
On the eleventh anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, 31 American peace delegates representing the U.S. peace group CODEPINK joined political leader Imran Khan and Pakistanis at a rally against U.S. drone strikes in Hatala, Pakistan, near the border between D.I. Khan and South Waziristan. The delegates traveled to the tribal areas in solidarity with the people of Waziristan who have been terrorized by U.S. drone attacks since 2004. This was the first time that the Pakistani government has admitted foreigners into the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) in nearly a decade.
The group's initial destination was Kotkai, a town inside South Waziristan, but the government sealed off the border into the region and set up road blocks to block the caravan.
CODEPINK cofounder Medea Benjamin, flanked by members of the delegation holding anti-drone signs and pictures of children who have been killed in drone attacks, delivered an apology for the death and suffering caused by the drones. "We want you to know that these Americans you see here have been fighting for years against this drone policy, and will continue to do so until we put an end into to these barbaric attacks. We want to live in peace and harmony with our brothers and sisters in this region," she said to the crowd that chanted, over and over, "You are welcome! We want peace!"
On the journey from Islamabad to Waziristan, the delegation received overwhelming support from Pakistanis who held processions along the route. "I think we were successful in showing people that there are Americans who care about their plight. The people we spoke with made a clear distinction between American government policies and its people," said delegate Judy Bello from Rochester, New York.
While the delegates were disappointed that the Pakistani government prevented them from entered deeper into South Waziristan as planned, they feel they have been successful in putting the issue of drone warfare in the international spotlight. Back in Islamabad, they will continue to have meetings with US and Pakistani government officials and may embark on a fast to commemorate civilians who have died in the strikes. In the United States, on October 8, CODEPINK will hand-deliver thousands of signatures to President Obama imploring him to stop killer drone attacks.
Delegates are available for interviews, and updates from the trip along with multimedia content are regularly posted on https://www.droneswatch.org.
CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.
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CBO Provides 'Stark Preview of Healthcare Under Donald Trump'
Millions of Americans could lose coverage if the GOP allows the Affordable Care Act's enhanced premium tax credits expire.
Dec 06, 2024
As Congress negotiates the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, a nonpartisan government analysis warned this week that letting the ACA subsidies expire next year would cause millions of Americans to lose health coverage in the years ahead.
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His Thursday letter came in response to an inquiry from U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) along with Reps. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) about "the effects on health insurance coverage and premiums that will result from not extending—either for one year or permanently—the expanded premium tax credit structure."
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The analysis comes as the world braces for GOP control of Congress and the White House, with President-elect Donald Trump set to be sworn in next month. Since President Barack Obama signed the ACA—also known as Obamacare—in 2010, elected Republicans including Trump have repeatedly tried to gut or fully repeal the law.
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In September, Shaheen and Underwood introduced a bill to make the ACA's enhanced premium tax credits permanent. Shaheen said Thursday that the "new data from CBO confirms what we feared: if Congress fails to extend these tax credits, healthcare costs will skyrocket for millions of families and 3.8 million Americans will lose coverage entirely."
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Citing several unnamed sources, The Washington Postreported Friday afternoon that Democrats on Capitol Hill privately proposed a deal to extend the ACA subsidies by a year, which "accompanied a broader package of healthcare proposals submitted to Republicans on Thursday night ahead of year-end spending negotiations."
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Despite efforts to salvage the ACA subsidies due to the pain and economic suffering that would follow if they are not extended, progressives across the board continue to argue that Obamacare—which sends billions of federal dollars to the private insurance industry—is a far inferior solution compared with Medicare for All, which would cover everyone in the United States at a lower overall cost than the current system.
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Between 2015-24, the total wealth of billionaires increased by 121%, from $6.3 trillion to $14 trillion.
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The planet's total gross domestic product is about $105.4 trillion, with a population of just over 8 billion, underscoring the extreme concentration of wealth among the very richest people.
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As Common Dreams reported this week, the top 12 U.S. billionaires now control $2 trillion. The wealth of the four richest people in the U.S.—Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg—has hit $1 trillion.
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