“Live at 9″ on channel 3 in Memphis, hosted Ceylon Mooney, Jacob Flowers, and Joel Gulledge, from the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center to discuss their 3-week visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Ceylon Mooney is a co-coordinator of Voices in the Wilderness and the Wheels of Justice Tour. They did a great job discussing the barrier and the disruption of normal life that the occupation of Palestine brings. They give the viewer a chance to hear their first-hand experience of being in Palestine for a three week trip.

• Video in Windows Media format (mpg)

• Ceylon Mooney, Jacob Flowers, and Joel Gulledge, have also written a journal of their experience.

Hadi Salih, International Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions, was assasinated this week. Speaking in Japan on December 6, 2004, he said:

“War does not serve the people of Iraq. Occupation doesn’t help democracy. The labour movement in Japan has been fighting for the future of Japan ever since the end of World War II, and they are living this future today and tomorrow. If they can do it, we can too. There is no reason why we can’t fight for the future of Iraq. That’s why I am enthusiastic.”

Following is a release from the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions upon learning of Hadi Salih’s murder:

BRUSSELS, 6 January 2005, ICFTU Online: The ICFTU today expressed its deep shock and revulsion at the brutal torture and murder of Hadi Salih, International Secretary of the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU) at his Baghdad home on Tuesday night (4 January). “This vicious murder is nothing less than an attack on the right of Iraqi workers to trade union representation. It is aimed at destabilising and undermining the development of trade unions as cornerstones of development and respect for human rights”, said ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder.

By Peter John Meiklem
(c) The Sunday Herald, December 12, 2004

Anti-war campaigners will be urged this weekend to target Scottish military bases with a new wave of “civil disobedience” protests that could see fences cut, runways invaded and aeroplanes vandalised.

Leading figures in the Scottish anti-war movement will call for more “proactive” tactics at a meeting in Glasgow over the weekend.

Activists believe an increase in “direct action” such as blocking roads and breaking into bases will discourage politicians from supporting future military campaigns.

Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Before the 5th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, November 10-12, 2004

On 11th September, people everywhere were shocked into the realization that we live in a dangerous world. Those who lost loved ones, and the American people, had our sympathy. But how did the American Administration respond?

Tragically,very badly. There was no breath of vision, no wisdom, only violence, terror, and war. In spite of millions of people calling for ‘no war’ British and American Forces, rained death and destruction on the people of Afghanistan and then Iraq. Iraq, a country where, when I visited in l999, not only their children, but the whole country, was being destroyed by the effects of the Gulf War, economic sanctions of UN/USA/UK, and the cruelty of a Military dictator. As if their lives were not desperate enough, they were brutally bombed again. These wars were not heroic, courageous, or honorable. They were immoral, illegal, and unnecessary. In time all those involved in the murder of many thousands of Iraqi people ( the latest figure is 100,000 civilians), and Afghans, will want to say they are sorry. Over 1,000 US and many British soldiers, were killed, and untold thousands of US soldiers injured. The Russian war against Chechnya was another example, of State terror against a civilian population. This planted seeds of revenge and hatred, and resulted in desperate acts of terrorism, such as those against the children of Beslan. As sure as Spring follows Winter, terrorism follows State Violence and Repression. In spite of this, we are promised ongoing Wars by the United States. I believe that War is State Terrorism by another name, and is itself a threat to humankind. It may well be, only a matter of time, before some Government, or terrorist group, decides to use Nuclear weapons, and that is why Nuclear Proliferation is also a threat.

by Juan Cole
from Informed Comment

President Bush said Tuesday that the Iraqis are refuting the pessimists and implied that things are improving in that country.

What would America look like if it were in Iraq’s current situation? The population of the US is over 11 times that of Iraq, so a lot of statistics would have to be multiplied by that number.