A Vote for the Apocalypse by Tom Engelhardt

Peace Planet News Dedicated to Abolishing War, Establishing& Justice, and Fighting Climate Disaster Special Supplement Published Quarterly by Vietnam Full Disclosure and New York City Veterans For Peace October 2020 A Vote for the Apocalypse By Tom Engelhardt

t was August 2017 and Donald Trump had not yet warmed up to Kim Jong- Iun, North Korea’s portly dictator. In fact, in typical Trumpian fashion, he was pissed at the Korean leader and, no less typically, he lashed out verbally, threatening that country with a literal hell on Earth. As he put it, “They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” And then, just to make his point more personally, he complained about Kim himself, “He has been very threatening beyond a normal state.” Only a year and a half later, our aster- oidal President would, of course, say of that same man, “We fell in love.” Still, that threat by an American leader to—it was obvious—launch a nuclear strike for the first time since Hiroshima and Naga- saki were nearly obliterated in August 1945 was memorable. The phrase would, in fact, become the title of a 2018 bestselling book, Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, by journalist Mi- relevant now that California, Oregon, and claims a friend of mine living in the San of land, putting hundreds of thousands chael Wolff. Two years later, amid so Washington, not to speak of a Southwest Francisco Bay Area). We’re talking about of Americans under evacuation orders; many other threatening phrases from this already officially in a “megadrought,” a fire and fury that’s forced cars to put on turned startling numbers of citizens into president, “fire and fury” has, however, have experienced the sort of apocalyptic their headlights at noon; destroyed towns refugees under pandemic conditions; and been left in history’s dustbin, largely for- fire and fury (and heat and smoke) that (leaving only armed right-wing militants crept toward suburbs and cities, imperil- gotten by the world. has turned daytime skies an eerie night- behind amid the flames to await imagined ing the world as we’ve known it. Too bad, since it seems so much more time orange (or yellow or even purple, Antifa looters); burned millions of acres continued on page 8 … A Giant Leaves Us Who Is Lisa? Ranked-choice Tribute to Kevin Zeese, voting opens up 1956–2020, Page 6 Maine Senate race to an antiwar voice

By Dud Hendrick

day doesn’t go by that we’re not re- Senate candidate Lisa Savage. minded of those who have dictated A our country’s course—the political wealth as the entire bottom half of the decision-makers and the corporate elite population), the highest incarceration rate who have gone wildly astray. Deliberate in the world, endemic police brutality dis- lies, propaganda, intentional policies for proportionately experienced by people of profit and power, and misguided reckless color, inadequate health care (the life ex- aspirations have not only put our country pectancy is 46th among all nations!). All on life support but indeed put the entire a long way from the fantasy called “The planet in peril. American Dream.” The threats facing all of humanity are The deep-seated causal factors for all climate disaster and war, especially the this are complex, but it’s not far-fetched threat of nuclear war. Americans have to suggest that two over-arching realities a host of issues demanding attention— lurk behind the many failures of our gov- Photo: Ellen Davidson the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives ernment to do better: money in politics Matter, militarized police, economic in- and the duopoly—a system of two par- equality (i.e. 20 individuals own as much continued on page 10 … From the Editors And So We Live

In 2018 over 38 million people lived this planet. And the speed with which we in what is defined as poverty. Of these are approaching the abyss is increasing. On over 11 million were children. The ethnic a practical level, we do everything we can group with the highest percentage of peo- to slow it down in the hope that, if slowed ple living in poverty were Native Ameri- enough, maybe, just maybe, the species can cans, followed by Black people, then His- change course in time. Every one of us (I panics. Over 11 million were in what is mean every person of conscience) needs to known as “deep poverty,” meaning that do everything we can in that direction. The their incomes (if any) were more than ice caps are melting, fires are consuming 50% below poverty level. our precious oxygen-giving trees, monster Social justice demands that everybody storms have become the norm, the planet have access to adequate housing, food, is burning up. We’re not even mentioning and medical care; freedom of expression, the constantly looming threat of nuclear etc. In the United States this is taken to war, either by accident or intention. Within mean sharing the (stolen) bounty that is the a decade, if we last that long, the precipice Photo: Ellen Davidson wealth of the nation or having equal access will be undeniably evident even to the most to what is known as the American Dream. obtuse. even life on this beautiful planet, along sink. Denial will not save us. Radical hon- Maybe we should ponder what is “the America the Exceptional has a narcis- with the many species passing out of ex- esty and truth is essentially our life raft, our good life, what is the “American Dream,” sistic sociopath determined to remain in istence every day? More significantly, sense of worth and courage. And when we and where it has led, because it has always power despite what may be the will of the how to face all this and not sink into de- incorporate into our being the integrity to has been an illusion. Instead of living in people. One of our most respected po- pression and become morose, defeated and face reality and live the truth, we become natural harmony with the earth and other litical philosophers, Noam Chomsky, re- even insane? We hope this issue of Peace able to face even the potential demise of life creatures, humans, out of fear, decided we cently said, “Trump is the worst criminal & Planet News can provide a little hope. on earth with dignity, courage, and poise. had to control more, had to have more se- in human history, undeniably. There has Long-time social justice activist Lisa Despite the odds being monumentally curity, more comfort, more domination of never been a figure in political history Savage is running for the U.S. Senate seat against us, we can take a stand for truth, for nature. That very illusion, along with the who was so passionately dedicated to de- in Maine and standing up for the things justice, and for this precious planet. concept of exceptionalism that goes with stroying the projects for organized human in life that matter. Remarkably, with huge And that matters. Right action, com- it, has led the whole world to a precipice, life on earth in the near future.” Chom- grassroots support and ranked-choice passionate action is always possible, even largely of American making. sky, who is not prone to exaggeration, voting, she actually has a chance. The to the last—to never give up. Indigenous I find it difficult to say this, but what is un- noted in another interview, “We have a brilliant political philosopher and activ- people, Black people, and working people deniable, except to the most self-deluded, is sociopathic maniac in the White House.” ist, Kevin Zeese, a giant for truth and jus- of all colors have struggled for centuries that we are fast heading toward the end of So what is to be done? How to face the this relatively short human experiment on very potential death of civilization and ‘There has never been a figure in political history who was so passionately dedicated to destroying Peace Planet News A special edition in solidarity with the Black Lives uprising & Peace Planet News the projects for organized human life on earth in the Dedicated to Abolishing War, Establishing Justice, and Fighting Climate Disaster Dedicated to Abolishing War, Establishing Published Quarterly by Vietnam Full& Disclosure and New York City Veterans For Peace

Justice, and Fighting Climate Disaster Number 3 Police and Pentagon Fall 2020 near future.’—Noam Chomsky Peace Bringing Our Wars Home Dedicated to Abolishing War, Establishing Planet Justice, and Fighting Climate DisasterNews Published Quarterly by Vietnam Full& Disclosure and New York City Veterans For Peace

Number 1 The American Chaos MachineSpring 2020 tice, passed away recently, but his legacy for freedom and have not given up—ever. U.S. Foreign Policy Goes Off the Rails By Danny Sjursen

In March 1906, on the heels of the U.S. as a cheerful warrior of integrity, wis- As Frederick Douglas said, “If there is Army’s massacre of some 1,000 men, women, and children in the crater of a volcano in the American-occupied Phil ippines, humorist Mark Twain took his - criticism public. A long-time anti-impe rialist, he flippantly suggested that Old After years of hypermilitarization, U.S. police dom, and courage will live on and grow. no struggle, there is no progress. … This - Glory should be redesigned “with the white stripes painted black and the stars departments are recreating our global war zones here at replaced by the skull and cross-bones.” I got to thinking about that recently, five home. With these weapons on our streets, our history of years after I became an antiwar dissenter (while still a major in the U.S. Army), and structural racism becomes that much deadlier. Mike Hastie in his article about the Proud struggle may be a moral one; or it may be in the wake of another near-war, this time with Iran. I was struck yet again by the By Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Phyllis Bennis way every single U.S. military interven tion in the Greater Middle East since 9/11 - U.S. military helicopter hovered over crowds of un Mo., in 2014, an armored personnel carrier stalked the has backfired in wildly counterproduc armed civilians, its down-drafts whipping debris agonized protesters who filled the streets. tive ways, destabilizing a vast expanse of - Boys, gives a glimpse of what awaits us a physical one; or it may be both moral - Aand broken glass into their faces. Was it Mogadishu Throughout U.S. history, policing has always been the planet stretching from West Africa to Peace Planet Newsor Washington, D.C.? bound up with racism—and the military. South Asia. Dedicated to Abolishing War, Establishing Justice, and Fighting Climate DisasterArmed, uniformed men surrounded unarmed civil- Organized police forces in the United States trace their Chaos, it seems, is now Washington’s Published Quarterly by Vietnam Full Disclosure and New York City Veterans For Peace ians. One of them shouted “light ’em up” and began fir roots to the slave patrols organized to capture and return stock-in-trade. Perhaps, then, it’s time to & ing projectiles. Was it Baghdad or Minneapolis? enslaved people who managed to escape bondage. resurrect Twain’s comment—only today Armor-clad, armed U.S. officers targeted and fired on - After reconstruction, when a pandemic of lynching maybe those stars on our flag should be journalists. Was it Iraq or Louisville? spread across the country, police stood by and in many and why this election and the leadup to and physical; but it must be a struggle. madness. President Trump’s rash, risky, replaced with the universal symbol for Meeting the and repugnant decision to assassinate Ira- In every case, it was both. Thanks to years of hyper cases initiated or assisted the kidnapping, torture, and chaos. Trump’s other recent escalations in the Number 2 nian Major General Qassem Suleimani Capitalism Versus Life militarization, American police departments are re murder of people in their custody. After all, our present administration, region do illustrate an American chaos creating our global war zonesSummer here at home. 2020 With these - on the sovereign soil of Iraq was only the American chaos to its dark but logical In the 1950s and ’60s, brutal police attacks against Moment however unhinged, hardly launched this machine that’sBy gone Ian Angusoff the rails. And the weapons on our streets, our history of structural racism - civil rights activists and African Americans trying to latest version of what has proven to be a conclusion. very manner—I’m loathe to call it a “pro becomes that much deadlier. register to vote continued the pattern. So did police and Fifty-four years ago, three pervasive state of affairs. Still, that and Any military officer worth his salt cess”—by whichrom it’s happeneda recent reportjust dem on the conse In recent weeks, overwhelmingly peaceful demonstra National Guard violence against antiwar protesters at it are so important. Tom Engelhardt pulls Power concedes nothing without a de- - knows full well the importance of un courageous Army draftees onstrates the wayquences this president of climate has takenchange: tors protesting police killings and racism have been met Kent State, Jackson State, and the Chicano Moratorium - derstanding- the basic psychology of your F “Sea level rise, changes in wa - by riot police, National Guard troops, and armed fed - in Los Angeles in the 1970s. refused to participate in ter and food security, and more frequent Susan Schnall speaking at - continued on page 5 … eral officers wielding tear gas, pepper spray, and rubber- This militarism at home is linked inextricably to U.S. extreme weather events are likely to re - San Francisco GIs and coated metal bullets. Armored personnel carriers prowl militarism abroad. The troops that Trump called in to the illegal war in Vietnam. sult in the migration of large segments of Veterans March For Peace, - the streets, turning U.S. cities and towns into war zones. deploy against protesters in Washington, for example, ‘I Couldn’tthe population. Rising Heal seas will displace Their Souls’ It’s shocking, but it’s not the first time. When a police had just returned from duty in Iraq. What are the lessons for no punches in exposing the truth of an im- mand. It never did and it never will.” Oct. 12, 1968. tens (if not hundreds) of millions of peo officer killed 17-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Today’s “global war on terror” is less visible than in active-duty military today? Susan Schnall was a Navy nurse dur - earlier years. But those wars continue—and it’s mostly ing the Vietnam War. The following is - of the guys who were coming back from excerpted from an podcast produced Vietnam. And I heard their stories, their continued on page 17 … Page 20 by Courage to IfResist nothing in collabora stops it, pain. I heard their stories of how they tion with Vietnam Full Disclosure. For pending Apocalypse, and we’ve included And somehow, we come to understand capital will try- toviewed the Vietnamese and heard how the full transcript or to listen to the in they were trained to be killers and trained terview, go to expand infinitely, but - to hate people who looked different from vietnamfulldisclosure.org.couragetorestist.org or the way that they did. Earth is not infinite Matthew Breems: I don’t know why I was so naïve, but I … and capitalismdidn’t is quite expect that. It was startling to us back? How did you Why come don’t to youa place take the very vital Ten Things We Need to that love, truth, and the ecourage to strug- hear stories firsthand from men who had where resisting the war, specifically the now pressing againstbeen to war. They were young; they were Vietnam War, became such a life obses 18, 20, 21 years old. They told me their sion for you? those limits.- stories, that they had participated in war, Susan Schnall: At the People’s Climate March in New York City, September 21, 2015. Photo: Ellen Davidson. how some ofter them supplies had inlearned many toparts hate of the world. ing about war, because Let itme is startan entity by talkthat - “the enemy.” … A warming trend will also increase the I’ve lived withple, mycreating whole massive, life. My enduring dad instabil What makes this report significant is Know to Stop a Coup by Daniel Hunter. gle for freedom will always be transcen- range of insects that are vectors of infec was in the Marineity. … CorpsSalt water in the intrusion Second into coastalAnd there were other stories I heard that it was commissioned by the Pentagon from young- tiousguys tropicalwho were diseases. in the This,Navy, coupled with pire from the consequences of the envi World War areasand was and killedchanging on theweather island patterns will - and it was published by the U.S. Army who workedlarge-scale with the civilian human population, migration from tropi ronmental chaos. When the U.S. military of Guam, 1944.also I compromisewent into the or Navy eliminate as a fresh wa War College. - who didn’t havecal nations, that fear will and increase hatred. But the Ispread of in embarks on a campaign, the result is al nurse and felt that I would be taking care - The report recommends strengthening also heard- theirfectious physical disease.” and psychologi ways devastation and destruction for the of those who were harmed and hurt in a - the U.S. military, already the biggest war - cal pain. We had one unit that was called poor and oppressed. war in Southeast Asia. - machine on Earth, to protect the U.S. em Perhaps, if we live every moment (or at dent—even of death. the Amputee Unit, and I will never for I was sent to Oak Knoll Naval Hospital The U.S. Army, unlike the U.S. presi get it. It was an open ward that had about - in Oakland, California,COVID-19 where I took care and the Wasting- Disease of Normalcy - 30, 35 young men on it. They all had am continued on page 8 … The pandemic has brought home what the threats of global destruction by climate change and nuclearcontinued war on page 4 …- should have long ago—that the promises of normalcy our lives stand intact, let us know neither prison nor will never deliver in the end, that they are lies that lead ill repute nor disruption of ties.’ And because we must least most moments) with integrity, radi- And so we live. those who trust in them to the ruin. encompass this and protect that, and because at all costs—at all costs—our hopes must march on sched By Brian Terrell ule, and because it is unheard of that in the name of peace a sword should fall, disjoining that fine and cun - ut what of the price of peace?” asked Jesuit ning web that our lives have woven … because of this - priest and war resister Daniel Berrigan, writ we cry peace, peace, and there is no peace.” cal honesty, empathy, and love, we don’t —Tarak Kauff “Bing from federal prison in 1969, doing time Fifty-one years later, due to the COVID-19 pan for his part in the destruction of draft records. “I think - demic, the very notion of normalcy is being questioned of the good, decent, peace-loving people I have known - by the thousands, and I wonder. How many of them are so afflicted with the wasting disease of normalcy that, even as they declare for the peace, their hands ‘There is a lot of talk about reach out with an instinctive spasm in the direction returning to “normal” after of their loved ones, in the direction of their comforts, their home, their security, their income, their future, the COVID-19 outbreak,’ says their plans—that 20-year plan of family growth and unity, that 50-year plan of decent life and honorable climate activist Greta Thunberg, natural demise.” ‘but normal was a crisis.’ From his prison cell in a year of mass movements to end the war in Vietnam and mobilizations for nu clear disarmament, Daniel Berrigan diagnosed nor as never before. While Donald Trump is “chomping malcy as a disease and labeled it an obstacle to peace. - at the bit” to return the economy to normal very soon “‘Of course, let us have the peace,’ we cry, ‘but at the- based on a metric in his own head, more reflective same time let us have normalcy, let us lose nothing, let voices are saying that a return to normal, now or even in the future, is an intolerable threat to be resisted.

continued on page 4 … Phillip and Danial Berrigan burn draft records in Catonsville, Md., in 1968. Peace & Planet News Peace & Planet News is published quarterly by Vietnam Full Disclosure (vietnamfulldisclosure.org) and the New York City chapter of Veterans For In these dark times, treat yourself to a little hope. Peace. Bundles are $35 for 45 and $50 for 70. To donate, subscribe, or order Regular issues are 24 pages and come out quarterly. bundles, visit peaceandplanetnews.org or send a check to NYC Veterans For Peace, 28 Arnold Drive, Woodstock, NY 12498. Subscribe or order bundles for distribution. Single Editorial staff: Tarak Kauff, Editor-in-Chief; Ellen Davidson, Managing subscriptions $15/year. Bundles: $10/5, $35/45, $50/70. Editor; Mike Ferner, Ken Mayers, Doug Rawlings, Editors; Denny Riley, Staff Writer Website coordinator: Jeff PatersonAdvisor: Susan Schnall peaceandplanetnews.org Contact: [email protected]

2 peaceandplanetnews.org Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 Passing of RBG Makes Democracy Harder, Again By William Rivers Pitt eight in six years … and gosh, d’ya think it had an effect on history? f an opening comes in the last year Three in one term is ridiculous, and a of President Trump’s term, and the full-scream nightmare turn during this “Iprimary process is started, we’ll gruesome administration. wait to the next election.”—Sen. Lind- Of course McConnell and the GOP will sey Graham (R-SC), on filling a Supreme leap on this preposterously historic op- Court vacancy right before an election, portunity—combined with the 200-plus October 2018. new federal judges they have stuffed into Right. Ol’ Lindsey nearly broke both the lower courts—to lock in wealth pro- legs walking that one back upon the pass- tection and the white supremacist voting ing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader structure for at least another generation. Ginsburg. If Senate Republicans can seat “Control the coinage and the courts,” a new justice before the election, they will counseled old Jacob Broom. “Let the rab- do it. If they can seat a new justice be- ble have the rest.” will be that. Romney’s office already might hold—but I am grimly certain we fore the end of January (in the event of a Mitt Romney, Chuck Grassley, Lisa walked back his earlier commitment not will be swearing in a new justice by bleak Trump loss), they will do it. Murkowski and Susan Collins—four to vote for a nominee until after inaugu- February. Of course they will do it. Three right- GOP senators who have piped up about ration. I say this with love: If you doubt it, if wing justices in one single presidential the upcoming nomination brawl—will I strongly suspect the placement of a you have hope for a different outcome, term? Plenty of presidents have gotten not be able to stand in the way of this tor- new justice won’t happen before the elec- you have not been paying sufficient atten- two or three over two terms. FDR got nado. One of them will buckle, and that tion—too tight, too fraught, and that four tion, or you’re letting your heart do the talking in your head. This is about power: Raw, unmistakable power. This is the Republican Party Trump and His Rioters Can Win Using ‘The XII’ grasping with both hands the last bulwark it has to defend its eroding standing Here’s what I said on August 5. (And Office is shut down because it’s too dan- against the rushing tide of history. This Election won by thanks to Thom Hartmann for first warn- gerous to go in because of the Boogaloo is Mitch McConnell fulfilling his destiny; ing about a “coup d’état by XII.”): Boys and the Proud Boys. Then what hap- though he may be despised by tens and fire and fury— I want people to think about this care- pens is, the rabidly Republican legislature tens of millions, all the Right People in fully. For example, the Gucci Riot with of Florida says it’s too much mayhem, we all the Right Rooms will sing his name to and a loophole in Roger Stone back in 2000 where we saw can’t count the votes in time. sainthood, and that is all he cares about. $1,200 an hour consultants banging on I expect Florida will have 6 million They will do this, because they can, full the Constitution the windows and stopping the vote count. mail-in ballots. The GOP-controlled Flor- stop. Now we’ll get Boogaloo Boys in Hawaiian ida legislature will say, we can’t count Parting thought: Anyone who needs a By Greg Palast shirts with crowbars and pipes who will be them in time, so we’re not going to certify refresher course on the profound fragility smashing the buildings, Molotov cocktails the election. on’t say I didn’t warn you. In August, I thrown into post offices because our presi- The Republicans who control the leg- told Naomi Wolf, on air, that President dent has said there are a million ballots in islature of Michigan will also say, “We This is about power: DDonald Trump can win via a constitu- these 12 post offices from Venezuela and we can’t certify the election.” tional coup d’état—via the first-ever use of have to stop the election from being stolen. Imagine: Detroit is in flames and Mil- Raw, unmistakable the 12th Amendment. On Sept. 16, Trump There will be protests in the streets on waukee’s in flames. They won’t certify let the cat out of the bag: he expects to in- both sides. We already had the test run in the results. power. This is the voke the 12th Amendment loophole. Portland. It’s a test run of the unmarked So, you have three Republican legisla- Republican Party He said, “You think November 3 [de- SUVs picking up people as if we were in tures say it’s mayhem in the streets, it’s cides the election] … at a certain point it Peronist Argentina. martial law, we’ve had curfews, we can’t grasping with both hands goes to Congress.” He was giving away And what I’m worried about is that, count the ballots. Therefore, there will be what his minions must have told him: for example, you’ll have two post offices no certification. As a result, no candidate the last bulwark it has you’ll win using Amendment XII. on fire. the Miami-Dade County Clerk’s gets 270 votes in the Electoral College because they don’t send the electors. to defend its eroding Real simple: you don’t certify the elec- standing against the tion, you can’t send your electors, no one gets 270 electoral votes. Then, under the rushing tide of history. 12th Amendment it goes to the House. But it’s not Nancy Pelosi who makes the decision. Each state gets a single vote. of our democracy need only look at how Wyoming gets the same vote as New York, very much depended on the health of one and Donald Trump is reelected—constitu- extraordinary individual from the Bronx. tionally—because our cities are in flames. Democracy just got harder, again. Stout What’s the solution? hearts. Massive in-person early voting. William Rivers Pitt is a senior editor Go mid-week when there are no lines. and lead columnist at Truthout. He is the Bring mask, gloves, sanitizer, ID and resolve. author of three bestselling books: War on Greg Palast is a New York-based in- Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn’t Want You vestigative reporter who has broken to Know, The Greatest Sedition Is Silence stories for BBC Television Newsnight, and House of Ill Repute: Reflections on The Guardian, The Nation, and Rolling War, Lies, and America’s Ravaged Rep- Stone. He is the author of the New York utation. His fourth book, The Mass De- Times bestsellers Billionaires and Ballot struction of Iraq: Why It Is Happening, Bandits, Armed Madhouse, The Best De- and Who Is Responsible, co-written with mocracy Money Can Buy, and the highly Dahr Jamail, is available now. He lives acclaimed Vultures’ Picnic. and works in New Hampshire. Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 peaceandplanetnews.org 3 10 Things We Need to Know to Stop a Coup By Daniel Hunter ernment (which still had grave problems) was returned to power. Coups are not a time to just watch and The moments after a coup are moments wait until “someone else” figures it out. for heroism among the general popula- You can be a part of choosing democracy. tion. It’s how we make democracy real. In all the research on preventing coups, 4. Be ready to act quickly—and not there’s one common theme: People stop alone. doing what the coup plotters tell them to Typically power grabs are organized in do. secret and launched suddenly. Most cam- We have a president who has openly paigns that defeat coups do so in days: said he might not respect the outcome of Soviet Union in 1991 took three days, our election. We have to be ready if he France in 1961 took four days, and Boliv- claims victory before votes are counted, ians in 1978 took 16 days. tries to stop counting, or refuses to accept It’s rare for any country leader to pub- a loss. licly admit they might not respect the re- 1. Don’t expect results election night. sults of an election. There’s some good Election season 2020 is shaping up to news in that—because people who stop be very unusual. Many mail-in ballots coups rarely have the chance to get train- may not be counted until days or weeks ing, warning, or preparation. In that way, after Election Day. Since Democrats are we’re ahead of the game. expected to use them more frequently A group of DC insiders called the Tran- than Republicans, voter tallies are ex- sition Integrity Project ran multiple simu- pected to swing toward Democrats post- lations on Trump attempting to hold onto election night (they call it a “blue shift”). power no matter what. In every simula- A wave of confusion may unfold starting tion they concluded that a “show of num- election night. bers in the streets may be decisive.” Reg- During this time expect false flags and ular people make the difference. outlandish claims. Be very cautious with To start preparing, talk to at least five news. Don’t simply pass on whatever people who would go into the streets with seems to be dramatic examples of wrong you—the safest way to take to the streets doing—but take the time to check if it has is with people you know and trust. Talk been verified, already debunked, or from to people you know in civil service and a source you don’t trust. various roles about how they could non- Encourage people in your community comply with coup attempts. Use this time to prepare for some uncertain weeks. As to get yourself ready to act. election results start coming in, the mes- 5. Focus on widely shared democratic sage needs to come through loud and values, not on individuals. clear: Count all the votes. In Argentina 1987, a coup got started Photo: Ellen Davidson 2. Do call it a coup. when an Air Force major, resenting at- People who do power grabs always tempts to democratize the military and claim they’re doing it to save democracy ital. But if the results are being contested, require quick seizure of multiple levels of bring it under civilian control, organized or claim they know the “real” election re- governors and state legislatures may each institutions with a claim that they are the hundreds of soldiers at his base. sults. This doesn’t have to look like a mil- send in different results—one reflecting rightful heir. While the civilian government tried to itary coup with one leader ordering the the results from voters, the other claim- Coups tend to fail when government quietly negotiate a settlement, people took opposition to be arrested. ing “it’s a fraud” and “we know best”— institutions (like elections) are trusted, to the streets. Against the government’s We can know it’s a coup if the govern- undermining the integrity of the voting there is an active citizenry, and other na- pleading, 500 regular citizens marched to ment: process. tions are ready to become involved. the base with the slogan “Long live dem • Stops counting votes; This set of differences has to get re- The role of citizenry is crucial. That’s ocracy! Argentina! Argentina!” They • Declares someone a winner who solved on Jan. 6 by the new Congress. because during the period right after a could have spent time attacking the ma- deidn’t get the most votes; or And if the House and Senate don’t agree coup attempt—when the new government jor. Instead, they were appealing to their • Allows someone to stay in power about the result, then a convoluted process is claiming it is the “real” government— fellow citizens to choose democracy. who didn’t win the election. unfolds where the newly seated House se- all the institutions have to decide who to The major tried to keep them away with In any scenario, if any of those three lects the President (one-state-one-vote) listen to. a tank, but the protesters entered the base principles are violated, we have to declare and the Senate votes for the new Vice A failed coup in Germany in 1920 gives anyway, and he knew that open firing on an example. The population felt beaten nonviolent civilians would cause him to down by defeat in World War I and high lose more credibility. Soon 400,000 peo- Widespread nonviolent resistance quickly began. unemployment. Right-wing nationalists ple took to the streets in Buenos Aires to organized a coup and got the help of a few rally in opposition to the coup. Printers refused to print the new government’s generals to seize government buildings. This gave strength to the civilian gov- newspapers. Civil servants refused to carry out any The deposed government fled but or- ernment (which had largely been absent). dered all citizens to obey them. “No en- Civic organizations, the Catholic Church, orders from the coup. And leaflets calling for an end terprise must work as long as the military business groups, and labor unions united dictatorship reigns,” they declared. under a pledge to “support in all ways to the coup were spread by airplane and by hand. Widespread nonviolent resistance possible the constitution, the normal de- quickly began. Printers refused to print velopment of the institutions of govern- the new government’s newspapers. Civil ment and democracy as the only viable loudly and strongly: This is a coup. President (by majority). (#ShutDownDC servants refused to carry out any orders way of life of the Argentines.” The coup Here’s just one possible scenario: the provides a very helpful breakdown of from the coup. And leaflets calling for an plotters lost their legitimacy and soon night of the election (Nov. 3) no victor is these steps.) end to the coup were spread by airplane surrendered. determined. Ballots keep getting counted. 3. Know that coups have been stopped and by hand. This approach is different from protest- Meanwhile, there are claims (likely with by regular folks. There’s a story of the coup leader wan- ers going in the street with a list of issues minimal evidence) that the incoming Coup attempts have happened all over dering up and down the corridors look- or a grievance against a vilified leader. mail-in ballots now being counted are the world, and over half have failed. That’s ing in vain for a secretary to type up his Instead, it’s exalting widely shared core fraudulent. On Dec. 14 the delegates for because coups are hard to orchestrate. Be- proclamations. The acts of resistance democratic values. In our project we use the electoral college meet in the state cap- cause they are a violation of norms, they grew and eventually the democratic gov- continued on next page … 4 peaceandplanetnews.org Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 8. Yes, a coup can happen in the Sure, read social media … but spend United States. some time, you know, doing real things It may be hard to imagine that a coup that ground you. could happen in this country. But when- Breathe deeply. ever there is an order to stop counting Remember how you handle fear. votes, we call it a coup. 10. Prepare to deter a coup before the Even by the strictest definition of election. coups, there has been a militarized coup The best way to stop a coup is to never in the United States. In 1898 after recon- have one. People are doing lots of good struction in Wilmington, N.C., seeing the work on issues of voting rights, urging rise of a prosperous and successful Black turnout, stopping repression, uncovering population, white racists organized a fraud, and getting people to commit to coup. They used rallying cries like, “We democracy. That may be enough. will never surrender to a ragged raffle of One of the easiest things you can do is

In all the research on preventing coups, there’s one common theme: people stop doing what the coup plotters tell them to do.

Negroes, even if we have to choke the to sign the pledge to Choose Democracy Cape Fear River with carcasses.” and get a lot of people across the political Despite a terror campaign before the spectrum signing the as well! election, Black turnout was high and a Because the best way to stop a coup is Photo: Ellen Davidson slate of Black candidates was voted in. to deter it. Black power was met with white suprema- This article has been edited for … continued from previous page there’s one common theme: People stop cist violence, with white squads killing 30 length. It was originally published at the language of “choosing democracy.” doing what the coup plotters tell them to to 300 people, including newly elected of- wagingnonviolence.org. 6. Convince people not to freeze or do. ficials. Over 3,000 Blacks fled this extreme Daniel Hunter is the global trainings just go along. In Germany, from military command- violence, and the era of Jim Crow began. manager at 350.org and a curriculum de- Imagine that at your job a corrupt boss ers to secretaries, they refused to obey 9. Center in calm, not fear. signer with Sunrise Movement. He has gets fired and a new one is brought in. In- the orders of the coup. In Mali they called It’s scary to believe we’re having to talk trained extensively with ethnic minori- stead of leaving, your old boss says, “I’m a nationwide strike. In Sudan protesters about a federal coup in the United States. ties in Burma, pastors in Sierra Leone, still in charge. Do what I say.” A bunch of shut down government-supported radio And we know that fearful people are and independence activists in northeast your coworkers say, “We only take orders stations and occupied airport runways. In less likely to make good decisions. Let’s India. He has written multiple books, in- from the old boss.” At that point, doubt Venezuela all shops were closed. aim for calm and avoid hyperbole. Be a cluding Climate Resistance Handbook arises. Coups are not a time to just watch and reliable source by double-checking ru- and Building a Movement to End the New That doubt is how coups succeed. wait until “someone else” figures it out. mors and spreading high-quality facts. Jim Crow. Enough people freeze. Even when only a No matter who you are you can be part of few people go along with the coup and act choosing democracy. as though that’s normal, people may re- 7. Commit to actions that represent luctantly accept it as inevitable. rule of law, stability, and nonviolence. In all the research on preventing coups, Stopping a coup is dependent on the size of mobilizations and winning over the center. It is really a fight for legitimacy. Which voice is legitimate? Some people will have already made up their minds. The aim then is convincing those who are uncertain—which may be a more surprising number than you expect. But to swing to our side, that uncertain center has to be convinced that “we” represent stability and “the coup plotters” represent hostility to the democratic norms of elections and voting. We prevent that possibility when we dehumanize potential defectors, make sweeping statements like, “the police won’t help,” never encourage people to join our side, and create chaotic scenes on the street. Historically, whichever side resorts to violence the most tends to lose. In a moment of uncertainty, people pick the side that promises maximum stability, re- spects democratic norms, and appears to be the safer bet. It’s a contest of who can be the most legitimate. Mass resistance to coups wins by using walkouts and strikes, refusing orders, and shutting down civil society until the rightful democratically elected leader is installed. For mass movements to suc- Photo: Ellen Davidson Photo: Ellen Davidson ceed against coups, they should refuse to do violence to the other side. Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 peaceandplanetnews.org 5 By Margaret Flowers more than 40 years. He worked says, he ‘learned guerilla law should be doubling or even tri- Tickets are available through popularresistance.org. Photos by Ellen Davidson on political campaigns when he and legal judo’—how to lever- pling Social Security payments. the store at PopularResistance. Dr.Margaret Flowers is a pe- was in high school in Queens, age the law with minimum cost “So I’m going to vote against org. We can best honor Kevin diatrician, public health advo- evin Zeese died unexpect- N.Y., and protested the Viet- and maximum impact.” Trump by voting for what I be- by continuing to support new cate, and activist. She is an ad- edly in his sleep, likely nam War. When radical lawyers Kevin’s first internship was Kevin Zeese: A Life Well Lived lieve in. I’ll be voting for the movement leaders and visionar- viser to the board of Physicians Kfrom a heart attack, early Ramsey Clark and William Kun- with the National Organization Green [Party] candidates Howie ies who recognize injustice be- for a National Health Program, in the morning on Sept. 6. He stler spoke at SUNY Buffalo, for the Reform of Marijuana all the groups working on vari- united. We have incredible oppor- come from Joe Biden or Don- and probably more than 200,000 Hawkins and Angela Walker, fore the rest of us do and have serving as a Congressional Fel- had not shown signs of illness where he was studying political Laws (NORML), answering let- ous aspects of the drug war. He tunity now. We see the movements ald Trump. It will come from the by the time of the election; his poor because I’m going to be voting the courage to address it. low during the health reform and was working until the end. science, Kevin was inspired to ters from prisoners. He said this understood that popular power growing, especially after the people. response to the economic collapse. for Medicare For All, for com- Now, more than ever, all of us process in 2009–10 and is co- If you missed the online trib- join the civil rights movement. gave him a deep understanding required building a movement of Democratic National Convention “We also have to understand He’s leading us into another Great munity control of police, for the are Popular Resistance. Kevin is chair of the Maryland chapter. ute to Kevin, you can watch it on He went to Boston to be a mar- of the destructive impact the War movements and worked to create and Republican National Conven- that the only path to success is Depression, and he constantly puts eco-socialist Green New Deal, gone but the work continues. She is currently co-chair of the YouTube at bit.ly/KZTribute. shal for an anti-racism march on Drugs has on people. After unity among them. tion. The conventions showed us failure. We fail and fail and fail in place laws for the wealthy— for ending the wealth divide and To support the Kevin Zeese Green Party of the United States. Many people know Kevin and was attacked with others by law school, Kevin worked as le- In his later years, Kevin’s ad- that those parties do not represent until we win. But every time we while poverty, homelessness, debt ending the never-ending wars. Emerging Activist Fund, go to She is the director of Popular from his writing; from Clearing police on horseback. gal counsel for NORML and then vocacy work expanded to include the people and that our power is try, we build the movement. And and joblessness increase. “We must build people power, popularresistance.org/kevin- Resistance.org. Kevin Zeese was the FOG, the podcast we made During law school at George as executive director. so that no matter who’s in of- zeese. Tickets for the Oct. her longtime best friend and her together, and from Popular Re- Washington University, Kevin’s He was working to le- fice, we can stop the government 28 launch are available at life partner for the last 10 years. sistance, the activist website and favorite class was on legal activ- galize marijuana when from operating. We can make the information clearinghouse that ism. He describes the experience Reagan was president country ungovernable. We can Top: With Flowers vacationing at Lake George. Middle left: we founded together in 2012. in Americans Who Tell the Truth: and popular opinion put in place general strikes, so At the Women’s March on the Pentagon, October 2018. Middle Popular Resistance was created “‘We created a group SEXCE strongly supported the that our demands are heard and right: With Flowers at Freedom Plaza, October 2011. Bottom left: in part to inform about what peo- (Students for the Examination War on Drugs. Kevin met. That is how we will win. With Bill Moyers inflating a helium balloon for an anti-TPP action in ple are doing to stop the machine of Contraceptive Effectiveness) sued the Drug Enforce- “We have a lot to build on. Leesburg, Va., September 2012. Bottom right: Arrested at the White (resistance) and create the new and got legislation introduced ment Agency three There have been over 900 wildcat House protesting the treatment of Chelsea Manning, March 2011. world (build alternative systems). in Congress, got the FTC [Fed- times over the reclassi- strikes since March. The labor He had a deep knowl- eral Trade Commission] to cor- fication of medical mari- movement is growing. The cli- edge of history and the is- rect their advertising, the FDA juana and won, but each mate justice movement is grow- sues. He often spoke of his [Food and Drug Administra- time the decision was ing. The anti-racist movement time working for Ralph Nader tion) to start a rulemaking pro- overturned on appeal, so is growing. The anti-inequality in 2004 when he wrote pol- cess to correct their labeling. the movement turned to movement is growing. We have a icy briefs as a “PhD in pub- It was pretty amazing to see state efforts to legalize lot to build on. The one percent lic policy.” He understood how all of that come out of one law medical marijuana. cannot defeat the 99%. So let’s political power works. school course on Legal Activ- During this time, Joe not underestimate ourselves.” Kevin’s activism spanned ism.’ Through this project, Zeese Biden was the chair of the The family of Kevin Zeese, in- Senate Judiciary Commit- cluding myself and my two sons tee, working with the racist head peace, economic justice, elec- we get “But Biden is no better. And I created the Kevin Zeese Emerg- of the Dixiecrats, Strom Thur- tion integrity, single-payer stron- mean no better. For 47 years he’s ing Activists Fund to continue mond, to push for a “drug czar” health care, and much ger. We been wrong on every important Kevin’s legacy by sponsoring (Reagan vetoed that) and for more. He helped organize c a n issue. When I was in college go- young activists and front line more severe punishments. Kevin the occupation of Freedom never ing to a demonstration in Boston grassroots organizations that called Biden the architect of the Plaza in 2011 and led cam- tell how for school integration, Biden op- work for economic, racial, and drug war and mass incarceration. paigns to stop the Trans- c l o s e posed school integration. When environmental justice and peace. After NORML, Kevin created Pacific Partnership, win we are I worked on ending mass incar- An online launch and musical the Drug Policy Foundation and Net Neutrality and protect to suc- ceration and the drug war, Biden celebration will be held on Octo- the Alliance of Reform Organi- the Venezuelan Embassy cess. was passing laws to escalate the ber 28, 2020, at 7:30 pm Eastern. zations, which brought together from takeover by rightwing It’s like we’re banging drug war and passing laws for coup-makers. n o t on a wall, pounding and mandatory sentencing. He’s the Left: In the garden he He often recognized issues as in elec- pounding, and it’s not un- architect of mass incarceration! and Margaret Flowers built important before they were pop- tions. Our til that wall begins to crack “Later in his career Biden be- at their Baltimore home. ular and had the courage to take power is and we start to see the light came chair of the Senate Foreign Below: With Flowers inside the them on even when they were in build- come through that we real- Relations Committee and led in Venezuelan Embassy, May 2019. controversial. He had unwav- ing people ize we’re getting close to not just voting for the Iraq War, ering moral clarity and told the power— that breakthrough moment but in the effort to make it hap- truth even when it was not what and we see when change can occur. pen. As chair of Foreign Rela- people wanted to hear. that hap- “We see the 2020s as a tions, he put in place massive, Kevin also saw people’s poten- pening. decade of transformation. corrupt military budgets while tial and wasn’t afraid to tell them. “ W e The movements have been leading us into war after war. He Many people turned to him for need growing since Occupy in led the effort to make it so stu- guidance and assistance, what to to build 2011, then the Black Lives dents can’t get rid of debt even in do in a time of crisis, or advice on power, so Matter movement, Fight For bankruptcy. Now he’s calling for strategy. Kevin’s calm steadiness that in 2021 15—all during the Obama cutting Social Security when we made people feel safe when he was people can era—and now the growing around, and he always seemed to rule from of the movements during the know what to do. He was a gentle below. So Trump era. We see the 2020s giant who looked out for every- that we as a decade of social transfor- one. He also had a great sense of can call mation. In order to have that humor and loved to laugh. g e n e r a l transformation, we need to be The weekend before his death, s t r i k e s . organized and educated. … It’s Kevin participated in an online So we normal for us to not always be rally about how to build power can stop on a linear path to success. It’s for the changes we need before b u s i n e s s a jagged path. We move up and and after the coming election. as usual. down, we get stronger. He spoke about what we must do That is the “We all know that Donald at the Aug. 30 UNAC-sponsored only way Trump is terrible. The worst presi- online rally, “After the DNC and c h a n g e dent of my life! His overt racism; RNC: We Can’t Breathe!” will oc- his open support for violent white Here’s what Kevin said: cur. It supremacists; his mishandling “Power to the people! We have w i l l of the COVID-19 virus, causing the power to change if we stay n o t more than 180,000 deaths so far 6 peaceandplanetnews.org Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 peaceandplanetnews.org 7 Wildfires turn San Francisco sky ‘Blade Runner 2049’ orange.

Apocalypse fer just one example, as far as I can tell, and his top officials have put remarkable first time. Bob Woodward, the Washington Post energy (so to speak) into releasing yet By the way, Russia, too, is run by a … continued from page 1 editor and court chronicler of presidents more carbon dioxide and methane into leader who until recently was a climate In the wake of the hottest summer on who, for months, had unparalleled access the atmosphere. And here’s the strange denier. I mean, what is it about the urge record in the Northern Hemisphere, we to Trump and grilled him on so many thing: They made it deep into the pres- of so many of us in such a crisis to sup- are, in other words, talking about the sort subjects, never bothered to ask him about ent apocalyptic moment in the West with- port those dedicated to quite literally de- of apocalyptic conditions that the Presi- the most important, most dystopian, most out—Greta Thunberg and climate change stroying this planet as a livable place for dent undoubtedly had in mind for North apocalyptic future Americans face. And protesters aside—being held faintly ac- … well, us? (Hey there, Jair Bolsonaro!) Korea back in 2017, but not even faintly mainstream Democrats didn’t do much countable for their urge to fuel the great- for the U.S. of A.; we’re talking, that is, better on the subject while those fires est danger humanity faces other than nu- Our Very Own Firenado about a burning season the likes of which were building to a crescendo until Joe clear weapons. In fact, as is increasingly no one in the West has ever seen before, Biden finally called the President a “cli- obvious from the torching of the West, An almost unimaginable near-half- a torching linked to the overheating of mate arsonist.” He added, aptly enough, what we’re beginning to experience is a century ago on a different planet, I lived this planet thanks to the release of fossil- “If you give a climate arsonist four more slow-motion version of the nuclear apoca- in San Francisco. I can still remember fuel-produced greenhouse gases in ever years in the White House, why would lypse that Trump once threatened to loose the fog rolling in daily, even during sum- greater quantities. In fact, as Washington anyone be surprised if we have more of on North Korea. mer in one of the coolest, breeziest cities Gov. Jay Inslee pointed out recently, we America ablaze?” In an all-too-literal fashion, The Don- around. Not this year, though. On Sept. 6, shouldn’t even be talking about “wild- for instance, the temperature there broke fires” anymore, but about “climate fires” 100 degrees, “crushing” the previous rec whose intensity has already outpaced by [W]e’re talking, that is, about a burning season ord for that day. In Berkeley, across the years the predictions of most climate sci- Bay, where I also once lived long, long entists. (Or, as Inslee put it, “This is not the likes of which no one in the West has ever seen ago, it hit 110. As a heat wave swept an act of God. This has happened because the state (and the West), temperatures we have changed the climate of the state before, a torching linked to the overheating of this near Los Angeles soared to a record- of Washington in dramatic ways.”) breaking 121 degrees (almost challeng- Significant hunks of the American planet thanks to the release of fossil-fuel-produced ing overheated Baghdad, Iraq, this year), West have now been transformed into greenhouse gases in ever greater quantities. while reaching 130 degrees in the aptly the natural equivalent of furnaces, with named Death Valley—and that’s just to fires even reaching the suburban edges of start down a list of soaring temperatures Portland, Ore. (which, for days, had the There’s no question that, at the beck ald is indeed proving to be history’s “fire across the West from the Canadian to the worst air quality of any major urban area and call of the fossil-fuel industry, Don- and fury” president. Mexican border. on the planet), and promising a future in ald Trump and his demonic crew have And don’t for a moment think that there As those fires filled the skies with which cities will undoubtedly be swept worked without qualms or remorse to en- was no warning about the over-the-top smoke and ash, turning day into the eeri up in such conflagrations as well. Admit- sure that this would be a fiery and furious burning now under way in this country. est of nights, a smoke cloud the likes of tedly, Donald Trump didn’t threaten to America. Freeing that industry of restric- After all, in 2019, parts of Australia were which had never before been seen ap- launch “fire and fury like the world has tions of every sort, withdrawing from the singed to a crisp in a way never before peared over the coastal West. Meanwhile, never seen” against Portland (though he Paris climate accord, opening up yet more seen, killing at least 25 humans and possi- firenadoes were spotted and the ash-filled did send federal agents there to snatch areas for oil drilling, wiping out environ- bly more than a billion animals. And that air threatened terrible things for health. peaceful protesters off its streets and con- mental safeguards, and even (at the very country, too, was headed by a climate- As has been true for the last 46 years, I’m tinues to insult and threaten that city’s moment when the West was burning) ap- change denier, a man who once brought thousands of miles away from my old Bay mayor). If anything, as the fires scorched pointing a climate-science denier to a top a piece of coal to parliament and handed Area haunts. Still, I regularly check in those states to a crisp, he did his best to position at the National Oceanic and At- it around while soothingly telling other with friends and TomDispatch authors on avoid the subject of the burning West, as mospheric Administration, the President legislators, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be that coast, some aged like me and locked in these years more generally he’s largely and his crew proved themselves to be scared.” In addition, in recent years, the in their homes lest the smoke and ash, treated climate change (that “hoax”) like pyromaniacs of the first order. Arctic (of all places) has been smoking the air from hell, do them in. Meanwhile, … well, a pandemic that should be ig- Of course, the heating of this planet and burning in an unprecedented fash- their cars are packed to go, their evacua- nored while America stayed “open.” has been intensifying for decades now. ion, heating its permafrost and releasing tion checklists ready. And it’s not a subject he’s been grilled (Don’t forget, for instance, that Barack staggering amounts of greenhouse gases My heart goes out to them and, really, on much either, not until recently, when Obama presided over a U.S. fracking into the atmosphere. Oh, and this June, to all of us (and, above all, to those to Western governors began laying into him boom that left people referring to us as the temperature in a small town in Sibe- whom we oldsters will be leaving such a over his stance on climate change. To of- “Saudi America.”) Still, this President ria crossed the 100-degree mark for the continued on next page … 8 peaceandplanetnews.org Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 If the Powerful Lie to Us the “sex scandal” in Sweden was a setup Julian Assange and an American hellhole was the ulti- mate destination. And he was right, and and what he’s repeatedly right. The extradition hearing in London be- being charged with ginning this week is the final act of an Anglo-American campaign to bury Julian John Pilger gave this address outside Assange. It is not due process. It is due re- the Central Criminal Court in London on venge. The American indictment is clearly Sept. 7 as the WikiLeaks editors extradi- rigged, a demonstrable sham. So far, the tion hearing entered its final stage. hearings have been reminiscent of their Stalinist equivalents during the Cold War. By John Pilger Today, the land that gave us Magna Carta, Great Britain, is distinguished by hen I first met Julian Assange more the abandonment of its own sovereignty As for Assange’s homeland, Australia tions can breathe freely. The Judases on than 10 years ago, I asked him why in allowing a malign foreign power to has displayed only a cringing cowardice The Guardian who flirted with Julian, Whe had started WikiLeaks. He re- manipulate justice and by the vicious psy- as its government has secretly conspired exploited his landmark work, made their plied: “Transparency and accountability chological torture of Julian—a form of against its own citizen who ought to be pile, then betrayed him, have nothing are moral issues that must be the essence torture, as Nils Melzer, the U.N. expert, celebrated as a national hero. Not for noth- to fear. They are safe because they are of public life and journalism.” needed. I had never heard a publisher or an editor Freedom of the press now rests with the invoke morality in this way. Assange be- The aim was to silence and criminalize honorable few: the exceptions, the dissi- lieves that journalists are the agents of peo- dents on the internet who belong to no club, ple, not power: that we, the people, have a WikiLeaks and its founder. Page after page who are neither rich nor laden with Pulit- right to know about the darkest secrets of zers, but produce fine, disobedient, moral those who claim to act in our name. revealed a coming war on a single human being journalism—those like Julian Assange. If the powerful lie to us, we have the and on the very principles of freedom of speech, Meanwhile, it is our responsibility to right to know. If they say one thing in pri- stand by a true journalist whose sheer vate and the opposite in public, we have freedom of thought, and democracy. courage ought to be inspiration to all of the right to know. If they conspire against us who still believe that freedom is pos- us, as Bush and Blair did over Iraq, then sible. I salute him. pretend to be democrats, we have the has pointed out, that was refined by the ing did George W. Bush anoint the Austra- John Pilger (johnpilger.com) is an Aus- right to know. Nazis because it was most effective in lian prime minister his “deputy sheriff.” tralian-British journalist and filmmaker It is this morality of purpose that so breaking its victims. It is said that whatever happens to Ju- based in London. In 2017, the British Li- threatens the collusion of powers that Every time I have visited Assange in lian Assange in the next three weeks brary announced a John Pilger Archive want to plunge much of the world into war Belmarsh prison, I have seen the effects will diminish if not destroy freedom of of all his written and filmed work. The and wants to bury Julian alive in Trump’s of this torture. When I last saw him, he the press in the West. But which press? British Film Institute includes his 1979 fascist America. had lost more than 10 kilos in weight; The Guardian? The BBC, The New York film, Year Zero: the Silent Death of Cam- In 2008, a top-secret U.S. State De- his arms had no muscle. Incredibly, his Times, the Jeff Bezos Washington Post? bodia, among the 10 most important doc- partment report described in detail how wicked sense of humor was intact. No, the journalists in these organiza- umentaries of the 20th century. the United States would combat this new moral threat. A secretly directed personal smear campaign against Julian Assange to torch that very building and whatever, at would lead to “exposure [and] criminal this point, is left of the American system prosecution.” with it before he saw himself “lose.” The aim was to silence and criminal- Since he is, in his own fashion, a par- ize WikiLeaks and its founder. Page after ody of everything: a politician, a Republi- page revealed a coming war on a single can, an autocrat, even a human being, he human being and on the very principles of sums up in some extreme (if eerily satiric) freedom of speech, freedom of thought, fashion human efforts to destroy our way and democracy. of life in these years. In truth, fiery and The imperial shock troops would be furiously fueled, he’s a historic cloud of those who called themselves journal- smoke and ash over us all. ists: the big hitters of the so-called main- By his very nature, to use those 2017 stream, especially the “liberals” who nuclear words of his, he is “threatening mark and patrol the perimeters of dissent. beyond a normal state.” Think of him And that is what happened. I have been as the President from hell, and here I a reporter for more than 50 years and I mean a literal hell. He, his crew, and the have never known a smear campaign like fossil-fuelized criminals running the ma- it: the fabricated character assassination climate change, was the “hoax” and that jor oil, gas, and coal companies who are of a man who refused to join the club, Apocalypse this planet would suffer in unique ways riding his coattails into profit heaven and who believed journalism was a service to from his (ad)ministrations. planetary misery are the cast of a play, the public, never to those above. … continued from previous page And in every way imaginable, Donald both comedy and tragedy, that none of us Assange shamed his persecutors. He blazing, tumultuous world). Trump delivered as promised. He’s been should have to sit through. He’s our very produced scoop after scoop. He exposed Sadly, among the endless scandals and uniquely fiery and furious. In his own own firenado and—it’s not complicated— the fraudulence of wars promoted by the horrors of the Trump era, the greatest one fashion, he’s also been a man of his word. four more years of him will consign us to media and the homicidal nature of Amer- by far scandalized all too few for all too He’s already brought “fire and fury” to a hell on Earth of a sort still only faintly ica’s wars, the corruption of dictators, the long among those who officially matter on this country in so many ways and, if he imaginable today. evils of Guantánamo. this beleaguered planet of ours. Even in has anything to say about it, he’s just got- Tom Engelhardt is a co-founder of the He forced us in the West to look in the 2016, it should have been obvious enough ten started. American Empire Project and the author mirror. He exposed the official truth- that a vote for Donald Trump was a vote for Don’t doubt for a second that, should he of a history of the Cold War, The End of tellers in the media as collaborators, those the apocalypse. Give him credit, though. be losing on Nov. 3 (or beyond, given the Victory Culture. He runs TomDispatch. I would call Vichy journalists. None of He made no secret of that fact or that his mail-in vote to come), he’ll declare electoral com and is a fellow of the Type Media these imposters believed Assange when presidency would be a fossil-fueled night- fraud and balk at leaving the White House. Center. His sixth and latest book is A Na- he warned that his life was in danger, that mare. It was obvious even then that he, not Don’t doubt for a second that he’d be happy tion Unmade by War. Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 peaceandplanetnews.org 9 followed suit, announcing Lisa’s inclu- Who Is Lisa? sion in a debate to follow in October. It’s a shocking development that major parties … continued from page 1 may well regret. Progressives have a lot to ties that, despite real and pronounced dif- say that resonates with the overworked, ferences between them, agree on far too stressed out, common citizen. Lisa Sav- much, as vividly exposed in nearly all age’s slogan, “People, Planet, and Peace,” congressional deliberations. Most tell- resonates. People get it that we have prob- ingly, the Republicans and the Democrats lems that will not be solved by militarism, are in accord that: wars, or corporate greed. • The military and the “defense” budget Everyday people are looking hard for enjoy sacred cow status; someone to represent them—not Wall • Major corporate interests, essentially, Street, war contractors, corporate fossil rise above all other interests, such as fuel giants, or Big Pharma. the welfare of citizens and the planet. Lisa Savage’s father and grandfa- Faced with this bleak picture, people in ther had been celebrated athletes for the Maine found some hope in ranked-choice Skowhegan H.S. Indians. Lisa graduated voting, which enables those who have con- Skowhegan and went on to teach in the cluded that neither major party serves the school system. Yet she took a public stand people to cast a vote for an independent or that was not an easy one. Lisa stood for third party candidate who truly does. We the removal of the disrespectful use of the can now do so without being accused of mascot term “Indians” by her high school enabling a spoiler. alma mater. Barry Dana, past Penobscot Nation chief, with Lisa Savage. Photo: Jeff Kirlin However, in an electoral landscape dic- Barry Dana, past chief of the Penobscot tated by the major party, deep-pocketed, Nation, had this to say, “Lisa became in amounts of greenhouse gases. It is any- further climate disruption. Along with duopoly that controls all aspects of the my opinion one of the hardest working al- thing but “green energy” and has been other nonviolent peace activists, she was characterized as Tar Sands East. It’s a arrested. In the trial to follow, the same classic case of a mega-corporation again judge who had tried Father Berrigan was Progressives have a lot to say that resonates with the putting profit before people and this in- on the bench. At that time he had de- creasingly fragile planet. As of July, Cen- clared, “Anyone of my generation knows overworked, stressed out, common citizen. Lisa Sav- tral Maine Power had spent $10.53 mil- Philip Berrigan. He is a moral giant, the lion and Hydro-Quebec $6.24 million to conscience of a generation.” On this oc- age’s slogan, ‘People, Planet, and Peace,’ resonates. sell the project to Maine, according to casion, again bearing witness to his sym- People get it that we have problems that will not be Natural Resources Council of Maine. pathies, the judge read the famous lines Once again, it’s the progressive and not of President Eisenhower’s “Humanity on solved by militarism, wars, or corporate greed. the Democratic or Republican candidate a Cross of Iron” speech, including the who is standing for the people and against lines, “This world in arms is not spend- the corporate giants. Savage stated, “We ing money alone. It is spending the sweat process—most significantly media expo- lies to the tribes. She continually gave tes- cannot allow phony solutions to climate of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, sure, alternative campaigns have to fight timony before the board requesting they crisis made by profit-driven companies the hopes of its children.” hard to gain traction. It’s an uphill climb. comply with tribe’s request to drop their to distract us … from real solutions.” She Lisa Savage has taken a stance in sup- As an example, the progressive-minded offensive mascot, nickname, and imagery. also characterizes the project as “envi- port of union workers at Bath who were social justice activist running for Senate, She also presented testimony before the ronmental racism,” acknowledging that on strike protesting low wages and the Lisa Savage, has been practically iced Maine state legislature in our successful out of the conversation while the Repub- effort to create a statewide law prohibit- lican incumbent, Susan Collins, and her ing offensive mascots. Lisa played a huge ‘[My path is] to reach out to my fellow human Democrat challenger Sarah Gideon, with role in this victory for which I am forever over 20 million of party dollars, dominate thankful.” beings and say: Violence solves nothing, and print and broadcast media. There’s another battle being waged in Finally and surprisingly, after months Maine over a Central Maine Power pro- continuing our violence against the Earth and its of grassroots work and the rising clamor posal that will bring power from Hydro inhabitants will surely lead to the demise of human of a growing population of informed cit- Quebec to southern New England, izens the Bangor Daily News, Portland through 53 miles of currently undisturbed beings,’ says Savage. Press Herald, and News Center Maine Maine forests. It’s a “profit-over-planet” committed to sponsor a debate on Sept. 9 proposition that would forever alter the to include Lisa. As it turned out, Lisa was culture of rural western Maine and also the Indigenous people of Canada and of hiring of out-of-state contractors, prov- both calm and brilliant in the debate and involves flooding thousands of acres of Maine will be those most profoundly and ing herself to be an ally of workers while walked off with accolades from many sec- Canadian lands (populated mostly by In- adversely impacted. nonetheless remaining very clearly a tors. The Maine Chamber of Commerce digenous people) and releasing copious Savage earned her reputation as an ac- champion of the planet—victimized as it tivist leading the charge in Maine as state is by the defense industry’s unparalleled coordinator with the Bring Our War $$ contribution to its desecration. She do- Home campaign and founding the Maine nated to their strike fund and twice joined Natural Guard, a group dedicated to their picket line. working to protect Maine’s environment “I can’t tell other people what their path by connecting the dots between the cli- is, but mine is to use my affinity for com- mate emergency and the Pentagon’s mas- munication to reach out to my fellow hu- sive greenhouse gas emissions. man beings and say: Violence solves noth- In 1997, the late Father Phillip Ber- ing, and continuing our violence against rigan, famed antiwar activist, was sen- the Earth and its inhabitants will surely tenced to two years in prison for partici- lead to the demise of human beings,” says pating in a “Swords to Plowshares” action Savage. at the Bath, Maine, shipyard. Twenty-two This is the sort of sentiment we might years later, in June 2019, Lisa Savage fol- wish to be a foundation of our country’s lowed Berrigan’s footsteps at one of the moral compass. many protests at the facility demand- Dud Hendrick is a Vietnam War vet- The Plowshares Movement during the 1997 action at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. ing that Bath Iron Works cease building eran, a graduate of Annapolis, a former From left to right: Susan Crane, Steve Kelley, Philip Berrigan, Mark Colville, Steve warships and convert to the production All-Amercan LaCrosse player, and a Baggarly, and Tom Lewis-Borbely. (Photo via nuclear-news) of sustainable energy systems to stem member of Maine Veterans For Peace. 10 peaceandplanetnews.org Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 Ranked-Choice Voting: A Better Way to Vote By Elizabeth Warren to be a democracy, numerous examples candidates, particularly in a primary, this breaks the 50 percent threshold, the win- and Jamie Raskin show why this isn’t the case in the Ameri- means that someone with 30, 20 or even ner is declared. If not, then the votes of can system of government. In two of the 10 percent of the vote could be declared the remaining candidate at the bottom are n a large, diverse field of candidates, last five presidential elections, the anti- the winner simply because the remaining reallocated to those voters’ next choice— ranked-choice ballots would guaran- quated Electoral College system has pro- 70, 80 or 90 percent of the votes are scat- and so on until someone gets a majority. Itee democratic majority rule. Across pelled two popular-vote losers (George W. tered among many different candidates. By requiring the winner to reach more the country, nearly 1,000 people are dy- Bush in 2000 and Donald Trump in 2016) ing each day from COVID-19, an infec- to the Oval Office. The Senate is still tied tious disease that should have been under up in knots with the anti-majoritarian fil- control by now. The economy is being ibuster rule. And in far too many other Ranked-choice voting has another remarkable squeezed to its breaking point. The fight races, elected officials win not because virtue: Everywhere it has been adopted, it has for racial justice has reached an inflection they actually earn anything near a major- point and demands bold action. And from ity of the votes but because they collect a replaced the politics of personal destruction with postal sabotage to old-fashioned voter few more votes than the runners-up. That purges, voting—the very foundation of is how the current plurality system works. positive coalition politics. our democracy and an essential instru- To fix this, communities across the ment for change—is under siege. country—from Maine to California, and To defend our democracy, we need to even here in Amherst and Cambridge— Ranked-choice voting allows voters than 50 percent of the vote, ranked choice fortify it. One way is by strengthening have taken steps to safeguard our democ- to rank their choices among as many of voting ensures the winning candidate is the principle of majority rule while de- racy by adopting ranked-choice voting. the candidates as they want, and no can- the one with the broadest appeal to the fending and protecting the rights of all So how does ranked-choice voting didate is declared the winner until some- majority of voters. The ability to mobilize individuals, including those in the minor- work? Under the current plurality sys- one receives more than 50 percent of the the broadest and deepest appeal across ity. Massachusetts voters have a chance tem, each voter is allowed to vote for only votes. The ballots are counted for every- the electorate would replace the ability to to do just that in November by approving one candidate, and the candidate who re- one’s first choice. If no one has a major- target a passionate minority constituency, ranked-choice voting on Question 2. ceives the most votes is elected—period. ity, the votes for the candidate who fin- which may be extreme or nonrepresenta- Although many people believe that ma- That works fine when only two candi- ished last are then distributed to voters’ tive from the standpoint of most voters, as jority rule is a core part of what it means dates are on the ballot. But in a big field of second-ranked candidate. If a candidate the key to winning. Today’s elections host some of the larg- est and most diverse candidate fields— and that’s great. But in the current plural- Proud Boys ity system, large fields split up common voting blocs. So most voters might over- … continued from page 12 whelmingly prefer to elect identified envi- did they do that? And then eventually, I ronmentalists to their town council, and a realized what was going on. dozen environmentalists might show up to Whenever the truth threatens one’s core vie for that spot—but as the green dozen belief system, there is an urgent need to divides up the majority of votes, a single, deny its reality. That was it. You can’t pro-fossil-fuel candidate who stirs up anti feed a steak dinner to a newborn. In order environmental sentiment could win with for them to believe me, they would have only a small fraction of total votes cast. to redefine their own core belief system. Ranked-choice voting has another re- And that was way too painful. We are our markable virtue: Everywhere it has been core belief system. adopted, it has replaced the politics of When I came back from Viet Nam, I personal destruction with positive coali- entered another world. Shortly before I tion politics. If two like-minded candi- left Viet Nam, I remember helping take dates are running against each other in a an American soldier off of a Medevac he- large field, they are more likely to work licopter; he was dead from being shot in for the second and third choices of their the head. On another occasion I unzipped opponent’s supporters by appealing to a body bag and looked at a teenage Amer- what they have in common rather than fo- ican soldier who had committed suicide cusing on divisive issues. by shooting himself in the head with a For everyone who worries that they pistol. On another occasion, I went into won’t know enough about every candi- a tent and tried to save the life of another date to rank multiple candidates, they can teenage American soldier who committed leave the other options blank. If that voter’s suicide by shooting himself in the head choices don’t make it into the final round, with his M-16 rifle. politically grow up, or perish. The make- American people have no clue this ever then that voter is no worse off under ranked In my unit, the flight crew from one believe world no longer existed for me. I happened. This is stuff that Hitler did in choice than under the current system. medical evacuation helicopter had was filled with rage over the people who Germany’s Final Solution. During the Ranked-choice voting can make our painted in large white letters on the nose were running this country. When politi- last six months of the war in Japan, U.S. elections more positive and require suc- of that helicopter one word: “WHY.” cians and the rich start sending their kids B-29s went on a barbaric napalm horror cessful candidates to build broad coali- That was the Viet Nam War in a nutshell. to war, I’ll start believing in noble causes. show that was the worst human barbecue tions. It can ensure that everyone’s vote Again, all of these experiences are events It is extremely difficult to change the in world history. General Curtis Lemay’s counts and open the door to elections that the “ love-it-or-leave-it “ Proud Boys nature of empire. It is empire’s nature actions do not take a back seat to anything that more fairly represent the elector- have absolutely no idea ever happened. to want anything it wants. According to that ever happened at Auschwitz. Since ate. Most important, ranked-choice vot- They are a blank slate; the history black- Howard Zinn, the U.S. empire was re- the so-called war on terror, the United ing can make sure that the winning can- board has been erased for them. Anyone sponsible for over 20 million bomb craters States is responsible for 37 million peo- didates have successfully appealed to the who does not love America uncondition- during the war in Southeast Asia. Can you ple being displaced in the world. The only majority of the voters. That’s a stronger ally is a traitor. They cannot absorb the imagine how many innocent people were way this is going to stop, is for 95% of the democracy. unspeakable truth, because they would murdered on the ground with 20 million world’s population to give an ultimatum Originally published in The Boston not be able to survive the unfathomable bomb craters? Can you imagine what it to 5% of the world’s population. Globe. betrayal by their own government. There- took to convince the American people Mike Hastie is a photojournalist liv- Elizabeth Warren is the senior senator fore, they will forever remain emotion- that this never happened? Five-hundred- ing in Portland, Ore. He served as a U.S. from Massachusetts. Jamie Raskin repre- ally immature. As a Viet Nam veteran, thousand Iraqi children died as a result of Army medic during the U.S. War in Viet sents Maryland’s 8th Congressional Dis- I am not allowed this mindset. I had to the U.S. murder machine, and 99% of the Nam. trict in the U.S. House of Representatives. Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020 peaceandplanetnews.org 11 Proud Boys: Blinded by the Light weapons, as well as paintball guns, base- Only those who ball bats, and bear mace. All of the members had a vigilante swagger. Three weeks lack any historical prior to this event, one of their members, Jay Danielson, had been shot and killed context can by an antifascist activist. The Proud Boys were itching for revenge for this killing. worship the U.S. The rally was to start at noon, so I got there about 11:30 a.m. When I arrived, I and its militarism noticed a heavy police presence on the fringes of the park. I could hear loud mu- sic coming from a large rented stage at- Photos and text by Mike Hastie tached to a pickup truck. On the stage was a movie-screen-sized American flag, and On Saturday, Sept. 26, I attended the a lot of other American flags and Trump Trump rally in Portland, Ore. The rally flags were attached to many pickup trucks was held in Delta Park, located off Inter- in the immediate area. Many in atten- state 5, about two miles from the bridge dance were also carrying American and that crosses over to Vancouver, Wash. A Trump re-election flags. The mood was far-right group, the Proud Boys, a national excited and festive. All kinds of Trump group with about 20,000 members, orga- T-shirts with patriotic messages were cans, because people were so desperate. mentioned is critical information that nized the gathering. The Oregonian men- being sold. The idolization of Donald The last six months of that war, the U.S. Trump supporters are cognitively aware tioned in an article that day that 10,000 J. Trump, 45th President of the United military barbarically fire-bombed count- of. In all sense of reality, they are a blank people might be in attendance. The at- States, was palpable. At noon, the rally less Japanese cities from a low altitude slate. The Proud Boys are absolutely clue- tendance was later estimated at about 500 started with a very loud rendition of “The with B-29 bombers—they scorched to less. I saw one of their leaders wearing people. I think many people did not show Star-Spangled Banner” played by a very death over a million civilians. These were a baseball cap that had “The War Boys” up because Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler good guitarist. It sounded very much all war crimes. written on it. They are wannabe tough and Gov. Kate Brown had put the word like the version that Jimi Hendrix played During the Viet Nam War, the U.S. mil- guys who never grew up. out that they would not tolerate any vio- at Woodstock in 1969. Following that, a itary committed atrocities every single When I came back from Viet Nam, lence from that group because there was minister stepped on the stage and led peo- day. I am aware of many of those atroc- where I was an Army medic, my core be- a counterprotest being held at Peninsula ple in a long prayer, asking everyone to ities, because I have known many Viet lief system was completely dismantled. I Park, about three miles away. The Proud pray for the city of Portland and to give Nam veterans who were involved in them. felt like a stranger in a strange land. I was Boys had a reputation for being heavily them the strength to overcome their radi- On April 4, 1967, Martin Luther King raised in a very patriotic military family armed with rifles and pistols and live am- cal and liberal thinking. The minister re- Jr. said this in a speech he gave at Riv- and I was emotionally wasted from all the munition. I had been to a couple of pre- quested that the day’s activities be peace- erside Church in New York City: “The lies I experienced in Viet Nam. I’ve spent vious demonstrations by this group, and ful. Following the prayer, everyone said greatest purveyor of violence in the world the last 50 years recovering from what I they were certainly armed with these the Pledge of Allegiance. After that, there today is my own government.” In that call, “Political Incest.” It is a deep wound were speakers who stressed the impor- same speech he also said, “A nation that of betrayal by the Fatherland. More Viet tance of the November election for saving continues year after year to spend more Nam veterans have committed suicide the heart and soul of American democ- money on military defense than on pro- than were killed (58,000 ) in Viet Nam. racy. One speaker emphasized that this grams of social uplift is approaching spir- I did not serve in Viet Nam for the cause election meant the difference between life itual death.” of freedom and democracy, I served Big or death in the future of America. And then, there is this emotionally riv- Business in America for the cause of profit. As I walked around and took pictures, the underlying theme was God, Guns, and Patriotism at any cost. I saw a woman They all believed that America was the greatest wearing a T-shirt with “Jesus Matters“ on the front. I saw many men with open- country that ever existed on the face of the Earth. carry rifles and pistols strapped to their legs. There was always a heavy fervor of None of them realized that while America prays unquenchable patriotic love for God and for peace, our economy worships war. None of them Country. They all believed that Amer- ica is the greatest country that has ever realize that the U.S. government is a global empire. existed on the face of the earth. None of them realized that while America prays The word fascism, means absolutely nothing to them. for peace, our economy worships war. None of them realize that the U.S. government is a global empire. The word fas- eting quote by Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., For many years after I came back from cism means absolutely nothing to them. who spoke at John Lewis’ funeral on July Viet Nam, I tried very hard to convince On a couple of occasions, the chant “Fuck 30, 2020. He said this with three former people that the entire Viet Nam War was Antifa” could be heard loud and clear. presidents in the church: “We will not be staged madness. I told anyone who would Other chants included ‘Build That Wall” quiet as long as our nation continues to be listen that the United States, the richest and “Four More Years.” the most violent culture in the history of country in the world, with the most pow- I am 75 years old; I was born in 1945, humankind.” erful military force ever known to man- six weeks before the atomic bombs were Lying is the most powerful weapon in kind, bombed the holy hell out of Viet dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. My war. The Iraq War that started in 2003 Nam, Laos, and Cambodia, three of the father was a career Army officer. In 1947 was launched on a complete fabricated poorest countries in the world. What is our family arrived in Tokyo. My father lie! Saddam Hussein never had weap- wrong with this picture? After awhile had a high security clearance, as his unit ons of mass destruction. All these wars people quit listening, often changing the was involved in the early stages of pre- are about making unbelievable profits for subject, or removing themselves from the paring for the Korean War. My parents re- American corporations. conversation. I kept asking myself, why The Gunslinger. member Japanese eating out of our trash Absolutely none of the things I have continued on page 11 … 12 peaceandplanetnews.org Peace and Planet News Special Supplement October 2020