12 People

On Monday (Feb 15 2009) I listened in a mixture of disbelief & disgust to the morning radio news which mentioned that 12 civilians died in Afghanistan after NATO rockets struck their house in Marjah in the Helmand province. A brief, clinical, apology for “the loss of life” followed by the NATO commander and then focus of the news item quickly returned to “the military offensive”.  The morning news then continued & I sat there wondering about humanity, journalism, governance, democracy, life. There were so many unanswered questions.

By monday evening the story was even further down the playlist. Whilst the duration of the story was unchanged, the apology had been replaced by regrets over the incident due to the damage it would undoubtably do to the image of the offensive. Further comment informed the listening public that the use of rockets was being suspended & that this would also hinder the progress of offensive. This only served to add to the list of unanswered questions that were spilling over in my head….

Why was this not reported as murder? Why were we not advised that 12 people were killed? Why was the passive (“died”) used? Why the abstract “loss of life”? Who has “lost” here? Will anyone gain? Humanity? Will anyone every be held accountable for this? What would happen if 12 innocent people were killed by rocket attack on a house in Europe? In USA? In Ireland ? Are the forces responsible acting on my behalf? Am I somehow consciously/unconsciously supporting this ‘offensive’ ? Who were the slain family? What were their names? What were their plans for their futures? How will this affect their community? Did they die instantly? Did they suffer? Could anything have been done to save them? To ease their suffering? What exactly was the cause of the rocket hitting the house? Was it definitely an accident? Will anything change in the military as a result? Why are they (NATO forces) there in the first place? How much was done to help the affected civilians? To help the PR efforts of those responsible? Are there women, children, family, remaining without anyone to care for them? Why were they referred to as ‘people’ in one report and ‘taliban’ in another? Is it ok to kill Taliban? Who dictates how news events are reported? Do the public not want to hear the human side of the story? Why not, surely this is “reality  tv” at its most real? When did this sanitisation of news reporting commence? Has it crept up on us? Do people prefer this approach? Who is behind it? Surely a state broadcaster has a duty of balanced, humanitarian reporting? Is war propaganda reporting something that only happened in other countries? Or in the past? Why is there national uproar over a sporting injustice but barely a whisper over loss of life? Do others feel as I do? Are they also somewhat confused? Where are they? Where is their voice? Will anything change? How does it start? Who will lead it? Do we really live in a democracy? Is what living in a civilised democracy means?

Noel Guinan - Dublin

The Irish Anti-War Movement (IAWM) will hold a demonstration this Friday January 29th at 5pm outside the British Embassy in Ballsbridge, Dublin. The protest has been organised to coincide with the appearance of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair before the Chilcott inquiry, where he will answer questions about his role in launching the war on Iraq in 2003.

The protest will coincide with a series of protests taking place in Britain at the Chilcott inquiry and on the previous day (Thursday 28th) at the international conference on Afghanistan, hosted by current British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown.

The IAWM, like its British counter-part, the Stop the War Coalition, believe any serious inquiry into Mr Blair's role in the Iraq war could only conclude that he told multiple and deliberate lies to justify an aggressive and illegal war.

Similarly, the British and Irish anti-war movements believe that the international conference on Afghanistan being hosted by Gordon Brown, the day before Mr Blair's appearance at the inquiry, is a cynical attempt to re-brand the hugely unpopular war in Afghanistan as the "good war," when it is one equally as immoral as that fought in Iraq.

On New Year’s Day Galway Alliance Against War (GAAW) held a successful peace party to welcome in the new decade – our aim is that this decade should be a much more peaceful one than the bloody one just gone. Alas, the signs are not promising. Any difference between Obama and Bush is not discernible. Ireland continues to play an active part in this bogus “war on terror”. More than €3 million per year is spent by the Irish government to protect what has become a US military installation at Shannon airport. Sure, the airport has had a financial return of €7 million on an annual basis, but at what price? The end of Irish neutrality: Ireland becoming an accessory to both mass murder and the wholesale abuse of human rights. Amnesty International have underlined this fact this week by reiterating that Shannon Airport has been directly linked to “extraordinary rendition” and the Guantanamo torture jets – for example in the case of Binyam Mohamad.

Mr Obama, tell me lies about Afghanistan (*)

By John Pilger New Statesman 30 December 09

In trying to justify his war in Afghanistan, President Obama has told a series of lies about 9/11, al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Welcome to the world of George Orwell.

In Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell described a superstate, Oceania, whose language of war inverted lies that "passed into history and became truth. 'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan, 'controls the future: who controls the present controls the past'."

Barack Obama is the leader of a contemporary Oceania. In two speeches at the close of the decade, the Nobel Peace Prize-winner affirmed that peace was no longer peace, but rather a permanent war that "extends well beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan" to "disorderly regions, failed states, diffuse enemies".

The Galway Alliance Against War is holding a New Year’s Day Peace Party in the Rowing Club, Woodquay, Galway on January 1st starting at 7pm and admission is FREE.

The Guest of Honour will be Malalai Joya, a female member of the Afghan parliament, who has survived 4 assassination attempts – she is hated by both the Karzai regime that banned her from parliament and the Taliban.

Human Rights Watch described her as “the bravest woman in Afghanistan”. GAAW has arranged for a telephone link-up with Ms Joya from her base in the mountains of Afghanistan – Galway’s local peace group believes it will be a truly unique experience for people in Galway to hear first hand why the war in Afghanistan is not the solution to the problems of that troubled country.

GAAW is also hoping to have Sue Glenton, the wife of British Refusenik Lance Cpl Joe Glenton, as well as British MP George Galloway on this cyber-platform. At present Mr Galloway is leading Viva Palistina the multi-national relief convoy that is headed for Gaza to help break the Israeli blockade of that small Palestinian enclave. Galwegians will recall that this week marks the first anniversary of the Israeli onslaught of the Gaza Strip that left over a thousand Palestinian civilians dead.

The Galway Alliance Against War  warmly invites you to  our

"New Year's Peace Party"
to bid Good Riddance to the War Years of the Noughties,
and to Welcome in a new Decade for Peace.

Friday 1st January 2010 from 7pm in the Rowing Club, Woodquay, Galway City

There will be an Afghanistan theme to the occasion with Afghan war slide show, exhibition, talks and music...all for free. People are asked to bring along a dish of food to share if they are able. Bar service available.

Please come along and join in for a natter or for the night.

Also if you have any resources that we could possibly use  e.g. photos/posters/videos/slide shows/music please contact:

Dette 5dette@eircom.net

And finally, we are hoping to have musicians that have anti-war/peace sentiments. If you can fit the bill please also contact Dette as above.

thanks for any assistance you may be able to give.
wishing you a peaceful festive season,

dette mc loughlin
gaaw convenor

Matthis Chiroux is an Afghanistan veteran who refused to go back and won his subsequent trial.

He was with us here in Dublin at our IAWM AGM.

Hi folks. Just want to send out an account of my arrest last night at West Point in protest of Obama's escalation of the war in Afghanistan that he was announcing inside. Very successful action with many people participating and what's sure to be a few fun court dates to come! I feel fine and really appreciate being able to put down my thoughts about experiences like this and send them out to share with people to be shared with others. Hope ya'll find the time to read and pass around.

Peace and Solidarity,

Matthis Chiroux

by Joseph Gerson*

    Shortly after President Obama's Afghanistan War escalation speech, I was contacted by the Voice of America's Russian Language Service. They wanted to interview me. These are the questions they asked: What do you think about Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan? Were you
surprised by it? Do you think it would be possible to carry out all Obama's objectives by 2011? Would Afghanistan, you think, cease to being a failed state?

    Weighted down by a sense of the tragic implications of the speech, I answered as follows:

    How could we be surprised? During the 2008 election campaign candidate Obama repeatedly and unknowingly said that the Afghanistan war is a "good war." Back then that was the politically expedient thing to do, and many of his supporters who were rightfully outraged by the damage wrought by Bush and Cheney simply ignored what he was saying.