MFSO Newsletter October 2020

MFSO Newsletter September 2020

DU fact sheet

Like many other non-profits, our ability to raise operating funds has been impacted by COVID-19.  We had planned on participating in many events this year and have a surplus of t-shirts that we have not been able to sell at our usual tabling events.  Please consider helping us spead the word about MFSO and our mission by purchasing and wearing your MFSO T-Shirt!

Available in all adult sizes in either white or black.

To donate by check, please make your check out to MFSO and send to:

On July 18th, 2020, the 18th Annual Peacestock: A Gathering for Peace will take place virtually at 1pm via Zoom. Register here.
What is Peacestock?
Peacestock is a mixture of speakers, activists, and musicians. Peacestock features timely topics and seeks speakers who are well respected on those topics. Browse the archives of previous Peacestock festivals for reference, and watch video of our speakers.
Where can I register for the 2020 virtual event?
Register here: peacestockvfp.org/tickets
Who organizes Peacestock?
Peacestock is sponsored by Veterans for Peace, Chapter 115, in Red Wing and Veterans for Peace, Chapter 27, in Minneapolis, and has a peace-themed agenda.
Where can I connect to Peacestock on Social Media?
Facebook users: Please join our Peacestock Facebook page, found at https://facebook.com/peacestock
Twitter users: Please follow our Twitter account @peacestock, found at https://twitter.com/peacestock

Welcome to the VFP 2020 Online Convention!
We are excited to announce Veterans For Peace’s first Online Convention! We know that many of us will miss being able to greet each other in person but we also know that each and every one of us wants to make sure all of our members are safe and healthy. Convention will take place from August 2nd-9th, with the theme “Human Rights over Nuclear Might”. Since our founding, Veterans For Peace has had it in our goals “to end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons” and the week will mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. (This year also marks the 75th anniversary of the first nuclear explosion of all time at the Trinity Site, New Mexico, which occurred on July 16, 1945).

While we are so disappointed to not connect with everyone in person, we also see the amazing opportunity this presents for our organization. We see this as an opportunity to broaden our audience to many folks who have been unable to join us in person and to expand the possibilities of who may be able to participate and present for our workshops. Everyone in New Mexico has been amazingly generous and allowed us to rebook everything for 2021, so we will not miss out on the opportunity to gather in New Mexico next year!

We are busy making plans on an amazing array of workshops and plenaries and even creative ways to incorporate some social times. This year’s convention will highlight work being done to address nuclear weapons as well as nuclear colonialism and broader topics such as what decolonizing the peace movement looks like and highlight some of the amazing work being done within Veterans For Peace. We will be updating this website in the coming months with more information, which will include options on how to learn and navigate the convention technology. We will be doing our best to make sure that everyone who wants to participate will be able to have the technological support needed. Stay tuned for more details!
Signed,
2020 Online Convention Committee

Robert Vivar, MFSO board member and co-founder and co director United US Deported Veterans was interviewed on Via Voices last week. After living 40 years in the US, he was deported in 2014. His son is active duty Army and grandson recently enlisted in the US Marine Corps and so Robert works daily to help veterans before and after they’re deported. Take a listen to his recent interview on Via Voices and share our gratitude for the incredible work of our MFSO board member and humanitarian activist is doing. https://youtu.be/QcTh8jHxnqs

MFSO newsletter July 2020

Troops Home Now!

Editorials from MFSO members:

Army Mom’s Response to Mobilizing the US Military to Stop American Demonstrations

As a proud mother of an Army officer who was deployed to DC last week, I am completely disgusted that President Trump, who obviously does not understand the Constitution, issued an order to deploy active duty U.S. Army troops to DC and no one else in his cabinet signed off on it! Trump just told the Secretary of the Army to, “Do it.”

Also, before a president can invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807, he along with his attorney general must first issue a “proclamation to disperse”, which they did not do.

This act allows a President a major exception to deploy our military on U.S. soil, which is otherwise unconstitutional. Trump did exactly that, yet of course he found a loophole so that he didn’t initially have to call it the Insurrection Act. You see, Washington DC is a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the US Congress. It is not a state and it has no governor that needs to request or approve such action.

To give a bit of history, President Ulysses S. Grant invoked the Insurrection Act in 1871-72 during and after the Civil War to protect African-Americans from attacks by the KKK and to enforce equal protection under the 14th amendment of the Constitution.

In 1957, President Eisenhower called on the US Army’s 101st airborne division to safely escort nine black students into Little Rock Central High School after the governor used the Arkansas National Guard to prevent students from entering the school! In 1962 and 1963, President John F. Kennedy deployed The National Guard to stand in the school house door and also to enforce desegregation orders on Alabama public schools. In 1968, President Johnson brought in the 82nd and the 101st Airborne to the Detroit riots and also in response to protests sparked by MLK’s assassination. It was last invoked in 1992 by President George H.W.Bush in L.A. after the state requested assistance during the Rodney King riots.

Now, exactly the opposite is happening. In contrast, after states called up the National Guard to maintain order, Trump decided it was further necessary to propose the use of the Insurrection Act and unilaterally brought into DC the military police from the National Guard. He then mobilized the Army’s 82nd Airborne without the request from any local, city or state government! Trump wanted troops to rise against and control crowds of US citizens that were lawfully and peacefully protesting, which is their first amendment right. Trump’s fear and intimidation tactics were outrageous in my opinion. Apparently the ACLU agrees and has filed lawsuits against the President and Attorney General Bill Barr for ordering an attack against White House protesters. Did he expect that the military would fire upon innocent citizens? This is not what they signed up for.

The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 limits the use of military personnel under federal command for law-enforcement purposes in the United States. General Mark Milley, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, verbalized yesterday on TV that he felt it was a mistake that he was in front of the church for Trump’s photo op moment after the National Guard blasted peaceful citizens and the press with pepper bullets and tear gas. General Milley went on to say that it created the perception that the military was involved in domestic politics!
The way Trump shamefully ambushed some of his cabinet for this last minute stunt was beyond outrageous in my opinion. Trump’s actions have also drawn criticism from multiple military leaders. General James Mattis, former Defense Secretary said, “We do not need to militarize our response to protests, we need to unite around a common purpose.” Mattis went on to say that, “Trump was the first president in my lifetime that did not try to unite the American people- does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us.”

Our military does not need to be used as pawns in this situation. To make matters worse, after my son returned home from three nights in DC, I was mortified to find out that for two of the nights, they had to sleep on the floor of a dirty gymnasium with no blankets etc. The last night there, they put some of them up in a hotel that had been used for COVID-19 patients that they had re-purposed! Is that any way to treat our men and women in uniform? As far as I’m concerned he should’ve put them up in Trump Tower!

These peaceful protests are a long overdue uprising against hate, prejudice and injustice in our country. I hope that everyone goes out to VOTE in November. Please let your voices be heard. 🙏🏼☮️

A Concerned Army Mom
Military Families Speak Out

In the News:

Afghanistan’s vision for peace: A conversation with its President   This is a transcript of an interview of Afghanistan’s President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on his views of Afghanistan.  I believe it’s always a good idea understand how leaders of a country think about how to lead their country out of war.  Link to story

Taliban still hasn’t met conditions for US withdrawal from Afghanistan   It’s looking like most everyone is pushing back on Trump’s plans to leave Afghanistan-from our own members of congress and US generals. It sure looks like no one is ready to bring our family members home.  Link to story

US troop reinforcements arrive to secure oil region in Syria  US troops are said to be expanding their base at the Al-Omar Oil Field, to the east of Deir Ez-Zor  Link to story

Taliban, US Spar Over Al-Qaida Presence in Afghanistan  Why does the U.S. believe we can only leave if Al-Qaida is out of Afghanistan? Anyone can say I’m Al-Qaida.  The Taliban on Thursday rejected a top American general’s assessment that the al-Qaida leadership is still based in Afghanistan, insisting that no foreign fighters linked to the group are present in the country.  Link to story

From Jeff’s desk  DOD has stopped allowing family members moving to the Gulf States, but have not removed the families currently in the area.  In my view, this looks like the military is looking into removing a large number of troops from the area. On the other hand, they may be thinking that in the long term it may be riskier to keep families there.

Note: The opinions reflected above and in future editorials are not a reflection of  any official stance approved by the MFSO board, which meets monthly and posts official positions decided by the board on our website. Your responses and opinions are welcome. If you would like to send your own editorial on any MFSO related issue, please send to mfsooc@earthlink.net

Contributions & editing by: Army mom, Jeff Merrick & Pat Alviso-CA.