No War on Venezuela!

The Trump administration has grown more bellicose by the day. While boats are regularly being attacked with orders given to take no prisoners, the Pentagon has mobilized weapons and a large contingent of  military personnel and Trump keeps saying attacking Venezuela itself is immanent. 

We urge you to contact Congress to make your voice heard LINKS HERE, and to join us in demonstrating opposition to this totally ginned-up war fever. Below is a copy of the letter Peaceworks Director Mark Haim sent to Sen. Hawley and other members of our Congressional delegation.
 

Dear Sen. Hawley,

I am writing to implore you, as an influential member of the Republican Party, to use whatever leverage you have to urge the President to reject war with Venezuela. Such a war would be:

1) A criminal act. If it was a war, it would be a war of aggression, which is the highest form of war crime based upon the Nuremberg Principles, enunciated in the aftermath of WWII and codified into international law.

2) Costly in terms of life and limb, U.S. as well as Venezuelan.

3) Financially costly with enormous opportunity costs; there is so much that's actually useful and needed that we could, and should, be spending on.

4) Not part of a war on drugs. There is no proof that most of the boats being attacked were carrying illegal drugs. Even if they were smuggling drugs, this would be a criminal matter. and the accused should be apprehended, along with evidence of their alleged crimes, and brought to justice, not murdered.

Further, the President has no credibility on this matter. He claims to be fighting drugs, while he's been pardoning actual drug kingpins, including former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who has been found guilty of smuggling hundreds of tons of contraband.

5) Would not be beneficial to national security. Hypocrisy and war-mongering does not win our country friends. The U.S. just comes across as a bully out to control others and expropriate the resources they possess.

At least 87 people have been killed in the attacks on boats. Let's not compound the tragedy by launching an actual war.

Sincerely,
Mark Haim

Another War?

 

Hello friends,
The last thing our country and the world need is another war. There are already so many going on simultaneously that it's hard to keep track of them all. They all bring pain and suffering, loss of life and limb, dislocation, environmental degradation and psychic scaring that leads to inter-generational trauma,

As we write this, analysts are claiming that Trump and Company have made a decision to enter the war. The U.S. has already been supplying Israel with tens of billions in armaments. Our government has been supplying intelligence, and has been helping Israel intercept incoming missiles. It now appears U.S. Forces will join Israel in bombing Iran; continuing and expanding a cycle of violence.

Trump initially claimed that, while the U.S. was informed about Israel's decision to go to war, the U.S. was not a party to the conflict. This has changed and, As you've likely heard, Trump has cast our lot in with Netanyahu and his war of aggression against Iran.

No debate, no Congressional authorizations, simply the adoption of Israel's war by joining it in the first person plural. In a new post on Truth Social using the term “We,” Trump wrote: “We now have complete and total control of the skies over Iran. The "we" refers to Israel and the U.S.

Our Constitution requires an act of Congress to go to war. This could come as a declaration of war. It also could, under the War Powers Act be facilitated by a resolution passed by both houses of Congress. Key, of course, is to have a debate in Congress and a vote, something no one in the Trump administration has even mentioned.

While Netanyahu and Trump claim Iran is on the verge of attaining a nuclear weapon, experts, including those in the U.S. intelligence community, disagree. Did anyone notice that Israel has a large nuclear arsenal, or that the U.S. has a massive one? It's pure hypocrisy to call out Iran, a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which Israel is not. This war is about hegemony; about dominance, not about nukes.

If allowed to continue, this will, unfortunately, likely be a deadly, protracted war; a forever war that harms all. Democracy Now! reports that, after just five days of war, “Israeli strikes since Friday have killed at least 585 people across Iran and wounded over 1,300. Iranian strikes on Israel have killed at least 23 people and injured more than 630.”

More war is insane. We need peace, cooperation, healing. Please do what you can. Make your voice heard. Below is contact info:

President Donald Trump
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comment line: 202/456-1111
11-3 Eastern, Tuesday-Thursday
 On-line Contact: HERE

Sen. Josh Hawley

212 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone 202-224-6154

Columbia Office: 1123 Wilkes Blvd., Suite 220
Columbia, MO 65201
Phone: (573) 554-1919
Fax: (573) 256-1805

On-line Contact: HERE

Sen. Eric Schmitt 
B11 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-5721
   
Columbia Office 1123 Wilkes Blvd., Suite 320
Columbia, MO 65201
Phone: (573) 514-8680

On-line Contact:  HERE

Rep. Mark Alford (4th District)

1516 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2876

Columbia Office
2401 Bernadette Dr. Ste. 117
Columbia, MO 65203
Phone: 573-540-6600.

On-line Contact: HERE

Rep. Bob Onder (3rd District)
1113 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2956
Fax: (202) 225-5712

Jefferson City Office:
235 E High St.
Jefferson City, MO 65101
Phone: (573) 635-7232
Fax: (573) 635-8347
On-line Contact: HERE

 

Our Non-Violent Movement Faces Bogus Charges of Anti-Semitism. Pursue Peace Through Non-Violence.

 

 The following post was written by Peaceworks Director, Mark Haim.

Pursue Non-Violence. Condemn the Actions of Netanyahu as well as Elias Rodriguez.

I write today as a Jewish American as well as as an advocate for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. I am responding to the murder, in cold blood, of two members of the staff of Israel's embassy in Washington, as well as the unrelenting Israeli war on Gaza which has cost the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinians.

Some seek to gain political advantage from the former, painting the peace movement as violent and antisemitic. Both charges, however, are bogus.

Let me make this perfectly clear. The peace movement is a force for non-violence. We unequivocally condemn the actions of the apparent gunman, Elias Rodriguez, who took the lives of Israeli embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim. Moreover, our demonstrations, vigils, sit-ins, encampments, etc. have been overwhelmingly peaceful. Members of our movement have been arrested and, in some cases, kidnapped, based upon them exercising their constitutionally guaranteed free speech rights, not due to any violence.

We reject the conflation of opposition to Israel's current actions in Gaza and the West Bank, or Zionism more generally, with antisemitism. Over the past year and a half I have participated in countless meetings, as well as several hundred vigils or demonstrations right here in CoMo and I have yet to encounter antisemitism among my fellow peace advocates.

In fact, I am a member of a local Jewish peace group, CoMo Jews 4 Ceasefire which has generally good relations with all segments of the community including the Islamic Center of Central Missouri, Congregation Beth Shalom as well as many secular groups. We don't all agree on everything with everybody, but our dialogue is respectful. There is, thankfully, no hate.

Solidarity with the people of Palestine and opposition to the slaughter of innocents is not hatred. In fact it is motivated by compassion and our caring for our fellow humans.

We support a just settlement to the longstanding conflict in Israel/Palestine. We unequivocally condemn the actions of Hamas and its allies on Oct. 7, 2023. We likewise condemn the disproportionate, genocidal actions of the Israeli military, including the bombing of civilians and the enforcement of a blockade that's led to starvation and illness, including the stunting of development of infants and children in Gaza. These are unacceptable war crimes.

Adding insult to injury, these crimes have been carried out on our dime, so to speak. U.S. taxpayers—we that is—are paying for many billions in arms and munitions, with most of the money going to U.S. military contractors. This war, which we've underwritten, has gone on far too long. It has cost far too many lives, severely injured many more, traumatized millions, and cost tens of billions. It must be stopped.

In closing, allow me to reiterate: We are voices for peace. We reject the attempts to smear our non-violent movement. Rodriguez does not represent the peace movement by any stretch of the imagination.

Our message: End the war. Free the hostages and prisoners. Feed the starving and provide the sorely needed medical care. Support a just and lasting peace.

No Mass Deportation--Opt Out from Collaboration

 

Peaceworks is calling upon our elected officials, whose job it is to represent we, the people, to refuse to participate in the mass deportation agenda of the Trump administration. The following is a comment shared by Peaceworks' Director Mark Haim, during the public comment period of the CoMo City Council meeting January 21:

Good evening. We all know many changes are happening now, due to the new administration.

Some of these changes would likely be very disruptive to the lives of Columbians.

Most immediately is the attempt to deport many millions of people, some of whom are members of our community.

Most of these folks are law-abiding, hard-working residents, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades.

They often do jobs few of us native-born citizens would want to.

If millions are deported, it would be an economic disaster for our country and a tragedy for those being deported and their families.

The City of Columbia should not, in my opinion, and in the opinion of hundreds of Peaceworks members, be complicit in this matter.

What we are asking of you is to make a policy that the Columbia Police Department will not collaborate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); that they will not turn over to ICE people who have simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Failing to come to a full stop at a stop sign should not lead to a full stop in one’s life.

Bottom line: We ask you to support the safety, integrity and dignity of the individuals and families who are part of our community.

Peaceworks is also circulating a petition regarding mass deportation. You can print a copy—or multiple copies—of the petition and return it to us signed, or you can come visit us at the Peace Nook and sign it there. We'd encourage you to collect the signatures of friends, family, colleagues, neighbors, etc.

You can access to print the 14 inch form HERE
or the 11 inch form HERE.