Texas Labor Against the War

Participants shared the reading of the famous speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at New York’s Riverside Church, expressing his opposition to the Vietnam War and how the issues of war, racism, and social justice are interrelated.  Let us remember the entirety of Dr. King’s career and the breadth of his commitments.

Full gallery of photos at https://www.facebook.com/events/391679220842278/403276059682594/#!/media/set/?set=a.3663930439214.168836.1303320134&type=1, album by Fran Clark.

See more at http://www.instrumentsforpeace.org/

See more at http://www.instrumentsforpeace.org/

Join us on Friday, January 27th at 7:00 p.m. at 5604 Manor for screening of
the documentary “Hidden Battles.”  “Hidden Battles”, a feature length documentary, is a dramatic and deeply personal film about the psychological impact of killing on the lives of five soldiers.  (see trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDSQETnkIgk)

Representing a cross section of nationalities, gender, class and race, these soldiers reveal intimate memories about the central act of war, the killing of another human being. How do these
individuals make sense of what they have done? What happens when time challenges
their carefully constructed stories? Consciously apolitical but deeply psychological, Hidden Battles examines the strength and struggles of men and women who kill and how they create a life for themselves afterward.

Immediately following the film, volunteers with Under the Hood Cafe & Outreach Center will talk about their efforts to support IVAW’s (Iraq Veterans Against the War) Operation Recovery, an outreach program promoting traumatized soldiers’ right to heal.

$10 suggested donation at the door.  All donations support the work of
Under the Hood Cafe & Outreach Center.   http://underthehoodcafe.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/underthehoodcafe#!/underthehoodcafe

also see event announcement at https://www.facebook.com/events/217030288384556/

The Fort Hood Support Network (FHSN) operates Under the Hood Cafe and Outreach Center, FHSN is a Texas non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status.

On December 23, 2011, U.S. Labor Against the War sent this solidarity statement to the unions in Iraq.

Dear Comrades in the Iraqi Labor Movement:

U.S. Labor Against the War recognizes that the end to formal U.S. military occupation of Iraq does not end continuing U.S. interference in the internal affairs of Iraq. The Maliki regime has given
permission to the U.S. to continue to operate unarmed Predator drones from Iraqi
bases, purportedly to provide the Turkish government with intelligence on the
activities of PKK fighters operating in the mountains of Iraq. These can be
armed and redeployed elsewhere in Iraq whenever the U.S. desires.

Many thousands of private mercenary security forces will remain and the U.S.
government has constructed the largest embassy in the world to manage and direct
its continuing interference in Iraqi affairs. It may redeploy many of the
departing troops to bases in Kuwait and other areas in the region, positioned to
reenter Iraq on short notice if U.S. interests appear to be threatened.

The Maliki regime is a political creation of the U.S. occupation, not a
legitimate expression of the democratic will of the Iraqi people. Already
parties that had been cobbled together to provide Maliki with a majority in
Parliament have abandoned him as he aggravates sectarian tensions for partisan
advantage. As a predictable outcome of the U.S. divide and conquer policies that
pitted religious, sectarian, ethnic and regional interests against one another,
Iraq will now likely see escalating sectarian conflict. The responsibility for
this belongs first and foremost to the U.S. government.

Predatory multinational corporations have not abandoned their plans to gain control over
Iraq’s abundant oil and gas reserves. Therefore, the struggle by the Iraqi
people to regain full sovereignty over the nation’s natural resources will
continue because the neo-liberal scheme to privatize the Iraqi economy has not
been abandoned.

The struggle to establish human and labor rights will continue because under U.S. occupation, those rights were a fiction, and were and continue to be regularly violated. The Iraqi government has ignored the country’s own constitution, which calls for the adoption of a basic labor rights
law that conforms to international standards, and continues to enforce the 1987
antiunion decree of the dictatorship, adding even more repressive edicts in an
effort to cripple the Iraqi labor movement and suppress the movement for true
democratic rights. In this the U.S. and Maliki regime will fail because the
Iraqi labor movement will not forfeit its rights. The will of the Iraqi people
for a true democracy and Iraqi sovereignty will prove stronger than the schemes
of a corrupt regime that serves as a willing pawn for U.S. interests.

The U.S. debt to Iraqis will not be paid by the withdrawal of U.S. military forces.
We consider it our honor and duty to stand in solidarity with you, to hold our
government to account, to demand that our government abandon its interference in
the internal affairs of Iraq, to struggle in support of your national
sovereignty and human and labor rights, and to demand that reparations without
strings be paid for the horrific damage inflicted on Iraq and its people.

The U.S. military was driven from Iraq by the iron resolve of the Iraqi
people to be free of all foreign domination, supported by the solidarity of U.S.
and other antiwar forces around the world which finally made it politically
untenable for the occupation to continue. The work of U.S. Labor Against the
War, founded nine years ago in January in response to the threat of the illegal
U.S. invasion, does not end with the departure of U.S. troops. The bonds of
solidarity USLAW forged with the Iraqi labor movement through nine years of
struggle will continue.

We extend to you and the courageous labor movement and working people of Iraq our heartfelt wishes for peace, democracy, justice, security and sovereignty in the new year.

Yours in solidarity and struggle,

USLAW Co-convenors: Kathy Black, Gene Bruskin, Bob Muehlenkamp, Brooks Sunkett, Nancy Wohlforth, Michael Zweig

Staff: National Coordinator Michael Eisenscher, National Organizer Tom Gogan, Administrative Coordinator Adrienne Nicosia

On behalf of the Steering Committee and 195 labor organizations affiliated with U.S. Labor Against the War

Thanks, Jeff Zavala, for the video evidence.  More to come on how we can support the young woman who got 3 broken ribs by the police but was herself charged with assault!

http://blip.tv/zgraphix/freeze-flash-mob-police-brutality-don-t-buy-war-5793178

CodePink Austin, along with allies from Veteran’s for Peace and Women in Black staged a Don’t Buy War “freeze” at Barton Creek Mall on Saturday, December 3rd. The strategically chosen mall location was between the Santa photo station and the Gamestop store, which prominently advertises the ‘Modern Warfare 3′ video game. The goals were to raise awareness about the continuing wars on Iraq and Afghanistan, to educate shoppers about the costs (both human and economic) of the wars, and to dissuade parents from purchasing war toys. The creative action was well received by shoppers, and several veterans approached the group to thank us. All was peaceful until mall security and APD arrived, and an APD officer brutally attacked a young woman who had joined the group spontaneously. Produced for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala. A ZGraphix Production. http://zgraphix.org http://twitter.com/zgraphix http://facebook.com/zgraphix.org http://austin.indymedia.org

November 2011

Under the Hood Café and Button Field Press present:

Combat Paper Project Workshop: from uniform to pulp….battlefield to workshop….warrior to artist
Saturday, November 5, 12 noon-6 p.m.
The workshop will include paper making from unserviceable
uniforms for servicemembers and veterans to facilitate communication that transcends the barriers of verbal communication.  Visit our website for more details.

Under the Hood Café & Operation Recovery present:

Warrior Writers – Fort Hood Community Arts Forum

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Hoodstock III.  It was a great success!
In fact, it may have been our best Hoodstock so far.  Throughout the night, we estimate that
more than 100 people showed up to hear great performers, including Barbara K & Richard Bowden, The Possum
Posse and the amazing Austin Lounge Lizards.  Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in
a silent auction.  We sold beautiful items by great local artists including work by  Alan Pogue, Jim McCullough Studio, Carlos Lowry, Just Seeds Art Collective, JoAnn Mulert, and Malachi Muncy.   Those in attendance also had the opportunity to hear from a number of soldiers who currently benefit from the support Under the Hood
provides.  It was a great evening of fun, music, friendship, and serious conversation.

So maybe you didn’t get to attend Hoodstock III, but you still want to show your support of Under the Hood. Well, it’s never too late! You can still show your support by making a contribution today. Whether you are making a one-time donation or want to sign up as a sustainer, it’s easy to contribute through PayPal.

Check out the  ResiStore! Now you can purchase great items
and support Under the Hood at the same time. Check it out here.

UPDATE FROM SEPTEMBER:

The
Fort Hood Support Network (FHSN) operates Under the Hood Café and Outreach
Center.  FHSN is a Texas non-profit corporation with 501(c)(3) tax
exempt status.  Donations may be treated as
tax-deductible.

Police in Oakland critically injure  Iraq war veteran during Occupy
Oakland crack-down

Iraq war vet Scott Olsen wounded by Oakland police (photo Hart Noecker)

Tell Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to investigate this incident and allow
peaceful protests to continue.

Click
here to send her an email message
• Call the Mayor’s office: (510) 238-3141

Post a message on her Facebook
page

Scott Olsen, a Marine veteran who did two tours in Iraq, was hit by a police
projectile during last night’s brutal police crackdown of Occupy Oakland.  He is
in serious but stable condition at an Oakland hospital.

It’s ironic that days after Obama’s announcement of the end of the Iraq War,
Scott faced a veritable war zone in the streets of Oakland last night.  He and
other protesters were surrounded by explosions and smoke (tear gas) going off
around him as people nearby carried him injured while yelling for a medic.

A disturbing video can be seen at http://ivaw.org/

The Bay Area Indy Media center also
posted dramatic photos of Scott being cared for and escorted to saftey right
after he was hit.
WARNING: these images are graphic and disturbing: http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2011/10/25/18695124.php

More and more veterans are joining the 99% Movement

Scott is a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War who was discharged from
military service with the Marines in 2010 after two tours in Iraq.  He is one of
many veterans who have returned home and gotten involved in the Occupy protests
taking place in hundreds of cities around the nation.  Veterans like Scott
recognize that they are part of the 99% who face uncertain economic futures,
including few job prospects and rising tuition costs. Rates of homelessness and
unemployment are higher for veterans than for their civilian counterparts.

IVAW members around the country have been participating in their local Occupy
demonstrations, and are finding other veterans there as well.  “Our members are
flocking to these occupations,” says Joyce Wagner, IVAW Board President who has
been participating in Occupy Pittsburgh.  “The Occupy encampments are a great
place to meet other veterans, network, and get veterans services.  We’re
actually bringing a VA social worker to our camp and have several older
homeless veterans in our camp.”

Supporting Scott’s recovery

Scott remains in stable but critical condition at an Oakland hospital
awaiting a decision about whether he will undergo surgery. We have set up a
medical fund to support any up-coming health needs he has.
To contribute to this fund, click here.
Thank you for your support. We will keep you posted on Scott’s condition.

In Solidarity,

Iraq Veterans Against the War

U.S. Labor Against the War marches in New York, supports the “Occupy” movement.

http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/section.php?id=153