"The average U.S. taxpayer was forced to contribute more to militarized programs than to Medicare and Medicaid combined in 2023, according to a new analysis released Tuesday by the National Priorities Project."
With eyes on how to get the bridge debris out of the #Baltimore harbor, thought I'd share this extremely large floating crane which was built & used by the Germans in WWII, then seized after the war and transported to Long Beach. It lived there until the naval yard closed in the 1990s and then moved onward to the Panama Canal
Wir brauchen dringend Führungskräfte, die der Diplomatie Vorrang vor der Zerstörung, dem Mitgefühl vor dem Konflikt & der Menschlichkeit vor der Selbstüberschätzung einräumen
Melissa Garriga ist Media Relations Manager von CODEPINK – Women for Peace codepink.org
“We live in an era of dire emergencies. The urgency of the times demands a politics that recognizes that the looming threat of fascism presents us with a moment in which it is crucial not to give up on the imagination, to imagine the impossible as possible, and to embrace a vision of the future and sense of collective struggle in which there is life beyond gangster capitalism. This is not a choice; it is a necessity.”
"In one of the largest mass arrests of recent years, police in #NewSouthWales (NSW) detained some 109 protesters on Sunday evening. They had participated in a 30-hour maritime demonstration of 34 kayaks, surfboards and pontoons at the port of Newcastle, aimed at blocking coal shipments and the broader promotion of fossil fuels. The protest had been given police permission until 4 p.m., at which point the arrests suddenly started.
"The arrests point to a deepening crackdown on the #RightToProtest. Significantly, this is being spearheaded by Labor governments, now in office federally and at the state and territory levels across mainland #Australia. The detentions indicate official fears over growing social opposition, related not only to climate change, but to Israel’s genocidal assault on #Gaza, a broader eruption of #militarism and the soaring cost-of-living.
"The action, organised by the #RisingTide organisation, saw dozens and at times more than a hundred people take to the water in small vessels to prevent #coal loads from exiting the port. The activists said they succeeded in delaying multiple shipments, but noted that this is only a fraction of the coal that passes through the port each year.
"In comments at the protest and since, representatives of Rising Tide pointed to the increasingly catastrophic consequences of climate change. In Australia, this included one of the worst #bushfire seasons in 2019-20, and massive #floods in northern NSW and parts of #Queensland last year that displaced thousands.
"Along with their abandonment of the flood victims and others impacted by climate change, the Labor governments are doing nothing to address the underlying crisis.
"The federal Labor administration cynically appealed to discontent over the issue in the May 2022 election. Its policy is a 43 percent emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. Scientists have warned that both are woefully inadequate, compared with the scale of the crisis. But even these targets are entirely meaningless, with Labor approving dozens of new coal and #gas projects across the country.
"The protest was not a snap action or an unauthorised event. It had received prior approval from police. Demonstrators were addressed by prominent political figures, including federal Greens leader Adam Bandt and one of his predecessors, #Bob Brown. The Greens, their references to the environmental crisis notwithstanding, seek to collaborate with Labor, as it greenlights #FossilFuel projects and defends the whole profit system that is responsible for climate change.
"Given the establishment character of the speakers and the police authorisation, the subsequent crackdown was particularly striking.
"Police have claimed that approval was only until 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon and that participants then refused to leave the port’s waters. By 5:30 p.m., the port was cleared, and its operations were resumed.
"The speed of the police crackdown indicates extensive prior planning. Footage on social media shows at least one police vessel approaching the activists and moving to detain them.
"The police arrests were indiscriminate. Among the 109 arrested was #AlanStuart, a 97-year-old clergyman. Five children were detained.
"In a statement on X/Twitter, Legal Observers NSW said five of its representatives were arrested. 'Observers were present to document the actions of police and connect any protesters arrested with legal representation,' it stated.
"Despite being marked out with coloured vests and having repeatedly spoken to police during the event, the observers were nevertheless hauled in. They noted that this was an attack on 'the right to document and monitor protest as media and independent observers,' which 'is an internationally protected right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.'
"Three of the legal observers were charged, joining more than 100 others. Even the children who participated have reportedly been referred to relevant authorities under the Young Offenders Act.
"The blanket charge applied to the adult protesters of unreasonable interference by use of a vessel under section 13 of the state’s Marine Safety Act carries a maximum penalty of a $5,500 fine. While most protesters were released on bail after being booked, two organisers, including one with impaired vision, were detained overnight in a police watchhouse. They received hundreds of dollars in fines, with a judge declining to impose the maximum fine because of their lack of a criminal history. The remaining protesters face court next year.
"The arrests and charges were clearly intended to send a message that further disruptions will not be tolerated. If that were not the case, the protesters could simply have been moved on without the mass detention or subsequent charges."
Arms, ethnic domination, choking dissent: Why India is embracing the Israel model
From refusing to recognise Israel to making Tel Aviv a key ally, India’s trajectory reflects a questioning of its very foundations, writes Sajjad Hassan.
“If you like Walmart, then you ought to love the U.S. Navy. It’s the Navy that makes Walmart possible." One doesn't have to agree with the conclusions of the author to find the topic and history (US naval power and maritime order) interesting:
"“DARPA is investing in leveraging nature to support mission resilience by establishing the REEFENSE program (a combination of “reef” and “defense”). REEFENSE isn’t a restoration effort..."
An acknowledgment that we are way past "restoration" with a lot of ecologies. I'd prefer this to be managed by oh anyone other than DARPA however
This picture... How does anyone think that putting these two in front of your flag looks patriotic rather than all the worst, nightmare aspects of militaristic?
I HAVE A LONG FAMILY HISTORY OF MILITARY SERVICE! FROM WW2, PACIFIC, EUROPE , TO THE KOREAN WAR, PEACE TIME, VIETNAM, IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN!
TO HAVE A GOVERNMENT THAT FULLY BACK'S THE MILITARY COMPLE ITSELF AND NOT THE SOLDIERS AND THEIR FAMILY'S IS A BETRAYAL OF AMERICA ITSELF! YOU CANNOT SEPARATE THE 2 AS HARD AS THEY TRY!
#UNICEF: “This year has been the deadliest year on record for children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with conflict-related violence reaching unprecedented levels.
“83 children have been killed in the past twelve weeks – more than double the number of children killed in all of 2022, amid increased military and law enforcement operations. More than 576 have been injured and others have reportedly been detained. Furthermore, the West Bank has been heavily affected by movement and access restrictions."
#WestBank, occupied #Palestine:
'The neighbourhood has now become completely isolated from the town, without services, medical centres, or even access to schools'