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Articles by Jon Rainwater
The $72 Billion Power Grab: How Republicans Are Using a Budget Trick to Build Trump's Personal Deportation Force — and How Congress Can Still Stop It
You know their names. was 37 years old, a poet, a mother of three, when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer named Jonathan Ross fired three shots into her car on a January morning in Minneapolis. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has ruled her death a . Evidence indicates she was still alive when other federal agents prevented a bystander physician from reaching her.
Divide on Gaza
Wednesday’s Senate votes on Sen Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval (JRDs) that would have blocked specific weapons transfers to Israel crystallized two critical realities within the Democratic Party as well as within the progressive movement more broadly. On one hand, 27 Senators, a majority of Democratic caucus, listened to their consciences and made a historic break with decades of unquestioned US military aid to Israel.
Narrowing the Democratic Divide on Gaza | Common Dreams
Wednesday’s Senate votes on Sen. Bernie Sanders’ that would have blocked specific weapons transfers to Israel crystallized two critical realities within the Democratic Party as well as within the progressive movement more broadly. On one hand, 27 Senators, a majority of Democratic caucus, listened to their consciences and made a historic break with decades of unquestioned U.S. military aid to Israel.
The Sudan Crisis and America's Complicity: When Corruption Fuels Atrocity | Common Dreams
In a world deluged with crises—each vying for our limited attention—the catastrophe unfolding in Sudan has remained largely invisible to the American public. Yet, by almost any measure, it is among the most severe humanitarian emergencies of our time. Over 30 million people—two-thirds of Sudan’s population—now require humanitarian support. More than 12 million have been displaced, and famine threatens to claim countless lives.
Call Your Senators Now: Sanders' Bill Seeks to Block U.S. Weapons Transfers | Common Dreams
Another moment of truth for Gaza has arrived. Any day now, the Senate will vote on Senator Bernie Sanders' resolutions to block $8.8 billion in U.S. arms sales to Israel – and every single American who believes in human rights needs to flood Senate phone lines demanding support for these resolutions.
The Dangerous Folly of Labeling Mexican Cartels 'Terrorist Organizations' | Common Dreams
In the capricious tapestry that is U.S. foreign policy, you can find a recurring pattern: Washington champions sovereignty as a holy principle of the international order when it aligns with its interests—think Ukraine under Biden—but casually disregards it when inconvenient.
‘Watering Down’ Genocide: No More Moral Compromises On Palestine, Please | Countercurrents
Why are many amongst us still tiptoeing around language when it comes to the horrific Israeli genocide in Gaza? Layers of censorship imposed on Palestinian and pro-Palestinian voices in corporate and social media seem to have blurred the judgment of some. They continue to speak of a ‘conflict’, calling on ‘both sides’ to use ‘restraint’ and, partly, blaming the Palestinian Resistance for the ongoing Israeli massacres.
Israel Destroys Gaza And Palestine And Arab Leaders Lost The Future| Countercurrents
Monsters of Histroy Defy Truth, Justice, Sanctity of Life and Earth Horrors of insanity and Israeli war continued to plague the entire Arab region and people of Gaza and Palestine are being subjected to planned crimes against humanity and genocide without any global challenge to the catastrophic atrocities. Since May, the bogus Three-Phase so called Israeli formula for a ceasefire remains a puzzle to rational understanding.
Enlightened Leadership--Four Golden Opportunities The USA Lost And How A Fifth One Can Arise| Countercurrents
The USA is a country blessed with enormous resources and suitable geographic location (particular in terms of geo-strategic advantage). The USA’s quest for dominating the world has been in news repeatedly—generally in the context of a lot of distress and destruction. However there can be a different path—not of dominance but of enlightened leadership. Whereas dominance is based on force and threats, enlightened leadership is based on goodwill earned justly from a record of peace and justice.
On The Assassination Of Armstrong, Tamil Nadu State President Of The Bahujan Samaj Party| Countercurrents
Very startling revelations have emerged from the investigation, conducted so far by Tamil Nadu police, into the broad daylight murder of State BSP chief K Armstrong. According to the latest reports, a wider network is said to have been involved in hatching a conspiracy to wipe out the BSP leader. In this conspiracy, functionaries across the political spectrum joined hands to kill the BSP leader. The suspected conspirators are reported to be functionaries of DMK,AIADMK,TMC and BJP.
Gaza That Haunts Me
It took me about eight months to sit and write about Gaza. Like most people, I went through a wide range of emotionsthat ranged from severe depression to severe helplessness, accompaniedby crying from pain I have never felt and disappointmentfrom a “free” and “unfree” world. Emotionally, I am no longer myself. As much as Gaza has hurt me, it changed me to the core.
Will Kamala Harris Pivot On Gaza And Win The ‘Uncommitted’ Vote?| Countercurrents
As the surreal and high-stakes 2024 Presidential election careens through its surprising twists and turns, one thing is near certain—at the finish line the election will be decided by a relatively small margin. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, as the likely Democratic nominee, would do well to appeal to the over 650,000 people who voted for “uncommitted” or cast other protest votes in the primary.
Will Kamala Harris Pivot on Gaza and Win the ‘Uncommitted’ Vote? | Common Dreams
As the surreal and high-stakes 2024 Presidential election careens through its surprising twists and turns, one thing is near certain—at the finish line the election will be decided by a relatively small margin. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, as the likely Democratic nominee, would do well to appeal to the over 650,000 people who voted for “uncommitted” or cast other protest votes in the primary.
Jon Rainwater
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Trump isn’t really ending endless wars - he’s making them worse
Civil war and foreign interventions in Syria have created a geopolitical Gordian knot, an intractable humanitarian crisis, and a maddeningly complex conflict zone of wars within wars. It should come as no surprise that an erratic leader like President Donald Trump would make the suffering worse. The complexity of the crisis can create cognitive dissonance. What if I desperately wish to end our endless wars but I also care about the fate of Kurdish and other Syrian civilians?
Trump Isn't Really Ending Endless Wars, He's Making Them Worse
Civil war and foreign interventions in Syria have created a geopolitical Gordian knot, an intractable humanitarian crisis, and a maddeningly complex conflict zone of wars within wars. It should come as no surprise that an erratic leader like President Donald Trump would make the suffering worse. The complexity of the crisis can create cognitive dissonance. What if I desperately wish to end our endless wars but I also care about the fate of Kurdish and other Syrian civilians?
Trump’s Veto Keeps U.S. Complicit in Yemen, For Now
Trump’s Veto Keeps U.S. Complicit in Yemen, For Now Posted April 16, 2019 In Congress, Saudi Arabia, Trump Administration, Yemen Trump’s Veto Keeps U.S. Complicit in Yemen, For Now2019-04-162019-04-16https://www.peaceaction.org/cms/assets/uploads/2017/07/asset-6600px.pngPeace Actionhttps://www.peaceaction.org/cms/assets/uploads/2019/04/president_donald_trump__deputy_crown_prince_mohammed_bin_salman_bin_abdulaziz_al_saud_march_14_2017.jpg200px200px Washington, D.C. — April 16, 2019 — In...
A Progressive Alternative to Trump’s Dangerous Venezuela Policy
The Trump administration’s recent moves on Venezuela have so many historical echoes it’s a veritable déjà vu layer cake. The appointment of Elliot Abrams as U.S. Special Envoy to Venezuela last week was the icing on the cake. Abrams is an unrepentant interventionist, notorious for being found guilty for his role in the Iran-Contra scandal.
To Stop Bolton’s Fire and Fury, Fire Bolton
“To Stop Iran’s Bomb, Bomb Iran,” read the headline of a 2015 New York Times op-ed by now National Security Adviser John Bolton. Writing at the height of nuclear negotiations with Iran, Bolton argued that, “Time is terribly short, but a strike can still succeed.” Almost four years later, all of Iran’s potential pathways to a bomb remain blocked by the very deal Bolton would have traded for war.
With Iran Deal on Life Support, White House Looks to Finish the Job
Three years after the signing of the Iran nuclear agreement, an array of TV monitors in downtown Vienna still carries live images from Iranian nuclear facilities. Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) still spend 3,000 calendar days a year conducting tests, gathering samples, and generally poking around Iran’s nuclear related facilities. Computers still monitor thousands of tamper-proof seals on nuclear material and equipment just in case the inspectors miss something.
John Bolton: A Drum Major for Regime Change Gains Inside Influence
Candidate Trump appeared on "Meet the Press" in the summer of 2015 just weeks after announcing his run for president. When Chuck Todd asked him to name his top national security advisers, the first name that rolled off his tongue was John Bolton's. Trump praised Bolton as “a tough cookie, knows what he's talking about.” Trump’s instinctive affinity for Bolton’s bellicose style will now be a feature of daily White House decision-making.
John Bolton’s Appointment is a National Security Nightmare
Washington, D.C. — March 22, 2018 — In response to President Trump’s announcement that John Bolton will take over as national security advisor effective April 9, 2018, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement: “You would be hard pressed to find anyone who’s ever held public office in the U.S. who would be a more dangerous choice for the role of national security advisor than John Bolton.
Pompeo Nomination Puts Leading Hawk in Charge of U.S. Diplomacy
Washington, D.C. — March 13, 2018 — In response to news of Rex Tillerson’s firing and C.I.A. Director Mike Pompeo taking his place as Secretary of State, Jon Rainwater, Executive Director of Peace Action, released the following statement: “By tapping Mike Pompeo to be Secretary of State, Trump is handing over the reigns of U.S. diplomacy to one of the most hawkish members of his administration. For all of Tillerson’s flaws, he served as a check on Trump’s more hawkish positions.
Trump Needs Real Diplomacy With North Korea
North Korea's latest apparent intercontinental ballistic missile test after a two-month lull raises a troubling question: Is this the end of "the calm before the storm" the president referred to in October after a meeting with top military brass? One way or another, a storm is coming. Only time will tell whether it heralds a surge of diplomacy or bloodshed.
Don’t let Congress amend the First Amendment
As the president continues hacking away at a load-bearing pillar of the First Amendment, the freedom of the press, Congress is revving the chainsaw for another vital pillar; the right to free speech. The “Israel Anti-Boycott Act” could more aptly be called the “Exception to the First Amendment Act,” in that it would make it a felony for Americans engaged in interstate or foreign commerce to support international efforts to boycott Israel.
End U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian crisis
If you were to make a list of the countries least deserving of the largest arms deal in American history, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with its appalling human-rights record, would likely be near the top. Yet that is precisely the country to which President Donald Trump extended an offer of a projected $110 billion arms deal. For more than two years the U.S. has been morally and politically complicit in atrocities committed in Yemen’s civil war at the hands of a Saudi-led military coalition.
Flynn’s Departure is a Win for Peace
In the non-stop stream of stranger-than-fiction moments that is the Trump Administration, one of the strangest moments was provided during the brief tenure of Michael Flynn. Shortly after he was named National Security Advisor, it came to light that Flynn had once claimed that Arabic signs on the U.S. border with Mexico were guiding “radicalized Muslims” into our country.
Choosing the Path of Peace in Syria Part One: The Siren Song of the No-Fly Zone | PEACE ACTION'S GROUNDSWELL on WordPress.com
This is Part One of Peace Action’s multi-part series on U.S. Syria policy. After five years of war, there is an urgent need for solutions that can save lives and bring peace to the war-torn country of Syria. Witnessing the humanitarian disaster should be unbearable to any human being with a heart. In cities like Damascus and Aleppo, some of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, whole neighborhoods with their homes, schools, and hospitals have been leveled.
Largest Peace Group Endorses Sanders
Washington, DC — February 10, 2015 — For the first time in nearly 25 years, Peace Action PAC, the political action committee of Peace Action (the largest peace group in the U.S.) has endorsed a candidate for President: Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) for the Democratic primary. “Peace Action PAC is proud to endorse Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT) for the Democratic presidential primary.
Guest commentary: World simply must eliminate nuclear weapons entirely
Seventy years ago on Aug. 6, the United States became the first country to use nuclear weapons in war. More than 200,000 people lost their lives in the attacks. Thousands of survivors still live to tell heart-rending stories of those fateful days in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As the world relives those August mornings through black-and-white photographs and as we hear the moving stories of the survivors, the most important question we can ask is how do we make sure this never happens again.
As diplomats narrow gaps in Geneva, Congress readies an ambush
Behind the controversy over Bibi Netanyahu’s speech to Congress about Iran, lurks an even more dangerous conflict. The dividing lines of this wider conflict are not simply between Republican leadership and the administration, or between Obama and the Israeli administration, but between Congress and most of the world. By giving Netanyahu a platform no other leader has been accorded, some in Congress are trying to mask where the international consensus on Iran lies.
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