[haw-info] Senate votes today on 2012 "Defense" Authorization Act (NDAA)--Update

Please forward widely and quickly!

Last night, the House of Representatives voted to support the highly controversial and dangerous 2012 Defense Authorization (NDAA) bill by a vote of 283-136. See Roll-Call

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2011-932

 

This bill contains $554 billion for the Pentagon base budget and another $115.5 for the wars. It also places the Congress in support of "indefinite detention"of terrorism suspects, without charges or opportunity for trial. For weeks President Obama had threatened to veto such legislation, but rescinded that threat yesterday when the Conference committee changed wording that seemed to limit his Executive authority. These changes do not provide any greater protection for individuals, who are suspected of terrorism.

 

See Congresswoman Barbara Lee's speech in opposition to the NDAA:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VKvnJrJhYQ&feature=player_embedded

The Senate is scheduled to vote on the National Defense Authorization bill today. Please call your Senators NOW and ask them to vote against this appalling bill. Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.

If you are having trouble getting through, check out direct line to your Senators' Washington offices.

 

Among the troubling features of this bill:

 

*It authorizes $554 billion for the Pentagon's huge base budget and $115.5 billion for continuing the wars.

at a time when funding for essential domestic needs is unavailable.

 

*It drops the Merkley language which had previously passed the Senate, requiring a plan for the accelerated withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan before 2014.

 

*It provides for the indefinite detention of people suspected of terrorism, without charges or trial and mandates military detention for a subset of terrorism suspects.

 

*It bars the transfer of detainees currently held in Guantanamo to the United States for any reason including trial.

*It requires draconian sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran directly threatening the economic well being of the Iranian people.

Senate vote is coming up fast ! Please call now and forward this message to friends: Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.

 

And please share any feedback that you receive:

hiscze@aol.com

 

Carolyn Rusti Eisenberg

for the HAW Steering Committee

 

[haw-info] TIME SENSITIVE: Call Senators and Representatives NOW to Oppose Dangerous FY 2012 NDAA

Please forward widely and quickly!

Any hope that the FY2012 Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would be improved in Conference was dissipated yesterday morning, when the committee released a final version containing $554 billion for the Pentagon base budget and another $115.5 for the wars.

 

The House is expected to vote on this bill TODAY, the Senate will vote on Thursday. We need to flood the Capitol switchboard with calls to our Representatives and Senators calling upon them to Vote "No" on this dangerous and wasteful bill. Please add your voice TODAY: Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.

 

Background: The House of Representatives passed the FY2012 Defense Authorization bill last May by a vote of 322-96. Roll-call: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=h2011-375. The Senate passed its version of the "Defense" Authorization bill last week. Roll-call http://www.govtrack.us/congress/vote.xpd?vote=s2011-218.

 

A joint conference committee completed work on a final version of the NDAA bill this weekend, which retains the flaws of the Senate bill and adds some new ones:

 

*It authorizes $554 billion for the Pentagon's bloated base budget and $115.5 billion for continuing the wars.

*It drops the Merkley language, which required a plan for the accelerated withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan before 2014.

*It provides for the indefinite detention of people suspected of terrorism, without charges or trial and mandates military detention for a subset of terrorism suspects.

*It bars the transfer of detainees currently held in Guantanamo to the United States for any reason including trial.
*It requires draconian sanctions against the Central Bank of Iran directly threatening the economic well being of average Iranians.

 

House and Senate votes will be coming today and tomorrow! Please make your calls now! Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121.

 

Let your Senators and Representatives know that you want them to vote against the FY2012 "Defense" Authorization bill because it imperils civil liberties, continues an endless war in Afghanistan and elsewhere, wastes billions of dollars that 99% of Americans need for a more secure life here at home.

 

Carolyn Rusti Eisenberg

for HAW Steering Committee

 

Please send along any feedback from Congressional offices to hiscze@aol.com

 

 

--

[haw-info] HAW Notes 12/14/11, including links to recent articles of interest

 

1.  There is one more day (today) to sign the on-line petition supporting the resolution against torture that the Chicago City Council will discuss on Thursday, Dec. 15.  Signers of the petition (at http://signon.org/sign/city-of-chicago-resolution) need not be from Chicago.  Last night's message from Margaret Power to the HAW list has already resulted in well over a hundred new signatories.

 

2.  Through discussions on the H-Net Labor History listserv in late November, a number of historians have started a group called Historians for Occupy, in support of the worldwide movement initiated by Occupy Wall Street.  Sandy Polishuk is the primary coordinator.  The Web site, with sign-up list, is at https://occupyhistoryna.wordpress.com.  

 

3.  At the annual American Historical Association convention in Chicago, January 5-8, a special session on the jobs crisis in history has been scheduled for 1:00 - 2:30 Friday afternoon, January 6, chaired by the AHA president.  Jesse Lemisch, one of the invited speakers, will present his proposal for a new Federal Writers Project (see article below).

 

4.  Priscilla Murolo has asked us to pass along her recommendation of the Egyptian activist Web site "No Military Trials for Civilians" (http://en.nomiltrials.com).

Links to Recent Articles of Interest

"Washington's Actions on Palestine Don't Differ from Gingrich's Words"
http://www.juancole.com/2011/12/washington-actions-on-palestine-dont-differ-from-gingrichs-words.html
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment blog, posted December 11
The author teaches history at the University of Michigan

"David Montgomery Obituary"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/11/david-montgomery
By Eric Foner, The Guardian, posted December 11
The author teaches history at Columbia University

"War on Iran Has Already Begun: Act before It Threatens All of Us"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/07/iran-war-already-begun
By Seamas Milne, The Guardian, posted December 7

"Playing with Fire: Obama's Risky Oil Threat to China"
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175476
By Michael Klare, TomDispatch.com, posted December 6

"U.S. Budget Cuts and the Next War of Choice"
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/eo20111205a1.html
By Bennett Ramberg, Japan Times, posted December 5

"Israeli Ads against Marriage with American Jews Are Part of a Population War"
http://www.juancole.com/2011/12/israeli-ads-against-marriage-with-american-jews-are-part-of-a-population-war.html
By Juan Cole, Informed Comment blog, posted December 3

"Occupy the American Historical Association: Demand a WPA Federal Writers' Project"
http://hnn.us/articles/occupy-american-historical-association-demand-wpa-federal-writers-project
By Jesse Lemisch, History News Network, posted November 28
The author is a professor emeritus of history at John Jay College, CUNY


Thanks to Rusti Eisenberg and Rosalyn Baxandall for suggesting items that are included in the above list.  Suggestions can be sent to jimobrien48@gmail.com.

[haw-info] Please sign this petition today!

Dear Friends,

In addition to being a member of the HAW Steering Committee, I am also active in the Illinois
Coalition against Torture
(ICAT). On Thursday, December 15, Alderman Joe Moore, working with ICAT will introduce a
Resolution to the Chicago City Council to oppose torture by the U.S. government and its multiple
expressions on the city, state, and international level. We hope our efforts will be repeated in cities
across the country. As part of our work, we have circulated a petition to gather signatures. Could
you please sign it? You do not have to live in Chicago to sign it. If you could sign it, please do so
today since we will turn in the signatures on Thursday. Thank you.

Here is the link to the online petition. http://signon.org/sign/city-of-chicago-resolution

Margaret Power
Professor
Department of Humanities
Illinois Institute of Technology
3301 S. Dearborn
Chicago, IL 60616
power@iit.edu
312-567-6921

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[haw-info] Memorial information for David Montgomery

Here is some memorial information for historian David Montgomery, whose death from a brain hemorrhage last week at age 84 saddened a great many people in the historical profession and elsewhere.

A fine and lengthy obituary appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on December 5, at
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11339/1194683-122-0.stm. 

The Labor and Working Class History Association (LAWCHA) has set up a web page for tributes at
http://lawcha.nfshost.com/wordpress/?page_id=299. 

Two memorial programs are being planned:  one for Saturday, January 28 at Yale University and one for Friday, April 20 during the annual convention of the Organization of American Historians in Milwaukee.  We will provide more information when it is available.

Sincerely,
Jim O'Brien for Historians Against the War

P.S.  Duke University Press has allowed free access to a 1980 interview with David in the Radical History Review, at http://rhr.dukejournals.org/content/1980/23/37.full.pdf+html. 

[haw-info] David Montgomery, 1927 - 2011

To members and friends of Historians Against the War,

For those who haven't already heard, we're sorry to report the sad news that the very distinguished labor historian David Montgomery, emeritus professor at Yale University, died this morning at age 84.  Jon Wiener has written an appreciation of him on The Nation's web site, at http://www.thenation.com/blog/164954/david-montgomery-1927-2011.

David Montgomery was one of the founders of Historians Against the War in 2003 and was a member of our Steering Committee for several years.  At the January 2009 AHA convention, he was one of four speakers on a HAW-sponsored panel on "The Bush-Cheney Years" (now an on-line pamphlet at http://historiansagainstwar.org/resources/bush-cheney.pdf).

Van Gosse, one of HAW's initial co-chairs, shared the following recollection:

David wrote the founding statement of HAW, huddling in a small group at the end of our first meeting, at the AHA in January 2003 in Chicago.  He was a very active member of the Steering Committee for some years, always a reasonable, steadying person, but also always up for more action.  He will be much, much missed.  David Montgomery, Presente!

 

Sincerely,
Jim O'Brien
for Historians Against the War