Representative Ihan Omar (D-MN) on March 23 hosted a press conference this morning on Capitol Hill to introduce a resolution combating Islamophobia across the country and around the world. Also lending their support for the amendment were Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL); Robert McCaw, Director of Government Affairs at The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); Human Rights First Executive Vice President[Read More…]
Georgetown University’s first mosque (masjid) was dedicated on March 18 in honor of Yarrow Mamout, one of the area’s earliest residents. Yarrow was an enslaved West African of the Fulani people who arrived in Annapolis in 1752 at age sixteen and was a slave for forty-four years of the Beall family, first in Annapolis and later in Georgetown. A devout[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (03-20) – Anti-war protesters demonstrated across the country yesterday on the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq and the ensuing war. Across from the White House in Lafayette Square protesters heard speakers condemning America’s “eternal wars” and called for a reduction in the Pentagon budget, an end to the war in Ukraine through negotiations and cautioning against a[Read More…]
Several hundred concerned human rights, pro-Palestinian activists and Zionists demonstrated outside of the Grand Hyatt Hotel in downtown Washington on the evening of March 12 to protest the presence of Israel’s pro-settlement, far-right nationalist, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose recent comments called for the annihilation of the small Palestinian village of Huwara. The village located near Nablus on the occupied[Read More…]
WASHINGTON – The National Press Club’s Journalism Institute last evening hosted a condensed showing of the controversial BBC documentary, India: The Modi Question. The two-part documentary banned in India tells the story of the 2002 riot that saw Hindu extremists attack the Muslim section of Gujarat killing thousands of Muslim Indians. The riot took place in the aftermath of an[Read More…]
WASHINGTON – A large and colorfully dressed crowd of Ethiopian Orthodox Christians peacefully demonstrated on March 5 at the White House led by religious leaders calling upon President Biden, the US and the world to intervene on their behalf in an ongoing systematic campaign of oppression and intimidation against their religion by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s Prosperity Party. Abiy is[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (03-04) – Women’s Rights activists descended upon the Philippine Embassy on March 4 during a march calling for major reforms for the country. The march was held after the first day of a political conference sponsored by the International Women’s Alliance, an anti-imperialist alliance of grassroots women’s organizations, institutions and individuals who are calling for reforms. Carrying large[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (03-04) – Today marked the closing ceremony at the National Building Museum where the shocking and profoundly sad Gun Violence National Memorial Project has been on display since April 2021. With its closing, future exhibitions are now being planned to take place around the country while those involved in its creation are lobbying for a permanent National Gun Violence[Read More…]
Promising to return once a month, the group “Mothers on the March,” who have actively engaged for the past decade through weekly vigils in protesting police killings and brutality of Black and Brown people by police, held their first demonstration February 24 outside of the Israeli Consulate, calling attention to the injustice for killings of Palestinians in Israel and the[Read More…]
As the nuclear “Doomsday Clock” inches towards midnight, peace, anti-war and Climate Crisis activists took the streets today across the country to protest their “Rage against the War Machine” demanding substantive de-escalation of the Russian-Ukraine war and calling for “Not one penny for war in Ukraine” while emphatically calling for substantive changes to reverse the climate crisis. Participants in the[Read More…]
House Republicans, now being in the majority under the leadership of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (D-CA), having mounted a smear campaign against Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for her antisemitic comments, which she later apologized for, removed her yesterday from the Foreign Affairs Committee. House Resolution 76 (H. RES.76) submitted by Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) calls for her removal because “Representative Omar[Read More…]
The National Press Club in Washington, DC today upped the public awareness campaign calling for the immediate release of war correspondent Austin Tice who was kidnapped on August 13, 2012, after being detained at a checkpoint near Damascus, Syria. The campaign is part of the Washington Post Press Freedom Partnership drive to #FreeAustinTice along with several partners involved in press[Read More…]
Prior to the Memphis police release of the horrific video this evening showing the beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, activists took over and shut down a block along the busy K Street NW in downtown Washington. Nichols, who was stopped for a traffic violation by the special Scorpion unit, was brutally beaten by a gang of officers without any provocation[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (01-26) – A group of legislators in concert with a broad coalition of civil rights groups and immigrant justice organizations held a news conference at the U.S. Capitol House Triangle in recognition of the 6th anniversary of the Trump-era Muslim and African ban. The groups are calling for action by President Biden in living up to his promise of[Read More…]
In the wake of the Roe v Wade reversal, women across the nation today demonstrated on the 50th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision by marching in support of reestablishing a Women’s Right for abortion. By organizing their voices and electing Women’s Rights candidates in the 2022 mid-term elections voters have sent a powerful message to anti-freedom politicians. Pledging[Read More…]
On what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 94th birthday, several ceremonies to honor the fallen Civil Rights Era icon and his legacy were held at the King Memorial today. At the base of the massive and imposing white granite statue of Dr. King, attendees of the various programs reflected on his life and all that he achieved[Read More…]
Brittany Alkonis, wife of imprisoned U.S. Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis who was convicted in Japan of negligent driving for his involvement in a traffic accident that took the lives of two people, demonstrated along with supporters today outside the White House seeking his release from a Japanese prison. Alkonis, who suffered a medical emergency and passed out while behind the[Read More…]
In what has unfortunately become an annual event, activists today from Witness Against Torture and the National Religious Campaign Witness Against Torture held a Close Guantánamo vigil outside the White House marking the 21st anniversary of the extrajudicial prison’s opening at the U.S. Naval Base, Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Since it was first opened by the Bush administration on January 11,[Read More…]
Iranian Americans this weekend rallied at the Lincoln Memorial in support of the “revolution” taking place in Iran where demonstrations determined to overthrow the Islamic regime continue. Today also marked the third anniversary of the shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752 by Iran. The civilian flight which had taken off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, was on[Read More…]
Like so many other days, January 6th has always been just another day of no particular note. But in 2021 that day was transformed into one of our country’s least proud moments as insurrectionists stormed the Capitol at Trump’s beckoning to overthrow the government because of his unwillingness to accept that he had lost the 2020 election. That day is[Read More…]
Twitter headquarters was the scene of a demonstration by union and labor activists today under the theme of “Get Your Ticket to Mars, Musk Attacks for Crushing Workers” calling for Elon Musk to depart Earth via his company Space X for the Red Planet. The trope was inspired by Musk’s own words who on numerous occasions has stated that he[Read More…]
NOVATO, CA (12-14) – On the 10th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, activist groups around the country honored the memory of the 20 first graders ages six and seven and six adult staff members who were murdered. Since then, 89 other students across the country have been killed in twenty-two school shootings. Those who were hopeful that[Read More…]
“The World’s Richest Person” bad boy Elon Musk just can’t seem to stay out of the news or trouble. Instead of cleaning up Twitter as he promised, all he has managed to do is create one mess after another. After firing around half the former work force of 7,500 people at the social media company and opening the tap to[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (12-06) – Feeling pressure from a massive public outcry over the use of remote-controlled lethally armed police robots, the Board of Supervisors today voted 8-3 not to move forward at this time in approving a proposal for their deployment. The board instead voted to send the proposal back to the rules committee for further study meaning that conceivably[Read More…]
The reality of San Francisco police making use of remote-controlled lethally armed robots as part of their arsenal is no longer the stuff of science fiction. An amendment to the Administrative Code in deploying such a force received an earlier 8-3 vote in its favor after a first reading resulting in a swift backlash by concerned citizens. The issue of[Read More…]
In what has turned out to be one of the deadliest years for residents in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 2015, over 100 Palestinians and four Israel servicemen and police officers have been killed thus far this year. The Israeli army has been conducting operations with incursions into the West Bank on a nearly daily basis in what[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (10-20) – With the Capitol as a backdrop today, activists held a “Jan 6 Justice: Our Freedom, Our Vote!” rally in support of democracy and in holding Trump and his MAGA Republican followers responsible for engaging in the violent criminal conspiracy they initiated to overturn an election they lost. Their willingness to engage in violence to see that they[Read More…]
All this week during the annual fall meeting of the IMF and World Bank, climate activists have been attempting to stop “business as usual” at the two institutions. On Thursday, activists demonstrated in a “Drown them out!” across the street from the World Bank headquarters while a press conference was being held by the G-20 finance ministers to announce their[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (10-12) – This being October, the International Money Fund (IMF) and the World Bank will hold their annual meetings here in Washington deciding on monetary policy and how the institutions will fund the fossil fuel industries at the peril of the planet. Activists are also calling the groups’ attention as to how funding has ignored our fragile biodiversity so[Read More…]
As with all things military, the Army has created an anachronism for correcting its negative impact on the environment and climate titled, the Army Climate Strategy (ACS), setting “targets” to address their massive negative contribution to climate change. The Army is the first service branch in the DOD to release such a climate strategy to meet both short term and[Read More…]
On Oct. 8, members of the Hazara and Afghan communities in Washington, DC held a rally in McPherson Square to protest the killing of 35 schoolgirls inside the Kaaj Educational Center in the Dasht-e-Barchi district of West Kabul, Afghanistan on Sept 30. Rallies were also held around the world in 64 countries and 92 cities as Hazara calling attention to[Read More…]
The National Press Club hosted a talk by climate activist and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Vanessa Nakate, 25, who addressed the question of reparation payments to developing countries in seeking climate justice to compensate them for their mounting losses and ongoing damages being caused by climate change. Nakate and others will be raising that issue at the upcoming United Nations Climate[Read More…]
Obscenely high prices for prescription medicine create billions of dollars of profit for giant pharmaceutical companies to the financial detriment for those whose health depend on their products. Reforming that system in lowering prescription drug prices has become an ongoing contest of money and influence prevailing over the lives and health of those who simply cannot afford the high costs.[Read More…]
This being the first Monday in October means the Supreme Court is now back in a new session along with its newest member and the first Black woman Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Among its many cases the first to be reviewed is Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, pitting landowners Michael and Chantell Sackett of Idaho against the Environmental Protection Agency’s[Read More…]
The family of U.S. Navy Lt. Ridge Alkonis has been rallying outside of the White House this past week seeking to bring attention to the unjust case in hopes of gaining his release from a Japanese prison. Posters and signs at the west gate entrance to the White House calling for his immediate release form a backdrop as his children[Read More…]
A profoundly inspiring and positive news conference was held today at the National Press Club addressing the ever-increasing street gang gun violence problem in America. No community in the country has suffered more than that of the African-American community that has seen during the COVID pandemic an ever-escalating increase in senseless shootings and killings. In addressing the pandemic of gun[Read More…]
Standing behind a large banner proclaiming “Permission Denied,” a coalition of activists from a broad spectrum of environmental groups demonstrated this morning at the U.S. Capitol, calling on both Houses to declare the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) a dead deal. Many held signs reading “Keep it in the Ground” regarding the extraction of fossil fuels and their effect on the[Read More…]
This being Banned Books Week, one should first ask why in a free society such a declaration is even necessary. All citizens should be free to read any book they choose without others enforcing their ideals or will upon them. The freedom of choice to read any book offers us exposure to alternative views and experiences of their authors to[Read More…]
Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh who was killed on May 11, 2022, while reporting from the West Bank during an Israeli military operation was honored last night at the National Press Club in Washington during the club’s 49th Annual National Press Club Journalism Awards Dinner. Al Jazeera DC Bureau Chief Abderahim Foukara noted that the shooting of his colleague[Read More…]
A vigil was held this evening at the Museum of the Palestinian People to honor the 16 children killed in the Israeli military attack on the Gaza Strip. The attack on 140 sites in the crowded strip killed 44 people and wounded hundreds of others including children ranging in age from four to sixteen. Museum Curator and Direct Ahmed Mansour[Read More…]
On the 77th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki during WWII was cause for a small group of anti-war activists to demonstrate at the White House to draw attention to both that disaster and the ongoing legacy of nuclear war that continues to threaten the world. The setting was appropriate as nearby on the sidewalk in a tent at Lafayette[Read More…]
The pending massive climate legislation to reduce U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions 40 percent by 2030 as outlined by President Biden is still being held hostage in the Senate. The $369 billion package that is thicker than a New York phonebook contains 725 pages of text. Like any well-made sausage, the bill includes a myriad of bits and pieces of[Read More…]
Seven people including veterans and their supporters were arrested this morning while staging a sit-in on the street in front of the U.S. Capitol when calling for action on the military’s massive contribution to climate change. Veterans For Peace (VFP), the organization that sponsored the action, made known their demands to bring about a reduction in the environmental damage[Read More…]
A long overdue tribute to honor each individual service member who gave their life during the 1950-1953 Korean War has finally been added to the Korean War monument here in Washington. In October of 2016, Congress enacted the “Korean War Veterans Memorial Wall of Remembrance Act” (Public Law 114–230) with the stipulation that related costs for its implementation would not[Read More…]
A small group of dedicated activists today rallied in front of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) headquarters calling for the commission not to issue a second extension certificate to the controversial Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) a $5.5 billion 303-mile-long interstate natural gas project. The 42-inch diameter pipeline is facing opposition from numerable groups with issues related to global warming,[Read More…]
A small group of activists marched from Dupont Circle to the Philippine Embassy calling for President Biden to stop supporting the Philippine government of “BongBong” Marcos while calling for the prosecution of former President Duterte for the extrajudicial killings in his “War on Drugs.” Signs in both English and Tagalog were used to inspire resistance and to fight for change.[Read More…]
President Biden’s Middle East trip that was claimed to be undertaken to bolster American interest in the region has instead angered activists around the world. Referring to himself as a “non-Jewish Zionist” to bolster his image and ongoing support while in Israel and at home along with his declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has done nothing to placate[Read More…]
Today being 7-11, one would have thought it would be a lucky day. But America being America, ever fascinated with guns and gun culture, it’s just another day of violence in which, on average, sees 96 people killed by guns. Oddly, too, it was one week ago on July 4th that a deranged gunman killed seven people at an Independence[Read More…]
Protesting against governments for human rights violations, illegal acts, war and other non-socially redeeming behavior can take many forms. Washington, like many nations’ capitals, is no exception when it comes to shaming governments, including our own, for their outrageous, illegal and immoral behavior. Being creative with bringing a public protest has always been a challenge for any number of reasons.[Read More…]
In demonstrations across the nation today activist rallied under the call of Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights and in support of their actions, participants were asked to wear green, the internationally recognized symbol of abortion rights. Here in Washington, women of all ages along with their supporters, marched to the White House after a nearby rally in support of Women’s[Read More…]
In the wake of the highly expected overturning of Roe v. Wade, activists demonstrated their contempt in towns and cities across the country for the Supreme Court and its highly politicized conservative agenda in a National Day of Defiance. In San Francisco alone there were three simultaneous demonstrations with protesters voicing their commitment to reestablish Women’s Rights for Pro-Choice, while[Read More…]
Only 23 days after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) killed Palestinian-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11, they have once again killed another journalist. As reported by the National Press Club Journalism Institute in Washington, 31-year-old journalist Ghufran Harun Warasneh was shot by IDF soldiers on June 1 while being questioned at an Israeli checkpoint in Area[Read More…]
This Memorial Day, as the nation reflects on, mourns and honors the sacrifices of U.S. military personnel who have died in the line of duty, another senseless killing of innocent elementary school children by a deranged gunman has marred the Federal holiday. First observed on May 30, 1868, the holiday allows us for one day to reflect on those sacrifices[Read More…]
Activists from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) “Climate Can’t Wait” project assemble on a street corner each week near the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill intercepting senators’ staff members as they walked to work. The group’s weekly action is a unique attempt to get their message across to the legislators through their staff that they need to take[Read More…]
Established by Congress in 1984, The US Institute of Peace (USIP) works to promote the building of peace “to prevent, mitigate and resolve violent conflict” abroad. The independent, nonpartisan institute aims to reach that monumental goal through its work by resolving armed conflict peacefully and in thwarting future crises. Apropos of their mission, an exhibition of photographs by photojournalists working[Read More…]
On the sidewalk at the entrance to the National Press Club a large crowd of journalists, Palestinians and their supporters held a candlelight vigil May 17 to honor the memory of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. The popular 51-year-old Al Jazeera TV reporter while on assignment in the West Bank with her crew was slain less than a week ago in[Read More…]
Brookings, a think tank founded in 1916, presented a timely discussion this week titled “Finland, Sweden, and the future of NATO.” Discussing the urgent need to join NATO were Finnish ambassador to the U.S., Mikko Hautala, and the Swedish ambassador to the U.S., Karin Olofsdotter. The two ambassadors appeared in the wake of last week’s official state visit by their[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (05-15) – It has been 74 years since 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes and land by Zionist forces on May 15, 1948, during the creation of the state of Israel. The global commemoration of the “Day of Palestinian Struggle” acknowledged each year is always mired in conflict. As such the scheduled Nakba (catastrophe) events in Berlin this[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (05-14) – Today in over 450 towns and cities across the USA, abortion rights activists rallied under the theme of “Rise up 4 Abortion Rights.” This follows a week of nationwide abortion rights demonstrations, die-ins, banner drops, walkouts, art installations and chalking to bring their message in a show of support for this vital right of personal choice. According[Read More…]
WASHINGTON (05-12) – The killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by an Israeli sniper on May 11 has outraged journalists, human rights defenders and ordinary people around the world. In several countries there have been large demonstrations in protest of the killing of the 51-year-old veteran correspondent for Al-Jazeera. Reporting on an early morning raid by the Israeli military[Read More…]
In a generic industrial park a short distance from this town’s famous university sits the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center where the military contractor does research and development for its space division. It is here where, according to the company’s website, they “…create game-changing technologies.” Nobody would argue with that as it has over the years created many notable accomplishments[Read More…]
Roeland Park, KS: The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-KS) has called upon Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly to issue an executive order for the removal of the vestigial racist covenants contained in property records across the state. The unenforceable covenants contain insulting, degrading and discriminatory language from a bygone era that are hurtful to many homeowners.[Read More…]
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The Tragedy of Footpaths: Impressions of a Pedestrian in Bangalore 
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Open Letter To Rahul Gandhi, Indian National Congress Party 
Future Scenarios in Ukraine 
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Sri Lanka’s unconvincing response to Universal Periodic Review’s forthright findings 
Kisan Mahapanchayat stages massive rally in Delhi 
The betrayers of Julian Assange 
The Truth About Our Failure to Curb Carbon Emissions 
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Disgrace at the New York Times 
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Defence Daredevilry 
Selling One’s Soul – The betrayal of Christ and Constitution 
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Yarrow Mamout Masjid Dedicated at Georgetown University 
Adolf Hitler, Carl Orff & Sophie Scholl 
Algeria’s Gas vs. Rightwing Ideology: Will Italy Change Its Position on Jerusalem? 
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Our beloved K.P.Sasi is no more. Filmmaker, cartoonist, writer, mentor, friend and above all tireless activist championing the cause of every underdog, Sasi breathed his last, mid-afternoon this Christmas day – after battling a medical condition for months. I remember the last time I met him, almost exactly a month before he passed away, at the ayurvedic healing center in[Read More…]
