“The Washington Post reports that nearly one billion dollars per year in cash, suspected to include U.S. aid, opium receipts or both, is moving from Afghanistan to Dubai, where friends and family of Afghanistan’s President Karzai have multimillion dollar villas.
“Dubai real estate deals and a number of crooked enterprises connected to the Karzai family have created crony capitalism in a country awash with U.S. cash and U.S. blood.
“Nearly 1000 U.S. soldiers have died. And for what? Hundreds of billions spent. And for what? To make Afghanistan safe for crooks, drug dealers and crony capitalism?
“Next Thursday, I will bring a privileged resolution to this House so that Congress can claim our constitutional right to end this war and to bring our troops home. Please support the resolution.”
Kucinich will introduce the resolution on Thursday, March 4, 2010. It is expected that the resolution will be taken up for consideration on the following Wednesday,
March 10, 2010 and that the debate will be subject to a rule providing for three hours of debate.
On Tuesday night, March 2nd, Rep. Kucinich recorded a special message for Progressive Democrats of America. Click here to listen to it and to an hour-long phone call with activists from around the country organizing efforts to defund the war. You can find and contribute to a whip list of congress members’ positions on Kucinich’s resolution and on voting for the next $33 billion at http://defundwar.org.
Over 100 leading peace activists have announced an ‘Emergency Anti-Escalation Rally’ at the White House on December 12, from 11a.m. to 4 p.m., to reject President Obama’s planned military escalation in Afghanistan. The rally is organized by End US Wars, a newly formed coalition of national and grass-roots antiwar organizations, with endorsements from leading peace leaders.
Speakers include: Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Cynthia McKinney, Sen. Mike Gravel, Kathy Kelly, Chris Hedges, David Swanson, Phyllis Bennis, Rev. Graylan Hagler, Gael Murphy, Coy McKinney, Debra Sweet, Brian Becker, Mathis Chiroux, Lynne Williams, Hon. Betty Hall, Elaine Brower, Marian Douglas, Michael Knox, Ralph Lopez, Ron Fisher, and statements from Col. Ann Wright, Stephen Zunes and Granny D (turning 100).
The U.S. Constitution leaves the decision to wage war to Congress, and Congress can enforce its decision not to wage war by refusing to fund it. Blocking a funding bill for wars requires the House of Representatives alone, and both Democrats and Republicans in the House are rapidly joining us in saying No to war funding.
I was at a concert this weekend in California to raise money for the National Veterans Foundation. I’m an Air Force veteran, and I have great respect for the military. I like to support the soldiers whenever I can. But I don’t support this war in Iraq.
I was against the war before it started. I always thought it was a terrible decision, badly thought out, badly planned, and then horribly executed.
I want to see our troops come home right away, and so do most Americans. Unfortunately, too many politicians in both parties refuse to listen.
So when will the troops come home? When we won’t put up with it anymore–when we change our government. And how will we do that? By voting the bastards out! On November 7th, you should vote for anyone who’s against the war and vote against anyone who’s for the war. It’s that simple.
When I wrote the song “Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth” (LYRICS) at Christmastime in 2003, a lot of people were for the war, a lot of people didn’t know the facts or the truth. But people are waking up now. They’re learning that they were lied to about the war. They’re feeling lied to about this Mark Foley scandal in terms of who knew what and when. They’re questioning the leadership in this country.
And that gives us new possibilities for November 7th. If we all go out and vote for peace candidates and get our friends to vote, and if our votes are really counted, it’s no contest. There’ll be a change in the Congress, and then we’ll just have to keep building so we can get a president who won’t send our soldiers to fight a war based on lies.
We should have thrown the bastards out years ago. Let’s do it now! Give Peace A VOTE!
Willie Nelson
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Congressman Dennis Kucinich with Willie Nelson. Come and visit www.kucinich.us Video done by Chad Ely. Willie sang this song at a fundraiser for Dennis Kucinich in Austin, Texas, in January 2004.
Willie wrote this song on Christmas, 2003, and performed it for the first time at the Kucinich for President fundraising concert in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 3, 2004.
There’s so many things going on in the world
Babies dying
Mothers crying
How much oil is one human life worth
And what ever happened to peace on earthWe believe everything that they tell us
They’re gonna’ kill us
So we gotta’ kill them first
But I remember a commandment
Thou shall not kill
How much is that soldier’s life worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth(Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a liar’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
So I guess it’s just
Do unto others before they do it to you
Let’s just kill em’ all and let God sort em’ out
Is this what God wants us to do
(Repeat Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a liar’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
Now you probably won’t hear this on your radio
Probably not on your local TV
But if there’s a time, and if you’re ever so inclined
You can always hear it from me
How much is one picker’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
But don’t confuse caring for weakness
You can’t put that label on me
The truth is my weapon of mass protection
And I believe truth sets you free
(Bridge)
And the bewildered herd is still believing
Everything we’ve been told from our birth
Hell they won’t lie to me
Not on my own damn TV
But how much is a liar’s word worth
And whatever happened to peace on earth
On International Day of Peace, September 21st, 2009, 100,000 Children, (the most spiritually powerful human beings on the planet) will sing their intention for peace along with gratitude for a peaceful world to shift the energy on the planet to universal friendship and love.
The project was inspired by Willie Nelson’s and Amy Nelson’s song Peaceful Solution.
Music is the universal language and serves as a powerful tool to unify and proclaim our intention of peace with one beautiful voice.
In the spirit of oneness, children around the world will sing the following song in their language or a language they understand every hour on the hour on September 21st, proclaimed as International Day of Peace.
We are the children for a peaceful world
It is our intention to have a peaceful world
We are thankful for a peaceful world
We are thankful for a peaceful world
English speaking children will also learn the following song written by Willie Nelson and Amy Nelson, adapted for children by songwriter, Cindy Jordan, founder of Children For A Peaceful World.
There is a Peaceful Solution
It’s called a peace resolution.
We are Kids for a Peaceful World
Just like birds of a feather
We can all live together
We are Kids for a Peaceful World
United we stand
Divided we fall
Let’s come together
For the good of all
It’s a dream, to believe in
Get ready to receive it
We are Kids for a Peaceful World
Friends are a treasure
Peace is our pleasure
We are Kids for a Peaceful World
United we stand
Divided we fall
Let’s get together
For the good of all
Just like birds of a feather
We can all live together
We are Kids for a Peaceful World
We see this event as a Peaceful Solution. We will schedule ongoing musical events and gather more and more children as we do. Imagine millions of people around the world singing a universal peace song (uni-verse = one-song) with intention and gratitude at the same time! Recent scientific studies show this can certainly happen.
“I wrote ‘Jimmy’s Song’ when my friend and bass player, David Zettner, was drafted into the army during the Viet Nam War. I could have called it ‘David’s Song,’ but ‘Jimmy’s Road’ sounded more euphonious. Thank you, Chet Atkins, for that big word. He said that one time about some line I had written. At the time I didn’t know what it meant — words that go together — but I said, ‘Alright Chet, thanks.’ I was relieved to find out later it was a good thing.”
Willie Nelson and daughter Amy Nelson wrote the song, ‘A Peaceful Solution,’ last year, on Willie’s tour bus on his way to play the Coachella concert in California. But it didn’t end there — they freely offered their beautiful song about peace to any artist who wanted to record it.
There is a peaceful solution. It’s a peace revolution.
Now let’s take back America.
There’s a war and we’re in it, but I know we can win it.
So let’s take back America.
It’s a dream, so believe it.
Now get ready to receive it.
And let’s take back America.
And when the war is over and we’ve won it
let’s remember how we done it so we don’t have to do it again.
There is a peaceful solution. It’s called a peace revolution.
Now let’s take back America.
There’s a war and we’re in it, but I know we can win it.
Now let’s take back America.
There was a peace resolution
and a peaceful revolution
and the peaceful solution saved America
Willie has made several beautiful recordings of the song, and you can listen to them here:
The Willie Nelson has posted Willie Nelson and Family’s versions of the song, and all the other versions sent in by artist, and can listen to the songs and watch the video at www.WillieNelsonpri.com.
Thanks to Jay and Liz for all their hard work, and inspiration at the website.
Willie Nelson & Marty Dread, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespear perform, “Take No Part” written by Jack Miller & Marty Dread This clip is from the new film “Dreadlock Rock.
What we have here is clarity because there can be no doubt on the message in the music and the point of view of the artists. There is no holding back as the artists stand up on stage and loudly proclaim their stand.
What we have here is unrestrained commitment in the face of gigantic forces that oppose the very idea of peace in everything they do. Persistence does not require hope or anything else beyond the ability to draw one more breath.
Persistence born of clarity and commitment will persevere as is proven both by history and the everyday events that surround us today. You can feel this when you watch the video and even more so when you experience this at a live event.
At Christmas in 1969 John Lennon and Yoko Ono rented billboards in 11 cities across the world with the simple message: War Is Over! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John & Yoko.
Thanks to Texas Clem for sending me this video. You’re in for a treat with Mark Johnson and Jonathan Walls’ Playing for Change: Peace Through Music, a film that premiered at the 7th Annual Tribeca Film Festival. It isn’t really a documentary as much as a global concert film, recorded on the streets of New Orleans, Barcelona, South Africa, Tibet and elsewhere, as the filmmakers (Johnson being an award-winning engineer and producer) traveled across the globe, finding musicians to record tracks on versions of “Stand By Me” and Bob Marley’s “One World” without any of the individual musicians ever having met each other.
A little history about the origins of the idea for a Department of Peace:
The Department of Peace and Non-violence is a proposed cabinet-level department of the executive branch of the U.S. government. Founding father Benjamin Rush proposed a Peace Department for the first U.S. cabinet, under George Washington, but a more recent proposal came from Rep. Dennis Kucinich in 2001 and formed a part of Kucinich’s Presidential campaign platform in 2004 and 2008. A bill for this purpose, H.R. 3760, was introduced in the House of Representatives on September 14, 2005. It was re-introduced as H.R. 808 on February 5, 2007 and 65 co-sponsors quickly signed on. In July, 2008, the first Republican Co-sponsor, Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) signed on.
The Peace Alliance and the Student Peace Alliance organization supports the creation of a U.S. Department of Peace and Non-violence. It is an independent grassroots political movement that operates autonomously. The ongoing movement is supported by Kucinich and the author and popular motivational speaker Marianne Williamson, as well as an increasing list of celebrities such as Walter Cronkite, Joaquin Phoenix, Frances Fisher and Willie Nelson. This movement actively lobbies for the endorsements of congressional leaders and is active in soliciting and receiving a growing list of bipartisan endorsements from city councils such as Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. It has local grassroots chapters in over 264 congressional districts.
Thanks to Jack Miller for posting this 2006 video at YouTube. of Willie Nelson, Marty Dread, Sly Dunbar Robbie Shakespear singing the anti-wars song written by him and Marty. This clip is from the film “Dreadlock Rock”. You can hear more of Marty’s at www.myspace.martydread.com.
 
 