Thursday, 8 September 2011

Kashmiri-American leader charged with failing to register as a "Foreign Agent"

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, who I've known for more than 20 years as the Executive Director of the Kashmiri American Council (KAC), was arrested on July 19th of this year on Federal felony charges of having failed to register with the US government as a "foreign agent". The U.S. government's... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 8 September 2011, 11:40 (11:40 AM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 16 February 2011

What you see is what you get: Yemen

Street scene in Sana'a, Yemen (2008) Once I've visited a place, I pay more attention to news from and about that place. And that news seems more real: I have images, sights, smells, tastes, and sensations in my memories, maybe even tangible souvenirs on the shelves in my house,... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 16 February 2011, 15:25 ( 3:25 PM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Bill introduced to limit draft registration to "national emergencies"

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) has introduced a bill to restrict draft registration, funding or operation of the Selective Service System, and denial of government benefits ot nonregistrants for the draft (pursuant to the Solomon Amendments) to times when the President has declared a national emergency.... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 13 February 2011, 20:36 ( 8:36 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 18 September 2010

Foreign tourists and travellers as witnesses for human rights

One of the important incidental roles that travellers can sometimes fulfill is as witnesses and messengers to the outside world of human rights violations. The known presence of such international witnesses, whose foreign passports and greater ability to escape the country often make them less vulnerable than local observers, can... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 18 September 2010, 14:42 ( 2:42 PM) | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 18 April 2010

A lesson from Berlin to take to Strasbourg

I spent a brillant spring day on Saturday strolling down from the hostel where I've been staying in the Prenzlauer district of the former East Berlin, gentrified but still diverse in ways that remind me of some of the parts of Brooklyn closest to Manhattan, into Berlin's "Mitte" (downtown), past... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 18 April 2010, 08:40 ( 8:40 AM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 22 November 2009

The Amazing Race 15, Episode 9

Keava (Estonia) - Prague (Czech Republic) Why we travel: A tale of two conferences As The Amazing Race 15 approaches the finish line, the remaining teams of travellers are becoming more and more focused on the footrace, to the exclusion of anything else about the places they pass through. This... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 22 November 2009, 23:59 (11:59 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Friday, 9 October 2009

Work interrupted by bombing and strafing

From: Edward Hasbrouck To: David.Campos@sfgov.org Copies to: Michela.Alioto-Pier@sfgov.org, Carmen.Chu@sfgov.org, Bevan.Dufty@sfgov.org, Eric.L.Mar@sfgov.org, Ross.Mirkarimi@sfgov.org, John.Avalos@sfgov.org, David.Chiu@sfgov.org, Chris.Daly@sfgov.org, Sean.Elsbernd@sfgov.org, Sophie.Maxwell@sfgov.org, sffleetweek@airshownetwork.com Subject: Blue Angels noise and danger Dear members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors: Since I can't concentrate on my writing work with the Blue Angels simulating bombing and strafing overhead... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 9 October 2009, 09:18 ( 9:18 AM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Solomon Amendment found unconstitutional

Ruling on a lawsuit brought by four long-time Federal government employees who were fired (or forced to resign under threat of firing) after it was discovered that they hadn't registered for the draft , a Federal District Court Judge in Boston ruled yesterday that the law barring nonregistrants from Federal... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 27 January 2009, 16:27 ( 4:27 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, 6 January 2009

New film about Kashmir: "Jashn-e-Azadi"

One of the best consequences of travel is a sense of connectedness with other places, or at least an awareness of their existence, that can linger or reassert itself long after you come home. I see a place name in in the news, and it conjures up sights, sounds, smells,... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 6 January 2009, 06:02 ( 6:02 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

Monday, 8 September 2008

Obama, McCain, and draft registration ("Selective Service")

In an interview yesterday, Barack Obama said that, "I had to sign up for Selective Service when I graduated from high school." That has prompted many questions about Selective Service and the draft registration requirements for men Obama's age. Since I maintain a Web site about the draft, draft registration,... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 8 September 2008, 08:35 ( 8:35 AM) | Comments (7) | TrackBack (0)

Friday, 25 May 2007

Report from Iran

I've wanted to go to Isfahan for decades, ever since I first saw pictures of its architectural masterpieces, long before I'd ever set foot outside North America. As I've gotten to other places, Isfahan has been left near the top of my personal lifetime travel "wish list". Today I got... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 25 May 2007, 14:24 ( 2:24 PM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 25 December 2006

Eric Weinberger, RIP

Eric Weinberger, who I've mentioned before in this blog, died December 15th in Boston at age 74. I'll post a longer article when I have more time to do better justice to my memories of Eric, and to his extraordinary contributions through the decades to peace, freedom, and humanity. [Addendum:... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 25 December 2006, 07:55 ( 7:55 AM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Tuesday, 19 September 2006

Where are we now?

Protesters proud of actions opposing draft: Today, he's convinced it was the right thing to do. New Call for a draft to end war: Selective Service, chief, peace advocates have various reasons for forced enlistment by Peter Urban, Connecticut Post, Sunday, 3 September 2006 More:... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 19 September 2006, 05:02 ( 5:02 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 16 September 2006

This is a song about the draft. (Not.)

"Group W's where they put you if you may not be moral enough to join the secret army after committing your special crime ." Streaming audio (with four-part harmony on the final choruses) MP3 download Lyrics (If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud. )... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 16 September 2006, 16:45 ( 4:45 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 19 April 2006

USA military prepares to recall retired soldiers to active duty

Exhausting all means of getting people into uniform short of a draft , yesterday the USA Department of Defense published new regulations on Management and Mobilization of Regular and Reserve Retired Military Members (32 CFR 64, 71 Federal Register 19827-19829, 18 April 2006): It is DoD policy that military retirees... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 19 April 2006, 18:49 ( 6:49 PM) | Comments (11) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 17 April 2006

Workshops on the draft in S.F., N.Y., and D.C.

Upcoming events in San Francisco, New York City, and Washington, DC: Bay Area Students and Educators to Stop the War conference -- Saturday, 22 April 2006, 10.a.m. - 6 p.m., Mission High School, 18th St. and Dolores Ave. (near 16th St./Mission BART station), San Francisco, CA. Information on the draft... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 17 April 2006, 06:57 ( 6:57 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 14 January 2006

U.S. war resisters in Canada; "Omega" art exhibit in S.F.

A new 28-minute video on war resisters from the USA-Iraq War in Canada, and the debate now going on (in the context of Canada's national elections) on whether to grant them refuge in Canada, is now available in full online as streaming video in seven segments (plus links to supplemental... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 14 January 2006, 17:13 ( 5:13 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 2 November 2005

"Pacifists for War" and the draft?

The cover story of today's SF Weekly is on Pacifists for War ("within a feuding peace movement, counter-recruiters are conspiring to bring back the draft"). In response, I've sent the letter below. You can send your letters to feedback@sfweekly.com . Against the Draft Despite pro-draft quotes from people as far... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 2 November 2005, 23:34 (11:34 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

"Medical Reserve Corps" collecting names ... for a medical draft?

I've been meaning for some time to post a pointer to the Medical Reserve Corps for those concerned about possible military conscription of health care workers . According to the MedicalReserveCorps.gov Web site: In his 2002 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush announced the USA Freedom Corps,... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 2 November 2005, 21:50 ( 9:50 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

Tuesday, 18 October 2005

Upcoming S.F. Bay Area draft resistance events

On The Frontlines: Options for Youth in Times of War "A conference for youth and their allies", Saturday-Sunday, 22-23 October 2005, University of California at Berkeley. Open to all: free for youth, $10-25 donation requested for adults. High school students, parents, and teachers especially invited. Workshop for students, other... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 18 October 2005, 20:30 ( 8:30 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, 1 September 2005

RIP: Kepler's Bookstore

Of all the places where I've read from and signed copies of my books , there is none of those appearances of which I am more proud than the one on 25 January 1998 at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park, California. Not because of anything I said -- although the... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 1 September 2005, 14:18 ( 2:18 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

"On the Frontlines" conference in Berkeley

On The Frontlines: Options for Youth in Times of War A conference for youth and their allies 22-23 October 2005, Berkeley, CA, USA The conference Web site and program are stilll under construction, but the topics to be discussed include the draft , conscientious objection , and options for resistance... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 1 September 2005, 10:32 (10:32 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 31 August 2005

Life Outside the Mainframe

My essay on Fred Moore and his historical significance, Life Outside the Mainframe, is now online in the August book review issue of the AFSC's Peacework. It's in the context of a review of John Markoff's new book, in which Fred Moore is a central figure, What the Dormouse Said:... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 31 August 2005, 22:31 (10:31 PM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 28 March 2005

Anti-draft movement begins to come together

As the likelihood of a military draft in the USA becomes more apparent, anti-draft activism is beginning to move beyond individual Web sites (like those I have created and maintain, Resisters.info and MedicalDraft.info ) to the formation -- mainly on the initiative of parents of potential draftees -- of small,... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 28 March 2005, 17:59 ( 5:59 PM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Sunday, 20 March 2005

"The Draft Debate Heats Up"

My article on the possibility and likely character of a military draft, the potential for draft resistance, and the state of anti-draft organizing, The Draft Debate Heats Up , has been published in the Winter 2005 issue of The Nonviolent Activist , the magazine of the War Resisters League .... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 20 March 2005, 22:21 (10:21 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

Thursday, 28 October 2004

Pelosi begs my question on the draft

Tonight's live national call-in simulcast on Link-TV and Pacifica Radio, FAQs: The Politics of the Draft , seems to have been intended much more as a forum for Democratic Party electioneering than as a way to elicit actual answers to any of the Frequently-Asked Questions about the draft . But... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 28 October 2004, 21:46 ( 9:46 PM) | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 23 October 2004

Approbation and Ignominy

BOSTON, Oct. 22 [The New York Times] -- In the wake of the death of a Red Sox fan hit by a police pepper-spray weapon after the team's playoff victory, Boston officials are imposing restrictions on the bars around Fenway Park.... A police officer fired the pepper-spray weapon, striking 21-year-old... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 23 October 2004, 21:50 ( 9:50 PM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 18 October 2004

Military draft becomes a campaign issue

Military conscription has become an issue in the Presidential campaign -- even though neither Bush nor Kerry has done anything to put their claimed opposition to the draft into action. Campaigning around the draft includes television ads being broadcast this week, Web-based appeals to student voters , an ad in... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 18 October 2004, 22:32 (10:32 PM) | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)

Wednesday, 13 October 2004

Bush, Kerry, Nader respond to questions on the draft

Three of the Presidential candidates -- Bush, Kerry, and Nader -- have responded in writing today to questions about the military draft posed by young voters in an online debate. Unfortunately, the questions and answers failed to address the real issues of whether there will be a draft. There was... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 13 October 2004, 09:18 ( 9:18 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (1)

Tuesday, 5 October 2004

USA House votes down military draft. So what?

This evening in Washington -- after the Red Sox beat the Angels in the first game of the baseball playoffs, and before the Vice-Presidential debate between Cheney and Edwards -- the full USA House of Representatives voted, for the first time in my lifetime, on a bill to reinstate military... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 5 October 2004, 20:33 ( 8:33 PM) | Comments (7) | TrackBack (1)

Monday, 9 August 2004

"Crossing The Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India"

On Satrurday evening I attended the Bay Area premiere and a discussion with the filmmaker, other activists, and Kashmiri, Pakistani, and Indian community members of an impressive new documentary film by Pervez Hoodbhoy and Zia Mann, Crossing The Lines: Kashmir, Pakistan, India. It's remarkable enough that even progressive South Asians... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 9 August 2004, 10:18 (10:18 AM) | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 3 July 2004

Will the USA reinstate a military draft?

If you read this article in today's New York Times , you should also read this . The erroneous (but so taken for granted as to be unstated) assumptions behind the Times story, and many similar ones, are that: The only threat of a draft is of a general draft... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 3 July 2004, 22:16 (10:16 PM) | Comments (8) | TrackBack (0)

Saturday, 5 June 2004

Draft Registration and Draft Resistance

In preparation for the workshop tomorrow morning on the draft, draft registration, and draft resistance at the Reclaim the Commons convergence in San Francisco, I've added a new section to my Web site with updated versions of a set of informational leaflets originally produced by the National Resistance Committee, in... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 5 June 2004, 15:49 ( 3:49 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, 3 June 2004

Will There Be A Draft? What Can You Do About It?

As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq drag on year after year, military tours of duty and reserve call-ups are extended, and enlistment declines, more and more people are beginning to wonder how soon the Pentagon will run out of "volunteers", and turn to a draft. I'll be leading a... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 3 June 2004, 08:41 ( 8:41 AM) | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)

Thursday, 27 May 2004

"I am an old man and I am just speaking feebly and not too well"

Transcript of Proceedings United States of America vs. David T. Dellinger, et al. United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois before the Hon. Judge Julius J. Hoffmann Chicago, Illinois February 14, 1970 The Court: The Court now has the responsibility of dealing appropriately with the contemptuous conduct that has... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 27 May 2004, 22:15 (10:15 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Dave Dellinger, Presente

Dave Dellinger -- nonviolent hero: Rest in Peace On Tuesday, May 25, 2004, at approximately 1:30 p.m., nonviolent hero Dave Dellinger passed from this world in Montpelier, Vermont. Although suffering from Alzheimer's for several years, Dave recognized his wife, Elizabeth, and other family members right until the end. For more... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 27 May 2004, 08:24 ( 8:24 AM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 26 April 2004

National Radio Project on "Courage Under Fire: Resistance to War"

Twenty years ago this month I was released from the Federal prison camp in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania after "serving" a six-month sentence for "wilfull refusal to submit" to registration with the the USA Selective Service System for a possible draft of soldiers to be sent to fight in Afghanistan on the... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 26 April 2004, 16:25 ( 4:25 PM) | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Monday, 20 October 2003

Self-determination and human rights in Kashmir

I've added a new section of my Web site to help explain why I care about Kashmir. I've posted some of the articles I've written for peace movement publications -- they are mostly a few years old, but should still provide some background information. Sadly, the situation remains largely the... (...Read Entire Entry)
Link | Posted by Edward, 20 October 2003, 08:43 ( 8:43 AM) | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)