Reject S. 452, "A bill to provide lethal weapons to the Government of Ukraine.”
Sign the petition on DIY Roots Action, here
Why is this important?
The United States is the leading provider of weapons to the world, and the practice of providing weapons to countries in crisis has proven disastrous, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Expanding NATO to Russia’s border and arming Russia’s neighbors threatens something worse than disaster. The United States is toying with nuclear war.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and U.S. Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt played significant roles in orchestrating the political crisis that led to a violent coup overthrowing Ukraine’s elected President. Nuland not only exclaimed "Fuck the EU!” on that recorded phone call, but she also seemed to decide on the new prime minister: "Yats is the guy.”
The Maidan protests were violently escalated by neo-Nazis and by snipers who opened fire on police. When Poland, Germany, and France negotiated a deal for the Maidan demands and an early election, neo-Nazis instead attacked the government and took over. The U.S. State Department immediately recognized the coup government, and Yatsenyuk was indeed installed as Prime Minister.
The people of Crimea voted overwhelmingly to secede, and that — rather than the coup — has been labeled "aggression.” Ethnic Russians have been massacred by constant shelling from Kiev’s U.S.-NATO backed Army, while Russia has been denounced for "aggression” in the form of various unsubstantiated accusations, including the downing of Flight 17.
It’s important to recognize Western interests at work here other than peace and generosity. GMO outfits want the excellent farming soil in Ukraine. The U.S. and NATO want a "missile defense” base in Ukraine. Oil corporations want to drill for fracked gas in Ukraine. The U.S. and EU want to get their hands on Russia’s "largest supply of natural gas” on the planet.
We routinely recognize the financial corruption of the U.S. government in domestic policy making. We shouldn’t blind ourselves to it in matters of foreign policy. There may be a flag waving, but there is nuclear war looming, and that’s a bit more important.
Initial signers (organizations for identification):
David Swanson, World Beyond War
Bruce Gagnon, Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Nick Mottern, KnowDrones.com
Tarak Kauff, Veterans For Peace
Carolyn McCrady, Peace and Justice Can Win
Medea Benjamin, Code Pink
Gareth Porter
Malachy Kilbride, National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Buzz Davis, WI Impeachment/Bring Our Troops Home Coalition
Alice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation
Doug Rawlings, Veterans For Peace
Diane Turco, Cape Codders for Peace and Justice
Rich Greve, Peace Action Staten Island
Kevin Zeese, Popular Resistance
Margaret Flowers, Popular Resistance
Heinrich Buecker, Coop Anti-War Cafe Berlin
Dud Hendrick
Ellen Barfield, Veterans For Peace and War Resisters League
Herbert Hoffman, Veterans For Peace
Jean Athey, Peace Action Montgomery
Kent Shifferd
Matthew Hoh
Bob Cushing, Pax Christi
Bill Gilson, Veterans For Peace
Michael Brenner, University of Pittsburgh
Cindy Sheehan: Cindy Sheehan’s Soapbox
Jodie Evans, Code Pink
Judith Deutsch
Jim Haber
Elliott Adams
Joe Lombardo and Marilyn Levin, UNAC co-coordinators
David Hartsough, World Beyond War
Mairead Maguire, Nobel peace laureate, Co-founder Peace People
Koohan Paik, International Forum on Globalization
Ellen Judd, University of Manitoba
Nicolas Davies
Rosalie Tyler Paul, PeaceWorks, Brunswick Maine