Opinion

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During the CNN Democratic Presidential Debate, yesterday millions of simple-minded Americans listen to the now time worn touting of various candidates as heroes, for having “fought for their country in Vietnam.” 
 
Here is what former Democratic candidate for President and present Secretary of State John Kerry testified about the American war in Vietnam before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971.

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Though Argentina Bolivia Cuba Ecuador Venezuela and Nicaragua condemned US wars and murderous exploitation during this year’s UN Gen. Debate, they as other delegates, lamented the current deplorable condition of today’s world of death and destruction, of poverty and starvation calling for everyone to work to rectify the situation. No delegate even once called for justice through prosecution. Gaddafi UN speech quoted.

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Article is in regard to the address of  President Hassan Rouhani of Iran before the UN General Assembly during its 2015 General Debate, the general atmosphere of appeasement during the debate, and an unwillingness, even by delegates of nations bombed and invaded by US or NATO, to uphold the UN Charter that contains the Nuremberg Principles of international law.  Part of a series of articles on the UN General Debate.

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This article is in regard to the address of  President Hassan Rouhani of Iran before the United Nations General Assembly during its 2015 General Debate (9/28/2015), the general atmosphere of appeasement during the debate, and an unwillingness, even by delegates of nations bombed and invaded by US or NATO, to uphold the UN Charter that contains the Nuremberg Principles of international law.

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Pope’s visit, blown up to super large proportions, a media inculcated impression that God’s representative on planet Earth is blessing America as its investors in profitable use of US Armed Forces go on destroying nations and peoples.  Article not intended merely to unmask the Pope we are being hyped about, but to show the Papacy has long been an instrument of the wealthy who brutally misrule most of humanity

A few people have noted that iBrattleboro commenting has dropped off a bit recently and wondered why. Usually, iBrattleboro follows the general trends in town, and Brattleboro as a whole has seen community participation dropping off for some time now.

Few people run for the selectboard or school boards, and town meeting struggles to find representatives. Public participation at selectboard and school board meetings is minimal. Few people commented publicly on major zoning changes being debated. Parents barely batted an eye when Common Core was implemented.

Food drives and non-profit fundraising efforts struggle to meet goals. Citizens haven’t been motivated to hold fundraising events for needed police and fire facilities. Skatepark fundraising efforts are quiet. And so on.

What a bombshell it was when Martin Luther King called his government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world!” – large bold headlines in every newspaper all around the world. Now, nearly a half century later, and tens of millions of additional innocent human beings, a third of them children, slaughtered to protect the super wealthy’s mostly white capitalism, as it continues profitable exploitation of all humanity, what If a few world famous celebrities listened to their conscience and spoke up as King did?

A variation of my letter shown below appeared in the Brattleboro Reformer on Thursday. I was responding to a local resident calling for a boycott of Panda North. I would like to ask my friends and neighbors to show support for this fine family-owned restaurant whose owners and staff have been respectful of us and served us for 27 years, and have not been “disrespectful” as the previous letter-writer had suggested. These folks should not suffer because of mis-information.

Please continue to patronize Panda North … after more than a quarter-century here, they deserve our support.

Fifteen years later I still have the same thoughts about the events of 9/11 I’ve had from the beginning.Since I lived in New York City most of my adult life, I have an intimate view of the original Trade Towers. The immensity of them was something you had to see in person. Photos can give you an idea of their size, but not as well as standing under them, being inside of them or on the observation deck of the South Tower.

Towers 1 and 2 were built to withstand multiple Boeing 707 impacts. By 1973 both towers were fully constructed.