Sign the Statement of Solidarity with Russian War Opponents
Those of us in the United States who have opposed our government’s wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq are familiar with what the Russian people are experiencing today. And we salute them and send our support and solidarity through our public statement. Please sign and send the statement to your friends and colleagues so that they will do the same.
SOLIDARITY STATEMENT:
WE URGE AN END TO THE WAR AND NEGOTIATIONS LEADING TO A JUST PEACE INCLUDING RESPECT FOR UKRAINIAN SOVEREIGNTY AS A NEUTRAL STATE.
This petition was initiated by the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security.
Co-sponsors: CODEPINK, Peace Action, United for Peace and Justice, Western States Legal Foundation, 1040 For Peace.
My Response to Petition and its promotional statements.
Russia wanted a neutral sovereign Ukraine state, but U.S./NATO and Ukraine have clearly always had other intentions! Russia had a well stated RED LINE and U.S./NATO and Ukraine deliberately crossed it to provoke Russia into its invasion!
Unfortunately, while I want to support Russian peace activists, I cannot sign any statement concerning the Russia/Ukraine war that does not address the U.S. involvement in creating and promoting this war! This war starts with the orchestrated 2014 coup of an elected government, 8 years of attacks on the people of Donbas area, Ukraine military build-up with NATO weapons and harassment of people of Crimea. Russia, in my opinion exhibited many years of extreme patience before invading. Russia for many months offered a peaceful solution to the 8-year conflict while the U.S. directed Ukraine to ignore any honest negotiation. Russia’s reasonable demands involved no fighting, no violence, no additional territorial seizure, no NATO membership, but just a permanent end to the conflict in Ukraine on the separatist areas of the Donbas by neo-Nazi Ukrainian military units.
This war is seriously different from U.S. unilateral unprovoked wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. Not to mention Libya, Syria! Not to mention active support of Saudi Arabia war on Yemen, Israel war on Palestinians. The United States has used a secretive procedure called ‘127e’ to launch at least 23 “proxy wars” across the globe since 2017, claimed an Intercept report.
Not to mention U.S. sponsored coups in Haiti, Honduras, Venezuela. The CIA has interfered in over 50 countries since the late 1940’s, either in their elections or by supporting military or political coups.
Not to mention the “act of war” sanctions that as of March 2022, included Afghanistan, the Balkans, Belarus, Burma, Central African Republic, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nicaragua, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. Unlike the United States “war crimes” listed above where the U.S. proper was actually never threatened (only U.S. imperialist interests), Russia has been experiencing actual threats to its homeland! Russia only invaded Ukraine after it became a grave threat to Russia proper and U.S./NATO/Ukraine ignored Russia’s red line in the sand as to U.S./NATO expansion and arming of Ukraine!
In Peace, Justice, Ecology & Human Rights,
Michael E. Kerr
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