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The truest thing America's newish president has uttered since his epic run for office began two and some years ago was his response to a question put regarding the "wars" in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Nobel peace prize laureate then said 'War' was; "not only necessary but morally justified." What Barack Obama didn't mention was for whom war was necessary, and just what moral purpose required the killing, maiming, and making homeless of millions of defenseless civilians?

 

Today, American forces and their allies are overtly, and therefore "necessarily," bombing and killing civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Pakistan, and Yemen. Its allies and clients are less necessarily doing likewise around the world, in most cases behaving as the hated 21st Century Hitler, Saddam Hussein had done, by killing "their own people." For those of us reared in the old school, where killing and maiming and making of innocents homeless orphans was considered neither necessary, nor moral, a little updating to New World Order morays is also necessary.

David Swanson is a peace, democracy and social justice activist, community organizer, and author of the book, 'Daybreak: Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect Union.' He is the founder of the political action websites, AfterDowningStreet.org, and ConvictBushCheney.org, and serves as Chair of United for Peace and Justice among other progressive affiliations. He is a former newspaper reporter, and acted as press secretary for Dennis Kucinich's 2004 presidential bid. David Swanson in the first half.

And; the infamous hijacking of the Turkish flagged Mavi Marmara cruise ship and killing of nine of its peace activist passengers by Israeli commandos May 31st of this year has not deterred international support for the people of Gaza as Israel's leaders had hoped. Today, work to purchase, crew, and provision more aid ship is underway in a host of countries around the world. Where the Mavi Marmara was a member of a six ship flotilla intent on challenging and breaking through Israel's illegal embargo of the Gaza enclave, the next flotilla promises to be an armada.

Canada too can boast a participant in this monumental effort to breach Israel's stranglehold on Gaza and bring to the one and a half million Palestinians trapped behind the walls and razor wire food, medicines, and building material desperately needed to provide home, health, and hearth to those deprived of the same.

Ehab Lotayef is with Toronto's Canada Boat Gaza committee and will join us in the second half to bring us up to speed with that project's progress.

And; Janine Bandcroft will not be here at the bottom of the hour as oft times she is, but will return next week, and the following, to cover for me as I vacate the big Gorilla chair. So, first up; David Swanson and Undoing the Imperial Presidency and Forming a More Perfect (and peaceful American) Union.