Kateri Peace Conference 2018 - Geopolitical Imperatives

 

Fonda, NY; August 18, 2018

A Talk by Ann Wright and Ray McGovern

The Fierce Urgency of Now!

“We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Every August for the past twenty summers, the National Kateri Shrine in Fonda, NY has played host to the Kateri Peace Conference. Year after year, this mid summer "meeting at the edge of the woods" has offered the Capital District an opportunity to explore and to find a way forward through the tangled and ever entwining paths of racism, militarism and excessive materialism to the noble and sustainable ground of peace and justice.

August after August, folks who care deeply about a just society have gathered to listen, to share and to learn in a day of personal reflection and commitment to fulfilling the dream of truth, justice and equality. Every meeting of this twenty year quest has been punctuated by a deep concern for the world, tempered by insight and inspiration for envisioning, walking and working towards what it could be. There has always been joy and celebration in finding companionship and community, a source of sustenance for the challenges on the road ahead.

Kateri 2018 promises to provide another milestone on this continuing journey. Anchored in the realities of the geopolitical moment, our conference will invite both presenters and participants to vision both greater clarity and purpose regarding " the now" in the " tides of the affairs of men”.

This year’s speakers are renowned for their courage in embracing the journey, seeking truth, and acting with compassion and an unbridled fierceness to stop the killing of the US war machine. We will continue this work seeking peace with justice, ending war, exploring nonviolent love in action and ways toward economic equality.

One of the constants of the Kateri Peace Conference is our willingness to embrace change and experiment with programming. Our hope has always been to reach out and engage the community as broadly and deeply as possible while providing a rich opportunity for feeding joy and a spirit of celebration.

https://kateripeaceconference.org/2018-conference/fierce-urgency-now

Podcast: A Conversation with Ray McGovern

This is a recording of my skype conversation with ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern, in two parts. Among other things, we spoke about the strained relations between the US and Russia, and the underlying causes.

Part 1 (OVOC Podcast 4): On iTunes.

Part 2 (OVOC Podcast 5): On iTunes.


The following are links referred to in, or relevant to, the interview:

Part 1:

Ray McGovern's statement at the 2015 UNAC Conference

Bill Bradley on Russia and NATO

Victoria Nuland plots the US-backed coup in the Ukraine

Part 2:

President Obama and Russian President Medvedev - Open Mic

Zbigniew Brzezinski on the global political awakening

Vladimir Putin's speech

The William Casey quote: "We'll know our disinformation campaign is complete when everything the American public believes is false."

The Cantonsville Nine burn draft records (1968)

9/11 Fifteen Years Later - What Have We Learned?

 

Binghamton University; September 9, 2016

This talk is also available as a 58 minute podcast on iTunes.

Today the U.S. and its allies are entangled in wars both known and unknown throughout much of the world, including Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Pakistan. What have we learned in the years and wars since 9/11, and where do we go from here?

This video features a short introductory talk by Donna Marsh O'Connor, who lost her pregnant 28 year-­old daughter Vanessa on 9/11. Donna is a national spokesperson for September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

Next is a talk by ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern. Ray served as a CIA analyst for 27 years, from JFK to George H. W. Bush, and from 1981 to 1985 briefed one-­on-­one to President Ronald Reagan’s five most senior national security advisers.

Introduction by Caleb Schwartz, President of Binghamton University Peace Action.

 

Multifaith Anti-Drone Conference - Session 1

 

Stony Point Center, Stony Point, NY; April 8 -9, 2016

This discussion followed a screening of the 2014 documentary "Drone," and features whistleblower Christopher Aaron, Kambale Musavuli (Friends of the Congo), and ex-CIA officer Ray McGovern.

From the Organizers:

Hosted by the Community of Living Traditions - a multifaith intentional community dedicated to social justice — this working conference will link anti-war organizing with the struggle to decolonize our faith traditions from racism, Islamophobia and empire. It will be an interactive, working conference that will follow up on the work done at the Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare held at Princeton Seminary in January 2015, including building on the Interfaith Letter on Drone Warfare which was sent to President Barak Obama and the U.S. Congress.

Conference Sponsors:

Peace Action Education Fund
Interfaith Drone Network
KnowDrones
Community of Living Traditions

Endorsed by:

Code Pink, Veterans For Peace, Muslim Peace Fellowship, Westchester Coalition Against Islamophobia, Standing Together Against Racism and Islamophobia, WESPAC, United National Anti-War Coalition (UNAC), Muslims for Ferguson, Middle East Crisis Response, Veterans For Peace


Download the audio at the a-Infos Radio Project.

UNAC Conference 2015 - Challenging Imperialist Wars in Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen & Beyond

 

This is Breakout Session 3 from the Stop the Wars at Home & Abroad Conference, held May 8 -10, 2015 in Secaucus, NJ and sponsored by the United National AntiWar Coalition (UNAC).

Panel Chair:

Judy Bello, Upstate Coalition to Ground the Drones & End the Wars

Presenters:

Johnny Achi, Coordinator, Arab Americas for Syria
Ray McGovern, Antiwar Activist, Former CIA Analyst
Cynthia McKinney, Former Six-Term U.S. Congresswoman
Bill Dores, Vice Chair, International League of Peoples' Struggle

UNAC Conference 2015 - Ray McGovern's Statement on Drone Warfare

 

Secaucus, NJ
May 8 - 10, 2015

An impromptu statement by ex-CIA analyst Ray McGovern at the 2015 United National AntiWar Coalition (UNAC). In the second half he explains why he left the CIA and became an antiwar activist.

Download the audio at the a-Infos Radio Project.

UNAC Conference 2015 - Endless Imperial Wars

 

Secaucus, NJ
May 8- 10, 2015

This is Panel 2 from the Stop the Wars at Home & Abroad National Conference, sponsored by the United National Antiwar Coalition.

Co-Chairs: Judy Bello, Lucy Pagoada

Panelists & Guests (In Order of Appearance):

Susan Abulhawa, Author "Mornings in Jenin"
Johnny Achi, Coordinator of Arab Americans for Syria
Joel Andreas, Author of "Addicted to War"
Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Bernadette Ellorin, Chairperson, BAYAN USA
Glen Ford, Executive Editor, Black Agenda Report
Bruce Gagnon, Coordinator, Global Network against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Irina Koval, Patriot+ Foundation, Odessa, Ukaine
Ray McGovern, Antiwar activist and former CIA Analyst
Phil Wilayto, Virginia Defenders for Freedom Justice & Equality
Kaylee Knowles, People's Power Assemblies, NYC

Download the audio at the a-Infos Radio Project.