People in Russia risk lives to protest invasion of Ukraine

Hundreds arrested as shocked Russians protest Ukraine attack

Associated Press
By DASHA LITVINOVA

One petition, started by a prominent human rights advocate, Lev Ponomavyov, garnered over 150,000 signatures within several hours and more than 330,000 by the end of the day. More than 250 journalists put their names on an open letter decrying the aggression. Another one was signed by some 250 scientists, while 194 municipal council members in Moscow and other cities signed a third.

MOSCOW (AP) — Shocked Russians turned out by the thousands Thursday to decry their country’s invasion of Ukraine as emotional calls for protests grew on social media. Some 1,745 people in 54 Russian cities were detained, at least 957 of them in Moscow.

Hundreds of posts came pouring in condemning Moscow’s most aggressive actions since the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Vladimir Putin called the attack a “special military operation” to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine from “genocide” — a false claim the U.S. had predicted would be a pretext for invasion, and which many Russians roundly rejected.

Tatyana Usmanova, an opposition activist in Moscow, wrote on Facebook that she thought she was dreaming when she awoke at 5:30 a.m. to the news, which she called “a disgrace that will be forever with us now.”

“I want to ask Ukrainians for forgiveness. We didn’t vote for those who unleashed the war,” she said.
read more here 

Global News

Message to NFL: The appropriate time to take a knee

Time to take a knee without hurting veterans

Wounded Times

Kathie Costos

June 5, 2020

When Drew Brees took the position of defending the flag and the National Anthem for the sake of our veterans, he was supported. He was also attacked for doing it. Then he was forced to apologize for doing it.

What the hell is wrong with the NFL? Are any of you thinking at all? Protesting during the National Anthem hurts veterans and fans, along with tremendously patriotic people, but your players insist it is their right to do it.

How can you not see that it is not that they are doing it. It is when they are doing it?

It is one thing to demand the attention of the media coverage of the game and all the cell phones held in the hands of fans to make a statement, but it hurts too many people instead of getting them to support the movement.

We have seen how millions of Americans have joined in one the fight for justice, taking to the streets in protest. We have seen police officers join in by taking a knee in solidarity. 

The National Anthem is not the time to do it! Try letting the players do it during halftime and allowing them to kneel for 8 minutes 46 seconds. You want the fans to come back, especially when there is a pandemic? Then support both causes. Stop offending those who are emotionally attached to both sides and you will probably see the fans take a knee as well as the players!

Retired Military Leaders Speak Out Against Using Troops

Here are all the current and former military leaders blasting Trump’s response to nationwide protests

Task and Purpose

Jared Keller

June 4, 2020

Since the earliest days of his presidency, President Donald Trump has showered "his generals" with an absurd amount of adoration, transforming America's military brass from mere advisors to symbols of legitimacy and trust within his administration.

But in the protests that have followed the death of unarmed African-American man George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer — and Trump's subsequent threats to deploy the military to quell protests nationwide — the president's implicit reliance on generals appears weakened as military leaders speak out and contradict the president's message of force.

In recent days, several generals from past administrations have spoken out strongly against both Trump personally and the approach his administration has taken to the violence that has rocked in recent days, from current Defense Secretary Mark Esper referring to American cities as "battle space" to Trump's demand that governors use the National Guard to "dominate" protestors in their states. 

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen

and read more here

Difference between using and supporting and cause

Wounded Times

Kathie Costos

June 3, 2020

When football players took a knee during the National Anthem, they used their fans to make a point. Had the cameras not been there, and fans, who paid to watch the team play, no one would have complained. While it is the right of every American to protest and speak their thoughts, it is not right to abuse the reason people were paying attention.  I feel the same way when a singer turns the stage into a political platform. 

Yet when Police Officers join protestors taking a knee, that is a wonderful thing. They took their jobs to protect the citizens in their communities, so when other officers decide to assault them instead, they need to let their communities know, they are not like them.

When the President encouraged protestors to reopen states during the pandemic, some agreed with him.

NY Post

Yet when peaceful protestors were in Washington DC and he wanted to show up in front of a church, he sent police and military members to attack them.

Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets Used On Washington, DC Demonstrators As Trump Threatens To Deploy Military To Quell Protests

KPIX News

VA Headquarters and monuments damaged by rioters

Protesters damage Veterans Affairs headquarters, several DC war monuments

Military Times
Leo Shane III
June 1, 2020

The Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters and several notable veterans memorials in Washington, D.C., suffered damage Sunday night from protests in the nation’s capital, part of a series of racially-charged outbursts in cities throughout America over the last week.

A man is seen through a shattered window at the Department of Veterans Affairs as he cleans up glass in Washington, Monday, June 1, 2020, after a night of protests over the death of George Floyd. Prosecutors say Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer after being restrained. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Unidentified attackers broke several windows and spray painted curse words along the sides of VA’s main offices, which sit a block away from the White House.

A car was set on fire just a few yards away from the main entrance to the building. According to multiple news sources, several buildings surrounding the VA were set on fire as protesters moved from areas around the White House to streets north of Lafayette Park.

In addition, VA officials said several department offices in other downtown buildings suffered some damage.
read it here

Police Officers and Protestors Proved Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Officers walked with protestors

Flint Michigan

Officers showed up to protect protestors supplies from being destroyed

Louisville KY

New Jersey police showed up to walk with protestors

Camden New Jersey

Officers showed up to pray with protestors

Miami Florida

Officers showed up to talk to protestors

Fargo North Dakota

And here are more reports found on FORBES

In Some Cities, Police Officers Joined Protesters Marching Against Brutality

FORBES
Lisette Voytko
My 31, 2020

Police officers kneel during a rally in Coral Gables, Florida, on Saturday in response to the death ... [+] PHOTO BY EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

TOPLINE As protests sparked by George Floyd’s death entered their chaotic fifth day, social media filled with images and video of police officers using batons, tear gas and rubber bullets to quell crowds⁠—but some squads joined in with Saturday protesters to express their stance against police brutality, and to show solidarity with the anti-racism movement.

“We want to be with y’all, for real. I took my helmet off, laid the batons down. I want to make this a parade, not a protest,” Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson was seen telling protesters in Flint, Michigan, before he joined the assembled crowd to march, eliciting cheers.

Officers in Camden, New Jersey, helped carry a banner reading “Standing in Solidarity,” and seemed to join in with the crowd chanting “no justice, no peace.”

In Santa Cruz, California, Police Chief Andy Mills took a knee with protesters in the pose made famous by Colin Kaepernick, with the department tweeting it was “in memory of George Floyd & bringing attention to police violence against Black people.”

Two Kansas City, Missouri, police officers⁠—one white man, one black man⁠—were photographed holding aloft a sign reading “end police brutality.”
read it here

Orange County Sheriff's Office, Florida Now: John Mina, Orange County Sheriff and Chief Orlando Rolon, Orlando Police Department #TakeAKnee in solidarity with demonstrators. We share the grief in the killing of #GeorgeFloyd. We need to use these opportunities to come together and talk about these issues.

Orlando Florida

North Carolina

Love is responding to rioters

#LoveInAction responding to rioters

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 30, 2020

There are examples of great bravery happening out of love. It is time to honor those who decided that the destruction and intimidation should not be the response to what was wrong...and they did what they could to help others. There are many examples of this online...and you will find yourself uplifted by human acts of kindness!

Protesters surround an LMPD officer during a protest for Breonna Taylor on May 28, 2020 in Louisville, Ky. The protest organizers surrounded the officer and joined arms to make sure that the crowd did not touch him.(Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal)

A line of almost all white women formed between police officers and black protesters at Thursday night's rally in downtown Louisville calling for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor. (Photo: Tim Druck)

A man carried a woman to safety after she was injured during a demonstration at 6th Street and Jefferson Streets to protest the killing of Breonna Taylor by the LMPD in Louisville, Ky. on May 28, 2020. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal

A woman was comforted after she was injured during a demonstration at 6th Street and Jefferson Streets to protest the killing of Breonna Taylor by the LMPD in Louisville, Ky. on May 28, 2020. Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal

Volunteers cleaned up charred debris in the alleyway behind Sports Dome on University Avenue in St. Paul on Friday.(SHARI L. GROSS – STAR TRIBUNE)

Volunteers cleaned up charred debris in the alleyway behind Sports Dome on University Avenue in St. Paul on Friday. (SHARI L. GROSS – STAR TRIBUNE)

Volunteers gathered in Minneapolis Saturday morning, cleaning up Lake Street at Nicollet Avenue, near the epicenter of Friday night's protests over the killing of George Floyd.(Parker Yesko for MPR News)

Not "tragically bound to the starless midnight"

Judge by the "content of their character"

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 30, 2020

Our nation is facing an epidemic of historical proportions. We have a pandemic claiming over 100,000 lives in a span of about 3 months. We have over 40 million unemployed. Healthcare workers are dying while trying to save lives while many other providers are losing their jobs. Protests to reopen the states have included individuals showing up with guns. Many people are regarding the pandemic as someone else's problem. We have racists, no longer ashamed of how they view fellow citizens. Native Americans are dealing with the virus killing them in higher number, poverty, lack of services, at the same time they are under threat of losing their lands. This is a nation in crisis.

“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated” ― Thomas Paine, The Crisis

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly." as Thomas Paine said so eloquently, applies to what this nation faces today. More and more people are forgetting how we got where we are and the price paid by generations who came before them. They forget that entire generations risked their lives in service to this country in times of war, as well as times of peace. They paid for the freedom so many others want to claim as their "right to enjoy" at the same time they want to remove the rights of others.

While those who entered the military were from all political sides, color, states and religious beliefs, they managed to set aside their differences and were willing to die for one another. We should take that to heart, especially now, but we have faced the crushing burdens before. The difference is, we learned from them.

In 1968, someone filled with hate assassinated Rev. King after he was willing to pay the price to achieve social justice for Black Americans, peacefully protesting and speaking out against using violence to respond to violence. I was alive then and remember it. Just as I was alive when President Kennedy was assassinated, and his brother Bobby was killed. Yet all of these men moved the majority of my generation to stop seeing people based on color of their skin. It was about the "content of their character" that mattered.

Looking at what is happening in this country right now, we have witnessed a reversal of that. Are there bad police officers? Yes, but not all police officers are bad, but while the majority are good, they are all being attacked for what the few bad ones do.

We see protestors flooding the streets, rioters and looters destroying property and burning down businesses in their communities during a pandemic. We see some others showing up to protest orders by the governors of their states with arms, attempting to intimidate their fellow citizens and politicians to yield the better judgement for the greater good to do their will. Are all protestors committing crimes? No, but again, they are all being blamed for what a few do.

“I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

While anger and fear have gripped this nation, we are forced to expand our view aways from what is on the news and see what else is happening to find signs of hope.

“I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality." Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The majority of people in this country are trying their best to do the right thing. Mankind is not "so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war" because there is "peace and brotherhood" still alive in the shadows of one of the worst times in this country.

People of all political sides, color, states and religious beliefs are stepping up for their fellow citizens and the greater good. People are regarding the "content of character" that requires a heart that will not judge anyone by anything else. Thoughts are motivating action to fight against hopelessness. Prayers are motivating action to help others suffering by finding way to do whatever they can for total strangers.

Yes, these are bleak times in this country, but we have been in darkness before. We survived those days because others stepped up refusing to accept what "was" because they dreamed of what could be.

National Anthem, oh so much more than a song

Freedom, war and the flag
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
August 18, 2018

Bad way to wake up this morning, was reading this headline.

ESPN won't air anthem before Monday Night Football games, returning to prior practice

"New ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said on Friday that the network will not show the national anthem during Monday Night Football broadcasts, which is a return to standard operating procedure and a recognition of fans’ desires."

Oh, no, not that the decision to not cover it was bad, but it was what else was in the article.

“ESPN is not a political organization,” he said. “It’s not our job to cover politics, purely, but we’ll cover the intersection of sports and politics. When something happens, when the Eagles are disinvited from the White House, when someone takes a knee, when we think it’s newsworthy we’re going to cover it.”

Reporters still fail to understand that patriotism has nothing to do with politics because no matter who is in charge, the National Anthem means more than just words. I guess it is just not news to us how we feel about this stunt, so ESPN must avoid mentioning how offended we are with all of this.

The basis of the anthem was the War of 1812. The words are about the flag still flying after Americans fought back.

In the War of 1812, the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country’s future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory.

The United States suffered many costly defeats at the hands of British, Canadian and Native American troops over the course of the War of 1812, including the capture and burning of the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., in August 1814. Nonetheless, American troops were able to repulse British invasions in New York, Baltimore and New Orleans, boosting national confidence and fostering a new spirit of patriotism.

The ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war but left many of the most contentious questions unresolved. Nonetheless, many in the United States celebrated the War of 1812 as a “second war of independence,” beginning an era of partisan agreement and national pride.

For anyone suggesting the National Anthem protest is not insulting the troops or the flag, that is exactly what it is.

“The Star-Spangled Banner” is the national anthem of the United States. By the time the song officially became the country’s anthem in 1931, it had been one of America’s most popular patriotic tunes for more than a century. The anthem’s history began the morning of September 14, 1814, when an attorney and amateur poet named Francis Scott Key watched U.S. soldiers—who were under bombardment from British naval forces during the War of 1812—raise a large American flag over Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland.

In the almost 6 decades I have lived, there has been a lot of changes in this country because people stood up and refused to kneel to anything other than prayer.

I was raised by veterans willing to fight to keep this country free, but also, by 1st generations Americans. Yes, immigrants who came here from Greece, Italy and Canada. Members of my family and my husband's fought in three wars. WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

This country achieved the changes on rights because people also stood up, on their own time, and forced the politicians to do the right thing.

The football players are not doing either one. They are not taking a stand for civil rights and they are not doing it on their own time.

They use their fans paying money to enjoy the game, and stations like ESPN making money off covering this game. Using? Yes. They put on a uniform and then expect to be able to use the uniform to pull a stunt, as if that uniform entitles them to their personal views being displayed for the world to see.

Fans dropping support of these teams has nothing to do with Trump's tweets but has everything do to with disrespecting what we hold sacred.

If ESPN is really interested in what is "newsworthy" then they should give fans the same worth and attention they are giving the players. Let them cover how these stunts are pushing them away from the game they loved because they love the country, this imperfect country, and those who stood up to fight for it risking their lives, oh so much more!

  

Iraq Veteran Donnie Reis Explains What Freedom Means to Him

Local musician “honored” to perform at inauguration
Dayton Daily News
Randy Tucker Staff Writer
Jan. 21, 2017

“This is something that should unite us. I’m not attending the march in any anti-American stance. This is just democracy. This is what I fought for. I’ve been to places where democracy doesn’t exist.” 
Donnie Reis,

Donnie Reis, left, performs with Lee Greenwood, right, at a pre-Inaugural “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Donnie Reis, a national recording artist and producer from Tipp City and an Iraq War veteran, respects Civil Rights, women’s rights and the right to protest — but above all else, he respects the democratic process, which manifests itself every four years as the inauguration of the President of the United States.

Reis said he considered it an honor to perform Friday at President Donald Trump’s inauguration, where he sang and played violin with The Frontmen of Country band, led by country music singers Larry Stewart, Richie McDonald and Tim Rushlow.

The group was joined by fellow country artist, Lee Greenwood, to perform his iconic song “God Bless the U.S.A” for President Trump, his family and thousands of attendees on Washington, D.C.’s National Mall.

“That was the highlight for me,” said Reis during a phone interview Saturday from Washington. “Standing up on stage and looking out over a sea of people from all different walks of life, singing “God Bless the U.S.A,” and hearing them sing it back; It took everything I had not just to cry.”
read more here

Korean War Veterans Not Happy After Member Shoved Woman

Veterans Group Identifies Man Seen Shoving Protester at Trump Rally
Military.com
by Bryant Jordan
Mar 08, 2016

Senior Citizen Veteran Fights Protester at Louisville Trump Rally
(Screengrab: YouTube)

The Korean War Veterans Association has identified the member who was seen shoving and shouting at a young black woman who was protesting a Donald Trump rally in Louisville, Kentucky.

In a statement released Monday morning, KWVA President Larry Kinard said the man, identified as Alvin Bamberger of Cincinnati, Ohio, "was not officially representing the Korean War Veterans Association at the event and the association does not, in any way, condone his actions."

The organization "places a great deal of emphasis on the conduct and decorum of the KWVA members at public meetings," he said in the statement.

"Once the association has learned all of the facts regarding this incident, and there are many yet to be revealed, it will then be in a position to better move forward and determine the applicable actions to be accomplished," Kinard said.
read more here

Air Force Pilot Beaten for Confederate Flag on Motorcycle

Air Force pilot beaten by masked ‘anarchists’ after displaying Confederate flag
The Washington Post
By Dan Lamothe
Published: September 9, 2015

An Air Force pilot was assaulted with a bat in Washington state Saturday by masked “anarchists” after they noticed he was displaying two Confederate flags on his motorcycle, police said.

The incident occurred in Olympia, Wash., a few miles west of where the man is stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The pilot was stopped because protesters were marching in the street. Then they surrounded him as they attempted to knock his motorcycle over, according to a police report.

“They sprayed the victim in the face with mace, and struck him in the back with a baseball bat and a glass bottle filled with red paint,” the report said. “The victim suffered severe eye irritation and a bruised shoulder and back. One of the witnesses attempting to assist the victim was also sprayed in the face with mace.”

The attack comes following a summer in which the use of the Confederate flag was hotly contested, following the June 17 attack on a historic black church in South Carolina that killed nine people. The suspect in that case, Dylann Roof, 21, faces the death penalty, and was photographed displaying the Confederate flag before the attack.
read more here
Linked from Stars and Stripes

Shameless! WWII Veteran Award Ceremony Disrupted by Protesters

This veteran was being honored for his service. Dario Raschio is 100 years old and fought for this country in WWII.

The ----ing jerks showing up to protest this proved a lot of things but being worthy of attention wasn't one of them.  They know nothing about what freedom is. They know nothing about how our freedom was obtained and retained. They care nothing about the men and women putting their lives on the line everyday so they can show up, use their free speech rights to prove to everyone they don't care at all for duty, honor or respect. The worst thing in all of this none of them acknowledge the man they showed contempt for risked his life.

These are the medals he earned so long ago.

As you'll read in this article, they didn't care about anything else either.

2 Portland protesters arrested after march, others disrupt veteran ceremony
KATU
By Reed Andrews and KATU.com Staff
Published: Jan 4, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Two protesters were arrested Saturday after they refused to use the sidewalk and clear the road for traffic, according to Portland Police.

On Saturday Portland Police were dispatched to SE 82 Ave. and Foster Rd. where there were reports of several protesters marching on 82 Ave. in the street. 

A protest against police brutality interrupted a town hall meeting just as a 100-year-old war veteran was being honored.

Dario Raschio was getting a medal from Senator Ron Wyden.

Protesters from Don’t Shoot PDX came to the town hall and started chanting.

Senator Wyden let their protest continue for a bit, before taking the microphone and asking everyone to quiet down.

Raschio finally was honored, but someone in the crowd shouted to interrupt him.

The protests got mixed reviews.

“Democracy at its best,” said activist Joe Walsh. “The people took over a town hall meeting, can you imagine that.”
read more here

So Joe Walsh, I want to answer "can you imagine that" by simply saying shouting "don't shoot" during a ceremony to honor a combat veteran was not only disrespectful it was downright stupid. Your free speech rights, protected by men like him, gave you the right to prove you are a moron. "Democracy at its best" seriously? Democracy at its best was sitting right in front of you because he was willing to die for it.

Navy veteran, 100, cheered for standing up to protesters at medal ceremony
FOX News
January 5, 2015

A 100-year-old U.S. Navy veteran drew cheers from a crowd in Oregon Saturday after telling protesters shouting "hands-up, don't shoot!" to stop interrupting his medal ceremony and to “show a little respect.”

Dario Raschio was at Portland Community College's Southeast Campus to be honored by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, at a public town hall meeting. But shortly after Wyden began speaking, more than 100 demonstrators in the back of the room started shouting, The Oregonian reports.

After 15 minutes of chanting against the deaths of unarmed black men by white police officers, Wyden was able to talk the group into quieting down so he could continue with the medal ceremony.

Raschio joined the Navy at the age of 27 and participated in five campaigns in the Pacific theater, flying observational planes based off the USS Chester. He was awarded a frame filled with medals, including the U.S. Naval Aviator Badge, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the "Ruptured Duck" award and the U.S. Navy Honorable discharge pin.
read more here

Disturbing video of US Sailors attacked in Turkey

American Sailors Assaulted By Turkish Youths in Istanbul: Navy
NBC News

Political activists in Istanbul assaulted three American sailors Wednesday — at one point slipping plastic bags over their heads — in an attack caught on video, U.S. Navy officials said. The footage, which was uploaded to YouTube, shows about 20 members of the Turkish Youth Union shouting “Yankee go home!” and then putting the bags on the the sailors' heads before they run away.

The sailors, who are assigned to the missile destroyer the USS Ross, which was on a scheduled port visit to Turkey's largest city, were not dressed in their uniforms.
read more here

Ex-Westboro Baptist Church member apologizes

Ex-Westboro Baptist Church member apologizes to Missouri soldier's parents
BY LISA GUTIERREZ
THE KANSAS CITY STAR

On an episode of Anderson Cooper's daytime talk show Wednesday, Libby Phelps Alvarez, a former member of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, tearfully apologized to the family of a slain Army soldier from Columbia, Mo.

Libby Phelps Alvarez apologized to Sherry and Randy Wyatt for picketing the funerals of soldiers like their son, Sterling, who was killed in Afghanistan last summer.

Alvarez is the granddaughter of Fred Phelps, the church's founder.

Sherry Wyatt had her say, too. She showed the cloth held by supporters on the day of the funeral to shield the family from the Westboro protesters.

"Our son died to ensure freedom of assembly, to ensure freedom of speech, to ensure freedoms for those that are white, black, gay, straight, rich, poor ... All that we get from your actions is just a show of absolute hate," the mother of the dead soldier said on the show.
read more here

7 U.S. service members wounded in protest over burned Qurans

U.S. service members wounded in protest over burned Qurans
From Nick Paton Walsh and Masoud Popalzai, CNN
updated 11:20 AM EST, Sun February 26, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Clinton: The violence is "out of hand"
NEW: France is withdrawing public officials temporarily for their safety
1 protester dead, 7 U.S. service members and 16 police are wounded when a protest turns violent

The gunman in Saturday's shooting has been identified as Abdul Saboor, an Afghan official says
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- A protest over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base turned violent Sunday, leaving a protester dead and several U.S. service members and police wounded, officials said.

The violence in northern Kunduz province came a day after a gunman killed two U.S. military officers inside the highly secured Afghanistan Ministry of Interior.

U.S. officials have said the burning of the Muslim holy books was inadvertent.

The demonstration Sunday -- the sixth day of protests -- began peacefully, said Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini. But it soon turned violent as demonstrators attacked the police chief's office and a U.S. military site.
read more here

Chicago Giving $6.2 Million To Arrested Anti-War Protesters

Veterans should hire these lawyers so they get some justice too!

Chicago Iraq War Protester Settlement: City Giving $6.2 Million To Arrested Anti-War Protesters

After nearly nine years of litigation, lawyers for the city of Chicago on Thursday agreed to settle a lawsuit brought on by anti-war protesters for $6.2 million.

More than 800 plaintiffs were part of the class action suit against the city, which claimed that hundreds of people were arrested without being told by police to disperse during a protest against the Iraq war in 2003. Last year, federal appellate Justice Richard Posner ruled that police did not have the right to arrest peaceful protesters "merely because they do not have a permit," the People's Law Office said in a statement.
read more here

Battle Over Banner Supporting Our Troops in Little Falls

Battle Over Banner Supporting Our Troops in Little Falls

Created: 01/29/2012
By: Jay Kolls

It all started when a citizen was told to remove her signs of protest from her front yard. Robin Hensel's yard was a beacon of billboard material protesting the government and the War On Terror. But she tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that the city told her the signs had to go because city code only allows one sign per yard. So, she turned her attention to a downtown banner that says "We Support Our Troops."
read more here

Protestors try to stop Iraq veteran from losing her home

Occupy Atlanta takes over another home


Posted: Dec 07, 2011 1:37 PM EST
Updated: Dec 08, 2011 8:11 AM EST
By Sonia Moghe - email
By Jocelyn Connell

RIVERDALE, GA (CBS ATLANTA) -
Occupy Atlanta protesters camped-out in below-freezing temperatures Thursday morning to make a statement. They want to save people's home from foreclosure.

They scheduled a press conference for Thursday afternoon at a home in Atlanta on Glen Iris Drive where the family faces eviction. About half-a-dozen tents filled the front yard. Protesters said the family was a victim of predatory lending.

They also remained at a home in Riverdale where a war veteran will soon lose her home.

Brigitte Walker said she bought the Riverdale home in 2004 and three years later was discharged from the military because of medical reasons.
read more here

Army disputes Occupy Buffalo Veteran's service

Army Records at Odds With Occupy Vet's Claims
November 23, 2011
Buffalo News
by Stephen T. Watson
The claims of a dedicated member of the Occupy Buffalo movement that he saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan are not supported by Army records.

Christopher M. Simmance has told several media outlets, including The Buffalo News, that he served as many as three tours of duty in those war zones and that he was severely injured in Afghanistan.

Service records obtained from the Army, however, show he was stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., for three years and he left the active-duty Army in January 2001 -- before the 9/11 terror attacks.

Simmance insists his Army records are incomplete. He told The News he stands by his claims of seeing combat.

"Everything I've told you is completely true; I've got nothing to hide," Simmance said in one of three interviews.
read more here