Southern Heritage 4-1-1: Report on 10 Year Anniversary of Historic March

An Open Letter & Open Report As Requested by Father Alister Anderson

Dear Ms. Lunelle,

When in my estimation one of the top ten greatest men to ever walk the Almighty Gods earth sends of you a request , there are no excuses to not comply, and Father Alister Anderson has asked of me a report on the March commemorating the 10 Year Anniversary of the Historic March Across Dixie.

 ( 1 ) It is in the Capitol Building in Montgomery, Alabama where Terry Lee and I have unfinished business with the State of Alabama, and have not had time to forge a document expressing those concerns of business first to the Honorable Jay Hinton.our gracious Host. There are historical depictions and visual presentations of events that took place in Alabama, and most prevalent the Marches of King. One of the most beautiful Confederate soldiers monument stands on its grounds. The Southern Cross sits in a place of prominence on the House Chamber floor. A star encased in marble marks the place and date of the Honorable President Davis 1st Inaugural Address. Yet there was no display to be found of any of those venues, or of those Black folks who earned a place of honor under the Southern Cross. 

Terry Lee, Jay and I sat through a Presentation in the State Museum adjacent to the Capitol Building where noted author Ben Severance gave a visual and oral presentation about his Photo Journal that supposedly gave a photographic history of Alabama showing the human side of the country's greatest conflict. Yet he only depicted three re-construction Blacks in his book, and only talked about one favorably. And in his presentation one he mentioned as having an election stolen from him by the local White Sheriff because he stole the ballot box, and had himself elected. And this was suppose to be a funny joke that was laughed at by many present. Never is there any mention of Jim Jeb who fought alongside his master at Manassas, or Horace King or a picture of him and one of the Wonders of the world he built next door in the Capitol; their spiral stair case, or the bridges and roads he built for General Lees' army.Never any picture of Holt Collier who rode with Forrest, or mention of his love and devotion to his former master, typical of the many Africans freed or indentured as a form of reciprocation for the love shown to them.

However, there we were with Terry Lee's documentation of the Cold War Between the States that showed a side that perhaps Ben Severance for whatever reason thought not important to portrait in his works. We had journeyed some twenty miles a day, six days a week, interacting with the sons of former slaves, the sons of former slave owners, and some that were not, just Southern, and just like their ancestors, some Northerners that were sympathetic to the Southern Cause. We heard their stories, we read the most sacred mail of their ancestors, the rarest of documents, and books ever written, and we broke bread at the table of Brotherhood every day and learned first hand about the love that they talked of between a man called master and friend, A love that was shattered by the trickery of a man who played the biggest trick on them when he broke the rules of the document forged to guide them in this land. And now still with malice of intent continue to use the African people against them with deceit and lies to break their spirits . And again here we were with all the proof that our Southern family needed in the documentation of Terry Lee in his Photo Journal and visual documentation to put an end to a tale told so mean. An end that America so badly needs as it projects itself as the champion purveyor of human rights on the global stage, another lie told until the assault on the South and its people come to an end.

( 2 ) The March Across Dixie is wherever I am as we fight an onslaught of attacks on our heritage and the symbols of those who would dare circumvent the people as a King had done before. We desperately need funds to fight in this war we wage as those who oppose us have far superior resources akin to those our ancestors faced in another day. We could not have asked the Almighty God for a better time and battle ground to forge a victory for America as it faces again the very issues faced by President Davis the day he gave his farewell speech to Congress.  I hope that we get enough sponsors to propel us on towards Texas. I expect to post my Flag on the Capitol grounds before May. God bless you.

                                                                                                         Your brother,

                                                                                                                 HK Edgerton

Temporary Suspension of U.S. Embassy Bangui Operations

Press Statement

Patrick Ventrell

Acting Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

December 27, 2012

The U.S. Embassy in Bangui temporarily suspended its operations on December 28 as a result of the present security situation in the Central African Republic (CAR). We have not suspended diplomatic relations with the Central African Republic.

Ambassador Wohlers and his diplomatic team left Bangui today along with several private U.S. citizens. As a result of this suspension of operations, the embassy will not be able to provide routine consular services to American citizens in the Central African Republic until further notice.

This decision is solely due to concerns about the security of our personnel and has no relation to our continuing and long-standing diplomatic relations with the CAR.

The United States encourages all parties in the Central African Republic to participate in the dialogue to be held under the auspices of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) to develop a comprehensive agreement that will offer a new vision of peace and security for the country.

Editor’s note: The Central African Republic is a war zone to which a small number of U.S. military advisers are deployed by order of President Obama.

The revolutionary origins of Memorial Day and its political hi-jacking

A day celebrating Black liberation utilized for white supremacy

By Ben Becker

The way the Civil War became officially remembered — through Memorial Day celebrations— was based on the erasure of the Black veteran and the liberated slave. 

What we now know as Memorial Day began as "Decoration Day" in the immediate aftermath of U.S. Civil War. It was a tradition initiated by former slaves to celebrate emancipation and commemorate those who died for that cause. These days, Memorial Day is arranged as a day "without politics" — of a general patriotic celebration of all soldiers and veterans, regardless of the nature of the wars they participated in. This is the opposite of how the day emerged, with explicitly partisan motivations, to celebrate those who fought for justice and liberation.

The concept that the population must simply "remember the sacrifice" of U.S. service members, without a critical reflection on the wars themselves, did not emerge by accident. It came about in the Jim Crow period as the Northern and Southern ruling classes sought to reunite the country around apolitical mourning and blind patriotism. Reuniting on this basis required erasing the politically "divisive" issues of slavery and Black citizenship that had been at the heart of the struggles of the Civil War and Reconstruction.  

To truly honor Memorial Day means putting the politics back in. It means reviving the visions of emancipation and liberation that animated the first Decoration Days. It means celebrating those who have fought on the side of justice, while exposing the cruel manipulation of hundreds of thousands of U.S. service members who have been sent to fight and die in wars for conquest and empire.

(Read more)

Source: Party for Socialism and Liberation

Editor’s note: Remember folks, we give everyone a voice, even if they’re loud, shrill, and full of nonsense.  Unlike the “dictatorship of the proletariat,” we honor everyone’s right to free speech.

Suspending Embassy Operations in Syria

Victoria Nuland

Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson (State Department)

Washington, DC

February 6, 2012

 

Flag of the Syrian opposition. Also the
flag of Syria before the Ba'ath coup of
1963. Similar coups happened in
Egypt, Libya, and Iraq.

The United States has suspended operations of our Embassy in Damascus as of February 6. Ambassador Ford and all American personnel have now departed the country.

 

The recent surge in violence, including bombings in Damascus on December 23 and January 6, has raised serious concerns that our Embassy is not sufficiently protected from armed attack. We, along with several other diplomatic missions, conveyed our security concerns to the Syrian Government but the regime failed to respond adequately.

 

Ambassador Ford has left Damascus but he remains the United States Ambassador to Syria and its people. As the President’s representative, he will continue his work and engagement with the Syrian people as head of our Syria team in Washington. Together with other senior U.S. officials, Ambassador Ford will maintain contacts with the Syrian opposition and continue our efforts to support the peaceful political transition which the Syrian people have so bravely sought.

 

As the Secretary told the Security Council on January 31, we continue to be gravely concerned by the escalation of violence in Syria caused by the regime's blatant defiance of its commitments to the action plan it agreed to with the Arab League. The deteriorating security situation that led to the suspension of our diplomatic operations makes clear once more the dangerous path Assad has chosen and the regime’s inability to fully control Syria. It also underscores the urgent need for the international community to act without delay to support the Arab League’s transition plan before the regime’s escalating violence puts a political solution out of reach and further jeopardizes regional peace and security.

Black History Month: Black Southerners in Confederate gray

February marks the beginning of Black History Month – a remembrance of important people and events of African American origin that began in 1926.

 

There have been many major contributions to our nation and to our society by black Americans some that have changed history – and are continuing to do so today. One area that has never received the recognition it deserved and has even been over-looked to a certain degree was that of black Southerners who fought for the Confederacy.

 

One would have to ask, “Why haven’t we heard more about them?”

 

Ed Bearss, National Park Service Historian Emeritus, made the following statement: “I don’t want to call it a conspiracy to ignore the role of Blacks, both above and below the Mason-Dixon line, but it was definitely a tendency that began around 1910.”

 

And, Historian Erwin L. Jordan, Jr., calls it a “cover-up” which started back in 1865. He writes, “During my research on pension applications, I came across instances where black men stated they were soldiers, but you can plainly see where ‘soldier’ is crossed out and ‘body servant’ or ‘teamster’ inserted.”

 

Another black historian, Roland Young says that “he is not surprised that blacks fought ... some, if not most, would support their country, and that by doing so they were demonstrating that it was possible to hate the system of slavery and love one’s country.”

 

This same principle was exhibited by African Americans who fought for the colonies during the American Revolution, despite the fact that the British offered them freedom if they would fight for them. Peter Jennings, an early settler of Rutherford County, was one of more than… (Read more)

 

Source: Southern Heritage 411

What It Means to Be Pro-Life (Part 1)

By Zach Foster

 

This article was originally published by Young Americans for Liberty.

 

Many Americans with some political consciousness tend to group themselves in one or two political categories: the left and the right, the former are usually associated with the Democrat Party and the latter with the Republican Party.  Whenever people assign themselves to one of these two positions, they usually subscribe to the majority of that position’s pre-set policies and beliefs.

 

Both the left and the right have their own views on the sanctity of life, yet their contradictory views -- the left being against war and the death penalty but all for the choice of abortion and the right being against abortion but for the death penalty and war -- become a paradox.  Wherever they stand on the issue of life, both the left and the right are in full favor of death to some extent, and any stance they take on preserving life -- whether in the fetal stage or in the electric chair -- is based on fallacious logic and dishonest euphemisms.  Both sides are willing to kill in order to bring about their ideal conditions in society.

 

Part I: How the Left Justifies Killing

 

Leftists love to attack war but most of them are hypocrites for doing so, since they also often favor war but simply for different reasons than the right.  Socialists favor labor violence and outright civil wars which they refer to as “wars of liberation.”  If they subscribe to Lenin’s teachings, violence and outright terror in the name of proletarian revolution are justified (see The Black Book of Communism, Chapter 4: The Red Terror).   More moderate leftists, from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama, campaign on peace but instead lead the country into wars for various political and economic purposes.  With Wilson it was the First World War  and with Obama it was continuation of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars as well as intervention in the Libyan Civil War as well as those in Somalia, South Sudan, and Central Africa.   Both social democrats enjoyed wide support from their allegedly pacific Democrat Party.

 

Leftists also tend to write off abortion as a matter of civil rights for women.  Let us beg to differ!  They scream and cry over American… (Read the rest of the article)

Conversations in the Black Barbershop

By H.K. Edgerton

As I passed through the Black Historic District in Asheville, a young man would emerge from inside the Black Barbershop, motioning frantically for me to enter. One of the patrons exclaimed, “Well, well, our Black Confederate! Did you get your Christmas Present from South Carolina?” Before I could answer, he went to the next question. “Didn't you come in here ranting at the last Presidential election that when asked about the Confederate Battle Flag, Mitt Romney said that he wouldn't fly the damn thing?”

“And,” he continued, “on December 16, 2011, Nikki Haley, the Governor of South Carolina where the late unpleasantness began, gave her endorsement to the Head Puritan, Mitt Romney. What have you got to say about that?” he asked. Again before I could answer, another patron jumped into the conversation. “Yeah, HK, two or three weeks ago, you came in here so despondent about the Mayor of Lexington [Virginia] whose Great Uncle swore in President Jefferson Davis, orchestrating an Ordinance ban on the Flag in the Shrine City. Looks to us you’re fighting a lost cause.”

And at that very moment, an elderly gentleman whom I didn't know slowly got up from his chair and hobbled over to where I stood. Reaching into his worn pocket purse, he pulled out a folded twenty dollar bill, and where all present could hear, he said to me, “H.K., I hope this can help you go to Columbia with our flag and tell her how we feel. You hang in there.”

I had never felt more proud in my life as everyone present began handing me money from their pockets. What a great day in Dixie!

Insulting the Descendants of Black Confederat​e Soldiers

An Open Letter to Sons of Confederate Veterans Tennessee Division, Commander Mike Beck & Provost Bert C. Bach East Tennessee State University

H.K. Edgerton

Dear Commander Beck & Provost Bach,

 

When one becomes a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, whether that membership is Honorary, Associate, or Full member, they are imposed with a duty, that is titled the Charge of the Confederate Veterans: "To you Sons of Confederate Veterans, it is your duty, your charge to defend the Confederate Soldiers' good name, to strive to equal (emulate) his courage, his conformity to a standard of right (his virtues).

 

And Sirs, on a day when a young Black student, one T.K. Owens, stood in ETSU Professor Slap's History Class and related a story about his great, great, great grandfather being honored in a ceremony by the Sons of Confederate Veterans for his service as a Confederate soldier ,would face insult as he was interrupted by Professor Slap and told to sit down, and that he was reciting a lie, there was no such a thing as a Black Confederate soldier, and that the Sons had only presented his family with a Flag  and ceremony to shore up their faltering image. T.K. would reach out to then the Honorable Tennessee SCV Commander Jim Maddox, who would turn to me to perform the Charge at ETSU. I would don the uniform of the Southern soldier, and carry his glorious banner all the way to the office of the Provost and eventually with that office's help secure an apology from an honorable History Department Chair that I would deliver to T.K. and the Sons.

 

I don't write this letter to continue the saga of T.K., but to relate a tale presented to me by the daughter of the Lt. Commander of the Sons who found herself a student in an ETSU history class conducted by a Professor Carter who would began the class by posing the question;  "had the students seen a ridiculous looking Black man marching around their campus in a ridiculous looking uniform carrying the Confederate flag"? I would have hoped that this professor would have been as honorable as young Will Mcnult was when he and his student organization at Furman University or like those at Winchester College had done in Virginia; contact the Sons and invite me in to tell them about the forty plus Black men who rode with the Honorable General Nathan Bedford Forrest, or the many who made the implements of war for General Lee's army, or those who stayed at home and helped protect those home places while the men were away, or those who picked up arms and fought side by side in an integrated army unlike those they faced and with equal pay.

 

Or just perhaps ETSU has joined the ranks of those Southern schools that were established to inculcate into the thinking process of our babies and nation a lie that hides and distorts truth with only a tactic of name calling and the hurling of indignities to hide behind a veil that would expose their lack of the subject matter. Or just perhaps like far too many have become so comfortable with the pretty cars, nice salaries, and big houses that the honor of those dry bones of the men and women who wore that uniform depicted as Carter as ridiculous , and who side by side in lieu of their social station in the body politic to defend their homeland that had been illegally invaded as brothers and sisters has no monetary value, and like Christ not worth the consequences to defend from public ridicule.

 

And Commander Beck & Provost Bach, in conclusion, while I am utterly disappointed at the continuous ridicule heaped upon not only the Black Confederate soldier by members of the staff at the History Department at ETSU, and now upon my person for expressing my 1st Amendment Right against what I perceive to be the greatest wrong ever perpetrated against an honorable people and the region of this country known fondly as the Southland of America, I shall return again and again to ETSU relaying to it's students, staff, alumni, and visitors who stop and pose for pictures, my autograph, and most importantly the tale I have to tell about men like Jone Greer and Polk Arnold who just last week would be honored for his service to the Great State of Tennessee as Confederate soldiers who just happened to be Black. And most importantly I will tell about the dis-honor that brings me there. God bless you.

 

HK Edgerton

President, Southern Heritage 411

Source: open letter from H.K. Edgerton. Photo courtesy of Southern Heritage 411.

Ron Paul Issues Statement on Libya

Yet another unconstitutional and costly adventure

LAKE JACKSON, Texas– Today, 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul issued a statement on the situation in Libya. See comments below.

“The current situation in Libya may be a short term victory for Empire, but it is a loss for our American Republic. And, I fear it may be devastating to the Libyan people.

“There is no doubt that Moammar Gadhafi is a bad guy, and that he has brought harm and misery to his country. However, our involvement in another country’s civil war is costly and unconstitutional.

“We have spent over $1 billion on a war that this administration has fought not with the consent of Congress but under a NATO flag and authorization from the United Nations.

“It is a serious thing for a President to engage us in a war. He is bound by our Constitution to seek authority from the People, through our Congress, prior to engaging in any military action unless that action is to address an imminent threat to our safety and security. The situation in Libya is a civil war contained within that country’s sovereign borders, and it presented no imminent threat to the United States.

“And so, our government continues to spend trillions of dollars in overseas foreign wars while we face unsustainable debt, a looming dollar crisis, and our Constitution seems to lose any meaning. These actions will sink our country if we do not reverse course.

“Meanwhile, we must beware of any ‘Mission Accomplished’ euphoria. The conflict in Libya is far from over, and there could very well be war in Libya for a long time to come.

“While I hope and pray that the hostility draws to a close and the people there find peace, I fear this is only wishful thinking. We face a situation where a rebel element we have been assisting may very well be radical jihadists, bent on our destruction, and placed in positions of power in a new government.

“Worse still, Gadhafi’s successor is likely to be just as bad, or worse, than Gadhafi himself.   Alternately, Libya may descend into anarchy like Somalia after the overthrow of dictator Siad Barre.  Much like when we removed Saddam Hussein, another thug in Iraq, the likelihood of either a new brutal dictatorship or tribal violence and a protracted insurgency are much more likely than the peaceful transition to democracy we are all hoping for.

“With all these problems and the predictable chaos that will likely ensue, we must ask why this administration was so eager to embark on this Libyan operation in the name of ‘humanitarianism.’ Governments in Bahrain and Yemen have this year used military force to put down democratic protestors. The Saudi regime, which practices Sharia Law, has also been repressive, yet we have not intervened there. These countries continue to sell us oil, while Libya had begun to turn their exports toward Russia, China, India, and Brazil. Could this war largely be about protecting our oil interests at the expense of our Constitution?

“This episode is all too familiar. We were already involved in two wars that have dragged on years longer than the people who led us into them initially predicted.  We can no longer afford to police the world, in terms of both dollars and American lives. We will destroy ourselves if we do not stop, build a strong national defense at home, and focus on trade and commerce with the world instead of Empire.”

Statement on Libya

Hillary Rodham Clinton

The events in Libya this week have heartened the world. The situation remains fluid, but it is clear that the Qadhafi era is coming to an end, opening the way for a new era in Libya—one of liberty, justice, and peace.

We join the Libyan people in celebrating the courageous individuals who have stood up to a tyrant and defended their homes and communities against Qadhafi’s violence.

The United States and the international community have stood by the Libyan people during many difficult days in the last six months. Together, we prevented a massacre, and we supported the people’s efforts to gain their freedom. We will continue to support them as they take on the regime elements that still pose a threat to Libya’s future – and as they address their humanitarian needs and rebuild their nation. The Libyan people made this revolution and they will lead the way forward, but they deserve our help. Libya’s future is not guaranteed. Considerable work lies ahead.

The coming days and weeks will be critical. The United States and its partners are moving quickly and decisively on several fronts.

Earlier this week, I spoke by phone with the Chair of the Transitional National Council, Mustafa Mohammed Abdul Jalil, to express our support for the TNC’s efforts and to discuss next steps. I also hosted a conference call of foreign ministers of many of the member nations of Libya Contact Group, to coordinate our efforts – humanitarian, financial, diplomatic, and otherwise – on behalf of the Libyan people. Today, the Libya Contact Group held a meeting in Istanbul to demonstrate our continued commitment to Libya and to focus on the urgent financial needs of the TNC. The Contact Group called for an expedited process to lift sanctions on Libyan assets. The United States supports this call.

Today, we have secured the release of $1.5 billion in Libyan assets that had been frozen in the United States. This money will go toward meeting the needs of the people of Libya. We urge other nations to take similar measures. Many are already doing so.

As funds are released, we look to the Transitional National Council to fulfill its international responsibilities and the commitments it has made to build a tolerant, unified democratic state—one that protects the universal human rights of all its citizens. It is critical that the TNC engage swiftly with communities and leaders across Libya to ensure order, provide critical basic services to the people, and pave the way for a full democratic transition. Libya’s future will be peaceful only if the leaders and people of Libya reach out to each other in a spirit of peace. There can be no place in the new Libya for revenge attacks and reprisals.

The TNC also has obligations to the international community. We will look to them to ensure that Libya fulfills its treaty responsibilities, that it ensures that its weapons stockpiles do not threaten its neighbors or fall into the wrong hands, and that it takes a firm stand against violent extremism. At the same time, we call on Qadhafi, his family, and his supporters to bring an end to their continuing violence for the sake of the Libyan people and Libya’s future.

From the beginning, the United States has played a central role in marshalling the international response to the crisis in Libya. Together with our partners, we have saved thousands of lives and helped confront a ruthless, erratic dictator who was poised to slaughter his own people in order to hold on to power. The United States will stand with the Libyan people and our international partners in the weeks and months ahead, to help as Libyans write the next chapter of their history.

The Green Party urges US/NATO to withdraw from Libya and support African Union efforts to broker a resolution

WASHINGTON, DC -- Green Party leaders urged an immediate US/NATO withdrawal from Libya after the advance of rebel forces into Tripoli, and called on President Obama to support a political solution to the crisis in Libya through diplomacy, with the involvement of the African Union, Arab League, and United Nations.

"The African Union's mediation committee offered a positive outline for an immediate ceasefire, followed by negotiation without preconditions and democratic elections in Libya. This is the perfect moment for President Obama, NATO, and the UN to support the efforts of the African Union to broker a resolution. All elements of Libyan society must be invited to the table to determine the country's new direction. The Libyan people must be allowed to decide their own future," said Romi Elnagar, member of the Green Party of Louisiana and the Green Party's International Committee (http://www.gp.org/committees/intl).

"If US and NATO forces prolong military action and attempt an occupation to stabilize Libya, the result will be more civilian lives lost and a disaster similar to the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the evaporation of hopes for freedom and democratic self-determination for the Libyan people," Ms. Elnagar added.

See "African Union Statement on the NATO Invasion of Libya: It's Time to End the Bombing and Find a Political Solution in Libya" by Dr Ruhakana Rugunda, Uganda's Permanent Representative to the UN, New Vision (Uganda), June 17, 2011 (http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/757904). According to the statement, "Gadaffi accepted dialogue when the AU mediation Committee visited Tripoli on April 10, 2011. Any war activities after that have been provocation for Africa. It is an unnecessary war."

The Green Party opposed the US/NATO assault on Libya from the beginning (http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=399) and Greens have strongly criticized President Obama for public statements, after the beginning of the attack, in which he changed the goal from "humanitarian intervention" for the protection of Libyan civilians to ousting Gaddafi. Attacking a country to remove its leadership is a violation of international law. The Libyan war was also conducted without congressional approval, even after the US House in June voted against authorizing continued military operations in Libya for one year.

The Green Party supports nonviolent resistance to oppression, as most Palestinians have practiced for decades and Egyptians more recently, and deplores the killing of unarmed civilians.

"The severity of bombing raids over the past few months suggests that Gaddafi himself has been and may still be the target. The bombing inevitably turned indiscriminate and led to widespread civilian death and injury. NATO's claim of protecting civilian lives has become increasingly implausible. Unfortunately, Secretary of State Clinton's refusal to grant the Libyan UN ambassador a visa has censored Libya's own collected statistics on civilian casualties resulting from the raids," said Farheen Hakeem, co-chair of the Green Party of the United States.

Cynthia McKinney, the Green Party's 2008 presidential nominee, recently conducted a fact-finding tour of Libya and reported on NATO's bombing of civilians at Al Fateh University, Campus B, in Tripoli on June 9 in her blog at Black Agenda Report (http://www.blackagendareport.com/content/more-nato-humanitarian-interventionthe-bombing-al-fateh-university-campus-b).

Green Party leaders noted that, while attacking Libya in the name of democracy and liberation, the US has withheld criticism of violent repression of popular movements for democracy in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, which are US allies.

Greens have agreed with the call by the United National Antiwar Committee "for an immediate halt to US intervention in regions and countries where mass mobilizations are challenging oppressive regimes" (Statement on Libya, http://nepajac.org/libya.htm) and warned against US efforts to co-opt movements for democracy in African countries and force them to accept Africom (United States Africa Command), a program to impose US military presence and strategic objectives in African countries.

"The unprovoked assault on Libya has constituted a third war, with US troops still occupying Iraq and Afghanistan/Pakistan, against the government of a majority Muslim nation. It has opened a dangerous new front in a wider unending US war that is at least in part motivated by a desire to control the planet's largest oil reserves in the coming decades. These policies, unless reversed, may eventually ignite a global conflict in this century of dwindling oil resources and advancing climate change. Already, the US has spent $3.7 trillion on wars during the past decade, draining sorely needed funds from public services and other domestic necessities and aggravating the current fiscal crisis. It's time to retire the Bush-Cheney-Obama policy of military aggression," said Muhammed Malik, co-chair of the Miami-Dade Green Party (http://www.miamidadegreenparty.org) and a member of the Green Party's International Committee.