NATO admits civilian casualties in Libya; Congress challenges President Obama on the War Powers Act; and Obama will announce his plan for a gradual withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan on Wednesday evening. With the U.S. arguably engaged in 6 wars, this week's featured article notes, "Our president and elected representatives must serve as a check on the military establishment, rather than issuing blank checks to them." Meanwhile, non-violent protest and revolution continue to rock the balance of power from Yemen and Syria to Spain and Wisconsin.
On Monday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors overwhelmingly passed a resolution to bring war dollars home. Lisa Savage of CODEPINK writes in her report, "As for who will enforce the non-binding resolution, that is up to the people. Grassroots pressure to end funding for wars eventually produced an end to U.S. military presence in Vietnam, presaged by the last time the mayors considered a war dollars home resolution in 1971. Mayors may very well be closer to the will of the people than are senators or presidents."
Local organizers continue to work for peace at home by strengthening communities. In DC, that means gaining autonomy and representation in Congress. The Washington Peace Center was Tweeting from last week's DC Statehood Flag Day celebration in Dupont Circle. Follow us on Twitter for more live tweeting from progressive events this summer. This week, the fight for DC statehood continues with a June 25 White House rally. Join the struggle by checking out the upcoming events below, or come to the Washington Peace Center Volunteer Bash this Sunday to see how you can get involved!