Escalating Violence Threatens Fragile Middle East Ceasefire

 Written by Bryan Bowman and Greg Williams at FCNL (Friends Committee on National Legislation); reprinted with permission; originally written for “This Week in the World” email from FCNL May 8, 2026

 

 Despite the fragile ceasefire in the Middle East, tensions and violence in the region are once again escalating.

 On (last) Thursday (the 7^th), the U.S. military carried out strikes on Iranian military facilities after U.S. Navy ships exchanged fire with Iranian vessels.

Listen to Smedley Butler

By David Swanson; reprinted with permission

https://worldbeyondwar.org/listen-to-smedley-butler/

This is excerpted and adapted from Swanson's new book, War Is Still A Racket.

In the peace movement in the United States—or at least in any antiwar circles that involve Veterans For Peace or other veterans groups, or that take an interest in the financial corruption that surrounds wars—Major General Smedley Darlington Butler (1881-1940) is a mythical and heroic figure and has been for almost a century. He is best known for the text contained in Part I of my new book, a passionate rejection of war penned in 1935 called War Is a Racket. Published as a small pamphlet, War Is a Racket took up the theme of speeches Butler was giving around the country, with the text worked on by newspaper editor E. Z. Dimitman.

Draft Registration Becomes ‘Automatic’ in December

 By Edward Hasbrouck; reprinted with permission; see Original article with links:https://news.antiwar.com/2026/04/09/draft-registration-becomes-automatic-in-december/

 

Amid war build-up, Selective Service System sends the White House its plan to identify and locate potential draftees

 

On March 30th, the Selective Service System (SSS) sent the White House its proposed regulations for “automatic” [sic] draft registration for review and approval before they are made public. This is the first visible step in the transition from trying to get young men to sign themselves up for a military draft, to trying to sign them up “automatically” by aggregating data requisitioned from other Federal agencies.

Electric Vehicles Around the World

 

By Glenn Hurowitz; reprinted with permission; see www.mightyearth.org

 

Last year, I bought an electric vehicle for the first time. I’m glad I did: way less climate pollution, never stopping at a gas station, and you don’t even have to spend a couple of hours every year and a big fee on a pollution inspection.

News from Tent of Nations near Bethlehem, Palestine

 

[Editor’s Note-  The three following writings are from the founder and director of Tent of Nations, an Ameritus member of the FOTONNA (Friends of Tent of Nations North America) Board of Directors, and a volunteer who served in March at TON (Tent of Nations) in that order.  All of these writings are from the Friends of Tent of Nations Newsletter, March 2026.  Read to learn more about TON.]

Alternatives to the Military in the Peace Churches

 By IPN Coordinator

 

Although the U.S. doesn’t currently have a draft, it is still important for those possessing a conscientious objection to serving in combat/ going to war to be prepared.  Generations before me had to deal with the draft, so there are stories about alternative service I have heard from my elders.  Serving in the Des Moines hospitals was a thing in the 60’s (and later) and men both from Iowa and as far away as Pennsylvania served together.  I am told it varied from draft board to draft board (in counties and states) for how far away one would be required to go from home.  Other places a generation went to before, during WWII, included experimental farms in Minnesota and Michigan.

Spring

 by Anne Farrer Scott

 

During the winter of 1982-83, Minneapolis was “bleak and frigid, like on the icy planet of Hoth,” or so my son Timothy, then five, told me. I had not seen “The Empire Strikes Back”as he had (twice), but I couldn’t help agreeing with him. The world had never before seemed quite so cold and desolate.

To a 2026 of Not Fighting Over Crumbs

 

By David Swanson, World BEYOND War, reprinted with permission; originally published December 26, 2025- https://worldbeyondwar.org/to-a-2026-of-not-fighting-over-crumbs/

 

Every single person in the United States, from those who’ve been most harmed to those who’ve been most privileged, would be better off if we had a normal government that put even a moderate effort into universally improving everyone’s lives. If we had a government that took trillions of dollars away from the war machine and the untaxed oligarchs and provided as a matter of basic rights for all

 economic welfare,

education, preschool through college,

healthcare,

a clean and sustainable environment, and

public transit,

IPN Annual Christmas Open House and Alternative Gift Fair Held Dec. 6, 2025

 By IPN Coordinator

 This year, the Annual IPN Christmas Open House was held on Saturday, December 6, 2025 at the Des Moines Mennonite Church where one of two offices for IPN is located.  It was well-attended despite the snow that came in!  We did end an hour early for people to get home safely on the snowy roads.  The Open House began at 1:30 in the afternoon, and wound up about 3:30pm, originally planned to go to 4:30 pm. 

Iraq CPTer’s Taken Hostage Twenty Years Ago

 

By Ryan James, reprinted with permission; first printed for CPT (Community Peacemaker Teams) weekly email, the Friday Bulletin Nov. 28; see cpt.org  for more information on CPT.

 

This week marks twenty years since four CPTers were taken captive in Iraq. On 26 November 2005, Norman Kember, Jim Loney, Harmeet Sooden and Tom Fox were abducted by an armed group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade. Kember, Loney and Sooden were held for 118 days. Tom Fox was killed by his captors.