Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine Asks Protesters To Get Off Their Property #KunduzAttack #mepolitics

Citizens disgusted by the U.S. bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan protested on Saturday, October 10 in front of Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine.

Bombing hospitals is a war crime under the Geneva convictions, and the Pentagon spokesman who called this ‘collateral damage’ is likely well aware of this fact.

#KunduzAttack Protests Sweep The Nation, Doctor Arrested In Congressional Hearing

Humanitarian activists staged a 'die-in' in front of Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, calling for an independent investigation into the bombing of a MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

Mercy Hospital To Be Location For Oct. 10 Protest 

Of U.S. Bombing of Hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan

Portland, Maine –– Citizens disgusted by the U.S. bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan will protest on Saturday, October 10 in front of Mercy Hospital at 5:00pm. 

CODEPINK Local Coordinator Lisa Savage said, “Bombing hospitals is a war crime under the Geneva convictions, and the Pentagon spokesman who called this ‘collateral damage’ is likely well aware of this fact.”

Some protesters plan to wear scrubs to highlight the fact that staff of the hospital were killed and injured during more than 30 minutes of bombing. Patients, including children, were also burned to death or otherwise injured during the air strike on the only free trauma hospital in the region. Doctors Without Borders has since announced that it is withdrawing from Kunduz, possibly from all of Afghanistan.

The action in Portland is part of a national wave of protests.

In Washington DC on Oct 6 before the start of a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing about Afghanistan, Dr. Margaret Flowers was arrested for speaking out against the recent US bombing of a Doctors Without Border hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Dr. Flowers was holding a sign which read “BOMBING HOSPITALS= WAR CRIME”.

Dr. Flowers, a pediatrician and candidate for the U.S. Senate seeking Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s seat, was with members of the peace group CODEPINK at the hearing who were wearing “bloodied” doctors garb with “bloody” hands to draw attention to the culpability of hearing witness General John Campbell, who is responsible for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. 

“There needs to be an independent investigation into the hospital bombing in Kunduz because targeting hospitals is against international law,” Dr. Flowers said from the Capitol Hill jail. “People should be held accountable for violating the law.”

The protesters were also calling for a U.S. commitment to rebuild the hospital, provide health care for the injured parties and compensate the families of the deceased. They delivered a petition to General Campbell signed by over 5,000 members of CODEPINK. 

Several members of Doctors Without Borders attended the hearing. "Only an independent investigation will give us answers as to why a hospital was bombed and why the bombing continued for more than 30 minutes after Coalition and Afghan forces were informed that they were bombing a humanitarian hospital. The 22 civilians killed in this attack, including 12 staff of Doctors Without Borders deserve a transparent investigation," said Ella Watson-Stryker, who was named Time Magazine person of the year for fighting Ebola with Doctors Without Borders.

For more information on the Oct. 10 protest at Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine contact CODEPINK Local Coordinator Pat Taub, 207-542-7119, pparee2011@gmail.com.

US Marks 15 Years Of War With Air Strike On Doctors Without Borders Hospital in #Kunduz #Afghanistan

Staff in shock following bombing of Kunduz hospital. PHOTO: Doctors Without Borders/AFP/Getty Images.

When the staged violence of 9/11 occurred, this history major was shaken to the core. "It's the sinking of the Lusitania," I remember telling colleagues in Silicon Valley. They pooh-poohed my analogy and told me to calm down. Self-proclaimed "liberals" with big stock portfolios, they planned to vote for George W. Bush in order, they said, "to protect my wealth."

Fifteen years down the road, the U.S. has just marked the anniversary of the beginning of the endless war on terror by bombing a Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontiers aka MSF) hospital in Afghanistan. Described as a trauma center, the facility was reportedly the only working hospital in Kunduz. 

The Washington Post, faithful stenographer to the Pentagon, is reporting it this way

In a statement, the U.S.-led coalition confirmed it carried out an airstrike about 2 a.m. Saturday in response to “individuals threatening the force.” 

“The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility,” said Col. Brian Tribus, a coalition spokesman. “This incident is under investigation.”

Twitter had several posts from MSF and others to the effect that NATO and the U.S. were well aware of precisely where the hospital was located e.g.

BREAKING: #MSF says frantically phoned #NATO during suspected US bombing of Afghan hospital http://t.co/oUSbxb2IIX pic.twitter.com/4OcfZORZf9

— RT (@RT_com) October 3, 2015

Bombing continued for >30 minutes after American & Afghan military officials in Kabul & Washington first informed of proximity to hospital.

— MSF International (@MSF) October 3, 2015

Several tweeters commented that the war had been announced as "over" or "over next year" for a long time, now e.g.

the US war there supposedly ended last year so let's ask ourselves why there is still bombing happening...

— Ramah Kudaimi (@ramahkudaimi) October 3, 2015

Predictably, there was some dark humor as well. Very dark.

Guess the smartbomb setting was changed from "wedding party" to "hospital"

— Atrios (@Atrios) October 3, 2015

And reference was made to the fact that the Golden Rule never seems to apply when it comes to the U.S. or NATO military. Here's Glenn Greenwald's headline for his report of the incident in The Intercept:

One Day After Warning Russia of Civilian Casualties, the U.S. Bombs a Hospital in Afghanistan

excerpt: This last week has been a particularly gruesome illustration of continuous U.S. conduct under the War on Terror banner, including under the Nobel Peace Prize-winning president who celebrates himself for “ending two wars” (in the same two countries where the U.S. continues to drop bombs). The formula by now is clear: bombing whatever countries it wants, justifying it all by reflexively labeling their targets as “terrorists,” and then dishonestly denying or casually dismissing the civilians they slaughter as “collateral damage.” If one were to construct a list of all the countries in the world based on their credibility to condemn Russia for using this exact rhetorical template in Syria, the U.S. would literally be last on that list.

 Remember the sinking of the Lusitania and what happened afterward? So do I.