WHAT ABOUT? or Not forgetting about “ISLAND of SHAME” let’s count on the ISLE of HOPE.

By Annetta Reams and Enzo Ciscato, Vicenza, Italy

ISLAND of SHAME: David’s amazing book that brought the tragedy of Chagossians to public knowledge with lots of important details.
ISLE of HOPE: in Savannah, GA, where l went to elementary school for 4 years before the de-segregation plan was enforced (1963-1964).

SHAME thinking about all the people killed by militarized police, about civilians of all ages killed in many neverending wars, people all over the world without food, shelter, medical assistance, education, about people still under slavery in many different forms …

HOPE believing that after the traumatic experience of Covid-19 pandemia, people must find the strength to start to change this planet in better with more power, feeling stronger in all countries, on all continents.

ISLE of HOPE (or AISLE OF HOPE or LAND of HOPE or WORLD of HOPE)
could this be a space in CGSC where ideas and positive (and not) news could find a space? We were thinking of a few lines of news that we all could propose/publish from our home continents.

Recent Examples:

U.S. disengagement from European bases:
Confirmed the withdrawal of 9,700 soldiers from Germany.

At first it sounded like one of the usual, irritated attacks of Donald Trump in reaction to Angela Merkel’s refusal to participate physically to the G7. But former U.S. ambassador in Berlin, Richard Grenell announced that US are intending to withdraw 9,700 of the about 35,000 soldiers actually stationed in Germany.  Grenell has left his assignment last month to return to USA where he will be guiding the campaign for Tump’s re-election. In an interview with Bild Zeitung, the diplomat explained that Washington is “tired” to pay for the defense of other countries.“ It’s a hot matter in US and also a political goal of the President since a while. We want to bring home troops from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, South Korea, Japan and even from Germany”. (Corriere della Sera, 20.06.2020)

Apart from the propaganda aspect, should we see a little bit of positivity in this possible small cut of US military forces in Europe ?


Vicenza: Airborne of the 173rd brigade arrested for terrorism.

They couldn’t believe it. They didn’t want to believe it. When the top officers of the 173rd Brigade stationed in Vicenza told what happened, the 3,500 air born soldiers (paratrooper) were stunned. The enemy they had been trained to fight against they had at home, he slept in their dormitory, joked and drank beer with them. Too bad that Ethan Melzer, 22 of Louisville, Kentucky, who arrived at Ederle barracks in early November 2019, was actually a member of a disturbing Satanist and Nazi organization “O9A”, an acronym for “Order of the Nine Angles” and he had planned to kill the largest possible number of his comrades with whom he spent his days. On June 10th the young soldier was arrested in Ederle base on charges of high treason and conspiracy against USA, among others. He is now in prison and will face trial in New York: he’s risking life in prison.
(free translation from “Il Giornale di Vicenza” 24.06.2020)

This evening we found more in the web while searching for “O9A”. See this article:
https://www.armytimes.com/news/your-army/2020/06/22/us-soldier-plotted-with-satanic-neo-nazis-to-ambush-his-own-unit-overseas-feds-say/