A message from Persian Gulf
News ID: 2579362 - Tue 12 May 2015 - 16:50
http://en.mehrnews.com/news/107171/A-message-from-Persian-Gulf

TEHRAN, May 12 (MNA - MEHR News Agency) – Caleb Maupin, one of the
passengers of humanitarian aid ship heading to Yemen, writes about his
objectives and intentions for taking part in humanitarian mission being
carried out by the Red Crescent Society of Iran.

Why I'm Aboard The Rescue Ship - A Message from Caleb Maupin in the Persian
Gulf*


My name is Caleb Maupin, and I am a radical journalist and political
analyst. I am also an anti-war activist working with the International
Action Center, Fight Imperialism Stand Together (FIST), and the United
National Anti-War Committee.
I am 27 years old and I grew up in Ohio. I currently live in Brooklyn, New
York with my loving spouse Meches. However, as you receive this message I am
thousands of miles away from home, on a ship in the Persian Gulf.
Why am I out at sea on the other side of the world? I am part of a
humanitarian mission being carried out by the Red Crescent Society of the
Islamic Republic of Iran. We are attempting to bring medical supplies,
flour, and water to the people of Yemen.


*A Criminal US-Saudi War of Aggression*

In response to a massive uprising demanding democracy and self-determination
in Yemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has unleashed a horrific bombing
campaign. Over one thousand innocent civilians are already dead. Schools,
hospitals, power plants and mosques are being targeted.
As a citizen of the United States, nothing disturbs me more than the fact
that the cruise missiles and other weapons being used to terrorize and kill
innocent Yemenis, are provided by my own government. Our government
constantly utilizes propaganda about “Human Rights” when attempting to
isolate and demonize certain countries, but for more than half a century it
has been coddling the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, one of the most blatant human
rights violators on the planet.
The Saudi regime not only beheads, tortures, and exploits people within its
own borders, but it represses people throughout the region.
The people of Yemen have long been held down by a corrupt un-democratic
regime backed and supported by Saudi Arabia and the United States. The
recently deposed President Mansour Hadi ran unopposed in the election as the
official Saudi backed and selected candidate. The US/Saudi regime in Yemen
facilitated a horrific campaign of drone strikes by the US military that has
left countless innocent civilians dead.
In response to years of impoverishment, repression, and humiliation, the
people of Yemen have risen up in revolution. The Ansarullah organization,
commonly called the “Houthis” in US media, is at the center of a broad
coalition of forces that is writing a new constitution. Popular Committees
have sprung up all across the country.


*Violence Against A Massive Democratic Upsurge*

Despite what you have heard on CNN, this is not an ethnic or religious war.
This is not a “proxy war” with Iran. This is a popular, anti-imperialist
struggle for democracy and independence led by the Yemeni people themselves.
The Ansarullah organization is aligned with Sunnis,
secularists, and various forces from across Yemeni society who want to free
their country from foreign hands.
In response to this massive upsurge of peoples power, the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, along with ISIS and Al-Queda in Yemen, are waging a campaign of
violent terrorism. They hope to drown this popular revolution in blood, beat
down the Yemeni people, and force them back under their dominion. The US
government is supporting the Saudi regime and its allies in their criminal
attack, and this is abhorrent and immoral.
A few passing words of criticism and condemnation from US officials do not
change the reality of the ugly US alliance with the Saudi regime. The US
officials who arm and coddle the Saudi regime, as well as the US and British
oil corporations who make billions of dollars from this twisted
relationship, are complicit in the crimes against humanity which are
currently taking place in Yemen.
The Yemeni people, despite this horrendous bombing campaign, have not
surrendered. The Ansarullah fighters have aligned with the Yemeni Army and
the Tribal Forces in a united front. Saudi Arabia’s attempt to form a “Free
Army” of Yemeni mercenaries has completely flopped. It is now being reported
that more than 642,000 Yemenis of various religious backgrounds have joined
together to form People’s Militias to beat back the Saudi assault.


*A Humanitarian Mission*

On board the Rescue Ship with me are other peace activists from the US,
Germany, and France, as well as many doctors and a few journalists from
Iran. We intend to deliver our cargo of over 2,500 tons of food and medical
supplies to the port of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.
Everything on the ship has been carefully checked to make sure that NOTHING
that could be considered a weapon is on board. This is a mission of peace,
carried out by the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a
non-governmental organization recognized by the United Nations.
Iranian jets attempted to deliver medical aid on April 28th. They were
cleared for landing by the Yemeni airports, but before they could touch
down, they were repelled by Saudi fighter jets.
Blocking the delivery of humanitarian aid is an extreme violation of
international law. As our craft propels itself through the Persian Gulf, we
are loudly urging that no one interfere with this peaceful humanitarian
mission.


*Let The Hungry Children of Yemen Live! *

*This Illegal, Immoral Blockade Must End! *

*Don’t Block The Rescue Boat!*