Let Us Together Build Another World

Stand with the Iranian People!
No to U.S. War and Aggression!

The president of Iran sent an open -letter to the people of the United States on November 29. In it he spoke to the common concerns and challenges faced by both Iranians and Americans, saying both peoples “embrace respect for the rights of human beings, securing justice and equity, and defending the innocent and weak against oppressors and -bullies.” He spoke to the crimes and grave injustices to humanity carried out by President George W. Bush, giving the examples of the aggression against the -Palestinians and Iraqis. He also raised the following question: “Is it not possible to put wealth and power in the service of peace, stability, prosperity and the happiness of all peoples, through a commitment to justice and respect for the rights of all nations, instead of aggression and war?”

There is no doubt Americans and all the peoples of the world affirm that this is possible and indeed embody its content in the demand of humanity: Another World Is Possible!

President Bush has refused to respond. He has made no attempt to speak to the concerns raised, nor to argue out why aggression and war are the only answer. He cannot do so.

Iran has made clear that peace can be achieved, by recognizing the rights of the Palestinian peoples, ending the U.S-Israeli occupation and ending the war in Iraq. Again, the U.S. cannot answer. The American people can and are, through their growing struggle to end the war and end the occupation. We Americans stand with the Iranians in -demanding justice and respect for the rights of all nations, including respect for the sovereignty of Iran and their right to pursue nuclear energy and decide their own affairs. We salute the call of the Iranian government to work together for peace and justice and join them in saying it can be done!

Bush also cannot justify U.S. plans to dramatically increase its nuclear arsenal, while demanding that Iran and others not even develop nuclear energy. The Bush administration has persisted in striving to impose sanctions against Iran. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has spent a month attempting to convince the United Nations Security Council, especially the Russians and Chinese, to impose sanctions. Looking to defend their own interests and block U.S. efforts to control the Middle East as a step to controlling Asia, both countries have refused. And while there is now talk by the administration of negotiating with Iran, there are also preparations for a military strike. Battleships and nuclear submarines are standing by in the region. We say:

Hands Off Iran!
Defend the Right to Sovereignty!

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San Francisco Labor Council

Unions Stand Against War on Iran

The following resolution, opposing U.S. military action and threats against Iran, was passed by the San Francisco Labor Council, by unanimous vote, at its meeting of November 27, 2006.

Resolution on Threat of Military
Action Against Iran

Whereas, no evidence has been offered that Iran possesses weapons of mass destruction, even after many inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency; yet the Bush administration continues to threaten aggressive measures against Iran on the grounds that Iran may be developing nuclear weapons; and

Whereas, the U.S. government seeks to impose U.N. sanctions on Iran for continuing to develop its uranium enrichment program, which Iran asserts is strictly for non-military production of nuclear energy. At least ten other nations enrich uranium in order to produce nuclear energy, and the US is not threatening to attack them; and

Whereas, Iran has signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and was the first state to call for a Nuclear-Free Zone in the Middle East; and

Whereas, Israel, Pakistan, India, North Korea, as well as China, France, the U.S., Russia, and Great Britain—all have nuclear weapons, with the U.S. possessing a larger stockpile than of all the rest of the world combined; and

Whereas, the U.S. government -campaign against Iran’s development of enriched uranium appears to be much like the misinformation campaign waged by the Bush administration before the war on Iraq to justify its unprovoked invasion and occupation of Iraq; now the Bush administration once again seeks to stoke unjustified fears to win public support for military action against Iran; and

Whereas, the U.S. government has dispatched a Navy carrier group to the Persian Gulf off Iran’s western coast, as well as ships capable of mining harbors, for naval exercises that some observers believe could serve as the prelude to an attack or other military action, such as mining Iran’s harbors; and

Whereas, published reports of intelligence recently gathered by U.S. Special Operations forces in Iran suggest that the U.S. has identified hundreds of targets in Iran, in preparation for a possible military attack on that country; and

Whereas, the U.S. government has a long history of interference in the internal affairs of Iran, including the well-documented CIA-engineered 1953 overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who nationalized Iran’s oil; and the US role in installing and backing the brutal regime of the Shah of Iran;

Therefore be it resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council, AFL-CIO, hereby declares its opposition to U.S. military action against Iran, and urges all organizations with which it is affiliated to demand that Congress take measures to prevent any such military assault, and rather, to promote diplomatic non-military solutions to any disputes with Iran; and

Be it finally resolved, that the San Francisco Labor Council join with other antiwar forces to organize mass popular opposition to any military assault on Iran, and to respond rapidly should such an assault occur.

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President of Iran Letter to the American People

The Iranian Government released the full text of President Mahmoud -Ahmadinejad’s letter to the American people on November 29, 2006 via Iran’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

***

In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. O, Almighty God, bestow upon humanity the perfect human being promised to all by You, and make us among his followers.

Noble Americans,

Were we not faced with the activities of the US administration in this part of the world and the negative ramifications of those activities on the daily lives of our peoples, coupled with the many wars and calamities caused by the U.S. administration as well as the tragic consequences of US interference in other countries;

Were the American people not God-fearing, truth loving, and justice seeking, while the U.S. administration actively conceals the truth and impedes any objective portrayal of current realities;

And if we did not share a common responsibility to promote and protect freedom and human dignity and integrity;

Then, there would have been little urgency to have a dialogue with you.

While Divine providence has placed Iran and the United States geographically far apart, we should be cognizant that human values and our common human spirit, which proclaim the dignity and exalted worth of all human beings, have brought our two great nations of Iran and the United States closer together.

Both our nations are God-fearing, truth loving and justice seeking, and both seek dignity, respect and perfection.

Both greatly value and readily embrace the promotion of human ideals such as compassion, empathy, respect for the rights of human beings, securing justice and equity, and defending the innocent and the weak against oppressors and bullies.

We are all inclined towards the good, and towards extending a helping hand to one another, particularly to those in need.

We all deplore injustice, the trampling of peoples’ rights and the intimidation and humiliation of human beings.

We all detest darkness, deceit, lies and distortion, and seek and admire salvation, enlightenment, sincerity and honesty.

The pure human essence of the two great nations of Iran and the United States testify to the veracity of these statements.

Noble Americans,

Our nation has always extended its hand of friendship to all other nations of the world.

Hundreds of thousands of my Iranian compatriots are living amongst you in friendship and peace, and are contributing positively to your society. Our people have been in contact with you over the past many years and have maintained these contacts despite the unnecessary restrictions of U.S. authorities.

As mentioned, we have common concerns, face similar challenges, and are pained by the sufferings and afflictions in the world.

We, like you, are aggrieved by the ever-worsening pain and misery of the Palestinian people. Persistent aggressions by the Zionists are making life more and more difficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine. In broad daylight, in front of cameras and before the eyes of the world, they are bombarding innocent defenseless civilians, bulldozing houses, firing machine guns at students in the streets and alleys, and subjecting their families to endless grief.

No day goes by without a new crime.

Palestinian mothers, just like Iranian and American mothers, love their children, and are painfully bereaved by the imprisonment, wounding and murder of their children. What mother wouldn’t?

For 60 years, the Zionist regime has driven millions of the inhabitants of Palestine out of their homes. Many of these refugees have died in the Diaspora and in refugee camps. Their children have spent their youth in these camps and are aging while still in the hope of returning to their homeland.

You know well that the U.S. administration has persistently provided blind and blanket support to the Zionist regime, has emboldened it to continue its crimes, and has prevented the UN Security Council from condemning it.

Who can deny such broken promises and grave injustices towards humanity by the US administration?

Governments are there to serve their own people. No people want to side with or support any oppressors. But regrettably, the US administration disregards even its own public opinion and remains in the forefront of supporting the trampling of the rights of the Palestinian people.

Let us take a look at Iraq. Since the commencement of the U.S. military presence in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, maimed or displaced. Terrorism in Iraq has grown exponentially. With the presence of the U.S. military in Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins, to restore the infrastructure or to alleviate poverty. The U.S. Government used the pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but later it became clear that that was just a lie and a deception.

Although Saddam was overthrown and people are happy about his departure, the pain and suffering of the Iraqi people has persisted and has even been aggravated.

In Iraq, about one hundred and fifty thousand American soldiers, separated from their families and loved ones, are operating under the command of the current U.S. administration. A substantial number of them have been killed or wounded and their presence in Iraq has tarnished the image of the American people and government.

Their mothers and relatives have, on numerous occasions, displayed their discontent with the presence of their sons and daughters in a land thousands of miles away from U.S. shores. American soldiers often wonder why they have been sent to Iraq.

I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military misadventure.

Noble Americans,

You have heard that the U.S. administration is kidnapping its presumed opponents from across the globe and arbitrarily holding them without trial or any international supervision in horrendous prisons that it has established in various parts of the world. God knows who these detainees actually are, and what terrible fate awaits them.

You have certainly heard the sad stories of the Guantanamo and Abu-Ghraib -prisons. The US administration attempts to justify them through its proclaimed “war on terror.” But every one knows that such behavior, in fact, offends global public opinion, exacerbates resentment and thereby spreads terrorism, and tarnishes the US image and its credibility among nations.

The U.S. administration’s illegal and immoral behavior is not even confined to outside its borders. You are witnessing daily that under the pretext of “the war on terror,” civil liberties in the United States are being increasingly curtailed. Even the privacy of individuals is fast losing its meaning. Judicial due process and fundamental rights are trampled upon. Private phones are tapped, suspects are arbitrarily arrested, sometimes beaten in the streets, or even shot to death.

I have no doubt that the American people do not approve of this behavior and indeed deplore it.

The U.S. administration does not accept accountability before any organization, institution or council. The U.S. administration has undermined the credibility of international organizations, particularly the United Nations and its Security Council. But, I do not intend to address all the challenges and calamities in this message.

The legitimacy, power and influence of a government do not emanate from its arsenals of tanks, fighter aircrafts, missiles or nuclear weapons. Legitimacy and influence reside in sound logic, quest for justice and compassion and empathy for all humanity. The global position of the United States is in all probability weakened because the administration has continued to resort to force, to conceal the truth, and to mislead the American people about its policies and practices.

Undoubtedly, the American people are not satisfied with this behavior and they showed their discontent in the recent elections. I hope that in the wake of the mid-term elections, the administration of President Bush will have heard and will heed the message of the American people.

My questions are the following:

Is there not a better approach to governance?

Is it not possible to put wealth and power in the service of peace, stability, prosperity and the happiness of all peoples through a commitment to justice and respect for the rights of all nations, instead of aggression and war?

We all condemn terrorism, because its victims are the innocent.

But, can terrorism be contained and eradicated through war, destruction and the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocents?

If that were possible, then why has the problem not been resolved?

The sad experience of invading Iraq is before us all.

What has blind support for the Zionists by the U.S. administration brought for the American people? It is regrettable that for the U.S. administration, the interests of these occupiers supersedes the interests of the American people and of the other nations of the world.

What have the Zionists done for the American people that the U.S. administration considers itself obliged to blindly support these infamous aggressors? Is it not because they have imposed themselves on a substantial portion of the banking, financial, cultural and media sectors?

I recommend that in a demonstration of respect for the American people and for humanity, the right of Palestinians to live in their own homeland should be recognized so that millions of Palestinian refugees can return to their homes and the future of all of Palestine and its form of government be determined in a referendum. This will benefit everyone.

Now that Iraq has a Constitution and an independent Assembly and Government, would it not be more beneficial to bring the U.S. officers and soldiers home, and to spend the astronomical U.S. military expenditures in Iraq for the welfare and prosperity of the American people? As you know very well, many victims of Katrina continue to suffer, and countless Americans continue to live in poverty and homelessness.

I’d also like to say a word to the winners of the recent elections in the U.S.

The United States has had many administrations; some who have left a positive legacy, and others that are neither remembered fondly by the American people nor by other nations.

Now that you control an important branch of the US Government, you will also be held to account by the people and by history.

If the U.S. Government meets the current domestic and external challenges with an approach based on truth and Justice, it can remedy some of the past afflictions and alleviate some of the global resentment and hatred of America. But if the approach remains the same, it would not be unexpected that the American people would similarly reject the new electoral winners, although the recent elections, rather than reflecting a victory, in reality point to the failure of the current administration’s policies. These issues had been extensively dealt with in my letter to President Bush earlier this year.

To sum up:

It is possible to govern based on an approach that is distinctly different from one of coercion, force and injustice.

It is possible to sincerely serve and promote common human values, and honesty and compassion.

It is possible to provide welfare and prosperity without tension, threats, imposition or war.

It is possible to lead the world towards the aspired perfection by adhering to unity, monotheism, morality and spirituality and drawing upon the teachings of the Divine Prophets.

Then, the American people, who are God-fearing and followers of Divine religions, will overcome every difficulty.

What I stated represents some of my anxieties and concerns.

I am confident that you, the American people, will play an instrumental role in the establishment of justice and spirituality throughout the world. The promises of the Almighty and His prophets will certainly be realized; Justice and Truth will prevail and all nations will live a true life in a climate replete with love, compassion and fraternity.

The U.S. governing establishment, the authorities and the powerful should not choose irreversible paths. As all prophets have taught us, injustice and transgression will eventually bring about decline and demise. Today, the path of return to faith and spirituality is open and unimpeded.

We should all heed the Divine Word of the Holy Qur’an:

“But those who repent, have faith and do good may receive Salvation. Your Lord, alone, creates and chooses as He will, and others have no part in His choice; Glorified is God and Exalted above any partners they ascribe to Him.” (28:67-68)

I pray to the Almighty to bless the Iranian and American nations and indeed all nations of the world with dignity and success.

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Activists Organize Against U.S. Nukes

No to Nuclear Bombplex 2030

The U.S. is organizing to greatly increase its nuclear arsenal, including building new weapons. Both actions, as preparations for aggressive war, are crimes against the peace. They are also against the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), signed by the U.S. in 1975 and requiring it to disarm. While the U.S. insists that countries like Iran are to be sanctioned and targeted for military aggression for pursuing nuclear energy and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is also to be condemned for developing nuclear weapons to defend itself, the U.S. is to be free to increase what is already by far the largest arsenal in the world. The peoples of the U.S. and the world say No! Americans are focusing on the necessity for the U.S. to disarm as an important part of the struggle against imperialist war and for world peace.

The Energy Department now has a program called “Complex 2030,” which activists have more accurately labeled “Nuclear Bombplex 2030.” Numerous efforts have been organized to force the U.S. to abandon this latest plan for more nuclear weapons. The plan was only recently made public when the Department of Energy (DOE) released a Notice of Intent to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement for “Complex 2030.” The DOE is holding hearings across the country right now, mainly in New Mexico and California, with final hearings being held in Washington D.C. in the first two weeks of December. Activists are urging all those opposed to nuclear weapons to email the DOE, as they are required to take and record all public comments, and join demonstrations at the hearings. Several demonstrations have already been organized at the hearings held in New Mexico and California and thousands of people have already called and emailed the DOE.

Nuclear Bombplex 2030 started with the proposal to build so-called Reliable Replacement Warheads — in spite of the fact that the nuclear warheads in the U.S. arsenal do not need replacing, they need to be removed. It has now grown into a $155 billion program that would build new nuclear bomb factories capable of producing up to 125 new plutonium pits, the core of a thermonuclear weapon, each year.

This plan is a direct threat to the world’s people and serves only preparations for war. It stands directly against U.S. treaty requirements for the NPT. The treaty is a mutual pledge: if the nuclear powers agree to get rid of their nuclear weapons, non-nuclear countries would agree not to acquire them. Clearly it is the U.S. that poses the danger when it comes to nuclear weapons!

New nuclear weapons facilities and production would also add to the already criminal legacy of widespread deaths from cancer from the radiation poisoning and environmental destruction, both caused by 60 years of the U.S. nuclear program.

Activists are now organizing for the last of the public hearings, to take place December 14 in Washington, D.C.

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Anti-Nuke protesters demand justice

U.S. Must Disarm Now!

- Bill Quigley -

Three men protesting the presence of weapons of mass destruction in North Dakota were sentenced to federal prison terms of more than three years and ordered to pay $17,000 in restitution by a federal judge in Bismarck. The three dressed as clowns and went to the Echo-9 launch site of the intercontinental Minuteman III nuclear missile in rural North Dakota in June 2006. They broke the lock off the fence and put up peace banners and posters. One said: “Swords into plowshares - Spears into pruning hooks.” They poured some of their own blood on the site, hammered on the nuclear launching facility and waited to be arrested. Weapons of Mass Destruction Here!/Plowshares activists include Reverend Carl Kabat, Greg Boertje-Obed, a military war veteran and Catholic Worker from Loaves and Fishes Catholic Worker in Duluth, and Mike Walli, a military war veteran and laborer.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction Here!/Plowshares activists arrived at missile silo E-9 on the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation in North Dakota on the morning of June 20, 2006. They dressed as clowns to show that humor and laughter are key elements in the struggle to transform the structures of destruction and death. Carl used the bolt cutter to obtain entrance to the E-9 missile silo, so that they could begin to disarm the missile.

The Minuteman III missile has over 20 times the destructive power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima and can reach a target within 6000 miles in 35 minutes. The men called their action the “Weapons of Mass Destruction Here!/ Plowshares.”

Dressed in faded black striped prison uniforms and blue cloth slippers, they appeared before the federal court for sentencing. Rev. Carl Kabat, 73, a catholic priest from St. Louis with a life-long history of resistance to nuclear weapons was sentenced to 15 months in prison. Greg Boetje-Obed, 52, a former Navy officer living with his family in the Catholic Worker community in Duluth, Minnesota was given a 12 month and one day prison sentence. Michael Walli, 58, also with the Loaves and Fishes Catholic Worker in Duluth received 8 months. All were ordered to pay $17,000 restitution.

During their trial, the men openly admitted trying to disarm the nuclear weapon. They pointed out to the jury that each one of these missiles was a devastating weapon of mass destruction, a killing machine precisely designed to murder hundreds of thousands. Testimony by experts about the illegality of these weapons of mass destruction under international law and their effects were excluded by the court and never heard by the jury.

The 40 ton Minuteman III site they -damaged lies deep in rural North Dakota, at a site called Echo-9 about 100 miles north of Bismarck. Coiled beneath the surface of a bland concrete bunker, it is clearly visible from the gravel road. In fact, the otherwise pastoral countryside of farms and silos is full of nuclear weapon silos. One weapon launching site lies across the road from a big farmhouse, another down the road from a camp for teens. There are 150 other such facilities in North Dakota alone.

At the sentencing, Father Carl Kabat, who has already spent 16 years in prison for peace protests, spoke simply and directly to the court. “I believe that you, brother judge and brother prosecutor, know that the Minuteman III at E-9 is insane, immoral and illegal, but your actions protected that insanity, that immorality and that illegality. … We can openly and publicly condemn Iran for nuclear buildup, but we do not publicly condemn the United States for the same?” [...]

Michael Walli reaffirmed his continuing conviction of the illegality and immorality of these weapons. He pointed out that Irish Courts allowed juries to hear about international law. Recently, after learning that US jets were stopping at Shannon Airport to refuel on their way to bomb Iraq, the Pitstop Plowshares went onto the runway, poured their blood on it and started to take up the tarmac to prevent more flights. After two mistrials, these peace protestors were acquitted on all counts by an Irish jury who heard an expert on international law and other witnesses explain the illegality of U.S. actions.

Greg Boetje-Obed appealed to the judge to consider testimony of the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki about the horrific effects of a smaller nuclear weapon on their communities, testimony the court did not allow the jury to hear. He asked the judge to re-consider expert testimony from -Professor Francis Boyle about the criminality of nuclear weapons under international law and United Nations resolutions calling for disarmament, evidence also kept from the jury.

The judge challenged Greg Boertje-Obed’s decision to take actions that risked a year in prison instead of staying home with his family. “Why would one leave a wife and daughter at home to engage in juvenile acts of vandalism to protest nuclear weapons? I would think your commitment to your -family should far outweigh your calling to such actions.” Greg’s wife, Michelle Naar Obed, was in the courtroom during this exchange. After sentencing was over, Michelle shook her head and said, “If Greg had left us for a year and risked his life to go to war to kill people, no one would question him—they would call him a hero! But, because he risked time in jail to act out his convictions for peace, people question his commitment to his family. That is tragic.”

What does it say about our society that personal sacrifices to go to war are praised, while personal sacrifices for peace are condemned? What does it say that intentional destruction of cities and communities and families and individuals are considered totally legal, while actions trying to dismantle weapons of mass destruction send people to prison? Until those interested in peace are willing to make the same sacrifices as those interested in war, peace will not prevail. These three men have proven they are willing to pay the price for peace. Their courage and sacrifice challenges us all. […]

Bill Quigley is a human rights lawyer who assisted the defendants at trial, and activist in defending rights of Katrina survivors.

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United States Rides Weapons Bonanza Wave

- Frida Berrigan -

War, instability, and high oil prices have created a perfect storm of profit for the world’s weapons manufacturers. This year, military analysts predict the biggest arms bonanza since 1993, which is saying something because in the aftermath of the first Gulf War the global industry reaped the benefits of a $42 billion arms race.

As the world’s largest producer and exporter, the United States is riding the wave. For fiscal year 2006, which ended on September 31, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency churned out notices for $21 billion in arms sales offers. In most cases, that agency is required to notify Congress of all potential major arms deals worth more than $14 million. In one typical day–September 28–the DSCA issued notification on $5.5 billion in agreements. South Korea would get $1.5 billion in Patriot missile equipment and other hardware, Turkey was offered a $2.9 billion package including 30 F-16 fighter planes, while Jordan and Chile were also offered weapons packages.

While not all deals are finalized with arms deliveries, these notifications are a way of taking the pulse of the weapons market and it is racing. U.S. arms sales offers for 2006 appear to be roughly twice the levels of any other year during the Bush administration. Noteworthy among these are the $5 billion deal for F-16s to Pakistan and a $5.8 billion agreement to completely re-equip Saudi Arabia’s internal security force.

The Perfect Storm

In the case of Pakistan and other allies in the war on terrorism, sales are booming as sanctions and embargoes imposed because of human rights concerns or nuclear proliferation are being lifted. For Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich nations, the price at the pump (which topped $3 a gallon this summer) freed up cash for weapons. Finally, war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in corners of the globe where the war on terrorism is being waged more quietly, allows foreign militaries to see some of the most advanced weapons systems in action. As one U.S. government source told The Times of London in August: “Conflicts act like a customer demonstration show and we tend to see an upsurge in sales because other countries [are] impressed by what is available.”

This storm equals rainbows and pots of gold for the defense industry. For example, Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer, stands to reap more than $11 billion in possible new offers. U.S. weapons companies may have patriotic slogans (Lockheed Martin’s is “We Never Forget Who We’re Working For”), but foreign sales mean the biggest bucks because they involve systems where research and development costs were covered by the Pentagon. Also, they are often accompanied by lucrative deals for accessories, spare parts, and eventual upgrades.

But, what means money in the bank for Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and other defense corporations, often means misery where the weapons are shipped. Despite having some of the world’s strongest laws regulating the arms trade, almost half of U.S. weapons end up in countries plagued with ongoing conflict. […]

This is the eighth year in a row that the United States has led in global arms deliveries. The United Kingdom trailed in second with $3.1 billion and Russia was a close third, at $2.8 billion in arms deliveries. Together, these three weapons exporters where responsible for almost 70 percent all arms delivered worldwide last year.

Frida Berrigan is a senior research associate at the New School.

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December 8-10th Events in More than 20 cities!

Days of Action to Support GI Resistance and GI Rights

- Courage to Resist -

This weekend people across the U.S. are taking action to support the growing GI resistance movement. There are three days of events December 8-10 in more than 20 cities from New York City to Honolulu, Hawai’i. Showing widespread support for soldiers who resist is one of the best ways those of us outside the military can encourage the growing momentum of the GI resistance movement—a movement that has the direct power to end this war. We need to build momentum and continued support for soldiers who have the courage to resist. Actions this weekend will serve as a warm up for larger mobilizations and events to coincide with Suzanne Swift’s and Lt. Ehren Watada’s upcoming courts martial. Swift faces court martial on Jan 8 and Lt. Watada on Feb 5.

Hawai’i

Honolulu: 12/9 Rally and March through Waikiki.

Maui:12/8 7pm Film, “Breaking Ranks” Maui Community College Ka Lama 103.

Washington State

Seattle: 12/8 7:30am-9am bannering over Highway 99 (Aurora).

12/9 bannering, leafleting, and caroling with the message Free All War Resisters/Troops Home Now! Westlake Center.

Tacoma: 12/9 1pm Vigil in support of Lt. Ehren Watada,

California

Alameda: 12/8 Film, “The Ground Truth” 8:30 Panel, Rev. Michael Yoshii moderator, with Bob Watada and Rosa Sakanishi, Buena Vista United Methodist Church 2311 Buena Vista Ave.

Kentfield: 12/8 Film, “The Ground Truth” with Darrell Anderson, College of Marin, Student Services Center,

Long Beach: 12/8 Noon Demonstration and Film Showing: Sir! No Sir! Military Recruiter Offices 590 Pine Ave.

San Francisco: 12/9 11am Public Forum, “GI Rights, GI Resistance and Ending the War” with Maxine Hong Kingston.

1pm Rally/Procession featuring Iraq war resisters Kyle Snyder and Darrell Anderson, military family members Bob Watada and Rosa Sakanishi and Anita Dennis and IVAW members with their cross country bus.

Santa Barbara: 12/10 Rally for Impeachment and Human Rights in De La Guerra Plaza. March “Honor the Warrior, and End the War” from De La Guerra Plaza to Stearn’s Wharf Silent. Demonstration of the Cost of War at Arlington West.

San Jose, 12/8 6pm Reception and Fundraiser for Kyle Snyder, 6pm Potluck , 7pm Reception, San Jose Friends Meeting House, 1041 Morse St.

12/9 Noon - 4pm Vigil to show support for the men and women who are resisting this illegal war! MLK, Jr. Library.

Montana

Missoula: 12/8, 7pm Film, Sir! No Sir 12/9 7pm Film, The Ground Truth.

Vermont

Montpelier: 12/8 1-5 pm Information tabling 4-5 pm VIGIL, Christ Church Park State St.

Massachusetts

Worcester: 12/10 1pm-4pm Courage To Resist Demonstration, Armed Forces Recruitment Center, 255 Park Ave

New York

Nanuet: 12/91 3pm Vigil To Honor Soldiers Who Are Resisting War. -Northwest corner of Route 59 and Middletown Rd.

New York City: 12/8 6 - 10pm Support GI Resistance and GI Rights! An Evening with Carolyn Ho, Lt. Ehren Watada’s mother, Church Center for the United Nations, 777 UN Plaza 2nd Floor.

Florida

Tallahassee: 12/10 12:30 Rally to Support GI Resistance and GI Rights, Impeachment and War Crimes Trials, Old Capitol Steps, 500 South Monroe Street.

For additional information about events, or to report on your event contact:

www.Cour ageToResist.org

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United Effort Defends War Resisters

Buffalo Welcomes Carolyn Ho

Buffalo and many other East Coast cities will be welcoming Carolyn Ho, mother of war resister Lieutenant Ehren Watada on Thursday, December 14. A number of radio, TV and press interviews are planned, along with a public meeting at the Student Union at the University at Buffalo (see p.16). Numerous organizations, including veterans, student, peace and political forces, are working together to make the event a success. Many of the youth organizing against military recruitment at the high schools and UB are excited to hear from the family of a war resister and exchange experience in organizing efforts to end the war in Iraq.

The Buffalo event is part of a speaking tour on the east and west coasts by Carolyn Ho. The tour also represents a united effort by Global Women’s Strike, World Can’t Wait, veterans and church groups and many others. The activities coincide with Days of Action to Support GI Resistance and Rights taking place in many cities nationwide December 8-10. Both Carolyn Ho and Watada’s father are participating in a number of these events.

Ehren Watada is among many soldiers refusing to serve in Iraq and doing so on the basis of principle — that the war in Iraq is an illegal war of aggression and that carrying out the orders of President George W. Bush and the military constitutes a crime. As soldiers they are refusing to commit such war crimes, refusing to massacre civilians in Iraq, refusing to be cannon fodder for imperialist war.

Watada faces a court martial in -February and potentially several years in jail. He is being charged with desertion and “Conduct Unbecoming and Officer and a Gentleman” for his public denunciation of both the war and President Bush. He and his family, like many others, are standing firm for the rights of soldiers to refuse to serve and to speak out against the unjust U.S. wars of aggression.

No to Imperialist War!
Support the Soldiers Resisting! Military Recruiters Out of Our Schools!

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