EVENTS AROUND MICHIGAN
For a comprehensive list of Events, Protests, Marches and Vigils throughout Michigan ... Click Here
MICHIGAN
ANTI-WAR
ORGANIZATIONS
Ann Arbor
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Battle Creek
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Bloomfield Hills
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Cadillac
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Chelsea
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Chelsea Area Network of Peace Activists |
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Detroit
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Flint
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Grand Rapids
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Holland
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Houghton/Hancock
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Jackson
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Kalamazoo
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Lansing
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Manchester
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Manistee
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Marquette
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Mason
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Montague-White Lake
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Perry
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Petoskey
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Saginaw
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Statewide
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Traverse City
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Upper Peninsula
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RESOURCES
HEADLINES
The Low Road
"The Low Road" Alone, you can fight, you can refuse, you can take what revenge you can but they roll over you.
But two people fighting back to back can cut through a mob, a snake-dancing file can break a cordon, an army can meet an army.
Two people can keep each other sane, can give support, conviction, love, massage, hope, sex. Three people are a delegation, a committee, a wedge. With four you can play bridge and start an organization. With six you can rent a whole house, eat pie for dinner with no seconds, and hold a fund raising party. A dozen makes a demonstration. A hundred fill a hall. A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter; ten thousand, power and your own paper; a hundred thousand, your own media; ten million, your own country.
It goes on one at a time, it starts when you care to act, it starts when you do it again after they said no, it starts when you say We and know who you mean, and each day you mean one more. ~by Marge Piercy
ARISE ALL WOMEN!
Julia Ward Howe, the founder of Mother's Day wrote in 1870:
Arise then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether your baptism be that of water or of tears! Say firmly, "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs." From the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own. It says, "Disarm! Disarm!"
"Know Your Rights" Hotline for Targets of Dragnet Investigation
The statewide hotline number is 313-578-6806
an attorney is available weekdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m
English "Know Your Rights" pamphlet
Arabic "Know Your Rights" pamphlet
Promoting Tolerance
& Accepting Diversity
What can parents do? |
Top Military Recruitment Lies
The new book Army of None reveals the scummy truth about the military recruitment complex.
ACLU learns of third 'secret' torture memo from Gonzales Justice Department
Legal papers filed in federal court Monday in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and other organizations disclose that the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) issued three secret memorandums relating to interrogation practices of detainees -- one more than has been publicly revealed. “These torture memos should never have been written, and it is utterly unacceptable that the administration continues to suppress them while at the same time declaring publicly that it abhors torture,” said Jameel Jaffer, Director of the ACLU’s National Security Project. “It is now obvious that senior administration officials worked in concert over a period of several years to evade and violate the laws that prohibit cruelty and torture. Some degree of accountability is long overdue.”
All Terror, All the Time Is Giving Americans Heart Failure
A new UC Irvine study suggests that the Bush Administration's attempts to intensify fears of terrorism for political gain have significantly contributed to Americans' heart problems. Researchers showed that stress responses to the 9/11 attacks—particularly those that persisted for years afterward—were linked to a 53 percent increase in cardiac ailments. The most common triggers of renewed stress were videos of the attacks in the media (thanks, Rudy!) and—you guessed it—the rise and fall of DHS' terror alert levels. All that politically opportunistic drum-beating has actually made us sick. Perhaps if Americans had universal health insurance, the government would think twice about such callous manipulation.
Love Thy Enemy
A U.S. soldier who said his Christian beliefs compelled him to love his enemies, not kill them, has been granted conscientious objector status and honorably discharged, a civil liberties group said on Tuesday.
U.S. House says that the Internet is a Terrorist Threat
"The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill (H.R. 1955) last month, by a vote of 404 to 6, that says the Internet is a terrorist tool and that Congress needs to develop and implement methods to combat it."
We test US army's new secret weapon
This infernal machine is the modern face of warfare. It has a nice, friendly sounding name, Silent Guardian. I am told not to call it a ray-gun, though that is precisely what it is (the term "pain gun" is maybe better, but I suppose they would like that even less). "It is ethically dubious to say they are useful for crowd control when they will obviously be used by unscrupulous people for torture." We use the word "medieval" as shorthand for brutality. The truth is that new technology makes racks look benign.
If Soldiers Came From Another Country And Did This To My Family, I Would Be An Insurgent Too”
Staff Sergeant Timothy John Westphal, who served in Iraq for one year, recalls raiding a sprawling farm on the outskirts of Tikrit in 2004 and the screams he can still hear of the man he woke up inside. Sgt. Westphal says, "He was so terrified and so afraid for his family. I thought of my family at the time and thought 'If I was the patriarch of the family, if soldiers came from another country and did this to my family, I would be an insurgent too.'" We also speak with Sgt. Dustin Flatt who describes unarmed civilians being shot or run over by U.S. military convoys.
The Revenge of the Fighting Quaker
Smedley Darlington ButlerIn the early 1930s, a secret collection of prosperous men are said to have assembled in New York City to discuss the dissolution of America's democracy. As a consequence of the Great Depression, the countryside was littered with unemployed, and the world's wealthy were watching as their fortunes deflated and their investments evaporated. As men of action, the well-financed New York group sought to eliminate what they reasoned to be the crux of the catastrophe: the United States government.
They're Shooting Monks!
After decades of brutal dictatorship, the people of Burma are rising—and they need our help. In the past few days, hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters, led by Buddhist monks, have flooded the streets of Rangoon.1 But yesterday, the military started shooting monks and journalists.
Fighting Fire With Fire? New Weapons Sales and Military Aid Will Not Bring Peace and Stability to the Middle East
The Bush administration’s recent announcement of tens of billions in new high-tech weapons and military aid for Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Gulf States was offered as the solution to many of the problems facing the region. But, critical and worthy goals like stability in Iraq, a nuclear-free Iran and peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved through the barrel of a gun, the point of a precision missile or the belly of a fighter plane. The policy amounts to fighting fire with fire– introducing more weapons into a highly volatile and militarized region in the name of peace. The announcement also shows a grim determination to ignore the lessons of history. Colombia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Iraq in the 1980s, the Afghan mujahedeen in the 1970s-in each of these instances U.S. weapons, military aid and training have undermined security, been used against civilian populations, absorbed resources better devoted to human development and sowed the seeds of future conflicts. The Bush administration is making a grave mistake, and Congress must use its power to block these weapons transfers.
The White House Has a Manual for Silencing Protesters and Demonstrations
After a myriad of stories about people being excluded from events where the President is speaking, now we know that the White House had a policy manual on just how to do so. Called the "Presidential Advance Manual," this 103-page document from the Office of Presidential Advance lays out the parameters for how to handle protesters at events. Called the "Presidential Advance Manual," this 103-page document from the Office of Presidential Advance lays out the parameters for how to handle protesters at events.
How a Magician Might Escape from Hand Restraints
Click here to see how one would escape from professional handcuffs. Click here to see how one would escape from plastic handicuffs.
Love Letters
A collection of Right Wing letters to Ava Lowery, a 16 year old peace activist and Youtube video producer from Alabama.
The Martin Luther King You Don't See on TV
Every year on April 4, as Americans commemorate MLK's death, we get perfunctory news reports that fail to account for the last several years of his life -- and for good reason. After passage of civil rights acts in 1964 and 1965, King began challenging the nation's fundamental priorities. He maintained that civil rights laws were empty without "human rights" -- including economic rights. For people too poor to eat at a restaurant or afford a decent home, King said, anti-discrimination laws were hollow. Noting that a majority of Americans below the poverty line were white, King developed a class perspective. He decried the huge income gaps between rich and poor, and called for "radical changes in the structure of our society" to redistribute wealth and power. "True compassion," King declared, "is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring." From Vietnam to South Africa to Latin America, King said, the U.S. was "on the wrong side of a world revolution." King questioned "our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America," and asked why the U.S. was suppressing revolutions "of the shirtless and barefoot people" in the Third World, instead of supporting them
National Conference for Media Reform Honors King's Legacy
On the weekend before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, headliners at the National Conference for Media Reform evoked the legacy of the civil rights movement while rallying more than 3,500 attendees for media reform. "The nettlesome task about which Dr. King spoke is still being carried out by people who embody character, courage and the fortitude to make decisions in support of truth not spin, people who critically embrace diversity and reject monopoly," actor and activist Danny Glover told the crowd Friday. The Rev. Jesse Jackson pushed for more access to media and independent news. “[King] brings us to this point today, 40 years later, to define the great issues of our time - the broken promises, the new schemes of denials, the impact of a media that freezes out democracy, the media that looks at the world through a key hole and not the door,” he said. “We must fight to open up airwaves for all the people.” “The absence of women in the media is glaring,” Jane Fonda said in a speech at the conference's closing session. "The media environment that is overwhelmingly white is also overwhelmingly male. Today, I hope to show you that a media that leaves women out is fundamentally, crucially flawed." “Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t get famous giving a speech called, ‘I have a complaint,' " said Van Jones, founder for the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights. "The brother had a dream. We need to be able to have a movement that stands for that.” “The wave of the future is a wave of technological empowerment and innovation," said Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.). "It is a wave of grassroots activism that can make a difference in Washington, D.C., down to every single community in our country. It’s a wave of digital democracy the likes of which we have never seen in the history of our country.” “The depth of this conference reflects the maturing power of this grassroots movement into a real force in American politics,” said Federal Communications Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein. “No longer on the defense, media reform has a positive agenda to reclaim citizen, especially minority, ownership of the public airwaves and equal access to the Internet. Nobody in government can afford to ignore the organization and sophistication of this national movement for media democracy."
Starve the Beast
With President Bush poised to announce a surge in US troops in Iraq this week, antiwar activists in the Democratic Party are stepping up demands that their party's leaders cut off funding for the war -- a dramatic step that would force the president to quickly end American involvement in the war. Antiwar activists held banners last week and set up paper lanterns in front of the White House with photographs and names of some of the US service members killed in Iraq. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Calls for Congress to use the power of the purse to shape war policy are coming from the party's base of vocal war opponents, as well as a growing number of rank-and-file Democratic lawmakers who view November's midterm congressional elections as a demand from the public for Democrats to force the president to end the war. Today, Representative Dennis Kucinich, a liberal Ohio Democrat, plans to outline a proposal for Congress to deny Bush any more funds for the war and have the United Nations lead a security force to stabilize Iraq.
Be All That You Can Be: Leave the Army
With a military badly in need of reform and a war based on lies, desertion is an act of bravery.
Give Peace Department a Chance
I've been seeing a lot in the news about legislation that could help bring peace to our war-torn world. That legislation would augment our current problem-solving modalities, providing practical, non-violent solutions to the problems of domestic and international conflict. It would help establish a global community where human needs can be met as the rule rather than the exception. It would create a national Department of Peace. "We must be the change we wish to see in the world," Mahatma Gandhi said. The Department of Peace could be part of the change that Gandhi so profoundly wished for us to become.
Military Documents Hold Tips on Antiwar Activities
An antiterrorist database used by the Defense Department in an effort to prevent attacks against military installations included intelligence tips about antiwar planning meetings held at churches, libraries, college campuses and other locations, newly disclosed documents show. One tip in the database in February 2005, for instance, noted that “a church service for peace” would be held in the New York City area the next month. Another entry noted that antiwar protesters would be holding “nonviolence training” sessions at unidentified churches in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
John Lennon and the Politics of Deportation
A new documentary shows how Nixon abused power in an attempt to deport Lennon for his antiwar activism. But Bush has gone much further to get rid of noncitizens he doesn't like.
Women's Anti-War Petition Circles the Globe
Eminent female writers, artists, lawmakers and social activists in the United States are reaching out to women leaders across the world in an attempt to forge a global alliance against the U.S.-led war in Iraq. A U.S.-based women's group has launched a global campaign to gather 100,000 signatures by March 8, International Women's Day, when they will be delivered to the White House and U.S. embassies around the world.
Counter-Recruitment Day Sweeps U.S. Colleges
When the Solomon Amendment, the law that requires universities to allow military recruiters on campus, first passed in 1995, the bill's co-sponsor Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA) declared an intention to "send a message over the wall of the ivory tower of higher education." The "ivory tower" has send a message back. In court, the oral arguments have be presented for FAIR v. Rumsfeld, the Supreme Court case which will decide the fate of the Solomon Amendment. December 6th, thousands of students, teachers and peace activists took to the streets to participate in the National Day of Counter-Recruitment, holding rallies and educational events in almost every major city.
Spying on the Protesters
Several months ago the Army's inspector general and the California State Senate launched investigations of a California National Guard intelligence unit that had "monitored" an antiwar demonstration at the state capitol this past Mother's Day, partly organized by Cindy Sheehan's Gold Star Families for Peace. A report not yet publicly released by the inspector general found that there were other cases of domestic intelligence activity by the California Guard. Democratic State Senator Joseph Dunn, whose budget subcommittee oversees funding for the California Guard and who is conducting the state investigation, said financial improprieties may have occurred, as state and federal laws forbid such activities. Dunn told The Nation that he is looking into reports that the Guard in some ten other states, including New York, Colorado, Arizona and Pennsylvania, may have set up its own intelligence units and conducted similar monitoring of antiwar groups.
Campaigners accuse leaders of 'war crimes'
The governments of Tony Blair and George Bush have been charged with war crimes by a distinguished group of anti-war campaigners, who are calling for an investigation by the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, into breaches of international law. The charges were sent to Mr Annan and the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, last night, with a demand that the investigation should go beyond the Prime Minister and the US President to all those involved in setting the policy decisions that led to abuses including the ill-treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. "These charges are carefully documented and we want those responsible to be held to account," Mr Benn said. "We are talking about the top people, not just Bush and Blair, but ministers, generals, who were responsible for the decisions that led to prisoners being inhumanely treated or sexually abused." The charges will be read out at the weekend at a London conference.
ABSURD’S THE WORD:Condoleezza Rice versus Harold Pinter
It’s happening, isn’t it? The fog is lifting. Enormous shifts of opinion at the last minute. And not just about the wars. About the belief system that sustains the wars, the dark hearts of those who run the wars, the malice of a media that sells the wars. The climax has been a long time coming and is still unfolding. The Wicked Witch of the West flies to Europe to deliver a major speech, one that explains why US torture isn’t really torture. To deprive a wounded suspect of sleep, stand him in a freezing cell for “long hours”, tie him “feet-up to a water board” and dunk him under water until the brink of death, is within the law. How come? Because President Bush says so. This is absurd. And that’s the point. The Rice doctrine, first delivered at Andrews Air Force base in Maryland on Dec 5, and since re-iterated during her European whistle stop, is a tactic that pushes the art of spin beyond the edge of sanity. It does for truth what the Atomic bomb did for Hiroshima.
Art, truth and politics
In his video-taped Nobel acceptance speech, Harold Pinter excoriated a 'brutal, scornful and ruthless' United States. This is the full text of his address: In 1958 I wrote the following: 'There are no hard distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily either true or false; it can be both true and false.' I believe that these assertions still make sense and do still apply to the exploration of reality through art. So as a writer I stand by them but as a citizen I cannot. As a citizen I must ask: What is true? What is false?
The Crimes of the United States Have Been Systematic, Constant
Harold Pinter, British playwright and this year's Nobel Literature prize winner, on Wednesday delivered a searing attack on US foreign policy. As controversy regarding extraordinary renditions and allegations of US torture continued, Pinter criticized Washington for the war in Iraq and "supporting every right-wing military dictatorship" of the past 50 years.
Iraq war was 'blatant state terrorism': Nobel laureate Pinter
In a fierce critic ahead of the Nobel awards ceremony, literature laureate Harold Pinter branded the war on Iraq "an act of blatant state terrorism" and demanded the prosecutions of US President George W. Bush and Britain's Tony Blair. "The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law."
 Woman for Peace
Statement made at Ft. Benning, GA on November 17, 2005 by 22 year old SPC Katherine Jashinski, SPC (Army National Guard), first woman in the military to publicly declare resistance to participation in the war. I have a deeply held belief that people must solve all conflicts through peaceful diplomacy and without the use of violence. I will exercise my every legal right not pick up a weapon, and to participate in war effort. I am determined to be discharged as a CO, and while undergoing the appeals process; I will continue to follow orders that do not conflict with my conscience until my status has been resolved. I am prepared to accept the consequences of adhering to my beliefs.
The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan
CINDY SHEEHAN couldn't have picked a more apt date to begin the vigil that ambushed a president: Aug. 6 was the fourth anniversary of that fateful 2001 Crawford vacation day when George W. Bush responded to an intelligence briefing titled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Inside the United States" by going fishing. On this Aug. 6 the president was no less determined to shrug off bad news. Though 14 marine reservists had been killed days earlier by a roadside bomb in Haditha, his national radio address that morning made no mention of Iraq. Once again Mr. Bush was in his bubble, ensuring that he wouldn't see Ms. Sheehan coming. So it goes with a president who hasn't foreseen any of the setbacks in the war he fabricated against an enemy who did not attack inside the United States in 2001.
 From Michigan to Texas, war foes join Texas-based protest
August 18, 2005—As the sun dipped behind pastures around the makeshift campsite near President Bush's ranch, more than 200 people silently clutched candles and gathered around a flag-draped coffin.
An army of one
George Bush has met his match. He has twice vanquished Democratic opponents, brought down Saddam Hussein and is the straw that stirs the world's drink. All that was before Cindy Sheehan showed up on his doorstep.
One Million Reasons
The idea is for people from all over the world to write in with their reasons why we must stop the occupation. We want people from all walks of life--celebrities, veterans, mothers, environmentalists, people of faith, health care providers, teachers, students, elected officials, union members, business leaders--to join the global call.
Veteran's for Peace Appear before the Maine House of Representatives
The state representative from Lewiston told us to go sit in the balcony of the house and she would have us recognized from the floor. So we moved to the balcony, carrying our protest signs with us. After the house had taken a few more votes they moved to announcements and the leader of the house said there was a motion to recognize members of Maine Veterans for Peace who were sitting in the balcony. So the house leader began reading our names and home towns and we all stood up. It was quite a moment. I'd never done a protest action inside a legislative assembly before and have them applaud on top of that.
Leave My Child Alone!
Tucked away in the No Child Left Behind Act is a provision that requires school districts to provide military recruiters with juniors' and seniors' contact information. Here's what you can do to discourage the increasingly aggressive recruiters from abusing the privilege.
Tell the Pentagon to Leave Our Children Alone
Memorial Day is here again and America still occupies Iraq. U.S. Army generals last week admitted that the occupation is going badly, with no end in sight. Many of us are angry and frustrated at our inability to end the quagmire. And every week brings new reports about Pentagon recruiters lying to our children to get them to join. Here are three things you can do:
Protect Children From Military Recruiters
Buried deep within the No Child Left Behind Act is a provision that requires public high schools to hand over the private contact information of students in public high schools to military recruiters. If a school does not comply, it risks losing vital federal education funds.
Remembering Humanitarian Aid Worker & Activist Marla Ruzicka
On Saturday 28-year-old Marla Ruzicka was killed in a car bombing. She was the founder of the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict. Since the launch of the so-called war on terror, Marla spent most of her time in Iraq and Afghanistan documenting and recording the casualties of war.
Maximum pain is aim of new US weapon
The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. Pain researchers are furious that work aimed at controlling pain has been used to develop a weapon. And they fear that the technology will be used for torture. Researchers are looking for "optimal pulse parameters to evoke peak nociceptor activation" - in other words, cause the maximum pain possible before causing injury or death.
Future border rules
April 6, 2005—Under proposed rules, by Jan. 1, 2008, Canadians and Americans will need secure documentation proving citizenship to cross the border between the two countries. The requirements would take effect on Dec. 31, 2006, for travelers entering the United States from Mexico and Canada by air and sea, and on Dec. 31, 2007, by land. The deadline is even earlier -- Dec. 31, 2005 -- for travel from Bermuda, the Caribbean and Panama.
Maximum pain is aim of new US weapon
The US military is funding development of a weapon that delivers a bout of excruciating pain from up to 2 kilometres away. The weapon, destined for use in 2007, could literally knock political demonstrators off their feet.
Will the Peace Movement Pursue the Truth About 9/11?
With the apparent election of George Bush as President, the likelihood that we will ever find the truth about 9/11 becomes even more remote. It is certainly not going to come from the federal government, where Bush, Congress, Republicans and Democrats, CIA, FBI and the foreign policy establishment all clearly share in some of the culpability for the deaths. A poll released by Zogby International this fall found that half of the New York City residents - and more than 40% statewide - believed that the Bush administration knew about the 9/11 terrorist threats beforehand but failed to take action to prevent it. This is also largely the conclusion drawn from the work of federal 9/11 Commission - though they avoided stating it so bluntly out of their bipartisan effort to avoid "disrupting" the presidential campaign.
White Ribbon Campaign
We note with shame and anger our government’s violations of human rights, particularly in the disastrous and illegal Iraq War. Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to life, liberty and the security of person.” International Human Rights Day is an opportunity to remember the hundreds of thousands of people whose human rights have been violated in Iraq. The daily tragedies in Iraq are intangible to most people in the United States. Many find it difficult to imagine the reality of hundreds of Iraqi citizens and dozens of U.S. soldiers being killed weekly in Iraq or the impact the death toll is having on families, on communities, and on the future of Iraq. While a ribbon campaign is an insufficient tool for expressing the heartbreak of families or resolving the crisis Iraqis face, the ribbon is an effective tool for raising awareness and increasing the daily visibility of the suffering. British peace and justice allies used the white ribbon to symbolize opposition to the war prior to the U.S. attack on Iraq in 2003. We hope to revitalize and spread the symbolic white ribbon across the U.S. and the world. White is the symbol for peace in many countries around the world and the symbol of mourning in others. Therefore, the message of the white ribbon is simple and clear:“We mourn all of the dead. We support the troops. End the war now and bring the troops home.”
Human Rights Day
December 11, 2004—Today is the 56th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The United States has long provided global leadership on human rights. Today, however, that influence is starting to wane. The Bush administration is sending mixed signals about its commitment to defending human rights at home and around the world. The White House is undermining America's moral authority, as more nations begin to see the United States as a part of the problem instead of part of the solution. Moral leadership starts at home.
Revenge of the Patriot II
The Bush Administration is preparing Patriot Act II, which will give the government sweeping new powers of domestic intelligence-gathering and surveillance and and will decrease legal rights and public access to information.
ACLU Seeking FBI Files on Activist Probes
The American Civil Liberties Union is seeking information from the FBI on why bureau task forces set up to combat terrorism also looked into anti-war, animal rights and environmental groups. Dozens of organizations have been subjected to scrutiny, according to the ACLU, which was filing Freedom of Information Act requests with the FBI on Thursday to try to find out why.
Court lets colleges ban military recruiters
A divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled Monday that the government does not have the right to make federal funds for schools of higher education contingent on allowing military recruiters equal access to campus facilities.
Jan. 20, 2005
1,000 Drums for Peace
On the day that the 1,000th US soldier died in Bush’s folly in Iraq I started thinking of ways for all progressive communities to unite, at least in spirit, in protest. Here is the plan. At the very moment the Bush begins taking his oath of office drummers and drum cricles all across the country will begin to play the same beat at the same time. United together in rhythm and protest.
How to End the Iraq War
The anti-war movement can force the Bush administration to leave Iraq by denying it the funding, troops, and alliances necessary to its strategy for dominance.
Outgunned, Outmatched
The day protesters had designated as "direct action" day certainly lived up to its billing, but not as they had planned. As the second day of Republican convention speeches dragged on a few blocks away at Madison Square Garden, an extremely aggressive New York Police Department pre-empted protest actions, trapped marchers in no-escape cul de sacs, and surrounded groups and individuals in orange netting as though they were capturing schools of fish. Police arrested hundreds (the New York Times reports at least 900), perhaps more than 1,000. Most of the arrested were young people who were merely exercizing their right to free and peaceful assembly.
ACLU Calls on Individuals to Report FBI Interrogations
"The FBI’s intimidation and interrogation of peaceful protesters brings back eerie echoes of the days of J. Edgar Hoover," said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director. "Resources and funds established to fight terrorism should not be misused to target innocent Americans who have done nothing more than engage in lawful protest and dissent."
Eight Plea "Not Guilty"
Yesterday, the eight of us who pleaded not guilty to state charges of impeding a roadway opted for a bench trial before Judge Murch. Before we entered the courtroom, the prosecutor told us that the judge was willing to reduce sentences in exchange for our pleading either guilty or no contest, but we decided to stick to the not guilty pleas that we had entered the previous Tuesday, to stipulate to the facts of the arrests, and to represent ourselves. The courtroom was crowded with supporters and others, including our shackled friends from the jail who were brought in for presentencing. Once the trial was underway, however, it was obvious that we would not be given the opportunity to defend ourselves since references to international law, the U.S. Constitution, Nuremberg Principles, and U.S. nuclear policy were all considered "political," and, hence, inadmissable.
Text Messages for Critical Masses?
In the history of political protests, police have long had the technological upper hand when it comes to monitoring protesters' movements and actions. But a new tool is giving activists at this year's two major political conventions a chance to stay one step ahead of the police.
Bush Zones Go National
The Bushites are using federal, state and local police to conduct an undeclared war against dissent, literally incarcerating Americans who publicly express their disagreements with him and his policies. The ACLU and others have now sued Bush's Secret Service for its ongoing pattern of repressing legitimate, made-in-America protest, citing cases in Arizona, California, Virginia, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, Texas - and coming soon to a theater near you!
Police deny spying claims
A top ranking official with the Traverse City Police Department denies having ever sent officers to surveil antiwar demonstrators. Capt. R. Patrick Hinds said any assignment, even from the chief, would go through the detective bureau, which Hinds heads.
Greetings from Lockdown City
Police precautions in Boston have protesters behind chain-link fences and barbed wire – just like in prison. "Welcome to the DNC Free Speech Camp – line up!" yelled the drill sergeant, a black, military-style cap pulled down to his sunglasses. Following his orders, a dozen or so "prisoners" put black hoods over their heads and had their hands bound behind their backs, then knelt with their heads touching the ground. Other men and women walked around with gags over their mouths. "We are gathered here today in solemn and silent protest at the incarceration of pro-democracy demonstrators in the barbwire cage known as the DNC Free Speech zone," yelled the drill sergeant. "What does it mean when Boston, a city built on the history of revolutionary dissent, builds a barbaric confine for people who want to express their democratic rights?"
The Right of Civil Resistance to Prevent State Crimes
Today the peoples of the world are likewise asking themselves: Where are the "good" Americans? Well, there are some good Americans. They are getting arrested and going to jail for protesting against United States weapons of mass destruction (WMD) whose power for human extermination far exceeds even the wildest fantasies of Hitler and the Nazis. Or else for protesting against illegal U.S.. military interventions around the world. As my friend and colleague former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark once said: "Our jails are filling up with saints!"
Come to New York to Oppose the Republican National Convention
If you are swearing at your TV every night, sickened by the images of torture in the newspaper, disgusted by the lies, fuming after viewing Fahrenheit 911, and waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night feeling helpless and wondering what the hell you can do about it all:
Come to New York. Come at the end of August to join the marches, demonstrations, and nonviolent direct actions protesting the Republican National Convention.
Advice From a Veteran of the Barricades
Since the protests at the World Trade Organization meeting in Seattle in 1999, there has arisen a new Continental Army, imaginative and largely nonviolent, that intends to complicate - or even stop - business as usual for those they perceive as illegitimate and unelected war makers.
KGB by Mike Palecek
KGB is a novel about how a group of common criminals decide to bring to justice George Bush, Sr., a man they believe to be much more criminal than themselves.
The Right of Civil Resistance to Prevent State Crimes
Today the peoples of the world are likewise asking themselves: Where are the "good" Americans? Well, there are some good Americans. They are getting arrested and going to jail for protesting against United States weapons of mass destruction (WMD) whose power for human extermination far exceeds even the wildest fantasies of Hitler and the Nazis. Or else for protesting against illegal U.S.. military interventions around the world. As my friend and colleague former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark once said: "Our jails are filling up with saints!"
Conclusions and Judgment of Brussels Tribunal on Reagan's Foreign Policy
September 30, 1984 — The International Conference on the Reagan administration's foreign policy convened in Brussels from 28-30 September, 1984 under the auspices of the International Progress Organization. Reports were submitted by international jurists and foreign policy specialists on the various aspects of the Reagan administration's foreign policy.
The National Network Opposing Militarization of Youth
These are trying yet exciting times for the counter military recruitment movement. Now, more than ever, those of us who are proactive in opposing war must help shape the tone of anti-war and peace conversations to be more inclusive of the counter-recruitment analysis.
Pending Draft Legislation Targeted for Spring 2005
There is pending legislation in the House and Senate (twin bills: S 89 and HR 163) which will time the program's initiation so the draft can begin at early as Spring 2005 -- just after the 2004 presidential election. The administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now, while the public's attention is on the elections, so our action on this is needed immediately.
No Bunkerbusters
Last year, the budget funding the nuclear "bunker buster" bomb was cut in half. Now the Bush administration is trying to get it funded again, working to create a whole new generation of what they're now calling "useable" nukes. The "bunker buster" is the first in a long line of projects that would start up production of nuclear weapons.
Tell Bush the world says no to his agenda
The World says no to the Bush agenda! Throughout the world hundreds of thousands will once again take to the streets, this time to protest the gross misuse of power by the rogue regime in the US in its handling of world affairs. Join with us in this virtual march and send a message to the rogue regime that you do not support their stance on Iraq, the so called war on terrorism, environmental and defence issues.
In the Name of Peace
Dear friends, today, in the name of peace, on this first anniversary of the U.S. war and occupation of Iraq, which has left some 600 U.S. soldiers dead, 3000 injured and perhaps 10,000 Iraqis dead, we join our voices with millions of people around the world and say, “End the occupation of Iraq now, give them food and medicine not more weapons, stop stealing their resources and killing them, let the people of Iraq live in peace, bring our people home, let the United Nations resolve the crisis, take a cue from the people of Spain and vote these warmakers out of office.”
Dear friends
Below you can read about who we are and what we stand for. We are members of Italian associations and individuals who have come together to fight for an economy based on Justice. We are contacting you to suggest an Italo-North American co-ordination for the coming global anti-war rally on 20 March. We'd like to suggest “ twinning ” between your group or association and one of our “nodes” (or “knots”) in order to create a real feeling of interconnection and solidarity on the day of the rally.
The Price of Liberty
By now you may have heard about the silly "free-speech zones" used to shield President Bush and other government officials from the opinions of certain citizens. This is where authorities take a group of protesters or someone holding up a sign of disagreement and escort them so far away from the action as to make them wonder why they left home. Given enough time, free-speech zones and subpoenas in the heartland will achieve the same result as if newspapers were shut down and people were arrested for speaking their minds.
National Lawyers Guild Target of FBI Subpoena
The National Lawyers Guild will move to quash an FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force subpoena issued on Wednesday, February 4, 2004. The subpoena asks Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, to produce all records relating to a November 15, 2003 antiwar conference at Drake University called "Stop the Occupation! Bring the Iowa Guard Home!"
Feds Win Right to War Protesters' Records
In what may be the first subpoena of its kind in decades, a federal judge has ordered a university to turn over records about a gathering of anti-war activists.
February
24
Stop the Corporate Invasion of Iraq
Following on the heels of the military invasion of Iraq, another
invasion began: a corporate invasion by Halliburton, Bechtel, and
other U.S. companies that were awarded millions in “reconstruction”
contracts. Nine months into the occupation, Iraqi schools are still
in disrepair, electricity is intermittent, and the water is not
safe to drink. On February 24, protest the corporations that are
making millions in Iraq, and speak out for Iraqi workers’ rights and self-determination.
 March
20
The World Still Says No to War!
On that day (the one-year anniversary of the U.S. bombing and invasion
of Iraq) millions around the globe will take to the streets to say
YES to peace and NO to pre-emptive war and occupation. Joining with
growing numbers of military families and soldiers, we will call
for an end to the occupation of Iraq and Bush’s militaristic
foreign policies.
August
29, 2004
The World Says No to the Bush Agenda
On every issue – from environmental regulations and international
treaty participation to workers' rights, civil rights and civil
liberties – George W. Bush's Administration has pushed for
unprecedented and destructive changes in U.S. foreign and domestic
policy that even more sharply favor corporations and the wealthy,
especially Bush Administration supporters, at the expense of the
people of the world and our environment.
Stop
FBI Spying on Anti-War Movement
Dismayed by growing opposition to the occupation of Iraq and its
militaristic foreign policies, the Bush administration has now resorted
to spying on the antiwar movement under the cover of fighting "terrorism."
Bush
Makes Protesters 'Disappear'
Sure, you have free speech, just step into this dark sound-proof
room and speak all you want. Just remember that everything you say
will be recorded and used against you at your military tribunal.
Ashcroft's
Attack
Never before in U.S. history has an entire organization been prosecuted
for a peaceful protest by its supporters.
Sign
On to Defend the First Amendment, Oppose the FBI's Targeting of
the Antiwar Movement
We the undersigned stand in defense of the First Amendment and in
opposition to the Bush Administration's expanding effort to stifle
dissent. Confronted with a rising tide of political opposition from
the people of the United States, who are outraged at the lies used
to justify a war and occupation of Iraq, Bush and Ashcroft are resorting
to crass intimidation tactics against the anti-war movement.
F.B.I.
Scrutinizes Antiwar Rallies
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has collected extensive information
on the tactics, training and organization of antiwar demonstrators
and has advised local law enforcement officials to report any suspicious
activity at protests to its counterterrorism squads, according to
interviews and a confidential bureau memorandum. Civil rights advocates
and legal scholars said the monitoring program could signal a return
to the abuses of the 1960's and 1970's, when J. Edgar Hoover was
the F.B.I. director and agents routinely spied on political protesters
like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A
Giant Among Midgets
Recently, television news shows took note of the deaths of Donald
O'Connor, an actor-dancer; of George Plimpton, a high-toned journalist;
and of some rock 'n' roll singer I'd never heard of. Completely
missing from the shows I scanned was any mention at all of the death
of a giant in this era of mental and moral midgets.
Free
speech kept off U.S. streets
When retired Pittsburgh steelworker Bill Neel learned that President
George W. Bush was coming to town last year, he decided he would
be on hand to protest the president's economic policies. Neel and
his sister made a hand-lettered sign — The Bush family must
surely love the poor! They have made so many of us! — and
headed for a road where the motorcade would pass. But he never got
to display his sign for Bush to see.
 Keeping
dissent invisible
How the Secret Service and the White House keep protesters safely
out of Bush's sight -- and off TV.
Free
Speech Under Fire
In many cities across the country, the Secret Service
has discriminated against protesters during Presidential and Vice
Presidential appearances. Such incidents have spiked under the Bush
Administration, prompting the ACLU to charge government officials
with a “pattern and practice” of discrimination against
those who disagree with its policies.
Fear
as human shield faces jail
This spring, the 62-year-old retired schoolteacher
decided to travel to Iraq as a human shield. To many she is a humanitarian,
but in the eyes of the US Government she is a criminal. By the standards
of most Americans Faith Fippinger is well-travelled. For three months
she travelled around Iraq, guarding oil refineries, teaching in
schools and working in hospitals. But when she returned home there
was a letter waiting for her from the US Treasury Department.
Military's
message a tough sell for parents
As the war on terrorism stretches into its third year, and the violence
in Iraq drags on with no end in sight, military recruiters across
the United States are starting to get nervous.
WBAI
Pacifica Radio
Your peace and justice radio station. This radio network broacasts
out of New York City, but is available online. Very worthwhile.
Tell
Your Senators to Block Funding For New Nuclear Weapons!
In just a few days, senators will vote on an issue of great importance
- the funding and development of new, more "usable" nuclear
weapons. We've been down this path before. It led to Hiroshima and
Nagasaki, the Cold War, bomb shelters, the Cuban Missile Crisis,
massive instances of thyroid cancer from nuclear testing, widespread
fear, and global power structures based on countries' relative ability
to unleash apocalypse. At the core of it, this is an issue of survival.
Protesters
Near Bush Ranch Demand Withdrawal of Troops from Iraq
Among those gathering at the local football stadium to denounce
both Mr. Bush and the war, four days after a terrorist bombing at
the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, were relatives of troops.
 October
25
The World Unites Against U.S. Militarism!
There will be an international march on the Pentagon on October
25, which will include delegations from countries around the world.
Under the banner The World Unites Against U.S. Militarism, the demonstration
will also demand an end to the looting of social programs by the
war machine.
Patriot
Act Community Forum
I intend to address this Act in an historic perspective. The Patriot
Act and the attendant Presidential Executive Orders resulting from
9-eleven are not the first nor will they be the last Acts of our
elected representatives in response to either very real threats
or those threats that are simply politically perceived or politically
exploited.
Nuns
statements on day of sentencing
For many
months I have pondered what to say, if anything at all. St. Francis
once said, "Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary use
words." It seems that today a few words are necessary. For
the past ten months we have tried to cooperate with these courts.
We have been asking since day one - what are the charges?
Hundreds
continue work of imprisoned nuns
Hundreds of self-proclaimed citizen weapons inspectors fanned out
across the cow pastures of the northeastern plains Saturday to carry
on the work of pacifist nuns sentenced to prison for an anti-war
protest.
Protesters
target missile sites
Nun supporters rally near 49 underground silos. The mass protest
was organized by more than 35 peace activist groups to support Dominican
nuns Ardeth Platte, 66, Carol Gilbert, 55, and Jackie Hudson, 68,
who were sentenced to prison Friday.
 Judge
orders nuns to prison
A federal judge on Friday sent three nuns to prison for an October
2002 act of civil disobedience at a Weld County missile silo - but
for lesser sentences than government prosecutors had requested.
Sentences: Ardeth Platte, 67, to 41 months in prison; Carol Gilbert,
55, to 33 months; and Jackie Marie Hudson, 68, to 30 months.
Prosecutor
was taught by nuns
The man in charge of prosecuting three nuns for protesting at a
nuclear missile silo is a lifelong devout Catholic who spent most
of his school years being taught by nuns.
Peaceful
Warrior
As the U.S. occupation of Iraq extends with no end
in sight, and the death toll for both U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians
continues to mount, more voices of dissent from military personnel
and families are audible every day.
July
25
U.S.
vs. Gilbert, Hudson & Platte
The Dominican Sisters will be sentenced on July 25, 2003. Their
conviction confers a maximum sentence of thirty years. Three women
from a progressive Catholic anti-war movement collided with a federal
legal system determined to uphold and protect American safety.
"Conscientious
Objection in America: Primary Sources for Research"
In order to meet the growing demand from scholars and other researchers
for information about conscientious objection to war, Swarthmore
College Peace Collection archivist, Anne Yoder, has created a web
site filled with information that will provide basic facts on the
subject as well as point to opportunities for in-depth research.
A
Chorus Against War
To the demand "Support Our GIs," the movement will be
able to reply: "Yes, we support our GIs, we want them to live,
we want them to be brought home. The government is not supporting
them. It is sending them to die, or to be wounded, or to be poisoned
by our own depleted uranium shells."
Stop
Bush's wars, here and abroad
The National Constitution Center opens in Philadelphia on July 4,
and George W. Bush has been invited to celebrate. We're inviting
thousands of people from Philadelphia and around the country to
protest against Bush and the unconstitutional policies of his administration.
Citizens
Charge Rep. Ehlers with War Crimes
Local activists with the People’s Alliance for Justice and
Change are continuing their campaign against Representative Vern
Ehlers of the US 3rd Congressional District, vowing to hold him
accountable for supporting violations of international law.
Dear
Michigan peace activists
As
many of you have noticed, National Public Radio has let down its
listeners time and again in its coverage of the Middle East. Their
recent media blackout of the Israeli crackdown on all international
journalists and activists in the occupied Palestine requires a response.
Please personalize the following sample letter and send it to NPR
listeners' advocate Jeffrey Dvorkin...
Defending
the Bill of Rights
It is all too clear to me now that these amendments are essential
to our way of life and the freedoms that we have historically enjoyed
in the U.S. They are a key part of a Constitution that as it looks
on paper, current human rights abuses and civil liberties infringements
aside, is admired and lauded by democracy proponents around the
world.
The
Company We Keep
The war
is, for the most part, over. Iraq has been liberated, the country
is in a shambles but Halliburton is on hand to rebuild. Most of
the troops are back home or on their way. With apparently overwhelming
public support, why were those Pesky demonstrators out there?
Don't
Stand in the Way of Our Joy
Charting a course for the anti-war movement and the future of democracy.
Women
prepare for long walk to prison
Monday, April 21st 2003 — Two women will begin a 30-mile hike
will be symbolic as they are about to go on a very long trip into
a life-changing experience and a new world. Their destination is
the federal penitentiary in Dublin. Rachel Montgomery, 26, and Laura
Slattery, 36, are reporting to serve time for trespassing on federal
property at Fort Benning, Ga., last November in a nonviolent protest
aimed at shutting down the School of Americas, also known as the
Western Hemisphere.
Ballots
Can Keep Bullets From Flying
The peace movement, re-energized by Bush's war, could lead environmental,
health care and other activists in an effort to register and turn
out millions of voters in 2004.
What's
Next for the Peace Movement?
If the peace movement wants to keep building on the momentum generated
by this historic event -- and dozens like it across the country
and around the globe -- I see three main challenges that we will
have to face in the weeks and months ahead. How we respond to these
challenges will determine whether we can turn our growing numbers
into a sustained effort to stop this war -- and to make our government's
policies reflect the values our society should be based on.
Nun
says protest worthwhile
It is with heavy heart that we receive the notice today from Jonah
House that the jury returned a verdict of guilty. Last Friday, Annabelle
Dwyer (Ardeth's legal advisor) assured us that a motion would be
filed immediately for the judge to vacate the jury decision and
that the appellate process would start right away. Sentencing guidelines
for Ardeth and Carol are 8 years, less for Jackie.
Conyers
rallies anti-war crowd
Several hundred dissatisfied protesters marched through downtown
Saturday to voice their dissent against the war on Iraq and the
Bush administration's domestic policies. U.S. Rep. John Conyers
(D-Detroit) and his staff organized the four-hour event, in which
the congressman was one of several speakers at the culminating rally
in Hart Plaza. Conyers has been staunchly anti-war and anti-Bush
over the past months and was harsh in his criticism of the administration
as he addressed the crowd.
 Rubber
Bullets Limit Free Speech
Oakland, Calif. (Reuters) - Oakland police fired rubber
bullets and wooden pellets on Monday to disperse hundreds of anti-war
protesters in what was believed to be the first such use against
U.S. protesters since the American-led war on Iraq began.
Peace
Activist Moving Into Home Near Bush Ranch
President Bush has a new neighbor in Crawford, Texas -- a peace
activist who plans to use his house near the president's ranch as
a springboard to speak out on issues such as a war with Iraq.
Our
Flag, Too
The residents of an unassuming house, tucked away in a quiet corner
of a small New England college campus, have found themselves at
the center of a disturbing fight for the basic right to express
their opinion as Americans. Seven students at 44 Howard Street on
the Wheaton College campus, located in the rural community of Norton,
Massachusetts, have discovered, with suddenness and fury, how difficult
it is today to speak your mind in a nation divided by war.
Don't
Go
An animation of Wulf's classic anti-war story, Don't Go!
Back
from Baghdad. Where next for the peace movement?
As “teachable
moments” go, Baghdad and Basrah a month before George Bush
ordered those cities bombed was indeed memorable. I
saw the resilient human spirit alive and well after two decades
of privation, war and repression.
Uniting
for Peace
The UN General Assembly provides a crucial opportunity for global
peace movement.
United
States tries to block UN peace-bid
In a communication obtained by Greenpeace, the United States urges
countries to vote against or abstain from supporting a General Assembly
meeting to discuss the war, adding it would be considered "unhelpful
and directed against the United States." They further threaten
that invoking the Uniting for Peace resolution will be "harmful
to the UN".
This
letter is necessary if you do not wish to provide student information
to military recruiters
A new law now requires school systems to provide identifying student
information including home address, and phone numbers to military
recruiters, unless the school has an 'Opt Out' letter signed by
a parent, or legal guardian, on file. [A
sample letter in Microsoft Word format]
Marine
who said no to killing on his conscience
The first American conscientious objector from the
Iraq war will give himself up at a marine base in California this
morning. He said he believed the war was "immoral because of
the deception involved by our leaders".
We
must step up our efforts to stop the war
The anti-war movement has a moral duty to escalate its campaign
now, before more innocent Iraqi lives are sacrificed in this war.
Support
Our Troops, Bring Them Home
Robin Cook warned that Britain and America risked stoking up a "long-term
legacy of hatred" towards the West across the Arab and Muslim
world. The former Foreign Secretary recently resigned as Leader
of the Commons in protest against British involvement in the war.
In the Sunday Mirror, Mr Cook wrote: "I have already had my
fill of this bloody and unjust war. I want our troops home and I
want them home before more of them are killed."
He
Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother
Where have all the children gone--long time passing? Who will stop
the madness of a world sending its children off to war to kill other
people's children in other lands? What in God's name is the matter
with us?
This
War is Wrong And Must End
March 28 - Today, at a press conference on Capitol Hill, Congressman
Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), who leads opposition to the war in Iraq,
issued the following statement: “This Administration has never
made its case for war against Iraq. It is an unjustified war, which
the Administration continues to misrepresent and exaggerate. The
most recent example is the Administration's characterization of
international coalition support for this war...
Antiwar
Effort Emphasizes Civility Over Confrontation
This week, the nation's largest antiwar coalitions said they were
abandoning their plan to disrupt everyday life. Instead, they said,
they would direct protests at federal institutions, corporations
and media conglomerates that "profit from war" in an effort
to attract attention but not offend most Americans.
We
Work for Peace and Justice
Building a movement powerful enough to stop the war in Iraq or to
successfully curb a next war in Syria or Iran or Venezuela, involves
many factors. To successfully challenge those in power, our movement
must constantly grow in numbers as well as consciousness and commitment.
We must reach out to people who are against the war, but who have
not yet acted on their beliefs.
Teacher
quits rather than remove antiwar button
A high school teacher in New Jersey has quit rather than stop wearing
an anti-war button.
It's
Not to Late to Stop this War
According to the UN Charter, the Security Council has the responsibility
to act in the name of all the member states to maintain peace and
international security. The possibility of a special meeting of
the General Assembly of the UN, based on the Resolution 377 known
as "Uniting for Peace", already required by Russia, Indonesia
and Brazil, worries the Bush administration. [Sign
Petition]
Middle
America Boards the Peace Train
After U.S. forces had shocked and awed Baghdad and the rest of the
world with a brutal all-night pummeling, a august group of speakers
took turns at the podium in the chapel at American University to
denounce Bush's doctrine of preemptive war and the imperialist posture
implied therein. A Nobel Peace Prize winner, retired military officers,
Vietnam veterans, former intelligence agents, scholars, celebrated
leakers of Pentagon Papers – one by one they laid out their
arguments in the language and environment of the academy. The audience
of 250 or so, composed mostly of students, erupted into rowdy applause,
especially when John Brown, the diplomat who tendered his resignation
to the State Department last week over objections to the war, took
the stage.
Protest
Against The War, Unceasingly
As the war in Iraq gets heated up, casualties have been seen in
the allied forces as well as Iraqi military, while women and children
are killed or injured and refugees run to their lives. During such
a tension, US President Geroge W Bush can still go on vacation,
reflecting the vastly different fates between decision-makers and
troops risking their lives in the frontline.
Protests
Shift to Firms
Anti-war demonstrators are turning away from the widespread protests
that disrupted San Francisco last week and are instead using smaller
actions focusing on the government and businesses that profit from
the U.S. war effort.
Photo
adds fuel to anti-war fire
Just four days into the war, a photo was published by the international
media which could ultimately prove to be one of the definitive images
of U.S. President George Bush's foray into Iraq. Looking dumbfounded
by their own handiwork, two heavily armed soldiers are shown peering
down into an Iraqi slit trench. In the bottom of this shallow bunker
are the crumpled bodies of two pathetic-looking Iraqi conscripts.
What is so disturbing about this photo is that beside the dead Iraqi
soldiers lies a clearly evident white flag of surrender.
In
Praise of the Protesters
When you don't have 30 seconds on a worldwide Oscar telecast, like
documentary filmmaker Michael Moore does, to denounce the president's
"fictitious war," the next best thing is to take to the
streets with a few thousand like-minded folks. Nothing un-American
about that. ... protesters keep us from forgetting the truth. We
need them now more than ever. The debate over the morality and legality
of war isn't over.
How
To Take Back America
Marching in the streets is important work, but wouldn't we have
greater success if we also took control of the United States government?
Another
Strategy Tool
How can we organize against the multiple wars of the
U.S. and at the same time plant the seeds for the future mass radical
movement that's required to end the war system itself?
America's
Bravest
MSNBC is requesting that its viewers send photos of "America's
bravest" to them at AmericasBravest@mnsbc.com.
We should flood them with photos of the men and women who are working
for the protection of freedom, peace, civil liberties and social
justice in the United States and around the world — the anti-war
demonstrators.
YOU
CAN GET OUT OF THE MILITARY!
WRITE DOWN THIS TOLL-FREE NUMBER: 1-800-394-9544
If you are a soldier in the U.S. military who because of reasons
of conscience or other reasons wants to leave the U.S. armed forces,
the GI Rights Hotline can help you. The GI Rights Hotline comprises
a network of groups that work together to help GIs who are having
any problems or who want to get out of the military. Initially founded
to support conscientious objectors (COs), the GI Rights Hotline
now provides counseling, advice, and assistance to those who wish
to leave the military, are AWOL, or are facing harassment, discrimination,
and other problems. However, the network's primary focus is helping
people get out. This also applies to those who have changed their
hearts and minds and want to become COs. Although it can be a long
and difficult process, COs are allowed to be processed out. According
to Bill Galvin, Counseling Coordinator for the Washington DC Hotline
office at the Center on Conscience and War (CCW) (e-mail them at
nisbco@nisbco.org), the DC office has been inundated with calls
from GIs who do not want to fight a war against Iraq. GIRights.org
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