Oct 2 - One Nation Working Together, Washington DC
Don't Hope for Change - Create It!
|
 |
On October 2, peace activists will again march on Washington, DC. We will join thousands of civil rights, labor, immigrant rights, environmental and other progressive organizations in a united action. One Nation Working Together is an historic coming together of movements for peace and justice, including the NAACP, 1199 SEIU, National Council of La Raza, Green for All, Center for Community Change, United States Student Association, the AFL-CIO, SEIU, RainbowPUSH, USAction and a growing list of more than 150 organizations. Together, we are marching for:
- Jobs and sustainable economic recovery
- Cuts in military spending to fund community needs
- An end to the US war and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan
- Peace abroad and renewable energy at home
Read More »
National Anti-War Coalition Calls for A Complete Withdrawal from Iraq
For Immediate Release: August 31, 2010
Contact: Michael McPhearson, UFPJ Co-Convenor, 973-666-4605, michaelvfp@
Phyllis Bennis, UFPJ Steering Committee - 202-234-9382 ext 5206, PBennis@ips-dc.org
Any reduction in the number of US troops occupying Iraq is a good thing. But the occupation is continuing, even if on a somewhat smaller scale, with 50,000 troops. Despite a commitment to withdraw "combat brigades," these 50,000 are indeed combat troops, "re-missioned" by the Pentagon and assigned to "training and assistance." But even Secretary of Defense Gates admits they will have continuing combat capability and will continue active counter-terrorism operations. The 4500 Special Forces among them will continue their "capture or kill" raids while building up the Iraqi Special Operations Forces like we saw with El Salvador-style death squads in the 80's.
President Obama's speech will likely avoid any terms remotely close to "mission accomplished." He knows too well that with violence rising, sectarian divisions as strong as ever, the parliament unable to create a new government, corruption sky-high and rising and linked to CIA-paid assets, oil contracts creating more violence instead of national wealth, there is no victory to claim.
And the costs of the Iraq war continue. Even beyond the hundreds of billions that caring for injured veterans will cost, plus the huge debt of reparations and reconstruction we owe to the people of Iraq, the current continuing war is stripping our treasury. The 50,000 troop deployment between now and the end of 2011 will cost more than 12 billion dollars. That could be used instead to fund 240,000 new green union jobs. What makes our country safer?
United for Peace and Justice continues to hold this Administration accountable to their commitment to
end the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to redirect war dollars to
meet underfunded needs at home. On October 2, peace activists will again
march on Washington, DC, joining thousands of civil rights, labor,
immigrant rights, environmental and other progressive organizations in a
unified call for jobs, peace, and justice. Visit www.onenationforpeace.
Keep Cranking! It's Getting Hotter!
Legislative Action Alert - August 2010The recent vote, in which 102 Democrats (40%) turned down President Obama's 'emergency' request for more war funding, is a clear indicator that Congress is beginning to catch up to the people. Political and popular support for Obama's war in Afghanistan is peeling away and our job during this August recess should be to crank up the heat, reminding our elected officials that we need jobs, education, housing, healthcare, and other essential investments here at home, NOT endless foreign wars!
For details on the FY2010 "emergency" war funding go to: http://www.govtrack.us/congres
U.S. Conference of Mayors Calls on Congress to Slash Nuclear Weapons!
Spending and Redirect Funds to Meet the Needs of Cities
Mayors for Peace congratulates the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) for unanimously adopting a groundbreaking resolution, Supporting U.S. Participation in Global Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and Redirection of Nuclear Weapons Spending to Meet the Needs of Cities, at the conclusion of its 78th annual meeting in Oklahoma City on June 14, 2010.
Noting that “cities have been hard hit by the recent recession which has left them with rapidly rising unemployment and declining revenues, forcing them to make severe cuts in critical public services such as police officers, fire fighters, teachers, medical and emergency workers and bus drivers,” the resolution provides that: “The U.S. Conference of Mayors calls on the U.S. Congress to terminate funding for modernization of the nuclear weapons complex and nuclear weapons systems, to reduce spending on nuclear weapons programs well below Cold Warlevels, and to redirect funds to meet the urgent needs of cities.”