Kirjoittajan mukaan: Keijo Hyvönen (keijoo.hyvonen_miUku_somero.salonseutu.fi)
Päiväys: 18.11.2005 15:51
Sarjassa MITÄ - MISSÄ - MIKSI -tapahtuu on hyvä myös tuoda esiin rauhanliikkeen tämän hetkinen tila ja asiaa liittyen myös valoittaa ehkä kolikon toista puolta. USA:n Rauhanliikkeeseen voi myös tutustua Internetin kautta johon alta löytyy myös tarvittava. Rauhantyön merkityksen korostaminen tulisi mielestäni kuulua jokaisen kansalaistaitoihin kansainvälisesti.
"This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress." ~ Frederick Douglass, 1857
04.11.2004
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ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
Here at United for Peace and Justice we share with millions of people around the country - and millions more around the world - a sense of horror about what happened on election day.
The largest grassroots electoral mobilization in memory was not strong enough to unseat George W. Bush. We are upset by the outcome, and disgusted that the politics of fear have been so fine-tuned by Karl Rove and company. We are outraged by the voter intimidation, vote suppression, and other tactics of disenfranchisement used before and on November 2.
But we are not totally surprised by the outcome of this election. For more than 40 years the right wing has been planning, organizing, fund raising, and executing strategies for taking control of this country. With George W. Bush and the so-called "war on terror," they have found the perfect instrument for consolidating their power.
We've known for a long time what we are up against. We worked with all our might to stop the U.S. from going to war against Iraq, but we could not prevent it, even with 10 million people taking to the streets simultaneously around the world on February 15, 2003. We have all been working hard to end that war and occupation and to bring the troops home, and even though the lies behind the war have been exposed, we have not yet succeeded.
At the same time, every day we are inspired by the outpouring of energy and creativity around the country. In the past few years the peace and justice movement has been re-ignited: vigils, rallies, and marches in hundreds of cities; a rich outpouring of cultural dissent; activism in schools, workplaces, and places of worship; and some of the most massive mobilizations our country has ever seen.
Just this past August 29, at least 500,000 people marched in New York City on the eve of the Republican National Convention. And in these past two months vast numbers of people put their time into an unprecedented grassroots electoral mobilization, including voter registration, voter education, get-out-the-vote and election protection campaigns.
Our long-term hope lies in this grassroots upsurge, and to win, we need to take the long-term view. No, the Bush Agenda was not defeated on Nov. 2, and we share the frustration and anger of so many activists. But the truth is that the progressive social change community...the peace and justice movement...is not yet strong enough to successfully change those in power.
That does not mean we are giving up or going away. On the contrary: As we take a moment to catch our breath, and get some needed rest, we are already beginning to sort through the lessons of this election and our recent past. In the days and weeks ahead we'll all see lots of analysis about what happened. We encourage you to organize discussions about what happened in the election, and where we should be headed as a movement.
United for Peace and Justice always knew that our work to end the occupation of Iraq would not be immediately affected by the outcome of the presidential race. We are preparing to move into a period of much more focused organizing on the Iraq war, working with local groups around the country on implementing plans to reach the people we don't usually talk to.
As that work unfolds, we are exploring ways to strengthen the impact of our mobilizations, including planning for activities that might make it harder for those in charge to actually carry out this war.
Look for new organizing materials from us in the near future, as well as resources for deepening the discussion and expanding our grassroots base. In the meantime, we encourage you to keep the fighting spirit alive by displaying one of our "Say No to the Bush Agenda" flags or t-shirts, available through http://www.unitedforpeace.org/merchandise
As the nation begins to look back on the election of 2004, we remain committed to looking ahead. The United for Peace and Justice coalition of more than 800 national organizations and local groups has tremendous potential. Working together has made it possible for us to make a significant contribution to the larger social change movement. The months and years ahead will not be easy, but we are hopeful that our common efforts will bring us closer toward a world where justice triumphs and peace prevails.
United for Peace and Justice
01.11.2005
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ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
END THE WAR ON IRAQ!
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
Three Days of Peace & Justice Actions
in Washington, D.C.
September 24-26, 2005
Visit our website today to download leaflets, endorse the
mobilization, and learn more about the plans for this powerful
weekend of action.
www.unitedforpeace.org/septmobe
Without a doubt, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove and rest of the crew in the White House would love to leave last week in the past. For sure, when the president's nominee for the highest court of the land has to withdraw, that doesn't look good for the White House. But much more happened last week.
The 2,000th U.S. military serviceperson died in Iraq - and the whole country took notice, with a strong majority now agreeing with the peace movement that this war should never have happened and the troops should be brought home.
Public outcry over the war continues to grow, and well over 1,000 antiwar activities in every corner of the country marked this tragic milestone.
And in an encouraging sign that this Administration's many misdeeds may finally be catching up with them, "Scooter" Libby was indicted and forced to resign his post as Dick Cheney's chief of staff. This was not your run-of-the-mill Washington scandal. He was indicted for lying to the FBI, lying to the grand jury, and obstructing the investigation of the lies that were used to justify going to war. The stakes are tremendous.
Will this administration get away with covering up the lies they told to take our country into this outrageous war? (Click here for a chronology of events.)
Our task is to now push even harder, to take full advantage of this extraordinary political opening.
We urge you to use this moment to do two critically important things: Now is the time to make our voices heard in the media. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Call into the radio talk shows in your town. Organize other people to do the same.
The whole country has been talking about the Libby indictment -- we need to make sure they're also talking about the root issue, the lies that the Bush administration used to lead us into war.
Now is the time to push hard on our call for an immediate end to the war and bringing our troops home!
Urge your Congressional Representatives and Senators to speak out. Congress must hear from us, they need to know we want them to challenge the Bush administration and to work for an end to the war in Iraq. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) is preparing to introduce legislation that will cut off funding for the war in Iraq. This is an important development, one that needs our support. Now is the time to pressure your representative to sign on to this legislation. And now is the time to pressure your elected officials to speak out against the war.
The political tide is turning against the Bush administration's reckless and destructive policies -- take this opportunity to speak up for a dramatic change in direction.
We have no illusions that the Senate will have the courage to stop funding the war this week, but it's vital that they face escalating pressure until they stop supporting the war.