The War(s) Didn't Stop on October 27, and Neither Will We!
We have struggled hard over the last 5 years and our work HAS made a difference, the tide is turning, but....We have a war abroad to end, a war at home to overcome, wars on the horizon to prevent and that is the broad strokes, folks. How shall we develop our resources and coordinate our opposition? How shall we organize ourselves into that mighty force to be reckoned with?
PLEASE JOIN LESLIE CAGAN the National Coordinator of United for Peace and Justice and United for Peace and Justice Bay Area in an afternoon strategy session:
SUNDAY MARCH 2
2:30-5:30 pm
Quaker Meeting House
65 9th Street
San Francisco between Market and Mission, close to the Civic Center BART
PLEASE RSVP if you plan to attend.
to ufpjbayarea@mac.com or to 565 0201 #24
As our time will be limited please come prepared to consider these subjects:
multi issue organizing
alliance building across movements
tactics and strategies, what works and why
UFPJ-Bay Area General Meetings
Call for details if no specific meeting date is noted here:
Next general meeting is
Work with us as we try to stop the war machine.
We'll be talking about what to do between now and March when we'll mark five full years since the invasion of Iraq.
5TH ANNIVERSARY CALL TO ACTION
Derived largely from December's meeting notes for United for Peace and Justice, supplemented by Ecumenical Peace Institute’s calendar in their newsletter.
March 19, 2008: the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the beginning of the 6th year of war and occupation, the 6th year of senseless death and massive destruction.
- March 13-16, Winter Soldier: UFPJ is committed to providing major support to Iraq Veterans Against the War and its Winter Soldier hearings in Washington, DC, on March 13-16. We will help local groups plan events that directly link to and amplify the Winter Soldier hearings, where those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Iraqis and Afghans, will tell the nation the real story of this war. http://www.ivaw.org/wintersoldier
- Sat March 15, Walnut Creek march to downtown park, Mt Diablo Peace Center, http://www.mtdpc.org/
- March 15 Direct Action & rally: Chevron Richmond Refinery, www.actagainstwar.net
- March 18, noon - one Living Graveyard, Oakland Federal Building, 1301 Clay St., two blocks from 12th Street BART Station, legal street theater represents the dead of the war of occupation, people lie on the city sidewalk covered with white sheets to represent Iraqi and "coalition" dead. Names of the dead are read. http://www.epicalc.org/
- March 19, Mass Nonviolent Civil Disobedience in Washington, DC: UFPJ has initiated the planning and organizing for what we hope will be the largest nonviolent civil disobedience action yet against the war in Iraq. We encourage people to be in Washington, DC, on March 19th to be part of the civil disobedience, or to assist in support work. We are working to have all 50 states represented in this massive action.
- March 19 Direct Action in SF focus on financial district www.actagainstwar.net
- March 19 evening USLAW sponsored town hall meetings in each Congressional district. In planning stage, for confirmation & details http://www.uslaw.org/ .
Plan is to present what happened at Winter Soldier hearings from vets who can come and/or from video clips from hearing.
Community leaders are invited to respond to Winter Soldier hearings
Challenge member of Congress to come and listen -- this is not a time for them to grab the mike. Ask them to:
- declare whether they will pledge to cut off funding for war
- state what action they will take to end with war.
Purpose
- to give public support to vets who testified affirm, applaud, etc
- give something for public to do who can’t or won’t do demos and CD
- raise profile of both labor and the vets who speak out against the war.
==>>> All contingent on vets’ agreement
Note, troops in field and Iraqi people don’t get an Easter recess, neither should Congress.
Public Hearings on "Complex Transformation" ––plans to "modernize" the U.S. nuclear weapons research for the 21st century; www.wslfweb.org/ & www.trivalleycares.org
- March 18, 2008 6 p.m.-10 p.m., Holiday Inn Express, 3751 N. Tracy Blvd., Tracy
- March 19, 2008, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m., 6 p.m.- 10 p.m., Robert Livermore Community Center, 4444 East Avenue, Livermore
March 21, 6:45 a.m. Good Friday Witness, Vasco & Patterson Pass Road, Livermore Nuclear Weapons Labs. Prayer service and nonviolent civil disobedience action. Embracing the Beloved Community-- peace, justice, hope and equality; Rejecting the violence of empire-- torture, terror, lies and the bomb, Father Louie Vitale (just released from five months in Federal Prison).preaching Ecumenical Peace Institute & Livermore Conversion Project. http://www.epicalc.org/
Check affiliated member group links to the left for other upcoming actions, vigils and other events.
See also below for details on featured events and meetings. Contact ufpj-bayarea@riseup.net for additions and corrections to that list.
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The Iraq Moratorium Pledge:
The Pledge! I hereby make acommitment that on Friday September 21
& the Third Friday of every subsequentmonth, I will break my daily routine
and take some action, by myself or with others, to end the War in Iraq.
Find out what is happening in the Bay Area
And from the UFPJ National Assembly last month in Chicago, these calls to action:
UFPJ member groups voted overwhelmingly to hold 6 to 8 regional, mass anti-war demonstrations on October 27.
There was also strong support for a campaign of decentralized actions and activities around the country, each initiated by different groups, beginning this summer and running through the fall. Helping to build these efforts will sharpen our call to end the war, while also making connections to several important and related issues:
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Initiated by the Occupation Project and the No Nukes, No Wars, No Profiteers campaign, local nonviolent civil disobedience and direct actions on August 6th, the anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima. www.august6.org
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A week of nonviolent coordinated actions being organized for Sept. 14-21 by the Declaration of Peace.
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The Iraq Moratorium Campaign, beginning on Friday, Sept. 21st, and continuing on the successive 3rd Fridays of every month in communities around the country.
- Keep Space for Peace Week, Oct. 4-13
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October 21-23: No War, No Warming actions in Washington, DC, and around the country.
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