Subject: Fw:  Znet Update -- An Antiwar Message from a new Coalition ZNet Supports
Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 12:23:37 +0100



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michael Albert" <sysop-AT-ZMAG.ORG>
To: <znetupdates-AT-zmail.zmag.org>
Sent: Monday, December 09, 2002 4:29 PM
Subject: Znet Update -- An Antiwar Message from a new Coalition ZNet Supports


Hello,

Of course, our usual steady updating of ZNet (www.zmag.org) proceeds.
But this message is to let you know about a new antiwar coalition,
United for Peace -- which ZNet/ZMagazine resoundingly supports...please
see...

www.unitedforpeace.org for much more information!

Of course no coalition can ever precisely reflect the full aspirations
or analyses of all of its advocates, by definition of what a coalition
is. But United for Peace is a great addition to the U.S. anti-war
organizing project, in our view, and the vehicle through which we think
a massive, powerful, diverse, and politically multi-issue and
multi-tactic movement can be inspired and built. Below we have a call to
actions to be held tomorrow written by one of the most energetic and
effective of UFPs organizers, Leslie Cagan. First, however, here is a
partial list of organizations in the coalition...to motivate your
further attention...

American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee 
American Friends Service Committee 
Americans for Social Justice 
An Absurd Response to an Absurd War 
Anti-Capitalist Convergence 
Black Radical Congress 
Brockport Students Against War (BSAW) 
CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities 
Campus Greens 
Center for Community Change 
Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment 
Central Nebraska Peace Workers 
Change the Game 
Citizens for Participation in Political Action (CPPAX) 
Citizen Works 
Committee to Free Pedro Pacheco 
Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Social Justice 
The Connected Collective 
Democracy Rising 
East End Women in Black 
Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) 
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights 
Georgetown Peace Action 
Global Exchange 
Grassroots International 
Green Party of the United States 
Greenpeace 
House of The Goddess Center for Pagan Wombyn 
Houston Coalition for Justice Not War 
Independent Progressive Politics Network 
International Socialist Organization 
Institute for Policy Studies, Peace Working Group 
Iraq Pledge of Resistance 
A Jewish Voice for Peace 
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice 
KhaYUMbia 
Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group 
Left Turn 
Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives 
Middle East Children's Alliance 
Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP) 
Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) 
Mobilize New York 
National Coalition for Peace and Justice 
National Council of Churches 
National Network to End the War Against Iraq 
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby 
Not In Our Name 
Nowar Collective 
Pax Christi USA 
Peace Action 
Peace and Justice Task Force, Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church
of Christ 
PeaceNoWar 
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center 
People Against Oppression and War 
Peoples NonViolent Response Coalition (PNVRC) 
Psychologists for Social Responsibility 
Raging Grannies (Peninsula, CA chapter) 
Ruckus Society 
San Miguel Peacewalkers 
September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows 
Shalom Center 
Shobak.Org (Outsider Asian Voices) 
SOA Watch 
Socialist Action 
Strategic Pastoral Action 
Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) 
Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) 
Students Take Action for New Directions (STAND) 
Students Transforming and Resisting Corporations (STARC) 
Taking Aim 
Texans for Peace 
The Thomas Paine Project 
TransAfrica Forum 
TrueMajority 
United for Justice with Peace 
United Students Against Sweatsops (USAS) 
University of Maryland, College Park Peace Forum (UMCP Peace Forum) 
US Peace Council 
United Students Against Sweatshops 
Veterans for Peace 
Vietnam Veterans Against the War 
War Resisters League West 
War Times 
Washington Peace Center 
West Sonoma County Women's Peace Group 
Women's Action for New Directions (WAND) 
Western States Legal Foundation 
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, U.S. Section 
Working Assets 
Z Magazine and ZNET 

And here is a call from one of the 
TOMORROW, DEC. 10th INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY,
TAKE ACTION TO STOP THIS WAR
Leslie Cagan

Is there any way to stop the insane drive toward war? Is there anything
that can be done to halt the nightmare of massive bombing raids and tens
of thousands of US military men and women invading and occupying Iraq?
And how much time do we have before Washington's war is in place?

There are no certainties about this war against Iraq....except one.
Unless we do everything humanly possible to turn this around, the most
powerful military force in human history will be unleashed against the
people of Iraq.

United For Peace, a new national campaign, has issued a call for local,
decentralized actions on Tuesday, December 10th...International Human
Rights Day. In the few weeks since the call was issued, and with the no
staff or office or other basic infrastructure in place, the response
from both national organizations and local groups has been extremely
positive. In dozens of locations activists are organizing events against
the drive toward war.

Why International Human Rights Day, why a day in the middle of the week?

What greater violation of human rights is there than a war motivated by
the desire to control oil and strengthen empire? Instead of bombing
innocent people, we seek a world where foreign policy decisions are made
based in respect for the rights of all people and honoring the
principles of international law. And taking action on a workday will
send an important message. That is, we can and will interrupt the usual
flow of life in this country. We will take time and energy away from the
things we normally do and instead we will take action to sound the alarm
and demand that this war not happen. We will try to pull peoples focus
away from what they do every day and ask them to pay attention to what
Washington is doing with their money and in their name.

You might be wondering why this call for action on December 10th is
still being circulated a day before the protests....isn't it too late to
organize something? Well, it's not.  Action against this drive toward
war can and should come in all sizes and shapes. Every group, no matter
how small, can do something.  Even if just 5 or 10 of you go down to the
Post Office or recruiting station, after work, when it's dark, and light
candles that counts. Here are just a few ideas of what you can do
tomorrow:

*JOIN one of the protest activities already planned. Check
www.unitedforpeace.org or www.peacepledge.org for activities that might
be planned in your city.

*GIVE out information and anti-war flyers. Copies of "Talking Points for
Peace and Security with Iraq" are available at www.unitedforpeace.org.
Imagine if 10,000 of you gave out 100 copies of that or any other
anti-war literature... 1,000,000 pieces could be distributed!

*CHALLENGE war propaganda by putting a sign in your window or on your
door or at your desk at work or on your backpack.

*DEMONSTRATE your opposition to war by wearing a blue and white ribbon
or armband, or a button that takes a stand against this war....and wear
it at work, in the supermarket, while riding public transportation.

*MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! Phone the White House and tell them NO WAR ON
IRAQ!!! 202-456-1111 Let's flood them with calls and keep their lines
busy all day long.

Throughout this country a mass movement has begun to take shape. As
Washington geared up for war people in every corner of the nation moved
into action. One of the most striking examples of the depth of this new
movement was when 133 members of the House of Representatives voted
against giving president-select George W. Bush the authority to use
military force whenever he so chooses. Of course it was depressing that
the resolution passed, but think about what must have happened to get
those 133 members to vote against the president.

Thousands of people all around the country not only made their voices
heard but forced scores of representatives to vote the right way. All
together, there must have been hundreds of thousands of phone calls,
faxes and email messages sent to members of Congress...all in a matter
of several weeks. People did not wait for a fully developed national
campaign, they knew action was needed and took it. Yes, several national
organizations put out calls and the internet was buzzing with messages
urging people to put the pressure on. The most important thing is that
the wide spread sentiment against this war was expressed and had a
direct impact on the outcome of that vote.

And there are others signs that this new anti-war movement has come to
life: the October 6th demonstrations in 27 cities organized by Not In
Our Name (with at least 35,000 people in NYC and tens of thousands in
places like Los Angeles and Portland); 150,000 people in Washington, DC
and upwards of another 80,000 in San Francisco on October 26th in
protests organized by International ANSWER; full page ads in major daily
newspapers across the nation; dozens of statement by religious leaders
and denominations of all faiths, union locals and Central Labor Councils
and a growing number of City Councils; and the almost daily
demonstrations of all sizes by students and youth and others from all
walks of life.

On October 25th, representatives of more than 50 national organizations
gathered in Washington, DC and took the first steps in organizing a
national campaign to stop the war. Calling ourselves United For Peace,
these groups came together because they know everyone's effort will be
stronger and therefore, hopefully, have a greater impact if we find the
common ground for a more unified approach to our work. The point is not
to subsume everyone into a new organization but rather to develop a
structure that allows us to work more cooperatively and with a higher
degree of coordination. It's a simple proposition and probably needed to
happen a lot earlier, but by late fall enough groups and key individual
players in the anti-war work were ready and able to unite in this new
campaign.

United For Peace is working on additional coordinated activity and will
soon be issuing a call for a week of action around the Martin Luther
King, Jr. holiday weekend in January. Plans are being developed for a
national mobilization in New York City of February 15th, the same date
that demonstrations will be held in European capitals. Discussions are
underway for coordinated educational campaigns and other joint efforts.

The list of groups participating in United For Peace is growing everyone
day. A few of the organizations already involved are: American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, American Friends Service Committee, An
Absurd Response to an Absurd War, Black Voices for Peace, CAAAV
Organizing Asian Communities, Democracy Rising, Education for Peace in
Iraq Center (EPIC, Global Exchange, Institute for Policy Studies, Middle
East Children's Alliance, Middle East Research and Information Project
(MERIP), National Council of Churches, National Network to End the War
Against Iraq, NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Not In
Our Name, Pax Christi USA, Peace Action, September 11 Families for
Peaceful Tomorrows, Shalom Center, Student Environmental Action
Coalition (SEAC), Students Take Action for New Directions (STAND),
Students Transforming and Resisting Corporations (STARC), TransAfrica
Forum, United Students Against Sweatshops, Veterans for Peace, War
Times, Women's Action for New Directions (WAND), Western States Legal
Foundation, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, U.S.
Section, Working Assets...

...and your organization is encouraged to join us. Check the website for
more information www.unitedforpeace.org.






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