IRAQ ACTION DIGEST
____________________________________________________________________
A Project of the Fellowship of Reconciliation
The Nation's Oldest and Largest Interfaith Nonviolence Organization
914-358-4601
forbsp@igc.org
____________________________________________________________________
November 12, 1998
I enclose a LOT of information, perhaps too much, but it all seemed of
utmost importance, and I didn't want to leave anyone or anything out.
Consult the index, provided first, and see what applies to your needs. The
time to work together is now, and that I had 60+ e-mail messages today
indicates that we are doing so. Keep up the great work, and hopefully this
digest will be of use to you. Thanks to everyone who posted new actions,
and again I implore, in fact beseech, those cities without planned actions
to get together and promote an event. This list is now reaching about 600
people, and who knows how many more, so a few people can turn into dozens
very fast!
--Nicholas Arons
Fellowship of Reconciliation
________________
INDEX:
I. NEW ACTIONS -- for old actions send request, I include only the most
recent postings
A. Minneapolis
B. Worcester, MA
C. New York City
D. Baltimore, MD
E. Memphis, TN
F. St. Louis
G. Sacramento
H. Seattle -- new events since last digest
I. Harrisonburg, VA (Go JMU!)
II. Voices in the Wilderness travels to Iraq
-- Press release and letter
III. New Resource List, Places on the net to get latest updates, etc.
__________________________
A. MINNEAPOLIS
Minneapolis will be having a demonstration against war threats on Iraq
on Thursday, November 19th in front of the newest Federal Building at the
corners of 4th and 3rd streets in downtown Minneapolis. This action is
sponsored by the Iraqi Peace Action Coalition--a combined group of Peace
and Justice groups in the Twin Cities including the American-Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee, Women Against Military Madness,
Progressive Student Organization, Committee in Solidarity with the People
of El Salvador and MANY others (over 40 groups have endorsed previous
actions).
B. WORCESTER, MASS
Demonstration on Day of (or day after) Attack at 5 p.m.
Lincoln Square
Contact: St. Francis and Therese Catholic Worker (508) 757-3588
C. NEW YORK CITY
WORLDWIDE ACTION PLANNED TO
PROTEST U.S. THREATS TO BOMB IRAQ
The International Action Center will be demonstrating on Tuesday,
November 17 at 4:30 p.m. in Grand Central Station to demand No U.S.
Bombing of Iraq! and End the Sanctions Now!
There will also be an immediate response demonstration within 24 hours
in Times Square should the U.S. bomb Iraq before November 17th.
Join the Baltimore Emergency Response Network and others at a
D. BALTIMORE, MD
emergency demonstration at Charles & Centre Streets
5:30 PM to 7:00 PM on the day of aggression
If the aggression occurs after 5:30 PM, gather the following day.
Bring appropriate signs and banners that speak out against U.S. terrorism.
Call 410-323-7200 or 410-243-2077 for up-to-date information. BERN's next
meeting is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 PM at 327 East 25th Street,
Baltimore, Maryland.
E. MEMPHIS, TN
saw your post on a-infos and wanted to let you know there will be
actions today and tomorrow in memphis, tn both from 4pm-6pm at the busy
intersections of Poplar/Highland and Union/McLean. More info at 901.458.9907.
for freedom
de Cleyre cooperative
F. ST. LOUIS
In St. Louis, we will have a vigil at 8 pm beginning at the Robert A.
Young Federal Building on the evening of any US air strike against Iraq.
The Federal Building is located at Spruce and Tucker in downtown St.
Louis. The event is being organized by the St. Louis Forum for a Just
Peace, for more info call 314-862-5773.
G. SACRAMENT, CA
Nov. 12, 1998
Sacramento, California, "Don't Bomb Iraq" Rally
A coalition of peace and justice activists will gather at 4:30 PM on
Friday, Nov. 13, at 16th and J streets in Sacramento, lighting candles
and carrying signs to protest U.S. threats to bomb Iraq.
Decrying the vigilante mentality of the U.S., Mario Galvan, president
of Sacramento-Yolo Peace Action, says, "U.S. attacks are a violation of
international law, no matter how the government tries to justify the
bombings as enforcement of U.N. resolutions. They would also be a violation
of our own constitution, as this would clearly be an act of war, but without
a declaration of war by Congress, as required by the U.S. constitution."
"Besides," Galvan adds, "bombing would only hurt the Iraqi people, who
are already suffering terribly because of the economic sanctions, without
weakening Saddam Hussein. In fact, it would probably be counterproductive,
rallying support for Hussein as a heroic martyr defending Arab interests
against imperialist exploitation. At the same time, it will trigger hate for
Americans; dropping bombs is not a good way to make friends."
The activists have vowed to return to the same site in Sacramento to
protest if the U.S. does carry out it's bomb threats.
For more information, call Sacramento-Yolo Peace Action at (916) 448-7157
H. SEATTLE
NEW EVENT IN The works for SEATTLE:
Friday Nov. 20 6:30 (UW Main Campus -- Room to be announced)
===Town Hall Meeting===
The Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC), Student Action Network,
Physicians for Social Responsibility, and others present a Town Hall
Meeting with Jerry Haines (member of the 16th Voices in the Wilderness
delegation to Iraq), veteran Jeff Gustafson (cofounder of EPIC), Ruth
Wilson (author of "10 lies about Iraq") and others to be annouced.
A march will follow the rally --oops, I mean town hall meeting :)
Call for room or to help organize.
206-747-7673
Other events for Seattle:
Saturday Nov. 14 11:00p Documentary on KCTS-9 "Wedding in Basra"
Emmy Award-winning Gulf War correspondent Arthur Kent returns to the
Persian Gulf region to bring viewers an inside look at Iraq under United
Nations sanctions and their effects on average Iraqi citizens. The
documentary features unprecedented access to a nation that has been
isolated and suffering for eight long years. The documentary will be
worth video taping to show to community groups and classes, so get your
VCRs ready.
Day AFTER attack 5pm
Federal Bldg (2nd & Marion)
Citizens Concerned for the People of Iraq, Communities Against U.S.
Military Aggression
206-789-5565
I. HARRISONBURG, VA
Hey y'all please spread this message far and wide
as you all know iraq is now in the news again and it is
coming time to take action, which is exactly what students
at James Madison U in VA are doing.
Sixteen students at JMU are now in day two of a 7 day fast
in solidarity with the Iraqi people who have been suffering
from U.S.-led United Nations sanctions since August 1990.
Our fast is also in protest of the possibility of bombing
Iraq. We are asking students around the country to wear a
tourqious ribbon in solidarity with the sixteen fasters at
JMU and their message that neither war nor inhumane
sanctions are the answer to the problem with Iraq.
If you will be in the Harrisonburg area and would like to
come out in support of the students who are fasting please
contact us. we will be giving out information everyday of
the fast on the commons of JMU campus. on monday we will
be doing street theatre from 12-1 pm on the commons and on
tuesday we will be hosting Gulf War veteran Erik Gustafson
for a spoken word performance on the impact of the Iraqi
sanctions. Gustafson will be speaking at 7:00pm in
Grafton-Stovall Theatre at James Madison University.
II. VOICES IN THE WILDERNESS
Peace Activists Travel to Iraq as US Threatens Military Strikes
Chicago - As the U.S. threatens a military strike against Iraq, Voices In
the Wilderness is sending its 18th delegation to Baghdad, departing from the
US on November 12th. Chicago team member Kathy Kelly, (45), will depart
from O'Hare airport, Thursday evening. Kelly will be joined in Amman by Ken
Hannaford-Ricardi of Worcester, MA and Bert Sacks, of Seattle, WA. The team
hopes to travel overland to Baghdad very early on Sunday, a.m. This will be
Kelly's eighth trip to Iraq. While the team hopes that reason will prevail
and that the US will not launch military strikes against Iraq, their
intention is to be in Iraq in advance of threatened military strikes and to
remain there throughout any period of bombardment. They believe it is
important for Voices in the Wilderness members to be in Baghdad helping to
call attention to the innocent civilians who live in fear of threatened
strikes and who depend on others to communicate about the suffering they've
already endured after eight years of crippling economic sanctions.
Voices in the Wilderness members believe it is ruthless and brutal to
continue killing Iraqi children over the issue of keeping oil prices where
the US wants them to be. They also state that it's hypocritical for the US
to talk about weapons of mass destruction when this country has, for the
past 60 years, been the world's largest manufacturer and peddler of weapons
of mass destruction. The US has sold weapons to Iraq and all of the
surrounding countries, with the exception of Syria. Voicing concern about
the UN, Kelly said, "Instead of waging peace, it has been perverted into
waging war on children of Iraq, violating its own charter by using the
weapon of economic warfare against a civilian population."
Voices in the Wilderness opposes the development, storage sale and use of
any weapons, be they nuclear, chemical, biological or, in the case of
sanctions, economic. They advocate non-violence as a means of resistance to
injustice. By sending small delegations carrying much-needed medicine,
Voices in the Wilderness openly and publicly violates U.S. regulations and
challenges the morality of the most comprehensive economic sanctions ever
imposed on any country. The U.N./U.S. sanctions have, since August, 1990,
caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, most of them
children under 5 years of age. The assistant Secretary General of the
United Nations, Denis Halliday, who recently resigned his post, said
"Sanctions are starving to death 6,000 Iraqi infants every month, ignoring
the human rights of ordinary Iraqis, and turning a whole generation against
the West... I no longer want to be part of that" (NYT, October 18, 1998, p.
4. Seattle Voices member Bert Sacks questions, "Why isn't this report front
page news?"
While in Amman, the delegation can be reached at the Al Monzer hotel
(November 13, 14) tel.: 962-6-4639469. They will try to maintain contact
with the Chicago office throughout their stay in Baghdad.
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