Posts with the tag anti-war

Iraq is Back in the News, Finally

Tanya Paperny — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:21:35 EDT

Anti-war leaders have bemoaned the current scarce coverage of the war in Iraq. The war is finally back in the headlines, so it’s a great chance for young people to make sure that they are part of the discussion.

So let’s recap the last few weeks.

Iraq War - No End in Sight - Do Something!

Tanya Paperny — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:52:39 EDT

This Thursday, May 1st, is the 5th anniversary of President Bush declaring "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq. On this day in 2003, he stated that all major combat operations had ended and that our goals had been achieved.

We know better.

Suing for the Right to Protest

Kay Steiger — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:25:09 EDT

Anti-war groups are suing for the right to demonstrate against the war for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, MN. It sounds like the protesters were given the typical bureaucratic runaround.

The Anti-War Committee, a local group, applied for a permit to march more than a year ago, but was turned down because city officials said that city ordinances bar applications for demonstrations more than six months in advance.

On March 1, police granted protesters a "conditional alternative permit," but it provided no march route. The city attorney's office said a parade route would be approved no later than May 31, the lawsuit says.

I've been on the fence about the effectiveness of protest, which I tend to gauge about as effective as the civic duty of voting -- that is, when examined on an individual level, not particularly effective. But I'll defend the notion of the right to protest all the way to the end. There's no reason why protesters shouldn't be allowed to march to the Republican National Convention. In fact, by lobbying for a convention -- particularly the Republican one -- to be held in Minneapolis, they should have expected it.

Yesterday: Santa Barbara City Council Passes Anti-War Resolution

Tanya Paperny — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 10:14:11 EST

Last night amidst an outpouring of applause, the city council of Santa Barbara, California voted unanimously to pass a resolution "urging cessation of combat operations in Iraq and the return of U.S. troops" within a year.

Protest in Style

Guy — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 17:37:13 EDT

Four members of the Seminal staff decided to test out dressing professional for the Sept 15th anti-war march. Wearing suits they hit the street and found that reactions from both protesters and anti-protesters treated them better then they have thought would happen.

From their blog entry on the matter:

"We feel confident that a coordinate group of ten people, all dressed in professional attire, would present a striking visual image, and that a hundred or more would literally cause jaws to drop - and perhaps attract serious media attention as well."

You can read the whole story and see their pictures here: theSeminal.com

Cindy Sheehan: Not So Progressive

Josh Eidelson — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 02:22:08 EDT

More surprising than Cindy Sheehan's return from her ostensible break from activism is her willingness to embrace conservative cant against the income tax:

The Federal Reserve, permanent federal (and unconstitutional) income taxes, Japanese Concentration Camps and, not one, but two atom bombs dropped on the innocent citizens of Japan were brought to us via the Democrats.

The 16th amendment empowers the majority to legislate against subjugation and plutocracy. It institutes a critical tool to confront on the badges of slavery abjured in the 13th amendment and realize the equal protection promised in the 14th.

Cindy Sheehan's inane legal argument and her outrageous ethical argument against the income tax are disappointing. What's more discouraging is skimming through the comments and realizing that taking on Nancy Pelosi arouses more outrage from DailyKos commenters than taking on the income tax.

Many People of Faith Oppose Lieberman’s Call to Attack Iran

Adrian Shanker — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:09:16 EDT

“I think we’ve got to be prepared to take aggressive military action against the Iranians to stop them from killing Americans in Iraq,” Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) told Bob Schieffer. “And to me, that would include a strike into… over the border into Iran, where we have good evidence that they have a base at which they are training these people coming back into Iraq to kill our soldiers.”

Lieberman’s claim is that Iran is a national security threat to the United States and to Israel. But the Orthodox Jewish Senator does not seem to speak for all people of faith when it comes to advocacy regarding this potential new war.

CodePINK, an anti war group of feminists, attempted to bring a delegation of Iranian, Iraqi, Israeli, and Jewish activists who oppose the war in Iran to a meeting with Senator Lieberman. The Senator originally agreed to the meeting but backed out at the last minute. CodePINK did not, they showed up at the Hart Senate Office Building with at least 100 people ready to meet with the Senator – the antiwar group was met with a particularly hostile staff member who asked the police to ensure that all the activists leave the office. In compromise, the Senator’s staffer agreed to meet with three of the activists if everyone else would leave the office.

Here is what some of the activists had to say:

Kit Kimberly, a spiritual progressive, told me that “Without peace, spiritual people cannot be spiritual.” Similarly, Unitarian Universalist lay leader, Carol Waser, recently returned from Iran on an interfaith delegation sponsored by the Fellowship of Reconciliation. She went to Iran after feeling like Iraq was becoming more and more of a lost cause – but that stopping war in Iran before it starts is a feasible plan. She told me that it was her faith that drives her to strongly oppose Senator Lieberman’s call to bomb Iran.

Many people of faith oppose Senator Lieberman’s plan. The American Friends Service Committee, The Episcopal Church USA, National Council of Churches, Pax Christi USA, the Methodist Church, The Friends Committee on National Legislation, and the Mennonite Central Committee have been actively involved in pushing for dialogue on Iran. Additionally, the Reconstructionist Rabbincal Association (the rabbinic arm of the Reconstructionist Jewish Movement) stated in a resolution in March of 2007 that “a military strike against Iran would only result in another military, political and humanitarian crisis and would further strengthen Ahmadinejad’s regime and radical elements within Iranian society.” The RRA is the largest Jewish group to officially oppose US military action in Iran.

There are other practical reasons to avoid a war in Iran. Martha Perez, a political science student at American University explained that already with a War in Iraq, many students are struggling financially as they have seen federal financial aid dwindle. Undoubtedly, the military costs should the US invade Iran would economically hurt America’s students even more.

The general call to action at Senator Lieberman’s office was to stop the next war now. Iranian activist Dorna Mohaghegh, "the real question is not if Iran with a bomb is a threat – Iranians don’t want Ahmadinejad with a bomb, as it would be Iranians, not Americans who would be hurt most. The real question to ask is what the result of the US going to War with Iran will be. Will it simply get rid of their President, or will it provide an impetus for Iranians to rally around their unpopular President in self defense?"

Bring em back home

singhm — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:51:46 EDT

I discovered hip hop duo Blue Scholars back in college, when they performed on my campus and I heard a couple of their songs (my favorites include Blink and Motion Movement off their first, self-titled album). If you haven't heard them - they're a big deal on the West Coast (they're from Seattle), and sadly undiscovered by the rest of the U.S., though pretty well known by a lot of Asian-Americans.

I was just emailed a link to their latest music video for their song Back Home on their new album, Bayani. Back Home is a heartbreaking anti-war hip-hop song about the need to bring our troops back home, out of this endless, needless war. Check it out - I'm not one for emotional films or videos, but this one was particularly well done and really made an impact.

It hits home the Campus Progress, and general progressive movement, message of Support Our Troops, Bring 'em Home. If you don't already know about the work that we're doing, check out our Iraq Action Camp and also our Iraq Lobby Day in association with the National Student Conference - all are this summer, and all offer travel scholarships for you to come out to DC and end this war.

They Died with their Boots On

niralshah — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 16:42:34 EST

From the University of Arizona Wildcat:

"Hundreds of weathered combat boots lined the east side of the UA Mall this weekend, attracting passers-by and sparking renewed debate about the war in Iraq.

The traveling exhibit, "Eyes Wide Open: The Human Cost of War," was organized by the American Friends Service Committee, the Presbyterian Campus Ministry and other organizations to show the reality of the lives that have been claimed by the war in Iraq, said Caroline Isaacs, program director for the Arizona chapter of the American Friends Service Committee.

The exhibit included 458 boots, 381 of which represented National Guard deaths in Iraq and 77 for Arizona soldiers.

...

The display also had shoes representing Iraqi civilian casualties, with tags for children as young as 8 months old.

The display was not meant to be political, Isaacs said. "

The article goes on to describe how the display in fact did spark political discussion. Anti-war activists were present at the exhibit, collecting petition signatures asking Congress to end the war by cutting funding. Supporters of the war were also present, apparently, although apparently not in any organized counter-protest. The display is part of a larger national project, including a full-sized version in Chicago.