HOPE ≠ WAR
Call for March and Rally on Anniversary of Afghanistan War
Saturday, October 17, 2009 (tentative date)
When Pres. Obama was elected on a platform of HOPE, the American people expected a speedy end to the Iraq war. They expected negotiations to settle the Afghanistan and Israel/Palestine conflicts and reduce tensions with Iran.
They did not expect the new administration to delay exit from Iraq until 2012, or to escalate the war in Afghanistan by sending 21,000 more troops, as he has done. They did not expect an increase in drone strikes in Pakistan which have already killed 335 people, or the U.S. to strong-arm the Pakistani military into an operation which has left over two million internal refugees. They did not expect military spending to continue to increase, with over $100 billion appropriated for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in June 2009.
The administration’s policy review has resulted in a plan for a protracted counter-insurgency war in which human development aid and negotiations serve only as window dressing on a war policy targeted at defeating the Taliban on the battlefield and dominating Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the central Asia region.
The peace movement must now prioritize Afghanistan, the rising war front within the overall U.S. war effort. A slim majority of the American people still support the war, but they have doubts and can be shifted. Our overall priority is public education to turn the American people against the war and make clear that there is significant opposition to it. At the same time, we want to connect the Afghanistan and Iraq wars to the whole range of war policies of the U.S. government, and demand that they cut the military budget and fund human needs.
Therefore, United for Justice with Peace calls for a visible demonstration during the anniversary week of the U.S. attack on Afghanistan which started October 7, 2001. Specifically, we propose a march and rally on Saturday, October 3 - but the date is negotiable.
The rally could be held at Copley Square with speakers and music. We would aim to draw 500-1000 people. We would then march through downtown, possibly ending at Bowdoin Square in front of the office of Sen. Kerry, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, and we could present petitions to Sen. Kerry.
The proposed slogans would be the following:
· Ground the Drones
· Afghanistan: Obama’s Vietnam
· Eight Years of War, How Many More?
· U.S. Troops Out of Iraq and Afghanistan Now
· Abolish Nuclear Weapons
· Beyond War, Another Economy is Possible
· Fund our Communities, Reduce the Military Budget
The Boston election coming up on November 3 provides an opportunity to connect to local issues, for example by presenting political candidates who endorse our platform, by calling on Boston and other cities to implement the Cities for Peace resolution, and by connecting our call to cut the military budget to specific funding issues in Boston and elsewhere.
We ask all UJP member organizations and all peace and justice groups in the Boston area and throughout New England to join with us in organizing this protest. We invite activists to an organizing meeting which will be held Wednesday, July 27, 7pm, at Encuentro 5, 33 Harrison Ave, in Chinatown. The call-in number is (218) 844-8230 Code: 657297#. Please RSVP to Cole Harrison or Shelagh Foreman and notify us if you want to participate in planning but cannot meet on the 27th.
United for Justice with Peace is a coalition of peace and justice organizations and community peace groups in the Greater Boston region. The UJP Coalition, formed after September 11th, seeks global peace through social and economic justice. Web: www.justicewithpeace.org Email: ujpcoalition@gmail.com Phone: 617-491-4UJP
| Attachment | Size |
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| Afghanistan Action Proposal - October 2009.doc | 75 KB |
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