[Peace] town hall teach-in on patriot act and other ideas

Mon May 19 16:07:31 CDT 2003

Hi all,

I have been mulling over ideas for ways our community could respond to the 
patriot act and general infringements on civil liberties we are 
experiencing as a nation.

One suggestion is for AWARE to hook up with and support local librarians 
who are facing the realities of the patriot act in their work.  I recently 
became privvy to the work of UIUC librarians who are rejecting the notion 
that they should give the FBI whatever they ask for.  Al probably knows 
more.  AWARE could also visit with the Urbana Library Board and discuss 
these concerns/provide community support.  The board members are listed 
here:
http://city.urbana.il.us/urbana/mayor/boards/library_board/Main.htm

The second suggestion comes from the Cities for Peace e-mail below.  
Council chambers are available for meetings which can be taped and 
televised on public access TV.  There is a reasonable fee for this.  AWARE 
can sponsor a townhall on upcoming issues including the civil liberties 
issue.  To find out more, contact Chris Foster, UPTV Coordinator 
at384-2452 or Clfoster at city.urbana.il.us.

cheers,
Danielle

-- 
| Danielle Chynoweth
|
| Art Director * OJC Technologies * ojctech.com
| City Council Member * Urbana City Council * city.urbana.il.us

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 15 May 2003 13:15:29 -0400
From: Karen Dolan <kdolan at igc.org>
To: kdolan at igc.org
Cc: 'Amy Quinn' <a-quinn at mindspring.com>
Subject: Action Suggestions from Cities for Peace

Dear All in the Cities for Peace Network, 

Greetings Friends!  Sounds like many of you are continuing your
activities, teach-ins, public education and activism with great vigor
and commitment. An inspiration to all of us.

Hanover NH, this week, passed a resolution/statement opposed to the
Preemptive War Doctrine. A nice model for others. This should be on our
site by tomorrow, please check www.citiesforpeace.org
<http://www.citiesforpeace.org/>   Congratulations Hanover!!    Please
let me know if you are working on this type of resolution in your city
or town kdolan at igc.org

We have a proposal for a series of National Town Hall Teach-in/Debates,
as well as Action Alerts and Links to related campaigns working on Civil
Liberties Resolutions, Fair Taxes For All local campaigns and World Bank
Bonds local boycotts

Proposal for Town Hall Teach-ins Across America

Cities for Peace is an extensive network of over 200 cities and towns
with grassroots organizations and locally-elected officials that
launched campaigns for peace in the months preceding the March 2003 war
with Iraq. These towns and cities raised questions about the legality
and wisdom of a pre-emptive strike doctrine, about US diplomacy and
relations with other nations through the United Nations, and about the
wisest ways to achieve disarmament and peace in a dangerous world, and
the costs of war at home.

We propose that this network of true grassroots democracy continue this
important work through City and Town Hall - Sponsored Teach-ins/Debates
on these and related issues.  We propose that local elected officials
and concerned citizens continue the work of education and fostering of
debate by hosting a teach-in or debate, or a series of teach-ins and
debates, in local Town and City Halls, addressing among other issues:

*	Preemptive or Aggressive War Doctrine as a permanent
international policy for dealing with "Rogue States" 
*	How to Create a proactive New Internationalist foreign policy
which works through international law, diplomatic avenues and the United
Nations 
*	The Local/State/National/International links in Domestic and
Foreign policy, and the role of citizens and local elected officials in
the formation of those policies 
*	The state and local costs of a perpetual-war economy 
*	The question of Civil Liberties curtailment in the name of
National Security 
*	A positive vision and strategy of moving forward, from the local
level, to a new domestic and international policy which ensures
equality, quality of life, anti-racism, dignity, safety, peace and
justice at home and abroad

The Institute for Policy Studies, a 40-year-old Washington-based Think
Tank and the home of Citiesforpeace.org, is willing to aid in the
creation and implementation of these debates and teach-ins.  We can help
to shape the events, to find speakers and to secure press.  We can
provide the national backdrop for these local actions and bring them
into the national Cities for Peace and Justice Network. We can help to
establish links for issue-education between locally-elected officials
and members of Congress. We can provide resources and research to
organizers and elected officials.

Please let us know if your town or city council or local peace and
justice organization would like to work on this with us. These can be
free-standing and/or part of a national schedule  

Email me with your comments, suggestions, inquiries
<mailto:kdolan at igc.org> kdolan at igc.org

Related Campaigns and Links:

(Please watch  <http://www.citiesforpeace.org/> www.citiesforpeace.org
for helpful resources, briefing papers and action alerts from these and
other campaigns relating to the achievement of peace and justice through
local actions)

Fair Taxes for All Coalition, a coalition of national and grassroots
organizations acting together to fight proposed Federal Tax Cuts and
achieve a fair stimulus and growth package for our current struggling
economy, including aid to cash-strapped states. Excellent updates on
what's happening on Capitol Hill and ways in which you can participate
can be found on  <http://www.citiesforpeace.org/> www.citiesforpeace.org
and at the Fair Taxes for All website:   <http://www.fairtaxes4all.org/>
www.Fairtaxes4all.org

Civil Liberties Resolutions:  Local resolutions opposing the
infringement on our civil liberties articulated in the USA PATRIOT ACT
and associated Executive Orders. Over 100 local resolutions thus far!
For how to get your city or town to become a Civil Liberties Safe Zone,
visit the Bill of Rights Defense Committee at  <http://www.bordc.org/>
www.BORDC.ORG

Please also let Cities for Peace know about your initiatives,
<mailto:kdolan at igc.org> kdolan at igc.org

Visit the website of the World Bank Bonds Boycott, a project at the
Center for Economic Justice,  Link:

www.worldbankboycott.org

This campaign organizes municipalities and other institutional investors
to pressure the World Bank for change by committing not to buy World
Bank bonds, the source of most of the Bank's financing.

Join the Growing Campaign to Boycott World Bank Bonds! More than 90
unions, churches, cities, universities, investment funds, and
foundations have sent a strong message for change at the World Bank
through a growing campaign called the World Bank Bonds Boycott.  The
boycott, which was launched in April 2000, is based on the fact that the
World Bank raises 

most of its money by issuing bonds on the private financial market. The 

campaign organizes cities and institutional investors to pass
resolutions 

not to buy World Bank bonds until the Bank stops its most destructive 

policies and cancels the debt of impoverished nations.
www.worldbankboycott.org,  call Center for Economic Justice at (202)
393-6665, or e-mail bankboycott at econjustice.net.

As always, please stay in touch, let us know what you are doing or would
like to do, and check the site often for updates, resources and action
alerts. Send an email to me at kdolan at igc.org if you wish to drop off
this list. It is not a listserve, just an informational posting, usually
no more than once a week, usually less.

IN SOLIDARITY, 

Karen

Karen Dolan

Coordinator, Cities for Peace

www.citiesforpeace.org

Director, Progressive Challenge project

Fellow

Institute for Policy Studies

733 15th St NW, Suite 1020

Washington, DC 20002

202.234.9382 x228

F: 202.387.7915

kdolan at igc.org

www.ips-dc.org