[Peace-discuss] Caterpillar campaign and Palestinian homes

[Ricky Baldwin]

Friends,
If you recall, Dr. Rob Lipton mentioned this connection to Caterpillar when 
he was here (thanks again to Sandra!), as well as the fact that there is a 
Caterpillar plant near here.  He suggested working with the labor movement 
and Caterpillar workers to combine their complaints against greedy 
managemment with their irresponsible involvement in the Occupied Territories 
(presumably with similar motivations) - there is certainly no love lost 
there. -RB

fwd--------------------------------

STOP CATERPILLAR¹S DESTRUCTION OF PALESTINIAN LIVES!


Since the beginning of the present Palestinian uprising, or intifada, in 
September of 2000, the Israeli military has destroyed more than 2650 
Palestinian homes, offices, buildings and other civilian structures 
including hundreds of thousands of fruit and olive trees, the main 
livelihood for many Palestinians. The US industrial machinery giant, 
Caterpillar, is the main supplier of the specially designed bulldozers which 
the Israeli military uses to carry out this destruction. Such acts are a 
form of collective punishment and, therefore, considered a war crime under 
the Geneva Conventions and by the UN. Both Amnesty International and Human 
Rights Watch have condemned recent home demolitions as war crimes.

We have called upon the Caterpillar Corporation to immediately halt all 
sales of equipment to the Israeli military. However, to date, they have not 
responded. Therefore we have decided to launch a national campaign to expose 
Caterpillar¹s complicity in Israel¹s war crimes and stop its sales to the 
Israeli military. We hope that you will join us in this campaign.

Little so vividly captures the brutality of the occupation like the 
bulldozing of homes by the Israeli military with Caterpillar equipment.  We 
believe that focusing this campaign against a US brand name company that is 
exporting machines used directly in attacks on civilians is likely to have a 
powerful effect on public opinion. Caterpillar's business with the Israeli 
military is only a small part of their world-wide business, and ending the 
supply of these ³Killer Bulldozers² will not bankrupt them nor will it 
result in the loss of jobs for workers in the US.
For these reasons we believe, with your support, this is a winnable 
campaign.


Campaign Action Timeline


Month of July - Month will be spent publicizing the campaign, getting more 
groups and individuals to endorse and get actively involved, doing research 
on the company (sales, investors, partners, locations, etc.), putting 
together an organizing packet (informational flyer/fact sheet, petition, 
etc.), creating props, puppets and banners, and organizing press 
conference(s) at the end of the month.

Wednesday, August 7: National and international press conferences to 
officially launch campaign. Main press conference will be at the National 
Press Building in Washington, DC.

Month of August: Escalate campaign, particularly as colleges and 
universities start up, with leafleting, postering, banner drops, and street 
theater outside of locations connected to Caterpillar in some way (plants, 
dealerships, offices, transport facilities).

September 14: National and international day of action against Caterpillar. 
The main target on the East Coast will be the Caterpillar plant in York, 
Pennsylvania.

September 25 ­ September 29: Organize national action targeting Caterpillar 
during the protests around the International Monetary Fund/World Bank fall 
meetings in Washington, DC.

What can you do?
We ask that you be as involved in the campaign as possible. We do not want 
to "own" the campaign or its future development. Any group which shares the 
goals and agrees to the general framework of the campaign is invited to join 
us. We are asking groups and, where appropriate, individuals to:


Endorse the campaign;
Ask people to write, fax, email, call and, if possible, even visit a 
Caterpillar office, plant, dealership with the demands;
Publicize the campaign in your publications, mailings, listservs, websites, 
and at any public meetings;
Write letters to and put ads and/or public service announcements (PSAs) in 
your local paper, radio station, and public access TV stations about the 
campaign;
Organize regular leafleting, preferably with a banner and some street 
theater, at a Caterpillar related site and/or at any public area with a lot 
of traffic;
Hold a press conference on August 7th with other interested groups to 
announce the launching of the campaign;
Together with other groups, organize some type of action (picket, rally, 
civil disobedience/direct action) for the September 14 day of action. Let us 
know the details of your action so we can help publicize it.
Organize people to come to Washington, DC on September 29 for a national 
action against Caterpillar and to mark the second anniversary of the 
intifada.To endorse and/or if you have any questions or comments, you can 
either send a message to StopCAT at mutualaid.org or call us at 866 860 9311. 
We appreciate your support and look forward to working with you in the 
future.

Stop US Tax-funded Aid to Israel Now (SUSTAIN)
Free Palestine Alliance
Students for Justice in Palestine, Berkeley



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