[Peace-discuss] From Olean --RE: [Peace] P4P Our Job Is Not Over

Fri Apr 11 09:35:22 CDT 2003

Hi all,

As part of the "Direct Action" committee of the Olean Area Coalition for
Peace and Justice (and considering myself an "in absentia" member of AWARE
forever), I'm  heartened to hear you folks are all keeping up the demos.
We're still keeping ours up too, this week-end-- we go out in the shopping
district here 1:30-3PM Saturdays.  We've been going through similar
experiences of what I like to call "growing pains" as we try to define our
focus.  So far we'll be "hitting" NO MORE WAR"  -- same wording as yours,
surprise.  It's critical to head off further wars.  

I've got another one we've got that you might like --

MONEY FOR WAR MEANS NO MONEY FOR EDUCATION  (we can substitute healthcare,
and other services as well for Education if we like).

Also we're hitting on the veterans' medical care/cuts in services/depleted
uranium, etc.  There's plenty, that's for sure.

CIVIL LIBERTIES are another thing we're going to be focusing on.

Of interest, a news reporter from the Times-Herald (our local version of
the News-Gazette" attended our last Peace Coalition meeting and did a large
write-up.  What I gathered from that is that the local media (and
population) definitely wants to know if the peace group is going to "fold"
or flourish during this time, and we need to let them know we're here for
the "long run," including out there on the street, doing educational
events, etc.   This is what will give us credibility here (since we only
formed last November, we haven't been "tested" as long as AWARE has).

This period is an unique opportunity, right now, to draw in the elements of
the US policy that are underlying much of the war-- globalization, oil of
course, the budget, the economy, who profits, etc., expressing them in ways
the local people can relate to.  It also will keep us visible and growing
so that if another crisis occurs, we'll be up and running.

Thanks for being there.  

With love, determination and caring,
Barbara

P.S.  Who knows-- all the peace actions may have kept Bush'n'cronies from
already invading Syria, Iran and elsewhere.  We're powerful!

Original Message:
-----------------
From: Ricky Baldwin baldwinricky at yahoo.com
Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2003 05:30:02 -0700 (PDT)
To: peace at lists.groogroo.com, prairiegreens-org at lists.groogroo.com
Subject: [Peace] P4P Our Job Is Not Over

PROSPECT FOR PEACE
Sat., April 12, 2003
2-4 pm on N Prospect & Marketview

BECAUSE OUR JOB IS NOT OVER

NO MORE WAR.  An article on the Reuters newswire
yesterday begins, “Emboldened by the U.S. military's
apparent quick rout of Iraqi forces, conservative
hawks in America are setting their sights on regime
change in Iran and Syria,” (April 10, 2003).

OCCUPATION IS NOT LIBERATION.  US forces are still
bogged down in Afghanistan, taking casualties and
propping up “our man,” while the civilians there still
suffer.  Iraq is facing a humanitarian disaster while
the US engages in “nation building” without UN
supervision.  And they never did find that “smoking
gun”.

NATIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS are taking place this
Saturday, and we are the local angle.  This is when we
usually get the most news coverage, so we need
numbers.  The pro-war counter-demonstrators are still
calling Bush supporters out – probably because they
understand that “winning the propaganda war” is the
first step in the next military attack, bombing,
invasion, regime change

But this time we have an unprecedented international
network already in place, hundreds of new local
contacts, and a viable message squeezed out even in
the mainstream media.  We just need to use it!

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