[Peace-discuss] AWARE Forums/Debates

[C. G. Estabrook]

[This is the sort of thing AWARE might do with a regularly-scheduled slot
at the new Urbana Library Auditorium.  A forum on, say, "What Should the
US Do in Iraq?" (or, "What Should the US Do About Terrorism?") with a
number of 10/15 minute presentations.  It would be best if we got
differing views -- e.g., staying-the-course, Iraqization, and out-now on
Iraq -- and allowed them to be presented side by side.  We could do
several of these between the end of Spring Vacation and exams, and perhaps
continue them into the summer.  --CGE]

 
Iraq War Teach-ins to be Held Across Nation on Thursday, March 24
 

WASHINGTON -- March 21 -- Peace movement launches educational campaign on
40th anniversary of the first Vietnam War teach-in. Events in Washington,
D.C., San Francisco, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The peace movement was right during the Vietnam War. It’s right now
about Iraq. Democracy can’t be won through the barrel of a gun. For
peace to have a chance, the U.S. must implement a swift exit strategy for
bringing the troops home.

On Thursday, March 24, the 40th anniversary of the first Vietnam War
teach-in, Iraq War opponents will kick off a new educational campaign with
teach-ins in Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Ann Arbor. These events
will feature Iraq experts and activists, military family members and Iraq
War veterans, and Vietnam War-era activists.

At the teach-ins, panels of influential speakers will address the true
costs of the Iraq War to the U.S., Iraq and the world and the need for the
U.S. to remove its troops from Iraq to reduce the deadly violence.

“It’s time for the peace movement to go into education mode to bring
the Iraq War to an end,” said Amy Quinn, peace movement links
coordinator at the Institute for Policy Studies, which is organizing the
Washington, D.C. teach-in. “There are so many Americans who believe the
Iraq War is a mistake but are worried about what might happen if the U.S.
troops pull out. We need to engage in a dialogue with them.”

The first Vietnam War teach-in was held at the University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor campus, on March 24, 1965. The faculty and student organizers of the
teach-in intended for it to be a one-day moratorium on “teaching as
usual,” but, because of strong administration opposition, they began the
teach-in in the evening and continued throughout the night. Some 3,000
students attended, despite bomb threats, and within the next two months, a
wave of teach-ins swept through college campuses all over the U.S. The
teach-ins helped bring about the mass movement that eventually brought the
Vietnam War to an end.

MARCH 24 TEACH-IN DETAILS

Washington, DC
George Washington University’s Media and Public Affairs Building
7:00 pm
Speakers:

    * Naomi Klein, award winning journalist and author of No Logo
    * Anas Shallal, Iraqi Americans for Peaceful Alternatives
    * Damu Smith, founder of Black Voices for Peace
    * Celeste Zappala, whose son was killed in the Iraq
    * Phyllis Bennis, Fellow of the Institute for Policy Studies

      San Francisco, California
      Mission High School
      7:00 pm
      Speakers:
    * Rahul Mahajan, Author of Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq
and Beyond
    * Sean O'Neil, a US Veteran of the Iraq War
    * Medea Benjamin, Co-Founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK
    * Fernando Suarez, father of fallen Iraq War soldier Jesus Suarez del
Solar
    * Cindy Sheehan, father of fallen Iraq War soldier Casey Sheehan

      Ann Arbor, Michigan
      Angel Hall, University of Michigan campus
      7:00 pm
      http://www.teachin2005.org/ for details.