[Peace] Fwd: Sept. 24: Unity in the Streets

[Morton K. Brussel]

How can we participate in the September 24 events?
There are two organizations vying for attention on this date in D.C.

--mkb

Begin forwarded message:

> From: UFPJ Action Alerts <listmaster at unitedforpeace.org>
> Date: July 14, 2005 12:25:52 PM CDT
> To: brussel at uiuc.edu
> Subject: Sept. 24: Unity in the Streets
> Reply-To: ufpj at democracyinaction.org
>
>
>
>
> ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
> www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545 | Click to subscribe
>
> United for Peace and Justice is circulating this memo to explain  
> the political reasoning behind our organizing approach for the  
> September 24-26 mobilization, and to respond to concerns about our  
> decision not to merge our September 24 demonstration with a  
> separate anti-war event being organized that same day.
>
> We have reached a real turning point in the Iraq War. The Bush  
> Administration is experiencing incredible pressure to change course  
> as a result of declining U.S. popular support, growing calls within  
> Congress and the media for military withdrawal, and continued chaos  
> and bloodshed within Iraq.
>
> UFPJ is organizing our three-day mobilization in Washington, D.C.  
> from September 24-26 to increase the pressure at this strategic  
> time. This mobilization is different from the large anti-war  
> demonstrations we have organized in the past in several key  
> respects, and these differences have shaped the organizing  
> decisions that UFPJ's leadership -- a national steering committee  
> elected by our member groups -- has made about the mobilization.
> END THE WAR ON IRAQ!
> Visit the
> Fall Mobilization Section
> of the UFPJ website
> to download leaflets,
> endorse the Sept. 24-26 events,
> and/or make a much-needed financial contribution to our work.
>
>
> The September mobilization comes as anti-war sentiment is  
> dramatically growing throughout the United States. New polls  
> indicate that up to 60% of people in this country oppose the war  
> and believe some or all U.S. troops should be withdrawn from Iraq.  
> If we organize in an inclusive way, with broad demands, accessible  
> language, and an inviting style, we have the potential to organize  
> the largest and most diverse demonstration against the war to date,  
> with people from all walks of life coming together in a clear call  
> to bring our troops home now. If we are willing to go outside our  
> comfort zones and speak to people our movements don't typically  
> reach, we have the potential to mobilize large numbers of people  
> from outside the usual activist circles, people from a wide range  
> of communities who are fed up with the carnage in Iraq and ready to  
> stand up publicly for peace and justice. A truly massive turn-out  
> for our September 24 march against the war -- representing  
> communities large and small, of every color and ethnicity, every  
> economic status, and every religious creed -- will dramatize to the  
> Bush administration and Congress how unpopular and politically  
> untenable this war has become.
>
> The September mobilization also comes as years of intense anti-war  
> organizing are beginning to pay off in the legislative realm, with  
> movement in both houses of Congress to call for U.S. withdrawal  
> from Iraq. To build on this crucial new political momentum, our  
> three-day September mobilization against the war will focus not  
> just on the White House but also on Congress; it will include not  
> just the major protest march on Saturday, September 24, but also,  
> on Monday, September 26, large-scale grassroots lobbying and a mass  
> nonviolent civil disobedience action.
>
> Finally, the September mobilization comes as the anti-war movement  
> is organizing more strategically than ever, pursuing a series of  
> grassroots campaigns that target the most vulnerable aspects of the  
> Bush administration's war drive. These include the increasingly  
> effective nationwide efforts to counter military recruitment, a  
> rapidly growing campaign of anti-war organizing in faith-based  
> communities, and the multi-state campaign against the use of the  
> National Guard in Iraq. As part of our three-day mobilization, we  
> will be providing a range of ways for people to plug into these  
> campaigns, including an interfaith religious service, grassroots  
> training sessions, and "interactive stations" at the anti-war  
> festival following our Saturday march.
>
> As part of our effort to build the most inclusive and diverse  
> possible mobilization, UFPJ has chosen two simple, broad demands  
> for the weekend: End the War on Iraq, Bring the Troops Home Now!  
> These main slogans are accompanied by five additional demands that  
> link to specific campaigns: Leave no military bases behind; End the  
> looting of Iraq; Stop bankrupting our communities;  Stop the  
> torture; No military recruitment in our schools.
>
> We have chosen these overarching demands for the mobilization  
> because we believe it is politically imperative to bring the  
> largest number of people together right now in opposition to the  
> war on Iraq. This September, we are seeking to mobilize all  
> opponents of the war, no matter what their positions are on other  
> political matters, and so we have kept our demands broad and  
> simple. At the same time, United for Peace and Justice, as a  
> coalition, has taken strong stances on an array of issues related  
> to the Iraq War: opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestinian  
> territories and U.S. support for that occupation; stopping torture  
> and illegal detentions; preventing future “pre-emptive” wars  
> against Iran, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba or other  
> countries; supporting the democratic struggles of the Haitian  
> people; and challenging U.S. nuclear hegemony by demanding the  
> elimination of nuclear weapons worldwide.
>
> For the September mobilization, UFPJ warmly welcomes our allies in  
> the wide array of peace and justice movements to participate in the  
> mobilization in ways that highlight the links between their  
> struggles and issues and the absolute necessity to end the war on  
> Iraq. We invite all those struggling for peace and justice abroad  
> or at home to organize contingents in our march or feeder marches  
> to the demonstration. The September 24 march is a powerful  
> opportunity for labor, women, communities of color, lesbian/gay/  
> bisexual/transgender people, immigrants, youth and students, and  
> many other communities to stand together and say, “We cannot make  
> headway on any of our issues without ending the war and bringing  
> the troops home.”
>
> Some people have urged UFPJ to consider a joint demonstration with  
> the Sept. 24 National Coalition, initiated by A.N.S.W.E.R., which  
> is also organizing an anti-war protest on September 24. We take  
> seriously the concerns from local organizers about the potential  
> for confusion if there are two separate marches on September 24.  
> Therefore, we have agreed to US Labor Against the War's proposal to  
> convene a meeting with A.N.S.W.E.R. to work through logistical  
> issues about the day, including the possibility of bringing the  
> marches together. We are committed to working in good faith on this  
> process. But because of our different approaches to organizing and  
> how demands are articulated, we are not proposing a “unified”  
> program that day. (See our May 23 memo to our member groups for a  
> more detailed explanation.)
>
> We urge all those who seek to bring this war to an end -- from  
> national groups to local organizations to concerned individuals --  
> to put maximum effort into bringing new people and organizations  
> into the nation's capital for September 24-26. The streets of  
> Washington, D.C. are big enough to contain all of our events and  
> movements that weekend. The important thing is that the streets be  
> filled with as many people as possible, all holding the Bush  
> Administration and Congress accountable for the continuing  
> devastation of this illegal and unjustified war.
>
>
>
> END THE WAR ON IRAQ! BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!
> Massive 3-day mobilization in Washington, D.C.
> September 24-26, 2005
> Visit our website today to download leaflets, endorse the  
> mobilization, and learn more about the plans for this powerful  
> weekend of action
> http://www.unitedforpeace.org/fallmobe
>
>
>
>
> ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
> http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
> To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
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