[Peace] AWARE ON THE AIR tonight at ten, channel six

[C. G. Estabrook]

*AWARE On The Air* tonight at 10pm on cable channel 6 will be a repeat, owing to
the blustery weather, but it will nevertheless be chock full of political goodness.

The late Peter Cook was once asked if he thought satire had a political effect.
He said, “Absolutely - the greatest satire of the twentieth century was the
Weimar cabaret, and they stopped Hitler in his tracks.”

Today is February 9, the birthday (in Dublin in 1923) of the writer Brendan
Behan, who called himself an Irish rebel. He wrote,

   --"An author's first duty is to let down his country," and

   --"It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful
lack of respect for everything and everybody."

In his play The Hostage he has a character say, "When I came back to Dublin I
was court marshaled in my absence and sentenced to death in my absence, so I
said they could shoot me in my absence."

He also noted, in a reflection that everyone in America, from the highest to the
lowest, from DC to C-U, should take to heart,

   --"There is no human situation so miserable that it cannot be made worse by
the presence of a policeman."


	Anti-War Anti-Racism Calendar, January 2010
	Recent and upcoming events on the local scene,
	taken from last Sunday's AWARE meeting and the
	AWARE e-mail lists, 'Peace' and 'Peace-discuss'
	<Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
	<http://lists.chambana.net/mailman/listinfo/peace-discuss>
	==========================================================

*January to June, across the country, "The Peaceable Assembly Campaign."  The
organization Voices for Creative Nonviolence has initiated a nationwide campaign
to seek an end to the U.S. wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan -- and an end
to U.S. support of the continued occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Beginning in September, 2009, and continuing for ten months, we will engage in
both legal and extralegal lobbying efforts (nonviolent civil disobedience/civil
resistance) urging Representatives and Senators to stop authorizing and funding
wars and occupations.  For more information and resources see
<www.peaceableassemblycampaign.org>, email <pac at vcnv.org>, or call 773-878-3815.

*Feb 6 (Saturday) 2-4pm "The Main Event" -- AWARE's monthly street demonstration
on the first Saturday of the month at Neil and Main Streets (hence the name) in
downtown Champaign.  Repeated every month since the invasion of Afghanistan.

*Feb 8 (Monday) "Protest John Yoo, War Criminal" at 11am in Chicago in front of
the Union League Club 65 W. Jackson Blvd., between Dearborn & Clark
<http://icjpe.org/actions/?id=4008>.

Resistance in the military is growing.  This week the US military decided to
transfer to Iraq the court martial of Iraq war veteran Spc. Marc Hall - for
writing a song. Hall has been jailed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, since December 11
because he wrote a song called “Stop Loss” about the practice of involuntarily
extending military members’ contracts. You can support him by calling Ft.
Stewart Public Affairs Chief, Kevin Larson at 912-435-9879.  Tell him that (1)
you are opposed to holding Specialist Marc Hall's court martial in Iraq and (2)
all charges against him should be dropped.  If you are a veteran, mention that
during your call.

	========================================
	Time present and time past
	Are both perhaps present in time future,
	And time future contained in time past.
	========================================

Feb 26-28 (Friday-Sunday) Campus Antiwar Network National Conference: “It Ain’t
Over ‘Til It’s Over: Hope Only Goes So Far.”  Disappointment with Obama
Administration reinvigorates the national student antiwar movement. The Campus
Anti-war Network invites faculty and students from all schools in the U.S., and
their supporters, to its winter conference .  Hear speakers give context to the
history and motivations of U.S. foreign policy, and activists engaged in ongoing
struggles against the wars relate their experiences.  Participate in workshops
on war and the environment, divestment campaigns, the situation in Gaza, the
AfPak conflict, and more. Discuss how to build a democratic anti-war movement in
this country from the grassroots, one focused on mass action to force
politicians regardless of party to accede to the demand for an end to illegal
U.S. backed occupations.  In November of 2006 and 2008 the U.S. electorate
clearly repudiated the previous administration's foreign policy of endless war,
first by ousting the Republicans from the Congress, and then the White House.
Voters' hopes for change have been crushed by the new administration, which has
faithfully continued and entrenched the occupation of Iraq and has expanded the
occupation of Afghanistan with a surge of 40,000 troops.  The Obama
administration has simply ignored that solid majorities of Americans are now
opposed to both occupations, which have killed millions in Iraq and Afghanistan
and are the main obstacles to Iraqis' and Afghanis' rebuilding their societies
and establishing democracy.  They have cost the lives of thousands of U.S.
soldiers and created epidemics of suicide and disability among veterans,
conditions ignored by military brass and the Veterans Administration.  Says
regional coordinator Sarah Jaine Szekeresh, “CAN is still working to dispel the
myth that Obama's presidency is a victory for the peace movement. It is not.
Obama's presidency will be a victory for corporations like KBR who will continue
to be paid billions of dollars for creating military bases in Afghanistan and
Iraq.”  Despite being in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great
Depression, Obama's government budgets billions for these wars as well as for
Israeli apartheid in Palestine, and these requests are approved by a pliant
Congress.  To fund these imperialist adventures, money for education,
infrastructure, and healthcare are cut, to the detriment of working Americans
and the environment.  We feel the end these disasters will have to come from
outside the political establishment.  Contact: Sarah Jaine Szekeresh
<sarahjaine.sz at gmail.com>  (513) 652-6524

*Mar 6 (Saturday) 2-4pm "The Main Event" -- AWARE's monthly street demonstration
on the first Saturday of the month at Neil and Main Streets (hence the name) in
downtown Champaign.  Repeated every month since the invasion of Afghanistan.

*March, date & place TBA. "Left & Right Oppose US War and Economic Policy" - a
panel discussion in  "teach-in" style in which various local groups (who may
strongly disagree on other matters) present the general discontent from the
political Left and Right about the actions of the Obama administration and both
major political parties.  Come and participate in the formation of a new
politics in America - an end to foreign wars and a bailout for the rest of us.
(If you or your group would like to participate in the organization of this
event, email <cge at shout.net>.)

*March 13-31, Washington DC.  Peace of the Action.  "We will show our righteous
outrage at U.S. militarism by showing our elected officials that 'Peace means
Business,' by clogging up government business. We want an end to Empire so we
can build a new economy that is not drained by the costs of Empire and war. This
Empire does not create jobs abroad while it has the effect of destroying jobs
here on the domestic front. This Empire builds the profits of transnational
businesses while Americans go further into debt and fights wars for oil and
resources. It’s time to stop using militarism as the PRIMARY tool of foreign
policy. It’s time to start adhering to the U.S. Constitution and International
Law. Our demand is simple: Troops out of the Middle East, which includes drones,
permanent bases, contractors and torture/detention facilities. We will begin
Peace of the Action on March 13th when we gather in Washington, DC to erect Camp
OUT NOW on the lawn of the Washington Monument; our actions will begin on March
22nd."  <http://peaceoftheaction.org>

	***

AWARE IS HAPPY to provide anti-war speakers and discussion leaders for local
events.  See our website at <anti-war.net> or write <cge at shout.net>.

--Yr. Obdt. Servt.

-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.