---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 10:37:53 -0700
From: radtimes <resist@best.com>
Subject: Anti-war actions...continued (5)
[multiple items]
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"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my
contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the
spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be
done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable
love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and
ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base
an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is
nothing but an act of murder."
-- Albert Einstein
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Anti-war resources:
http://www.alternet.org/issues/index.html?IssueAreaID=26
http://www.peacefuljustice.cjb.net/
http://www.warresisters.org/attack9-11-01.htm#things
http://www.legitgov.org/peaceprotests.html
http://www.igc.org/inkworks/www/downloads.html
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Tens of thousands march in the US and Europe against war preparations
<http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/oct2001/wash-o03.shtml>
By Paul Sherman
3 October 2001
Tens of thousands of people marched in the United States and Europe this
past weekend to oppose the use of military force in retaliation for the
September 11 terror attack on New York and Washington that left over 6,000
people dead.
At the largest demonstration, 15,000 participated in a march and rally in
Washington DC on Saturday, September 29. Smaller protests were also held in
Los Angeles and New York, as well as a second demonstration in Washington
DC on Sunday.
Demonstrations were also held in the Netherlands, Spain and Greece. Over
10,000 people filled Amsterdam's central square, the Dam, on Sunday for an
open air meeting. It was the largest peace action in the Netherlands since
the 1980s, when half a million people marched against the deployment of
NATO missiles in that country.
"Justice, not revenge" was the main slogan of the protest, which included
people who had previously marched against the Gulf War and the 1999 war on
Yugoslavia. Also present were resistance fighters who had fought against
Hitler's occupation of the Netherlands between 1940 and 1945.
In Barcelona, Spain, 5,000 people attended a rally and marched behind a
banner that read: "No More Victims For Peace." In a statement read at the
end of the rally, the protesters urged the Spanish government not to
support any US military intervention or NATO retaliation.
In Washington DC, those marching expressed heartfelt sorrow for the victims
of the terror attacks and their families, combined with a determination
that the attacks not be used as a pretext for US aggression in Central Asia
or the Middle East. Protesters also denounced racist attacks against
Arab-Americans and Muslims in the US, and accused the Bush administration
of carrying out a sweeping attack on civil liberties.
"Our Grief is Not a Cry for War," "Violence Begets Violence," and "An Eye
for an Eye Leaves the Whole World Blind" were among the slogans on the
signs and banners carried by the marchers.
The demonstrators included rescue workers and volunteers who had searched
for survivors in New York City. "Like a lot of people here I want justice
done, but I don't want to see the destruction of more innocent lives,''
said James Creedon, a rescue worker. "We don't want to see a hundred or a
thousand more World Trade Centers in this country or abroad.''
Two young workers from Brooklyn, New York attended the rally. Andrew said,
"I watched as the trade center collapsed from the roof of my apartment in
Brooklyn. I can't describe the feeling of shock, terror and panic that I
went through. To think of how many people were killed, and of those who
were trapped inside the building, is horrible.
"I did nothing but watch TV to try and find out what was going on. By about
the second day, when all the politicians were coming on and talking about a
unified America, I started getting a realization that they were going to
use this to justify more killing.
"The scariest part of the event is that those of us who want a peaceful
solution will not get a hearing. It is like the media is a propaganda arm
of the government."
Joehoon, who was working in an office near the Empire State Building at the
time of the attack, explained that he and his coworkers were all watching
it on the TV: "When we saw the plane hit the Pentagon we realized that
anybody could be a target and we all started going home. As I walked
towards lower Manhattan, first I saw military planes and helicopters flying
around and ambulances racing downtown, than I began seeing people coming
up, people who were in shock, people who were covered in dust.
"As I crossed the Williamsburg Bridge from Manhattan to Brooklyn, I stopped
four or five times and turned around expecting to see the World Trade
Center towers standing there in the skyline. But they were gone.
"I do believe that the politicians are using this as a rallying cry for war
and that the majority of people want a war. But people also are not getting
the view that there might be another solution. When there were 3,000 to
5,000 people in a peace march at Union Square, neither the New York Times
nor any of the local New York papers reported it."
Most of those present at the Washington rally came from New York,
Philadelphia and Washington DC, but others traveled from Wisconsin,
Minnesota, North Carolina, Florida and as far away as Seattle. The vast
majority of those participating were college students.
Nearly 20 percent of the 1,300 students who attend Bard College in upstate
New York were at the rally. Three hundred students came from Oberlin
College in Ohio, despite a warning by the school's president that there
would be violence and bloodshed at the event. Also in attendance were a
sizable number of young workers and veterans of the Vietnam protest movement.
"I came here to show support for international justice and a peaceful
conflict resolution," said Nat, a web developer from New Jersey. "There are
a lot of people who want a military solution, but we have to understand
that the people of Afghanistan are no more responsible for terrorism than
the American people are for the behavior of the American government.
"If it gets to the point where we can't speak freely then we are in lot of
trouble in this country. I understand that Bill Maher of the television
program 'Politically Incorrect' had to apologize for disagreeing with Bush,
or else his career would have been dead meat. If they stop people from
disagreeing with rallying around the flag, then this is the worst kind of
nationalism."
The news media, which has functioned as a conduit for the White House and
the Pentagon since September 11, virtually ignored the protests. Most TV
networks gave scant coverage to the march if they reported it at all. USA
Today ran one paragraph in its news brief section. The New York Times ran a
small article on its inside pages about the various protests. It included a
photo in which a full view of thousands of anti-war marchers was blocked by
a close-up of a sign carried by one of a handful of right-wing
counter-demonstrators, which read, "Osama thanks fellow cowards for your
support ."
While condemning the attacks, many of the marchers blamed US foreign policy
in the Middle East for creating a climate in which terrorists could recruit
people willing to carry out suicide attacks against the US. "These things
happen for a reason," said Rachel, a young professional worker from
Washington DC. "We would be remiss if we did not investigate our political
and economic policies that caused it. After all the death, destruction and
tragedy that have taken place, I think the most important lesson is
rethinking America's interaction with that region of the world. I work with
professionals, and I got into arguments with them when this happened. Most
of the people I talked to were just angry and frustrated, and they were for
an actual war and eliminating the Taliban. I am not for the Taliban, who
oppress women and oppose education, but I am not for war. I think you have
to understand what policies are behind this attack, and change them."
Antoinette, a student from Maryland College of Art, said, "The World Trade
Center disaster was a horrible event. Most people are just waving the flag.
But we all have to change. We have to think about things more deeply.
"I think Bush liked this incident because it saved his presidency, although
he does not seem to have a clear direction of what he wants to do. US
foreign policy is based on very narrow and selfish interests which produce
a lot of hatred."
The march was organized by a coalition of groups called International
ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). Several speakers from this
organization denounced the terrorist attacks and Bush's militaristic
response, but were unable to provide any deeper explanation of the social
and political roots of the attacks and the build-up for war.
Significantly, none of the speakers raised any criticism of the Democratic
Party and the manner in which it has rushed to give the Bush administration
a blank check to wage war, boost the Pentagon budget and carry out sweeping
attacks on civil liberties. Silence on the role of the Democratic Party is
in keeping with the politics of the Workers World Party (WWP), which played
a prominent role in organizing Saturday's demonstration.
The WWP, a survivor of the Vietnam-era protest period with a pro-Stalinist
political line, has long used socialist phrases to cover an orientation to
sections of the Democratic Party and opposition to the struggle for the
political independence of the working class. Now it hopes to revive a
1960s-type anti-war movement, which would subordinate popular opposition to
sections of the capitalist class and its political representatives in the
ostensibly liberal wing of the Democratic Party.
The WWP's orientation is revealed in its gushing praise for the California
Democratic congresswoman who voted against ceding more power to Bush to
wage war. "Only Barbara Lee, a Black woman representing the district that
includes Oakland, Calif., cast a heroic 'no' vote in Congress," the group's
newspaper, Workers World, declared.
The struggle against reactionary forces such as the Taliban, bin Laden and
other Islamic fundamentalists who combine religious obscurantism, virulent
nationalism and contempt for democratic rights cannot be ceded to any
section of the American ruling elite, or either of its political parties.
Nor can the struggle against imperialist war and attacks on democratic
rights be waged on the basis of appeals to the nominally liberal wing of
the political establishment.
The only viable perspective for opposing imperialist war is the struggle to
unify the working class in the US and the other advanced countries with the
workers and oppressed masses in Asia and the Middle East on the basis of a
socialist and internationalist program. This requires a break with the
Democrats and the establishment of an independent political party of the
working class.
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Pushing Peace, Pursuing Justice
They do not want revenge. Instead, many favor bringing suspects to court
by Frank Davies
September 29, 2001; Philadelphia Inquirer
WASHINGTON - A new peace movement opposed to military
retaliation for the catastrophic attacks of Sept. 11 is
stirring, trying to find its voice and seeking support
for nonviolence. In Washington, a variety of peace
groups plan rallies and marches this weekend.
Organizers for a march on the Justice Department and
the Capitol today hope to lure protesters who had
planned to be here for World Bank-IMF meetings that
were canceled.
"We're just coming out of the grief and shock like
everyone, but we need to speak out that our country
should pursue justice, not vengeance," said Carol
Moseley of Gainesville, Fla., head of the Florida
Coalition for Peace and Justice in Gainesville.
Another group, the Washington Peace Center, is planning
a march of local residents tomorrow, much like the
vigils and demonstrations last week on more than 100
college campuses, organizers said.
"Right now there's a need to tend to the grass roots,
shore up the base, build organizations," said Scott
Lynch, communications director for Peace Action, which
used to be SANE, an antinuclear group.
Several organizers say they do not want to minimize the
mass murder of Sept. 11, and they are mindful that many
Americans see dissent as naive or unpatriotic. But they
say the 80 percent to 90 percent approval for military
action in some public-opinion polls masks deep
misgivings about U.S. policy and the dangers of a
vaguely defined war on terrorism.
"There's an attempt to silence the voices of those who
question how we got into this," said the Rev. Graylan
Hagler, a Congregational minister in Washington. "We're
dealing with a real atmosphere of chest-beating and
saber-waving - and that compels us to act."
Most activists favor bringing terrorist groups to
justice, using international cooperation to pressure
and capture the leaders and bring them before a world
court.
"We plead for a thorough investigation of the terrorist
events before any retaliation. We call for peace and
justice, not revenge," said one Internet petition
signed by 195,000 people by Thursday.
Another warning that "a military response will not end
the terror" was signed by more than 150 entertainers
and business and civil rights leaders, including Harry
Belafonte, Bonnie Raitt, Rosa Parks, Martin Sheen, and
the founders of Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream.
Many activists are also highlighting civil-liberties
issues and the rights of Arab Americans and other
Muslims and are pushing for more education about South
Asia and U.S. policies.
One sociologist who has studied protest movements said
that peace activists could play an important role in a
national debate if they are not lumped together with
those who blame U.S. actions for the terrorist attacks.
"If it's simply 'blame America,' they will be seen as
irrelevant," said Todd Gitlin, a chronicler of U.S.
resistance during the Vietnam War. "But if they
encourage genuine questioning, and it's intellectually
honest - a deep reckoning of where we're heading - that
would be a major contribution."
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Sunday, September 30, 2001
Spirit of dissent comes alive in anti-war march
<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/134348030_dissent30.html>
By Tim Rutten and Lynn Smith
Los Angeles Times
Americans do not by nature march in lock-step, least of all to war.
The peace marches planned for Washington, D.C., this weekend are part of a
tradition that just as often has sent Americans striding away from the
front as toward it.
But the demonstrations occur at a moment in which that political footing
has become treacherous: Television personalities including Bill Maher have
been censured for criticizing the military; writers including Susan Sontag
have been pilloried for drawing a link between U.S. foreign policy and the
Sept. 11 atrocities; newspaper executives in Texas and Oregon have
apologized for printing columns critical of the president, and in one case
fired a columnist.
Political dissent in wartime, however, is an American tradition.
The Revolution itself was opposed by so many colonists that in some regions
it was fought as a virtual civil war.
Doubts about the justice of war with Mexico were so widespread that they
were shared by a young philosopher and naturalist, Henry David Thoreau, who
spent a night in jail, and by a young lawyer and politician, Abraham
Lincoln, who lost his congressional seat over the issue.
Irish Americans, trade unionists, social reformers including Jane
Addams and Socialists including Eugene Debs vigorously opposed
U.S. participation in World War I. Domestic dissent eventually made
prosecution of the Vietnam War impossible.
World War II is the great exception because public revulsion at the attack
on Pearl Harbor subdued the powerful currents of isolationism that had kept
the United States out of the confrontation.
Pearl Harbor altered the American political landscape. The attacks on the
World Trade Center and Pentagon might have done the same.
And, as the dim outlines of a post-Sept. 11 political climate begin to
emerge, many intellectuals even those who have taken an unyielding line
against Osama bin Laden and his fundamentalist protectors are beginning to
wonder what place will be made for dissent.
The campuses, once citadels of opposition to military action, generally are
quiet, in part, said author and commentator David Rieff, because this
generation of students is hamstrung by the "politically correct" education
it has received since kindergarten.
"The nice kids have been taught that all differences are to be celebrated,"
said Rieff, visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley.
"Their homeroom teachers and guidance counselors never told them that there
are people in the world who mean them harm."
To young people educated in this way, Rieff said, "It just doesn't make
emotional sense that cultural differences could lead to war and not greater
understanding."
Commentator Christopher Hitchens has been attacked bitterly by colleagues
for the strong stand he has taken against bin Laden and the
Taliban. Nevertheless, he worries that what he sees as a prevailing
"pseudo-unity" will choke off the spirit of dissenting individualism
crucial to defeating what he and Rieff term "Islamic fascism."
Hitchens said, "What one wants is the spirit of initiative shown by those
courageous passengers over Pennsylvania, who disobeyed every FAA regulation
about staying buckled in their seats and went down fighting.
"Without that spirit, what we will end up with is capitulation abroad and
authoritarianism at home, which is the worst combination imaginable."
Such a combination is visible, said the Rev. Daniel Berrigan, a longtime
advocate of nonviolence and civil disobedience. "My brother Phillip and
another Jesuit, Stephen Kelly, are in federal prison for anti-nuclear
protests. On the day of the attacks, my brother was thrown into solitary
confinement because he was discussing alternatives to violent reprisals
with other prisoners.
"This is tough repression, even for prison, and it's already under way,"
Berrigan said.
"I live in the penumbra of the World Trade Center," said Victor Navasky,
former editor of the Nation, a left-wing weekly, who is a journalism
professor at Columbia University.
"I think there's a lot of poison in the air, and that makes dissent very
difficult."
Despite such fears, the spirit of dissent was alive in yesterday's
protests. Thousands marched to the Capitol to protest America's war on
terrorism on a day that had been originally marked for massive
demonstrations against the policies of the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund.
After Sept. 11, organizers changed the focus of their protest from
anti-globalization to anti-war.
While the number of marchers most estimates put it at about 10,000 fell
short of the 100,000 expected, those who participated called the day a good
beginning. Marching to chants of "No war" and "While we still can, stop the
war in Afghanistan," the demonstrators were loud and defiant. The protest
was mostly peaceful, although dozens of police in riot gear were a
commanding presence. Several arrests were made, police said.
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Hundreds join peace march in downtown Portland streets
10/01/01
by LISA GRACE LEDNICER
President Bush's attempts to soothe jittery Americans about the prospect of
war failed to reassure hundreds of Portlanders, who marched for peace
Sunday for the second time in two weeks.
Participants held aloft signs saying "Justice not bombs," "Peace!!
Please!!" and "Feeding the world is the only security."
Organizers from Portland Peaceful Response, a newly formed anti-war group,
questioned Bush's promise to respond carefully to the Sept. 11 terrorist
attacks. They suggested that misguided foreign policy, such as bombing Iraq
during the Persian Gulf War and looking to Third World countries for cheap
labor, sparked the anger behind the destruction of the World Trade Center
and a wing of the Pentagon.
"People humiliated and oppressed for generations, not having clean water,
not having a job that supports a family, seeing their children starve, can
experience the kind of rage that results in a horrendous attack," said
Laurie King, a former teacher and labor organizer from
Portland. "Militarism is not the answer."
In Washington, D.C., several thousand anti-war demonstrators marched
Sunday. The police presence there was muted in contrast to Saturday, when
scores of officers turned out in riot gear for two separate marches of
several thousand demonstrators. Those events were mostly peaceful, but some
skirmishes led to several arrests.
Portland Peaceful Response organizers said their march, which began at
Pioneer Courthouse Square and ended at the South Park Blocks, had attracted
2,000 people. Portland police officers pegged the number at slightly more
than 500.
Organizers seemed to expect several counter-demonstrators, urging
participants not to exchange blows or angry words with those protesting the
rally. But the only protester was a man in a red shirt and a U.S. Navy cap
adorned with a flag, holding a sign saying, "5,627 killed."
When organizers tried to talk to him, he waved them away with obscenities.
"We've had peaceful times for many, many years, and people have made money
in the stock market, but now it's time to defend the country that's so nice
to you," said the protester, who declined to give his name because he
feared harassment from co-workers who disagreed with him. "Our president
just lost a number of people, and this gathering is inappropriate."
The marchers' message has expanded beyond the fear of war expressed at the
last rally on Sept. 16. Several participants said they opposed the Bush
administration's ideas for restricting civil liberties and take issue with
the work of the Portland Joint Terrorism Task Force. One woman carried a
flier calling for dismantling the Pentagon and closer scrutiny of CIA records.
As the concerns of the marchers have ranged further from war, Portland
Peaceful Response has become more focused. During the rally two weeks ago,
the group collected cash donations in trash bags. The $2,000 members
gathered enabled them to print press packets and the fliers distributed
Sunday.
They said the group has grown from 50 to 300 members and will continue to
organize the rallies until the talk of war ceases.
"Will there be this level of energy when there's not an event to rally
around?" said Shana Peyser, a catering coordinator who helped organize the
rally. "I'm not sure. But I like to think positively."
----------
You can reach Lisa Grace Lednicer at 503-221-8234 or by e-mail at
lisalednicer@news.oregonian.com.
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Can the New York Times Count-- or Quote-- Peace Activists?
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
ACTION ALERT
October 2, 2001
Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the New York Times has downplayed
and distorted peace rallies and demonstrations against a military response.
After thousands of anti-war activists gathered in Washington, D.C. on
September 29, the Times responded with a 10-sentence story, under the
headline "Protesters in Washington Urge Peace with Terrorists." Given that a
call for bringing terrorists to justice through non-military means was
central to the rallies, the headline is a gross mischaracterization of the
protesters' message.
The Times also misreported other basic facts, like the size of the crowd in
Washington. The Times estimated that a "few hundred protesters" were on
hand, while the official police estimate was 7,000 (Washington Post,
9/30/01). One only had to watch the live coverage on C-SPAN to know the
Times was way off.
The next day, the Times ran a slightly longer story about the second day of
protests on page B7. The photo that accompanied the story, however, was
dominated by a sign held by one of the counter-demonstrators: "Osama thanks
fellow cowards for your support."
The rallies held in Washington were not the first time the paper downplayed
peace activism. On September 21, the paper reported on the protests that
were held on about 150 campuses across the country. But the perspectives of
the thousands of students who participated in the day of action were almost
entirely absent. Of the 11 students quoted in the article, only one voiced
an anti-war opinion. Instead, the article was dominated by students who
supported going to war, or those who could not recall seeing any anti-war
sentiment on campus.
ACTION: Please call on the New York Times to improve its coverage of the
peace movement by including the perspectives of anti-war activists in its
reporting about the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
CONTACT:
New York Times
229 West 43rd St.
New York, NY 10036-3959
mailto:nytnews@nytimes.com
Toll free comment line: 1-888-NYT-NEWS
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War Protesters Take to Neighborhoods
D.C. Demonstrators Get Mixed Reception
By Manny Fernandez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 1, 2001; Page B03
Scores of anti-war activists marched more than two miles through District
neighborhoods yesterday, hoping to sway the hearts and minds of residents
that a military response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will not heal
the nation's wounds.
College-age peace advocates carried signs reading, "Our grief is not a cry
for war." Mothers pushed baby strollers while chanting, "No war in our
name; Islam is not to blame." And a Gulf War veteran waved one of the
march's many American flags to challenge the stereotyping of protesters as
un-American.
"Preventing your government from committing unethical injustices is a
highly patriotic act," said Kevin McCarron, 40, a D.C. Statehood Green
Party activist who works as an economist for the federal government.
The march was the last of several weekend demonstrations that turned much
of the capital into the epicenter of a new anti-war movement. Thousands of
activists from the Washington region and across the country took part in
three marches that were largely peaceful affairs marked with a few scuffles
with police.
Yesterday's permitted march was a loud but civil display of anti-war
sentiment that took place without incident. A large police presence kept
close watch on the march and blocked off traffic along the route, which
began at Meridian Hill Park at 16th and Euclid streets NW and meandered
through parts of the Columbia Heights, Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan
neighborhoods. Police officials estimated the crowd at 3,000 at its peak.
The march was organized by the Washington Peace Center, a resource center
for peace activists, and the District office of the American Friends
Service Committee, the social service branch of the Quakers. Many of those
marching had planned to protest during the annual meetings of the World
Bank and International Monetary Fund, originally scheduled for Saturday and
yesterday. The meetings were canceled after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks,
as were many of the protests.
At Meridian Hill Park yesterday, protesters gathered before a stage at 11
a.m. to listen to speakers and munch on pasta. Near the front of the stage,
one counter-demonstrator held a sign reading, "Osama thanks fellow cowards
for your support." A protester stood next to the man with a sign that said,
"Confused guy."
While Saturday's marches focused on Washington's traditional corridors of
power downtown, yesterday's event brought anti-war messages to the
sidewalks and streets of the city's neighborhoods. Protesters received a
mixed response from bystanders, many of whom sat on the stoops of row
houses to watch the sea of banners and puppets. In some cases, onlookers
flashed peace signs or looks of dismay.
"They're very peaceful," said Joseph Pettus, 44, a Columbia Heights
resident who stopped on his Sunday walk to take in the scene along 14th
Street NW. "They're just making a statement."
Others rejected the demonstrators' messages. "I can understand their
sentiment, but I can't say I support them," said one Dupont Circle resident
who spoke on condition of anonymity while watching marchers on R Street NW.
"I feel like we should go in and root out the terrorists. What do we do? Do
we just stop and let this go?"
Protesters did not focus on the alternatives to war, though many said that
accused terrorists should be tried by an international tribunal. Organizers
said their goal was simply to promote justice without bombings or invasions
that kill civilians.
Much of the talk yesterday centered on the events of the day before. Police
confronted protesters during a Saturday morning march that ended in a tense
standoff in front of the IMF and World Bank headquarters. Lines of
riot-ready police prevented several hundred protesters from leaving the
area. Executive Assistant Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer said the tactic
settled an often-hostile crowd. "It allowed everyone to calm down," he
said. Attorneys for protesters are seeking a court order to stop District
police from using that crowd-control tactic again.
Gainer said he was hit on the head with what appeared to be a pipe Saturday
morning near the Washington Convention Center when black-masked protesters
surrounded police vehicles escorting the marchers. A police officer was
knocked to the ground, and Gainer was accidentally hit with police pepper
spray during the brief melee. Activists working as medics said more than 20
protesters were pepper sprayed, and about six suffered physical blows from
police.
Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey credited the protesters with conducting two
days of marches that, except for the few tense moments on Saturday, were
largely civil.
"They've been vocal but peaceful," Ramsey said. "Obviously, they want to
get their voices heard, but they've done a good job of policing themselves."
Police arrested 11 on Saturday -- three at the morning march and eight in a
related protest at the former D.C. General Hospital. Protesters challenging
the privatization of the now-closed hospital sought to "reopen" it by
taking over a building but failed, activists said. They were affiliated
with the Anti-Capitalist Convergence, the sponsors of the Saturday morning
anti-war march.
The mood at yesterday's gathering was less confrontational and far more
festive, as conversation drifted among marchers about the momentum building
for an American peace movement.
"I believe we will be able to stop a war with demonstrations," said Stan
Scarano, 57, of Arlington. "Basically, there's been a silence in this land.
People have been apathetic. . . . What you see is a social consciousness
and awareness that is beginning to spread."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IMF protesters in Washington turn peace advocates
Monday, October 01, 2001
By Reuters
WASHINGTON ^ U.S. Park Police in the nation's capital have issued permits
for as many as 10,000 demonstrators to protest against President Bush's war
on terrorism and advocate peace, Washington police said Friday.
Protesters were expected to stage anti-war rallies on Saturday and Sunday
and denounce recent acts of violence against Arab Americans and Muslims in
the United States.
"Too many innocent lives have been lost already," Maria Ramos of the
Washington Peace Center said in a statement. "It's time for America to use
its strength to end the cycle of violence, not perpetuate it."
Washington police said they hoped for peaceful events.
"We always hope for peaceful protests," Officer Kelly McMurray of the
District of Columbia Police Department said. "What to expect with
protesters, you never know, but we always hope everyone will protest
peacefully."
Demonstrators will include many anti-globalization activists who originally
planned to protest against the policies of the Bush administration and the
annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
The lenders' gatherings, which were scheduled for Sept. 29-30, were
postponed because of the attacks that flattened the World Trade Center and
damaged the Pentagon.
Demonstrators said they expected peaceful protests this weekend.
"Our intent is to have a lawful, peaceful and disciplined protest," said
coordinator Brian Becker.
As emotions and patriotism run high after the attacks that left nearly
6,500 people dead or missing, police said counter-demonstrators might show up.
"There is always the possibility that there will be people who want to put
their message out there," McMurray said. "We want everyone to be heard and
hopefully no one will get hurt."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unpatriotic? No, Dissenters Are As American As Can Be
Editorial
Published on Monday, October 1, 2001 in the San Jose Mercury News
IT'S begun. The line is being drawn. You're with us or you're against us.
It's not rogue states we're isolating, however. It's each other. The line
is being drawn by Americans eager for military action. They place on the
other side those who question the wisdom or effectiveness of a military
response to terrorism, or who worry about abridging freedoms in the name of
security.
It's one thing to label ideas wrongheaded or foolish. That's fine. That's
fair debate.
It's another to accuse people with different viewpoints of being
un-American. That's the unsettling trend we're beginning to see.
The first blast of intolerance hit Oakland Congresswoman Barbara Lee. The
only lawmaker to vote against President Bush's mandate to use ``all
necessary and appropriate force'' against terrorists, Lee was branded
unpatriotic and worse by people who believe this country must move in
lockstep at times like these.
Closer to home, we see the pattern played out in letters to the editor.
Writers who urge less militant responses find themselves vilified as
unpatriotic. One of our editorials was labeled treason because it suggested
the United States needs to build relationships with Arab nations to fight
terrorism. Columnists who try to explain why the United States is hated in
parts of the Arab world -- surely useful information -- are accused of
making excuses for the terrorists.
Then there's White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, who last week
criticized a remark by television host Bill Maher. Fleischer said Americans
``need to watch what they say, watch what they do, and this is not a time
for remarks like that; there never is.''
Of course some pacifist ideas are unrealistic, in our view. Suggesting we
negotiate with terrorists, for instance: It would set a terrible precedent.
But it's not unreasonable, let alone un-American, to observe that bombing
the daylights out of Afghanistan or Iraq might inspire whole new
generations of terrorists. Nor is it unreasonable to caution that if this
new war on terror isn't crafted carefully, it might well turn into another
Vietnam -- another hopeless fight in hostile territory with no good outcome
possible.
Vietnam holds another lesson. War protesters were vilified in the 1960s.
Remember ``America -- love it or leave it''? But eventually, a majority of
Americans came to agree that the Vietnam war had been ill-conceived.
As we move to defend America against terrorism, it's helpful to keep in
mind the reasons it's worth defending. The right to free speech should be
high on the list. People who dare to go against the mainstream and speak
their minds are not un-American. They're as American as they can be.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thousands rally for peace in S.F.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/attack/stories/sfprotest_20010930.htm
Published Sunday, September 30, 2001
By Ritu Bhatnagar
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO -- A peace rally in a sun-dappled park Saturday
started out with sparse numbers but by midday drew close to 5,000 people
voicing their displeasure against a military confrontation in the Middle East.
People ranging from teen-agers to war veterans filed into
Dolores Park calling for a peaceful resolution as the Bush administration
seeks justice for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
Many hoisted up signs declaring sentiments such as, "Peace is
Patriotic" and "No Vietnam in Afghanistan."
A Veterans for Peace bus with paint-sprayed peace signs on its
windows was parked behind the stage. And cries of "we want peace" could be
heard against the backdrop of the beating drums of a dance troupe.
Maurice Englander, a World War II veteran and San Francisco
native, traded in his dog tags for peace necklaces, three to be exact, and
denounced violence as a solution to America's war on terrorism.
"I'm a decorated soldier of World War II and I know that
violence doesn't solve things," Englander said. "We should solve things in
the pursuit of the people who did this, but not in the U.S. to unilaterally
bomb countries. It will only create more enemies."
"Now we share an anger that has provoked others to do this."
Barry Lefsky attended the rally as part of his work with the
newly formed East Bay Coalition Against War. He came to denounce reports of
racist attacks against American Muslims or those presumed to be Muslims.
He also sought to defend the right to oppose any potential war
as an American activity, and not a subversive one.
"I'm concerned about the government creating a major war that
harms innocent people," Lefsky said. "And also the notion that people who
don't support the war aren't American. This rally helps us to show that not
everyone is behind a war."
The rally was organized by A.N.S.W.E.R., Act Now to Stop War
and End Racism. Speakers at the event included a mix of people ranging from
high school students to leaders of activist organizations.
In southern California, nearly 300 demonstrators gathered at
the federal building on Wilshire Boulevard in West Los Angeles to rally for
a peaceful solution to the terror attacks.
"By having groups saying let's not go after the Taliban,
that's the same thing as the Nazi collaborators were in World War II," said
Bob Zirgalis, a spokesman for the group that organized the rally.
Stephen Charbonneaux, 26, a Ph.D student at UCLA, came out to
advocate a peaceful solution to the nation's crisis. "We must advocate a
peaceful justice," he said. "Bringing bin Laden to trial is a first step."
A smaller counter-demonstration of about a dozen people
organized by International Human Rights Watch and Afghan Resistance voiced
support for military action across the street in front of the L.A. National
Cemetery.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington protesters decry 'quickness' of march to war
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/attack/stories/ctprot30_20010930.htm
Among them were many planning to protest a canceled IMF summit
Published Sunday, September 30, 2001
By Mike Dorning
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON -- Anti-war demonstrators Saturday marched on the
Capitol to protest the surging support for a military strike in retaliation
for this month's terrorist attacks.
Some rally participants had to shift gears because the
International Monetary Fund summit was to be the focus of a massive protest
against economic globalization. The summit, scheduled for this weekend, was
canceled after the Sept. 11 hijackings.
Many demonstrators said they had planned to be in Washington
for the IMF meeting, but others came because of what they considered to be
an uncontrolled march toward war.
"I'm really so frightened by the quickness of it," said Amy
Gratsch, 20, a junior at Wells College, a small women's school in Aurora,
N.Y. "The government just sort of jumped in. We said we're declaring war on
terrorism and we don't even know who."
The protest was mostly peaceful. But early in the day, an
anarchist-led march of several hundred people clashed with police.
A police spokesman said a few of the demonstrators were arrested.
A small group of counter-demonstrators gathered at the Navy
Memorial on Pennsylvania Avenue to show support for the Bush
administration's response to the attacks on the nearby Pentagon and the
World Trade Center.
At the main rally, protesters sang peace songs and
periodically broke into chants of "No War." Some of the participants struck
up impromptu music performances along the sidelines, such as a white-haired
clarinetist and college-age banjo player who joined for a duet of "Give
Peace A Chance."
The event attracted a crowd that appeared to number several
thousand people. Some of the protesters and speakers said they believed the
terrorist attacks should cause the United States to re-examine its policies
in the Middle East and elsewhere.
One speaker at a rally before the march asked for a moment of
silence to honor people in the Middle East and other Third World countries
"exploited by the greed" of the United States and Europe.
The event also drew many New York residents, including a man
who said he was a paramedic injured in the attack on the World Trade Center.
James Creedon, 24, spoke at the rally dressed in a dark blue
paramedic's uniform, with a stethoscope dangling from his neck.
He said he was burned on his hands and ears and had glass and
other debris embedded in his back and arms when the first tower collapsed
200 feet from a triage station he was manning.
"Do you know what war looks like?" he asked the crowd,
"Because I do, down at ground zero."
"It scars the memory of the innocent people who lost their
lives to kill more innocent people in their name," he told a reporter later.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minnesotans head to D.C. for anti-war rally
http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/719706.html
by Sarah McKenzie
Mpls Star-Tribune, Sept. 28, 2001
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Denouncing a possible U.S. military response to
terrorism, a group of 80 Minnesota war protesters planned to leave
Minneapolis by bus this morning to take part in a peace rally scheduled in
Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
Organizers and D.C. police said they expect thousands to attend.
Jessica Sundin, 28, a member of the Anti-War Committee in Minneapolis, said
many Twin Cities peace activists are concerned about Congress' authorization
of military action and President Bush's mobilization of forces.
"It is not going to create more peace and justice," said Sundin, who planned
to join the bus caravan. "War is a simplistic answer."
Members of a new University of Minnesota anti-war group formed after the
terrorist attacks will join the bus delegation. Maria Anderson, 22, a
university senior, said she's traveling to Washington to show there is a
"space for other people who might be pacifists to come out and show their
support."
The protesters are going against the grain of public opinion, with recent
polls showing an overwhelming majority of the American public supporting a
war.
Donovan Hellickson, 77, a World War II veteran of Sanborn, Minn., said he
didn't agree with the plans to demonstrate in the nation's capital.
Hellickson, now a vice commander with the state's American Legion, served
with the Army in Okinawa, Japan, in 1945 and 1946.
"I don't think that's right," he said of the planned protest. "What are we
supposed to do?"
Cancellation of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings
planned this week have not deterred some anti-globalization groups from
demonstrating this weekend. Officials had estimated 100,000 would turn out
to protest those meetings.
Some anti-globalization activists have broadened their focus to include an
anti-war agenda.
"We have refocused the call for our demonstration to address the immediate
danger posed by racism and the grave threat of a new war," read a posting on
the New York-based International Action Center's Web site. The center is one
of the main organizers of Saturday's rally.
Beside calls for peace, there is a growing student movement on campuses
throughout the nation pushing for military action. At the University of
California, Berkeley, historically a center of anti-war activism, students
have demonstrated in support of retaliation.
The peace activists expected to rally in Washington at noon Saturday will
meet at the Freedom Plaza near the White House, said Nicole Snelgrove, with
the International Action Center.
The demonstration will conclude with a rally near the U.S. Capitol.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parents of Flight 93 victim call for peace
<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2001/09/22/MN123903.DTL>
They fear U.S. will retaliate in kind
by Suzanne Herel, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, September 22, 2001
Deora Bodley's parents say their daughter would want them to forgive the
hijackers who crashed United Airlines Flight 93 in southwest Pennsylvania
on Sept. 11.
They admit that it's too early for that, but yesterday Derrill Bodley and
Deborah Borza asked the United States to embrace peace instead of retaliation.
Deora's parents spoke publicly for the first time since the hijacking
before a memorial service at Santa Clara University, where Deora, 20, would
have been starting her junior year as a psychology and French major.
Borza read from one of Deora's journals, which she had found under her
daughter's bed the night of her death.
"People ask who, what, when, where, how, why. I ask peace," Borza read.
Though visibly shaken, Borza and Bodley joined other survivors of the
victims killed in the terrorist attacks who have urged the nation to search
for a peaceful resolution to violent hatreds.
"We must not retaliate in kind as if our cause allows us to," said Bodley,
a music professor at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and
Sacramento City College.
The name of America's new mission, Operation Infinite Justice, "frightens
me more than the terrorist attacks," he said. "I shudder to think they
chose it because they think God is on their side. That is what terrorists
think."
The U.S. government, he said, needs to review its own role in world affairs
before trying to claim the moral high ground.
Said Borza: "Let this passing be the start of a new conversation that is
all-inclusive, tolerant of all people's beliefs, that includes everyone's
God, that includes everyone of color, that provides a future for all
mankind to live in harmony and respect."
Borza, who works for Copley Information Services, described her only child
as a "young, vibrant woman, fiercely independent, who loved her freedom."
Deora, who spent many hours tutoring elementary school students in reading,
was returning to the Bay Area from an East Coast visit with friends. She
had been booked on a later plane but was given a standby seat on Flight 93,
her mother said.
Yesterday, a memorial stood outside the Jesuit university's Mission Church,
decorated with candles, a teddy bear, balloons and notes.
"Deora made the sun brighter," one student had written.
------------
E-mail Suzanne Herel at, sherel@sfchronicle.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Statement on September 11 attacks
September 27, 2001
From the National Office of Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc.:
The terrorist attacks on September 11 horrified and outraged people
throughout this country and the world. Within hours, the World Trade
Center's twin towers and part of the Pentagon lay in flaming ruins with many
thousands injured, missing or killed. Firefighters, EMS workers, police and
ordinary citizens mounted a heroic rescue effort but sadly, the death toll
is now approaching 7000.
After the initial shock and disbelief wore off, angry voices began calling
for retaliation and revenge. The President declared war against
international terrorism and Congress quickly voted to give the White House
unrestricted authority to respond. But who was responsible? Who are we going
to war with?
Government spokesman quickly pointed the finger at the Al Qaeda network and
its leader, Osama bin Laden, living in Afghanistan. The President demanded
that the Afghani government surrender bin Laden and his lieutenants or face
attack while the Pentagon began deploying troops, aircraft and ships to the
region.
Events are moving quickly and directly toward major US military action
against Afghanistan. It is time we take a look at the road our government is
taking us down. Will war bring those responsible for these criminal acts to
justice? Can massive military action protect us from further attacks?
We agree with Congresswoman Barbara Lee that "military action will not
prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States".
The use of massive military power will only escalate the cycle of violence,
spreading death and destruction to more innocent people with no end in
sight.
Afghanistan has already been destroyed by 20 years of foreign occupation,
civil war and religious repression. Both the British and Soviet armies
failed to conquer that country. We see many parallels between Vietnam and
Afghanistan but the lessons we should have learned from the war in Vietnam
are being ignored today.
We are an organization of veterans of the armed forces of this country. We
have been to war and have seen what military power can and cannot
accomplish. We know what war does to those who fight it and those who live
where it is fought. We hear our government loudly pledge support for our
servicemen and women as they are sent into battle but have seen it turn its
back on many when they returned, suffering physical and mental wounds, from
the Vietnam and Gulf wars.
We speak out of duty to our country and the world, solidarity with those
serving in the military and love of our families and friends when we take
this stand:
*We condemn the criminal attacks of September 11 and demand that those
responsible be held accountable and brought to justice.
*We mourn for the victims and offer our heartfelt sorrow and sympathy to the
families and friends of those we lost.
*We condemn bigotry and violence against Arabs, Muslims and immigrants which
threaten these communities because of their race, nationality and religion.
*We oppose efforts to curtail our basic civil liberties and democratic
rights and must defend the Constitution from those who are undermining it.
*We do not believe that militarism and war will provide justice or security
and oppose major US military intervention in Afghanistan or other countries.
On a more fundamental level, our country has to address the reasons behind
the violence that has now come to our shores. The seeds of this anger and
hatred were sown over many years.
For over a century, Western corporations have dominated the Middle East to
profit from its oil. For the last 50 years, the United States has supported
Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and helped prop up corrupt regimes
in some Arab countries The continued American troop presence in Saudi Arabia
and the suffering of the Iraqi people under economic sanctions has added to
this resentment.
As long as US foreign policy continues to be based on corporate exploitation
and military domination, we will continue to make more enemies in the poor,
underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. We can achieve
enduring security and lasting people only through domestic and foreign
policies based on social and economic justice. That will come about only
when the American people demand it.
--------
Joseph T. Miller National Office
USN, 1961-1968 Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Inc.National
Co-Coordinator PO Box 408594
Member, VVAW C-U Chapter Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 327-5756
(217) 328-2444 e-mail: vvaw@prairienet.org
http://www.vvaw.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WEEKLY INDYMEDIA UPDATE, OCTOBER 2, 2001
http://sf.indymedia.org/
Current featured news for the week of Tuesday, October 2:
9/29 :: THOUSANDS RALLY FOR PEACE, AGAINST WAR AND RACISM
Seven to ten thousand people gathered in Dolores Park in San
Francisco to unite in a rallying cry against war and racism.
*Perspectives on the SF rally & events:
http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=105068
*Select Photos:
http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=105206
http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=105153
http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=105132
Also on Saturday, hundreds participated in a women\'s march for peace
in Santa Rosa, CA.
*Details: http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=105092
*SF IMC Anti-War Feature
http://sf.indymedia.org/antiwar/
THOUSANDS MARCH FOR PEACE IN DC
Thousands of protestors gathered in Washington, D.C. over the weekend
to protest for peace and against the war that the US government is
preparing for. Check out DC Indymedia for full coverage.
http://dc.indymedia.org
*Zoe\'s diary entry
http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=12802&group=webcast
*Summary of Friday, 9/28 Critical Mass ride, from SF IMC reporter
http://sf.indymedia.org/display.php?id=105039
<snip>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peace group to launch ad campaign in U.S.
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&id=89320
Saturday, September 29, 2001 (Kyodo News)
TOKYO ^ Peace activists in Japan, Britain and the United States have
launched a peace drive aiming to shape public opinion in the United States
against a U.S.-led military attack on Afghanistan, according to the lead
Japanese partner in the campaign.
Yumi Kikuchi, a Japanese writer on environmental issues, says the peace
group ^ Global Peace Campaign ^ has already raised about 9 million yen to
meet the cost, estimated at about 13 million yen, of placing a full-page
public opinion ad in the New York Times.
Kikuchi, 39, said the group hopes to have the ad published on or around Oct
9.
"We want Americans to understand that by avoiding retaliation, this is a
chance for us to resolve problems we were unable to solve during the 20th
century," she said.
Kikuchi said her group also plans to raise funds to help victims of the Sept
11 terrorist attacks in the United States as well as Afghan refugees.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amsterdam, 7000 protest vs new war
On Sunday Sept. 30, an estimated 7000 people came together on the Dam
Square in Amsterdam to protest the so called 'new war'. It was an
incredibly fast mobilisation, with the organising 'Platform against
the New War' formed just two weeks ago, and the largest demonstration
in Amsterdam since the EU summit in 1997. Very inspiring, since more
then 150 groups joined, everything from anarchist collectives to
religious peace groups and migrants' selforganisations. Also because
the platform denounced all military action.
Apparently, the police and government are very worried about
religious commoners working together with the 'anti-globalisation
movement' because they had tried a fair deal to provoke squatters and
such. First of all, it was forbidden to have a demonstration to the
American consulate (or anywhere, for that matter), and people were
not allowed to leave. Of course they hoped more moderate protesters
would stay in the square and radicals would try the consulate and get
arrested, making an easy case for divide and rule in the corporate
media. But radical people being all too happy that there was so much
unexpected support made sure to avoid a hassle.
During the protest, then the mayor of Amsterdam ordered a certain
banner, stating "1980: Bin Laden trained by CIA, 2000: Bin Laden Most
Wanted Terrorist", to be confiscated. The organisers said this was up
to the people carrying it, who put it away, again not allowing for
any provocation to work, a few arrests maybe leading to an escalation
and you know corporate media would blame the anarchists...
Actions are announced at the American embassy and consulates in
Amsterdam and Nijmegen the day the first revenge bombs fall.
For a longer English article:
http://www.wereldcrisis.nl/article.php?sid=45&mode=threaded&order=0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peace Protests Target Britain's Annual Labor Conference
LONDON, September 30 (Xinhua) -- The British ruling Labor Party
kicked off its annual party conference on Sunday in England's
southern resort city of Brighton with thousands of peaceful
protesters opposing the international "war on terrorism" marching
outside of the conference center.
About 4,000 demonstrators, including veteran activists of anti-
globalisation protests in Genoa and London, came face to face with
police as they arrived at the Brighton Center conference venue.
Organizers from the Green Party and Globalize Resistance
movement called for the anti-war protest to be peaceful. As the
march ended, police said there had been seven arrests, six of
which had been intelligence-led to prevent crimes by suspected
troublemakers.
Officers policing the march were part of a massive security
operation in Brighton for Labor's conference, which includes a
five-mile air exclusion zone to help guard against possible
terrorist attacks.
As the conference opened, British Prime Minister Tony Blair
pledged to press on with plans to reform the National Health
Service and other public services despite opposition from union
bosses.
He said he was determined to push ahead with more private
sector involvement in services such as health and education.
Before the march, activist Jonathan Neal spoke to the crowd of
demonstrators, who called for "peace not war" and waved placards
with the message "we are not at war."
He said the "the mass slaughter" of innocent people in
Afghanistan had to be avoided.
"I lived in Afghanistan for two years and I know the people
there have suffered enough," he said. "We are told today that 13
lorries of food are going into Afghanistan to feed five million
people who are facing starvation.
"I was born in New York City, but I do not want to see what
happened there happening 30-fold to the people of Afghanistan."
Neal, who said he had been "gassed by police" during the Genoa
demonstrations said there was a time for civil disobedience.
"But this is not the time," he said. "We must send the right
message back today that we want to stop these obscenities from
happening in Afghanistan."
The demonstration, called by the Green Party and Globalize
Resistance, was originally planned to oppose what organizers
called New Labor's "adoption of Tory policies".
But a Green Party spokesman said the emphasis had changed "
since Tony Blair threw his weight behind George Bush's military
crusade."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
War protesters clash with cops
<http://www.washtimes.com/metro/20010930-83140720.htm>
By Guy Taylor
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
September 30, 2001
Eleven protesters were arrested yesterday and at least two were injured in
scuffles with police as some 4,500 people marched down Pennsylvania
Avenue all calling on the United States not to make war on terrorist
leaders whose Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center
killed more than 6,000 people.
Many of the demonstrators were those who had planned to be in town
yesterday to protest the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund
meetings. When the World Bank meetings were canceled because of the
attacks, organizers switched gears and turned their protest into an
anti-war march.
Before the terrorist attacks, police had trained and prepared for 100,000
anti-World Bank and IMF protesters. Instead, they were faced by a much
smaller crowd, which gathered at Freedom Plaza, at 14th Street and
Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Still, there were groups among the demonstrators
who strayed from the strict route spelled out in the permit issued to
leaders of the march last week.
At 9 a.m., about 900 protesters, led by the Anti-Capitalist Convergence, a
Washington-based anarchist group, were met by police in full riot gear as
they assembled outside Union Station. This group, which did not have
protest permits, repeatedly tried to break police lines as it marched from
Union Station to the World Bank
headquarters at 18th and H streets NW.
A clash broke out when about 200 of the protesters many equipped with gas
masks and balaclava coverings tried to surround and halt a squad car near
the MCI Center.
Several police officers and demonstrators suffered minor injuries. One of
those injured was Assistant Police Chief Terrence W. Gainer. "I took a
clunk on the head and caught some pepper spray," said Chief Gainer, who had
been walking in front of the squad car.
It took police less than an hour to encircle the group, once it reached the
World Bank, but more clashes ensued one lasting 15 minutes and ending in
the arrest of several protesters at the corner of 15th and H streets
NW when police herded the crowd in the direction of Freedom Plaza, where
several thousand other protesters were waiting to begin their duly licensed
anti-war march from the plaza to the U.S. Capitol.
"Overall, this has been a very responsive group," Chief Gainer said
yesterday afternoon. "We've had good dialogue with the demonstrators."
"My first assignment as a police officer was the '68 Democratic Convention
in Chicago, where there was a big clash," Mr. Gainer said. "Today has been
much better. There have been a few rough moments, but whenever you have a
clash of ideas, there's going to be a bit of give and take."
Despite the day's smooth runnings, Mr. Gainer said he would "rather have
had to deal with 50,000 protesting against the World Bank than what
happened to the Pentagon and World Trade Center."
Some from the anarchist group were surprised the police acted so firmly
when the group broke through police lines. "There were so many signals we
have given the police over the last few days that this would be peaceful,
why are they surrounding us?" said Adam Eidinger, a 28-year-old carrying a
sign that read 'Violence Does Not Solve Violence, Why Value One Over The
Other.'
As Mr. Eidinger's group merged with those at Freedom Plaza, who were
organized by a new coalition called International Act Now to Stop War and
End Racism, his sign was lost in a sea of other signs showing how many
different groups had come to protest.
"War Kills Children," read one. "Do More Innocent People Have To Die?" read
another.
The two groups began making their way toward the Capitol lawn shortly after
3 p.m. D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey estimated 4,500 demonstrators
marched down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Ingrid Zemer, 21, of Fort Collins, Colo., was among them. She had driven
1,680 miles from her hometown to the District with some friends.
"I can remember when I was in high school seeing footage of Vietnam
protesters and thinking, 'I hope if the day ever comes, I'll have the
strength to stand up for what I believe in,' and now is that day," she
said. "... I feel like I have a moral responsibility to be here."
Police lining Pennsylvania Avenue were equipped with see-through shields,
protective vests, helmets and batons to protect them against acts of
violence not covered in training manuals breaking up fights among warring
factions of demonstrators.
Police had to be "prepared for anything," Chief Gainer said, including
clashes between the protesters and those who believe in President Bush's
declared war on terrorism.
The two groups protesters and counterprotesters who supported military
action had jostled one another in the morning on the periphery of Freedom
Plaza, before the march began. A few scuffles and shouting matches had
broken out.
Not much happened, however, when the two met up along the line of march, by
the U.S. Navy Memorial at Seventh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
One counterprotester, standing with others on the sidewalk, held up a sign
that read, "Welcome traitors, seek therapy." Another pointed to individuals
in the march yelling, "Hey you, swim to Cuba."
Anti-war activists used a bull horn to shout at the counterprotesters.
"George Bush, we want peace. U.S. out of the Middle East," they chanted.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peace activists rally
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2001/09/30/MN199181.DTL
Thousands protest in S.F. and Washington, D.C.
Sunday, September 30, 2001
by Alan Gathright, John Wildermuth, Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writers
Vowing to redefine patriotism, thousands of peace activists rallied in San
Francisco and Washington yesterday to mourn American terror victims -- and
to urge the nation to work to heal the poverty and injustice that fuels
global violence instead of focusing on military revenge.
No one in the festive Dolores Park throng, which spanned all ages and
colors, defended the suicidal jetliner attacks that left nearly 6,500 dead
or missing. Instead, speakers blasted all forms of violence and injustice:
the backlash against Arab Americans, embargos aimed at Iraq and
Afghanistan tyrants that punish innocent women and children, and a federal
anti-terror campaign that threatens American civil rights.
"We are in pain. It is a great tragedy that all of us have witnessed,"
Pakistani writer Zulfikhar Ahmad told the crowd.
If a U.S. attack on terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan kills innocent
civilians, it could inflame anti-American fervor in the Islamic world, he
said.
"I am very afraid that there is a very big tragedy in the making and it
will be the biggest dishonor to the memory of 6,000 innocent people who
have died."
The rally was a multigenerational family affair for Marilyn Griffith, 69,
and her daughter Tory, 40, who have been demonstrating together since a 7-
year-old Tory used to ride on her mother's shoulder at Vietnam War
protests.
"We want to reclaim the imagery of patriotism," said Tory, 40, a political
organizer and theatrical producer with the San Francisco Mime Troupe.
"Peace is patriotic," her mom chimed in. "Patriotism doesn't mean you
don't speak out."
The passionate but upbeat rally -- estimated at 7,000 to 10,000 -- bounced
to the bountiful rhythms of Aztec warrior dancers and hip-hop rappers,
Dixie Land jazz and the high-pitched Arab ululation. Later the
drum-beating, bell- banging crowd marched through the Mission District,
carrying a giant, jug- eared President Bush puppet and signs proclaiming,
"Vengeance Is Not Justice" and "Save American Lives By Stopping U.S.
Aggression Abroad."
Chanting in a poetic rhythm, Arab American activist Eman Desouky said: 'I
am frightened for my people, ya'll. . . . As the noose tightens around
Arab civil liberties, as the FBI begins to round us up, we stand in fierce
solidarity with our Japanese American brothers and sisters who have
suffered and resisted the internment camps of the 1940s.
"As Arabs (and) Muslims get kicked off airplanes, as our homes are
vandalized, as our children are terrorized, we stand in fierce solidarity
with the African Americans who suffered and continue to suffer through the
ugly history of racism in this country."
In Washington, more than 3,000 people gathered to march in the name of
peace.
"Even our friends have said this is not a time to speak," said Mara
Verheyden-Hillard of the Partnership for Civil Justice. "But we will not
be silenced."
Many of the Washington protesters originally had planned to be in town
this weekend for much larger demonstrations at the annual meeting of the
World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
When those meetings were called off after the terrorist attacks on New
York and Washington, the focus of those protests was quickly changed.
Nonetheless, about 1,000 demonstrators, many of them clad in black and
wearing bandannas over their faces, marched through Washington to the
World Bank headquarters yesterday, shouting anti-capitalist slogans.
"We're here to stop the war on the poor," said Jan, a protester from
Richmond, Va.
Hundreds of police officers in full riot gear shadowed the march, closing
off streets and keeping the demonstrators from straying off their route.
Once at the World Bank, police sealed off the square, trapping the
demonstrators there for more than an hour.
"This is a peaceful, patriotic march and we're being treated like
criminals, " said a protester from Bethesda, who gave her name only as
Heather.
The protesters' original plan had been to surround the White House or
demonstrate in nearby Lafayette Park, but the Secret Service and Park
Police turned down those options. The protest leaders finally decided to
gather for a three-hour rally and then march to a park near the Capitol
building.
"I call on our government to refrain from bringing the suffering we have
endured (from the terrorist attacks) to other innocent people," said
Eleiza Braun, a student activist from George Washington University. "There
has to be an end to hate, an end to the cycle of violence."
------------
E-mail Alan Gathright at agathright@sfchronicle.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Athens against war
http://www.antiimperialista.com/en/view.shtml?category=9&id=1001756719&keyword=+
More than 10,000 people in the streets of Athens said NO to the imminent war
In September 27, more than 10,000 people in the streets of Athens said
NO to the imminent war. The demonstrators condemned as well the
assassination of thousands of civilians in USA. Their 3 main demands
were: a) US goverment must stop all military activities against
Afganistan or other countries. b) Greek goverment must not give any
political or technical support to USA. c) Civil rights must not be
restrained.
About 10.000 people marched in downtown Athens on the evening of the
27th of September. This came as the first organized expression of the
widespread anti-war sentiment throughout Greek people, after the
September 11 attacks on the WTC and the Pentagon. People started
gathering at the Old University (Propilea) square of Athens from 7 p.m.,
this Thursday the 27th of September. They kept on coming by thousands,
as the time went by, to take part in a highly anticipated anti-war
demonstration, called by parties and organizations of the Greek Left.
Since the S11 attacks, social and political life in the country has been
dominated by the debate on the events and the aftermath of that day, and
everybody was waiting to see that debate coming to the streets. With no
more than 10% of the people supporting military retaliation against
Afghanistan, according to polls, the issue here is not if you oppose the
war, but from what scope you do so. And Thursday's march was of a quite
militant one.
The crowd seemed not really enthusiastic on hearing the long speeches
prolonging the demonstration. The thousands of Greek Communist Party's
followers were cheering their speakers, the far-left blocks were
preparing for the march, the anarchists lazily discussing in small
groups and many more moving around, making up a setting of unrest, so
typical for big Greek demos. The speakers gave great emphasis on the
forming global anti-war movement, especially the one in America. Thanks
to some progressive journalism and the growing interest on international
activism after Genoa, everybody was familiar with the student marches in
Berkeley and elsewhere and about the big demonstrations planned in the
US this weekend. The rest spoken, seemed like a deja-vu from the
anti-war protests during the Kosovo war:
No participation of the Greek government in the war, the only real
terrorist is imperialism and the international capital, no pasaran the
Greek style.
But the people hadn't come to hear speeches, but to demonstrate, so at
about 8.15 p.m. some 10.000 started marching to the parliament. The
march was entirely peaceful, if one ignores the also traditional
skirmishes between communist party's members and anarchists, but
militant. Slogans going aggressively against US foreign policy, the
bombings of Serbia and the suffering of the Iraqi people, the Israeli
occupation and brutality, all in an anti-imperialist context. More than
half of the marchers accounted for the Greek Communist Party, marching
loudly and orderly. There was also a noticeable presence of the
antiglobal coalitions formed for Genoa, students, organizations of the
far left , but also lots of young "unaccounted" radicals. Reaching the
parliament, some 2000-3000 people followed the initiative of far-left
organizations, to break off to the American embassy, which after 2 kms
of walking seemed very heavily guarded by hundreds of riot police. But
the demonstrators stuck to being cheerful and aggressive only in
slogans, so there was no violence.
This, certainly, was only the first of a series of massive anti-war
demonstrations in Greece. Besides being a contribution to the global
anti-war movement, it was just a warm-up.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biggest peace action in Amsterdam since 1980s: stop war drive!
Over ten thousand people filled Amsterdam's medieval central square, the Dam,
on Sunday 30 September. They were there for an open air meeting for peace,
against all terrorism, and against xenophobia. It had been organized with no
help from corporate/quasi governmental media; by the Internet/e-mail in spite
of Carnivore/Echelon; by putting up posters, in spite of police not liking
that sometimes. It was the biggest peace action in The Netherlands since the
1980s, when half a million people marched against deploying NATO nuclear
missiles in The Netherlands. It brought veterans of these marches, and later
campaigns against the Gulf War and 1999 Yugoslavia war, together with young to
very young people.
Over 150 organizations supported it, from Afghan refugees in the South Eastern
Netherlands to Filipino migrant workers in the Western Netherlands; from youth
movements to now aging resistance fighters against Hitler's occupation in The
Netherlands, 1940-1945. "Justice, not revenge" was often heard.
A big sign on the central stage said: No xenophobia, no war. Smaller signs
said: War means death for many, profits for some [in the armaments industry].
Drop the debt, not the bombs. No crUSAde [in English]. Love power. No to NATO
military action. All the arms we need [picture of people embracing]. Terror
does not bring peace; neither does imperialism. US terror policy is source of
terrorism. Think of the children. Against patriarchy. Violence never solves
anything. Fight war, not wars [from British anarchist punk band Crass]. Quotes
from Bob Marley, and Bob Dylan (Don't follow leaders). An Eye for an Eye makes
everyone blind (Socialist Party). No War (Kurdish League). Six thousand
Americans not more important than six thousand Afghans. "Mr Bush, Thou shall
not kill either." And about Bush's Italian fellow `crusader' against what he
considers `inferior' Islamic people, Berlusconi: A world without Berlusconi is
possible. Berlusconi, from Genua to worse [in Genua, Berlusconi's police
killed Carlo Giuliani, who fought for African immigrants]. There were flags of
Palestine; of Kurdistan; of Che Guevara; of the Puerto Rican island Vieques
wounded by US Air Force bombs; a big white dove of peace on a pole.
Shortly before 14 h., the meeting chair for the Platform Against the 'New
War', Ms D. de Jongh of the Guatemala solidarity committee, welcomed the
people. Then, the peace song Blue Balloon, sung by. Frank Bilsen, with Mohamad
Sayid Khan from India accompanying him on South Asian string instrument. Blue
balloons with the continents in green, floated around the stage.
Then, Carolien van der Stadt, of the Women's International League for Peace
and Freedom (WILPF), spoke. She quoted, to loud applause from the crowd, East
Timorese women who commemorated the victims in New York by laying flowers, but
also said: We have never asked for bombs on Jakarta, capital of Indonesia,
when its US supported Suharto dictatorship occupied our country and massacred
its people! And women from Kosovo, who said: Terrorists are not states. States
should not become terrorist. Ms Van der Stadt concluded: NATO doctrine will
never bring peace; neither will Bush's Son of Star Wars plan.
Then, Kashba (a Dutch Moroccan band) played. Though the majority of the
audience did not understand Arabic, everyone sang along with their Salam
aleikum [sometimes changed by the band to Hebrew Shalom, or words for peace in
other languages]. Everyone clapped and danced, from pre-teen Afghan refugee
child, to Dutch teenage punk rocker, to thirtyish African with Ethiopian flag
colored woollen hat, to elderly Chinese lady. South African Rachel Bramdaw in
the audience front row inspired everyone, moving with the rhythm, with pink
butterfly wings fastened, black arms in long white gloves holding a wand with
a pink star. A middle aged man from Turkey danced with stacks of paper De
Socialist in his hands. Other papers, like Targets, Manifest (communist), and
TV like NOS (national public) and RTL (national commercial) were present.
Then, Harir Faquiri spoke, for the Afghan Women's League. Until she was eight,
she had lived in Afghanistan. Now, she is one of the ten thousands of Afghan
refugees in The Netherlands. She said to applause the Dutch media should stop
equating the Taleban with Afghans, or Muslims, in general. The United States
government had supported false "freedom fighters". Also the Northern Alliance,
whom they start to support now, have a terrible record of killing, ethnic mass
rape, and giving women a status lower than an animal's. Like the Taleban, the
Northern Alliance have practically no support among Afghan refugees in The
Netherlands. When Western leaders denounce "International terrorism" this is
like an empty sound to Afghan refugees. We remember their arms deals. They
have never supported pro-democracy Afghans.
Then came Henk Oosterling, philosopher of Erasmus University in Rotterdam,
denounced the media for pretending wars are like video games. And Bush, for
his "Wild West" rhetoric of "Wanted: dead or alive", killing suspects before
any court can decide about guilty or not guilty. Meanwhile, the governments
make the taxpayers pay for the air line corporations. Like the US "war on
drugs" in practice became a war on democracy, so will the "war on terrorism".
We should not forget that today's "globalization" and its privatization is the
heir to colonialist, imperial history. We should stop proclaiming
"superiority" of Western over so called "primitive"civilizations. Oosterling
concluded to thunderous applause: "We want global justice! Not "Infinite
Justice""!
Then, the choir Jan en Alleman from The Hague sang. They sang the Peace Song,
of the 1980s anti-cruise missiles march: "We fight the armaments ... Economic
interests lead to risks of war." Then, a Japanese song, about never again
nuclear bombs after Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The next speaker was Lambrecht Wessels, of the Interkerkelijk Vredesberaad
(IKV). Some twenty years ago, the IKV had a mass base among Christians;
however, while that base shrunk, leaders edged closer to government policies.
Wessels was the only one of the speakers, poets and musicians on the stage
whose viewpoints many in the audience were unhappy about. Though the IKV had
not signed the "Anti New War" platform, both the organizers and the IKV
wanted Wessels at the rostrum as a mark of diversity.
Then, Saskia Kouwenberg spoke, ex observer in East Timor, and the Moluccas.
On the Moluccas, military and financial elites abuse religious differences
between Muslims and Christians, who had always gone on well together, to set
people against each other. Now, the world threatens to become somewhat similar
like the Moluccas. Bush says: "Either you are with George W. Bush, or you are
with the terrorists". Well, Ms Kouwenberg said, as an anti- terrorist: Mr
Bush, I am NOT with you!
The next speaker was Celine van der Hoek, of the Anti Fascist League (also
active against the Yugoslavia war). She told how she in her youth had to hide
for Hitler's Nazis. How she eventually landed in a concentration camp, and was
one of few survivors. She reminded the audience that Emperor Nero himself
burned Rome, and blamed others, Christians, to increase his powers. The
hysterical war propaganda of today reminds me of the 1933 Reichtstag Fire,
made by the Nazis themselves; the prelude to World War II. That war started
with supposedly Polish soldiers, really Germans, attacking Gleiwitz (Glywice)
radio station. People, oppose today's hysteria, bringing back yesterday's
fears! Stop the war drive of Bush and his Dutch supporters! There should only
be one kind of politics; humane politics, fairly sharing the riches of the
world. Unlike now, when billions become victims of globalization and
capitalism!"
After the strong applause for Celine had died down, the Dutch Moroccan band
'Lozanne' played a mix of Northern African rai music with Spanish flamenco,
setting the crowd dancing. After them came Abdou Menehbi, of the
Euro-Mediterranean Migrants'Center. He strongly condemned Dutch racists who
[like during the 1999 war] thought they could ride the tide of war hysteria.
They burnt an Islamic school, where days before, teachers and students had
commemorated the victims of New York. They daubed an Islamic school with
"USA", "White Power", and Celtic crosses. They twice attacked a Syrian
Orthodox church. Arrogance is the best ally fundamentalists can wish for.
Menehbi said: "Stop terrorism! But, stop it everywhere. Stop oppression of so
called developing countries. Remember what the Palestinians have to suffer.
Western countries, change your foreign policy! When Dutch prime minister Kok
says: "We are at war" this is perceived as Islam=terrorism. We should stop
this equation. The Dutch media wrongly accused Moroccans in Ede, teachers in
Almere, Palestinians, of being pro-terrorism. Prime Minister Kok should know
that unconditional support for the Bush administration's road to war will
deeply split Dutch society. The bitter fruits of military attacks will be more
terrorists, not ending terrorism. No war!
Next came Frans Bloem, a Dutch born singer/songwriter, living in New York,
with a view of the Twin Towers. He had just heard the authorities were
allowing him to move back into his appartment. He sang "Help is on its way",
dedicating it to the victims in New York, and oppressed people everywhere in
the world.
Then, Meindert Stelling, Dutch Air Force captain (retired), military law
specialist, and chair of Lawyers for Peace. He said international law
prohibits to wage an aggressive war. This was especially confirmed at the post
1945 Nurnberg and Tokyo tribunals, punishing Axis leaders for aggressive war.
Only self defence is legal; revenge is not. 11 September 2001 was a criminal,
not a military, attack. The UN Security Council did not give the US government
a mandate for a military attack. Do not let international law become another
victim, along with innocent Afghan civilians.
Next came a puppet show by Micha Kluft. Puppet shows are a tradition on the
Dam in Amsterdam since the seventeenth century. The hero of Dutch puppet shows
is Jan Klaassen, a poor, simple man. He has to fight joining the army,
militarism (a general) and the "Dood van Pierlala", Death (a skeleton). Jan
asks Death: "Are you Bin Laden? Are you Bush?" In the happy end, Jan is
reunited with his wife Katrijn.
Then came Harry van Bommel, Member of Parliament for the Socialist Party. He
had an "An eye for an eye makes everyone blind" sticker on. He rejected the
"Wild West rhetoric" of George W. Bush, "Wanted: Dead or alive." The Socialist
party opposes having the Netherlands join a war through NATO. The United
Nations, not the United States, should end terrorism. No to terrorism; no to
war! Stop war mongering!
Like Van Bommel, the next speaker, Nuri Karabulut, chair of the Democratic
League of Workers from Turkey in The Netherlands (DIDF) had also been there
during the 1999 protest on the same Dam square against NATO's war. The
violence in New York was horrible, Karabulut said. However, it should never be
used as a pretext to make more innocent people suffer. Terrorism feeds on a
background of imperialism. Let us not forget that the US government used to
support Bin Laden. Now, there is clamor for more power for secret services
like the CIA, the very CIA who sponsored Bin Laden and the Taleban. We should
oppose attacks on citizens' freedoms. No to a national ID card; no to more
powers for the Dutch secret service. No to racists, like the Turkish Gray
Wolves and their Dutch counterparts. The power elites should stop manipulating
religious differences between Christians and Muslims to foment unrest and war.
Not ju st the democratic rights of immigrants; the democratic rights of all
are in danger. We should oppose the mass `downsizing' for workers, and the
cuts in collective services.
After Karabulut, everyone danced to the Latin American music of the Fanfare
van de Eerste Liefdesnacht.
Then, Menno Sijtsma, a non violent anarchist, of the Zin! Society. He said
terrorist criminals should be punished; however, also those in high places in
Western countries. The life of every person killed on Iraq is worth as much as
of every person killed in the Twin Towers.
Jasper Fastl is chair of the Young Socialists, linked to the Partij van de
Arbeid [Social Democrats; biggest party in Dutch coalition government]. Fastl
regretted that Prime Minister Kok, PvdA party leader, was not there alongside
him. Terrorism, Fastl said, can thrive if there is an abyss between rich and
poor. This split is both in Western countries internally, and world wide.
Bush's and NATO's arrogance does not face this. NATO has never yet solved a
problem. We should oppose a national ID card in The Netherlands. We should
oppose media lies against young Moroccans living in The Netherlands. Media-
demonized Muslims are we ourselves; their struggle is our struggle, long live
international solidarity!
Then, the Chilean exile guitar player Marim Bula played Latin American songs:
No a la guerra! Ending the song with a loud: VIVA CUBA! He reminded people 11
September was also when the CIA supported the putsch by Pinochet, leading to
ten thousands of dead Chileans. He predicted the forces of peace would win
eventually. So, he ended his performance with Venceremos, the song of the
Unidad Popular coalition of murdered Chilean President Salvador Allende.
Next, the African poetess Lennie St. Luce with her strong voice read her
poems, in English: "Freedom will only be there, when killing Black men will be
considered as important as killing White men." Terrible as the deaths in the
WTC were, the building was not a symbol of democracy, but of capitalist
inequality. "Love more! We don't want another war!"
Next came Yvonne Breuk, director of the Humanist Union, saying No war in my
name. And no playing off of people in The Netherlands with different views on
religions, against one another!
Wim Lankamp, of the Dutch Palestine Committee opposed the "New War"where CNN
wants to lead us to. We must strive for justice. For 53 years, the rights of
Palestinians are denied. The WTC in New York was a crime; so were the
massacres in Sabra and Shatila camps.
After this, people danced to the African Caribbean drum band 'Brotherhood'
from Amsterdam South East. Then, Imam Hamza Zaid lead a prayer for all victims
of violence, New York and elsewhere, followed by silence to commemorate.
Then, as the band Jamesz played blues music, people lighted candles on the
Dam. The peace movement will continue, with marches in other cities in The
Netherlands this week. The very day the US attacks militarily, demonstrators
will go to Museumplein, Amsterdam, 19 h; US Embassy, The Hague, 19 h; Martini
Tower Groningen. They will also hang out white sheets everywhere out of
windows as signs for peace.
---------
http://struggle.ws/stopthewar.html
Dozens of texts, links and PDF files
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
President George W. Bush
The White House
Washington, DC September 13, 2001
Dear Mr. President,
I am a former Marine Corps sergeant who served his country well and was
honorably discharged in 1970. I have never written such a letter before
and I pray that it will somehow get through the bureaucratic filters to
reach you.
Like so many Americans, I was appalled and shocked by the death and
destruction we witnessed two days ago. I am now coming out of my shock
and am very concerned about the grievous state in which our country and
the world find themselves. We have suffered a horrible attack and far
too many of us have suffered and died. I am greatly saddened and
sickened by the carnage and suffering of the victims and their families.
I know you too are suffering and I can feel your anger and frustration
as well as your desire for active retaliation and I understand it well.
It is a natural and justifiable reaction to such a heinous criminal act.
And yet I would counsel you to proceed carefully. I fear we are in a
perilous situation and a mistake on our part could easily widen the
already huge spiral of violence in which the world finds itself. Mr.
President, you now have the great opportunity to prove to the world that
the United States is more than just a great economic and military power
to be feared. It is up to you to show all of the world that the United
States is also a law abiding and civilized country which can be trusted
to follow the laws of the world as well as let itself be guided by the
wisdom of human understanding and compassion.
I urge you to use all legal means at your disposal to determine who
perpetrated this horrible crime and to bring them to trial before the
appropriate court. Let them indeed find the justice the world awaits and
needs. But I beg you, let not one more innocent life - be it American,
Israeli, Palestinian or any other - be lost because of this horrible crime.
Too often our bombs and weapons have taken the lives of innocent
victims. I believe the military euphemism is "collateral damage" but in
reality it is manslaughter if not outright murder. What right can we
claim that allows us to take more innocent lives? Is that not also a
form of terrorism? Should we lower ourselves to the level of those who
attacked the World Trade Center or should we stand tall and take the
legal and moral high ground?
You have chosen to describe this as an act of evil. I fear using such
inflammatory language will only worsen the situation. Such language
will all too easily incite a lynch mob mentality, when what we need is
the compassion which Jesus taught as well as the cool reason which will
help us reach our true goals of global peace, prosperity and democracy
for all people of the world. Lead us, Mr. President, with dignity and
wisdom and do not pander to the primitive parts of our beings that are
all too powerfully calling out at this moment. Show the world that you
too are a leader with the greatness, strength and courage to seek true
understanding and restorative justice, just as Nelson Mandela did in
South Africa.
Rather than characterizing the attack as an act of evil, I see it as a
terrible last act of desperation by people who believed they had no
other way to make themselves heard than to resort to violence and
mayhem. It is absolutely critical that we see not only their willingness
to use horrible, illegal means, but that we also hear their desperation
which makes them view such means as the highest form of heroism
including the sacrifice of their very lives. As a former Marine, I know
what it means to be willing to sacrifice one's life for a cause one
truly believes in. While I see these people as horribly misguided,
hate-filled and desperate, I do not believe they are cowardly or evil.
If we are to truly resolve the hatred and violence, we need to
understand that in their eyes, they see themselves as a tiny, heroic
David fighting against a huge, monstrous Goliath who seeks to kill them
and their way of life. We certainly need not agree with their views, but
we must understand them if we ever hope to achieve a lasting peace and
not a world that is locked down and bereft of all the civil rights and
freedoms we cherish so highly.
Months ago we saw magazine pictures of a young Palestinian child being
cradled for hours in the arms of his father. Innocently caught in a gun
battle the child died from bullet wounds and the father could not move
to save him. Can you begin to imagine the anguish, pain and sense of
injustice this father must have felt? As a father yourself, how would
you have felt in such a situation as the life oozed out of your child
and you were pinned down and absolutely helpless? It is such intensely
unbearable images and feelings that drive people to such desperate
measures as we witnessed on Wednesday in New York and Washington.
In this moment of deep crisis, is also a moment of immense opportunity.
I urge you to take this opportunity to move our world away from violence
and suffering and towards peace, freedom and abundance for all. Let
these voices of desperation be heard and let the perpetrators have their
day in court.
Show them that we truly do believe in law and justice for all. Let us
not make the mistake we did recently at Durban, but rather let us bring
all voices to the table, even if they are screaming and telling the
stories we would like not to hear. We are truly a superpower and we are
too used to talking and expecting others to listen. Show the world that
we are also strong enough to learn to listen. I know you are a Christian
and I pray that you will indeed do what Jesus Christ counseled and not
rashly lash out in violence.
May God give you the wisdom to find the great opportunity for peace that
lies in this horrible tragedy. I hope that later in this century
historians will look back and applaud your greatness of spirit and cool
sense of reason that moved our globalizing world closer to justice and
democracy for all.
Respectfully,
Greg Nees <GregNees@aol.com>
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Oct 04 2001 - 15:01:26 EDT