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Sharon Grimes, W A M M
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Two-year Anniversary of Iraq War Draws Huge Protests
The two-year anniversary of the Iraq war was marked by demonstrations in more than 800 U.S. communities and in cities around the world. The media downplayed the numbers who protested in the United States, but seemed to be selective in their reporting. The New York Times said “numbers were hard to gauge—but likely tens of thousands took part across America.” They reported (March 20) that protestors numbered from 350 people in Times Square to thousands in San Francisco. But in the same story, they said that several thousand people marched from Harlem to Central Park. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, home of Ft. Bragg, 2,000 people, including veterans and military families, showed up.
Recruiting Goals Slipping Monthly
The Army fell one third short of its recruiting goal again in March, the second month in a row. Opinion surveys show that young people and their parents are wary of the military’s recruiting pitch when soldiers are being killed and wounded daily in Iraq. A recent “Doonesbury” cartoon by Gary Trudeau reflects the feeling. In the cartoon, a recruiting sergeant asks a father if he can come in to chat about his daughter’s future. The father says no and that he has a 500-year court order.
43 U.S. Representatives Vote Against $81.4 Billion More for Iraq Occupation
On March 16, 43 members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted against providing another $81.4 billion for continued U.S. occupation of Iraq. 388 members voted for the appropriation. Although the media describes the margin as “lopsided,” Progressive Democrats of America says the Congressional antiwar movement is “growing fast.”
Peace Bridge Rebuilt for Pakistanis and Indians
On April 7, Pakistanis and Indians walked together across a bridge that had been destroyed during the India-Pakistani war, which broke out when the subcontinent was partitioned in 1947. The 220-foot-long bridge, called the peace bridge, was rebuilt two weeks ago, and until now, Kashmiri families living on both sides had trouble getting visas and making the trip. Later in the day, buses with Pakistani visitors drove through Indian Kashmir on their way to Srinagar, the provincial capital. The bus ride took place a day after suspected militants attacked an Indian tourism complex hoping to deter the reopening of the bus link.
Groups Challenge Use of Tasers in Schools
The St. Paul NAACP, Amnesty International, the Center for Victims of Torture, and the University of Minnesota Law School’s Human Rights Center are asking the St. Paul police to stop issuing tasers to police in schools. WAMM’s Antiracism Circle and WAMM have sent letters to St. Paul police chief John Harrington saying, “We support the St. Paul NAACP and other organizations that are asking the St. Paul Police Department to stop issuing tasers to police in schools.”
Peace Summer Coming Soon to North Minneapolis
North Minneapolis is launching the PEACE Summer 2005 initiative, an effort to curb crime in the area. Public Engagement and Community Empowerment aims to counter the image of north Minneapolis as a high-crime area by holding a series of neighborhood activities with free food, ponies, basketball games, and street fetes. PEACE Foundation director Michelle Martin says she wants Twin Cities residents to think of the area as a place with activities for youth and hopes the events will “break the cycle of isolation.”
Israeli Attorney to Raise Funds in U.S. to Defend Peace Activists, ISM, and Palestinians
Israeli human rights attorney Yael Berda, who has been representing Palestinian prisoners and is co-founder of the Legal Collective for the Protection of Political Activists, recently visited the United States. She approves of divesting funds from companies who do business with the Israeli government, and was raising money in the United States to help pay for the defense of Israeli activists, International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers, and Palestinians.
373 Cities and Five States Pass Resolutions Against Patriot Act
The two-year-old Bill of Rights Defense Committee, a grassroots effort, has been effective in getting five states and 373 cities and counties nationwide to pass resolutions against the so-called Patriot Act. Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, and Robbinsdale are the Minnesota cities calling for abolition or amendment of the patriot and homeland security acts. An effort is also under way to get the Minnesota Legislature to pass a resolution. (See www.mn-billofrights.org.) Hundreds more resolutions critical of the USA Patriot Act are in progress.
200 Activists Come Together at Alliant Tech
About 200 people protested on March 14 at the Alliant Tech Systems Plant in Edina, and 30 were arrested for trespassing. Protestors object to the company’s manufacture of landmines and cluster bombs, which are internationally outlawed.
Grassroots Peace Communities in Colombia
A grassroots peace movement has started in Columbia to counter the violence and war that has gripped the country for years. In October 2004, the United States Congress voted to double the number of Pentagon advisers in Colombia to 800. Colombia is the third highest recipient of U.S. aid. Despite that, the indigenous people are refusing to cooperate with the violence on either side and peasant villages are following the example, declaring themselves Peace Communities.
Non-Denominational Nationwide Bus Tour Launched
Clergy and Laity Concerned About Iraq (CLCAI) launched a nationwide bus tour as part of their effort "to raise the voice of their moral authority, ...capture the attention of the media, and counter the influence of the religious right." They represent more than 50 denominations of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others†hoping to end the war and occupation in Iraq. |
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© 2005 Women Against Military Madness. All rights reserved.
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Complete May 2005 Index - click here
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