Then at noon, a group of us met at a downtown street intersection in Benicia (1st & D st., in front of Kinder's). For 30 minutes we spread up and down First St. in front of cafes. We wore black armbands or black ribbons, and held IM signs, and when people approached, we offered them a black ribbon to wear, and a flyer with congressional call numbers and a sample letter.
Most people were positive. We told them it was national IM Day with many actions accross the country (none had heard of it; we told them to go to IM website). We asked them to wear the black ribbon on every third Friday of the month and call or write Congress. Some said they would. Also asked them to tell friends and coworkers. (Next time we'll make more ribbons so people can take extra ribbons back to work.)
We plan to repeat this action for Iraq Moratorium # 4 (3rd Friday, Dec. 21, Noon) Same location in Benicia, corner of First and D St. (in front of Kinder's, 333 First St.) 12:00-12:15 pm.
# 195
We will have a video posted later. Stand by for news of that. # 160
Chico Street Peace and the Iraq Moratorium stood in solidarity last night with the group 1000 Grandmothers. 1000 Grandmothers are in Fort Benning this weekend protesting to shut down the School of the Americas. We have so many things to do and the 1000 Grandmothers are truly an inspiration to all of us. # 165
Club also assembled and distributed 200 more leaflets at other locations.
# 197
Over 150 students at UCLA participated in an anti-war rally and die-in for the Iraq Moratorium on the university campus. The event was sponsored by students in a class on Social Change, and the local chapter of SDS.
# 185
Mike Gravel, former US Senator and Democrat presidential hopeful, became the first presidential candidate to publicly take part in a Moratorium Day activity, wearing a Moratorium button all day. [Note: The Iraq Moratorium does not endorse any political candidates. We actively encourage all candidates and office holders to join the likes of Sen. Gravel, Gilda Reed who is running in the Louisiana Democratic Congressional primary and Moratorium endorser Alderman Audrey Hollis of the village of Bellefontaine Neighbors, MO to join the thousands who have signed the Moratorium statement of committment.--Iraq Moratorium committee] # 227
The major premise of freewayblogging is that the most effective way to express dissent in an otherwise media controlled society is to place your message in front of as many of your fellow citizens as possible.
I estimate that 500,000 people saw these messages on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
[The legendary Freeway Blogger has been an endorser of the Iraq Moratorium from Day 1--Iraq Moratorium committee] # 179
Other events in the Bay Area that have not been reported by other organizers include several neighborhood vigils in SF and Oakland, several leaflet actions at SF transit hubs, and the role of a variety of local Democratic clubs in a campaign known as "Resolution Peace" (resolutionpeace.org) to advance their legislative goal of prompt withdrawal from Iraq by leafleting in a big way on Iraq Moratorium days (resulting in transit hub actions in outlying areas such as Hayward and Dublin).
This illustrates how the IM can be employed by a variety of organizations to strengthen their own local coalitions and campaigns.
# 224
Speakers included Charlotte Casey - San Jose Peace Center,
Rev. Ben Daniel - Foothill Presbyterian Church, San Jose
Rev. Dr. Diana Gibson - Council of Churches,
Terry McCaffrey - Amnesty International, and
Henry Norr - Act Against torture, with a statement from ACLU on their lawsuit against Jeppesen.
On November 16 around one hundred demonstrators converged on the headquarters of a San Jose company linked to CIA “extraordinary rendition” flights.
Some had marched from a commuter rail stop, where they distributed copies of an October 2006 New Yorker article by Jane Mayer which outed San Jose’s Jeppesen International Trip Planning, a subsidiary of Boeing, as a service provider for “war on terror” detention and transport. Mayer’s piece quotes Jeppesen managing director Bob Overby telling an employee, “We do all of the extraordinary rendition flights – you know, the torture flights.”
The action was part of the ongoing Iraq Moratorium campaign, a national grassroots project which encourages local anti-war activities throughout the U.S. on the third Friday of every month.
The Peninsula Peace and Justice Center worked with more than a dozen other peace groups to coordinate the action. Charlotte Casey of the San Jose Peace Center told the crowd that after reading the 2006 New Yorker article, “people were shocked to find out Jeppesen was involved with torture,” and in the past year San Jose activists had held protests at the building “many times.” Casey emphasized that Jeppesen “can continue to do business in San Jose, they just can’t do business with the CIA.”
Henry Norr of the group Act Against Torture, wearing an orange jumpsuit like the ones made infamous by Guantanamo prisoners, recalled the many protests he’d attended at Jeppesen, and that he was “delighted to see the numbers growing.” Norr congratulated San Jose Peace Center volunteers on their “sustained work taking it to the City Council and Supervisors.” # 193
About 100 people gathered outside the headquarters of Jeppesen Corp. in downtown San Jose. One year ago, in an article in The New Yorker magazine, it was revealed that Jeppesen handled the flight logistics for the CIA's so-called extraordinary rendition flights -- torture flights.
Most of the picketers had traveled down the Peninsula together on the CalTrain, temporarily dubbed the "Anti-Torture Train."
This was the third collective action organized by about 15 local groups that are working together to create regional actions on each Iraq Moratorium day. The video is part of a video blog series called Orwell Was An Optimist. Check out the rest of the episodes!
And some photos from the picket at Jeppesen HQ:
Rev. Ben Daniel of Foothill Presbyterian Church, San Jose, and Charlotte Casey of San Jose Peace Center.
- Submitted by Paul George
Director, Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, Palo Alto, CA
=====================
A longer report is posted on Bay Indy Media.
# 214
About 30 people gathered at the Town Hall, a good turnout on a cold November night. We started out with a discussion about the Moratorium, which quickly became a discussion about why the public seems so apathetic. A Korean War vet pointed out that no draft is part of the problem...when each family's children were at risk, people were more interested in doing something.
One woman among the first-timers is concerned about her daughter and friends thinking about enlisting. She is looking for information and guidance, as well as comfort.
Our main speaker was Harold Burbank, a civil rights lawyer who represents Veterans for Peace at the United Nations. (Although Burbank is planning to challenge Chris Murphy in the 5th District Democratic congressional primary, this was not a campaign appearance.) The topic of his speech was How Is Our Constitution Holding Up? He tied in the Iraq war to the dangerous erosion of our Constitutional liberties. As at the previous meeting, there was a lot of sentiment for impeaching Bush and Cheney. We had a hat and raised some money for the IM.
In follow up discussions and emails, folks wanted to make sure we weren’t seen as tied to particular political campaigns and underlined that the whole idea of the Moratorium is that people take actions that they find meaningful and comfortable. Our own Cornwall website is growing, but we also feel that the national site is improving and meets a definite need in helping people decide to act and express themselves, “getting the creative juices flowing,” as one organizer put it.
• Kathleen Morosky of Uncasville stands vigil with several anti-war protesters on Chelsea Parade in Norwich on Friday. The group gathers on the parade every Third Friday of the month from 4 to 6 PM.
# 167
Monthly Rallies Work To Attain Peace
The Day
Published on 11/21/2007
It was with much pleasure that I noted in the Region section of The Day, on Nov. 17, a picture and a paragraph regarding the Iraq moratorium. Events like that are being held all over the United States on the third Friday of each month.
Nothing much is being reported on the corporate media, but there are many varied events taking place across the United States on each third Friday. Students are walking out of classrooms, saying “No more war” and people are gathering, making speeches and holding vigils. Old, young, veterans, teachers, health care workers and people from all walks of life are standing up to say “no” to the war machine.
We must get out of Iraq. We voted for that in November 2006.
Since our politicians aren't doing what we voted them to do, we continue to take to the streets to protest, to hold vigils to speak out against this war and to say: Don't wage war with Iran. Based on the government's poor decision to wage war on Iraq, how can they be right to want to wage war with Iran?
Join us at 4 p.m. on the third Friday of each month at Chelsea Parade in Norwich or start your own protest against the war. Tell the people we employ — our government — to do the work we want them to do.
Visit the Web site iraqmoratorium.org for more information. The photo in The Day didn't show the entire sign that was held, so to complete it for readers, it states: “War Stops Thousands of Beating Hearts.” We must work for peace. War is no longer the answer.
Kathleen Morosky
Uncasville
# 201
# 222
This month the response was the most favorable we've had yet. A lot more horn beeping for peace then last month.
# 154
People converged at the Military Recruitment station at the University Center near Columbia College, many wearing orange. We proceeded to snake through downtown Chicago, chanting. We stopped at buildings attached to several different colleges, chanting "Join Us, Join Us!"
Samantha, the WCW student organizer, talked about the horror of Iraq and how attacking Iran would be catastrophic, then called for the marchers to do a die-in in front of these colleges. At each school a few students would go into the building to get people to join us.
Along the way we bumped into striking workers in front of one of the downtown hotels and drew much support and applause from them. We decided we would die-in there. The people on the street smiled as we passed--especially the tourists--they appeared very happy that we were out there with our message.
We stopped in front of Macy’s and did a die-in there. As we walked by big shopping destinations, we chanted “While you are shopping bombs are dropping!” We were joined by a grad student from Iowa City in town for a conference ("This is way better than my conference.") and Pakistani-Americans who had just been protesting downtown against the military dictatorship in Pakistan.
The March to Federal Plaza was very spirited and I think people were very heartened to see the youth and student presence.
At Federal Plaza a small crowd awaited us and then we began our rally. Samantha talked about what the Iraq Moratorium was about and how the message of No Attack on Iran needs to echoed in this. A young man from Pakistan got up and spoke about the dictatorship in Pakistan being backed by the Bush regime. He pointed out that in Pakistan, President Musharraf is called "Bush-arraf." After more short speeches, people in the plaza linked arms and took the pledge in a call and response style. The rally ended with a final die-in in the plaza.
# 176
Paul G. Nauert ’09 rallied the crowd of black-clad college student protesters in Boston Common just before dusk on Friday afternoon with a simple cry: “I’ve got markers and tape, let’s get this started!”# 177
Wearing signs that read “Another ________ Against the War,” a group of 100 people—composed mostly of students from Boston-area colleges and universities, but also spectators who joined in along the way—marched in silence for four miles from Boston Common to Marsh Plaza to protest America’s involvement in the Iraq conflict.
Marchers filled in the blank on their signs with everything from the general—“Student”—to the specific—“Photographer,” “Scientist,” and “Painter”—to the humorous—“Geek” and “Left Wing Wacko/Fidelista.”
Even the path they marched upon became part of the protest when a participant taped a sign on the ground, reading “Another Sidewalk Against the War.”
To everyone who took part—starting as a gathering of individuals on The Common and ending as a group that had shared not just Boston’s cold winds but a rediscovery of the power of collective social action and an immense stride towards building up the city’s anti-war student community—it was intensely inspiring.
We handed out hundreds of fliers and witnessed the support of many along our walk from The Common, through the heart of downtown at rush hour, past two military recruitment stations, and on to Marsh Plaza at BU. Yet, crucially, the Silent March proved once again the amazing ability and importance of students from across Boston to reach out beyond our own campuses to coordinate our anti-war actions across the city.
This powerful action came from a meeting of students from over twelve Boston schools two weeks ago, the commitment of several simple working groups formed at that meeting, and the collective passion of everyone involved to make this happen and spread the word. Not a complex process—yet from the action planned and carried out the beginnings of a new, real Boston anti-war intercampus community have emerged. We will be planning events every month, so stay tuned!
# 178
No Sweat is a pioneer in fair trade fashion and footwear, setting an empowered, unionized workforce as the gold standard for fair trade clothing.
Working for peace in their own way, they feature a line of T shirts made in Bethlehem, by a Palestinian owned factory and imported with the direct cooperation of both the Israeli and Palestinian Foreign ministries.
[No Sweat’s CEO Adam Neiman has been an endorser of the Iraq Moratorium from the beginning, looking for large ways and small to make peace.--Iraq Moratorium Committee] # 182
# 168
Thanks to everyone who helped with and participated in those events! # 216
'The march was part of an ongoing series of actions called the "Iraq Moratorium."It's a general response to the thought that the Democrats, and the Congress as a whole, have not responded to the mandate of the people last year to cut off the funding and end the war," Ty Moore, a protest organizer, said.'
Read More # 162
http://www.socialistalternative.org/news/article22.php?id=659 # 220
7 different artists contributed, there were photographs, a sculpture, screen prints, drawings, paintings, and a projector installation which threw an image onto a cardboard screen that participants would hold in front of themselves. Images of war, torture, protest, and complicity were projected onto the viewers body. The installation caused the viewer to question their role in this war, while becoming educated about its nature - the installation along with the rest of the art work was well received.
The event was a success, and helped us raise awareness around the Moratorium as well as raise some money. We have secured a van to drive students free of charge to the November 16 action planned by Students for a Democratic Society NYC. A whole photo gallery of the show can be seen here.
Students for a Democratic Society, joined by members of US Labor Against the War and World Can't Wait, marched on the NY offices of two war profiteers: L-3 Communications, one of the largest military "contractors" in the U.S.; and Bechtel, the company currently extracting oil and profit at the cost of Iraqi and U.S. bloodshed.
After marching on the two contractors, we headed to the Armed Forces recruitment station at Times Square, where those assembled made pledges to continue the Moratorium. # 190
This powerful tape, available here, showing how people-to-people contact changes minds and hearts, and builds solidarity, set the tone for our meeting. We summed up turnout from our union sisters and brothers at the October 27 anti-war demonstration in NY.
With oil and military contracts keyfactors in the occupation of Iraq, we are planning a labor action targeting a specific corportation, yet to be determined, for Moratorium Day #6 in February. This will give us an opportunity to do more education among our members about the situation in Iraq and to build toward stronger protests in March on the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. # 237
The response from the student body was largely positive, except for our favorite group of fascists. I decided to represent the chapter and was backed up by two great new members Joel Burton and Ben Oppenheim. Our facts and statistics were brilliantly countered with cries of "If you don't love America, fucking leave!" and "This is disgraceful!" However my very favorite exchange went: Me: "How did Saddam pose a threat to us?" Fascist: "How did Hitler pose a threat?" Me: "Well he was trying to take over the world, he took over most of Europe" Fascist: "Nah, he just killed a bunch of Jews!"
We hope to maintain this momentum into December and end this year with a bang. Next month's Moratorium will focus on Money For Education, Not For War. Just in time for college applications!
# 191
The 65-year-old Mount Washington resident was one of about 25 people at a busy Clifton intersection to join a National Iraq Moratorium campaign.
[ snip ]
At each site - Clifton, East Price Hill, Spring Grove Village, Northside, Mount Healthy and Newport - participants lit candles as a symbol for peace.
Rainey held her candle as she stood at Clifton and Ludlow avenues, occasionally shielding it with her hand to keep the 30-degree wind from blowing out the flame.
Sure, it was cold. But at least, she said, there was support.
Cars frequently honked at those waving the signs. Occasionally, drivers inside the warm cars waved at the protestors whose persistence outweighed the autumn chill.
[ snip ] Read More, with photo article by BY QUAN TRUONG, The Enquirer # 164
- Clifton: Our largest turnout by far, as many as 50 people over the whole vigil. An especially welcome sight was the UC students from Students United for Peace. There was very favorable coverage, centered on the Clifton site, in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
- Northside: reports of around 25 people at that site. Thanks to all those people who stayed after the weekly 4:30-5:30 peace witness.
- Newport, Kentucky: around 16 people came the the vigil at the Newport Peace Bell. They were met by enthusiastic support from passers-by.
- Winton Place: described as a "party among neighbors", this site boasted around 20 people, including several families.
- Mt. Healthy: 12 people and two dogs gathered in Heritage Park on Hamilton Rd. Organizer Karen Arnet says she was pleasantly surprised by not only the turnout, but the number of supportive honks they received by passing cars.
- Price Hill: a group of around twenty, including a veteran and his family met on the corner of W. 8th Street and Enright. Organizer Sue Casey-Leininger also expressed pleasure at the support from people driving by. Local Fox News, Channel 19, came to this site.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR NEXT MONTH!
We are hoping to continue these candlelight vigils on the third Friday of every month, to continue to support the national Iraq Moratorium campaign. The next one will be on December 21, again at 5:30 PM. We're hoping to make December's vigil bigger and better than this one.
We know that this date is very close to the Christmas holiday and that many people may be out of town. But for those of you who are going to be in town, we ask that you'll come and try to bring at least one new person!
Through US Labor Against the War, a bunch of unions have received the stickers we produced and have distributed them in worksites to wear on Third Fridays.
Among the worksites where I know workers wore them are:
**central postal facility of Philadelphia, distributed by APWU
(American Postal Workers Union)
**staff at AFSC Headquarters, members of AFSCME 1739, distributed by Philadelphia CLUW Chapter (Coalition of Labor Union Women)
**City of Philadelphia employees, members of various AFSCME locals, distributed by locals and CLUW
**University of Pennsylvania librarians, distributed by AFSCME 590
**CLUW distributed stickers to our entire membership here, which is about 200 people in many different unions and workplaces across the City.
I'm sorry I don't have more specifics - hard to know who did what, but we are trying to build the response each month. The main USLAW activists here were up to our eyeballs in the 10/27 UFPJ demonstration, and this is all we've been able to do so far. As the Moratorium actions continue, we hope to build more visible labor activities.
Not much of a report, but we're not completely oblivious here in Philly and wanted you to know your messages aren't falling on deaf ears.
In Solidarity,
Kathy Black, President
Philadelphia CLUW # 228
# 211
Assembly began at 7AM, planting flags for the American dead in Iraq. The weather was somber, gray and snowy. The mood of the day reflected the weather, as a dozen or more of us quietly planted our little white flags in the snow.
My son noted that 17 American vets commit suicide every day. We were glad to have the company of others to commemorate the day.
The horror of the war is more lethal than the enemies we are supposed to be fighting. Tonight's news distilled yesterday's broadcasts, saying that research had uncovered an average of 120 veterans killing themselves every week. It also told of an ever escalating desertion rate among our troops.
A majority of the American public wants us out of Iraq. Our troops are killing themselves in greater numbers than are being killed due to insurgent activity in Iraq. They are deserting our military at a far greater rate than during Vietnam. This picture is wrong, and there is no end in sight, and no hope of change from Congress until we have a change in the WH.
To counter this, the American Friends organized an Iraq Moratorium Day demonstration in Stowe, Vermont. After the flags and banners and posters were up, we returned for a candlelight vigil at 4 PM.
We had a sympathetic response from passersby in Stowe, but I am concerned about what will it take to light a fire under our electorate and get more of us to act so Congress will listen.
Our vigil ended as quietly as it began. I am wondering if anyone passing through Stowe was moved to action today by our commemoration of the fallen on this Iraq Moratorium Day.
I hope so. # 161
The Seattle walkout was part of a national student walkout on November 16 called by Youth Against War and Racism (YAWR) and a coalition of antiwar organizations in coordination with the national Iraq Moratorium protests. Students organized walkouts in at least 9 cities, counties, or states: Vermont, Boston, Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Ferndale, Seattle, Anacortes, Tacoma, Olympia, and Lewis County.
1. Television:
KOMO 4
http://www.komotv.com/news/11396546.html
http://www.komotv.com/news/11495306.html
KIRO 7
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14620828/detail.html
http://www.kirotv.com/news/14626124/detail.html
KING 5/ Northwest Cable News
http://www.king5.com/video/newsindex.html?nvid=193681&shu=1
Q13
http://q13.trb.com
2. Youtube Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZGY65WoRF4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZGiEbgD8xM
3. Newspaper:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_anti_war_march.html
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/6420ap_wa_anti_war_protest.html
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/340003_peace17.html
Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004018413_webprotest16m.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2004019367_protest17m.html
Associated Press
http://www.columbian.com/news/state/APStories/AP11162007news233742cfm
Bellingham Herald
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/236951.html
The Olympian
http://www.theolympian.com/570/story/273555.html
http://www.theolympian.com/southsound/story/274032.html
Tacoma News Tribune
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/205284.html
4. Photos from State Capitol Protest
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20140593@N03/sets/72157603216114085/
# 172
peacenorth.org
OK, that headline is only true in my dreams.
But on a per capita basis, the equivalent happened on Iraq Moratorium #3 last Friday in Hayward, Wisconsin.
Hayward, a city of 2,129 in northwestern Wisconsin, is better known as the Musky Capital of the World than as a center of antiwar activism.
But 40 people turned out for a vigil to call for an ending the war and bringing our troops home.
If Milwaukeeans had turned out in equal numbers, as a percentage of the population, there would have been 12,000 at our downtown rush hour vigil Friday night. Instead, there were perhaps 100 at most.
In New York City, there would have been 160,000 in the streets. In Houston, 42,000. In San Jose, 18,000. And that’s without including any suburban populations.
This inspiring photo, which graces the Iraq Moratorium website, is not from Hayward, but from Sewanee, Tennessee, with a population of 2,335.
You can count about 30 people in that small community at last month’s Moratorium. Its turnout is almost on a par with Hayward’s.
Those kinds of successes, in small town America, are what inspire activists in the antiwar movement and help to keep hope alive as the senseless, endless war continues.
They are evidence, on a small scale, that the silent antiwar majority which expresses itself in every public opinion poll, really exists -- and that with a lot of effort and a lot of patience it can be activated and mobilized.
Even the Hayward turnout is only on the order of two per cent. At least 60 per cent of Americans say the war was a mistake, and that they want to end the war and bring the troops home.
But two per cent of the people could turn this country around.
If six million people – a mere two per cent of the population -- were in the streets on Moratorium Day, the politicians would do more than notice. They would react, because they would be afraid not to.
I’d settle for one per cent.
So what’s the secret to making that happen?
One of the members of Peace North , which organized the Hayward event, said, "We worked very hard one to one to convince people to come out."
That’s harder to do, of course, in a bigger city. But when you consider how many people already are at least loosely-affiliated members of some organization which opposes the war – ranging from churches to labor to veterans groups to more traditional peace groups – a good base already exists. Many of those organizations, including the biggest peace coalition in the country, United for Peace and Justice, have endorsed the Moratorium.
Collectively, their membership probably doesn’t reach the two per cent level. But if, somehow, they all could miraculously motivate all of their members to do something at the same time, on the same day, it could move the Congress.
How do we make that happen? I wish I knew. People who have been at it far longer than I have been trying to put together the strategy and tactics to end this war.
These musings aren’t meant to offer a solution, but to say that it is not a time to become disheartened, even as the President and the Congress seem unwilling and/or unable to accede to the will of the majority and stop this bloody war. The people are on our side.
Peace North isn’t giving up in Hayward.
The goal there for Iraq Moratorium #4, on December 21, is to turn out 75 people, even though the weather will be colder and the holidays only a few days away. It’s an ambitious goal.
That translates to 22,500 in Milwaukee, and 280,000 in New York City.
Ready to get started? # 192
# 158