Showing posts with label opposition to iraq war 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opposition to iraq war 2014. Show all posts

Monday, June 16, 2014




Don't bomb Iraq

President Obama will decide how to respond to the crisis in Iraq over the next few days.
Tell Congress to speak out against bombing Iraq.
Take Action

Dear Al,

John McCain is shaking his fist angrily and calling for military action. Lindsey Graham is invoking terrorist attacks and describing American air power as “the only option.” The president is huddled with his advisers considering military options for Iraq. Did we just travel in a time machine to 2003?

Sadly, we are having yet another debate about using the blunt and ineffective instrument of military force to deal with a complex crisis in Iraq. President Obama just announced that he’ll decide on military action “in the days ahead” and the US is reportedly moving an aircraft carrier to the area. 


President Obama recently laid out his foreign policy vision in a speech at West Point, saying “Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.” So why isn't he looking for other tools in his toolbox?

We’ve seen this play out before. The gains made by ISIS militants and their allies and the Maliki government's sectarian politics require a smart strategy. Dropping bombs on a volatile situation is likely to escalate the conflict, not resolve it, and innocent civilians will lose their lives in the process.

We stopped the bombing of Syria because we responded quickly and loudly, and Congress raised a ruckus.  Tell them to do it again.

In some ways this feels like déjà vu all over again. But a lot has changed in the past decade. The American people have learned a lesson about the reckless use of military force. Let’s make sure our leaders don’t forget it.



Shelagh Foreman For peace,
Shelagh Foreman
Program Director







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UFPJ Action Alert: 3 Things You Can Do to Oppose US Military Intervention in Iraq!

United for Peace & Justice
1) Tell Your Member of Congress:
Oppose US Military Intervention in Iraq or Syria
Oppose the $ 571 Billion Defense Appropriations Bill

Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
2) Call the White House. Let President Obama know you oppose military intervention of any kind in Iraq or Syria and urge him to seek a diplomatic solution.
White House Switchboard: (202) 456-1111
3) Join a United for Peace and Justice Briefing on Iraq/ Syria Crisis
Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies and Nicholas J. Sandy Davies, author Blood on Our Hands will discuss the crisis in Iraq and Syria and the threat of US military intervention. How can the antiwar movement respond?
Wednesday, June 18, 9 pm EDT/6 pm PDT
Call-in Number: (712) 432-1212
Meeting ID: 446-724-667#
Please RSVP: rustiandgael@unitedforpeace.org 
As the situation in Iraq deteriorates, the “Never Learn” caucus is demanding US military intervention in the form of ground troops, air strikes, Special Operations and weapons deliveries. The unfolding tragedy in Iraq is a direct consequence of the illegal American invasion and occupation of that country. The least helpful idea is for the United States to involve itself militarily in Iraq or Syria. US military intervention, whether directly or by providing arms, will increase the suffering of people in those countries and enhance the risk of a wider regional conflict.
This coming week the House of Representatives is set to pass a $571 billion Defense Appropriations bill. So long as our oversized military eclipses our domestic needs and the United States spends more money on warfare than the next eight countries combined, military action will continue to be the default response to international crisis. Too many members of Congress claim to oppose war and then quietly pass outlandish military budgets. The proposed FY 2015 Defense Appropriations bill far exceeds what is needed militarily to protect our country.
 Please Call your Reps today and tell them:
  • No to Military Intervention in Iraq or Syria !
  • No to $571 Billion FY 2015 Defense Appropriations bill !
Some useful articles:
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Upcoming Events: 
 
 
Within days or hours, the U.S. may be bombing Iraq again.  John Kerry predicts drone strikes on Iraq. Democracy Now says today, "The U.S.S. George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier has recently arrived in the Persian Gulf. The carrier is accompanied by the U.S.S. Philippine Sea guided-missile cruiser and the U.S.S. Truxtun guided-missile destroyer, both of which carry Tomahawk missiles that can reach Iraq."

It's time to be in the streets in protest, demanding NO further war on Iraq.

President Obama will appear Tuesday evening in Manhattan, where he will see us. Other protests, including tonight at The White House at 5:00 pm, will happen across the country this week.  We urge you to join in.

Some quick and basic reminders to many of you who have been working to stop US attacks for decades, and to some who weren't even alive when this first began:

The U.S. has been overtly trying to control Iraq since 1990 and is responsible for uncounted deaths from bombs, sanctions, occupation, and destruction of the environment by the use of depleted uranium and other toxic weapons. "Kinetic strikes" have always killed mainly civilians.
The current problem is NOT that the U.S. finally withdrew military forces in 2012, but its illegitimate invasions in 1990 and 2003, and its 20+ year aggressive war of sanctions and occupation against a country which never attacked the U.S."The US invasions under both Bushes and the continued occupations under Democrats, both Bill Clinton and Obama, have spawned the sectarian fighting and truly massive suffering in Iraq. Now Obama is trying to drum up support for escalating the U.S.'s war on the Iraqi people in response to the violence that the U.S.'s invasion and occupation have themselves caused." See more in "Iraq: A Point of Orientation" by Dennis Loo, editor of Impeach the President: The Case Against Bush & Cheney
No party in this fight, not the "insurgents," not the Maliki government--paid for by the U.S.--and certainly not the U.S. itself, has "right" on its side.  In reference to ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIL—the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant), one of the insurgent groups fighting the Iraqi government (which has been supported by the U.S. for years), Revolution newspaper reported, "This is a reactionary force. In the sizable areas they control, they ban music, force women to wear the niqab—a covering with only a small opening to see through—and terrorize other Muslim sects and non-believers. There are reports coming out of Iraq that ISIS massacred Iraqi soldiers taken prisoner." Read more
We in the U.S. need to make a statement to the world that we oppose any U.S. intervention or military attacks in Iraq.  By exposing and standing against the lies and crimes of the U.S. government in Iraq, led first by Bush and now by Obama, we can make a difference in how people see what's going on.
See Raed Jarrar today on Democracy Now, who says that, whatever you name it, from the Iraqi perspective, U.S. military strikes on Iraq will not bring a solution.  He says that almost everyone fighting in the country is an Iraqi, and "The U.S. has historically been part of the problem" and U.S. intervention will only bring more violence.
Debra Sweet will be on Fight Back! radio tonight, June 16, at 8:30 pm EST with Bob Fitrakis, editor of the Columbus Free Press and Executive Director of the Institute for Contemporary Journalism. Listen and call in at 877 932 9766.
executive director of the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and editor of the Columbus Free Press. - See more at: http://talktainmentradio.com/shows/fightback.html#sthash.wCamwSXg.dpuf
executive director of the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and editor of the Columbus Free Press. - See more at: http://talktainmentradio.com/shows/fightback.html#sthash.wCamwSXg.dpuf

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World Can't Wait Conversation

This Thursday, June 19
10pm Eastern / 7pm Pacific

Topic for discussion: Iraq, Syria -- What is going on? What are the "interests of the United States" as defined by Obama, and what are our interests in this situation? 

Register for dial-in info.
Donate Now

— CALENDAR —

Monday June 16 5:00 pm
Washington DC
Protest against possible U.S. bombing of Iraq.  Sponsored by Code Pink.  The White House

Tuesday June 17 5:30 pm New York City Protest against possible US bombing of Iraq when President Obama appears at Democratic Party fund-raiser.  Gotham Hall 1356 Broadway between 36th/37th.

Thursday June 19 7:00 pm
New York City An Evening for Chelsea Manning. TheaterLab (357 W 36th St, 3rd Floor, NYC)

Join OR Books and Chelsea Manning's supporters to mark one year since she went on trial for leaking the Iraq and Afghanistan war logs to WikiLeaks. Journalists, activists and artists who attended the trial will read from a new graphic book, "The United States vs Private Chelsea Manning: A Graphic Account From Inside the Courtroom"   Facebook event
More protests against ongoing US War on Iraq, Thursday, June 19-Saturday, June 21.  See Emergency Actions Nationwide
Washington DC Sat., June 21, 1PMWhite House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Los Angeles, CA Sat., June 21, 1PM
Pershing Square (Corner of 5th & Hill) Downtown LA
San Francisco, CA Sat., June 21, 12noonCorner of Powell and Market Sts
Sacramento, CA Sat., June 21, 1PM
16th & J Streets
Eureka, CA Sat. June 21, 12 Noon
County Courthouse, 5th & I St.
Fresno, CA Saturday, June 21st, 10am - 1pm
Peace Corner - Blackstone & Shaw
Tallahassee, FL Sat., June 21, 12:30PM
Florida State Capitol 400 South Monroe Street
Chicago, IL Fri., June 20, 5PM, Water Tower
(N. Michigan Ave & Pearson St)
Twin Cities, MN Wednesday, June 18, 5pm
Lake Street/Marshall Ave. bridge between Minneapolis & St. Paul

Albuquerque, NM Fri., June 20, 6PM
UNM Bookstore (intersection of Central & Cornell)
New York, NYTuesday, June 17, 5:30 pm. Outside Democratic Party where Obama is speaking. Gotham Hall 1356 Broadway between 36th and 37th Streets Initiated by World Can't Wait 
Friday, June 20, 6pm Harlem Armed Forces Recruitment Center 76 W. 125th St (2/3 trains)
Philadelphia, PA Thursday, June 19, 4:30pm
15th and Market St.

Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait