Comrades, Brothers and Sisters,
The following sentence is critical, so please read on. On Dec. 16th, 2010, veterans and others will stage what will be the largest veteran-led civil resistance to U.S. wars in recent history. All of us in Veterans For Peace need to pull together to make sure those will not be empty words.
Many of us have grown so used to the state of war being a constant these past 10 years that people no longer see it as an emergency the way they did prior to the Iraq invasion, when
millions of us turned out worldwide to attempt to stop the oncoming war. I want us return to seeing it as an emergency, a fire that must be put out and one that we will put our bodies on the line to extinguish. Many, if not most of us, engage in anti-war activities of one sort or another on a regular basis, usually in our own locales. This action described below is different. It is not meant to be yet another anti-war action among many where perhaps a handful of vets take a stand and get arrested, barely generating a blip on the screen of world and U.S. consciousness.
The purpose of this action is twofold, direct and simple, yet profound. By showing scores of U.S. veterans being literally dragged away from the White House as they demand peace, we expose the hypocrisy of a government that is waging (and promoting) worldwide, endless warfare during a season when we celebrate "Peace on Earth." But more important, it will vividly demonstrate that serious civil resistance is alive and well in the United States.
This will only happen if there are more than relative handfuls of us taking part. What we are asking is that your chapter support this, preferably by sending some (or all!) of your members to take part, but if you cannot do that, by enthusiastically spreading the word.
Here's what Doug Zachary wrote about his participation: "We are at a critical time in world history. Will the Western democracies continue to develop along the lines of Rousseau, Voltaire, Jefferson, King, Chavez and company? Or does the future hold a feudal world committed to slavery and fascism? The extent to which we resist is the extent to which there is reason to hope. Our witness, even if ignored in our times, will be on record and will inspire democratic revolutionaries far into the future."
To make sure it is not "ignored in our times," we have three top videographers, and excellent still photographers committed to sending out a record of our resistance worldwide. We also have enthusiastic support from large non-veteran organizations that will mobilize their members in support (see flyers below).
When you look at the signatures on the letter below, you'll see many names you recognize, quite a few of our buddies, people who have been VFP stalwarts for years. What I'm asking is for all of us not to leave them hanging out to dry (Ferner says “freeze”). You get the picture. It's the season—the more the merrier. Let's demonstrate that VFP, when it comes to putting ourselves on the line, is a force for peace to be reckoned with.
If you want to be involved please e-mail stopthesewars@gmail.com or register online at www.stopthesewars.org, and we will keep you posted. Also, to make this a powerful reality, there will be expenses for banners, flyers, posters, legal, etc., so please make a donation at www.stopthesewars.org/
For Peace and Solidarity,
Tarak Kauff
Veterans For Peace
Take A Stand For Peace!
During the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King called our government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” True then—and even more so today.
A few years before that, in 1964 Mario Savio made his great speech at Berkeley; at the end he says, ”There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part; you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop. And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”
There are children being orphaned, maimed or killed every day, in our name, with our tax dollars; there are soldiers and civilians dying or being maimed for life, in order to generate profits for the most odious imperialistic corporate war machine ever, again in our name. How long are we going to let this go on? Until it is too late, until this destructive machine destroys all of us and the planet to boot?
Wikileaks has revealed the documented horror of U.S. war-making, beyond what any of us imagined. It’s time veterans and others express our resistance directly and powerfully by putting ourselves on the line, once again—honestly, courageously and without one drop of apology for doing so. It is not we who are the murderers, torturers or pillagers of the earth.
Profit and power-hungry warmongers are destroying everything we hold dear and sacred.
In the early thirties, WW1 vets descended on Washington, D.C., to demand their promised bonuses, it being the depths of the Depression. General Douglas MacArthur and his sidekick Dwight Eisenhower disregarded President Herbert Hoover’s order and burned their encampment down and drove the vets out of town at bayonet point.
We are today’s bonus marchers, and we’ve coming to claim our bonus–PEACE.
Join activist veterans marching in solidarity to the White House, refusing to move, demanding the end of U.S. wars, which includes U.S. support—financial and tactical—for the Israeli war machine as well.
If we can gather enough courageous souls, nonviolently refusing to leave the White House, willing to be dragged away and arrested if necessary, we will send a message that will be seen worldwide. “End these wars – now!” We will carry forward a flame of resistance to the war machine that will not diminish as we effectively begin to place ourselves, as Mario Savio said, “upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus.” and we will make it stop.
We believe that the power of courageous, committed people is greater than that of corporate warmongers. But we will only see our power when we use it collectively, when we stand together.
With courage, persistence, boldness and numbers, we can eventually make this monstrous war machine grind to a halt, so that our children and all children everywhere can grow up in a peaceful world.
Join us at the White House on December 16th!
For a world in peace,
Nic Abramson – Veterans For Peace, Elliott Adams – Past President,Veterans For Peace, Laurie Arbeiter-Activist Response Team, Ken Ashe -Veterans For Peace, Ellen Barfield-Veterans For Peace, Brian Becker-ANSWER Coalition, National Coordinator, Medea Benjamin – Co-Founder - CodePink for Peace, Frida Berrigan-War Resisters League, Bruce Berry-Veterans For Peace, Leah Bolger-Veterans For Peace, Elaine Brower-Anti-war Military Mom and World Can’t Wait, Scott Camil-Veterans For Peace, Ross Caputi- Justice For Fallujah Project, Kim Carlyle-Veterans For Peace, Armen Chakerian – Coalition to Stop the $30 Billion to Israel, Matthis Chiroux-Iraq War Resister Veteran, Gerry Condon-Veterans For Peace, Will Covert-Veterans For Peace, Dave Culver-Veterans For Peace, Matt Daloisio-Witness Against Torture, Ellen Davidson-War Resisters League, Mike Ferner-President, Veterans For Peace, Nate Goldshlag-Veterans For Peace, Clare Hanrahan-War Crimes Times, Mike Hearington-Veterans For Peace, Mark Johnson – Exec. Dir. Fellowship of Reconciliation, Tarak Kauff-Veterans For Peace, Kathy Kelly-Voices For Creative Nonviolence, Sandy Kelson-Veterans For Peace, Joel Kovel-Veterans For Peace, Erik Lobo-Veterans For Peace, Joe Lombardo-United National Antiwar Committee, Ken Mayers -Veterans For Peace, Nancy Munger-co-President, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Fred Nagel-Veterans For Peace, Pat O’Brien-Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Bill Perry-Vietnam Veterans Against The War, Vito Piccininno -Veterans For Peace, Mike Prysner-co-founder, March Forward, Ward Reilly-Veterans For Peace, Laura Roskos-co-President, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Cindy Sheehan-Founder, Peace of the Action, David Swanson-author, Debra Sweet-National Director, World Can’t Wait, Mike Tork-Veterans For Peace, Hart Viges – Iraq Veterans Against the War, Father Louie Vitale – SOA Watch, Jay Wenk-Veterans For Peace, Linda Wiener- Veterans For Peace, Diane Wilson -Veterans For Peace, Col. Ann Wright-Veterans For Peace, Doug Zachary-Veterans For Peace
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