[Media-watch] Fw: Action Alert & Background - Responding to State of the Union
Henry McCubbin
hmccubbin at tinyworld.co.uk
Thu Jan 30 12:01:48 GMT 2003
Thought you might like to see what the opposition
to a war in Iraq in the US is saying.
Henry McCubbin
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Subject: Action Alert & Background - Responding to State of the
Union
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<FONT class=subhead
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<A class=issue
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Responding to the State of the
Union
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<A
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Responding to the State of the Union
<FONT class=body face=" verdana, sans-serif"
color=#000000
size=-1>1/29Friends,Apologies for
double postings. We experienced some technical
difficulties today.It is fundamentally
important that those opposed to Bush’s threatened
wars and committed to real security respond
quickly and forcefully. Below are a number of
things that you can do, the text of the anti-war
resolution being introduced into the City Council
today, the announcement of Council Member Felix
Arroyo’s "Fast Against War", and news and analysis
(including General Schwartzkopf’s statement that
there’s not sufficient evidence to launch a war,)
related to yesterday’s deceitful and bellicose
"State of the Union" speech.Please act
today. Please join tonight’s program at the
Paulist Center, other events in your community,
and the Peace Demonstration in New York on
February 15.Work for Peace and
Justice,Joseph GersonCOMMUNICATE THAT
WE DON’T BUY BUSH’S RATIONALES FOR WARIn
the wake of President Bush’s distorted and
threatening State of the Union speech last night,
it is essential that those of us committed to
peace and justice phone, fax, and e-mail our
Congressional representatives and the White House,
send letters to our local newspapers, and use
public space (vigils, roadside banners,
demonstrations, civil disobedience, etc.) to send
the message that Bush is attempting to rule us
through fear, that we are not buying his
arguments, and to insist that like the
Administration’s current approach to North Korea,
inspectors and diplomacy, not missiles, bombs and
house to house fighting be used to resolve this
crisis. You can find contact information in TAKE
ACTION! National Call-in Day after the State of
the Union below.JOIN BOSTON RESPONSE TO
"STATE OF THE UNION" - TONIGHT!!Please
join the Boston Response to Bush’s misStatement of
the Union, at the Paulist Center, across from the
Park Street T station from 7-9 p.m. this evening.
State of the UnionA Justice with Peace
ReponsePaulist Center5 Park St.Boston,
Ma.Speakers and performers include:
Kristina Olsen (9-11 Family member recently
returned from Iraq), City Councilor Felix Arroyo
(introduced an anti-war resolution and will
initiate "A Fast Against the War" tomorrow)
Randall Forsberg (Institute for Defense &
Disarmament Studies), Nancy Murray (ACLU), Joseph
Gerson (AFSC), NEW RESOURCE ON THE
ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF BUSH’S WAR
POLICIESMost people understand that
President Bush’s economic and tax policies are
major causes of their economic insecurity and
crises while redistributing hundreds of billions
of dollars from the poor and middle classes to the
rich. Few understand how the U.S. military budget
and the threatened invasion of Iraq are depriving
Americans of housing, health care and education.
AFSC has produced a mass appeal flyer that
explains this with facts, figures and graphs based
on Defense Department, the National Priorities
Project, and other NGO’s. You can find a copy on
which you can place your own group’s contact
information at: . You need Adobe Acrobat to print
this files.PLAN TO JOIN UNITED FOR PEACE
AND JUSTICE’S ANTI-WAR RALLY IN NEW YORK FEB.
15You can make bus reservation for the
round trip on February 15 over the web at
www.RSVPEACE.org or by phoning or writing the AFSC
(617-661-6130, 2161 Massachusetts Ave.) Buses will
leave from a number of locations. Tickets cost
$30, with a limited number of scholarships
available.Additional information and new
outreach materials for the February 15 "World Says
No to War" march in New York City are available
for downloading at this location:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ufp_com/files/ .You
need Adobe Acrobat to print these
files.There are full-page leaflets and
quarter-page palmcards available in
bothEnglish and Spanish versions. We encourage
you to make your outreachmaterials bilingual
by printing English on one side, Spanish on the
other.We also encourage you, if possible, to
photocopy onto bright blue paper formaximum
impact.Outreach packets containing other
materials, including buttons and
stickers,** Senator Dianne Feinstein
Monday 27 January 2003"As a member of the
Senate Intelligence committee, I have seen
nointelligence that suggests that the threat
from Iraq is imminent"On U.N. Report on
the Iraq Inspections Washington, DC --
TheU.N.'s Chief Arms Inspector, Hans Blix,
today gave a report on thestatus of
inspections into Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
to theUnited Nations Security Council. The
following is SenatorFeinstein's statement on
the Blix Report: "The report released todayby
Hans Blix on Iraq inspections contains many
different shades ofgray. It seems that Iraq is
cooperating on the process ofinspections, but
not on the substance. Given the stakes of
apotential war with Iraq, however, I believe
the inspectors should beafforded more time to
continue their investigation. At this point,I
believe that it would be a tremendous mistake for
the UnitedStates to unilaterally attack Iraq.
The U.N. inspectors have notfinished their
job, and the United Nations has not fully
consideredthe matter. It is my hope that the
Administration will show patienceand allow the
weapons inspectors more time. As a member of
theSenate Intelligence committee, I have seen
no intelligence thatsuggests that the threat
from Iraq is imminent. The United Nationshas
inspectors on the ground, and more are on the way.
For me, thismeans that Iraq is essentially
contained. War should be a lastresort, and I
do not think we are at that last resort at this
time.http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/012903A.dems.no.rush.htm**
Congressman Jesse Jackson Monday 27 January
2003"give inspections more time, to give
the inspectors a chance, andgive diplomacy an
opportunity to bring about a peaceful
resolutionto the problems in
Iraq...""the essence of today's report to
the United Nation's SecurityCouncil by Hans
Blix of the United Nations Monitoring,
Verificationand Inspection Commission
(UNMOVIC) and Mohamed ElBaradei of
theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
was that while Iraq hasbeen more cooperative
on `process' and less cooperative
on`substance,' their recommendation is to give
inspections more time,to give the inspectors a
chance, and give diplomacy an opportunityto
bring about a peaceful resolution to the problems
in Iraq. Therewas nothing in today's report
that compels a war against Iraq now.President
Bush should allow the inspectors to complete their
task,and wait on their final report and
recommendations beforedetermining our most
appropriate course of action." "We know
todaywhat we knew in 1980, that Saddam Hussein
is capable of war - wesupported him in the
decade-long Iran-Iraq war. We know today
whatwe have always known, that he threatens,
tortures, and maims his ownpeople - in March
of 1988 he killed 5,000 Iraqis in one day. We
knowtoday what we always knew, that he is
capable of invading anothersovereign nation -
as he did in Kuwait in 1990. We know today
whatwe have always known, that he is an odious
dictator..."http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/012903A.dems.no.rush.htm==================*
Europe's declaration of
independenceFrustrated with the
warmongering and arrogance of the Bush
WhiteHouse, Germany and France are making a
historic break with the U.S.Relations may
never be the same.By Noah Sudarsky
Jan. 25, 2003 | PARIS -- As American and
British forces continueto flock to the Persian
Gulf, a stunning global rift is
reachinghistoric proportions. Not since the
end of WWII has Germany, one ofAmerica's
staunchest allies, refused to support the U.S. on
a majorforeign policy issue. And now, France,
which was instrumental indefining the terms of
United Nations Resolution 1441, has opted
tojoin the ranks of the "refusal camp," as it
is being called here.full story
at:http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/01/25/europe/index.html>==================*
Norman Schwarzkopf wants to give peace a
chanceDesert Caution: Once 'Stormin'
Norman,' Gen. Schwarzkopf IsSkeptical About
U.S. Action in IraqBy Thomas E. Ricks,
Washington Post Staff WriterTuesday, January
28, 2003; Page
C01http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52450-2003Jan27.htmlTAMPA--Norman
Schwarzkopf wants to give peace a
chance.The general who commanded U.S.
forces in the 1991 Gulf War says hehasn't seen
enough evidence to convince him that his old
comradesDick Cheney, Colin Powell and Paul
Wolfowitz are correct in movingtoward a new
war now. He thinks U.N. inspections are still
theproper course to follow. He's worried about
the cockiness of theU.S. war plan, and even
more by the potential human and financialcosts
of occupying Iraq...In fact, the hero of
the last Gulf War sounds surprisingly like
theman on the street when he discusses his
ambivalence about the Bushadministration's
hawkish stance on ousting Saddam Hussein.
Heworries about the Iraqi leader, but would
like to see somepersuasive evidence of Iraq's
alleged weapons programs."The thought of
Saddam Hussein with a sophisticated
nuclearcapability is a frightening thought,
okay?" he says. "Now, havingsaid that, I don't
know what intelligence the U.S. government
has.And before I can just stand up and say,
'Beyond a shadow of a doubt,we need to invade
Iraq,' I guess I would like to have
betterinformation."He hasn't seen that
yet, and so -- in sharp contrast to the
Bushadministration -- he supports letting the
U.N. weapons inspectorsdrive the timetable: "I
think it is very important for us to waitand
see what the inspectors come up with, and
hopefully they come upwith something
conclusive."full story
at:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52450-2003Jan27.html==================*
Religious leaders try to raise voice for
peaceBy Michael Paulson, Globe Staff,
January 28,
2003http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/028/metro/Religious_leaders_try_to_raise_voice_for_peace+.shtmlAt
the Capitol in Washington, amid all the pomp and
circumstancethat Congress can muster,
President Bush is expected to lay out hiscase
tonight for a possible war.At the same
time, at Boston's storied Trinity Church, leaders
ofmany of the state's religious traditions
will be gathering in theirfull liturgical
finery to make their own case, for
peace.The simultaneous events highlight an
increasing tension between anopenly religious
president and the leaders of many of the
nation'sreligions.''I don't want to
second-guess his discernment, but I think
he'sclearly misguided on this issue,'' said
Bishop M. Thomas Shaw,leader of the Episcopal
Diocese of Massachusetts, who is
organizingtonight's religious event, at which
Buddhists, Christians, Hindus,Jews, Muslims,
and Sikhs plan to pray together against war.
Askedwhether he shouldn't be watching the
president on TV tonight, Shawsaid, ''I'm going
to be right where I should be, in
church,surrounded by the support of the faith
community.''...In recent weeks and
months, opposition to war, at least in the
formof a unilateral, preemptive strike against
Iraq, has been voiced bythe US Conference of
Catholic Bishops, the National Council
ofChurches, and a variety of leaders of
non-Christian faiths. Only ahandful of
religious leaders, including some
evangelicalProtestants, have expressed support
for a campaign against SaddamHussein's
Iraq.full story
at:http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/028/metro/Religious_leaders_try_to_raise_voice_for_peace+.shtml==================German
Bishops' Statement on Iraq ConflictCode:
ZE03012225 ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome
[http://www.zenit.org/english/
]Development of the Iraq
ConflictStatement of the German Bishops
Conference on the Iraq ConflictA
preventive war would violate ethical
standardsThe struggle for war and peace in
the Middle East goes on. Is theworld at the
threshold of a new armed conflict or is it
stillpossible to find political solutions to
avoid bloodshed? Thepolitical situation is
changing daily. Against this background, itis
important to recall again some ethical principles
and Christianoptions which we laid down in our
statement "A Just Peace".We do this in
full accord with the Holy Father and with the
Churchworldwide. Their voice can be clearly
heard in these months as thesituation is
becoming more and more critical. With gratitude we
alsonotice the accordance with the protestant
Christians.First: A state which repeatedly
broke the peace with its neighbourcountries
and a government which did not shrink from using
brutalviolence against the own people
represent a threat to theinternational order
which the international community must
notignore. This is all the more true for a
regime that obviouslyendeavours to obtain
weapons of mass destruction. For this
reason,we appreciate the efforts of the United
Nations to exert pressure onIraq in order to
prevent the production of nuclear, biological
andchemical weapons and to reduce as far as
possible Iraq s potentialto cause aggression.
In the context of a political strategy
whichfinally aims at preventing war, the use
of threats might beethically justified in
certain cases. But under no circumstancesmust
this policy fall into the logic of escalation
which inevitablyends up in war.Second:
War is always a severe evil. For this reason, it
may betaken into consideration only in case of
an attack or to avert mostserious crimes
against humanity such as genocide. Therefore, we
aredeeply concerned about the fact that the
prohibition of preventivewar embodied in
international law has increasingly been
questionedover the recent months. The point at
issue is war prevention notpreventive war! A
security policy that advocates preventive war
isin contradiction with Catholic teaching and
international law. Thisis what the Holy Father
emphatically emphasised some days ago: "Asthe
Charter of the United Nations Organisation and
international lawitself remind us, war cannot
be decided upon, [...] except as thevery last
option". A preventive war represents an aggression
andthus it cannot be defined as a just war for
self-defence. The rightto self-defence
presupposes a real or imminent attack but not
justthe mere possibility of an attack. A war
aiming at the prevention ofdangers would
undermine the prohibition of violence embodied
ininternational law, it would promote
political instability andfinally shake the
entire international system of the community
ofstates to its very
foundations.Third: Deciding on the use of
military force always includesconsidering the
foreseeable consequences. Is there any doubt that
awar against Iraq would most probably kill and
injure innumerablepeople, that it would bring
about countless refugees and woulddeprive many
people of their existence? A war also threatens
tocause the most serious political divergences
in the entire MiddleEast, which would put at
risk the achievements of the
internationalalliance against terror. A war
against Iraq would probably enablefanatic
Islamic fundamentalists to increase their
influenceeverywhere in the region and would
threaten to further intensify theserious
reservations which the Arab and Muslim world has
against theWestern world. Would the region
have better prospects of peace,stability and
the protection of human rights after a
war?Therefore, we call upon all people
responsible to do everythingwithin their power
to prevent war in Iraq and as Pope John Paul
IIput it "to extinguish the ominous
smouldering of a conflict, which,with the
joint efforts of all, can be avoided". In this
hour, no-oneis allowed to show resignation or
tactical opportunism and to submitto the
seemingly unstoppable process.We point out
emphatically that the international community will
notbe condemned to inactivity as it
disapproves of the option of war.It is
necessary to continue exerting pressure on the
regime of thedictator Saddam Hussein and to
practise the policy of firmlyrestricting his
freedom of military action.We call upon
all the faithful to continue praying for peace in
thesedays and weeks. In our prayers, we
address Christ who blessed
thepeacemakers.Würzburg,
20-01-2003This email is being sent to you by
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