Next meetings of the WNC Peace Coalition will be February 3, 2009 at 7 PM.
Location will be Asheville Unitarian Universalist Church at Charlotte and Edwin Streets.
Please enter on the north side.
Meeting is in the basement.
Please join us in planning a March Peace Rally - we need more input and volunteers to make this happen.
We need to resist in March 2009 also! Events and late breaking news can be listed in the comments.
EVENTS
02/03/09 WNC Peace Coalition meeting at 7 PM at Unitarian Universalist Church. Please enter on the north side in the basement.
02/07/09 Buncombe County Greens will meet at 10 AM at the Fortune Building on Haywood Street. Call David at 828-683-1783 or email ireland.dw@juno.com for more information.
02/08/09 Human Rights Fair at UU Church in Asheville from 10 AM to 1 PM. Free and open to the public.
02/14/08 H K on J March – Historic Thousands on J Street in Raleigh March, under the direction of the NC NAACP. Buses will be going from Asheville, more details when they are available.
02/17/09 WNC Peace Coalition meeting at 7 PM at Unitarian Universalist Church. Please enter on the north side in the basement.
02/20/09 WNC Physicians for Social Responsibility will meet at noon in room 4 at Asheville Unitarian Universalist Church.
02/20/08 Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville will hold a movie night followed by discussion. The movie will be “Scarred Lands & Wounded Lives – the Environmental Footprint of War”. Time is 7 PM.
02/28/09 Asheville Youth Activists (6 busloads) going to DC to lobby Congress, part of “Power Shift”.
03/03/09 WNC Peace Coalition meeting at 7 PM at Unitarian Universalist Church. Please enter on the north side in the basement.
03/13/09 Movie night at Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville at 7 PM. Prior to this movie, we will be setting up the Iraqi Peace Flags on the lawn of UU Church.
03/13/09 to 03/19/09 “Stay Home” strike called by United for Peace and Justice and Iraq Veterans Against the War. No work, no school, no shopping. Boycott those that profit from war. There are also plans of civil disobedience. This is to mark six long years of death and destruction in the country of Iraq.
03/17/09 WNC Peace Coalition meeting at 7 PM at Unitarian Universalist Church. Please enter on the north side in the basement.
03/17/09 Bonnie Raitt concert at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. This is a benefit for the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, via the Guacamole Fund.
03/19/09 Demonstrate to Free Palestine – Oppose Lies of Journalist Thomas Freidman at Queens University in Charlotte NC at 6:30 PM. This is also the 6th anniversary of the US war on Iraq. End The Occupations Of Palestine & Iraq! Support Palestinian Right To Return! Stop Spreading Lies & Misinformation in the Media! New York Times columnist & author Thomas Friedman will be speaking at Queens University in the Dana Auditorium. We will be there to tell the truth and stand up for peace & justice. This well published apologist for war crimes has the audacity to justify the massacre being committed against Palestinian Gaza right now and Israel's killing of civilians in Lebanon in 2006. He was also a cheerleader for the criminal invasion & occupation of Iraq. This is from the Charlotte Free Palestine Movement.
03/20/09 to 03/23/09 Department of Peace Campaign National Conference, March 20-23, 2009 in Washington, DC.
03/21/09 Massive day of protest against the Iraq occupation and war. – by ANSWER
Mass Actions on the 6th Anniversary of the Iraq War -- March 21, 2009
Bring All the Troops Home Now -- End All Colonial Occupations!
Fund People's Needs, Not Militarism & Bank Bailouts!
04/04/09 Mass march and rally in NYC by United for Peace & Justice. More information to follow.
04/06/09 World Affairs Council meeting at Owen Conference Center at UNCA at 7:30 PM. PSR are sponsors of this event. They will be showing “Beyond War” and “Nuclear Weapons & the Human Future”.
04/29/09 to 04/30/09 Join Christian Peace Witness for Iraq in Washington DC. This is with the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.
06/07/09 to 06/09/09 Churches for Middle East Peace will hold a conference at the Kellogg Center in Washington DC. http://www.cmep.org.
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ANNOUNCEMENTS AND ACTIONS
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From Friends Committee on National Legislation
President Bans Torture; Congress Should Act, Too
Congratulations, your work against torture had its first results yesterday! On January 22, President Barack Obama issued executive orders outlawing torture, banning secret CIA prisons, and calling for the closure of the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay. He also explicitly revoked former President George W. Bush's order that attempted to limit U.S. interpretation of the relevant parts of the Geneva Conventions.
With these executive orders, Obama took a dramatic step toward restoring this country's image in the world and lifting up a core value of respect for the human rights of all. We congratulate the president on making these orders among his administration's first items of business, and we will look for him to promote their intent. The work is not done, however, until Congress adds its voice to the process. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (CA) has introduced legislation to outlaw the CIA's coercive interrogation program, require the government to close the Guantánamo Bay prison, end secret detentions, prohibit interrogations of detainees by government contractors, and require greater cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross. Passing this bill would reaffirm Congress's commitment to compliance with international laws against torture and would restore enduring legal standards.
Take Action
Urge your senators to cosponsor the Lawful Interrogation and Detention Act (S. 147). If one of your senators is already a cosponsor, express your thanks and urge her or him to encourage other members of the Senate to sign on to the bill.
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From ACLU:
Today is an extraordinary day for civil liberties and our country. And we should all pat ourselves on the back for helping make this moment happen. After he acted on Day One, you joined tens of thousands of ACLU supporters in thanking President Obama for leading on civil liberties. It turns out he was only getting started. Today, he issued four executive orders that set a new path towards an America we can be proud of. Let’s keep the momentum going by encouraging our friends and family to sign our “Thank You for Acting” message to the President.
President Obama’s decisive acts of leadership wouldn’t be possible without you and other ACLU supporters laying the groundwork. All the petitions you’ve signed, actions you’ve taken, and contributions you’ve made are paying off in dramatic fashion. You refused to listen to those who said the ACLU was being idealistic, unrealistic and even crazy to expect a new President to act this quickly. And by acting on your convictions, you helped make this a remarkable day for the Constitution and the rule of law. As director of the ACLU’s Washington office, I’ve seen the impact of your personal activism. And, like you, I know that the more decisively the President acts, the more opposition he will draw. That’s why we’re asking you to invite your friends to join us in thanking President Obama for acting so quickly and urge him to keep moving forward.
With four executive orders today, our new President:
- Ordered Guantánamo Bay shut down
- Banned torture
- Ordered a full review of U.S. detention policies and procedures, and
- Delayed the trial of Ali al-Marri, an ACLU client whose case is at the center of the Supreme Court’s review of indefinite detention policies.
Your action today isn’t just about sending a message of thanks to Obama. It’s about sending a message to anyone who stands in our way as we act to restore the Constitution and reclaim America’s reputation in the world. That’s why I’m urging you to get at least five people to sign our “Thank You” message to President Obama. You were among the first to sign our message to the President. Now, please ask your friends to show their support as well.
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From American Friends Service Committee:
President Obama pledged to have all troops out of Iraq in 16 months.
That means the last soldier should be gone by May 20, 2010 — 5/20/10. We believe President Obama meant what he said during the presidential campaign. It's a goal we've been working toward for six years. That's why we're starting a countdown to help the president keep his promise. How can you help?
- Embed our 5/20/10 countdown calendar on your web page
- Participate in 5/20/10 vigils and events every other month
- Sign the 5/20/10 pledge
We also want to make sure that "out of Iraq" doesn't mean "into Afghanistan." We can't forget what this invasion has done:
- an estimated 1 million Iraqis killed
- 5 million people displaced from their homes
- The largest flow of refugees in the Middle East since 1947
- $720 million spent each day to finance the war
Let's learn from the mistakes we made in Iraq. Let's keep from visiting so much suffering and pain on Afghanistan. Let's get our troops out of Iraq — and let's bring them home.
Sign the 5/20/10 pledge today! Signing means you agree to contact the Obama Administration and your members of Congress with a personal message on the 20th day of every month until there has been total withdrawal from Iraq — and from Afghanistan — or until 5/20/10. We also plan vigils and other events you can attend to show your support.
We promise to make it easy for you. We'll
- send you a monthly e-mail reminder to write, e-mail, or phone your members of Congress
- provide contact information so you know where to send your messages
- provide talking points
We'll also be organizing vigils every two months to drive our point home. Visit our 5/20/10 home page every few days to see the latest figures and get background information on the conflicts.
You'll receive our first set of talking points in February. We have a great opportunity. Let's use all the resources at our disposal to make this vision a reality. Sign the pledge, and let's hold President Obama to his promise!
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Urgent! Call Canada today to let U.S. war resisters stay
The Conservative government of Canada moving swiftly to deport five U.S. war resisters and their families by the end of next week!
Courage to Resist, January 22, 2009
Phone Canadian officials Immigration Minister Jason Kenney and Prime Minister Stephen Harper to tell them you support war resisters. Please ask them to stop the deportation proceedings against all U.S. Iraq War Resisters; and implement the June 2008 Parliamentary motion to allow war resisters to apply for Permanent Resident status in Canada.
The War Resister Support Campaign (Canada) is currently in the midst of a week of action. Please join the North American “phone-in” today and tomorrow. The idea is to keep those phones ringing!
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney
Phone 613-954-1064 (Ministry office) and/or 613-992-2235 (Parliamentary Office).
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Phone 613-992-4211
Resisters facing deportation this week
Cliff Cornell has been ordered to leave Canada today. An Arkansas native, Cliff left for Toronto, Canada in January 2005 to resist deployment to Iraq. "In my heart I felt it's wrong," Cliff has said of his decision to resist deployment. "I've been hearing a lot of people talking about all the innocent people who are being killed and the prisons over there where they've been torturing people. I just didn't want to be a part of it." A local Canadian supporter noted that, "Many supporters on Gabriola Island (in British Columbia) are planning a send-off, and it's our job to raise hell on the phone lines today!” Cliff is expected to return to his last duty station at Fort Stewart, Georgia to face a military court martial.
Chris Teske has been ordered to leave Canada tomorrow (Friday). After two tours in Afghanistan and an honorable discharge, Chris was recalled to the Army to train machine gunners in Iraq. At the time he refused citing "the racism against the Muslim culture in the army there." Chris is expected to return to his last duty station at Fort Drum in upstate New York to face a military courts martial.
Kimberly Rivera, her husband Mario and three children have been ordered to leave Canada by Tuesday, January 27. Kimberly grew up in Mesquite, Texas, a suburb east of Dallas. If forced to leave Canada, she is expected to be returned to Fort Carson, Colorado for military courts martial.
Patrick Hart, his wife Jill and their son have been ordered to leave a week from today, Thursday, January 29. Army Sgt. Hart is a New York native from a military family. He served nine years in the Army prior to turning against the war in Iraq while stationed in Kuwait during 2004. While on leave in 2005, went AWOL rather than be deployed to Iraq. Patrick declared, “If you want to support the troops, bring them home” after arriving in Canada. If forced to leave Canada, he is expected to return to Fort Campbell, Kentucky for military courts martial.
The following day, Friday, January 30, Dean Walcott has been ordered out as well. A Marine MP from Connecticut, Dean went AWOL (actually, "UA" for unauthorized absence in Marine lingo) in 2007 following an Iraq deployment and has lived in Canada since. "As far as I know there's an FBI warrant out for my arrest," Dean told a TV crew recently. "I reenlisted before I knew anything was wrong. (I) was with the military police and all we ever did was run convoys around a very little part of Iraq."
After making the two phone calls, send an email
Follow up your phone message with a brief email to Minister Kenney (minister@cic.gc.ca ) and Prime Minister Harper (pm@pm.gc.ca). Please CC your email to Canadian opposition party leaders:
Liberal party immigration critic Borys Wrzesnewskyj (wrzesnewskyj.b@parl.gc.ca)
NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow (chow.o@parl.gc.ca)
Bloc Québécois immigration critic Thierry St-Cyr (st-cyr.t@parl.gc.ca)
And finally, War Resisters Support Campaign (resisters@sympatico.ca)
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Dear UFPJ Member Groups,
This past week, Israel and Hamas announced separate ceasefires in Gaza. It is good news that the massive killing and destruction has stopped, but securing a lasting peace based on mutual respect is not yet on the horizon. Our work on this issue is far from over. In fact, we must expand our work now to force a fundamental shift in U.S. policy in the region.
On February 1 - 2, a Grassroots Advocacy Training and Lobby Day in Washington, D.C. is being organized by the Interfaith Peace Builders and the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. This Grassroots Advocacy Training will help provide both seasoned organizers and new activists with the critical skills and experiences needed to make a real impact on the new Congress.
Click here to register for this important event at the U.S. Campaign's website.
For decades, the U.S. has provided Israel with the crucial military and diplomatic support for it to maintain its illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and engage in harsh military violence -- the recent assault on Gaza, just one example. We must challenge the U.S. policies as strongly as possible, and part of that effort means making sure we have the training and skills needed to exert pressure on our Congressional representatives to persuade them to use their power to change our government's role in this region.
We strongly urge you to participate in this event and to help bring our voices to the halls of Congress on this important lobbying day. The skills and experience you gain from this event will be important tools to bring back to your individual groups.
REGISTER HERE.
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From Voters for Peace:
Today, President Obama took the first step toward closing Guantanamo. This is a major step forward. Please take action today and thank President Obama for taking this step and urging him to end the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The election of President Obama does not mean that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are over, nor does it mean the military budget will begin to shrink. In fact, the Afghanistan war is escalating and the Iraq War is beginning a very slow, and incomplete, withdrawal. And, Pakistan, Iran and Israel-Palestine loom on the agenda, and that is just the Middle East.
On his first day in office, Voters for Peace delivered a letter signed by nearly 4,000 people making ten recommendations to move the nation to peace and to make the 21st Century the last century of war.
In his inauguration speech President Obama said: "America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace." But, he also began his speech saying "Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred" and concluded saying that the United States would "not to apologize for our way of life, nor waiver in its defense."
Voters for Peace will push for a "new era of peace" by continuing to organize peace voters and speaking out in a unified voice in opposition to war. A major focal point of our advocacy will be the cost of war in this time of economic crisis. With a military budget approaching $1 trillion and the economy collapsing and needing major investment, we can no longer afford the wasteful and bloated military budget. It is time to invest in diplomacy, negotiation and multilateralism so war can be prevented.
When President Obama is right we will applaud him and when he is wrong we will hold him accountable. Please take a few minutes to send a letter to President Obama today.
The WNC Peace Coalition has decided to disband, so there will be no further updates to this blog. 
