Important Anti-War News

BY JAAN LAAMAN, EDITOR

Tens of thousands (almost 50,000) U.S. troops still occupy Iraq; another mini surge of 1,400 Marines are being sent to Afghanistan, which follows on the heels of the 30,000 troop surge Obama sent there in 2010.

Presently there are 98,000 reported U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, plus an even larger number of NATO troops, mercenaries and contractors. Higher U.S. casualties, more Afghan civilian deaths, a flood of U.S. tax dollars paying for all this war, death, killing and occupation.

It is time to let President Obama, the Congress, the Pentagon, the people across the United States and all around the world know we—millions of people in America—demand an end to the U.S. wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

A new coalition has come forward—UNAC (United National Anti-War Committee) that is calling for huge bi-coastal anti-war rallies on April 9th: one rally in New York City, another in San Francisco.

Come on people, lets face it, we are tired of these wars, the death and casualties, the ongoing years long destruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, the enormous cost of the wars. We have been against these wars, yet they continue, from Republican president to Democrat president.

We’ve marched and protested before, yet the death and killing continue. Now, this April 9, 2011, it is time for everyone to come out in a massive, positive, determined show of humanity and let Obama, the Congress and the world know these wars must end!

The UNAC and the many groups who are part of this effort have put out lots of great slogans and calls, and you can check out much more on these and the logistics of the rallies at UNACpeace.org. The central and most important thing is that people come out, by the thousands and tens of thousands and demand an immediate end to the U.S. wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. Bring ALL U.S. troops home NOW!

Organize your family, your friends, folks at work, at school, in the neighborhood. Bring your children, your parents and grandparents. March for all us political prisoners who can only join you in spirit . Let the world know: End the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—all U.S. troops out Now!”

Call to Action

April 9, 2011
New York & San Francisco
From the United National Antiwar Committee

WHO ARE THE WARMAKERS?

THEY are the government, corporate, and financial powers that wage war, ravage the environment and the economy and trample on our democratic rights and liberties.

WHO ARE THE PEACEMAKERS?

WE are the vast majority of humanity who want peace, a healthy planet and a society that prioritizes human needs, democracy and civil liberties for all.

The Warmakers spend trillions of dollars yearly on endless wars in pursuit of global domination and profit while murdering millions of innocent people, installing corrupt and hated governments and funding occupations that displace millions from their homelands – trampling on the right of oppressed people to self-determination.

THEY send our youth – victims of the economic draft – to fight over the very fossil fuels whose unrestrained use threatens the future of the planet while corrupt and virtually unregulated oil giants dump billions of gallons of death into our rivers and oceans.

THEY wage a fake “war on terrorism” at home – the new McCarthyism – that promotes racism and Islamophobia aimed at destroying civil liberties and democratic rights.

THEY grant repeated and untold trillions in bailouts to banks, corporations and financial institutions while breaking unions, robbing pensions, destroying jobs, foreclosing homes, de-funding education and vital social services and are once again threatening Social Security and Medicare.

THEY offer no solutions to the current crises other than more of the same.

THE PEACEMAKERS DEMAND a better world. Only a massive, united, inclusive and independent movement has the power to bring it into being.

WE DEMAND Bring U.S. Troops, Mercenaries and War Contractors Home Now: Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan! End the sanctions and stop the threats of war against the people of Iran, North Korea and Yemen. No to war and plunder of the people of Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa! End U.S. Aid to Israel! End U.S. Support to the Israeli Occupation of Palestine and the Siege of Gaza!

WE DEMAND trillions for jobs, education, social services, an end to all foreclosures, quality single-payer healthcare for all, a massive conversion to sustainable and planet-saving energy systems and public transportation and reparations to the victims of U.S. terror at home and abroad.

WE DEMAND an end to FBI raids on antiwar, social justice, and international solidarity activists, an end to the racist persecution and prosecutions that ravage Muslim communities, an end to police terror in Black, Latino and Native American communities, full rights and legality for immigrants and an end to all efforts to repress and punish Wikileaks and its contributors and founders.

WE DEMAND the immediate end to torture, rendition, secret trials, drone bombings and death squads.

WE ARE DEDICATED TO A WORLD OF PEACE AND JUSTICE.