Medea Benjamin's Blog, page 15

Letter to Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper! Ban or Arrest Dick Cheney!

Monday, September 30th, 2013

T [image error] he Right Honourable Stephen Harper

Office of the Prime Minister

80 Wellington Street House of Commons Ottawa ON K1A 0A2

Fax: 1-613-941-6900

Email: pm@pm.gc.ca

The Honourable Peter MacKay

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada

House of Commons

Ottawa ON K1A 0A6

Fax: 613 992 2337 Peter.mackay@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Chris Alexander

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, 100 Westney Road South, Unit E101 Ajax ON L1S 7H3

Fax: 905 426 9564 Chris.Alexander@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable John Baird

Minister of Foreign Affairs

Lester B. Pearson Building, Tower A 125 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON KIA OG2 Fax: 1-613-996-3443

Email: john.baird@parl.gc.ca

LAWYERS AGAINST THE WAR Canada 1 604 738 0338 law@portal.ca www.lawyersagainstthewar.org

Dear Prime Minister, Attorney General, and Ministers Alexander and Baird;

Re: Duty to Bar Dick Cheney from Canada and to Arrest him on Entry

Lawyers Against the War (LAW) is writing to inform you that Richard (Dick) Cheney, former Vice- President of the United States of America, is scheduled to speak at the Toronto Global Forum on October 30-31st 2013 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The event is hosted by the International Economic Forum of the Americas.

We are writing to confirm that Canada has an obligation to bar Cheney from entering Canada or arrest him on entry:

Duty to Bar Cheney from Canada -- CLICK HERE TO READ TO WHOLE LETTER!

Want to feed hungry children, or enrich military contractors?

With the House of Representatives voting cuts to food stamps by $40 billion over 10 years, and threatening a federal government shutdown if the Affordable Health Care Act goes into effect, U.S. taxpayers wonder why there always seems to be enough funding for weapons and wars.

In 2013 Congress gave the Pentagon a whopping 57% of the discretionary funds in its annual budget. Campaign contributions and other goodies from lobbyists for the weapons and security industries buy influence with elected officials who are supposed to represent the people.

How can the bottom line of military contractors be more important than feeding hungry children?

Look at what our taxes already fund, and compare the price tags for areas threatened with cuts:

Weaponized drones cost up to $120 million apiece vs. Food stamps for 900,000 people for a year

NSA and other intelligence gathering by the Pentagon cost $52.6 billion last year vs. Health care for 20 million children for a year

Guantanamo prison detention for one person already cleared for release $900,000 per year vs. College fully funded for 10-20 students for a year

Cuts over the last several years have already reduced much needed services to our most vulnerable populations, especially children and the elderly. It’s time to bring our war dollars home and put them to work building jobs, health care, education, renewable energy, and healthy food.

What would you rather see your taxes spent on?

Remarks for Acceptance for US Army Private Chelsea Manning for the Sean MacBride Peace Award from the International Peace Bureau

By Ann Wright

On behalf of US Army Private Chelsea Manning (previously known as Bradley Manning), I want to thank the International Peace Bureau for its award of the Sean MacBride Peace Award to Private Manning.  When Chelsea was told by her lawyer that IPB had selected her as the recipient of this year’s award, she was overwhelmed that such an organization would recognize her actions as actions for peace.  She knows the history of the MacBride Peace Award, in honor of Sean MacBride, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, founding member of Amnesty International and a tireless advocate for peaceful resolution of conflict.  Private Manning recognizes the works of previous awardees and is deeply honored to be included in their ranks.

As you know, Private Manning is not here to receive the award in person as she is incarcerated in the US military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas after she was sentenced on August 21, 2013 to 35 years in prison for giving over 800.000 pages of government documents known as the Iraq,  Afghanistan, Guantanamo and Diplomatic files to the online publishing organization Wikileaks.  Materials Private Manning provided documented human rights violations and breaches of international humanitarian law by US military, by Iraqi and Afghan military forces operating alongside US forces, and by military contractors. The files included reports on illegal and inhumane battlefield actions and previously unseen footage of journalists and other civilians being killed in US helicopter attacks, information which should  have been made available to the public.

Private Manning said she acted on the belief that she could spark a meaningful public debate on the cost of war, and specifically on the conduct of the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan.  She said she did not intend to harm the United States, but wanted to have information about the wars more transparent to the American public. In her February 28, 2013, 10,000 word statement to the court, Private Manning said, “I believed that if the general public, especially the American public, had access to the information contained within the [Iraq and Afghan War Logs] this could spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy in general as well as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan.” http://www.bradleymanning.org/news/bradley-mannings-statement-taking-responsibility-for-releasing-documents-to-wikileaks

Private Chelsea Manning’s sentence of 35 years is one that we would have expected for someone who disclosed information in order to harm the United States or who disclosed information for monetary game. Private Manning did neither.

Private Manning’s attorney David Coombs, wrote in a letter to the Secretary of the Army for a pardon and/or commutation of Chelsea’s sentence that, “Although the government is entitled to protect sensitive information, the documents in this case did not merit protection. Many of the documents released by Private Manning were either unclassified or contained information that the public had a right to know. None of the disclosed documents caused any real damage to the United States. Instead, these documents simply embarrassed our country by revealing misconduct by the Department of Defense and unethical practices by the Department of State.  We rely upon whistleblowers, even in those instances that might cause embarrassment, to keep our government accountable to its people. Private Manning is a military whistleblower. She disclosed documents that were vital for a public healthy public debate about our conduct in Iraq and Afghanistan, our detention policies in Guantánamo, and our diplomatic activities around the world. The sentence given to her by the military judge grossly exaggerates the seriousness of her conduct. It will undoubtedly have a chilling effect on future whistleblowers and damage the public’s perception of military justice.”

Civil rights organizations have criticized the harsh sentence given to Pvt. Manning.  Lisa Clayton, who co-directs the Brennan Center for Justice, Liberty and National Security program, called the 35 year sentence unprecedented and stated “it is dramatically longer than the longest sentence previously ever received for disclosing classified information to the media, which was two years.”
Ben Wisner, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology project, said  ”a legal system that does not distinguish between leaks to the press in the public interest and treason against the nation will not only produce unjust results, but will deprive the public of critical information that is necessary for democratic accountability.”

Ana Fitzgerald, the director of Amnesty International’s Research and Crisis Response, said “Chelsea Manning should be shown clemency in recognition of her motives for acting as she did, the treatment she endured in her early pretrial confinement, and the due process shortcomings during her trial.”

While Chelsea Manning faces many years in prison for the public disclosure of documents to WikiLeaks, numerous high-level officials have never been held accountable for the grave human rights violations committed during the United States war on terror including kidnapping, extraordinary rendition, indefinite detention and torture.

Documents released by Wikileaks were published in numerous national newspapers as Chelsea had hoped, citizens around the world  read how many of their governments cooperated with the United States in kidnapping, imprisonment and torture in US war on terror—and were outraged as she had been.

Private Manning has already paid a heavy price for her whistleblowing. She has been held for more than three years in military confinement. A substantial portion of that confinement was spent an unlawful solitary confinement at Marine Corps base Quantico. She endured a three-year protracted legal process and faced a meritless charge of aiding the enemy, which the court dismissed for lack of evidence.

The MacBride Award will encourage and hearten Private Chelsea Manning while she is in prison.
I urge everyone to write Chelsea while she is in prison and to donate to the Chelsea Manning educational fund that the Private Manning Support Group has set up to provide money for her to attend college when she returns to our community. http://www.privatemanning.org/learn-more/write-to-bradley-manning

Again, on behalf of Private Chelsea Manning, I want to thank the International Peace Bureau for selecting her as the recipient of the 2013 Sean MacBride Peace Award.

CODEPINK Delivers Petition to US Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power, Urges Ceasefire for Syria

Today CODEPINK successfully delivered a petition with over 3,000 signatures to the office of Ambassador Samantha Power’s, the US mission to the UN in New York. The petition urges Ambassador Power to push for a ceasefire for Syria during the Geneva II Convention.

The women who delivered the petition included CODEPINK Campaign Organizer Nancy Mancias, CODEPINK Co-founder Jodie Evans, retired Army Reserve Colonel Ann Wright, NY Director of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Alice Slater, and many others. They were met by Ghada Mukada of the Syrian Women’s Forum, and together they delivered the petition to the press officer of the US Mission to the UN, Kurtis Cooper.

Check out the video of the UN Press Officer, Kurtis Cooper, accepting petition from CODEPINK cofounder Jodie Evans.

Mukada is originally from Syria and now resides in Dallas, Texas, where she works closely with CODEPINK Dallas Coordinator Leslie Harris. She will not go back to Syria right now because the situation there is still so tumultuous.

The women sat down and talked in depth with Mukada. She is looking for support in bringing peace to Syria. “If the US cared about the Syrian women and children,” she said, “they would not even think of bombing but would support the refugees, stop funding weapons and use their power to bring the factions to peace talks.”

Watch the full interview with Mukada on Youtube.

The CODEPINK petition calls for a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution, and emphasizes the need for the US government to focus on humanitarian aid to the millions of Syrian refugees. The UN request for refugee assistance is still 60 percent underfunded. We call on Ambassador Power to push for an increase in US aid to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees as part of our effort to help the Syrian people in their time of great need.

Mukada is passionate about the cause and is scheduled to speak in Washington, D.C. September 19, 2013. CODEPINK will continue to support Mukada and the women in the Syria refugee camps. If you would like to take action with us please make a donation to send solar lamps to Syrian Women in refugee camps.

Due to popular pressure from CODEPINK and activists across the nation, we were able to temporarily avert a US military strike on Syria. However, that doesn’t mean that military option is off the table. We must continue to stand strong and keep putting pressure on Congress and President Obama- we can’t stop bloodshed with more bloodshed.

Egypt joins Israel as Gaza’s jailer

By Medea Benjamin & Pam Bailey

There was a time when activist groups that focused on helping the Palestinians in Gaza reserved their harshest language and protests for Israel, which long has prohibited both air and sea traffic in and out of Gaza; tightly limited exchanges through its Erez terminal; and banned exports altogether.

While movement in and out of Gaza via the Egyptian terminal at Rafah was restricted as well, it nonetheless was a critical lifeline for Palestinians needing to travel, and for humanitarian aid. Likewise, members of the Egyptian government often played a constructive role in facilitating negotiations between the various Palestinian factions, as well as with international parties.

However, in the two months since the Egyptian military took control, it has made clear it will no longer serve as that “bridge”. In fact, as the military and other opponents of ousted President Mohamed Morsi increasingly blame Palestinian “elements” for growing unrest and violence, particularly in the Sinai Peninsula, the interim government of Egypt has increasingly allied itself with Israel in strategy and actions – becoming just as much Gazans’ jailer as its neighbor to the east. As The Washington Post reported, “with Egypt’s military-backed interim government shutting down the tunnels and largely closing its own pedestrian crossing at Rafah, Gaza is increasingly shut off from the world”.

In response, organizations ranging from the European Campaign to End the Siege of Gaza to Gaza’s Ark (an international coalition focused on ending the Israeli ban on exports) are directly including Egypt in their messaging. And a petition launched by a grassroots coalition calling itself the International Campaign to #OpenRafahBorder  attracted more than 1,000 signatures from around the world in just the first 24 hours. The coalition’s goal is to collect 25,000 signatures and deliver them to Egyptian ambassadors, the United Nations and human rights organizations.

Stranded students and patients

Before Egypt’s military ousted Morsi on July 3, an estimated 1,200 people-a-day used to cross through Rafah, which was Gaza’s main window to the world. Since then, the average number of permitted travelers has only been 250 each day, if Rafah is open at all. At this article’s writing, Rafah had been closed for six consecutive days. The EuroMid Observer for Human Rights estimates that at least 10,000 Palestinians are currently on the waiting list to cross on the Gaza side alone.

Many of the individuals left stranded are students trying to get to universities after months of effort to apply for scarce scholarships. Malaka Mohammed, a 23-year-old refugee, is set to begin studying global politics and law at the UK’s Sheffield University on Sept. 30, after working hard to obtain a partial scholarship and fundraising through an online campaign. With about half of the needed donations already in, Mohammed took a risk and made arrangements to travel to the UK on September 18. Now she is wondering if all that work was for naught.

“Gaza really is the world’s biggest prison and it’s become more so every day. We thought the Rafah crossing was our exit to freedom and happiness. But it has become a place where people lose their hopes,” she posted on Facebook.

Other stranded travelers include persons needing medical care. Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry, told Reuters that 1,000 individuals a month require medical care in Egypt or other countries due to the shortages and other difficulties in the Strip. While foreign physicians often travel to Gaza to bring vital supplies and provide care, these days they aren’t being allowed in. “Until June, we had received 60 delegations of doctors who performed surgery on 1,000 patients. No delegation has arrived since then,” Qidra told Reuters.

Gazans face fuel shortage

Although word came on September 16, that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas had interceded with the Egyptian interim government to open up a few hours for students and sick people, Gazans were unimpressed. Shahd Abusalama, who is trying to leave to study in Istanbul, posted this comment: “Thanks a lot, Abbas, for finding some time to think about us and deciding to take action. We, the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, appreciate that you finally have some sympathy for us. The crisis cannot be solved by opening up for just two days, four working hours each. This is not a solution. If they manage to let 500 people cross, what will happen to the rest? F**k him!”

No more pipeline of supplies

Currently, the only way for goods and supplies to enter Gaza is Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing (Rafah was not constructed to handle freight traffic). However, the volume allowed is far below the population’s needs (179 trucks a day, compared to nearly 600 before Israel imposed the siege in 2007). Thus, underground smuggling tunnels from Egypt to Gaza have played the role of a crucial “safety valve”. According to the EuroMid Observer for Human Rights, Gaza’s businesses have relied on the tunnels for more than 45 percent of their raw materials – including about 7,500 tons of construction materials per day.

However, the Egyptian military now has launched a massive campaign to destroy the tunnels, without a plan for allowing goods in via another route. The operation seems to be part of an effort to cripple Hamas – an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood – which governs the coastal enclave.

Local sources say 90 percent of the tunnels have been forced out of operation; fewer than 10 are still open, compared to an estimated 300 before the crackdown. As a result of the tunnel destruction and other restrictions, says the Euro-Mid Observer, 60 percent of industrial businesses are closed and the rest are operating at partial capacity, putting more than 19,500 people out of work.

A related challenge is that Gazans have come to rely on the cheap, state-subsidised fuel and gas smuggled from Egypt (Israeli gas is twice as expensive and thus not affordable). Long lines at gas stations, as well as a dramatic reduction in cars available for transportation, are now increasingly the reality in Gaza.

Yousef Aljamal, a young Gazan employee of a local NGO, posted on Facebook, “the transportation crisis in Gaza is deepening. I waited half-an-hour this morning to get a ride to my office, to no avail. I had to change the route I take every day, increasing the fees I have to pay. It also took me half-an-hour to get a ride to get home. Exhausted!”

With the irrepressible Gazan “graveyard” humor, another friend commented, “I heard that our electricity company is gonna run their generators on donkeys –  sounds like good news: green energy!”

On September 5, the Palestinian Energy Authority warned that the Gaza Power Plant is in danger of shutting down completely due to lack of fuel. If the plant shuts down, the result would be power outages of 12 to 16 hours-a-day, up from the current 8 to 12 hours, disabling water and waste-disposal systems as well as crippling many businesses.

Even more alarming, warns the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, is the fact that Gaza’s 14 hospitals and 60 health centres have long relied on 250,000 litres of the less-expensive Egyptian fuel each month (likewise, 30 percent of their medicines and other supplies had come through Rafah).

Militarization of the Gaza-Egypt border

Indicative of just how much – and how permanently – the situation on the ground is changing is the news that the Egyptian army has begun bulldozing and blowing up houses on its side of the border near Rafah. The action is step one towards clearing the way for a “buffer zone” hundreds of yards wide between the two sides, replicating the barren no-man’s-land that Israel enforces inside Gaza to keep Palestinians from approaching the Israeli border.  Hamas officials told The Washington Post that the Egyptian military plans to dig a moat along the border and fill it with water.

Meanwhile, this month two Egyptian army tanks crossed into the Gaza side of the border for the first time; although they didn’t go far, it created a precedent.

Gaza fishermen are being attacked as well. On September 14, news reports confirmed that Egyptian naval forces had opened fire at and arrested two fishermen in waters off Rafah. That was the second time in recent weeks that Egyptian forces opened fire at Gaza fishermen.

As if taking their cue from the new bellicosity of Egypt, the Israeli military has begun to abrogate the concessions brokered by Morsi’s government in November 2012, as part of a ceasefire that ended eight days of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip and retaliatory fire from groups in the territory.

As part of the agreement, Israel had reduced the “buffer zone” along its border with Gaza, from 300 metres to 100. However, after Morsi was ousted by the Egyptian military, farmers reported being shot at as far as 500 metres out. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights documented during July and August that Israel was responsible for one shelling, 12 shootings and seven incursions in the buffer zone – resulting in one death and seven injuries, including two children.

It seems clear that as the world remains focused on Syria and Iran, Israel and Egypt are working in concert to “re-write” the facts on the ground for Gaza. It’s time for the international activist community to mobilize.

 

Pam Bailey is a freelance journalist and activist who has lived and worked in Gaza.  

Medea Benjamin is co-founder of Global Exchange and Codepink: Women for Peace.

10 Reasons Why Americans Opposed, and Averted, a US War on Syria

By Janet Weil

As I took part in rallies, marches, vigils, conference calls, personal conversations and meetings in the San Francisco Bay Area during the recent crisis over Syria, these are the reasons I heard that Americans opposed even a “limited” US strike on that country:

1 - It won’t do any good. The insanity of killing people with cruise missiles and other conventional weapons to “send a message” that killing people with poison gas is WRONG, was repeated over and over, to good effect.

2 - We’re supporting Al-Qaeda now, really?! I heard this at the August 4 Restore the 4th rally in San Francisco as this crisis started to build. I have the sense that this was mostly a libertarian and right-wing perspective, though Dennis Kucinich came down hard on this as well.

3 – Don’t get involved in someone else’s civil war. People expressed overall wariness not only about Al-Nusra and/or Al-Qaeda in Syria but also unease about the violent and divided Syrian “rebels.” Sometimes an ugly “let the bastards kill each other” or “they’re not worth us getting involved” message was a barely hidden subtext to this oppositional messaging.

4 – Iraq. The US didn’t help that country. Yeah, no kidding.  For millions in this country who believed the propaganda in 2002-2003, the lessons from the horror of the Iraq War are finally sinking in. Many people saw a US “strike” as the beginning of Iraq II, and they weren’t having it.

5 - We’re not going to war for Obama. Republicans and Libertarians were the first and some of the strongest opposition; see Bruce Gagnon’s analysis. Some of this opposition was based in a racist desire to thwart our first “black” (really, biracial) president regardless of the issue, but some was principled opposition based on a lack of trust and respect for Obama’s policies overall, including his “dirty” drone strikes and special operations in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

6 - It costs too much, and we need the money at home. The Bring Our War $$ Home messaging has been circulating since 2009, and many people across the political spectrum picked up on it. Also sequester cuts happening simultaneously with this latest propaganda push, and the weak economy, added to the force of “we can’t afford it.”

7 - Our military has been stretched and overdeployed for too long. Active duty troops photographed themselves opposing another war – an unusual and brave move link. People didn’t believe Kerry’s/Obama’s reassurances about how limited a US (air) war on Syria would be.

8 – Afghanistan. The US is still engaged in a “hot” war, one that is still sending young Americans home in coffins or wheelchairs. Even if the mainstream media can’t be bothered to cover that war, Americans, especially veterans and military families haven’t forgotten.

9 - Libya. Americans are (dimly) aware that all is not right in Libya and there have been many unintended, negative consequences from the US/NATO air war there.

10 - The UK Parliament voted NO. Last but certainly not least. It’s one thing to say, write, chant “Say no to war” — it’s quite another, and more mobilizing, thing for our country’s closest ally to do so in a public vote of their legislature, pushed by their citizens. The vote being close didn’t even matter – it was an historic NO, and a pivotal moment in this crisis – the push to “take it to Congress” really took off after this vote.

Final thoughts: This crisis isn’t over, and the US warships, jets and other machinery of destruction are still hanging fire in the eastern Mediterranean, at vast taxpayer expense. Going forward, we in peace/antiwar organizations, from whatever political perspectives, need to amplify these “talking points of the people” and stay ready to take action again.

There isn’t a single “movement” against war, but an informal, multifocal opposition from across the political spectrum. “Yelling at empty buildings” aka the huge marches of the past especially in DC, may be a tactic that’s outlived its usefulness. Americans live on our phones these days, and we found ourselves ready to use them to call Congress. The timing of this crisis was helpful – we were able to show up at representatives’ town halls during the August recess and speak our minds in person. For now, that was enough to avert a war. More may well be needed later in the year, as the military-industrial-media complex hasn’t gone away. But for now, let’s reflect on a rare, and much-needed victory, staying humble and nimble for the challenges ahead.

 

Janet Weil is a longtime CODEPINKer and a co-founder of SF 99% Coalition.

Now is the Time to De-escalate the Violence in Syria: Talking Points

Now is the Time to De-escalate the Violence in Syria

•   We should move forward on the Russian proposal for Assad to hand over chemical weapons.

•   We should recommend that whoever is found responsible for the chemical attack be brought before the International Criminal Court.

•   We should call for a meeting of the signers of the Convention Against Chemical Weapons to decide collectively how to respond.

•   We should energetically promote a ceasefire and arms embargo on all sides. Russia, Iran, and others must stop arming and funding the Syrian regime.  Washington, Saudi Arabia and other US allies must stop arming and funding the armed Syrian opposition.

•   We should jointly, with the world community, ensure that the UN has the funds it needs to care for the over 2 million Syrian refugees

 

A US military strike would be illegal. The UN Charter allows military action only in two cases – immediate self-defense or authorization by the Security Council. Syria hasn’t attacked or threatened the U.S., so there’s no self-defense claim. And the Security Council hasn’t authorized force, and likely won’t. U.S. law says only Congress can declare war – President Obama has asked Congress for approval, but claims he has the right to go ahead even if they vote no. That would violate the Constitution.

Military strikes also threaten to increase the violence and cause harm to Syrian civilians. The Pentagon admits cruise missiles aren’t always accurate.  And the Syrian government is reportedly moving more military offices to populated areas, increasing the likelihood of civilian casualties. Moreover, And the Obama administration admits its planned “limited surgical strikes” won’t do anything to bring the horrifying Syrian civil war to an end any quicker.

 

That’s why we feel that military action will increase the levels of violence and instability inside Syria, within the region, and potentially even globally.  Extremist forces in the region have the most to gain from military strikes; they will use the direct US involvement as a recruitment tool and potential target. Syrian civilians could face greater repression by the government in retaliation for US military strikes. Military strikes could fuel escalation of all five wars underway in Syria: the civil war, the regional power war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the global war of words between the US and Russia, the sectarian war between Shi’a and Sunnis, and the war over nuclear policy between the US/Israel and Iran – all now being fought to the last Syrian.

•

If Syria retaliates against US troops or ships, or US bases in neighboring countries, or Israel, it is almost certain the US response would risk regional escalation and a dramatic expansion of US involvement in Syria’s civil war.

 

Let’s stop this attack before it happens.

Call your congressperson. 202-224-3121. Say No to More War.

Contact: Info@codepink.org,

CODEPINK Week of actions in Congress: Tuesday, Sept 10th

Now is the time to have YOUR voice heard to prevent war on Syria!! Here’s the plan for Tuesday, September 10th in Washington DC:

This week we’ve been inside the halls of Congress lobbying and out in the streets protesting against war on Syria, and our voices are being heard! Tonight we teamed up with CREDO, MoveOn and the Win Without War Coalition to host a vigil at the CODEPINK Peace Insurrection encampment in front of Congress at the corner of Independence and New Jersey avenues. Hundreds joined us to oppose US strikes on Syria- including both Democratic and Republican representatives!! Now we need you to come out to Congress all day and the White House at 6:30pm as we continue to oppose a military intervention in Syria!

Here’s the plan for Tuesday, September 10th:

9:00 am – 5:30pm: Meet at the CODEPINK Peace Insurrection encampment at New Jersey Ave & Independence Ave to pick up and distribute fliers and lobby packets! Congressional visits and call parties will be ongoing throughout the day.

1:00-2:00pm (daily activity!): Lunch/Reportback & Lobby training in the Rayburn House Building Cafeteria – look for the pink!

6:30 pm (changed from 5:30): Come eat cupcakes with us as we celebrate CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin’s birthday, then protest with us until Obama’s speech on Syria at 8 to show the world Americans say no to war. Stick around while we show his speech on a 20 foot portable screen outside of the White House and provide commentary after. The Overpass Light Brigade will be there with giant light panels that read NO WAR ON SYRIA – we need volunteers to help us hold these!

If you can’t make it to any of these events, but you still want to support our efforts, make a donation to CODEPINK or order us some salad or pizza to keep us going! We recommend New York Pizza at (202) 547-3838- please have it sent to the Peace Insurrection at New Jersey & Independence Avenues, Southeast DC! We will be lobbying all day every day this week, so stay tuned for schedule updates and upcoming events! You can check out more information about CODEPINK’s work around Syria on our website.

See you in the streets!

The CODEPINK DC Team

CODEPINK Week of actions in Congress: Monday, Sept 9th

Hey CODEPINKers!

Now is the time to have YOUR voice heard to prevent war on Syria!! Here’s the plan for Monday, September 9th in Washington DC:

7:30 am: Meet at the CODEPINK Peace Insurrection encampment at New Jersey & Independence Ave in Washington DC

-Flyering, lobbying, making calls outside

9:-9:30: Lobby training at the Peace Insurrection camp

1:00-2:00: Lunch/Reportback & Lobby training in the Rayburn House Building Cafeteria

7:00 pm: Vigil: Nationwide day for Peace in Syria

Join us as we team up with CREDO, MoveOn, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and the Win Without War Coalition as vigils across the nation call for peace in Syria. RSVP here.

If you can’t make it to any of these events, but you still want to support our efforts, make a donation to CODEPINK or order us some salad or pizza to keep us going (please have it sent to the Peace Insurrection at New Jersey & Independence Avenues, Southeast)! We will be lobbying all day every day this week, so stay tuned for schedule updates and upcoming events! All actions will be posted on the CODEPINK website.

See you in the streets!

The CODEPINK DC Team

Why We Shouldn’t Attack Syria

Talking Points by Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies 

THE CHOICE IS NOT WAR OR NOTHING – WE HAVE OTHER OPTIONS

We can call for a second UN weapons inspection team, to determine who was responsible for the chemical weapons attack.
We can recommend that whoever is found responsible be brought to justice at the International Criminal Court, understanding that timing of such indictments might require adjustment to take into account ceasefire negotiations in Syria.
The US (maybe with Russia) can call for a meeting of the signers of the Convention Against Chemical Weapons – to decide collectively how to respond.
Most important, we must urgently to help end the war in Syria, starting with a ceasefire and arms embargo on all sides. Russia, Iran, and others must stop arming and funding the Syrian regime.  Washington, Saudi Arabia and other US allies must stop arming and funding the armed Syrian opposition.  Washington may have to threaten the Saudis and Qataris that if they don’t stop, we will cancel all existing weapons contracts with them.

 MILITARY STRIKES ARE ILLEGAL

International law, the UN Charter, allows military action only in two cases – immediate self-defense or authorization by the Security Council.
Syria hasn’t attacked or threatened the U.S., so there’s no self-defense claim. And the Security Council hasn’t authorized force, and likely won’t. The UN Charter deliberately makes it really hard to get all the major powers to agree on going to war.
U.S. law says only Congress can declare war – President Obama has asked Congress for approval, but claims he has the right to go ahead even if they vote no. That would violate the Constitution – and with or without Congressional approval, a military strike would still violate international law.

MILITARY STRIKES ARE IMMORAL

Military strikes threaten harm to Syrian civilians – the Pentagon admits cruise missiles aren’t always accurate.  And the Syrian government is reportedly moving more military offices to populated areas, increasing the likelihood of civilian casualties.
The Obama administration admits its planned “limited surgical strikes” won’t do anything to bring the horrifying Syrian civil war to an end any quicker.

 MILITARY STRIKES ARE DANGEROUS

Military action will increase the levels of violence and instability inside Syria, within the region, and potentially even globally.
Extremist forces in the region have the most to gain from military strikes, which will use the direct US involvement as a recruitment tool and potential target.
Syrian civilians could face greater repression by the government in retaliation for US military strikes, as happened in Kosovo in 1999 when many more Kosovars were thrown out of their homes after the US/NATO bombing began.
Military strikes could fuel escalation of all five wars underway in Syria: the civil war, the regional power war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the global war of words between the US and Russia, the sectarian war between Shi’a and Sunnis, and the war over nuclear policy between the US/Israel and Iran – all now being fought to the last Syrian.

 WHAT HAPPENS THE DAY AFTER?

If Syria retaliates against US troops or ships, or US bases in neighboring countries, or Israel, it is almost certain the US response would risk regional escalation and a dramatic expansion of US involvement in Syria’s civil war.

Adapted from “Striking Syria: Illegal, Immoral, and Dangerous” by Phyllis Bennis on Aljazeera