As I mentioned in my "Dear Friends" letter in early 2008:
In 1996 the Pentagon admitted publicly that torture manuals had been used at the SOA, which since 1946 has trained many thousands of soldiers and officers from Latin American armies ("U.S. INSTRUCTED LATINS ON EXECUTIONS, TORTURE MANUALS USED 1982- 91, PENTAGON REVEALS," Dana Priest, Washington Post Staff Writer, September 21, 1996 http://newsmine.org/archive/coldwar-imperialism/soa/wp-soa-torture/soa-torture.htm ). Officials say that such training has not continued. However, in recent years the U.S. Army has taught, and the Bush administration has sought to justify, torture by the power of bad example -- e.g., in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and in Guantanamo on a U.S.-occupied part of Cuba.
Furthermore, U.S. training of cadets from Latin America logically serves the long-term goals of U.S. military policy, which in turn is naturally at the service of U.S. foreign policy. That policy is characterized by American intervention, overt or covert, in foreign countries to promote, defend, and protect U.S. corporate interests under the guise of "free-market democracy," with the accent on the first part of that expression.
In Chile that U.S. intervention took the form of opposition to Allende’s socialist program – first trying to prevent his inauguration in 1970, then applying economic warfare, and finally encouraging and supporting the extremely bloody coup in 1973 and supporting the ensuing Pinochet dictatorship. Much can be learned about this from the film, "Missing."
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke often of promoting "free-market democracy," as do present political leaders. And chiefs of the U.S. Southern Command have cited "radical populism" as a growing threat to U.S. interests in Latin America.
In order to avoid being used as instruments and servants of this U.S. imperial policy, four Latin American governments have decided not to send their troops or police to SOA/WHINSEC: Argentina, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Uruguay.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Global Call 2008
THE GLOBAL CALL FOR NONVIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE
TO END THE U.S.-LED MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ (2008)
The Signers listed at the end of the Call are the original Signers in 2005. Since then people from over 40 countries have signed the Call.
Contact:
Joe Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, Nicaragua
mull@ibw.com.ni
blog: www.globalcalliraq1.blogspot.com
FROM:
Nobel Peace and Literature Laureates
Cindy Sheehan and other peace and human-rights activists
Religious leaders of various traditionsPrisoners of Conscience
Former government ministers
Poets, authors, journalists
(Please see end of this message for the list of original Signers and their identification.)
We, the undersigned, invite peace-makers throughout the world to participate in an international campaign of massive, nonviolent civil resistance (civil disobedience) to stop the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. These actions could be organized to include both non-violent civil resistance and legal demonstrations.
FIRST DATE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS IN 2008: March 19, the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. There will be massive demonstrations and actions in Washington, D.C., and other parts of the U.S.
We suggest that our friends in the U.S. contact UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE (see below, after list of signers) and consider joining in their actions.
For those of you in other parts of the world, we suggest that you organize protest actions or demonstrations, whether involving civil disobedience or not, on March 19. There is an urgent need for actions around the world.
THE ACTIONS
Some would participate in legal demonstrations while others would stage sit-ins, die-ins, and other nonviolent methods of blocking "business as usual" at government buildings or installations (including military bases and recruiting centers) or at corporate offices of war profiteers in the U.S., Great Britain, and other countries which are taking part in the deadly and unjust military occupation of Iraq. For these governments, "business as usual" is the business of violence, death, and exploitation. It must be blocked and stopped by responsible citizens.
Peace-makers in countries whose governments are not at war in Iraq could consider U.S. or British embassies, consulates, military bases, or appropriate corporate offices as sites for legal demonstrations and nonviolent civil resistance.
EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE ACTIONS
A group could sit down in the entrance of a U.S. or British government installation in any country, refusing to leave when the U.S. Marines or other security agents order them to disperse. They could insist on having a meeting with the ambassador or the officer in charge of the military base, or they could wait for a clear statement from Washington, D.C., or from London of the date when all their soldiers will be withdrawn from Iraq.
If those doing civil resistance are not able to enter U.S. or British property, they could sit down on the street or sidewalk in front of the building or base, or they could lie down in a "die-in" representing the victims of the war. In any case those involved in civil resistance might be carried out of the building or away from the entrance and arrested by the police.
All of this could happen in the presence of the mass media and in conjunction with a large legal demonstration very close to the same site.
The impact of these actions on public opinion, the mass media, and governments would come from their sheer quantity and geographical diversity, on the same day, as well as from the clarity of their message and the disciplined nonviolence of the tactics.
A SUSTAINED, GROWING CAMPAIGN
The second INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be May 1, May Day, the International Day of the Worker -- an occasion for massive demonstrations all over the world where working class struggle is celebrated and kept alive. The impact of the war on the poor and working class of the world could be emphasized.
The third INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be August 6-9, 2008, the 63rd anniversary of the U.S. nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan-- to demand an end to U.S. proliferation of nuclear weapons of mass destruction and an end to the U.S. state terrrorism in Iraq.
The fourth INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be Sept. 11, 2008, the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S.-- to commemorate and deplore that horrible act of violence (as well as the Sept. 11, 1973 military coup in Chile) and to denounce the terrorist violence which the U.S. government is inflicting on Iraq under the false pretense of the "war on terrorism."
The fifth INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be Dec. 10, 2008, International Human Rights Day.
PATH TO ACTION
The Number One message of every action would be: END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ. This emphasis must be clear if the many actions in many places are to have a profound impact on the public and governments. Local or national organizers may wish to present one or two related issues or demands, with the main focus staying on ENDING THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.
SPREADING THE WORD
We ask individuals, groups, and organizations around the globe to endorse this Call and to send it out to their mailing lists and to the media. Groups which are not committed to participating in the actions of civil resistance could simply transmit our Call.
Some persons and organizations may choose to organize legal demonstrations (without any component of civil resistance) on the days we have proposed.
Thanks for your kind consideration of this proposal.
Sincerely,
(The original Signers are from 16 countries. In some cases organizational affiliations are for personal identification purposes only.)
Gary Ashbeck
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Jonah House
Father Daniel Berrigan, S.J.
New York, NY; USA
Catholic priest, author, lecturer, peace activist
Father Roy Bourgeois, M.M.
Columbus, Georgia, USA
Catholic priest; Founder, School of the Americas Watch
Father Ernesto Cardenal
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest; poet, sculptor, former Minister of Culture of Nicaragua
Bishop Pedro CasaldaligaSao Felix de Araguaia, BRAZIL
Retired bishop of Catholic diocese of Sao Felix
Theologian, author
Christian Base Communities
SPAIN
Patricia Clark
Nyack, NY, USA
Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Comite Oscar Romero de Madrid
Madrid, SPAIN
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Belfast, NORTHERN IRELAND
1976 Nobel Peace Laureate
Co-founder of Peace People
Susan Crane
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Jonah House
Father John Dear, S.J.
Cerrillos, New Mexico, USA
Catholic priest, peace activist, author
Rev. Richard Deats
Nyack, NY, USA
Former Executive Secretary and Fellowship Editor, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Marie Dennis
Washington, D.C., USA
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Pax Christi International
Father Miguel d'Escoto, M.M..
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest; Foreign Minister of Nicaragua 1979-1990;
Proponent of Nonviolent Evangelical Insurrection against Imperialism
Xavier Dias
editor of ADHIKAR, a monthly Hindi bulletin for communities affected by mining.
Ranchi, Jharkhand, INDIA
Dorothy Day Catholic Worker
Washington, D.C., USA
Jim and Shelley Douglass
Birmingham, Alabama; USA
Marys House Catholic Worker
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
Detroit, Michigan; USA
Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
Pastor of urban parish, author, lecturer, peace activist
Father G. Simon Harak, S.J.
New York, New York, USA
Catholic priest; Anti-Militarism Coordinator
War Resisters League
Jennifer Harbury and Sister Dianna Ortiz
Washington, D.C., USA
Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International
Hartford Catholic Worker Community
Hartford, CT, USA
Father Francois Houtart
Louvain la Neuve, BELGIUM
Catholic priest; Prof. Emeritus of the Catholic University of Louvain;
Member of the International Council of the World Social Forum
Jonah House Community
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Judith Kelly
Arlington, Virginia; USA
Mid-Atlantic Regional Associate, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service;
Prisoner of Conscience in Movement Against School of the Americas
Kathy Kelly
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Voices for Creative Non-Violence
Eric LeCompte
Washington, DC, USA
SOA Watch Event Coordinator
Madrid Committee of Solidarity with Black Africa
Madrid, SPAIN
Danny Malec
Voluntown, Connecticut, USA
Global Call to Action
Father Regino Martinez, S.J.
Dajabon, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Catholic priest; Coordinator of Border Solidarity
Liz McAlister
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Jonah House
Edel Mihm
Saarbruecken, GERMANY
Journalist
Father Uriel Molina Oliu
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest;
theologian, founder and former director of Centro Antonio Valdivieso, Managua
Father Ismael Moreno, S.J.
El Progreso, Yoro, HONDURAS
Catholic priest;
Director of the Reflection, Research, and Communication Team (ERIC)
Father Joseph Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest working with Christian Base Communities; writer, peace activist
Mary Novak
Voluntown, Connecticut, USA
Global Call to Action
Michael OGrady, S.J.
Cambridge, Mass., USA
Adolfo Perez Esquivel
ARGENTINA
1980 Nobel Peace Laureate
Harold Pinter
London, ENGLAND
2005 Nobel Literature Laureate
Ted Schmidt
Toronto, Ont., CANADA
Editor, Catholic New Times
Ramon Sepulveda Velez
PUERTO RICO
Community Organizer
Cindy Sheehan
Berkeley, California, USA
Peace Mom mother of Army Spc. Casey A. Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004
Founder of Gold Star Families for Peace
Cindy camped at George Bushs ranch in August, 2005, demanding to speak with the president.
Joanne Sheehan
Norwich, Connecticut, USA
Chair of War Resisters International
War Resisters League/New England coordinator
Father Eugene Toland, M.M.
BOLIVIA
Jose Maria Vigil
PANAMA
theologian
Dr. Stellan Vinthagen
Department of Peace and Development Research
Goteberg, SWEDEN
Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director
The Shalom Center
Philadelphia, Pa., USA
The Rev. Phil Wheaton
Takoma Park, Maryland, USA
Episcopal priest
Committee of Indigenous Solidarity-Zapatistas of Washington, DC
Workers Vanguard Communities
SPAIN
Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellermann
Detroit, Michigan, USA
United Methodist pastor, writer
Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education
Father Francisco Xammar, S.J.Tarragona, SPAIN
Catholic priest;
International Christian Secretariate of Solidarity with the Peoples of Latin America (SICSAL)
Celeste Zappala
Philadelphia, Pa., USA
Mother of Sgt Sherwood Baker, killed in action in Iraq on April 26, 2004
Member, Gold Star Families
United Methodist
END
*******************************************
UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
March 19, 2008: the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the beginning of the 6th year of war and occupation, the 6th year of senseless death and massive destruction.
United for Peace and Justice is calling for and supporting a set of activities on and around the 5th anniversary that will manifest the intensifying opposition to the war and help strengthen our movement. We invite you to work with us to ensure the success of these actions.
March 13-16, Winter Soldier Hearings:
March 19, Mass Nonviolent Direct Action in Washington, DC
March 19, Local Actions Throughout the Country
Help us make the 5th anniversary the LAST anniversary of this war! Get involved today!
TO END THE U.S.-LED MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ (2008)
The Signers listed at the end of the Call are the original Signers in 2005. Since then people from over 40 countries have signed the Call.
Contact:
Joe Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, Nicaragua
mull@ibw.com.ni
blog: www.globalcalliraq1.blogspot.com
FROM:
Nobel Peace and Literature Laureates
Cindy Sheehan and other peace and human-rights activists
Religious leaders of various traditionsPrisoners of Conscience
Former government ministers
Poets, authors, journalists
(Please see end of this message for the list of original Signers and their identification.)
We, the undersigned, invite peace-makers throughout the world to participate in an international campaign of massive, nonviolent civil resistance (civil disobedience) to stop the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. These actions could be organized to include both non-violent civil resistance and legal demonstrations.
FIRST DATE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS IN 2008: March 19, the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. There will be massive demonstrations and actions in Washington, D.C., and other parts of the U.S.
We suggest that our friends in the U.S. contact UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE (see below, after list of signers) and consider joining in their actions.
For those of you in other parts of the world, we suggest that you organize protest actions or demonstrations, whether involving civil disobedience or not, on March 19. There is an urgent need for actions around the world.
THE ACTIONS
Some would participate in legal demonstrations while others would stage sit-ins, die-ins, and other nonviolent methods of blocking "business as usual" at government buildings or installations (including military bases and recruiting centers) or at corporate offices of war profiteers in the U.S., Great Britain, and other countries which are taking part in the deadly and unjust military occupation of Iraq. For these governments, "business as usual" is the business of violence, death, and exploitation. It must be blocked and stopped by responsible citizens.
Peace-makers in countries whose governments are not at war in Iraq could consider U.S. or British embassies, consulates, military bases, or appropriate corporate offices as sites for legal demonstrations and nonviolent civil resistance.
EXAMPLES OF POSSIBLE ACTIONS
A group could sit down in the entrance of a U.S. or British government installation in any country, refusing to leave when the U.S. Marines or other security agents order them to disperse. They could insist on having a meeting with the ambassador or the officer in charge of the military base, or they could wait for a clear statement from Washington, D.C., or from London of the date when all their soldiers will be withdrawn from Iraq.
If those doing civil resistance are not able to enter U.S. or British property, they could sit down on the street or sidewalk in front of the building or base, or they could lie down in a "die-in" representing the victims of the war. In any case those involved in civil resistance might be carried out of the building or away from the entrance and arrested by the police.
All of this could happen in the presence of the mass media and in conjunction with a large legal demonstration very close to the same site.
The impact of these actions on public opinion, the mass media, and governments would come from their sheer quantity and geographical diversity, on the same day, as well as from the clarity of their message and the disciplined nonviolence of the tactics.
A SUSTAINED, GROWING CAMPAIGN
The second INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be May 1, May Day, the International Day of the Worker -- an occasion for massive demonstrations all over the world where working class struggle is celebrated and kept alive. The impact of the war on the poor and working class of the world could be emphasized.
The third INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be August 6-9, 2008, the 63rd anniversary of the U.S. nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan-- to demand an end to U.S. proliferation of nuclear weapons of mass destruction and an end to the U.S. state terrrorism in Iraq.
The fourth INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be Sept. 11, 2008, the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the U.S.-- to commemorate and deplore that horrible act of violence (as well as the Sept. 11, 1973 military coup in Chile) and to denounce the terrorist violence which the U.S. government is inflicting on Iraq under the false pretense of the "war on terrorism."
The fifth INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ will be Dec. 10, 2008, International Human Rights Day.
PATH TO ACTION
The Number One message of every action would be: END THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ. This emphasis must be clear if the many actions in many places are to have a profound impact on the public and governments. Local or national organizers may wish to present one or two related issues or demands, with the main focus staying on ENDING THE MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.
SPREADING THE WORD
We ask individuals, groups, and organizations around the globe to endorse this Call and to send it out to their mailing lists and to the media. Groups which are not committed to participating in the actions of civil resistance could simply transmit our Call.
Some persons and organizations may choose to organize legal demonstrations (without any component of civil resistance) on the days we have proposed.
Thanks for your kind consideration of this proposal.
Sincerely,
(The original Signers are from 16 countries. In some cases organizational affiliations are for personal identification purposes only.)
Gary Ashbeck
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Jonah House
Father Daniel Berrigan, S.J.
New York, NY; USA
Catholic priest, author, lecturer, peace activist
Father Roy Bourgeois, M.M.
Columbus, Georgia, USA
Catholic priest; Founder, School of the Americas Watch
Father Ernesto Cardenal
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest; poet, sculptor, former Minister of Culture of Nicaragua
Bishop Pedro CasaldaligaSao Felix de Araguaia, BRAZIL
Retired bishop of Catholic diocese of Sao Felix
Theologian, author
Christian Base Communities
SPAIN
Patricia Clark
Nyack, NY, USA
Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Comite Oscar Romero de Madrid
Madrid, SPAIN
Mairead Corrigan Maguire
Belfast, NORTHERN IRELAND
1976 Nobel Peace Laureate
Co-founder of Peace People
Susan Crane
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Jonah House
Father John Dear, S.J.
Cerrillos, New Mexico, USA
Catholic priest, peace activist, author
Rev. Richard Deats
Nyack, NY, USA
Former Executive Secretary and Fellowship Editor, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Marie Dennis
Washington, D.C., USA
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Pax Christi International
Father Miguel d'Escoto, M.M..
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest; Foreign Minister of Nicaragua 1979-1990;
Proponent of Nonviolent Evangelical Insurrection against Imperialism
Xavier Dias
editor of ADHIKAR, a monthly Hindi bulletin for communities affected by mining.
Ranchi, Jharkhand, INDIA
Dorothy Day Catholic Worker
Washington, D.C., USA
Jim and Shelley Douglass
Birmingham, Alabama; USA
Marys House Catholic Worker
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
Detroit, Michigan; USA
Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit
Pastor of urban parish, author, lecturer, peace activist
Father G. Simon Harak, S.J.
New York, New York, USA
Catholic priest; Anti-Militarism Coordinator
War Resisters League
Jennifer Harbury and Sister Dianna Ortiz
Washington, D.C., USA
Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International
Hartford Catholic Worker Community
Hartford, CT, USA
Father Francois Houtart
Louvain la Neuve, BELGIUM
Catholic priest; Prof. Emeritus of the Catholic University of Louvain;
Member of the International Council of the World Social Forum
Jonah House Community
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Judith Kelly
Arlington, Virginia; USA
Mid-Atlantic Regional Associate, Pace e Bene Nonviolence Service;
Prisoner of Conscience in Movement Against School of the Americas
Kathy Kelly
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Voices for Creative Non-Violence
Eric LeCompte
Washington, DC, USA
SOA Watch Event Coordinator
Madrid Committee of Solidarity with Black Africa
Madrid, SPAIN
Danny Malec
Voluntown, Connecticut, USA
Global Call to Action
Father Regino Martinez, S.J.
Dajabon, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Catholic priest; Coordinator of Border Solidarity
Liz McAlister
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Jonah House
Edel Mihm
Saarbruecken, GERMANY
Journalist
Father Uriel Molina Oliu
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest;
theologian, founder and former director of Centro Antonio Valdivieso, Managua
Father Ismael Moreno, S.J.
El Progreso, Yoro, HONDURAS
Catholic priest;
Director of the Reflection, Research, and Communication Team (ERIC)
Father Joseph Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, NICARAGUA
Catholic priest working with Christian Base Communities; writer, peace activist
Mary Novak
Voluntown, Connecticut, USA
Global Call to Action
Michael OGrady, S.J.
Cambridge, Mass., USA
Adolfo Perez Esquivel
ARGENTINA
1980 Nobel Peace Laureate
Harold Pinter
London, ENGLAND
2005 Nobel Literature Laureate
Ted Schmidt
Toronto, Ont., CANADA
Editor, Catholic New Times
Ramon Sepulveda Velez
PUERTO RICO
Community Organizer
Cindy Sheehan
Berkeley, California, USA
Peace Mom mother of Army Spc. Casey A. Sheehan, who was killed in Iraq on April 4, 2004
Founder of Gold Star Families for Peace
Cindy camped at George Bushs ranch in August, 2005, demanding to speak with the president.
Joanne Sheehan
Norwich, Connecticut, USA
Chair of War Resisters International
War Resisters League/New England coordinator
Father Eugene Toland, M.M.
BOLIVIA
Jose Maria Vigil
PANAMA
theologian
Dr. Stellan Vinthagen
Department of Peace and Development Research
Goteberg, SWEDEN
Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director
The Shalom Center
Philadelphia, Pa., USA
The Rev. Phil Wheaton
Takoma Park, Maryland, USA
Episcopal priest
Committee of Indigenous Solidarity-Zapatistas of Washington, DC
Workers Vanguard Communities
SPAIN
Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellermann
Detroit, Michigan, USA
United Methodist pastor, writer
Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education
Father Francisco Xammar, S.J.Tarragona, SPAIN
Catholic priest;
International Christian Secretariate of Solidarity with the Peoples of Latin America (SICSAL)
Celeste Zappala
Philadelphia, Pa., USA
Mother of Sgt Sherwood Baker, killed in action in Iraq on April 26, 2004
Member, Gold Star Families
United Methodist
END
*******************************************
UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/
March 19, 2008: the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the beginning of the 6th year of war and occupation, the 6th year of senseless death and massive destruction.
United for Peace and Justice is calling for and supporting a set of activities on and around the 5th anniversary that will manifest the intensifying opposition to the war and help strengthen our movement. We invite you to work with us to ensure the success of these actions.
March 13-16, Winter Soldier Hearings:
March 19, Mass Nonviolent Direct Action in Washington, DC
March 19, Local Actions Throughout the Country
Help us make the 5th anniversary the LAST anniversary of this war! Get involved today!
Friday, February 23, 2007
UPDATE -- TOWARD ACTIONS IN MARCH 2007
UPDATE -- TOWARD ACTIONS IN MARCH 2007
Feb. 23, 2007
From:
Joe Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, Nicaragua
mull@ibw.com.ni
www.globalcalliraq.blogspot.com
Dear Friends,
On this blog you will find the GLOBAL CALL FOR NONVIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE U.S.-LED MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.
FIRST DATE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS IN 2007: the days leading up to March 20, 2007, the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. During this time there will be massive demonstrations and actions in the U.S. and throughout the world. See, for example, Declaration of Peace at www.declarationofpeace.org
and Voices for Creative Nonviolence at http://www.vcnv.org/the-occupation-project-a-campaign-of-sustained-nonviolent-civil-disobedience-to-end-the-iraq-war
We suggest that our friends in the U.S. contact these two organizations and consider joining in their actions.
For those of you in other parts of the world, we suggest that you organize protest actions or demonstrations, whether involving civil disobedience or not,
on Thursday, March 15.
Please let me know of your organizing plans.
Please send me a report on your action on the afternoon or evening of March 15, with a picture if possible, so that I can compile the reports and send the news to the international media. In the U.S. a massive action will take place at the Pentagon on March 17, and our friends there will be very encouraged by our actions around the world and will report on them publicly.
Thus your action, even if it is a small one (e.g., a vigil or press conference), will have a significant impact as part of the Global Call actions around the world. Our goal is to have Global Call actions in at least ten countries outside the U.S.
If you are already planning an activity for some other day of the week in relation to the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, or if other groups are organizing an action for some other day besides March 15, more power to you! You may wish to consult the other organizers to see if they would welcome a non-violent civil disobedience component of the activity.
There is an urgent need for actions around the world. In the face of an international movement against the occupation, the Bush administration continues to stonewall and indeed to escalate U.S. forces in Iraq and to raise the level of military threat against Iran. Encouragingly, Great Britain and Denmark have announced cuts in the number of their forces in Iraq; the European Parliament has condemned the U.S. for abducting people in European countries and sending them to third countries for torture and interrogation; the Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress is expressing itself against the occupation; and resistance is growing within the U.S. military and among the people of the U.S. and other countries.
We must help these waves to become a huge world-wide tide of resistance against the militarism of the Bush administration.
For the text of the Call in Spanish, please see: www.ConvocatoriaMundialIrak.blogspot.com
Sincerely,
Joe Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, Nicaragua
mull@ibw.com.ni
Feb. 23, 2007
From:
Joe Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, Nicaragua
mull@ibw.com.ni
www.globalcalliraq.blogspot.com
Dear Friends,
On this blog you will find the GLOBAL CALL FOR NONVIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE U.S.-LED MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ.
FIRST DATE OF INTERNATIONAL ACTIONS IN 2007: the days leading up to March 20, 2007, the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. During this time there will be massive demonstrations and actions in the U.S. and throughout the world. See, for example, Declaration of Peace at www.declarationofpeace.org
and Voices for Creative Nonviolence at http://www.vcnv.org/the-occupation-project-a-campaign-of-sustained-nonviolent-civil-disobedience-to-end-the-iraq-war
We suggest that our friends in the U.S. contact these two organizations and consider joining in their actions.
For those of you in other parts of the world, we suggest that you organize protest actions or demonstrations, whether involving civil disobedience or not,
on Thursday, March 15.
Please let me know of your organizing plans.
Please send me a report on your action on the afternoon or evening of March 15, with a picture if possible, so that I can compile the reports and send the news to the international media. In the U.S. a massive action will take place at the Pentagon on March 17, and our friends there will be very encouraged by our actions around the world and will report on them publicly.
Thus your action, even if it is a small one (e.g., a vigil or press conference), will have a significant impact as part of the Global Call actions around the world. Our goal is to have Global Call actions in at least ten countries outside the U.S.
If you are already planning an activity for some other day of the week in relation to the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, or if other groups are organizing an action for some other day besides March 15, more power to you! You may wish to consult the other organizers to see if they would welcome a non-violent civil disobedience component of the activity.
There is an urgent need for actions around the world. In the face of an international movement against the occupation, the Bush administration continues to stonewall and indeed to escalate U.S. forces in Iraq and to raise the level of military threat against Iran. Encouragingly, Great Britain and Denmark have announced cuts in the number of their forces in Iraq; the European Parliament has condemned the U.S. for abducting people in European countries and sending them to third countries for torture and interrogation; the Democrat-controlled U.S. Congress is expressing itself against the occupation; and resistance is growing within the U.S. military and among the people of the U.S. and other countries.
We must help these waves to become a huge world-wide tide of resistance against the militarism of the Bush administration.
For the text of the Call in Spanish, please see: www.ConvocatoriaMundialIrak.blogspot.com
Sincerely,
Joe Mulligan, S.J.
Managua, Nicaragua
mull@ibw.com.ni
Friday, January 12, 2007
NEWS RELEASE – JANUARY 12, 2007 – 9 p.m.
FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST PRISONERS AT GUANTANAMO
Demonstration Held in Managua, Nicaragua to Protest Abuse of Prisoners
For pictures, please see below.
CHRISTIAN BASE COMMUNITIES
MANAGUA, NICARAGUA
Contact: Father Joseph Mulligan, S.J.
(country code 505) 635-6381
Email: mull@ibw.com.ni
This week we here in Managua have joined with others in many parts of the world in commemorating the fifth anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at Guantanamo.
Today, in our demonstration involving 50 persons in front of the U.S. Embassy, we offered a “street theater” presentation of the abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo – two persons dressed in orange jumpsuits (Guantanamo prison uniform), bound by chains in a fetal position, being abused by persons representing U.S. soldiers.
We also showed 12 paintings depicting various forms of abuse and torture at Guantanamo, according to the testimony of former prisoners.
(It was inadvisable to have our activity on Jan. 11, the actual anniversary as observed by other groups throughout the world, due to the severe security measures which were in effect for the inauguration of President Daniel Ortega on Jan. 10 and which continued during Jan. 11.)
The following is our statement of solidarity:
Statement of Solidarity with the Prisoners at Guantánamo
1. In union with protests in Amsterdam, England, USA, and other parts of the world, we express our solidarity with the prisoners held by the U.S. military at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, some of whom this week are completing 5 years of cruel and illegal imprisonment. We join them in demanding that they be treated with due process according to law and with respect for their rights as human beings and as prisoners. Each prisoner deserves to have the charges against him stated clearly, to have adequate legal counsel, and to have due process in court, recognizing that in U.S. jurisprudence a person is innocent until proven guilty.
2. We protest the widely known abuses and torture to which some of them have been subjected. These abuses, plus the fact that they are held in solitary confinement for inordinate lengths of time and that they do not know when, if ever, they will be brought to trial and possibly released or sentenced – constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”
3. We support the worldwide demand for an immediate end to the military occupation of Iraq.
A previous version of this Statement was signed in 2005 by the following persons, among many others, in Nicaragua:
FATHER ERNESTO CARDENAL
FATHER FERNANDO CARDENAL, S.J.
FATHER MIGUEL D´ESCOTO, M.M.
FATHER URIEL MOLINA OLIÚ
DORA MARÍA TÉLLEZ
and by
BISHOP PEDRO CASALDÁLIGA, Brazil
ADOLFO PEREZ ESQUIVEL, Argentina (Nobel Peace Prize, 1980)
ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU (Nobel Peace, Prize, 1984)
Our activity was conducted in coordination with:
WITNESS AGAINST TORTURE
International Day of Action to Shut Down Guantanamo
For more information go to www.WitnessTorture.org
For information about the GLOBAL CALL FOR NONVIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE U.S.-LED MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ, please see:
www.globalcalliraq.blogspot.com
FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ARRIVAL OF THE FIRST PRISONERS AT GUANTANAMO
Demonstration Held in Managua, Nicaragua to Protest Abuse of Prisoners
For pictures, please see below.
CHRISTIAN BASE COMMUNITIES
MANAGUA, NICARAGUA
Contact: Father Joseph Mulligan, S.J.
(country code 505) 635-6381
Email: mull@ibw.com.ni
This week we here in Managua have joined with others in many parts of the world in commemorating the fifth anniversary of the arrival of the first prisoners at Guantanamo.
Today, in our demonstration involving 50 persons in front of the U.S. Embassy, we offered a “street theater” presentation of the abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo – two persons dressed in orange jumpsuits (Guantanamo prison uniform), bound by chains in a fetal position, being abused by persons representing U.S. soldiers.
We also showed 12 paintings depicting various forms of abuse and torture at Guantanamo, according to the testimony of former prisoners.
(It was inadvisable to have our activity on Jan. 11, the actual anniversary as observed by other groups throughout the world, due to the severe security measures which were in effect for the inauguration of President Daniel Ortega on Jan. 10 and which continued during Jan. 11.)
The following is our statement of solidarity:
Statement of Solidarity with the Prisoners at Guantánamo
1. In union with protests in Amsterdam, England, USA, and other parts of the world, we express our solidarity with the prisoners held by the U.S. military at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, some of whom this week are completing 5 years of cruel and illegal imprisonment. We join them in demanding that they be treated with due process according to law and with respect for their rights as human beings and as prisoners. Each prisoner deserves to have the charges against him stated clearly, to have adequate legal counsel, and to have due process in court, recognizing that in U.S. jurisprudence a person is innocent until proven guilty.
2. We protest the widely known abuses and torture to which some of them have been subjected. These abuses, plus the fact that they are held in solitary confinement for inordinate lengths of time and that they do not know when, if ever, they will be brought to trial and possibly released or sentenced – constitute “cruel and unusual punishment.”
3. We support the worldwide demand for an immediate end to the military occupation of Iraq.
A previous version of this Statement was signed in 2005 by the following persons, among many others, in Nicaragua:
FATHER ERNESTO CARDENAL
FATHER FERNANDO CARDENAL, S.J.
FATHER MIGUEL D´ESCOTO, M.M.
FATHER URIEL MOLINA OLIÚ
DORA MARÍA TÉLLEZ
and by
BISHOP PEDRO CASALDÁLIGA, Brazil
ADOLFO PEREZ ESQUIVEL, Argentina (Nobel Peace Prize, 1980)
ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU (Nobel Peace, Prize, 1984)
Our activity was conducted in coordination with:
WITNESS AGAINST TORTURE
International Day of Action to Shut Down Guantanamo
For more information go to www.WitnessTorture.org
For information about the GLOBAL CALL FOR NONVIOLENT CIVIL RESISTANCE TO END THE U.S.-LED MILITARY OCCUPATION OF IRAQ, please see:
www.globalcalliraq.blogspot.com
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