Welfare Warriors
Winter 2007
MW Voice FEATURE
War
Editor's Tidbits
Mama's Health News
Did You Know?
Youth/ Disabled/ Gay news
Resistance in the War
Against the Poor
Winter
2007
Americans Oppose the War;
TV Networks Don’t
An anti-war rally in Washington, D.C. on January 27 attracted
150,000 protestors. Their favorite chant was “Impeach Bush!.” The
next day major TV networks' Sunday morning talk shows completely
ignored overwhelming public sentiment opposing the Iraq War. 65% of
Americans surveyed in opinion polls, in the streets of D.C. and
elsewhere around the country want an end to the war now.
Nevertheless the network Sunday shows featured interviews with guests more of the center-right spectrum. And all the guests were politicians. No participants in the action in DC or anywhere else were included.
Since the Sunday shows prefer to interview elected officials, it would have made journalistic sense to hear from one of the nine co-sponsors of Sen. Ted Kennedy's bill S.233. S.233 would block funding for an escalation of the war in Iraq. Co-sponsors include Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Pat Leahy (D-Vt.). Or, better yet, they could have interviewed one of the House members who are backing H.R. 508 (the Bring Our Troops Home and Sovereignty of Iraq Restoration Act of 2007). H.R.508 calls for a full withdrawal of U.S. troops on a six-month timeline. 28 co-sponsors include Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.), Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and John Conyers (D-Mich.).
But seeing such guests on television is rare--even when they represent broad public sentiment. (65 percent of Americans want U.S. troops withdrawn either within a year or immediately, according to an L.A. Times/Bloomberg poll˜1/13-16/07.)
The networks need to hear from TV viewers. Tell the Sunday talk shows that their discussions of the Iraq War one day after massive anti-war protests should have reflected the broad opposition to the war. Encourage them in the future to present guests who represent the public consensus against the war and the escalation of the Iraq War--even if
that means interviewing experts who aren't elected officials.
• ABC's This Week: thisweek@abc.com
• CBS Face the Nation: ftn@cbsnews.com (202) 457-4481
• NBC's Meet the Press: mtp@nbc.com
•Fox News Sunday: fns@foxnews.com
Info from FAIR
(212) 633-6700; fair@fair.org
The next national Anti-war march on DC will take place on March 17. It will begin at noon at the Pentagon. For more info contact: National Office in Washington DC
1247 E St. SE, DC 20003 · (202) 544-3389; info@internationalanswer.org.
National Effort to End War: Shopping Boycott
The National Committee to Impeach for Peace is organizing a US corporate shopping boycott April 15 (Tax day) to April 22 (Earth Day) to end the Iraq war and Impeach Bush and Cheney. This is a response to Bush’s declartion after 9/11 to quietly go shopping. The committee is asking people to avoid chain stores and malls. Support small business owners for one week.
~ www.wearenotbuyingit.org
Grandmothers for Peace
Grandmothers for Peace, ages 60 to 90, are speaking out against the war in public actions. Grandmothers Against the War began on Jan. 14, 2004 with only two members. Now they have groups around the US. Last year 10 of them were arrested in Times Square for trying to enlist at the US Army Recruiter Center. Even 92-year-old Lillian Willoughby was arrested in a wheelchair.
The grannies carry 3 foot tall black balloons with ‘Troops Home Now” in white letters. They hold a protest every Wednesday from 4:30-5:30 in front of the Rockfeller Center in NY.
Grandmothers for Peace (their new name) work to end the war and prevent youth from joining the Army. Military recruiters lie to kids and tell them they will get a better education if they join the army. But over 3,000 have been killed in Iraq. About 248,100 were wounded.
The good news is that the number of Blacks in the Army’s recruiting classes has dropped 41% over the last five years. The number of women has dropped 13%.
joan.wile@grandmothersagainstthewar.org
US Warplanes Bomb Somalia
On Jan 8, US warplanes began bombing Somalia. The US claims they were seeking out members of Al-Queda. This open aggression is illegal under every international law. The attacks were carried out by AC-130 gunships, which cost $72 million each. These are planes with guns and cannon that spray out thousands of rounds a minute. Five US warships were off the coast, including the USS Eisenhower, which can carry 100 aircraft.
Neither the White House nor the US defense Dept. would confirm the attack. But in
three days, 64 civilians were killed and 100 injured. Spokespersons for the US government claim only a handful were killed.
The main target was ONE MAN! Fazul Abdullah Mohammed. They want to kill him because he allegedly planned the 1998 attacks on US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. 225 people were killed. Bush believes that the Islamic Courts Union of Somalia is harboring him and other Al-Queda men.
The US is supposedly coming to the aid of “Black Africans” who are Christians against “Arabs” who are Muslims. This attempt to pit the peoples of Africa against each other along ethnic and religious lines is also the strategy of those who covet Sudan’s oil.
On Jan. 11 the Detroit anti-war movement protested the US bombings--and the occupations of Iraq and Somalia. On Jan. 13, Somalis in Helsinki, Finland protested the US bombing attacks on their country.
Info from Workers World and Michigan Citizen
Resolution by the California Federation of Teachers
"Staying the course" in Iraq is a policy that is bound to fail!
Whereas the United States invasion and occupation of Iraq has resulted in the destruction of Iraq's infrastructure, resulting in less electricity, less clean drinking water, and more unemployment today than before the United States invasion; and
Whereas the justifications for the waging of war on Iraq have been exposed to be based on deliberate falsehoods; and
Whereas the continued occupation is only making life worse for most of the Iraqi people as each day leads to more violence, fewer public services, and an increasing lack of security; and
Whereas tens of thousands of U.S. service people have been killed or maimed, and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have lost their lives as a result of the U.S. invasion in 2003, the ongoing occupation, and the resulting unleashed violence; and
Whereas U.S. policy in Iraq has stroked sectarian divisions driving Iraq toward civil war; and
Whereas most U.S. military leaders agree that "staying the course" in Iraq is a policy that is bound to fail;
Therefore be it resolved that the California Federation of Teachers communicate to the California congressional delegation its strong opposition to the continuation of the Iraqi war, including a call for Congress to:
Vote FOR immediate withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq, and
Vote AGAINST any funds for military activities of any kind in Iraq, except for the safe withdrawal of all our military forces, and
Vote FOR full veterans benefits, including adequate health care and other support for returning troops, veterans and their families, and
Vote FOR reconstruction aid so that Iraqis, under their own direction and control, can rebuild their nation devastated by occupation and war, and
Vote to redirect our tax dollars to meet human needs at home and abroad.
Be it further resolved that the CFT will seek to have a similar resolution approved by the California Labor Federation and each of its local central labor bodies, as well as the American Federation of Teachers.
Be it further resolved that the CFT will publicize this position to its affiliated locals and ask that they, in turn, publicize this effort among their members.
Work for Peace
On February 5th, 2007, legislation to establish a US Department of Peace was re-introduced in the House of Representatives. The new bill number is HR 808. This bill would provide practical, nonviolent solutions to issues of partner violence and international conflict. Domestically, the Department of Peace will allocate resources to reduce the levels of domestic and gang violence, child abuse, and various other societal discord. Internationally, the Department will advise the President and Congress on the most sophisticated ideas and techniques regarding peace-creation among nations.
Call, fax and/or email your Representative—and spread the word about HR 808. Tell the staffer who answers your call that you want your Rep to sign on as a co-sponsor of the Department of Peace legislation (HR 808). You can explain in your own words why HR 808 is important to you and your family. Call the D.C. office first. Then follow-up with a fax or email.
Learn more at The Peace Alliance website: www.ThePeaceAlliance.org
Leave My Child Aloners: Get info at at the GI Rights Hotline: (800) 394-9544.
Offers a rational voice to help counter misleading recruitment practices and promises.
"Appeal for Redress" is a petition to Congress calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. The appeal is signed by over 1,000 active duty troops. It was delivered to Congress on January 16, 2007.
• Every minute the war against Iraq goes on, the U.S. spends $150,000. That is equal to what 15 minimum wage workers make in a year.
• The war in Iraq has already gone on longer than World War II, as of November of 2006.
Questions the Military Doesn’t Want You to Ask ;
Recruiters glorify war – and then sell it to youth. Like cigarette companies, recruiters will say anything to get you hooked. Here’s some questions for recruiters.
• Job Skills? Why do veterans earn less than non-veterans? Why are veterans imprisoned more often? Why are 1/3 of all homeless people veterans? Why did Cheney state that the military is “not a jobs program,” but exists to prepare to “fight and win wars?”
• Money for College? Why do 65% of recruits who pay the required $1200 into the Montgomery GI Bill never get a dime in return?
• Discipline? How does getting yelled at and ordered around provide self-discipline? Why is it a crime in the military to talk back to your boss or quit your job?
• Women in the Military? Why do the VA’s own figures show 90% of recent women vets report sexual harassment - 1/3 of whom were raped?
• Discrimination? Why do people of color make up 35% of the enlisted people in the military, but only 15% of the officers?
• Adventure? Does dropping bombs on kids really sound like fun? How about killing or dying for oil?
Joyful Dissent
724 Stonehenge Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Action Alert From Women In Iraq
Please send letters to support our campaign to remove Article No 7 from the proposed constitution for Kurdistan. Article 7 would implement Sharia Law in the country. This is an extremist, fundamentalist form of Islam.
We need your help to prevent Islamic Sharia law from being implemented in Kurdistan. In December, we declared a campaign to repeal Article 7. This Article 7 clearly states that Islam is the main official religion, and that laws should be based on it. This will only lead to the violation of the most fundamental and basic liberties of the people of Kurdistan. And most of all, it will undermine the rights and freedoms of women.. You can sign our petition at: www.petitiononline.com/15122006/petition.html
Also, please write letters in support of our campaign to repeal Article 7. Write in favour of the separation of religion from the state and education, as well as equality and freedom for women.
Send your letters of support to any of the initiators of this campaign:
Houzan Mahmoud: campaign coordinator, Organisation of Women's Freedom in Iraq: houzan73@yahoo.co.uk; Marywan Halabjaee: Writer and researcher: halabjaee@maktoob.com; Sozan Shahab: Member of Kurdistan Parliament: susanshahab@hotmail.com; Sakar Ahmad: activist and writer of a book titled "Victims of Honour Crimes": sakar_a@yahoo.com
~ National Radical Women
NatRadicalWomen@aol.com; 415-864-1278
Editor’s Note: The U.S. occupation and war in Iraq has unleashed a growing Islamic fundamentalism in the country. Women and average folk lose most of their civil rights under this extremist law.
1000 Grandmothers March on SOA
Val Fillenwarth wore a white T-shirt decorated by the brightly colored handprints of her 17 grandchildren. Fillenwarth, 64, along with a group called “1,000 Grandmothers” joined 22,000 protesters in Fort Benning, Ga. last November. This was the16th year of protests against a US Army school that trains soldiers from Latin America to torture and kill.
22,000 people marched in a solemn, funeral-like procession. Fillenwarth and 15 others climbed through a hole in the fence. They were intentionally breaking a law against trespassing on government property. “I’m not scared,” she said. “We did a lot of talking to the children and the grandchildren to make sure they’ve understood it. They’ve been great.” The 16 protestors who engaged in civil disobedience were arrested. All but one minor were sentenced to 2-6 months in prison. 250 other activists have spent a collective 92 years in prison for nonviolent civil disobedience at the gates to Ft. Benning and the SOA-WHINSEC.
The U.S. government was embarrassed internationally in 1996 after the public release of the "torture training manuals" used at SOA. In 2001 the army changed the name from the School of the Americas (SOA) to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. Despite yearly protests by thousands of Americans, last year Congress failed to stop funding the school.
Some of the worst human rights abusers in Latin American history honed their skills at SOA. Among the SOA's alumni are at least eleven Latin American notoriously violent dictators. Graduates have led military coups and are responsible for massacres of hundreds of people. SOA graduates were responsible for the Uraba massacre in Colombia, the El Mozote massacre of 900 civilians in El Salvador, the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the massacre of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador along with 14-year-old Celina Ramos, her mother Elba Ramos.
"The U.S. Army School of the Americas...is a school that has run more dictators than any other school in the history of the world," said Congressman Joseph Kennedy.
www.soaw.org 202-234-3440
PM’s Daughter Protests Dad’s War
Dana Olmert is the daughter of Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. She was one of the demonstrators who protested the Israeli attack on Lebanon and its ongoing attacks on Palestine.
Dana chanted slogans such as ‘Tzahala residents, there’s a murderer in your neighborhood.’ And she raised signs calling on the government to ‘put a stop to the murder of civilians.’ And signs stating, ‘Halutz is a killer, the intifada shall prevail.’ Activists also shouted, ‘neighbors, ask Halutz why he’s killing children and how many’”? (Dan Halutz is the Chief Commander of the Israeli Army.)
The Cat’s Dream By Gabriele Zamparini -7/25/06