Will you be on the streets on the 19th?

Will you be on the streets on the 19th?

March 19: The World Says End the War!
March 19-20 marks the two-year anniversary of the U.S. bombing and invasion of Iraq. There's a new urgency and a stronger determination within the global antiwar movement to bring the troops home now.
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/

13 years ago.

Cool.

Thanks for posting that, I honest to God cannot believe it has been two years.

Keep going. I believe in you ...

It has been six years for my daughter. I am proud of you both!

Acutally it's "United for Peace and Justice". I went to one of their 'marches' in Miami before the war started, and they were all rabid anti-Israel nuts screaming about Jenin this and Jenin that. I was very disillusioned by this group, me and quite a few other people who are against the Iraq war, but did not want to be forced into taking sides against Israel left.

There are many better groups than this one out there. They are a hate group posing as a peace group.





And no I'm not a Likudnik, or even a zionist. I think Sharon is a thug. But I believe in Israel's right to exist. And I felt 100% certain that the folks at the even I attended did not.

This might help provide some understanding....


"Jenin, Jenin" film exposes Israeli war crimes

http://jeninjenin.org/index.html

America is also guilty of all kinds of atrocities in Iraq and Southeast Asia. That doesn't make me hate America, just those who push that kind of policy. Same with Israel. I have MANY progressive Jewish and Israeli friends who deplore Sharon and his handling of the Palestinians.

But that group is PRIMARILY anti-Israel. They try to cloak is as something else, but I've met these people, and the emotion I felt from them was not a desire for peace, but revenge on Israel.


They are very dishonest. The event they advertised was supposed to be a march to protest the IRAQ war. There was nothing said about Israel in any of their literature. Me and my Jewish friend were shocked upon arriving to find NOTHING BUT signs about Demon Israel and people chanting about Israel, with a huge banner, written in blood-dripping letters "Remember Jenin".

My friend and I would not have come if we knew it was an Israel-bashing party. You want to bash the Likud and Sharon, great, but not the entire nation of Israel. That's just as bad as saying that all Palestinians are would-be suicide bombers.

International ANSWER is a much better group - MoveOn is another good one.

I will never trust "UFPJ" again.

I'm jewish.

But somehow I doubt it.

I'd rather stick with the ones I can identify with.

Must be all those jews.

There are still a significant number of elderly jews on Miami Beach, but most who could afford it have moved up to Boca, Broward, etc. There aren't all that many jews in Miami proper anymore. A lot of Central American and Caribbean people and African-Americans.

I can't explain why this group was as is was, but that was my experience.

UFPJ is not a Hate Group. The Anti-Defamation League tracks Hate Groups and their activities and UFPJ is not on their list.

http://www.adl.org/learn/Events_2001/events_2003_flashmap.asp?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Upcoming_Extremist_Events

They do not seek to oppress anyone nor do the promote Social violence. Quite the contrary, they promote PEACE.

They seem to have a major anti-Israel problem. Also, at the march they organized, they had it in an empty lot strewn with broken glass in the worst, most dangerous neighborhood in town. It was hard to find, and we felt silly standing there protesting at a vacant lot, with absolutely no traffic going by.

I went to an event a couple weeks later organized by Pax Christi and other groups, and it was MUCH more positive, there were a lot more people, and it was right on Biscayne Blvd, where people could actually see us.

doesn't dictate what is done in any city. That is strictly up to the local people who run the protests in a given city. We always post our events with UFPJ rather than ANSWER because they are less controversial and more focused on the issue of the war. We have never received any instruction from UFPJ on how or what to protest, they mostly act as a central hub for peace and justice groups to get the message out about their own actions.

Look through their own website and I doubt you will see what you saw from the local people in Miami who are likely not direct UFPJ organizers.

And I freely admit that I have not seen them in action in other cities.

But the Miami event left a bad taste in my mouth...

Thanks, anarchy1999.

you are talking about UFPJ?

UFPJ is a large and diverse coalition, to call them a "hate group" is way off the mark.

I've gottene enough input that I will back off the charge that the national group is that way.

But I know what I saw in Miami, and the Miami group is much more anti-Israel than it is anti-war.

liberal/progressive University centered community; there were bigger events in San Fran and elsewhere but we did our thing here. It was a good experience.

The problem I had was that it was to be a solemn march through our small town with black caskets in rememberance of our soldiers and the Iraqi fallen, to end at a park with speakers etc. They did not allow any other political signs or agendas to be present and that put me off.

I did respect what they were doing and took off my anti-bush pins. Still, some of us were disappointed that we couldn't reflect OTHER problems this society is facing within one march/protest/gathering. :(

Why is it the people ONLY seem to gather in droves when it's an "Anti-war" theme and no other time??? (Except for the RNC NYC protests....THAT was FABULOUS!) :shrug:

to oppose the dangerous agenda of the right wing nuts.

Those that are most outraged by the war must invite those who are outraged by election injustice, the corporate media, the crippling national debt, the deification of the government, and the loss of civil rights to march with them.

We need to come together.

I think alot of anti-war groups get that but alot don't.

But yes, I will be out on March 19.

they need to join together and help support each other's causes, not co-opt an event promoted as one thing that turns into another. I have seen plenty of criticism of International ANSWER for this reason. They promote an anti-war rally but then use the event to push all their other issues, some of which people agree with and some of which they don't.

What we are trying to accomplish where we live is to build a structure, going in to the future, where we as organizations can support each other's events as we agree with them and give people that opportunity individually, as well. That just means turning our more support for individual causes without co-opting other org's events and watering down the message they are trying to get across.

It's just being considerate.

Like they did today in NJ.

People turned out because * was there to promote privatization. But I saw a lot of anti-war protest signs, too.

but that's different;when the Shrub's in town, it's no holds barred. Or if an event is promoted as a bring your own message to show that our groups have solidarity.

For an example of what I'm referring to, if I am asked to come to an event that is promoted as a GLBT civil rights rally, as an organizer for an anti-war org, I'm not going to bring my whole crowd sporting our message. I come supporting the message that the GLBT community wants to get out. It's called respect for the org and the event. Same if my org is holding an anti-war peace rally on a busy corner, I don't necessarily want another org coming in with signs for their cause and co-opting what the event was meant to be.

When Fred Phelps showed up here to intimidate a whole high school full of kids because they started a gay/straight alliance group to quell unrest in the school and harbor understanding of each other, the GLBT community put out the call and we showed up in support of their message to him. We didn't bring our anti-war signs.

Am I making sense?

organizing some unity rallys and marches under the Take America Back banner.

We need to see a growing number of mainstreamers getting their ya-yas out, too.

I guess my assumption wasn't wrong then. The MASSIVE Anti-war/Peace protests are single focus protests only. No room for the homeless, the corruption in government, the "gouging" of America's treasury and people, the social dilemmas millions of us are dealing with, healthcare issues,free speech, voter's rights, failed drug war, fascism...etc etc..

I would like to see the young and old come together (the older of us have some life experience, the younger of us have the ENERGY. It would be a nice mix) to protest what this corrupt gov is doing to THIS country; Using OUR tax dollars to go kill (for profit) around the world instead of caring for the aging, the disabled, the struggling american in everyday places. NAFTA,CAFTA "SHAFTA" etc...

WE are in deep shit BESIDES and including the war in Iraq and god knows where next.

If all the main organizers can't come together like they did in NYC during the RNC, then, sadly, I won't be going out.

There needs to be a TAKE AMERICA BACK protest across the nation.

I wish you all well~~Peace~~

With the lives of their sons and daughters.

Wake me when the masses of asses decide THEY'VE had enough. That point came a long time ago, for me.

Here's the local link: http://www.karikas.com/mar19/

Read the sponsor list. Everything from Council of Churches and the King County Labor Council to Greens and the AFSC. Lots of names missing, unfortunately, but that has always been true. Unfortunately.

(edit: where did that extraneous ";" come from)

looks like I might have to settle for my hometown and the 12 people that come out.

I'll be vewy, vewy quiet . . .

something for everyone.

The rally is in Minneapolis at 1 pm and the silent march is in St. Paul at 5:45.

I'm psyched.

We have to take to the streets.

I've been looking forward to it since the Inauguration protests. You can see some of those protests intercut with Bush's cornball Inaugural sham here. Hope it gets you pumped.

<http://toolz.blogs.com/toolz_of_the_new_school/2005/01/video_vandalism_1.html>

That peace groups there will be marching.

RWB's you are refering to, did I miss a post or two?

on edit:

There will be protests in Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and Crawford over that weekend. Especially important, Houston is holding another Halliburton Shareholder Annual Meeting Protest. Happening on the 18th and 19th, I believe, as well as days prior for teach-ins and so on.

lurking right wingers out there!

:hi:

fair share here in Texas right now. By the way, be sure to check the thread about meeting up on Sunday, it is this Sunday, not next.

:hi:

as we did the 1st day of Global Protest, wasn't in Feb 15, 2003? I think it was, I know it was a Saturday and we rocked the world that day, even in good 'ole Dallas. We set a record that day according to many long time activists. Can we rock the world one more time, will it make a difference? Maybe a small one.

I've got 15 bright orange scarves I'm bringing and handing out. This doesn't change anything, but, it sure does make me feel better. I have to have my say. Everyone get out there!

The Louisiana Activist Network is planning a huge march/demonstration on March 19th. http://www.newdemocracyrising.com/lan.asp

The demonstration/march is a Protest for Peace, Tolerance and Justice in the United States. (The LA Activist Network is a big tent.)

Participating will be military veterans, civil rights organizations, gay rights activists and all the usual high-profile peace coalitions.

Why: "Our lives being to end the day we become silent about things that matter." MLK