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End Wars Issue Committee
Email this pageThe EndWars Issue Committee works to end the war and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, and oppose any invasion or bombing of Iran.
Contact: Marge Van Cleef: margevc(at)cavtel.net,(267) 763-1644
Yoshiko Ikuta: Ylkuta(at)aol.com, (216) 521-7057
WILPF May eNews
Join End Wars/DISARM! in May for a Nuclear Free Future, Demilitarization of the
Heavens, and an End to Wars!
JOIN END WARS/DISARM! IN MAY
Join End Wars/DISARM! in May for a Nuclear Free Future,
Demilitarization of the Heavens, and an End to Wars!
Time for an EXIT strategy from Afghanistan
Time for an EXIT strategy from Afghanistan
Virginia Pratt’s Thoughtful and Inspiring Letter to Senator Kerry:
Dear Senator Kerry,
I am told that we are spending 10 million a day on the War in Afghanistan. From what I can see, the money would be better spend it if were flushed down the toilet. At least it would not be lining the pockets of warlords while also causing death and destruction.
We have been in Afghanistan for over 9 years with nothing to show as a positive outcome for either us or the tortured Afghan people. The country is riddled with corruption. The infrastructure – roads, water, sewer system and electricity are close to non existent. The children, especially girls, have almost no access to education. The life expectancy is as little as 45 years old because of the poverty, the harsh conditions, and the lack of medical care. Women have only two rights - the right to pray and the right to obey their husband. Women are sold and forced into marriages at very young ages. The country is brimming over with widows, orphans, and maimed people forced to live on as little as a dollar a day. Afghanistan has been plunged into the dark ages.
The actions of our military have not been heroic. Rather, the use of drones, and night raids, have terrorized and killed civilians. The war has resulted in at least 7 million citizen casualties, far more than 9/11. The recent reports of US military claiming bones of killed civilians as “trophies” further demonstrates the depraved outcome of our military intervention. Hardly a day goes by without reports of civilian casualties including young children and occasional wedding parties.
Close the School of the Americas During April 2011 Days of Action
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Close the School of the Americas During April Days of Action
School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) is mobilizing for a gathering in Washington, DC from April 4-11, 2011 to take their demands to the White House, the halls of Congress, and other sources of military and foreign policy decisions.
Many WILPF women have been in the annual demonstrations at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the SOA (now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security and Cooperation) is located. A few of us have even “crossed the line”, been arrested and served three months in prison. This imprisonment is a deliberate act of solidarity with the oppressed people and martyrs of the Americas, who suffer as a result of the repressive techniques taught to “students” at the SOA.
Turn Out For Rallies In Solidarity With The People Of Egypt!
UNITED NATIONAL ANTIWAR COMMITTEE CALLS ON ALL SUPPORTERS TO TURN OUT FOR RALLIES IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF EGYPT AND OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES TODAY, THIS WEEKEND, AND IN COMING DAYS
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No More US Support to the Mubarak Dictatorship!
Hands off Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen!
The Egyptian people, inspired by the victory in Tunisia and building on their own heroic rallies and strikes in recent years, have now taken the lead in the regional revolt against US-backed dictatorships. Today, Friday, January 28th, masses have poured into the streets for the third straight day of protest, and are once again fighting valiantly against cops and troops armed with US made and paid for weapons.
It is the US government which has created and STILL supports the Mubarak regime to the tune of $1.5 billion a year as part of its regional military apparatus, and it is US banks and corporations that have imposed the neoliberal austerity regime of unemployment, poverty and malnutrition against which Egyptian workers have been rebelling for decades.
The US Department of Defense is meeting this very week with Egyptian military officials to discuss how to maintain this oppression. A DoD press briefing reports: "With regards to Egypt:… we actually this week are hosting senior Egyptian military leaders at the Pentagon for our annual bilateral defense talks… So that's just an example of how engaged we are with the Egyptians, even as these developments have taken place on the streets in Cairo and elsewhere…”
And it is the US State Department which has already begun maneuvers throughout the region to ensure that any governments that fall are replaced with equally compliant regimes -- maneuvers such as the visit by the head of “Near East Affairs” in the State Department this week to Tunisia, and by their “National Democratic Institute” to Yemen, to “advise” on “clean elections” – i.e. to plot how to subvert the goals of the masses in the streets.
Sign A Petition Against Four More Years of War
This petition was created by Tom Hayden on November 15, 2010 and is viewable here or click on the image. 
Here is some material as posted at the petition site:
Background (Preamble):
We object to the United States proposal for Afghanistan being presented this week to NATO ministers.
It is not a peace plan. It is a plan for four more years of combat by US and NATO forces.
It is not a plan for US or Western troop withdrawals but for further occupation. It is a proposal to gradually lessen Western casualties and lessen Western visibility while transitioning to Western-financed, Western-armed, and Western-advised Afghan army combat in a civil conflict. It is a plan for long-term Western military bases.
It is not a plan to stop al Qaeda or terrorists from attacking Western targets. There are virtually no al Qaeda left in Afghanistan. The most recent terrorist attacks on America have been inspired by our deepening wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. In seeking to save our military reputation, we all but assure future threats against Western targets. CIA officials even describe Yemen’s al Qaeda cell as more dangerous than al Qaeda in Pakistan. [NYT, Oct. 18, 2010]
It pre-empts the Administration’s own proposal for a full “review” of Afghan policy in December. The timing instead is aimed at shoring up a faltering Western alliance.
WILPF Takes Direct Action to End Wars
In Boston, WILPF members assembled outside the office of Sen. John Kerry to protest the ongoing war in Afghanistan. In Philadelphia, WILPF members visited the offices of Sen. Robert Casey and Rep. Joe Sestak with written statements. Member Marge Van Cleef specifically challenged the U.S. drone attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are killing people indiscriminately. She and other members called for a moratorium on the “war on terror.” During the action, Dr. Ronald Coburn discussed the high suicide rate of returning U.S. soldiers. Citing a recent study which showed that between 2005 and 2008, the number of California vets who committed suicide was three times higher than the number of soldiers killed in action during the same period, Dr. Coburn called for officials to include these suicides in their total number of military deaths. He recommended increasing the funding for support and therapy groups for the 25 percent of soldiers who return home suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). WILPF Member Dory Loder highlighted the cost of the war, which has exceeded $3 trillion.
Action Proposal Submitted by WILPF’s End the Wars Issue Committee:
Read full Action Program as Adopted by National Conference to Bring the Troops Home Now!
Action Proposal Submitted by WILPF’s End the Wars Issue Committee:
We call for the equal participation of women in all aspects of the antiwar movement. We propose nonviolent direct actions at local U.S. Congressional offices, federal buildings, defense corporations’ facilities, or military bases. These activities would be nationally coordinated local actions, on the same day, for everyone.
Nonviolent direct actions often result in arrest, thus participants would be prepared for that possible outcome before joining the action. Nonviolence training would be offered locally, with lists of trainers being made available.
We would welcome women who choose not to participate in the direct action to come as supporters, as protesters with banners, leaflets, and as press contacts.
