MASS MARCH ON JUNE 5
Thousands at the White House will say:
"Bush and Rumsfeld - Guilty of War Crimes"
"I plan to be in Washington DC on June 5 at the peace rally. We will be
marching from Bush's White House to Rumsfeld's house and I am hoping
that
everyone who cares about peace in this country will join us."
_ Michael Berg
Michael Berg, the father of Nicholas Berg who was murdered in Iraq,
will be a
speaker at the June 5th Speak Truth to Power mass demonstration and
speak-out
in front of the White House. This rally will reflect the grassroots
voices of
those who have suffered and are suffering because of the Bush
administration's
war in Iraq, Palestine, Haiti and right here against working people in
the
United States.
The Speak Truth to Power rally will feature the voices of the mothers
and
fathers of soldiers who oppose the war; those in the Muslim and Arab
communities whose families have been ripped apart through raids,
detentions,
and secret hearings; representatives of the working class communities
in
Washington, DC and elsewhere who are suffering because of the
destruction of
social programs; we will hear the voices of the people of Haiti and the
Philippines and Korea who are living under U.S. military intervention
and
occupation. June 5 is the anniversary of the Israeli seizure of the
West Bank
and Gaza and we will hear the voice of the embattled Palestinian people
who to
this moment are having their children shot and their homes razed as the
U.S.-backed violence escalates.
Following the People's Speak-Out, thousands of people will march
through
working class neighborhoods and arrive at the home - the mansion - of
Donald
Rumsfeld. Coming as it does just three and a half weeks before the June
30
phony "transfer of sovereignty," the June 5 rally and march will be a
powerful
challenge by the people to the administration and its plans for
continued
occupation. The people of the world and the world media will be looking
on
June 5th to see if the people stand against the Bush administration's
wars of
aggression.
ABU GHRAIB AND VIETNAM
The scope and systematic practice of torture, savage beatings, sexual
assault
and sick humiliation of prisoners in U.S. custody in Iraq and elsewhere
burst
again into the front pages of newspapers around the world after the
publication of statements from detainees and new pictures in the
Washington
Post (May 21), and the broadcast of new videos documenting a few of the
horrors inflicted on an occupied people. No one should doubt for a
moment that
the people of the region are seething - they and the whole world now
know for
a fact that the torture and cruelty visited upon mass arrest detainees
in
Afghanistan, Guantanamo and now Iraq was an approved operation by Bush
and
Rumsfeld.
On the same day as the Washington Post released the new horrifying
photos,
U.S. aircraft dropped bombs on a wedding party in northern Iraq killing
more
than 40 people, including the bride and groom and a large number of
children.
The U.S. military followed up on the ground shooting those that lived
one by
one. In response to world outrage at this massacre and the images of
wounded,
dead and decapitated children, Maj. Gen. James Mattis, commander of the
1st
Marine Division, told reporters in Fallujah, "Bad things happen in
wars. I
don't have to apologize for the conduct of my men."
With all the obvious differences, it is clear that in its essence the
Iraq
occupation is George W. Bush's Vietnam. The Bush and Rumsfeld fantasy
will be
defeated, in many ways it is defeated. That's what makes it their
"Vietnam."
Unless the people of the United States act now, however, the killing in
Iraq
will continue for years. In Vietnam the killing and carnage continued
for
years after U.S. policy makers knew full well that they could not
militarily
defeat the Vietnamese.
U.S. political and military leaders became convinced that the war in
Vietnam
was not winnable as early as 1968 and yet the war dragged on for
another five
bloody years. The bombing continued on, the CIA assassinations of
opponents in
south Vietnam escalated (the Operation Phoenix Program) into the tens
of
thousands between 1968-1973, another 30,000 soldiers went to their
graves
during those years, and the number of Vietnamese civilians killed could
be
counted in the thousands each week. What a waste, what a crime, and it
will be
repeated in Iraq unless the people unite to demand: End the Occupation,
Bring
the Troops Home Now!
The stakes are high and the June 5 mobilization will open the next
stage of
the antiwar movement - utilizing new tactics to begin mass organizing
on the
grassroots level in every community.
PLEASE SEE THE BELOW LINKS TO FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN GET MORE INVOLVED:
GET ON THE BUS TO DC! A listing of transportation centers can be found
at
http://www.answercoalition.org/campaigns/j5/transport.html (Please check back frequently, as this list is updated daily.)
If you are organizing a bus, van or car caravan to be in DC, SF or LA,
fill
out the Transportation Form at
http://www.answercoalition.org/campaigns/j5/transportation.htmlHELP SPREAD THE WORD! Multiple versions of flyers for Washington DC,
San
Francisco and Los Angeles can be found on the Downloads page at
http://www.answercoalition.org/campaigns/resources/index.htmlRead the June 5 Call to Action at
http://www.answercoalition.org/campaigns/j5/index.html#callENDORSE the June 5 Call to Action at
http://www.answercoalition.org/campaigns/j5/endorse.htmlSUBSCRIBE to the A.N.S.W.E.R. email list at
http://www.ANSWERcoalition.org/subscribelist2.html* * * * * * * * * * *
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
http://www.ANSWERcoalition.orginfo@internationalanswer.org
Washington 202-544-3389
New York 212-633-6646
Los Angeles 323-464-1636
San Francisco 415-821-6545
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