Support Dec 16 Veteran Led Antiwar Action at the White House

Dear International Action Center Friends,

The International Action Center is endorsing and supporting the action called by Veterans for Peace and others on Thursday, December 16, 2010 in Washington DC. This action will be the largest veteran-led civil resistance to U.S. wars in recent history. After a rally at Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, many will engage in nonviolent civil resistance at the White House.

See www.stopthesewars.org for information.

Below is the Call to Action, a list of Endorsing organizations and logistics of the action.

We urge everyone who can to come to Washington on the 16th to support the action!

CALL TO ACTION

December 16 Veteran-Led Civil Resistance against War

During the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King called our government “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” True then—and even more so today.

A few years before that, in 1964 Mario Savio made his great speech at Berkeley; at the end he says, “There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part; you can’t even passively take part, and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you’ve got to make it stop. And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!”

There are children being orphaned, maimed or killed every day, in our name, with our tax dollars; there are soldiers and civilians dying or being maimed for life, in order to generate profits for the most odious imperialistic corporate war machine ever, again in our name. How long are we going to let this go on? Until it is too late, until this destructive machine destroys all of us and the planet to boot?

Wikileaks has revealed the documented horror of U.S. war-making, beyond what any of us imagined. It’s time veterans and others express our resistance directly and powerfully by putting ourselves on the line, once again—honestly, courageously and without one drop of apology for doing so. It is not we who are the murderers, torturers or pillagers of the earth.

Profit and power-hungry warmongers are destroying everything we hold dear and sacred.

In the early thirties, WW1 vets descended on Washington, D.C., to demand their promised bonuses, it being the depths of the Depression. General Douglas MacArthur and his sidekick Dwight Eisenhower disregarded President Herbert Hoover’s order and burned their encampment down and drove the vets out of town at bayonet point.

We are today’s bonus marchers, and we’re coming to claim our bonus–PEACE.

Join activist veterans marching in solidarity to the White House, refusing to move, demanding the end of U.S. wars, which includes U.S. support—financial and tactical—for the Israeli war machine as well.

If we can gather enough courageous souls, nonviolently refusing to leave the White House, willing to be dragged away and arrested if necessary, we will send a message that will be seen worldwide. “End these wars – now!” We will carry forward a flame of resistance to the war machine that will not diminish as we effectively begin to place ourselves, as Mario Savio said, “upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus.” and we will make it stop.

We believe that the power of courageous, committed people is greater than that of corporate warmongers. But we will only see our power when we use it collectively, when we stand together.

With courage, persistence, boldness and numbers, we can eventually make this monstrous war machine grind to a halt, so that our children and all children everywhere can grow up in a peaceful world.

Join us at the White House on December 16th!

Endorsers of the December 16 Veteran-Led Civil Resistance against War

Veterans For Peace

ANSWER

Austin Center for Peace and Justice

Backbone Campaign

CodePink

Courage to Resist

Delaware Valley Veterans for America

End U.S. Wars

Fellowship of Reconciliation

Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space

Grandmothers for Peace International

Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia

International Action Center

Manhattan Local of the Green Party of New York State

March Forward!

National Assembly to End the U.S. Wars and Occupations

National Network Opposing the Militarization of Youth

Office of the Americas

Pax Christi Metro DC and Baltimore

Pax Christi Pentagon Area

Peace Action

Peace Action Montgomery

Peace and Justice Center of Eastern Maine

Peace of the Action

Progressive Democrats of America

SOA Watch

Stop $30 Billion to Israel (Albuquerque)

United for Peace and Justice

United National Anti-War Committee

Voices for Creative Non-Violence

Voters for Peace

War Resisters League

Washington Peace Center

Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom

World Can’t Wait

LOGISTICS FOR DEC 16TH ACTION IN DC

Here is an update on the veteran-led civil resistance at the White House Dec. 16.

1. Wednesday, Dec. 15: Evening gathering at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church 1525 Newton St. NW (corner of 16th and Newton Streets), where we will go over plans for the next day's action. People can begin arriving at St. Stephen's by 5 pm and Food Not Bombs will provide a simple vegetarian meal that evening. Daniel Ellsberg and others who will be joining us on Thursday as well as some of the organizers will speak. People can sleep at St. Stephen's that night (bring sleeping bags) and also after 9:30 PM on Thursday night if necessary.

2. Thursday, Dec. 16: Brief motivational rally at 10 am in Lafayette Park (near the White House) with speakers.

From there we will do a silent vigil march to the White House to take our stand for peace. At the White House, many of us will do nonviolent civil resistance, the key word being nonviolent. We want peace but we need to demand it in a dignified, determined and peaceful way. We expect everybody to observe nonviolent guidelines that will be handed out at St. Stephen's the night before and at the rally. There will be a legal support team and legal observers on hand for the civil resistance.

Visit thewebsite at www.stopthesewars.org or on facebook join: "Take A Stand for Peace"!