Anti-War Vigil on October 5

wainosunrise Oct 04, 2009 6 Comments

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 CANDLELIGHT MARCH & VIGIL

October marks 8 years since the invasion of Afghanistan. 8 years of air strikes and rising death tolls; 8 years of waiting for reconstruction and economic development assistance; 8 years and more than $200 billion of US tax dollars squandered on armed conflict.

Please join the Northland Anti-War Coalition as we solemnly take stock of these losses and keep the pressure on to bring troops home now. The Obama Administration is thinking of escalating the conflict with tens of thousands more troops. As an anti-war movement, we have a narrow window of opportunity to influence the debate – it’s time to get back on the street.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5:

-7pm Candlelight march and vigil to end the war: Gather at the US Army Reserve at 1500 St Louis Avenue on Park Point in Duluth. Candles provided, consider wearing black or a black armband

-8pm Celebration of war resistance at Amazing Grace: Join CSS Amnesty International and Truth in Recruiting as we honor war resistance, past and present. Sing along to anti-war tunes with Rachael Kilgour (feel free to bring an instrument and a Rise Up Singing!); sign cards to US soldiers serving jail time for refusing to fight; and get to know your fellow activists.
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& LATER THIS MONTH . . .

And don’t forget that Saturday, Oct. 17 is the national day of local action against the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. NAWC is going to be holding a march and rally on that day starting at noon. We’ll be gathering at the Clayton, Jackson & McGhie Memorial at the corner of 2nd Ave. E. & E. 1st St. for a march to the Duluth Federal Building.

The theme of the protest is FUND HUMAN NEEDS: MAKE JOBS NOT WAR! The speakers will be talking about where we should be spending our tax dollars, as opposed to war and occupation.

Among the speakers at the rally will be Eric Blomstrom from Community Action Duluth, Scott Yeazle of the Twin Ports Action Coalition, Kathy Anderson, Rev. Cathy Schuyler of the Duluth Congregational Church and CHUM, Todd Erickson of Workers United Local 99, and, schedules permitting, Charles Gessert and Meg Kerns. Ellie Schoenfeld will be the MC and we’re hoping to have some music to add to the mix as well!

To date this protest has been endorsed by the Duluth Central Labor Body, Veterans for Peace, Women in Black, Peace North, the Duluth Area Green Party, Grandmothers for Peace, Socialist Action, Lake Superior Greens, Duluth Unitarian-Universalist Peace & Social Justice Committee, UMD Students for Peace, CSS Center for Just Living, Twin Ports Action Coalition, Workers United Local 99, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice, Rice Lake Peace for Peace, the Nortland Center for Art & Ecopsychology and a host of individual activists and concerned citizens!
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NORTHLAND ANTI-WAR COALITION
P.O. Box 16853, Duluth MN 55816
http://www.northlandantiwar.blogspot.com


Events

6 Comments

Average American

about 15 years ago 

Afghanistan.?..didn't we like win that already?

Cory

about 15 years ago 

I thought the mission was accomplished?

Dave Sorensen

about 15 years ago 

1. The original Taliban were US allies against the Russians.
2. The Taliban did not attack the US.
3. The Taliban offered to turn over Bin Laden if only the US would give them proof of his involvement in 9-11. I don't want to open up the whole conspiracy can-of-worms, ( the graveyard of all political discussions),but even the FBI's own 10 most wanted list does not mention Sept 11th on Bin Laden's rap sheet, so maybe they couldn't give the Taliban the evidence required for extradition.http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/fugitives/laden.htm
4. What the press is now calling the "Taliban" is a broad umbrella group of fighters resisting the occupation.
5. The occupation is creating the ultimate recruiting ground for the resistance.
6. Neither Alexander the Great, the British, nor the Russians could conquer Afghanistan, and neither can the US.
7. Parallels with Vietnam are spot-on.

O.G.Duluthian

about 15 years ago 

Al Franken / Micheal Moore 2012 DFL Presidential Ticket!!  These two will get us out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Please show up at the vigil and show your support.

zra

about 15 years ago 

"Mission Accomplished" was a gaffe perpetrated by G.W. which was supposed to signal the end of major combat operations in Iraq.

The United States trained many of the higher ups in the "Taliban" resistance during the Soviet invasion/occupation of the 1980's. Mujahaddin was what they called themselves then.

The Mujahaddin generals were fond of saying that the Soviets would come to Afghanistan on their feet, but leave on their knees.

Resolutionary

about 15 years ago 

In Afghanistan this year has been the worst year, last month was the worst month as the security situation and the political situation deteriorates. 

The film "Charlie Wilson's War" tells the story of how the US came to finance and train the Mujahadeen in Afghanistan.  We worked with the Islamic Radicals and taught them how to fight an army occupation.  Even though the war was technically covert, by the end we were spending $500 million a year which was matched equally by the Saudis for a total funding of $1 billion a year.  The Soviets bled hard in that country, they lost a lot of men and treasure, just as the British, and every other empire to every try to occupy that country has.  The Soviets withdrew, tails between their legs, and the Berlin wall fell. Americans then lost interest, and the Militant Islamic Fundamentalist, who we trained and supplied with weapons to take down helicopters and destroy tanks, ran the show.

Afghanis know their history with the US, why do Americans not know their history with Afghanistan? Isn't our ignorance a disadvantage as we reassess our policies there?

We must be wary of abandoning our allies, again, however I think in 8 years we have backed too many corrupt officials, bombed too many wedding parties, slaughtered and dismembered too many children.  Our credibility is gone, our resolve is absentmindedly weak, and thousands of years of history have been disregarded.

We can not kill our way to success; we must acknowledge that our presence is the main radicalizing force.  Just as it would radicalize me if a foreign occupier was firing missiles at my family, bombing my wedding party, and executing my brothers.

It will not be easy, it will not be with out consequences, but we must leave.

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