Democracy Alert:
No War on Iran Resolution for the U.S. Conference of Mayors

From:
Cities For Peace

What's happening:
Mayors across the country are being urged to sponsor a resolution opposing a military strike on Iran.

Below is a letter from Vermont mayor, Bob Kiss, to his fellow mayors:

Dear Fellow Mayors,
 
As a member of the International Affairs Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, I am introducing the attached resolution concerning Iran at the upcoming annual meeting in Miami on June 20-24 and invite you to be a cosponsor. The resolution aims at avoiding another devastating war and calls for the use of diplomacy and for Congressional authorization before any use of force.
 
In these times when the Iraq war has sapped so many of our financial resources and cost the lives of our brave soldiers, I hope you will join me in voicing the determination of mayors across this country to stop a war with Iran before it begins.
 
To cosponsor the resolution, please contact my assistant, Joe Reinart, at JReinert@ci.Burlington.vt.us or (802) 865-7275.
 
Thank you for your support.
 
Sincerely,
Mayor Bob Kiss
Burlington, Vermont

The following resolution has been submitted to the U.S. Conference of Mayors by the Honorable Mayor Bob Kiss of Burlington, VT for consideration at the Miami Meeting on June 20-24, 2008:

A RESOLUTION OPPOSING MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAN
 
WHEREAS, the WHEREAS: The President and members of his administration have alleged that Iran poses an imminent threat to the United States, U.S. troops in the Middle East and U.S. allies, and
 
WHEREAS, these allegations are similar to the lead-up to the Iraq War  and U.S. occupation, with  the selective use of information and  unsubstantiated accusations about Iran's nuclear program and its supply of weapons to Iraqi forces as centerpieces of a case to the American people for aggression against Iran, and

WHEREAS, Iran has not threatened to attack the United States, and no compelling evidence has been presented to document that Iran poses a real and imminent threat to the security and safety of the United States that would justify an unprovoked unilateral pre-emptive military attack; and

WHEREAS, we support the people of Iran who are struggling for freedom and democracy, and nothing herein should be misconstrued as support for the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, but it should be understood that a unilateral, pre-emptive U.S. military attack on Iran could well prove counterproductive to the cause of promoting freedom and democracy there; and

WHEREAS, a 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), representing the consensus view all 16 U.S. intelligence agencies, concluded that Iran froze its nuclear weapons program in 2003, and an earlier NIE concluded that Iran's involvement in Iraq "is not likely to be a major driver of violence" there, and

WHEREAS, an attack on Iran is likely to cause untold thousands of American and Iranian casualties, lead to major economic dislocations, and threaten even greater destabilization in the Middle East, and

WHEREAS, a pre-emptive U.S. military attack on Iran would violate international law and our commitments under the U.N. Charter and further isolate the U.S. from the rest of the world; and

WHEREAS, an attack on Iran is likely to inflame hatred for the U.S. in the Middle East and elsewhere, inspire terrorism, and lessen the security of Americans, and

WHEREAS, the Iraq war and occupation has already cost the lives of over 4,000 American soldiers, the maiming and wounding of over 38,000 American soldiers, the death and maiming of over one million Iraqi civilians, and

WHEREAS, the Iraq War and occupation has cost U.S. taxpayers more than $500 billion, depriving our cities of much-need funds for services and infrastructure, and
 
WHEREAS, except at our peril, we cannot ignore the history of U.S. government mis-information used to inspire U.S. aggression in Vietnam and again in Iraq, as embodied in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and more recently in the what we know now as false claims of weapons of mass destruction, and
 
WHEREAS, any conflict with Iran is likely to incur far greater costs and divert more precious national resources away from critical human needs, now therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors hereby urges the Bush Administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with Iran on nuclear issues and ending the violence in Iraq, and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges Congress to prohibit the use of funds to carry out any military action against Iran without explicit Congressional authorization, and
 
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that suitable copies of the resolution be forwarded to President George W. Bush and all members of Congress.

What you can do:
If your mayor is on the following list, please thank him/her. If not, please ask your Mayor to express the views of her/his constituents as soon as possible!

Sign-ons are being collected both before the upcoming US Conference of Mayors meeting and all summer long! It's not too late!!

Ask your mayor to send notice of his/her support to Nancy Mancias at Global Exchange (nancy@globalexchange.org or 415-575-5543) or Karen Dolan, Cities for Peace (kdolan@igc.org, www.citiesforpeace.org)

Names of Mayors who have cosponsored the resolution:

    * Bob Kiss, Burlington, VT;
    * Joy Cooper, Hallandale Beach, FL;
    * James M. Baker, Wilmington, DE;
    * Dave Norris, Charlottesville, VA;
    * R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis, MN;
    * William D. Euille, Alexandria, VA;
    * Marty Blum, Santa Barbara, CA;
    * Dan Coody, Fayetteville, AK;
    * Kevin Foy, Chapel Hill, NC;
    * Gayle McLaughlin, Richmond, CA;
    * Kitty Piercy, Eugene, OR;
    * Elaine Walker, Bowling Green, KY;
    * Jeff Prang, West Hollywood, CA;
    * Rhine McLin, Dayton, OH;
    * Jennifer Hosterman, Pleasanton, CA;
    * Laurel Lunt Prussing, Urbana, IL;
    * Anthony B Santos, San Leandro, CA;
    * J. Christian Bollwage, Elizabeth, NJ;
    * Scott J. Brook, Coral Springs, FL;
    * Bruce R. Williams, Takoma Park, MD

For more information:
Karen Dolan
Director, Cities for Progress/Cities for Peace
Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies
1112 16th St NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036
kdolan@igc.org
202.234.9382 x228

Democracy Alert:
Rally to Bring the Pennsylvania National Guard Home

From:
Pennsylvania Bring Home the Guard Organizers

What's happening:
URGENT ADVISORY          
08/06/2008

(Pittsburgh) — Pennsylvania this week becomes the main front in a major national effort to end deployments of the National Guard to Iraq. Led by military families, and veterans, citizens from across Pennsylvania will rally this Saturday, August 9th, at 4pm at Pittsburgh’s David Lawrence Convention Center to show the Democratic National Committee (DNC) that state support is growing for bringing the Guard home.

State Senator Jim Ferlo headlines Saturday’s event with his announcement of sponsorship of a Guard defederalization resolution. This legislation will limit the Pennsylvania Guard to service within the state, unless called into federal service following a congressional declaration of war or a duly enacted federal statute. The legislation states that the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force has expired, and that there is no longer any lawful basis for Guard deployments to Iraq.

The DNC Platform Committee holds its most public national meeting this Saturday, and Pennsylvania legislators and citizens will use that meeting to tell the national Democratic Party that if the federal government doesn’t end the war in Iraq, they will.  In this effort, Pennsylvania takes the lead in a national campaign of state legislators and citizens in a growing number of states, including now Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Senator Ferlo’s announcement means that Guard deferalization legislation is in play in both chambers of the Pennsylvania legislature. Rep. Tony Payton, Jr. has already introduced similar legislation in the house.

 # # #


What you can do:
Come to Pittsburgh and join the rally!

WHEN: Saturday, August 9, 4pm
WHERE: David Lawrence Convention Center, 1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA
WEBSITES:  http://www.BringtheGuardHome.org  and   http://www.PittsburghEndtheWar.org

Join the Campaign to Bring the Guard Home. Go to BringtheGuardHome.org to find out who is involved in your state.

Don't see your state listed?

Then, bring local peace and military activists together and contact your state representatives to get legislation introduced to Bring Home the Guard

For more information:
National contacts:
Ben Manski, 608 239 6915, Manski@LibertyTreeFDR.org
Sarah Manski, 608 395 9748, Contact@BringtheGuardHome.org

Pennsylvania contacts:
Pete Shell, Pittsburgh Anti-War Committee, 412 491 7868
David Gibson, PA For Peace Action, Lansdowne, 609 712 6469
Senator Jim Ferlo, Lawrenceville, PA. 412 621 3006
State Representative Tony Payton, Jr., 215 744 7901

Democracy Alert:
Support the TRADE Act

From:
Global Trade Watch

What's happening:
After years of fighting against expansion of the failed NAFTA/ WTO model, we're thrilled to announce a new trade bill we can all be for.

The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment (TRADE) Act, cosponsored by fair trade champions Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine), was introduced on June 4, 2008 with over 50 House and Senate original cosponsors! This landmark legislation sets forth in concrete, detailed terms a progressive vision for good trade agreements in the future and criteria to renegotiate existing failed pacts like NAFTA and the WTO.

Fifteen years of the NAFTA/WTO model has led to massive job loss, downward pressure on wages and the loss of nearly 300,000 family farms. It's given broad, expansive new rights to foreign corporations to challenge our environmental and public health standards and flooded the U.S. with unsafe imported food and products. And it has devastated developing nations, where millions of family farmers have been forced off their land, and where poverty, despair and desperation-driven mass migrations have grown.

The TRADE Act lays out in detail a new path forward for U.S. trade policy to achieve societal goals such as good jobs, safe food and promotion of basic human rights, healthy communities and environmental protection.

What you can do:
We now need as many representatives and senators as possible to publicly support this bill by signing on as cosponsors. Write your members of Congress now and urge them to cosponsor the TRADE Act!

To use the Global Trade Watch contact form, click here: http://action.citizen.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=24836

For more information:
Available here: http://www.citizen.org/trade/tradeact/

Democracy Alert:
Urge on Vermont: Bring the Guard home!

From:
Democratizing Defense Network

What's happening:
The movement to bring home the National Guard is growing.  State representatives and senators in Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island have joined Vermonters in drafting and introducing legislation to keep their state Guard units where they belong.  With the latest news out of Iraq and Washington D.C. -- that the troop escalation has failed to end the violence and that the Bush administration will attempt to issue additional call up orders for Guard units this summer and fall -- the time is ripe for state action to keep the Guard in the United States.

This campaign began earliest in Vermont, and it is in Vermont that the effort has made the most progress.  The Vermont Senate held hearings on the legislation last month.  The Vermont public is debating the issue.  Media outlets from the Topeka Capital Journal to CBS national news to the Houston Chronicle have covered the debate.  For the first time, Americans are becoming aware of the illegality of National Guard deployments to Iraq.  The Vermont debate is educating all of us; we are learning that:

• The President may only call the Guard into National Service after Congress has granted him/her that authority; otherwise, the Guard remain under the command of state officials.
  
• The 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force in Iraq (2002 AUMF) was the act of Congress under which National Guard call ups for deployment to Iraq have occurred until now.
  
• The 2002 AUMF set a clear mission for the invasion of Iraq, and that mission is over.  Saddam Hussein and Iraq are no long a threat to the United States or the region (if they ever were), and the UN Security Council resolutions on which the 2002 AUMF was based are no longer relevant.
  
• Some state elected officials are willing to stand up and defend the constitutional guarantee of a federal government of limited and enumerated powers, a military designed for national defense and not empire, and a government of laws and not of men!
  

All of this is already coming to light with a simple legislative push that doesn't even challenge the unconstitutionality of the war itself, or challenge the deployment of the Guard for purposes other than those spelled out in the Constitution.  All this legislation says is, "Federal government, we're not even telling you that your laws are unconstitutional, we're just insisting that you to obey your own laws."  Is that such a radical thing to ask?  Let's find out.

What you can do:
The Vermont legislation is important precisely because it opens a new debate over the war in Iraq.  It gives Americans an opportunity to go the government closest to them -- their local and state government -- and to insist that the states hold the federal government to account. 

The Vermont sponsors need to hear from you that you support their efforts.  Please contact Vermont Senator Peter Shumlin today and let him know that you support the Vermont Guard legislation and that time is of the essence:

Please spread the word, especially to friends and family in Vermont, but also far and wide.  The Guard will be that much closer to coming home if you act now.

For more information:
For background information, please check out Liberty Tree's extensive National Guard resource page at http://www.libertytreefdr.org/guard.php

Democracy Alert:
Iraq Town Halls: Stop Funding the War

From:
IraqTownHalls.com

What's happening:

4,004+ U.S. Deaths - 435 Town Halls

The deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq dropped last summer after Muqtada al-Sadr declared a cease-fire, and George Bush and John McCain declared their coincidental "surge" a "success." But this week Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki attacked al-Sadr's forces in Basra and unleashed pitched battles across Iraq that took over 100 Iraqi lives. Meanwhile U.S. soldier deaths in Iraq climbed to 4,004 - not including contractors and suicides or roughly one million Iraqi civilians.

George Bush, whose every word about Iraq has been an evil lie, called these battles a "very positive moment" and announced U.S. military "support." But in reality our planes, helicopters, and armored vehicles led the attack.

How much longer will we let Bush lie while our soldiers die?

And how much longer will we let Congress borrow and spend $12 billion per month for a never-ending occupation when we're having an economic meltdown here at home?

What you can do:

This week we proposed 435 Iraq Town Hall meetings for any Sunday in April - one in each Congressional District. Our message to Congress is simple: Just Say No to Bush's demand for another $102 billion.

We now have a fabulous group of co-sponsors offering speakers and organizers: Progressive Democrats of America, Gold Star Families for Peace, Win Without War, AfterDowningStreet, FireDogLake, Hip Hop Caucus, Cities for Peace, Velvet Revolution, The Nation, The Backbone Campaign, Brad Blog, Clout on Air America, TrueMajority, Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute, Voters for Peace, Code Pink, Democracy Cell Project, Veterans for Peace, Global Exchange, Liberty Tree, and Iraq Veterans Against the War.

For more information:

Visit http://iraqtownhalls.com  to learn how you can get involved in attending or organizing a town hall in your district!

Democracy Alert:
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Day of Action

From:
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition

What's happening:

Join hundreds of other Floridians in Tallahassee on April 1 for a rally and lobbying visits.

Demand that the Florida Legislature and the Board of Executive Clemency make civil rights restoration automatic and remove employment barriers faced by people with past felony convictions.

People with past felony convictions are especially encouraged to participate.

 

The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is committed to removing Florida's civil rights ban, which is imposed on citizens with past felony convictions.

Florida is one of only three states that strip all individuals with past felony convictions of their civil rights, including their fundamental right to vote, even after completion of their sentences.

Floridians with past felony convictions lose not only the right to vote, but also the right to serve on a jury and to hold public office. Restoration of civil rights is also necessary to obtain certain occupational licenses.

Close to one million Floridians are affected by this civil rights ban. On April 1st Floridians will demand an end to this injustice.

What you can do:
Visit http://www.restorerights.org/ to register for the event and to find more information.

Democracy Alert:
National Days of Student Action

From:
Students for a Democratic Society

What's happening:

This March will mark a grim milestone - the fifth anniversary of the illegal and immoral invasion of Iraq. Despite the clear mandate from the American people to end the occupation, the U.S. government continues to wage war upon the Iraqi people. Bush’s mocking response to dwindling public support for the war has been the “troop surge,” or simply more of the same, while simultaneously threatening neighboring countries like Iran. For their part, the Democrats refuse to commit to a clear anti-war stance, even as they try to posture as the opposition party. Meanwhile, the threat of domestic recession looms, racist attacks increase, and millions lack decent housing, jobs, education, and health-care.

The war will drag on for many more years–draining billions of dollars and resulting in thousands of more causalities, both American and Iraqi, on top of the hundreds of thousands already killed, injured, and displaced–unless the people stand up and fight for change.

Every year, there have been protests marking the anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq that was launched on the basis of lies and deceit. Students have historically had an especially important role in the struggles against racism and war, and we continue to do so today. Last March, over 80 high schools and colleges answered the call by chapters of Students for a Democratic Society to come together to send one loud resounding NO to the Bush administration and the Republican agenda, to the Democrats who refuse to carry out the mandate of their constituents, and to the University administrations that so often support war efforts.

This March, SDS is urging all students, as part of the broader community of people of conscience, to voice our opposition to the war in Iraq. As the presidential election nears, candidates need to be sent a clear message: we will not stand for vague time lines and empty promises, we will not tolerate sanctions, threats, and aggression against Iran, and that we will stand in solidarity with the Iraqi people who are struggling to liberate their country.

We want as many people as possible to join us in this protest; the larger the protest the stronger the impact we have, and the sooner we can help end this war. We are calling on any and all student and youth based organizations that are opposed to the war in Iraq to mobilize their memberships, their campus, their community and hit the streets for the week of March 17-21, with March 20 as the focal point.* We are calling on students to take action on their own campuses, where we have the power to reach the entire student body with our message and build resistance on our own campuses. We are calling on our fellow students and youth to take the lead and do whatever it takes–from rallies, marches, walk-outs, civil disobedience, and direct action–to send a clear message to the U.S. government: Get out of Iraq Now!

What you can do:

Contact march20sds@gmail.com if you would like to sign on to the call to action.

*This call is flexible so that each campus/community can organize an action that works best for them. For instance, if March 20th is an inconvenient date due to Spring Break, actions can be held in the weeks prior to or after 3/20. We are encouraging those who are on spring break during this week to mobilize their chapters to participate in the anti-war actions being held in D.C. on the 19th; for more information on the actions in DC, email dcsds@riseup.net.

For more information:
For materials or more information check out http://www.newsds.org/march20/

Democracy Alert:
5 Years Too Many: March 19 actions against the war

From:
United for Peace & Justice & Iraq Veterans Against the War

What's happening:
March 19, 2008: the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the beginning of the 6th year of war and occupation, the 6th year of senseless death and massive destruction.

 

2008 is a critical year in the efforts to bring an end to the war and occupation in Iraq. This is the year the anti-war movement must up the ante, pull out all of the stops and build so much pressure that the war will finally be brought to an end.

United for Peace and Justice is calling for and supporting a set of activities on and around the 5th anniversary that will manifest the intensifying opposition to the war and help strengthen our movement. We invite you to work with us to ensure the success of these actions.

March 13-16, Winter Soldier: UFPJ is committed to providing major support to Iraq Veterans Against the War and its Winter Soldier hearings in Washington, DC, on Marc h 13-16. We will help local groups plan events that directly link to and amplify the Winter Soldier hearings, where those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Iraqis and Afghans, will tell the nation the real story of this war.

March 19, Mass Nonviolent Direct Action in Washington, DC: UFPJ has initiated the planning and organizing for what we hope will be the largest day of nonviolent direct action and civil disobedience yet against the war in Iraq. We encourage people to be in Washington, DC, on March 19th to be part of the civil disobedience, or to assist in support work. We are working to have all 50 states represented in this massive action.

March 19, Local Actions Throughout the Country: We encourage those who are not able to make it to Washington on March 19 to organize local actions. These actions may vary in location or character, but they will all be tied to the protest in Washington and all sending a message to the policy makers: It is time to end this war and occupation!

Help us make the 5th anniversary the last anniversary of this war!

Join our efforts to build the strongest actions in March -- actions that will not only mark the anniversary but will also help propel our movement into the critically important work that must be done throughout the year.

What you can do:

*Register for the March 19 Civil Disobedience Action in DC: http://5yearstoomany.org/modinput4.php?modin=50

*Plan a March 19 Local Action Against the War (or join one already happening in your area): http://5yearstoomany.org/article.php?list=type&type=5

For more information:
5 Years Too Many -

http://5yearstoomany.org/