[This post was delayed because it contained the word "subscr*be"
in the first 10 lines; it was forwarded to the list by Hans Ehrbar]
A forward for Bread and Peace , in the spirit of 1917.
Charles Brown
(((((((((((((((((((((((((
Labor Alerts: a free service of Campaign for Labor Rights
To subscr*be or unsubscr*be, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web site: www.summersault.com/~agj/clr
Phone: (541) 344-5410 Fax: (541) 431-0523
Membership/newsletter: Send $35.00 to Campaign for Labor Rights, 1247 "E"
Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Sample newsletter available on request.
OPPOSE THE WAR
posted May 6, 1999
In this alert:
Oppose U.S./NATO war in the Balkans - commentary
Emergency mobilization June 5 to stop the war
Endorse the call to action
1999 sweatshop activist organizing packet
<><><><><>
OPPOSE U.S./NATO WAR IN THE BALKANS
Commentary by Trim Bissell, national coordinator of Campaign for Labor Rights
In addition to mobilizing around corporate campaigns, legislation and codes
of conduct, the work of the anti-sweatshop movement also includes opposing
the economic, military and repressive structures which make the global
sweatshop possible. In that context, I am writing to ask for your support
for the June 5 emergency mobilization to stop the war in the Balkans.
Working people have many reasons to oppose U.S. military intervention in the
Balkans.
The U.S. military is not a humanitarian institution. It intervenes to
promote corporate interests. The U.S. promoted bloody conflicts in Central
America, resulting in deaths, disappearances and displacements on a scale
dwarfing anything now occurring in the Balkans. The U.S. School of the
Americas trains the worst human rights abusers in the Western Hemisphere and
honors its most notorious graduates in a "Hall of Fame." The U.S. continues
to arm Turkey, a NATO ally guilty of atrocities against the Kurds far worse
than what was being done to the Kosovars before the NATO bombing. Under the
guise of anti-drug efforts, the U.S. is rapidly increasing its military
involvement in Colombia, where the government is closely tied to
paramilitaries which target unionists and human rights advocates.
We should be wary of blanket recommendations that the situation in Kosovo be
resolved through negotiations, without first discussing what is to be
negotiated. The Rambouillet plan proposed by the U.S. State Department,
combined with policies already mandated by the U.S.-dominated International
Monetary Fund (IMF), require the region to yield its political, military and
economic sovereignty. NATO bombing is rapidly de-industrializing the former
Yugoslavia, as part of a larger strategy to relegate the region to a Third
World role, namely, providing cheap labor, cheap raw materials and open
markets.
People of conscience condemn attacks on civilian populations, whether those
attacks are against Albanians or against Serbs. It is quite another matter
to suppose that U.S./NATO military force is the solution to any problem in
the former Yugoslavia. The plight of the Kosovars has increased in
proportion to NATO activity in the region. While the U.S. government moves
thousands of military personnel and vast quantities of weapons with ease,
Kosovar refugees are left to huddle in squalid camps, their misery providing
further pretext for continuing the war effort.
It is doubtful whether any change in regimes resulting from the NATO
intervention will lead to an increase in prosperity, democracy or worker
rights. Economic policies imposed by the IMF contributed significantly to
social/political breakdown which in turn propelled the region into armed
conflict. At this point, there does not seem to be any way to offer
meaningful proactive solidarity with democratic forces in the region. The
most helpful thing we can do now is to oppose intervention by the U.S.
military - which has an appalling record on human rights - in a situation
where human rights abusers already abound.
<><><><><>
EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION TO STOP THE WAR
National March on the Pentagon, June 5, 1999
[Statement from the Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War]
U.S./NATO bombs and cruise missiles are raining down on Belgrade, Pristina,
Novi Sad and other cities, towns and villages in Yugoslavia, falling on
Serbs, Albanians, Hungarians, Romanis and Montenegrins alike. In the name of
"peace," NATO has killed thousands and destroyed hospitals, homes, schools,
universities, bridges, power and water treatment plants, factories, and
more. In the name of "protecting human rights," the launching of the air war
has triggered a refugee crisis displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
Now, as the bombing and its terrible toll escalate, the threat of a U.S.
invasion of Yugoslavia looms. A ground war will mean the deployment of
hundreds of thousands of troops.
Now is the time to act! We are urging you to join us in the newly formed
Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War. Hundreds of thousands of us marched
against the U.S. war on Iraq in 1990-91. We have continued to work against
the sanctions that have killed more than 1.5 million civilians in that
country. Now, the Pentagon is embarked upon another bloody intervention, in
violation of all international law, and against the interests of the people
of the Balkans and the people of this country as well.
The Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War is planning activities to
mobilize hundreds of thousands of people who will say in a loud and clear
voice: "Stop the bombing! Stop the war! Bring the troops, ships and planes
home now! Money for jobs, healthcare and education, not for war!"
On Saturday, June 5, there will be a mass march from the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial to the steps of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Yugoslavia is the fourth country - along with Iraq, Afghanistan and the
Sudan - bombed by U.S. military forces in the past eight months. Now we are
at the edge of an even wider and more destructive war. We must act urgently
to build a broad and deep movement that says "NO" to this madness. Join and
endorse the Emergency Mobilization today. Circulate this appeal to your
co-workers, neighbors, campus, church, mosque, synagogue, union and community.
Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War Initial Endorsers (list in formation):
Ramsey Clark
Bishop Thomas Gumbleton
Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., Exe. Dir., IFCO / Pastors for Peace
Edith Villastrigo, Leg. Dir., Women Strike for Peace
Rev. Djokan Majstorovic, Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava, NYC
Michael Parenti, Author
Geronimo ji Jaga Pratt
Brian Becker, Sara Flounders International Action Center
Manning Marable
Catholic Worker
Nadja Tesich, Author
Barry Lituchy
Covert Action Quarterly
Leonore Foerstel, Women for Mutual Security
Center for Peace in the Balkans, Toronto, Canada
Haiti Support Network / Haiti Progress
Frank Velgara, Working Group on Puerto Rico / FS
Hellenic American Peace Committee
Larry Holmes, Workfairness
Jeremy Scahill, Pacifica Radio
Iman El-Sayed, College Voice, College of Staten Island
John Ranz, Pres., Survivors of Buchenwald, USA
Heather Cottin, Jewish-Serbian Friendship Committee
William Blum, Author, Killing Hope
Karen Talbot, International Center for Peace and Justice
David Sole, Pres. UAW Local 2334
Greek Americans for Action
Gloria La Riva, Int'l Peace for Cuba
Assn. Of Greek Resistance Fighters, 1941-1945
Alan Dale, Emergency Comm. Against US Intervention in Yugoslavia*, MN
Women in Black
Hector Rivera, Welfare Poets
Kadouri Al-Kaysi, Comm. in Support of the Iraqi People
Leslie Feinberg, Author
Carlos Rovira, Latinos for Mumia
Ohio Citizen's Action
Prof. Dan Georgakas, Queens College
Trudy Rudnick, AFT, Local 3882
Westsiders Against War, NYC
Rev David Olson, Community Church of Boston*
Stevan Kirschbaum, VP, USWA Local 8751 Boston School
Bus Drivers
Prof. Rashid Khalid, Boston
Vigils for the Iraqi People
Ed Childs, Chief Shop Steward, Hotel Employees and Restaurant
Employees Local 26, Harvard U.* Committee for Peace and Human Rights,
Boston
Campaign for Labor Rights
<><><><><>
ENDORSE THE CALL TO ACTION
Add your name or your organization to the growing list of endorsers for the
Emergency Mobilization to End the War National March on the Pentagon June 5,
1999 by going to <http://home.earthlink.net/~npcboston/jun5end.htm> and
completing the on-line form or fill out the coupon below and send it to
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
Yes, I want to be an endorser for the Call to Action.
Name:
Street address:
City / State (Province) / Zip (Postal code):
Country:
Phone:
Fax:
Email:
Group / School / Union:
Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War
39 W. 14th St., #206
New York, NY 10011
(212) 633-6646 fax: (212) 633-2889
Email: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Web site: <http://www.iacenter.org>
<><><><><>
1999 SWEATSHOP ACTIVIST ORGANIZING PACKET
Campaign for Labor Rights has prepared a multi-theme, multi-campaign packet
for local activists who are organizing around sweatshop issues. Updated and
additional materials will be mailed automatically during the year to
everyone who orders the initial installment. The initial packet includes
brochure masters (INS and immigration issues, living wage, What can I buy?),
leaflet masters, masters for consumer cards, masters for sign-on letters,
background information on campaigns (farmworkers, Disney, Nike, Phillips-Van
Heusen, The Gap) and a resource list. Order by email <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or phone
(541) 344-5410. Include your postal address: Packet is in hard copy. Whole
packets only; it is not practical to break down packets and send selected
pieces. Packet includes a donation form and a return envelope. Suggested
donation: $10.00.
>>> "Charles Brown" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 05/13/99 11:36AM >>>
>>> Rob Schaap <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 05/12/99 11:33AM >>>
I'm beginning to see it as Hinrich Kuhls saw it weeks ago - this has a very
July 1914 feel about it all of a sudden ...
(((((((((((((((((((
Charles: Bob M. has been having that 1914 feeling for a long time.
Charles Brown
--- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
--- from list [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
