[North-NV-Greens] Fwd: A Call to Resist the War in Iraq

Wed Jan 12 20:52:01 PST 2005

>
>A Call to Resist the War in Iraq
>
>Submitted to Portside
>
>[This is a very powerful call from a group of clergy
>and other religious leaders called Reclaiming the
>Prophetic Voice.  They are planning to sign and release
>it on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, as explained
>in the media release that follows the Call.  The Call
>could serve as a model for local groups all over the
>country. - Jeremy Brecher]
>
>A growing number of U.S. citizens have realized that
>the war in Iraq is an immoral and profoundly
>destructive waste of both Iraqi and American lives. The
>war was begun in violation of international law, and
>founded on lies told to our own people and to our
>allies. It has included defiance of the Geneva
>Conventions with illegal and secret detentions of
>prisoners, a denial of due process of law and well-
>documented torture and killing of prisoners in American
>custody. Its extravagant cost increasingly robs our own
>neediest citizens of vital services while enriching a
>few private corporations.
>
>We believe it is the moral responsibility of every U.S.
>citizen to raise our voices and take action to stop
>this illegal war and bring our soldiers home. We
>believe it is our duty as both Americans and members of
>the international community to insist that our
>government immediately adhere to the international
>agreements binding us, including the Geneva Accords
>protecting prisoners from torture and indefinite
>detention.
>
>Many members of the armed services are seeking ways to
>avoid service in Iraq or leave the military completely;
>some young men are refusing to register for Selective
>Service. Increasing numbers of enlisted men and women
>are risking prison sentences or forced immigration in
>order to avoid collaboration in an immoral war. We
>applaud these choices and will do all that we can to
>encourage others to follow their example.
>
>More specifically, we support and will spread the word
>about the G.I. Rights Hotline and other efforts to
>support soldiers in withdrawing from the military. We
>will counsel young men turning eighteen on the moral
>obligations as well as risks inherent in a refusal to
>register with the Selective Service,  and we will raise
>funds to support them in their legal defense. Should a
>draft be reinstituted we will encourage young men and
>women not to comply.
>
>The War Crimes Tribunals following World War II
>declared, "Anyone with knowledge of illegal activity
>and an opportunity to do something is a potential
>criminal under international law, unless the person
>takes affirmative measures to prevent the commission of
>the crimes."  We, the undersigned, commit ourselves to
>undertake all affirmative measures available to us to
>fulfill our obligations under these treaties, which
>have guided our world for half a century. We will
>continue to raise our voices and engage in nonviolent
>resistance until our government has withdrawn from Iraq
>and brought our soldiers home.
>
>Signed:
>
>RECLAIMING THE PROPHETIC VOICE
>c/o 247 Saint Ronan St.
>New Haven, CT  06511
>(203) 865-6575
>
>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
>
>Contacts:        John Humphries, 860-236-5175
>The Rev. Allie Perry, 203-865-6575; 203-215-2613 (cell)
>The Rev. Kathleen McTigue, 203-288-1807; 203-232-1044
>(cell)
>
>HONORING the DEAD, OPPOSING the WAR:
>FAITH-BASED WITNESS honors the PROPHETIC VOICE of DR.
>KING and the US SOLDIERS and IRAQI CIVILIANS who have DIED
>in the WAR
>
>Saturday, January 15
>
>New Haven Green
>
>10:00 am - 2:30 pm: Reading the Names
>
>of all US Soldiers who have died in Iraq since the
>invasion and an equal number of Iraqi civilians who
>have been killed as a result of the war
>
>***PHOTO OP: Portable 60-ft Wall with the Names and
>Photos***
>
>Noon: Media Event
>
>featuring readings from Dr. King's 1967 sermon against
>the Vietnam War, a public signing of A Call to Resist
>the War in Iraq, and launching a new action campaign
>
>Religious leaders and people of faith from around the
>state will hold a public witness and press conference
>at Noon on January 15, 2005, on the New Haven Green
>near the Corner of College and Chapel Streets*.  The
>event will mark the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
>birthday, highlighting his opposition to militarism and
>war and responding to his call to seek out "every
>creative means of protest."  The group will honor those
>who have died in the war in Iraq by reading many of
>their names.
>
>Challenging faith communities to speak out against the
>torture of prisoners and other war crimes, religious
>leaders will publicly sign a pledge of resistance and
>launch a campaign of coordinated activities to oppose
>the war, including providing counseling to military
>personnel questioning the justification and morality of
>the ongoing war and occupation in Iraq.
>
>"Responsibility for US war crimes in Iraq doesn't lie
>with the soldiers who have been called to serve," said
>the Rev. Allie Perry. "The responsibility lies with the
>high government officials who gave the orders in this
>illegal and immoral war, sending men and women,
>physically and morally, into harm's way.  And now the
>responsibility lies with us, as citizens of the world,
>to bring these crimes and this illegal war to a halt."
>
>On April 4, 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
>spoke out prophetically against the war in Vietnam. He
>urged other people of faith to join him, saying, "We in
>the churches and synagogues have a continuing task to
>urge our government to disengage itself from a
>disgraceful commitment. We must be prepared to match
>actions with words by seeking out every creative means
>of protest possible.."
>
>"Our generation needs to heed Dr. King's words today",
>said the Rev. Kathleen McTigue, of the Unitarian
>Society of New Haven. "Religious people in this country
>must begin to live up to the mandates of our faiths. We
>must raise our voices against the growing slaughter and
>destruction in Iraq. We must speak and act, loudly and
>consistently, against the torture and other crimes
>being committed in our names."
>
>Both Rev. Perry and Rev. McTigue are members of the
>Steering Committee for Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice,
>a statewide interfaith network of religious leaders and
>people of faith promoting nonviolent alternatives to
>war.
>
>The group will announce a new campaign to oppose the
>war by publicizing the national GI Rights Hotline,
>providing training to clergy in counseling military
>personnel about their rights, and supporting efforts
>around the state to discourage young people from
>enlisting in the military and educate them about
>conscientious objection.  Preparing for the March 20
>anniversary of the invasion, they will collect
>humanitarian aid for Iraq, sponsor educational events,
>and organize meetings with Congressional
>representatives.
>
>Volunteers of all ages will read names of the war dead
>in 15-minute shifts, alternating the name of a US
>soldier with the name of an Iraqi civilian. Event
>organizers estimate that reading the more than 2700
>names will take nearly five hours.  The text of the
>Call to Resist is posted at
>http://internationallaw.pro-se-institute.org/ct_clergy.html
>
>_______________________________________________________
>
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-- 
Paul Etxeberri

"Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow"   ---Chateaubriand