Everything possible to stop the bloody terror in Syria should be done, but as an all-out civil war it's qualitatively different from other recent movements in the Arab world. Thus, neither sanctimonious US pronouncements nor self-serving UN vetoes are likely to have much effect.
March 4, 2012
January 15, 2012
Weekly Antiwar Pickets - Every Friday
While it may have fallen from the news headlines, the bloody U.S. war in Afghanistan continues, and is regularly spilling into neighboring countries like Pakistan. To keep the anti-war flag flying, the Northland Anti-War Coalition holds "Stand for Peace" pickets every Friday from 5-6pm at the corner of Lake Ave. & Superior Street in downtown Duluth. Join us in holding signs and talking to people about the urgent need to bring the troops home now! Feel free to make and bring your own sign, though we always have a few extras on hand. And be sure to bring a friend!
August 3, 2011
Original Child Bomb - August 6
by the Just Peace Committee of Peace UCC
In remembrance of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Just Peace Committee of Peace United Church of Christ, together with the Community of the 3rd Way, invite you to a showing of the film Original Child Bomb on Sunday, August 6th at 7pm at Peace UCC (1111 N 11th Ave E).
Inspired by Thomas Merton's poem, Original Child Bomb shows the human cost of nuclear weapons. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are depicted through declassified footage, photographs, drawings and testimonies of mothers, brothers and soldiers. Ordinary people gaze upon the nuclear past and its terrifying present. They expose the political rhetoric surrounding "security" and "weapons of mass destruction." The film is a wake-up call and an invitation to action.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Penny at 218-727-2972.
Inspired by Thomas Merton's poem, Original Child Bomb shows the human cost of nuclear weapons. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are depicted through declassified footage, photographs, drawings and testimonies of mothers, brothers and soldiers. Ordinary people gaze upon the nuclear past and its terrifying present. They expose the political rhetoric surrounding "security" and "weapons of mass destruction." The film is a wake-up call and an invitation to action.
This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Penny at 218-727-2972.
June 24, 2011
Cuba caravan visits Twin Ports July 6
Pastors for Peace will roll through the Twin Ports on Wednesday, July 6 as part of their 22nd caravan to Cuba. Caravan volunteers are visiting 130 cities in Canada, the US and Mexico before delivering hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid to Cuba in nonviolent defiance of the US blockade.
Loaves and Fishes Community is hosting a gathering to welcome the caravan to Duluth. Potluck starts at 6pm at Dorothy Day House (1712 Jefferson Street), followed by a short presentation about the caravan by Rev. Luis Barrios, associate priest at St Mary's Episcopal Church in West Harlem and member of the Pastors for Peace board of directors. Freewill cash donations to support the caravan will be accepted.
All are welcome, but RSVP to Loaves and Fishes at duluthcatholicworker(at)gmail(dot)com or by calling 218-724-2054.
Loaves and Fishes Community is hosting a gathering to welcome the caravan to Duluth. Potluck starts at 6pm at Dorothy Day House (1712 Jefferson Street), followed by a short presentation about the caravan by Rev. Luis Barrios, associate priest at St Mary's Episcopal Church in West Harlem and member of the Pastors for Peace board of directors. Freewill cash donations to support the caravan will be accepted.
All are welcome, but RSVP to Loaves and Fishes at duluthcatholicworker(at)gmail(dot)com or by calling 218-724-2054.
June 20, 2011
Colombian musician and human rights campaigner visits Duluth
This summer, Witness for Peace -- Upper Midwest is hosting a visit to Duluth by Colombian musician and community organizer Daira Quiñones Preciado. Daira is a singer, dancer, and poet who has directly suffered from Colombia's civil war, and who now works to help others who have been similarly victimized by privileged, armed sectors of Colombian society. Daira is among 4.9 million Colombians displaced by violence and she works with displaced people in Bogotá, focusing on their need for food, shelter, and clothing, as well as organizing workshops on dance, music, identity, and human rights. Daira is one of the founders of FUNDARTECP, the Foundation for Art and Culture of the Pacific.
Daira will take part in two public events in June and July:
Women Leading the Way to Justice and Peace
Thursday, June 23
10am to noon
Center for Nonviolence (202 E Superior St, Duluth)
Daira will join local human rights activists for a report from an all-women Witness for Peace delegation to Colombia, looking at the role of women in transforming Colombian society and resisting war.
Conversations in Song
Friday, July 8
Peace Church (1111 N 11th Ave E, Duluth)
6pm refreshments, 7pm performance
Daira will team up with local talents Sara Thomsen, Beth Bartlett, Steve Horner and Ritchie Townsend for an evening of music and art. Freewill donations to benefit Witness for Peace.
MN Senators call for troop drawdown in Afghanistan
On June 15, a bi-partisan group of 27 US Senators - including Minnesota's Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar - sent a letter to President Obama demanding an accelerated withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. In a press release issued the same day, Sen. Franken is quoted as saying: "When we started the surge in Afghanistan, the President said we would start drawing down our troops this July and we're holding him to that. Today we call for a sizable and sustained drawdown of our troops starting this summer."
The Northland Anti-War Coalition calls for nothing short of an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all US troops and military contractors from Afghanistan. Still, the Senators' letter is a step in the right direction and reflects growing public frustration with endless US wars. Daniel Fanning, the northeast Minnesota Regional Outreach Representative for Sen. Franken, explained in a letter to NAWC and other organizations that Sen. Franken's office has heard from veterans, labor and faith groups across the state "and overall the message we've been hearing has been very consistent" for troop withdrawal.
People power works, so keep it up! Contact Senators Klobuchar and Franken today. Thank them for signing the letter to Obama and urge them to work for complete US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq NOW.
Continue reading for the full text of the letter.
"the President said we would start drawing down our troops this July and we're holding him to that"
Al Franken
The Northland Anti-War Coalition calls for nothing short of an immediate and unconditional withdrawal of all US troops and military contractors from Afghanistan. Still, the Senators' letter is a step in the right direction and reflects growing public frustration with endless US wars. Daniel Fanning, the northeast Minnesota Regional Outreach Representative for Sen. Franken, explained in a letter to NAWC and other organizations that Sen. Franken's office has heard from veterans, labor and faith groups across the state "and overall the message we've been hearing has been very consistent" for troop withdrawal.
People power works, so keep it up! Contact Senators Klobuchar and Franken today. Thank them for signing the letter to Obama and urge them to work for complete US military withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq NOW.
Continue reading for the full text of the letter.
May 9, 2011
Government escalates crackdown on Midwest activists
According to the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, the bank accounts of a Chicago-area human rights activist Hatem Abudayyeh and his wife Naima were frozen on May 6. Abudayyeh is one of 23 Midwest activists ordered to appear before a federal grand jury, and his home was among those raided by the FBI in September. The Abudayyehs have a 5 year old daughter.
Take action Tuesday:Call the Office of Foreign Assets Control at 202-622-2410 or 202-622-1651.
Demand:
--Unfreeze the bank accounts of the Abudayyeh family
--Stop repression against Palestinian, anti-war and international solidarity activists.
For more information, visit stopfbi.net
UPDATE 5/10/11: Victory, sort of... TCF Bank appears to have illegally frozen the accounts, and today promised to issue a check for their value. The Committee to Stop FBI Repression reports:
Michael Deutsch, attorney for the family, said, “In my opinion, the bank did not act out of the blue. I suspect that the FBI and U.S Attorney investigation caused the bank to overreact and illegally freeze the Abudayyehs’ banking accounts that had been there for over a decade.”
In response to the seizing of the couple’s accounts, people across the country called the offices of US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald in Chicago, and those of the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) demanding the return of their money and an end to the repression.
A Code Pink activist from Washington, D.C., called Fitzgerald’s office and was told, “We’ve received hundreds of calls.” The OFAC office was bombarded as well, and journalists from a National Public Radio affiliate, Al Jazeera and other agencies contacted them for an explanation.
TCF is well known for having links to the right-wing think tank the Center for the American Experiment.
April 26, 2011
Coleen Rowley: Obama is not listening
On April 12, FBI whistle-blower Coleen Rowley visited Duluth to rally support for Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence specialist accused of leaking evidence of US war crimes to Wikileaks. Representatives of NAWC and Veterans for Peace joined Rowley for a noon press conference at the Duluth Civic Center, which was covered by local television stations and KUWS radio.
Tom Palumbo, a 12-year veteran of the US Army and registered nurse, told members of the media that the conditions of Manning's pre-trial confinement - including sleep deprivation and extreme isolation - were unethical and could lead to long-term physical and mental health problems for the 23-year-old private.
Rowley spoke about her experience exposing both the failure of US intelligence agencies to follow leads on the planned 9/11 attack and the increased risk of terrorism that would result from an invasion of Iraq. She said that after 24 years in the FBI she is convinced that transparency is vital to democracy and national security. “Disclosing fraud, waste, abuse, a risk to public safety or an illegal act is heroic," she said, but added that "it’s very difficult to do,” especially for members of the military who have "no ability to speak up." Unfortunately, whistle-blower protection laws have little chance of clearing Congress, she said, and Obama appears more eager than Bush to prosecute people who expose wrong-doing, as evidenced by Manning's case.
Check out local coverage of the press conference here:
Later that evening, Rowley delivered the final lecture in the Terrorism and Human Rights series at the College of St Scholastica. If you missed it, here's the full lecture. You can watch other speakers in the series at St Scholastica's YouTube channel.
“Disclosing fraud, waste, abuse, a risk to public safety or an illegal act is heroic."Coleen Rowley
Tom Palumbo, a 12-year veteran of the US Army and registered nurse, told members of the media that the conditions of Manning's pre-trial confinement - including sleep deprivation and extreme isolation - were unethical and could lead to long-term physical and mental health problems for the 23-year-old private.
Rowley spoke about her experience exposing both the failure of US intelligence agencies to follow leads on the planned 9/11 attack and the increased risk of terrorism that would result from an invasion of Iraq. She said that after 24 years in the FBI she is convinced that transparency is vital to democracy and national security. “Disclosing fraud, waste, abuse, a risk to public safety or an illegal act is heroic," she said, but added that "it’s very difficult to do,” especially for members of the military who have "no ability to speak up." Unfortunately, whistle-blower protection laws have little chance of clearing Congress, she said, and Obama appears more eager than Bush to prosecute people who expose wrong-doing, as evidenced by Manning's case.
Check out local coverage of the press conference here:
Later that evening, Rowley delivered the final lecture in the Terrorism and Human Rights series at the College of St Scholastica. If you missed it, here's the full lecture. You can watch other speakers in the series at St Scholastica's YouTube channel.
April 8, 2011
Rally for Bradley Manning - April 12 in Duluth
Stand with Brad!
Blowing the whistle on war crimes is not a crime!
Tuesday, April 12
12 noon
Duluth Federal Building
Join Veterans for Peace and FBI whistle-blower Coleen Rowley for a rally in support 23-year old Pfc Bradley Manning, the Army intelligence specialist accused of leaking footage of US war crimes in Iraq. While the perpetrators of those crimes walk free, Manning is enduring brutal pre-trial punishment at the Quantico Marine base in Virginia, including 23-hour a day isolation and forced nudity. Among dozens of charges filed against Manning is "aiding the enemy" - a capital offense.
The UK government and the UN have moved to intervene in Manning's case, and former State Department spokesman PJ Crowley called Manning's treatment "stupid and counter-productive" - an opinion that cost him his job. Two hundred and fifty legal scholars, including Obama's former advisor Laurence Tribe, recently signed a petition condemning Manning's treatment as unconstitutional.
President Obama's response? He defends Manning's abuse as "appropriate and meeting our basic standards."
Exposing war crimes is not a crime. Stand up for Manning and your right to know. To learn more, visit bradleymanning.org.
April 6, 2011
April 3, 2011
Rep. Hilty introduces priorities resolution to Minnesota House of Representatives
On March 21, state representative Bill Hilty (8A) introduced a resolution to the Minnesota House urging the federal government to cut military spending and re-invest the savings into cash-strapped states. House File 1249 calls on President Obama and the Minnesota congressional delegation "to shift federal funding priorities from war and the interests of the few, to meeting the essential needs of us all."Current MN budget shortfall:$5,028,000,000MN taxpayers' projected contribution to the military budget over the next 2 years:
$26,000,000,000
HF1249 is co-authored by Kerry Gauthier, Mary Murphy and Tom Huntley of Duluth, and Range representatives Tom Rukavina and Tom Anzelc. A companion resolution has also been introduced to the Senate.
You can read the full text here.
You can read the full text here.
Please help NAWC build support for HF1249 and educate our community about the cost of war. NAWC would like to bring this resolution to unions, faith communities and other civic groups around our region and ask for their endorsement. If we can come to the next meeting of your organization, please contact Joel at northlandantiwar[AT]gmail[DOT]com, or by phone at 218-340-4356.
March 16, 2011
Coleen Rowley at St Scholastica 3/22
UPDATE 3/22: Coleen Rowley's lecture has been POSTPONED on account of the blizzard. It has been rescheduled to TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 7:30pm
Tuesday,March 22 April 12
Tuesday,
7:30 pm
College of St Scholastica - Mitchell Auditorium
"Obama's Response to Terrorism"
with Coleen Rowley
Free and open to the public
Sponsored by the Alworth Center
for the Study of Peace and Justice
Our friend Coleen Rowley is returning to Duluth to give the closing lecture of the Terrorism and Human Rights series at the College of St Scholastica. A retired, 23-year veteran of the FBI, Rowley was honored by TIME Magazine as a Person of the Year in 2002 for blowing the whistle on pre-9/11 intelligence lapses. We don't want to give away her talk, but it's safe to say she'll tear U.S. war policy and intelligence gathering to shreds as anti-democratic and counter-productive. Don't miss her... we're sure you'll learn something new from our favorite agent-turned-activist.
While you're at it, check out these other fine speakers coming to our area:
Thursday, March 17
7:30 pm
College of St Scholastica - Mitchell Auditorium
"Dying to Drive the Foreigners Out"
with Robert Pape
Dr. Pape is the director of the University of Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism and a leading international authority on the psychology of suicide terrorism. Check out his article "It's the Occupation, Stupid" for Foreign Policy here.
Saturday, March 26
7:00 pm
College of St Scholastica - Burns Wellness Center 249
"The Perils of Military Presence in Our Urban Communities"
with Art Laffin
Art Laffin is an author, longtime peace activist and member of the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Community in Washington, DC. He has participated in numerous nonviolent actions for disarmament and upholding the rights of the homeless, prisoners, immigrants and victims of torture. Sponsored by the Duluth chapter of Pax Christi - the international Catholic peace movement. Free and open to the public.
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