FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts: LeiLani Dowell 1-917-701-7593 Dustin Langley 1-646-354-8056 Frank Neisser 1-617-792-8136 http://troopsoutnow.org
When: Monday, September 24, 3:00 p.m.
Where: Anti-war Encampment on the West Side of the Capitol Reflection Pool, near 3rd Street on the Capitol Mall
THE DEMOCRATS IN CONGRESS HAVE THE POWER TO CUT OFF WAR FUNDING--THE MOVEMENT MUST MAKE THEM DO IT
MARCH ON WASHINGTON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 STOP THE WAR BY CUTTING OFF WAR FUNDING
The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) will be holding a press conference on Monday, Sept. 24 at 3 pm at the site of a weeklong anti-war Encampment, on the Capitol mall at the west side of the reflection pool.
Participants in Monday's press conference will include:
• Adam Kokesh, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and other Iraq veterans • Members of the Hoffman family, which traveled 4,500 miles by bicycle from Portland, Oregon to attend the Encampment • Rev. Lennox Yearwood of the Hip Hop Caucus • Nana Soul, Artists and Activists United for Peace • Rev. Graylan Scott Hagler, Plymouth Congregational Church, DC • Anne Wright, career Army veteran and former State Dept. official • Larry Holmes, Vietnam War GI resister and spokesperson for TONC • Representatives from Code Pink, the Green Party, the student movement, labor and the community.
This week, Congress begins preparation for voting on President Bush and the Pentagon's request for $200 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Saturday, Sept. 29, thousands will gather at the anti-war Encampment to march and demand that not one more dollar be approved for war.
TONC spokesperson Larry Holmes said: "The Democrats in Congress don't need enough votes to override a presidential veto in order to cut off all war funding. All the leadership of Congress has to do is simply keep any vote on war funding from coming to the floor, or even getting out of the Senate or House Appropriations committees."
Participants at the press conference will discuss plans for the Sept. 29 march and the five days of action at the Encampment before the big march.
No more phony deadlines! Not another day. Not another dollar. Bring the troops home now!
Congress: Don't use the report from Petraeus to betray us!
Today, Sept. 10, Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, gave his much-anticipated assessment of the results of the "surge." The recommendations General Petraeus made were no surprise. As expected, he said that that U.S. troop levels need to remain at high levels until next summer.
This report by General Petraeus, who has consistently supported and echoed the failed policies of the Bush administration, is just the latest ploy to continue the occupation by creating phony deadlines that provide political cover for members of Congress--from both parties--to continue voting to fund the war.
Last November, after voters in the U.S. gave Congress a clear mandate to bring the troops home and end the criminal occupation, the Bush administration and its allies in Congress repeatedly said, "Wait for the Baker-Hamilton report."
After the report was published, rather than bring the troops home the Bush administration deployed more troops to Iraq in a "surge" supported by both parties in Congress.
Then, in March, as anti-war sentiment continued to grow, the response from Bush and Congress was: "Wait until September for the report by General Petraeus."
Now that report has been made and Petraeus is proposing a new vague deadline: next summer, when he says that it may be possible to reduce troop levels.
We should recognize that these deadlines and reports are political theater, designed to dampen anti-war mobilizing. Even the way the "debate" is framed is a lie. The administration and its generals are saying that the surge is meant to stem the violence; critics in Congress are saying that it has failed. But the surge IS violence, at an unprecedented level. It is the U.S. occupation that has brought this daily blood-letting to Iraq, along with the total disruption of daily life.
Every day that the war continues, more Iraqi people and U.S. soldiers are killed.
Every day that the war continues, the Pentagon spends another $720 million on war in Iraq--money that is robbed from working people here, who need healthcare, education and affordable housing, not war and occupation.
While Congress pretends to debate whether or not the surge is working, it is important to note that the invasion of Iraq was a crime from the very beginning, and that “success” means the subjugation of the people of Iraq, along with Wall Street’s control of their vast petroleum reserves.
We must demand that the troops be brought home now. Not another day. Not another dollar. No more phony deadlines.
We call upon activists to support the many acts of protest and resistance planned for this month. We should escalate the protests as they have escalated the war.
The protests started with anti-war chants as Petraeus was speaking.
Then, on Sept. 15, a march in Washington organized by the ANSWER coalition will demand an end to the war and the impeachment of Bush.
On Oct. 1, current funding for the war expires. This spring, the Democratic leaders in Congress betrayed their mandate and voted to continue to fund the war against the people of Iraq. As Congress debates Bush's new funding request, we must be there to let them know that we're not going to let them betray us again.
During the week of Sept. 22-29, activists from across the U.S. are organizing an Encampment to Stop the War, directly in front of the Capitol. The Encampment, sponsored by the Troops Out Now Coalition, will include daily acts of protest and resistance, building for a massive March from the Capitol to the White House on Sept. 29.
We cannot wait for more phony deadlines--we need to set a deadline and demand that the troops be brought home now. Here's how you can help:
1) Help get the word out - download leaflets: http://troopsoutnow.org/downloads.html
2) Donate to help with organizing expenses: http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml
3) Become a local organizer: http://www.troopsoutnow.org/sept2207volunteer.shtml
4) Link to us - graphic buttons available at: http://troopsoutnow.org/buttons.html
Troops Out Now Coalition 55 W. 17th St. #5C NY NY 10011 www.TroopsOutNow.org 212.633-6646
Calling for Activist video trainees and volunteers! Work with Peoples Video Network! Peoples Video Network
Train to use cameras, large and small! Edit! Use DVD technology! Stream and distribute your work!
First Workshop Series coordinated with Sept 22-29 Anti-War Encampment and demonstrations in Washington DC: http://www.troopsoutnow.org
Series of workshops in video documentation, camera, editing and distribution. Work with Peoples Video network in hands-on classes and field-work in video activism. Mentoring with seasoned video activists. Final presentation to an appreciative audience. Opportunity to learn distribution to wider audiences. Our goal is to encourage you to take this course from beginning to end and to participate in Peoples Video Network on an ongoing basis.
Camera: Workshop 1: Learning the Canon XL1 series. Focus, lighting, sound, care of equipment. Work with a team Workshop 2: handling a small camera in action situations. Care of equipment and safeguarding footage. Coordination with field editors, camera crew Workshop 3: Interview technique. Lighting, sound, conducting interviews.
Field-Work: Field-work will go on throughout training and provide the raw material for viewing, editing and discussion. Document the encampment Sept 22-29 in Washington DC. Learn to shoot at demonstrations and in other action situations. Shooting formal events. Working with the sound crew. Interview technique. Opportunity for independent work as well as mentoring and feedback sessions.
Workshop 4: Viewing the raw footage. Group comments and feedback in a supportive environment.
Editing: Workshop 5: Basics of Final Cut Pro. Beginning the editing process; using raw footage from field-work and also from archival material. Workshop 6: More basics of Final Cut Pro
Distribution: Workshop 7: Finishing a project and exporting it. Streaming, printing, dvd making Workshop 8: More concepts of distribution. Discussion of festivals, internet, grants
Final Workshop Presentation
Each video activist will present a sample of work to be shown at a commencement recital event with invited guests.
Sign up for PVN WORKSHOPS: pvn@action-mail.org or call (212) 340-1286. Leave your name, phone number and e-mail and the best time to reach you.
at the Solidarity Center 55 W. 17th St. #5C btw 5th & 6th Aves. in Manhattan
The Election is over -- but only the people will stop the war
It has been three weeks since voters in the U.S., angry over the disaster unfolding in Iraq, a decline in workers’ living standards and the Bush administration’s anti-worker policies, handed a significant setback to the Republican Party in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, resulting in Republican loss of the Senate and the House.
But the battle to end the war has only begun. The challenge for all progressives in the U.S. and for the anti-war movement in particular is how to take this setback for Bush and turn it into a consistent struggle in the factories, schools, offices and streets to really challenge both the new Congress and the old White House.
Many politicians claimed to be waiting on the Baker-Hamilton report before taking a position on the war, despite the fact that the people of the U.S. overwhelmingly want the war to end. Leaks from the report indicate that it will not call for the end of the occupation; under cover of talking about some vague "pullback" without any dates or timetables, it really just gives political cover to the continuing occupation.
It is clear, even now, that the politicians in Washington will not end the war unless the people force them to do so by taking to the streets. It is also clear that the corporate politicians have no intention of taking up the issues that really affect working people here: the lack of health care and the closing of hospitals; increased racist police brutality; the decline in real wages; rebuilding the Gulf Coast; and so many others.
This meeting will be a follow-up to the standing-room only Antiwar Summit Meeting in Harlem, where more than 250 activists, representing more than 50 organizations, began to discuss the next steps in the struggle against the war.
Join us Tuesday, December 5 to continue the discussion of:
* How can we merge the antiwar movement with movements against racism and police brutality, for the rights of immigrant workers, hurricane Katrina/Rita survivors, and for economic and social justice in a way that goes beyond symbolism? * How can the movement here in the U.S. show solidarity and build stronger relationships with liberation and resistance movements around the world, from Palestine to Haiti, and across the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and Asia? * How can we mobilize to make the fourth anniversary of the war and occupation of Iraq in March 2007 helpful to our goal of ending the war, and unifying the movements that need to be working together?
Let's come together to analyze, strategize and plan the next phase of the struggle.
***Counter-recruiting and anti-draft planning meeting - Those wanting to work on these issues are invited to join us for a strategy meeting, to begin one hour before the Troops Out Now meeting--Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 6:00 pm at 55 W. 17th St. #5C.
The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) is a national grassroots coalition of antiwar activists, trade unionists, solidarity activists and community organizers.
For more information, or to find out how you can get involved, visit our homepage at TroopsOutNow.org
