- ***NOTE: NEW MONDAY MEETING LOCATION AT Bourgeois Pig Cafe (see side bar to right)
- NO SURGE IN AFGHANISTAN PROTEST
- STOP PLANS TO BAN ABORTION
- RETHINKING AFGHANISTAN: as Afghanis fighting for their National Liberation
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No Surge In Afghanistan!
Obama has said he's going to "finish the job" in Afghanistan and is poised to send tens of thousands more troops there. But "you don't end a war by sending more troops!" says Matthis Ciroux, Iraq war vet who refused to redeploy. Hear his comments and presentations by Debra Sweet, Mac Bica, and Andy Zee last Saturday at the World Can't Wait national conference in New York =>here.
Is this our war? Will we be complicit in our silence? Or will you join us in Chicago and around the country to say NO! The richest country in the world is destroying one of the poorest--not in our name! This war was wrong when Bush launched it, and it is wrong when Obama expands it, now including Blackwater's secret actions in Pakistan
This Friday, November 27, Chicago World Can't Wait will be protesting at State and Randolph, starting at
noon. Join us for street theater, and bring your own signs. Thousands will be out who have never heard the truth
about this illegitimate and immoral war for empire.
Here in Chicago, we have
joined with dozens of other groups to call for a major protest at Federal Plaza, Adams & Dearborn, Chicago, on
Wednesday, Dec. 2, at 5 pm. Join us there or organize your own wherever you are. Just be sure to let everyone know
by posting your plans here.
As Debra Sweet, national director of WCW, has said, "No, these protests will not change the government's plans. They know the majority of people is now against the occupation of Afghanistan, and they are trying to change that by bullying their way through an illegitimate occupation. The purpose of our protests is to reach the people! We must be visible, and send a message world-wide that there are people living in this country who say -- NO, not in our name!"
Send Us an E-mail => Chicago Chapter, The World Can't Wait!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Robert Baer: What We're Up Against In Afghanistan Is A "War Of National Resistance" -Huffington Post In the latest video from the Brave New Foundation's "Rethink Afghanistan" project, former CIA agent Robert Bear says that what the U.S. faces when it comes to the Afghan insurgency isn't terrorism, but a war of national resistance. "The people that want their country liberated from the West have nothing to do with Al Qaeda," Baer says. "They simply want us gone because we're foreigners, and they're rallying behind the Taliban because the Taliban are experienced, effective fighters." Because these insurgents see the U.S. as a colonial force, Baer says, they are unlikely to ever rally around the Afghan national army the U.S. is looking to establish. "This is an occupying force," explains Matthew Hoh, a former U.S. official in Afghanistan who resigned last month over the war. "The Afghan National Army is led by Tajiks and Uzbeks and urban Pashtuns, and it is occupying the rural Pashtun South." This is why the U.S. should ask itself, Hoh says, "do we want to support one side in a civil war?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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- ***NOTE: NEW MONDAY MEETING LOCATION AT Bourgeois Pig Cafe (see side bar to right)
- Emergency Protest on Day after Obama Announces HIS 34,000 Troop Afghan escalation
Escalation of Death in Afghanistan?
The U.S. war in Afghanistan is over 8 years old and a certified disaster for Afghani civilians and Western troops alike. Ignoring the an anti-war majority in the United States that elected him, Obama is now about to authorize an Afghan deployment of tens of thousands more troops and will be urging already reluctant allies to do the same. Besides causing more death and destruction, this surge will only reinforce Afghanis' legitimate hatred of the decades of foreign domination that their country has endured. Billions will once again be sucked into the military budget vortex, instead of healthcare, jobs, education and housing both for the rebuilding of Afghanistan and the U.S. economy.
Instead of CHANGE, Obama has further escalated the record military spending of the previous administration. Like another foreign occupation about a half century ago in Vietnam, a corrupt local government awash in the drugs trade will do the bidding not of its own people, but of a foreign government thousands of miles away.
We call on all Chicago area people to join in an
Emergency Response Protest on DEC 2ND at 5PM.
following President Obama's Dec. 1ST announcement of HIS troop surge into Afghanistan, with our demands:
Bring all the troops home now! ----- Funding for human needs, not war!
Emergency Protest
Federal Plaza
Corner of Dearborn and Adams Streets, Chicago
Another Follow-up Protest will also be held at:
12 NOON on Saturday Dec 5TH
Also at Federal Plaza - Corner of Dearborn and Adams Streets, Chicago
Please join the Facebook event group to receive immediate notice of the impending actions: "HERE"
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- ***NOTE: NEW MONDAY MEETING LOCATION AT Bourgeois Pig Cafe (see side bar to right)
- Not Whether to End War, but How Much to Escalate in Afghanistan?
- Oct. 6 Protest on the 8th Anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan
- Oct 11 March for Equality
Escalation of Death in Afghanistan?
On Monday, September 21, the Washington Post carried a front-page story based on a leaked report by General Stanley McChrystal arguing for even greater troop increases in Afghanistan, on top of the more than 20,000 additional troops already authorized this summer by the Obama administration. We aren't crystal ball gazers but all signals point to significant US troop increases ahead. Will the Democratic-controlled Congress stand in the way? Hardly. Read "McChrystal Report Leaked to Advance Escalation of Afghan War" by Kenneth J. Theisen to see why.
And if you've wondered whether withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan would endanger the lives of women there, consider Lina Thorne's piece,
"US War, Occupation Deepen the Bitter Oppression of Afghanistan's Women: This Must End!
We don't know when Gen. McChrystal will submit his request, or how the debates in the Pentagon and Congress will be resolved. But we do know that no significant faction in power is arguing to end the war. It's on us to organize to end this war and the other wars and occupations of the "war of terror." Until a mass movement of resistance is built, the death and destruction will continue for the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other nations.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009: Protest on the 8th Anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan - No Escalation! End Wars, Occupations and Torture for Empire Now!
On Monday, October 5, a mass protest and non-violent civil resistance action is planned in Washington, DC at the US House offices and the White House to mark the US occupation of Afghanistan, which began that week in 2001.
HERE in Chicago, we will be rallying on October 6, 4 pm to 6 pm, at the Thompson Center, Randolph & CLARK, in the Loop. We are reaching out to high school and college students, organizing a movement of resistance to military recruitment, that will culminate in a rally and outpouring of protest and opposition to continuing wars, occupations and torture on October 6th. If you voted for Obama, a debate over massive troop escalation OR even more drone attacks on civilians in Pakistan and Afghanistan is surely not the "change" you wanted. Now is the time to join and build this movement. National and local resources are available. Write us with your thoughts on the continuing, and expanding, war in Afghanistan and your ideas for October 6.
Click Here=> Eight Years of war in Afghanistan for what? to download a two fliers (NON-FUZZY) per page PDF file to print, post, and hand out.
Click Here=> Same War - We Are NOT Your Soldiers for another two fliers per page PDF file to print, post, and hand out.
Details and Flier for: SAT., OCT. 3RD 1PM HYDE PARK, MARCH NEAR OBAMA HOME , Chicago. DETAILS for: WED., OCT. 7TH 5PM at Water Tower Park, North Michigan Ave, CHICAGO A.N.S.W.E.R. -Act Now to End War & Racism , We welcome these additional opportunities to protest and build resistance, whatever your schedule!
Chicago WCW also endorses these other protests against wars and occupation on the occasion of the 8th anniversary of the initial US attack on Afghanistan:
"No Common Ground with Christian Fascists - LGBT Rights NOW!"
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World Can't Wait proudly endorses the LGBT Equality March on Washington D.C. on October 10/11. We support the just demand for marriage equality for gay and lesbian partners and repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act." We further support the right to adopt children and an end to work place discrimination; strengthening hate crime legislation; and demand an end to ripping families apart due to ICE's (Immigration Control & Enforcement) refusal to recognize gay couples. Buses are being organized from Chicago leaving Saturday Oct 10 and returning early morning October 12, and tickets are available here. Young people active with the World Can't Wait want to be part of this national outpouring but they need your help to get to Washington, DC. Please donate whatever you can to make this happen--and thank you!
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- Dr. Carhart is a Hero!
- Visit Us at Fighting Bob Fest
- Save the date: Oct. 6, the 8th Anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan
- Oct 11 March for Equality
Report Back from Nebraska!
Come hear from women and men who participated in the defense of Dr. LeRoy Carhart's clinic against Operation (Anti-Woman, Kill Doctors) Rescue report back on the successful national mobilization. Dr. Leroy Carhart, an outspoken advocate for women's rights, has been targeted because he continues to provide late-abortion services, stepping up to fill the great need left by the murder of Dr. Tiller in Wichita, KS, on May 31. For more on the significance of this national mobilization, please read the report by Lina Thorne of Chicago WCW and the letter from Debra Sweet, our national director.
Reports will be presented by members of the Chicago chapter of the World Can't Wait, supporters of Revolution newspaper; video reportage by Heather Ault, artist, activist, and graduate student at the School of Art and Design, Univ of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Kevin Gosztola, Columbia College film students; and analysis from Nik Stein, National Lawyers Guild legal observer at the August 28/29 protests.
Join us to analyze the situation at this juncture, to strategize about where we go from here to build a larger movement and reframe the abortion debate. Our victory in keeping Dr. Carhart's clinic open last month must be one of many more!
We are meeting at I Space Gallery, 230 W. Superior (2nd floor), Chicago, after the
2 pm Artist Talk & Book Release with Suzann Gage. This California-based nurse practitioner and holistic health professional discusses her influential medical illustrations from the book, New Views of a Woman's Body (Federation of Feminist Women's Health Centers, 1981).
I Space Gallery is hosting EveryBody!: Visual resistance in feminist health movements, 1969-2009 from September 11-October 10, 2009. Everybody! Explores how feelings, theories, and actions are shaped into the creation of a place where all bodies are celebrated and health care is a human right.
See You at Fighting Bob Fest this Saturday!
The most progressive event in Wisconsin every year is Fighting Bob Fest near Madison, Wisconsin. Fighting Bob Fest has grown every year and is probably the largest annual political festival in the United States. Members of Chicago World Can't Wait will be taking a road trip to Fighting Bob Fest this Saturday, Sept. 12, held at the Sauk County Fairgrounds in Barbaboo, WI (www.fightingbobfest.org). Come visit us at our World Can't Wait table to connect with others and spread the word about the protest on Oct. 6 and We Are Not Your Soldiers movement.
Highlights this year will include speeches by JEREMY SCAHILL, author of the international best-seller "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" and frequent contributor to The Nation magazine, and GREG PALAST, author of the bestsellers "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy" and "Armed Madhouse" and reporter for BBC-TV.
Save the date: October 6, 2009, the 8th Anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan
The Obama administration rode in on a wave of disgust with the Bush regime and now the Democrats control Congress...and there is no real change! Instead, the war in Afghanistan is expanding, drones attack Pakistan, and the troops are shifted, not withdrawn, in Iraq. Politics as usual will not reverse this disastrous course. A new report by David Goodman in Mother Jones magazine, A Few Good Kids?, reveals how the military spies on our children and spends $24,000 to recruit each new soldier to fight these expanding wars! HERE in Chicago, we will be mobilizing for October 6, the EIGHTH anniversary of the start of the US war on Afghanistan, with a special focus on building resistance to military recruitment in our schools. We have reserved a permit for Federal Plaza at 4pm on Tuesday, Oct. 6th. CALLING ALL STUDENTS, TEACHERS & FRIENDS: If you are a student, a teacher or know students and teachers who, like you, will want to open students' eyes to the truth of this "war OF terror," please contact us with your ideas and suggestions. Email us at chicago@worldcantwait.org today.
On Monday, October 5, a mass protest and non-violent civil resistance action is planned in Washington, DC at the US House offices and the White House to mark the US occupation of Afghanistan, which began that week in 2001.
"No Common Ground with Christian Fascists - LGBT Rights NOW!"
World Can't Wait proudly endorses the LGBT Equality March on Washington D.C. on October 10/11. We support the just demand for marriage equality for gay and lesbian partners and repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act." We further support the right to adopt children and an end to work place discrimination; strengthening hate crime legislation; and demand an end to ripping families apart due to ICE's (Immigration Control & Enforcement) refusal to recognize gay couples. Be there!
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Come to Nebraska or help others get there!
Save the date: October 6, 2009, the 8th Anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan
View from Guantanamo: A Conversation with Andy Worthington
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Come to Nebraska or help others get there!
Dr. George
Tiller's Wichita clinic, which cared for tens of thousands of women over thirty-six years, was closed a week after he was
assassinated on May 31, shot in the head at close range. One of his colleagues, Dr. Leroy Carhart, an outspoken advocate for women's rights, has asserted that he will care for Dr. Tiller's patients and continue the provision of
late-abortion services, stepping forward to fill the great need left by Tiller's absence. He had worked at Dr. Tiller's
clinic, as well as his own clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska. In 1991, his home and barn were burned t
o the ground in an arson claimed by
anti-abortion activists. This spurred Dr. Carhart to devote more of his practice to providing abortions, and to
challenge laws restricting abortion access.? ?This brave stance on the part of this 67 yr. old doctor was Operation
Rescue's cue to turn all attention to him as their next "target #1." To that end, they have announced their "visit" to Dr.
Carhart's clinic the weekend of August 28 and 29 for "rescue outreach" and a "rally for victory," with the aim of closing
down his clinic also. They have years of practice conducting this "rescue" outside Dr. Tiller's clinic, using giant
grotesque images of gore to harass patients, throngs of hysterical zombies throwing themselves in front of cars, and
"counseling" women entering the parking lot by screaming at them, lying about what kind of help they would offer, and doing
all this in the name of a hateful brand of Christianity.
Read
about Dr. Carhart in Newsweek. View the local news coverage of the
developing situation here, where the Bellevue, Nebraska police
are reported to say
"they couldn't promise Carhart would be safe once he leaves" (the clinic).
"Either this killing will succeed in creating a climate where abortion providers cannot do their work and no one else
joins them in that work, or it will be answered by growing numbers of people waking up, coming off the sidelines, defending
our doctors and our clinics, and reversing the whole dynamic that has led to this situation where not only abortion, but
birth control too, is imperiled."
In that spirit, we are mobilizing to go to Nebraska to defend Dr. Carhart and stand up for women's lives at a crucial
moment. Even though abortion, one of the most common medical procedures done in the US (over 45 million women have had
abortions) is still legal, if we don't stand up for the doctors who provide this health care, we won't actually have this
most basic right to decide whether, when, or if we are to be mothers.
Operation Rescue is extremely well-funded; whereas we are not. If you cannot join us in Nebraska at the end of the month,
please donate to those who can. A contribution of $100 is enough to sponsor one more person standing between the vicious
misogynists traveling from around the Midwest and Dr. Carhart, who bravely intends to keep his clinic open that Saturday.
Your donation will make a very concrete difference in whether or not women's lives will be further endangered by this
hate-filled movement.
You can donate
specifically towards this bus online at chicagoworldcantwait.org
or by contacting Michelle Fadeley, Dupage Co. NOW President, and organizer of the Chicagoland area bus traveling to Nebraska at glitterspark37@yahoo.com.
Save the date: October 6, 2009, the 8th Anniversary of the Invasion of Afghanistan
The Obama administration rode in on a wave of disgust with the
Bush regime and now the Democrats control Congress...and there is no real change! Instead, the war in Afghanistan is
expanding, drones attack Pakistan, and the troops are shifted, not withdrawn, in Iraq. Politics as usual will not reverse
this disastrous course. Join the debate at www.worldcantwait.org and take it to the streets on Oct 5 and 6. HERE in Chicago, we will be mobilizing for October 6, the
EIGHTH anniversary of the start of the US war on Afghanistan, with a special focus on building resistance to military
recruitment in our schools. We already have reserved a permit for Federal Plaza at 4pm on Tuesday, October 6th. CALLING ALL STUDENTS,
TEACHERS & FRIENDS: If you are a student, a teacher or know students and teachers who, like you, will want to open
students' eyes to the truth of this "war OF terror," please contact us with your ideas and
suggestions. Email us at chicago@worldcantwait.org today. View from Guantanamo: A Conversation with Andy Worthington
On Monday, October 5, a mass protest and non-violent civil resistance action is planned in Washington, DC at the US
House offices and the White House to mark the US occupation of Afghanistan, which began that week in 2001. The period
culminates with Saturday October 17th regional and local actions against the wars. October 17 is the 40th anniversary of the
famous Iraq Moratorium in 1969 that Daniel Ellsberg referred to as so huge that it forced Richard Nixon to shelve plans to
nuke Vietnam.
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Listen here to the conversation with Andy (starting about 3 1/2 minutes into recording).
We Won Bughouse Square Debate!
Recruiting for resistance, not war
Save the dates: Oct. 5TH and 6TH
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We Are Not Your Soldiers at Warped Tour
We took our message of "We Are Not Your Soldiers" to thousands of young people when Vans Warped tour came through the Chicago area last weekend. Welcome to all of you reading this who signed up there, many still in high school and prime targets of the Pentagon's 9 billion dollar recruitment efforts! Now become part of this movement. Hook up with us on Facebook, become a fan of We Are Not Your Soldiers, and give a whole new meaning to getting ready for the new school year!
8 Years & Escalating - War in Afghanistan
Save the dates: Monday, Oct 5 and Tuesday, Oct 6
The Obama administration rode in on a wave of disgust with the Bush regime and now the Democrats control Congress...and there is no real change! Instead, the war in Afghanistan is expanding, drones attack Pakistan, and the troops are shifted, not withdrawn, in Iraq. Politics as usual will not reverse this disastrous course. Join the debate at www.worldcantwait.org and take it to the streets on Oct 5 and 6.
On Monday, October 5, a mass protest and non-violent civil resistance action is planned in Washington, DC at the US House offices and the White House to mark the US occupation of Afghanistan, which began that week in 2001. The period culminates with Saturday October 17th regional and local actions against the wars. October 17 is the 40th anniversary of the famous Iraq Moratorium in 1969 that Daniel Ellsberg referred to as so huge that it forced Richard Nixon to shelve plans to nuke Vietnam.
HERE in Chicago, we will be mobilizing for October 6, the EIGHTH anniversary of the start of the US war on Afghanistan, with a special focus on building resistance to military recruitment in our schools.
CALLING ALL STUDENTS, TEACHERS & FRIENDS: If you are a student, a teacher or know students and teachers who, like you, will want to open students' eyes to the truth of this "war OF terror," please contact us with your ideas and suggestions. Email us at chicago@worldcantwait.org today.
Come join Chicago World Can't Wait, 8th Day Center for Justice and others to protest Chicago's Air and Water Show. 
Join the 17th annual, nonviolent protest of Chicago's Air and Water Show on Saturday and Sunday, August 15 & 16 at North Ave Beach. Don't just curse this massive show of military overkill - join us! We will be there from 9am-4pm each day, but come for any period of time you are able to do so. We will be at the EAST end of the pedestrian bridge which crosses Lake Shore Drive about 2 blocks north of North Ave. We hold signs and banners - bring your own too! - and distribute leaflets that tell another side of the armed forces, the side of the story that army recruiters do not mention.
Who is the "Pro-Life" Action League?
And what are they doing on July 11th in Niles and Evanston?
These people are growing more emboldened in their attacks and actions as they celebrate the results of Dr. George Tiller's recent assassination, which has even further restricted the available options for women with life threatening medical needs. Religious fanatics cannot be allowed to block the free and legal choices others, and must not be allowed to enforce their views on any of us who reject their narrow religious ideas!
Take a look at their website and their list of plans . They must not go unopposed!
Join us Saturday July 11th to counter-protest at each of their stops. Contact us about arranging transportation at here or 773-227-2453.
This is what PLAL has announced for their plans on July 11th:
9:00-10:30 Niles Touhy Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue 11:30-1:00 Evanston Davis Street and Ridge Avenue 3:00-4:30 Lincolnwood McCormick Boulevard and Touhy Avenue
Save the date: July 18th when we will be opposing their mobilization against the new Planned Parenthood clinic in Aurora.
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WCW Chicago Marches with Gay Liberation Network in Gay Pride Parade
TORTURE: Facts, Fiction, and the need for Justice - June 6th
Li Onesto is the author of Dispatches From the People's War in Nepal (Pluto Press/Insight Press, 2005) and a writer for Revolution newspaper, which published her series, "Torture Techniques at Guantanamo: 'Communist Inspired,' or ...Developed, Refined and Exported by the USA?" in 2008.
Frank Summers, Ph.D., ABPP is a supervising and training analyst at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry in the Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Medical School. A faculty member of the Chicago Center for Psychoanalysis and four other psychoanalytic institutes, he is the author of three books: Object relations theories and psychopathology: A comprehensive text (1994), Transcending the self (1999), and Self creation: Psychoanalytic therapy and the art of the possible (2005). A member of the Editorial Board of Psychoanalytic Psychology, he maintains a private practice of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic therapry in Chicago, Illinois. Currently, Dr. Summers is president of Psychoanalysts for Social Responsibility and has worked for the past five years to prohibit psychologists from participating in detention centers.
View-Save-Print-Post and E-Mail the .PDF Flyer for this Event!
In COLOR: Open & Save the PDF Flyer
In B & W: Open & Save the PDF Flyer
Out of Sight; Out of View; Too Political for Major U.S. Art Museums
A Mom, a Vet, and a High School Student -
on opposing military recruitment, protesting escalating wars: creating resistance in the age of Obama
Sunday, May 3RD at 1:00PM
Roosevelt University
430 S. Michigan Ave.
Cindy Sheehan
Following the death of her son Casey in Iraq, Cindy Sheehan's public persistence in demanding the truth from Bush in the summer of 2005 inspired tens of thousands to speak out and resist.
Tireless, fearless, audacious "peace mom" Cindy Sheehan has now written a new book called Myth America: 10 Greatest Myths of the Robber Class and the Case for Revolution!
Available at http://cindysheehanssoapbox.com
Marine artilleryman who served during the initial invasion of Iraq:
"The initial invasion of Iraq was the beginning of my involvement in the anti-war movement, although I didn't realize it then. Upon calling off the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, I realized that everything we had fought for and sacrificed was for a lie.
Three years later I would join Iraq Veterans Against the War and ever since then have grown to believe that almost all wars are based on lies and deception."
Senior in high school and filmmaker, Matt speaks both as an active resister and a member of the generation who is being called on now to join the US military to become the 40,000 additional troops that Barack Obama has pledged to enlist.
View-Save-Print-Post and E-Mail the .PDF Flyer for this Event!
In COLOR: Open & Save the PDF Flyer
In B & W: Open & Save the PDF Flyer
Contact: World Can't Wait - Chicago Chapter chicago@worldcantwait.org.
By phone at: 773-227-2453
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THE HOLY NAME SIX SPOKE FOR US - NOW THEY NEED OUR HELP!
On Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, six young people disrupted mass at the Holy Name Cathedral to protest the sixth year of the Iraq war. As Cardinal George started his homily, six well-dressed young people in the congregation stood up. One loudly said, "The sixth commandment says, 'thou shall not kill.'" George stopped speaking as all eyes turned to the protesters. "Yet more than a million Iraqis have been killed since the invasion of Iraq," said a second protester.
The six were immediately removed from the church, arrested, and held for felony charges of battery and destruction of property. They were released after a few days, having raised a $30,000 bond, and faced up to 5 years in prison.
Since then, the group, which became known as The Holy Name Six, reports:
"...because of the effectiveness of our action in getting publicity, we were slammed pretty hard in court. Although we intended no damage to the church's carpet, we were charged under a felony law meant to punish people who try to burn churches. The sentence incurred 3-5 years in prison. We ended up playing it safe and pleading to a misdemeanor charge (attempted defacement of property). Part of the plea was that we had to pay restitution to the church before we would be sentenced. We didn't think we would be able to afford it, but an amazing couple from the CPT that had been going to all our court dates fronted us the money. We still owe them $12,000 which we are paying off slowly."
In the aftermath of the action, as these protesters were vilified in the press and threatened with years in prison, World Can't Wait initiated a petition in their defense which read: "Three days into the sixth year of the occupation of Iraq, six young people challenged the continuation of business as usual at a time of war crimes during Easter Mass at the most prominent Catholic church in Chicago. This unjust occupation is illegal and criminal, and their call to stop it was correct and moral."
Speaking to the press after their sentencing, exposing that they had been denied food and beaten by guards while being held at Cook County jail last year, one of the protesters stated,
"If any of this helps to end the war, then that was like nothing."
These unrepentant resisters deserve our support!
Go to their blog for video and reports on the situation, and to donate to the restitution fund at: http://holyname6.blogspot.com.
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REPORT ON MARCH 14TH RALLY IN PILSEN -- END THE OCCUPATIONS NOW!
Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine! -- Stop the Attacks on Immigrants!
It was a warm, crisp and clear day for the Pilsen rally and being outside with fellow peace and immigrant rights activists felt like the best place to be.
As we marked the 6TH anniversary of the attack on Iraq, and entering the 8th year with the US in a state of war with the world, we see a whole planet still threatened by continuation of the policies that emerged after George Bush invaded Afghanistan, and then Iraq, saying the "war on terror" justified torture, domestic spying, and even suggested possible nuclear first strikes anywhere! Over these eight long years, by the actions of the U.S. and its Israeli partner-in-crime, we have seen the countries of Syria, Somalia and Pakistan attacked, thousands of civilians in Lebanon and Gaza killed (with support & approval from Washington), and Iran surrounded by US troops illegally occupying Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, in 2009, Bush has left office, but the "war on terror" continues.
With Obama's administration still retaining many of the "tools" of this war, including "extraordinary" rendition (to torture people in other countries), escalating use of drone strikes in Pakistan; often killing whole families with these remote controlled machines that terrorize thousands, and now a "surge" of 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, the civilians of these countries find themselves caught in a deadly and self-perpetuating cycle of terror, both from the Islamic fundamentalists fighting against the US, and the much greater terror of US aggression directed at civilians. What we can clearly see, after 7 full years of abject failure, death and destruction, is that this cycle can only be stopped when the people of those countries, combined with the actions of people in this country, together refuse to strengthen either side, and instead confront the certain fact that there is no "good" war on terror, and these are in fact, wars for empire.
The same empire that forces people to migrate from countries decimated by the economic pressures of domination and exploitation, now thirsts for the blood of the children of immigrants and of other oppressed people, who are being recruited to join the military and become part of expanding the war machine. On top of all this, recruiters now lie to high school students, saying that it's okay to join the military now; since, with President Obama, the "wars are already over."
Thanks to all who joined with us in continuing to act in a way that is so visible and powerful it can be seen all over the world, especially in the countries that have been targets of this aggression.
THE WORLD CAN'T 'WAIT AND SEE' WHILE WAR CONTINUES!
No more wars for empire!
Your participation helped to make this another powerful day of protest and resistance that is so urgently needed.
Contact us today and get involved: chicago@worldcantwait.org.
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MARCH ON THE PENTAGON! Washington, DC
Saturday March 21ST Update: The next opportunity to pass the resolution is at the City Council meeting on July 30th. Call your alderman before then and email us at chicago@worldcantwait.org how he/she will be voting. Plan to attend the meeting at City Hall at 10 a.m., Wednesday July 30th. Will you be silent as your government steps up its pressure and war preparations against Iran - a Third World country half-way around the world? Bush: "all options are on the table." Will you listen passively as all the candidates repeat Bush's lies and threats? January 31st Report from Chicago: In driving snow and 12 below wind chill about 65 people converged on the State of Illinois Building Plaza at 12 noon. Vets for Peace and Code Pink from Indiana were the first to arrive followed by students from DePaul University, Columbia College, and Mother McCauley High School, who marched in chanting and agitating. Students from the Chicago School of Psychology, Loyola University, Northeastern University, and University of Illinois at Chicago also were present. (more...) The Clock is Ticking for A US Attack on Iran -
Dave Lindorff, 04/26/2008 (more...) Bush Admits to Knowledge of Torture Authorization by Top Advisers - 4/12/2008. In a stunning admission to ABC news Friday night, President Bush declared that he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details of the CIA's use of torture. Bush reportedly told ABC, "I'm aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved." Bush also defended the use of waterboarding. (more...) G.W. Bush Is a Criminal, Like His Dad - Robert Parry, January 31, 2008 Everybody in the room knew what the unspoken reality was, but nobody dared say it: George W. Bush authorized torture, which is a crime under U.S. and international law. (more...) There are too many moments these days when we cannot recognize our country. Sunday was one of them, as we read the account in The Times of how men in some of the most trusted posts in the nation plotted to cover up the torture of prisoners by Central Intelligence Agency interrogators by destroying videotapes of their sickening behavior. It was impossible to see the founding principles of the greatest democracy in the contempt these men and their bosses showed for the Constitution, the rule of law and human decency. (more...) - Looking at America, The New York Times, December 31, 2007 In times such as these, the American people must speak up and make their sentiments known, acting independently as THE PEOPLE. Let us not go down in history as infamously standing silent in the face of grave crimes the way the "Good Germans" allowed the Nazis to carry out their atrocities. Wear orange - a ribbon, wristband, bandana, and so on - daily. Its wearing is a sign of solidarity with those our government imprisons and tortures. Its wearing means that you stand against torture and tyranny. The time for private grumbling is over. The time for speaking out and acting is here. (full comment here ...) - Comment by Dr. Dennis Loo, Los Angeles (Highlighted by NYTimes editors)
Visit the website for a wrap up summary of this event: Go to: http://www.pentagonmarch.org.
VEIW THE ACTIONS TAKEN FOR FOR COMPLETE WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. MILITARY FORCES & MERCENARIES FROM IRAQ!
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Chicago Speaks Out Against an Attack on Iran
Support the City Council Resolution
You Make the Difference!
WCW Chicago June 26 - Fire John Yoo
WCW Chicago January 31
"We Won't Live in a Torture State" 
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