[Sust-mar] March 17th - Two upcoming anti-war actions

[Stu Neatby]

 International Day of Action Against War and Occupation
Bush out of Baghdad, Canada out of Kandahar!

Saturday, March 17, 2007
Meet at 12:00 noon, Farmers' Brewery Market, Lower Water St.
Rally at 1PM, Victoria Park
Featuring speakers, musicians, drummers. This will be a child-friendly
march.
Bring your friends, family and noisemakers

Featuring former US Marine and current War Resister Dean Walcott, and other
artists and community activists against the war.
Organized by the Halifax Peace Coalition, Student Coalition Against War and
NSPIRG.
*
END the wars of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan!
NO War in Iran!
REJECT the Canada-US military partnership!

ALL OUT ON MARCH 17th!*
**
(See 'Why We are Marching' Below for further details)
-------------------------

Refusing to Fight
An evening with former US Marine and current War Resister Dean Walcott

Friday, March 16th @ 7PM
Rm 104, Weldon Law Building
Dalhousie University Campus

Dean Walcott served for six years with the US Marines, including two
separate tours of duty in Iraq. In between his two tours of duty in Iraq, he
was assigned at a U.S. military hospital in Germany, assisting wounded
marines.

In a recent CBS interview, Walcott talked about his experiences in the
German hospital:
"A lot of guys who you couldn't recognize literally from their face to their
feet. Missing arms, missing legs, couldn't breathe on their own, couldn't
feed themselves. These kids, literally kids — 17, 18, 19, 20. And this look
in their eyes that — Oh, I'm never gonna forget it. The look in their eyes
when they finally come to understand that they're never gonna walk again."

Walcott was assigned to a non-combat unit following his second Iraq
deploymnet, where he was to prepared reservists for their deployments to
Iraq. But instead of continuing to train new recruits for what he saw as an
illegal and immoral war in Iraq, Walcott crossed into Canada in December
2006. Along with the support of the Canadian War Resister Support campaign,
he is attempting to claim refugee status in Canada based upon the illegal
nature of the Iraq conflict under international law.

This presentation has been organized by the Halifax Peace Coalition, NSPIRG,
and the Student Coalition Against War.
Donations will be requested of the audience for the War Resisters Support
Campaign.
For details: 405-9480, stu.neatby at gmail.com

 www.resisters.ca
www.halifaxpeacecoalition.ca
www.scaw.ca

---------------------

WHY WE ARE MARCHING

On 10 January 2007, George W. Bush made the announcement that the US would
send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. A few weeks earlier, Stephen Harper was
insisting that members of NATO should provide more combat troops in
Afghanistan. This is the same dead-end recipe to "win the hearts and minds"
of the Iraqi and Afghan people! Canadians are collectively calling for an
end to these wars of occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as an end
to the "deep integration" of Canadian foreign and military policy with the
United States in other parts of the world such as Israel/Palestine, Haiti,
and Iran.

*In Iraq*

In the aftermath of the attacks of September 11th 2001, while launching its
"war on terror" and invading Afghanistan, the Bush administration was
already intent on occupying Iraq. After twelve years of merciless sanctions
which had killed more than one million people in Iraq, four years of
occupation, false promises of democracy and reconstruction have only
resulted in more deaths and devastation, and plunged the country into a
civil war.

In October 2006, the medical journal The Lancet estimated that 655,000
people had died in Iraq following the invasion. Oil production, electricity
production, and the accessibility of drinkable water are all at lower levels
presently as compared to four years ago, under sanctions! According to the
estimates of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR), out of a total population of 26 million, 2 million Iraqis have fled
to neighbouring countries and an additional 1.7 million are internally
displaced persons.

*In Afghanistan*

In Afghanistan, a country which was already ravaged by 30 years of war, the
situation is also very bleak after more than five years of 'allied' military
occupation. A recent report issued by the Senlis Council estimated that
between 3000-5000 Afghan civilians in the Southern regions were killed in
2006 alone, largely as a result of NATO military actions. According to Human
Rights Watch, more than half of the Members of Parliament elected in
September 2005 are linked to armed groups, guilty of past human rights
violations; the illegal growing and processing of poppies has again become
the main economic activity of the country (Afghanistan provides more than
90% of world heroin). According to Amnesty International, thousands of
Afghans have been tortured by the US army or armed Afghan groups under its
control. According to the UNHCR, there are still more than 3,000,000 Afghan
refugees in Pakistan and Iran, and approximately 120,000 internally
displaced in Afghanistan. Finally, according to WOMANKIND Worldwide, after
five years and contrary to media-fed illusions, it is imperative that the
media, donor governments, international organisations and the Afghan
government acknowledge the lack of progress in the domain of women's rights
and immediately take action in key areas of education, the legal system,
security services, healthcare, and livelihoods to transform paper rights to
rights in practice.

*Wars of conquest of the US Empire and its allies*

As we face another drive to war in Iran by the Bush administration, it is
imperative that Canadians stand up and demand an end to Canadian complicity
in these wars of occupation. With a Canadian election looming this year, the
time for Canadians to stand up against these murderous policies being
committed in our name is now!

*END the wars of occupation in Iraq and Afghanistan!
NO War in Iran!
REJECT the Canada-US military partnership!

ALL OUT ON MARCH 17th!*

-- 
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Check out the Haiti Art School Project
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