Iraq Anniversary 2011......8 WASTED YEARS

THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE BEGINNING OF THE ILLEGAL AND IMMORAL WAR IN IRAQ IS 19 MAR. Here is a list of activities being organized with the Washington Peace Center starting Friday.....

March 19 marks the 8th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. Join peace activists from all over the country to mark this occasion during an inspiring weekend of actions, training, and lobbying in DC. Find a comprehensive calender of events below and please check back for updates:

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Friday, March 18
 5-8 pm: Veterans for Peace pre-event at Busboys and Poets (5th and K Streets, NW)

Featuring notable speakers, including Pulitizer Prize Winning war correspondent Chris Hedges, CODEPINK’s Medea Benjamin and author of War Is a Lie, David Swanson. Music will be provided by Deadwood, featuring Margaret Flowers, and by Watermelon Slim. $10 requested donation.

7-9pm: Walter Reed Vigil at Walter Reed Hospital, 7150 Georgia Avenue, NW (at Horseshoe, between Dahlia and Elder)

A weekly vigil to raise awareness within our community and the media that our injured soldiers are brought to Walter Reed Hospital and we must not forget them. Fund the wounded, not the war! (The right wingers will be out in force so let's support!)

The Vigil began in March 2005 following the second anniversary of the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and has continued every Friday evening regardless of rain, sun, snow, ice, or right-wing hooligans.

9 pm:  Iraq Veterans Against the War/ Civilian Soldier Alliance Fundraiser at RAS in Petworth, 4809 Georgia Avenue NW

Join Iraq Veterans Against the War and Civilian Soldier Alliance for an evening of live music, delicious (Ethiopian) food, and social empowerment at the Ras Hall. Come support Operation Recovery: Stop the Deployment of Traumatized Troops, a veteran-led campaign to win the right to heal. This is an ALL AGES event.

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Saturday, March 19
8am - 1pm: Pax Christi Metro DC Annual Assembly at Gonzaga College High School, Lower Commons, 19 Eye Street NW

Building a Catholic Movement to end war and build peace.  This event includes featured speakers Andrew Bacevich and Michael Baxter, panel presentations, and small groups dicussions. Find the full schedule and registration info here.

Registration is $35, $10 for students, and scholarships are available. No one will be turned away for lack of funds.

12 noon: Veterans for Peace Rally and Action at Lafayette Park and the White House

Resist the War Machine! Put your body on the line for peace and help make this the largest veteran-led civil resistance to the war machine in recent history! For more information, email stopthesewars@gmail.com.

Rally at 12 pm at Lafayette Park, H and 16th Streets NW
Speakers: Elliott Adams, Chantelle Bateman, Brian Becker, Medea Benjamin, Zachary Choate, Ryan Endicott, Ayesha Fleary, Chris Hedges, Kathy Kelly, Mike Malloy, Michael McPhearson, Caneisha Mills, Ralph Nader, Debra Sweet, Ann Wright, Kevin Zeese
Civil Resistance at 1 pm, White House

5-6 pm:  Dinner at Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Avenue Northwest (free, donation requested)
6-8 pm: Move the War Money, Save Our Communities at Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Avenue Northwest

The Washington Peace Center and Military Families Speak Out, and United for Peace and Justice are collaborating on this forum exploring the effects of our over-inflated military budget on our local communities.  Hear from local DC organizers on how the economic crisis is affecting DC and how we can work together across issues to change the situation.

Speakers include: 

• John Feffer, (Co-Director of Foreign Policy In Focus (www.fpif.org), Institute for Policy Studies),
• Kathryn Perry, (homeless organizer, Member of Luther Place Memorial Church and N Street Village),
• Linda Leaks (Lead Housing Organizer of Empower DC),
• Chantelle Batmen (Field Organizer for Iraq Veterans Against the War), and
• A Representative from Save our Safety Net  

This event is endorsed by the   Civilian Soldier Alliance, CodePink , Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, DC Jobs with Justice, Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Empower DC, Iraq Veterans Against the War,  Peace Action, Luther Place Memorial Church, Save our Safety Net DC, SOAWatch, Stop These Wars and others. 

8-10: Soundtrack for Refusal CD Release Show  at Luther Place Memorial Church, 1226 Vermont Avenue Northwest

Musicians Ryan Harvey, Spoonboy and Jubilee will celebrate the work of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Civilian Soldier Alliance.  Join us for an evening of live music, delicious food, and social empowerment.

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Sunday, March 20
2 pm: Bradley Manning Action at Quantico Marine Base (VA)

Exposing war crimes is not a crime! Support accused WikiLeaks whistle-blower Army Pfc.Bradley Manning who has been held in solitary-like conditions for six months.

Click here to buy bus tickets to the Rally. Only $10 rountrip.

This event is endorsed by the Bradley Manning Support Network, Veterans for Peace, Courage to Resist, CodePink, and many other groups.

All day: Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Lobby Training

Come to Lobby Weekend! Join others to tour Washington, learn to lobby, understand political issues in greater depth, and make your voice heard in Congress! The primary issues we will be lobbying on will be the war in Afghanistan. This is a 3-4 day event, though paticipants are welcome for all or part of the event. You can find the preliminary schedule for the entire event here.   

Day 1: Issue-based Training- learn the ins and outs of the legislative issues you'll be lobbying on. Find a summary of issues here.

 Don't forget to register for only $20. Participants are responsible for their own lodging and transportation. A list of lodging options can be found here.

Participants must schedule meetings with their Congress members ASAP. Try for Tues, March 22, though you may have to be flexible. Find their contact info here.

 This event is endorsed by Friends Committee on National Legislation,  Peace Action, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Military Families Speak Out. Contact Matt Southworth for more information.  

6-8: Homecooked Iraqi Benefit Dinner  at the home of Busboys and Poets owner, Andy Shallal

Join Busboys and Poets owner Andy Shallal and special guests at his house for an authentic Iraqi meal cooked by his mother with love!  This event is a fundraiser for the Washington Peace Center.  For details, pricing, and location, please contact sonia@washingtonpeacecenter.org or 202-234-2000.

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Monday, March 21
All day: Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Lobby Training

Day 2: Lobbying, Media, and Organizing Trainings: strengthen old skills and learn new ones in these in-depth trainings covering lobying Congress, working with the media, and organizing in your community.  

Note: See FCNL lobby training on Sun, March 20 (above) for information on registration and logistics, or click here for the full weekend schedule. 

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Tuesday, March 22

All day: Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) Lobbying

Day 3: Lobby Day: spend the day lobbying your Senators and Representatives.   

Note: See FCNL lobby training on Sun, March 20 (above) for information on registration and logistics, or click here for the full weekend schedule. 

 6:30-8:30: Discussion and book signing with Malalai Joya at Busboys and Poets, 14th and V NW

Joya takes us inside her book, "A Woman Among Warlords The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice" to depict this massively important and insufficiently understood country, shows us the desperate day-to-day situations its remarkable people face at every turn, and recounts some of the many acts of rebellion that are helping to change it. A controversial political figure in one of the most dangerous places on earth, Malalai Joya is a hero for our times.

Co-sponsored by Afghan Women's Mission.  FREE & OPEN TO ALL!

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Washington Peace Center I 1525 Newton St NW I Washington, DC 20010 I 202-234-2000 I info@washingtonpeacecenter.org

THOUGHTS ON THE 4TH OF JULY from IVAW 7JUL10

The 4th of July is a mixed experience for veterans.  While it is often looked at as a day to honor us, we often can be found indoors while civilians are out enjoying the fireworks.  In his blogpost below, our friend, Ryan Harvey, reflects on his own experience of this year's 4th of July celebration.  Ryan is a musician and an organizer with the Civilian Soldier Alliance, IVAW's main organizing partner in our GI and Veterans Bill of Rights Campaign.  He is based in Baltimore, Maryland. Is it About Independence, Or Explosions? Thoughts and Analysis on July 4th at 1:16 AM by Ryan Harvey, Civilian Soldier Alliance I sat on the stone wall that lines Druid Lake tonight and watched Baltimore destroyed by bombs. I watched tracers light up the sky, followed by the deep pulse of distant explosions. I watched huge clouds of smoke rise from downtown, escaping from the flaming buildings. I saw explosions as far as Dundalk, Curtis Bay, and Morgan State. I saw light emerging from deep in the West Side, illuminating the trees that line the park. I saw the Belvedere Hotel hit by a series of missiles, a huge flame bursting out the East wall. I remembered when the bartender there took me and a friend on the roof to see the best 360 degree view I'd ever seen of the city. I wondered if he would survive the attack. Then a huge bomb fell into the apartment building at Howard and 28th, sending a large cloud of smoke into the air. I could only imagine the horrors inside as elderly residents tried to escape the flames. I watched cars crossing the 29th St. bridge fired on by helicopters that then continued on their way into Remington. I watched mortar fire land in the houses of Reservoir Hill that face the park, and heard the sounds of gunfire from the streets behind them. It was a total nightmare, something I never wanted to experience. Thankfully, it was mostly in my head. It was the Fourth of July, and celebratory explosions were popping off all over the city. But I wasn't celebrating, I was mourning. The fireworks reminded me not of 1776 or 1812, but of 2003, when I watched an almost identical scene on the TV news. I thought not of British Redcoats, but of U.S. Soldiers and Marines. I was watching a re-run of Shock And Awe, the massive bombing campaign the U.S. unleashed on Baghdad on March 19th, 2003. I texted a friend, a former National Guardsman who participated in the initial invasion of Iraq. I told him I was thinking of Baghdad, watching the city light up, and I asked how he was. He said he was "in hiding," not interested in being taken back to that place again, at least, not this year. I thought how many friends of mine, Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans who have joined the ranks of the anti-war movement, were in hiding too, taking pills to calm their shattered nerves, reasoning with their shame and anger at the roles they played in occupying these countries. I thought of my childhood friend Austin Koth, who deployed to Baghdad in 2006 with an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. I imagined which exploding firework might best match the sound of the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that took his life two weeks before he would have come home. Then I heard it. I thought about the millions of Iraqi and Afghan citizens whose lives have been turned upside down by the "Global War on Terror". I felt so sad and sorry to the Iraqi people for the actions of my government, a government that wouldn't budge no matter how unpopular the invasion was or how many people voiced opposition to it. I wondered how I could explain that to those who lost limbs when our bombs came crashing into their neighborhoods because one of their neighbors may or may not have posed a threat to U.S. forces. I thought about the brave people who picked up weapons to defend their communities from the invasion of my government. I thought "what if Baltimore was really being bombed right now?" I wondered what I would actually feel like, what it means to watch your home, the home of so many friends and family, crumble under the bombs of a foreign government. I wondered what I would do and what my friends would do. Would I go out into the chaos to look for survivors? Would I stay far away hoping to save my own life? Would I fight? Would I organize others to fight with me? These thoughts paralyzed me for an hour as I sat and stared out into the city. I was among families having cookouts, all the while a simulation of a major bombing campaign lit up my city's skyline. All I could think of was Baghdad. It is amazing that we celebrate our Independence Day in such a way. A total glorification of war. A sensory overload of violence. After all, our fireworks are meant to imitate the "bombs bursting in air" which helped win the Independence War against Britain. I wonder how many take time on this day to consider the Independence movement that led to the creation of the United States. I wonder if they think about other Independence movements, from India to Algeria to Mozambique, that fought similar struggles against colonialism. I wonder if any note the parallels between British policy in colonial America and U.S. policy in Iraq. After all, it was the British who set the stage for our presence when they invaded and occupied Iraq in 1921. And the Iraqi resistance that arose after U.S. Administrator of Iraq Paul Bremer set drastic and far-reaching economic decrees in 2004 isn't that different from events in our own history. American Patriots fought back after similar changes were initiated by the British in the 1760s and 70s. They rioted against the Stamp Act and dumped Tea in the Boston Harbor to protest British economic policies. Then they picked up guns. But political history aside, a deeper question remains; why the glorification of war? Is it to remind ourselves of the glory of victory, to remember those who suffered and died to free the United States from Britain? Is it to turn war into a celebration, to be enjoyed from afar, knowing we will probably never see it? I tend to believe the latter, that the fireworks celebration is not about Independence, it's about explosions. It's about war. It's a yearly mass-experience that reminds us that we live in a culture of violence and that we are safe enough from war that we can celebrate it from a detached position. But it's not a conspiracy by some branch of government or some multinational fireworks company, it's a cultural practice, an unwritten consensus. If we took time to consider the real impacts that war and mass violence have across the world, I don't think we would be able to stomach all the hot dogs. I think we would start to feel the weight of so many lives that were taken early by the crippling shards of shrapnel bursting out of bombs and missiles dropped by our military around the world. And if we all considered what we would do if we were on the receiving end of such an assault, if we saw the bombing of Baltimore the way i did tonight, maybe we would feel the common humanity that binds us to those in Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other countries that live the results of our government's aggressive foreign policy. Perhaps then we could start celebrating Independence Day in a way that honors, educates about, or supports those fighting similar battles today, even if they are against our own government's policies. To share this blogpost with your friends, click here. Iraq Veterans Against the War