Staying On The Streets Against This War!

by For Mother Earth Wed Aug 24, 2005 23:56

http://www.motherearth.org/prisoner/turi.php

by Update Wed Aug 24, 2005 23:38

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050824/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq

by Edward Horgan - Peace and Neutrality Alliance Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:59 edward.horgan at ul dot ie

Shannon Peace Protest 24th September 2005

25,000 Iraqis dead, 85,000 missing?
Do you know that there are now thousands of US troops and tons of munitions of war passing through Shannon airport every week? You should know.
Shannon is now the primary US military transit airport in Europe for the War and occupation of Iraq.

Hello all peaceniks and anti-war mongers,

I have been asked to help coordinate events on behalf of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance (PANA) for the Shannon demonstration on 24th September, so I am asking for your help and support.
This demonstration is being jointly organised by the IAWM, NGO Peace Alliance and PANA.
There has been a concerted campaign by Irish government spin-doctors to portray US military use of Shannon airport as a "dead" issue. It sure is, about 110,000 dead so far, or, as the Iraq Body Count reports suggests, 25,000 dead and about 85,000 missing because the US and its allies "don’t do body counts".
The peace movement needs to get its act together to continue to highlight Ireland's role in these unlawful killings. This does not mean that all have to sing from the same hymn-sheet, or march to anyone else's tune. Divisions within the peace movement are a healthy sign of independent thinking, and since we are challenging the abuse of democracy by our government, independent thinking is vital.
The state will respond that they have a democratic mandate for allowing US military use of Shannon. George Bush claimed a mandate for the Iraq war after the last US Presidential election. No one, or no group of people in any state has any right to mandate their government to kill tens of thousands of innocent people.
Unlawful and unjustified killing is always murder.
The Assembly point for the main protest will be at Shannon Town Centre (Lidyl's car park) at 2 pm. The whole weekend around the 24th Sept or even the week before and after, should be used to remind the Irish people of what is done at Shannon airport in our name. Those of us who do nothing and stay silent are complicit in the crimes that are being committed, and that have already been committed. It was silence and inaction that enabled Hitler to carry out the Holocaust, and Pol Pot the Cambodian Genocide. Over 100,000 dead is about the populations of the greater Limerick city area combined with Shannon area, every man, woman and child, and we in the Mid West of Ireland especially have been part of this.
Some people have expressed concerns about being part of the main IAWM, PANA, NGO PA, demonstration. Fine, then come along and mount your own one person or small group alternative demonstration or protest.
There are dozens of anti-war groups around the country. Each such group could form its own separate demonstration at Shannon over that weekend. We do not need permission from the Gardai and the Irish Government to have demonstrations at Shannon. We are demonstrating against the Government's policies and against Garda and Irish army complicity in the US military use of Shannon airport.
There will be one main demonstration at Shannon on 24th of September, but hopefully there will also be many more supporting events, including temporary peace camps in the area over the weekend.
Perhaps you may feel that it is too much effort to spend an overnight or a few nights at Shannon.
Is 100,000 dead not a good enough reason?
Please lend your individual and your group's support for this protest weekend. Let your voice by heard, or your silence will facilitate the ongoing killing.
There are many who are vocal against the peace movement. They claim that the Iraq War is justified as part of the war on terror, or anyway, it is in the Irish national financial interests. It is the Iraq war that is fuelling the desperation of terrorists, and creating untold terror for its victims in Iraq. Democracy is no more part of America’s plan for Iraq that it was for Chile, Argentina, Guatemala and Nicaragua in the 1970s. A lasting peace in the Middle East would allow the oil-producing states to charge justified higher prices for the oil that they own. Turmoil in the Middle East makes it easier to exploit its resources.
It is important to remember, that you do not need my permission, or the permission of anyone else, including the Irish Government to demonstrate at Shannon.
I would appreciate it however, if you would let me know if you will be "visiting" Shannon over that weekend, and if your group wishes to participate in the main protest or, have your own separate protest.
We need individuals and groups especially to provide food and refreshments, legal support, and to help organise transport to and from Shannon.
Let this be, not just an Irish, 32-county protest, but an international one also. The innocent people we are helping to kill are all non-Irish, so as many non-Irish as possible should attend the protest. Our neighbours are all humankind, not just our friends in the UK and the USA.
We are protesting against the killing and human rights abuses of our neighbours in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine. We are opposed to murder and terror in all its formats, be it nuclear weapons, or B-52 bombing or suicide bombers.
Ireland has now become part of this terror by supporting the US illegal wars.
We need to make peace on terror, not war. War creates more terror by using terror as a false excuse to secure an undue share of the worlds energy and oil resources. Shame on those who profit from war.

This will not be an anti American protest.
It will be a protest primarily against the IRISH GOVERNMENT for its complicity in the killing of innocent people, but also against US government foreign policy, and against the wars the US is perpetrating on innocent people.

See you at Shannon if you value peace and cherish humanity.

by Jonah Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:41

Turi Vacoora is due to appear in court in the Netherlands on Sept 1st.

Send suppport lettes to Turi Vacoora
c/-"For Mother Earth" International
Maria-Hendrikaplein 5-6
9000 Gent
BELGIUM (they will redirect)

http://www.jonahhouse.org/Holland%20Plowshares.htm

by OZ Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:18

http://www.geocities.com/peaceconvergence/

by OZ - Plan B, Peace Convergeance Wed Aug 24, 2005 11:12 Shoal Water Bay Military Range (nr. Rockhampton, Queenlsand, Australia)

A 30th November, 2005. trial date in a Rockhampton (Queensland, Australia) Court has been set for 10 Australian anti-war resisters. The ten were arrested in a June nonviolent blockade of the Shoal Water Bay Military Range that caused a 90 military vehicle gridlock.

At the time, Shoal Water Bay military Range was hosting Operation Talisman Sabre involving 11,000 U.S. military and 6,000 Australian troops. Locals are concerned by the use of Depleted Uranium munitions on the range.

Australian forces are presently deployed in U.S. wars on Afghanistan & Iraq. Hi tech NSA facilities and Pine Gap (near Alice Springs, Norhern Territory) provides sattelite targeting info for U.S. drive by Cruise Missile attacks etc. Australian troop deployment to Afghanistan is set to esclaate by the end of the year.

Six of the ten were arrested aftter climbing the fence, blocking the entrance with coffins and remembering the dead of wars in which Australian and U.S. troops are presently involved. The four others were arrested in a 2nd. wave blockade of the gates.

by from Peter De Mott - St. Patricds Day Four Tue Aug 23, 2005 09:24 Going to trial Binghampton, New York, USA mid Sept

Dear Ciaron,

What a great DVD!! Peter Mc Guinness should get the film maker of the
year award. "Peace On Trial" really helps everyone, in a very graphic
way, to appreciate the horror of the ongoing war in Iraq and
highlights our communal need to resist the warmaker/mongers
nonviolently. The Pit Stop Ploughshares deserve special thanks and
praise for their moral courage and clarity of perception in their
inspired action at Shannon. The talking head shots of the Pit Stop
Ploughshare five plus Dennis Halliday, Tom Gumbleton, Kathy Kelly,
Mairead Maquire, Kelly Dougherty, Martha the Japanese Buddhist nun,
Carmen Trotta, et al. (Love that gender balance!) come across so
powerfully and convincingly. The music, too, fits the film so
appropriately and conjures up a Dylanesque (Bob, that is) flavor of
resistance to the war in Vietnam. I hope to show the film to lots of
friends and acquaintances here in our area and will do what I can to
see that it gets widely seen.

Any likelihood we can get Peter Mc Guinness to come to the States to
make a film about the Saint Patrick's Four? I have every confidence
that he'd do a first rate job. Now that we have Mr. Bush and his
accomplices on the run (Witness the groundswell of opposition
galvanized by Cindy Sheehan at Camp Casey on the outskirts of Crawford,
Texas) I feel that our imminent (September 19th) trial will only help
to bring this war to an earlier end than would otherwise have been the
case. Visit our website (www.stpatricksfour.org) for any needed info.

Ciaron, Please do keep us in your prayers as we get closer and closer
to our day in court. (They don't call it a "trial" for nothin'!)

By the bye, I bumped into your fellow Aussie Donna Mulhearn there at
Camp Casey a week ago. She related how she had testified for you and
other friends at some previous court cases. Sorry I didn't get a
chance to converse with her at greater length.

Better wrap this up and get to bed. Hang in there, Mate!
Pacem in terris! - Peter (Peadar)

by Damien Moran Tue Aug 23, 2005 04:09

... to International Peace activist Caoimhe Butterly, currently on tour to promote a new documentary charting her experiences in the Jenin refugee camp in Palestine, we gathered this afternoon at Dublin's GPO to vigil against ongoing and ever-increasing Irish complicity in the Iraq war.

As the city central political landmark continues to receive a face-lift, we continue our visible stand against the US military use of Shannon, inviting the masses en transit to pause and reflect on War, it's causes, our responsibilities and War's many innocent victims.

Back in the luxurious comfort of Baghdad's 'Green Zone', the Iraqi elite and US puppets/collaborators continue to debate the role of Islam, women's rights, distribution of Iraq's oil wealth and federalism in
relation to a new constitution.
On the other hand, the ordinary people of Iraq outside the politics of power continue to suffer as a result of the occupation and the carnage it fuels.

Elaine, Colm, and Justin (Peace People) kicked off the vigil and were soon joined by Damien (Dublin Catholic Worker/Pitstop Ploughshares), Lawrence and Mick.
Ciaron came along after his shift in a city centre homeless shelter, a source of much needed wisdom in the midst of an atmosphere of apathy to injustice.

Thoreau taught well when he wrote, -
"Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is in prison." - Henry David Thoreau

As per usual a great assortment of characters engaged us and/or passed us by. We met Phil and Linda from Phoenix Arizona visiting Ireland for the first time.
They greeted us with an apology for their government's imperialistic behaviour. They attempted to explain to us that, 'we're not all fascists'! They displayed an amazing Ben and Jerry's (If you haven't had their ice-cream I suggest you do so pronto.) manufactured anti-war fact-filled pen with a graphic pull-out slide show explaining the extent of US taxpayers money supporting their government's foreign policy misadventures. It's one of those pens that you've gotta see to believe.

Ben and Jerry have been supporting US anti-war mom Cindy Sheehan in her PR campaign to counteract right-wingers concerted effort to defeat the latest
threat to their lies and warmongering. Last week in the US over 1,600 vigils were held nationwide in solidarity with Cindy's Peace camp outside Bush's Crawford Ranch.

A Bon Secours nun who works with the Merchant's Quay drug project gave the thumbs up as did some Marilyn Manson look-a-likes. The anti-war message attracts a
beautifully diverse bunch of people.

Some passers-by may have thought that there was a counter-demo beside us as a young man sported an oversize dazzingly white t-shirt emblazoned with the
caption 'Protect the American hood' over a picture of an AK-47 which looked like it needed to be transformed into a ploughshare or pruning hook.

The only other challenge to our proposition of
non-violent revolution was a woman proudly gliding by in a 'Kill Barbie' t-shirt.

Fr. Gerry Dempsey dropped by and encouraged us to keep up our stationary stand. Gerry is local priest of Rialto parish and former warrior for the Ogoni people
in Nigeria. He was based there for 10 years from the mid-eighties and worked tirelessly against the despicable Shell Oil, now bringing their annihilative CV to the community of Rossport, aided and abetted by
the Irish State.

Former Chinese students I taught English to were more than happy to join in the protest against the US military, as were an abundance of Italian battalions.

Some young Sicilian activists expalined to us that they were trying to kick the US military out of Sigonella (home of the Sixth Fleet and major US inland Naval Airbase) at a demo last June. Sigonella happens to be that very same base where the US Navy C-40A
plane, disarmed by Mary Kelly and 5 days later by the Pitstop Ploughshares at Shannon in early 2003, was due to stopover before heading to the Iraq theatre of war.

Instead of heading onward to provide logistics support for the Gulf war it was sent packing back to Forth Worth, Texas.

During the previous two weeks we had invited the public to sign a book of condolences for Jean Charles
De Menezes, brutally murdered by the London Met. last month. Initiated by a member of Dublin's Brazilian community, Gustavo Barbosa, the book is currently
available for signing at the Amnesty shop on Fleet st. It will be sent to Jean Charles family in due course.

Standing in one place holding an anti-war banner may seem a fruitless exercise at a time when the peace movement has dissipated, but it's a humbling exercise
to meet so many people of different nationalities, ages, and backgrounds who are horrified at the fact that Shannon continues to allow 25,000 troops with
munitions to pass through each month.

We invite other groups to re-ignite the campaign to boycott TOP Oil (refuelling US warplanes at Shannon) or to vigil weekly at relevant site (e.g. Dail, Dept. of Foreign Affairs/Transport, Shannon Airport, IAA,
etc.)

We are organising two events in the coming weeks. Firstly, we have invited Rose Gentle to speak at a public meeting on Thursday Sept. 8th at Wynn's Hotel on Abbey st. from 7.30pm. Rose's 19 year old son Gordon was a British soldier serving in Basra when he
was killed by a roadside bomb in April 2004. Rose stood against Andy Ingram, Armed Forces Minister, in the most recent General Election, receiving over 15,000 votes. Along with other families of British soldiers she has become a key anti-war voice within the movement, initiating an attempt to establish an inquiry into the war which would put Blair, Hoon, et al. in the dock to answer for their crimes.

She will be joined on the platform by Gustavo Barbosa, who will reflect on the death of Jean Charles De Menezes, Britain's shoot-to-kill policy, and the struggle to bring Jean Charles' killers to justice.

The third speaker will be Ciaron O'Reilly, on trial for his involvement in the disarmament of a US warplane in Shannon in Feb. 2003. He will bring folks up to speed on the upcoming Pitstop Ploughshares Trial,
due to take place at Dublin's Four Courts from October 24th '05.

On Thursday September 15th we invite you to Give Peace A Bluegrass and Irish Trad. Dance at the Lower Deck pub in Portobello for a Pitstop Ploughshares benefit gig.
The gig will commence at 8pm sharp with a short documentary on the Pitstop Ploughshares first trial last March. Performers on the night will be Prison
Love (Bluegrass), Whirligig (Irish Trad. Band), Paul O'Toole & Band (Anti-War Music), Joe Black (Trad. guitarist/singer), and Ruairi 'Jailbreak' McCauliffe.
Entrance is 5 Euro or donations welcome.

The IAWM and other individuals and groups will return to Shannon on September 24th for a Peace Concert and hopefully lots more! As we are barred from a 5 mile radius of Shannon so we shall hold a solidarity vigil at
Bunratty Castle, Co. Clare.

We shall vigil again at the GPO next Monday August 29th between 4-6pm (and each Monday at the same time, same place) until our trial on October 24th. Please consider joining us for a while or drop by for a chat.


Damien Moran
PeaceOnTrial.Com
[email protected]
087 9638398

by Elaine Tue Aug 23, 2005 03:53

Attack

At dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun
In wild purple of the glow'ring sun,
Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud
The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one,
Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire.
The barrage roars and lifts. Then, clumsily bowed
With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear,
Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire.
Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear,
They leave their trenches, going over the top,
While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists,
And hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists,
Flounders in mud. O Jesus, make it stop!

Siegfried Sassoon
1917

The War Comes Home

Don't Fear Red Eye, Wear Shades!

John Turns A Blind Eye While Laurence Turns On The Charm!

War - Does Exactly What It Says On The Placard!

'Come Away, O Human Child! To The Waters And The Wild With A Faery, Hand In Hand, For The World's More Full Of Weeping Than You Can Understand' - W.B.Yeats