United for Peace & Justice : Index

Israeli Attack on Gaza Intensifies - Take Action Now!

This past weekend, Israel launched its predicted ground invasion of Gaza. Over 80 Palestinians have been killed so far in the ground raids; and since Saturday, December 27, when the Israeli assault began, over 500 Palestinians have been killed and more than two thousand wounded. The wounded continue to suffer as medical workers in Gaza continue to be denied basic equipment and aid to treat patients.

Emergency aid and medical teams have been largely prevented from reaching Gaza, due to Israel and Egypt’s border closings, including aid and staff from the International Committee for the Red Cross and the UN. It has also been reported that four paramedics attempting to reach the wounded were killed in an Israeli air raid. Click here for the Physicians For Human Rights (Israel) latest update on the situation.

Israel continues to reject international calls for a ceasefire. In Sunday’s emergency UN Security Council meeting, the U.S. unilaterally blocked approval of a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire and expressing serious concern over the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza.

Now is the time to take action! Click here for Action Ideas from the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, a member group of UFPJ.

For more background information on this situation, click here to read these talking points from Phyllis Bennis of the Institute of Policy Studies and a member of the UFPJ Steering Committee.

In addition, the Middle East Children's Alliance -- another UFPJ member group -- is working with health organizations in Gaza to procure the most-needed medicines and send them directly to Gaza with the help of the Free Gaza Movement. You can make a secure online contribution to aid these efforts here.

Click here to see how other UFPJ member groups are responding to the crisis, as well as for additional resources.

D.C. Calendar of Events, January 2009

A number of events have been planned in the lead-up to the Obama inauguration, as well as the opening of the new Congress, in Washington D.C. These events, covering a wide range of issues, have as their purpose the goal of moving to the forefront the most crucial issues that Obama and the new Congress will have to face to live up to our demands.

While these events are not UFPJ events, many of them are events planned by UFPJ member groups. We have created a calendar to share these events with you, in hopes that you may be able to attend and to participate in some of them. Click here to view this calendar of events.

UFPJ's Work Gears Up For New Period!

UFPJ's 4th National Assembly (12/12 - 12/14) provided the coalition and our movement with tons of energy and excitement, as groups all over the country recommitted to the important work that lies ahead.

Delegates to the Assembly from UFPJ member groups amended and adopted several documents that outline the coalition’s direction and priorities in the context of the new opportunities and challenges of this period. Click here for links to all of the new documents.

The Assembly also adopted the ‘Yes We Can…’ campaign, designed to connect our work against wars of aggression and the domestic problems surrounding us now. The ‘Yes We Can…’ campaign, the document of which can be found here, will build momentum over the course of several months, culiminating in a national mobilization in New York City on April 4th, the anniversary of Dr. King’s Vietnam speech in 1967 and his death a year later.

Click here for the document outlining this major mobilization on April 4th.

"End the War!" Yard Signs Are Back!

Make a bold demand for peace on your front lawn. After the historic election of President-elect Barack Obama, it is important now more than ever to ensure that the antiwar movement is visible and active to a highly-energized public. Our weatherproof yard signs are one way to do this!

The signs, conveying the highly readable and simple message of ‘End The War!’, are union-made and come with a wire frame, making outdoor display effortless. They’re also priced at a discount rate of $3 each with rates dropping for bulk orders.

Check out other items at the UFPJ Storefront here.

On the Election of Barack Obama

For more than six years, United For Peace and Justice and the antiwar movement have stood firm in our opposition to the war in Iraq. Our consistent work played a major role in turning public sentiment against the war, and that sentiment helped lay the foundation for the Obama campaign's success.

Today, our country and the world are at a crossroads. The nation is in the grips of a major economic crisis, while we are engaged in two wars: in Iraq and in Afghanistan. Millions of people want positive, progressive change in domestic policies and foreign affairs. And very importantly, millions of people have been energized and engaged during this electoral season.

We need to build on this as we plan for the future.

Back to School Menu: ASVAB

The UFPJ Truth-In-Recruiting Working Group has been hard at work, organizing a campaign to tackle military recruiting in high schools across the country. This campaign includes detailing the ways in which military recruiters procure information on thousands of high school students, as well as how local school authorities are often complicit in negating students’ privacy rights.

The TIR Working Group is organizing a campaign to let local school authorities know that their students’ rights will not be violated anymore, especially not for the US military’s purposes. Push for your local school authorities to choose Option 8, which requires active consent upon the part of parents and students in releasing any information from the ASVAB test.

Click here to read about the ASVAB, the test given to fresh recruits and to hundreds of thousands of high school students in a ‘career exploration’ scheme.

Click here to read about Option 8 and how your local school authorities can protect their students’ rights.

Speak Out Against War With Iran!

Now, before any irreversible steps are taken, is the time for us to speak out against any U.S./Israeli military attack on Iran.

We urge you to take part in this important effort:

1) Call-in and take action to ensure that your member of Congress knows there is strong opposition to military action against Iran in his or her district.

Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121 or click here to look up the direct numbers for your representative's DC and local offices.

2) Ask your mayor to sign on to a resolution urging the Bush administration to pursue diplomatic engagement with Iran. At least 36 mayors have already signed on -- now is the time to approach your mayor! For more information visit the Cities for Peace website.

3) Write letters to the editor of your local papers and call into local radio talk shows. Click here for a sample letter.

4) Sign the open letter to presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama urging him to stand up for diplomacy.

5) You can organize a visible presence in a busy location in your town: a vigil, an afternoon of leafleting or tabling, a human billboard, etc. Be sure to pick a time and location that has a lot of pedestrian or vehicle traffic!

To find out what might be happening in your area, click here. If you plan an activity, please post it on the UFPJ calendar of actions.

Update: US War Resister Jeremy Hinzman Granted Deportation Stay – Action Needed

CALL PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER
AND MINISTER OF IMMIGRATION DIANE FINLEY

Tell them you want them to:
• immediately cease all deportation proceedings against US Iraq war resisters in Canada
• implement the motion adopted by the House of Commons on June 3rd, 2008 by creating a program that would allow US Iraq war resisters to apply for permanent resident status in Canada

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Prime Minister Stephen Harper
613.992.4211 / 403.253.7990 (constituency office)
harper.s@parl.gc.ca

Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Diane Finley
613.996.4974 / 519.426.3400 (constituency office)
minister@cic.gc.ca / finled1@parl.gc.ca

For the latest details, please visit the War Resisters Support Campaign Canada website.

Sign Courage to Resist’s new letter to Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, and Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, that urges them to “Please act immediately to implement the resolution to allow US war resisters to stay in Canada…and cease deportation proceedings against Jeremy Hinzman.”

It takes courage to say that you will not fight -- especially if you are a soldier. Large numbers are now refusing to serve: The GI Rights Hotline (877-447-4487) is currently receiving about 3,000 calls a month. As more members of the U.S. military step forward for peace, the peace movement must step forward to support them. Click here for information about war resisters and how you can support them.

Grassroots Action: Billboard Brings Costs of War to Lansing

GLNAWI Billboard

Check out our new and improved Grassroots Action blog!

The Greater Lansing Network Against War and Injustice, a UFPJ member group, posted this billboard at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Francis Street, where it will remain for a month, drawing local residents' attention to the enormous daily financial costs of the continuing occupation in Iraq.

Click here for media coverage of this action and reports from other recent grassroots peace initiatives!