|
|
AfroCubaWeb
|
|
|
Contacting
your representatives by mail Antiwar.com |
||
Anti-War News Archive
| ||
NYC Labor Group Opposes Bush's War, 10/4
| Date sent: Thu, 4 Oct 2001 12:18:28 -0700 From: "Thomas W. Warner" twwarner@qwest.net NYC LABOR GROUP OPPOSES WAR NYC labor press conference against war. WHO: Labor Against War, an ad hoc coalition in response to the September 11 tragedy, supported by more than 100 union members (in their individual capacity) in New York City, including the following eight union presidents: Larry Adams, National Postal Mail Handlers Union Local 300; Barbara Bowen, Professional Staff Congress-CUNY/AFT Local 2334; Arthur Cheliotes, Communication Workers of America Local 1180; Michael Letwin, Association of Legal Aid Attorneys/UAW Local 2325; Jill Levy, Council of Supervisors and Administrators, NYS Federation of School Administrators, American Federation of School Administrators Local 1; Maida Rosenstein, UAW Local 2110; Brenda Stokely, AFSCME Local 215, DC 1707; Jonathan Tasini, National Writers Union/UAW Local 1981. PRINCIPLES: NO WAR. It is wrong to punish any nation or people for the crimes of individuals - peace requires global social and economic justice. JUSTICE, NOT VENGEANCE. An independent international tribunal to impartially investigate, apprehend and try those responsible for the September 11 attack. OPPOSITION TO RACISM - DEFENSE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES. Stop terror, racial profiling and legal restrictions against people of color and immigrants, and defend democratic rights. AID FOR THE NEEDY, NOT THE GREEDY. Government aid for the victims’ families and displaced workers, not the wealthy. Rebuild New York City with union labor, union pay, and with special concern for new threats to worker health and safety. NO LABOR AUSTERITY. The cost of September 11 must not be borne by working and poor New Yorkers. No surrender of workers’ living standards, programs or other rights. FULL TEXT AND SIGNATURE LIST BELOW New York City Labor Against War September 27, 2001 September 11 has brought indescribable suffering to New York City’s working people. We have lost friends, family members and coworkers of all colors, nationalities and religions,"a thousand of them union members. An estimated one hundred thousand New Yorkers will lose their jobs. We condemn this crime against humanity and mourn those who perished. We are proud of the rescuers and the outpouring of labor support for victims’ families. We want justice for the dead and safety for the living. And we believe that George Bush’s war is not the answer. No one should suffer what we experienced on September 11. Yet war will inevitably harm countless innocent civilians, strengthen American alliances with brutal dictatorships and deepen global poverty - just as the United States and its allies have already inflicted widespread suffering on innocent people in such places as Iraq, Sudan, Israel and the Occupied Territories, the former Yugoslavia and Latin America. War will also take a heavy toll on us. For Americans in uniform - the overwhelming number of whom are workers and people of color - it will be another Vietnam. It will generate further terror in this country against Arabs, Muslims, South Asians, people of color and immigrants, and erode our civil liberties. It will redirect billions to the military and corporate executives, while draining such essential domestic programs as education, health care and the social security trust. In New York City and elsewhere, it will be a pretext for imposing "austerity" on labor and poor people under the guise of "national unity." War will play into the hands of religious fanatics - from Osama bin Laden to Jerry Falwell - and provoke further terrorism in major urban centers like New York. Therefore, the undersigned New York City metro-area trade unionists believe a just and effective response to September 11 demands: **NO WAR. It is wrong to punish any nation or people for the crimes of individuals - peace requires global social and economic justice. **JUSTICE, NOT VENGEANCE. An independent international tribunal to impartially investigate, apprehend and try those responsible for the September 11 attack. **OPPOSITION TO RACISM - DEFENSE OF CIVIL LIBERTIES. Stop terror, racial profiling and legal restrictions against people of color and immigrants, and defend democratic rights. **AID FOR THE NEEDY, NOT THE GREEDY. Government aid for the victims’ families and displaced workers - not the wealthy. Rebuild New York City with union labor, union pay, and with special concern for new threats to worker health and safety. **NO LABOR "AUSTERITY." The cost of September 11 must not be borne by working and poor New Yorkers. No surrender of workers’ living standards, programs or other rights. Signers (list in
formation) (All affiliations and titles listed for identification
only) UNION PRESIDENTS |
Anti-war,
humanist group forms in New York City,
9/20
| From: Paul Kneisel <tallpaul@nyct.net> Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2001 6:47 PM Subject: Anti-war, humanist group forms in New York City Last night about 300 New Yorkers met at the headquarters of District 1199 of the Hospital Workers Union. The meeting was composed of representatives of New York's community and political groups and had a strong labor presence. The informal meeting expressed general approval for five points of unity.* 1) We mourn the victims and condemn the actions of September 11, 2001; 2) We oppose anti-Arab, anti-Islamic, anti-immigrant and other racial, religious, and ethnic bigotry and violence; 3) War and militarism are not the answer; 4) Defend civil liberties; 5) Seek global peace through economic and social justice. There was broad approval for a political demonstration in Manhattan during the weekend of October 6-7. People will meet next Tuesday to continue planning for the action and to deal with other issues that grow out of the bombing of the Pentagon and World Trade Center. * The wording of the five points is based on my notes and may not be entirely accurate. |
| Not in our son's name (letter of parents of son missing at World Trade Center) Saturday, Sep 15, 2001 8:35pm [Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez's son Greg is one of the Trade Center victims.They have asked that people share these letters this copy of letter sent to NY Times as widely as possible.] Not in Our Son's Name Our son Greg is among the many missing from the World Trade Center attack. Since we first heard the news, we have shared moments of grief, comfort, hope, despair, fond memories with his wife, the two families, our friends and neighbors, his loving colleagues at Cantor Fitzgerald / ESpeed, and all the grieving families that daily meet at the Pierre Hotel. We see our hurt and anger reflected among everybody we meet. We cannot pay attention to the daily flow of news about this disaster. But we read enough of the news to sense that our government is heading in the direction of violent revenge, with the prospect of sons, daughters, parents, friends in distant lands dying, suffering, and nursing further grievances against us. It is not the way to go. It will not avenge our son's death. Not in our son's name. Our son died a victim of an inhuman ideology. Our actions should not serve the same purpose. Let us grieve. Let us reflect and pray. Let us think about a rational response that brings real peace and justice to our world. But let us not as a nation add to the inhumanity of our times. Copy of letter to White House: Dear President Bush: Our son is one of the victims of Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center. We read about your response in the last few days and about the resolutions from both Houses, giving you undefined power to respond to the terror attacks. Your response to this attach does not make us feel better about our son's death. It makes us feel worse. It makes us feel that our government is using our son's memory as a justification to cause suffering for other sons and parents in other lands. It is not the first time that a person in your position has been given unlimited power and came to regret it. This is not the time for empty gestures to make us feel better. It is not the time to act like bullies. We urge you to think about how our governement can develop peaceful, rational solutions to terrorism, solutions that do not sink us to the inhuman level of terrorists. Sincerely, Phyllis and Orlando Rodriguez |
Black Radical Congress
LETTER OF SUPPORT TO U.S. REPRESENTATIVE BARBARA LEE, 9/28/01
| The Black Radical Congress (BRC) For Immediate Release September 28, 2001 Contact: Frances M. Beal, fmbeal@igc.org Bill Fletcher Jr., bfletcher4@compuserve.com The Honorable Barbara Lee Dear Representative Lee: The Black Radical Congress salutes you for your courageous stand in opposing the House resolution to provide the U.S. President carte blanche in responding militarily to the horrific events of September 11, 2001. It is an infamous act of violence that brings grief and fear to all decent people at home and abroad. While most of our elected officials beat the war drums and promise to spill the blood of even more people - somewhere, or anywhere - it takes a person with an extraordinary level of integrity and political grit to stand alone against the jingoism that is sweeping the nation. You are proving to have such courage and we are proud that you have raised your voice for peace and justice at this time of crisis. Please rest assured that you speak for thousands of people in this country who agree "that military action will not prevent further acts of international terrorism against the United States," as you put it in your intrepid argument against the race toward war. In the years to come, we are sure that your name will shine brightly as a beacon of rationality and the lone voice of conscience in the halls of the U.S. Congress, at a critical time in our nation's history. We will be doing everything in our power to activate our membership and our friends in the struggle for peace in the days to come. It is good to know we have such an ally in Congress. NOTE: When responding or sending us feedback about this statement, please indicate whether we have your permission to share your comments publicly, as part of a broader discussion and debate. Thank you. Black Radical Congress |
Groups Involved with this Issue