reminder: for up-to-date info on war/anti-war preparations, go to www.geocities.com/nion_cleveland or www.passionreborn.org
From Jeff Paterson--first US soldier to refuse to fight in Gulf War 1
The US war on Iraq is immoral, illegitimate, and unjust.
The troops that require our support are those with the courage to refuse to fight, for the rest have the backing of the most powerful juggernaut of war, death and oppression the world has ever seen. And for the majority of the troops that will simply follow orders, our unequivocal opposition to this bombing and invasion is the only hope to minimize the wholesale slaughter that will result from the imperial declarations of Bush and Co. Our real interests (including our safety and security) are bound up with those of the vast majority of humanity, are not confined by national borders, and have nothing to do with patriotism. The only correct answer to phase two of the US war on the world is "not in our name."
Jeff Paterson
March 18, 2003
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SP/4 Ghanim Khalil, Army Reserve
http://members.aol.com/sincere33/
"Today, I find myself in a position to make a difference or remain silent. Will I support a war which will lead to hundreds of thousands civilians dead and wounded, endanger the future of the American people, and create chaos in the already unstable Middle East- all for the gain of a few powerful and wealthy people? Or will I stand up when Justice and Truth requires it, to not only reveal my objection to this war and it’s material goals, but also to clear myself of all implications of the crimes against humanity this war will create?"
http://members.aol.com/sincere33/SoldierSpeaksindex.html
February 15, 2003 Press Conference
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Gulf War Veterans: Resisting and Telling the Truth
http://jeff.paterson.net/resisting.htm
By Michael Slate, March 2003
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Veterans Call to Conscience Statement to the Troops
http://www.calltoconscience.net/
"We are veterans of the United States armed forces. We stand with the majority of humanity, including millions in our own country, in opposition to the United States' all out war on Iraq."
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Not in Our Name Statement:
Act NOW as if the future depends on it. Because it does!
http://www.notinourname.net
Bush issued his ultimatum in an address to the nation Monday: Saddam Hussein and his sons must get out of Iraq by 8 p.m. Wednesday or bombs will start devastating the country. In the name of ridding the world of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction, 3,000 cruise missiles and the mother of all bombs will be dropped on the people of Baghdad in the first 48 hours. Pentagon officials have bragged "there will not be a safe place in Baghdad."
We say, Not in Our Name!
In response to Bush's ultimatum, Not in Our Name calls on everyone to begin MASSIVE opposition NOW to this war. We cannot go about our daily business as usual while bombs designed to flatten Baghdad and "shock and awe" the world into submission to U.S. might are loaded into planes. This war will be an outrageous crime against the people of Iraq and a blow to the very humanity of people the world over. We can't wait for the bombs to fall.
We must act now to show the world that people in this country repudiate this war and are doing everything in our power to stop it.
As Bush and his allies have made murderously clear, this diplomacy was never really about disarmament. It was about "regime change." In the name of liberating Iraq from brutal dictatorship, our own government and others plan to launch a full out invasion and occupation of another country.
After the deaths of many thousands of civilians who will be heartlessly dismissed as collateral damage, Saddam Hussein will be deposed and a military dictatorship will be established in the name of bringing democracy to Iraq.
But as the U.S. Government's own state department reports make clear, there is no plan for any kind of democratic government (even after indefinite military occupation and rule by US generals and UN troops) because "electoral democracy, were it to emerge, could well be subject to exploitation by anti-American elements."
How dare this President call on us to support this unjust and illegitimate war!
This President who has put the United States beyond any international treaties;
* Who has declared all votes that go against his imperial designs invalid;
* Whose administration is unprecedented in eroding the very freedoms he claims to be fighting for;
* Who has detained people without trial based on their nationality and religion;
* Who is torturing prisoners of war being held in Guantanamo;
* Who has manufactured fear to herd people into endless war and a big brother society that George Orwell only dreamed of;
* Who is ordering the spending of billions for weaponry that will secure oil and, through death and mass destruction, reorder strategic regions of the world to serve a U.S. imperial order - while people the world over will have to go without.
How dare this President ask us to support this unjust and illegitimate war in ANY way? At this time when they try to stifle dissent and intimidate opposition by the loud drums of war, it is important to understand that the powerful anti-war resistance around the world, including in the U.S., has had a huge impact. It has torn the legitimacy from this war and demonstrated that the U.S. government is acting against the will of many millions worldwide. In these crucial few days ahead, we need to intensify this resistance.
War begun by governments can be stopped by people - and the last few months have witnessed the moral and material power of people who have organized this historically unprecedented international movement. We in this country stand with people all over the world in saying WE DON'T WANT THIS WAR!
As Bush demands that the world fall in line - as he threatens whole countries and people - our resistance must rise to new heights of breadth, daring, creativity and determination.
Another World is Possible and We Pledge to Make it Real
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Jeff Paterson
http://jeff.paterson.net
Infamous Gulf War Refusenik
"As people living in the United States, it is our responsibility to resist the injustices done by our government, in our names...Another world is possible, and we pledge to make it real."
Not in Our Name www.notinourname.net
Cleveland info www.geocities.com/nion_cleveland
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