[Marxism] UfPJ attachment

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

(from Jacob Levich)

Peace Zone: NYC
Campaign Plan
Since long before the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq based on the
lies of President Bush, the people of New York City have been opposed to
the war and its deadly cost.

We agree with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. who said, "the bombs in Vietnam
explode at home; they destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent
America." Today the bombs and bullets in Iraq explode in Brooklyn, the
Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan.

Not only have countless Iraqis been killed and their country devastated,
but New Yorkers are also victims of this immoral war. Our young people are
pushed into military service by poverty and lack of opportunity; our
schools and social programs are under-funded while the Pentagon war coffers
grow; and our veterans return to the city without adequate federal support
and services.

We declare a campaign to make New York a "Peace Zone", free from military
recruiters, war profiteers, war mongering politicians and violence. We are
dedicated to showing our long-standing opposition to this war through local
action and community organizing.

Our organizations are committed to a multi-issue organizing campaign that
involves average New Yorkers as well as a broad spectrum of organizations
of differing political views that reflect the real diversity of New York.
The main components of the campaign are:

Make New York a Peace Zone
Objective: Pass Peace Bills in City Council; Win Endorsement of Bills in
Congress
Target: City Council, Mayor, State legislators, Congresspersons, Senators
New York was the site of the largest terrorist attack in U.S. history and
yet New Yorkers are overwhelmingly against the war. We understand that war
and occupation doesn't make us any safer.  We want our elected officials
and city institutions to reflect the real anti-war sentiment of the city.
We call on our Congressional Representatives to endorse measures to end the
occupation of Iraq and to end appropriations for the war. The entire New
York Congressional delegation should be pressured to oppose the ongoing war
and leave no bases behind. We further call for the City Council and the
mayor to go on record against the war and join the hundreds of other cities
who have become Cities for Peace. We call on the state legislature to do
likewise and to demand that the New York State National Guard be withdrawn
from Iraq. We need federal funding for human needs in our communities at
home not for more war and death abroad. We will wage a campaign to pass
anti-war legislation from the city level to the halls of Congress. We
demand an end to spying on people exercising their democratic rights to
protest. The Peace Zone must be a No-Spy Zone.

The Military is a Dead-End
Objective: Pass Counter-Recruitment Bill in City Council; Organize and
raise awareness around the alternatives to military service
Target: City Council; Parent Education Committees, Central School Board, etc.
In New York and around the country, young people are increasingly forced
into the military by economic necessity, lack of other opportunities, and
outright lies told by recruiters. Joining the military is no real career or
life choice for New York's young people; it means killing and being killed
in Iraq or elsewhere. We oppose recruitment in schools and universities in
our city and will assist young people and their parents in "opting out" of
from the recruiter's sales pitch, as well as turning our campuses and
schools into Peace Zones, free of all military recruiters. Our young people
deserve a future and real opportunities.

Real Support for New York's Veterans
Objective: Expose Hidden Costs of War; Win Federal Funding for Local Veterans
Target: City Council; Congressional delegations.
President Bush and the others who drove us to war don't really support the
men and women who return from military service in Iraq. The cities,
including New York City, bear the burden of providing social and medical
services to returning veterans many of whom have physical and emotional
injuries. Many veterans are left with few options due federal cuts to
veterans' hospitals and veterans' services. They deserve better. First we
must expose the hidden social and economic costs to the city of veterans'
return home. Then we aim to work with veterans and veterans' organizations
to pressure the Federal government to pay its fair share and do right by
all veterans.

Pensions for Peace
Objective: Divest NYC public pensions from Halliburton
Target: New York City Controller
The public pensions of New York's working families-representing billions of
dollars of our hard-earned money-are being invested in Halliburton, a
corporation with direct corrupt ties to the Bush administration that has
made millions of dollars from no-bid contracts in Iraq. We aim to work with
public sector workers and their unions to pressure the City Controller to
remove investments from Halliburton. We won't allow our pensions to go to
corrupt war profiteers.

There is already a wealth of peace activity in New York City, some around
the very issues listed here. This campaign is not meant to replace existing
work. There are many other peace actions and activities we support and will
participate in. Peace Zone: NYC is one campaign that cannot cover the range
of peace organizing in the city, nor should it. Yet it has the potential to
unify and strengthen our work. We also plan to participate in the many
national demonstrations planned for our city and elsewhere.

These four campaign components are aimed at uniting the peace sentiment
that already exists in New York City. We want to see the city's peace
movement flower and grow, more united and diverse. We invite other
organizations and individuals to join with us at whatever level they wish
to; to support some components and not others if they wish, or to fully
dedicate themselves to the entire Peace Zone: NYC project.

Making New York City a Peace Zone is dependent on the existing rich
tapestry of grassroots community organization that already exists in the
five boroughs combined with new efforts specifically aimed at mobilizing
the peace majority.


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