The Minneapolis protest will be held Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. along the sidewalks at Lake Street and Hiawatha Avenue.

Anti-war actions are being planned in cities around the country on Sept. 7 to call on Congress to reject the war resolution and U.S. military intervention in Syria.

The Minneapolis event is initiated by Minnesota Peace Action Coalition and endorsed by Anti-War Committee, Twin Cities Peace Campaign, Veterans for Peace and Women Against Military Madness and others. The Sept. 7 protest will be the third major anti-war event planned by those groups in the last ten days.

“There is tremendous opposition to a new war, but time is short. Everyone who opposes a new U.S. war needs to be active, in the streets, calling Congress and making their voice heard,” said a statement issued by organizers.

The statement goes on to say, “The U.S. Congress will vote soon on the White House plans for military intervention in Syria. The U.S. is sending warships, including an aircraft carrier, despite overwhelming opposition from the U.S. public.”

The organizers’ statement concludes by saying, “The U.S. has been at war continuously for 12 years: Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, the drone wars in Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and now the Obama administration is proposing yet another military intervention. Over the past 12 years, thousands of lives have been lost and billions upon billions of dollars have been spent. The people are saying enough of war and intervention. People need funds for jobs and housing, not another war.”

In addition to the Minneapolis event, anti-war actions are planned for the weekend in New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco and many other cities.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Syria #USImperialism #USCongress #chemicalWeapons

As anti-war/anti-intervention activists, we need to oppose any kind of U.S. attack on Syria. The Obama administration has been trying to sell this war to the American people by claiming it will be a short volley of cruise missile strikes with no boots on the ground. Claims of a “short war” rest on the assumptions that the Syrian government will not respond at all to being bombed and on the idea that U.S. objectives (regime change) will be achieved without further attacks. Hundreds if not thousands will die and nothing good will come of it.

On chemical weapons and red lines:

President Obama is arguing that the government of Syria has crossed a so-called “red line” by using chemical weapons in Syria. This has a number of problems. There is absolutely no evidence or confirmation that Syria’s government carried out the alleged chemical attack. Doctors Without Borders admits that its report is based not on their own investigation, but on reports they received from a Syrian rebel group. It is not logical for the Syrian government to have used chemical weapons, given that they were having success in the conflict, and that UN weapons inspectors were in Syria only ten miles from where the attack took place. We can’t forget how we were lied to about WMD’s in Iraq.

The notion that there is a “red line” that no one is allowed to cross is cynical at the core. Iraq is saturated with cancer causing depleted uranium from U.S. bombs. The U.S. military used the chemical weapon white phosphorus in Fallujah and Israel used white phosphorus in Gaza in a manner that violates the Geneva Convention. Chemical weapons are pretext to do what the U.S. government, weapons manufacturers, Israel, and the Saudi ruling class wants to do – bomb Syria.

Honest and good people have found themselves confused about Syria. There are people who feel powerless and just wish the bloodshed would stop. Some feel that military action will make them feel better. They instead need to be asking if military action and more bloodshed improve the situation in Syria. The clear answer is no.

No blood for oil??

While Syria doesn't have much oil, there is a whole lot of it in the neighborhood. The conflict in Syria has been ongoing because it is being used as a geopolitical chess piece by the West. The point of the attack is to defeat Syria so the U.S. can next move onto Iran and strike at other forces that are opposed to U.S domination.

Syria’s real ‘crime’ is to remain independent, ignoring the agenda of U.S. empire in the Middle East and befriending the patriotic peoples of Iran, Lebanon and Palestine. The U.S. speaks of chemical weapons, hoping that we have forgotten their plan for ‘regime change’ in Syria. The U.S. government has no right to determine who should lead the Syrian government. Beyond just openly calling for the Syrian president to be thrown out, the U.S. has already given more than a billion dollars’ worth of battlefield support to the Syrian opposition.

Devastating Syria with hundreds of cruise missiles or bombs will only make it harder for the Syrian people to exercise self-determination. Only the Syrian people themselves can decide their own future. The continued escalation of U.S. involvement in Syria and the Middle East makes a lasting peace impossible. As anti-war activists we should not call for the great powers to lead negotiations on a settlement of the conflict in Geneva or anywhere else to solve Syria’s problems.

We're opposed to war. We represent. We are the 91%!

Working people are weary of the blood and treasure expended to benefit military contractors while we have problems like foreclosures and student debt. In the face of real hardship at home, including cuts to food stamps and Head Start, our bankrupt government is spending our resources to fight the people of Syria, who have more in common with us than we have with Obama.

Politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, represent the interests of U.S. imperialism and are trying to push us toward war. The anti-war movement represents the vast majority. 91% of the American people agree with us. We need to mobilize people to demonstrate and show that we don't want to be dragged into another war. We have to pressure Congress to listen to the majority’s voice. Unfortunately, we can’t trust that they will honor our wishes. We’re prepared to continue the fight and raise the level of struggle.

1,2,3,4: we don't need another war. 5,6,7,8: stop it now, it's not too late!

Failing to win support of the United Nations, the Obama administration is now turning to Congress for cover in the form of a resolution authorizing the use of military force. Getting approval from Congress doesn't make the attack legit.

When Congress returns to D.C. next week, on Sept. 9, their votes will affect whether and how a war on Syria may begin. This week, while they are in their home districts across the country, politicians need to hear from their constituents. This is the time to stop the war before the U.S government is bogged down in another expanding war like Iraq.

#UnitedStates #AntiwarMovement #Syria #USImperialism #USCongress #chemicalWeapons #basharAlassad

Minneapolis, MN – More than 175 people came to the event “Iran in the Crosshairs” on Oct. 19 to hear from anti-war activists and Congressman Keith Ellison (Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota) about how to stop the U.S. march to war.

Margaret Sarfehjooy with Women Against Military Madness laid out the context of U.S. war threats and sanctions on Iran. “Our crippling sanctions on Iran have already resulted in deaths caused by lack of medicine, according to an official from the Tehran Thalassemia Association. The Iranian Hemophilia Society announced in August that ‘the lives of tens of thousands of children are being endangered by the lack of proper drugs caused by international economic sanctions.’”

Representative Keith Ellison spoke about the atmosphere of war in the U.S. Congress and about the pressure he is under to support war. He explained that anyone who proposes a sanctions bill gets a hearing and that everyone in Congress is pressured to vote for any kind of sanctions.

Ellison has voted against sanctions on Iran twice and he explained his votes. He didn’t promise to vote against sanctions on Iran in the future, but he did say, “It’s easier to vote no if you know you have the backing of your community.” He did promise, “I’m not going to vote for sanctions that will make it harder for the U.S. to talk.”

Ellison concluded that he thinks the U.S. is on a path to war with Iran and that he sees pushing sanctions as leading the U.S. to war.

Meredith Aby of the Anti-War Committee concluded the event with an impassioned appeal for action, “We need to be a voice for peace and justice. We cannot be passive. We cannot assume that our leaders will do the right thing. The threat of war and the impact of sanctions already in place on Iran are very real. When we are silent we send a message that the status quo is acceptable and we know that there is a real possibility of war and we can’t be quiet about this. We need to raise the demand of no war with Iran on the national and state level.”

The Minnesota Peace Project, the Twin Cities Peace Campaign and Women Against Military Madness sponsored the event.

#MinneapolisMN #AntiwarMovement #Iran #WomenAgainstMilitaryMadness #sanctions #RepKeithEllison #USCongress

Washington DC – In response to a call for a nationwide Occupy presence in Washington D.C., thousands joined Occupy Congress, Jan. 17.

People made their way onto the lawn of the Capitol building demanding an end to imperialist wars, condemning the influence of big business on politicians and challenging the system that creates unemployment, increased foreclosed homes and more poverty. The Occupy protesters were joined by the Veterans for Peace, who called for getting the U.S. out of Afghanistan, South Korea and elsewhere. The anti-war veterans and protesters also demanded an end to the aggressive policies toward Iran. Tony Ndege, member of Occupy Winston-Salem, stated, “One has to only look at the violence that this Congress has sanctioned its military to commit upon the world to see where they really stand.”

“I didn't have any hopes for any type of serious legislation being considered or anything game-changing on behalf of our Congress. Why? Because they are part of the problem,” Ndege continued.

By 6:30 p.m. a large mass of protesters marched off the Capitol lawn and began to spread their demands all across D.C. The sound and sight of police sirens could be heard in the streets as the protesters made their way toward the Supreme Court. The Occupy protesters began storming the steps, chanting together, “Money is not free speech!”

Amanda Porter-Cox, another member of Occupy Winston-Salem, expressed her enthusiasm, “The storming of the Supreme Court steps was phenomenal! I've never experienced anything like that in my life. It was indescribable.”

A single protester was arrested near the bottom of the steps as the police began insisting protestors leave the Supreme Court immediately. Occupiers then marched on the White House. When they arrived, they chanted “Obama, come out! We have some things to talk about!”

When several protesters began climbing the gates and hanging various banners symbolizing their demands to an end of all wars and for-profit economic policies, the police started closing in. The chants “Who’s House? Our House!” and “We won’t back down!” could be heard.

Then, everyone eventually marched back to the Capitol Building. The police tried rerouting the march, but the protesters pushed through and stayed on their original path. Commenting on the Occupy Congress event as a whole, Ndege stated, “our government overwhelmingly does not think that they serve us, but that instead we serve them. This is one of those moments where ‘we the people’ sent a serious reply to their out-of-control arrogance and elitism.”

Ndege continued, “I thought the march went beautifully. I know that this will not always be the case the deeper the class tensions grow in the future. Despite the media blackout, the event created a strong buzz within the Occupy community and the actions at the Capitol, Supreme Court, White House, etc. are just the first among many. I am hopeful that, by spring, we will be back 100,000 strong.”

#WashingtonDC #VeteransForPeace #OccupyWallStreet #OccupyCongress #USCongress #OccupyWinstonSalem