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What next for the peace movement?

Back in January 1991, the peace movement pretty much folded its tents as soon as the U.S. missiles started dropping on Baghdad. Here we are in March 2003. Will it be the same?

Listen to Leslie Cagan, who's organized some legendary demonstrations across the past four decades, starting with the March on the Pentagon in 1967. Fifteen years later, she put a million people into New York's Central Park, demonstrating for a nuclear freeze. These days she's co-chair of United for Peace and Justice, the umbrella group that put half a million people on the streets of New York on Feb. 15.

In Cagan's view, "We're not going to see that drop off. This time the president did not make his case, did not build support, as his father did in 1990. I think we'll see an increase in activism." When I talked to her at the start of the week, Cagan's group was working around the clock toward a march for peace down Broadway on March 22, which could be the first march after bombing begins. With plenty of egg on their faces after the furor over the ban on marching on Feb. 15, this time, Mayor Bloomberg and the NYPD have OK'd the march.

Activists demand Congressional investigation of peace worker's killing and U.S. funding of Israeli occupation

NEW YORK - Responding to the killing on Sunday of Rachel Corrie, a U.S. peace worker from Olympia, Washington, by the Israeli Occupation Force in the Gaza Strip, three U.S. activist groups are demanding Congress to investigate Corrie's death. The three groups, Direct Action for a Free Palestine (DAP), Jews Against the Occupation (JATO), and Stop U.S. Tax Aid to Israel Now (SUSTAIN) are also calling for a wider investigation of U.S. funding of the murderous Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. In the past year and a half this has resulted in the killings of over 1,900 Palestinians and three international peace workers.   

Corrie, 23, was killed by an American Caterpillar D-9 military bulldozer that ran her over while she and seven other peace workers were trying to rescue a family's house from being destroyed by the IOF. The next day, 10 Palestinians were killed when Israeli troops invaded the Nusseirat refugee camp and the nearby town of Beit Lahiya - like Corrie's death, part of an escalating campaign of Israeli terror in the Occupied Territories.   

Arctic Oil Drilling Rejected by U.S. Senate in Close Vote

In a victory for the environment, the Senate voted today to remove a provision from the 2004 budget bill opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska to oil drilling. An amendment to remove this oil drilling provision, sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), passed by a narrow vote of 52 to 48.

Thanks to more than 25,000 Environmental Defense activists who quickly responded to our urgent action alert since Monday with e-mails, faxes and phone calls to Congress, we helped turn the tide against oil company efforts to open this precious wilderness area to oil companies.

HOW DID YOUR SENATOR VOTE? http://actionnetwork.org/ct/qd172p11yqFS/arcticvote (A "yea" vote is opposed to Arctic oil drilling. A "nay" vote supports Arctic oil drilling)

OIL DRILLING THREATS CONTINUE: Stripping oil-drilling provisions out of the Senate's 2004 budget bill is only a temporary victory for the Arctic, unfortunately. Oil companies and drilling supporters in Congress will continue their search for new legislative vehicles for opening the Arctic Refuge to oil drilling.

Arctic shenanigans in budget; House budget amendment fails, Senate voting next week.

As the Senate and House both move to begin considering the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2004, both chambers have been talking openly about including revenues from potential lease sales in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Lease sales will generate revenues that could be included in the budget, but only if drilling in the Arctic Refuge has been approved.

This week, the Senate budget committee and the House Budget Committee both begin work on the FY 04 budgets.

On the House side, Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle (R-IA) has stated that he doesn't think Arctic drilling should be part of the budget resolution. The House Budget committee began deliberations on the budget resolution on Wednesday, March 12. Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, for the third year in a row, declined to include assumptions of drilling revenue in the resolution, which provides the broad framework for the annual spending and tax bills. The resolution is non-binding, but merely serves as a blueprint.

Nevertheless, the threat to the Refuge looms large in the House of

Bidding on societal change

AUSTIN, Texas -- Q: What is the country most likely to supply weapons of mass destruction to terrorists?

A: Russia.

Help stop a massive new tax cut

As he pushes ahead with war plans, President Bush is also exploiting the national preoccupation with the war by trying to pass a gigantic new tax cut. The Bush tax package includes $700 billion in new cuts, and a total revenue reduction of more than $2 trillion over the next ten years.* These cuts will primarily benefit the wealthiest Americans.

With the imminent start of war, we know this is a hard time to focus on anything else. But because you've been one of our most active members, we hope you can find a moment to make two calls today. The Senate vote on the Bush tax plan could come as soon as today, Tuesday, March 18th.

The AFL-CIO has generously provided a toll-free number. Please call both of your Senators now, at:

1-888-280-6279

If that number is busy, please call your Senators directly, at:

Senator Durbin
DC Phone: 202-224-2152

Senator Fitzgerald
DC Phone: 202-224-2854

Make sure the staffers know you're a constituent. Then urge your Senators to:

"Please OPPOSE the President's tax cut package. We simply

Natl. Call-In Day For Children

This week the House & Senate debate 2004 budget plans. They will be voting to give tax cuts to the rich or to invest in children and families - choices that will affect the nation for years to come.

ACTION ITEMS: 1. Call your Senators and Reps using the AFL-CIO toll-free legislative line at: 1-888-280-6279. 2. E-mail your Members of Congress at: capwiz.com/cdf/issues/alert/?alertid=1673121&type=CO 3. Mobilize others to call, e-mail, and set up phone banks by using the flier at: www.cdfactioncouncil.org/national_call-in_day_flyer.pdf and

What You Can Ask Your Senators & Rep To Do:
1. Vote NO on Republican Budget Committees' budget resolutions.
2. Stop all tax giveaways for millionaires.
3. Stop the Bush plan to dismantle Head Start, block grant, Medicaid, foster care, and low income housing.
4. Stop all proposals that would cut, freeze, or eliminate crucial children's programs.

Letter from Michael Moore to George W. Bush

George W. Bush
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC

Dear Governor Bush:

So today is what you call "the moment of truth," the day that "France and the rest of world have to show their cards on the table." I'm glad to hear that this day has finally arrived. Because, I gotta tell ya, having survived 440 days of your lying and conniving, I wasn't sure if I could take much more. So I'm glad to hear that today is Truth Day, 'cause I got a few truths I would like to share with you:

1. There is virtually NO ONE in America (talk radio nutters and Fox News aside) who is gung-ho to go to war. Trust me on this one. Walk out of the White House and on to any street in America and try to find five people who are PASSIONATE about wanting to kill Iraqis. YOU WON'T FIND THEM! Why? 'Cause NO Iraqis have ever come here and killed any of us! No Iraqi has even threatened to do that. You see, this is how we average Americans think: If a certain so-and-so is not perceived as a threat to our lives, then, believe it or not, we don't want to kill him! Funny how that works!

Howard Dean's statement on the President's decision to send U.S. Military troops into war against Iraq

Tonight, for better or worse, America is at war.  Tonight, every American, regardless of party, devoutly supports the safety and success of our men and women in the field.  Those of us who, over the past 6 months, have expressed deep concerns about this President’s management of the crisis, mistreatment of our allies and misconstruction of international law, have never been in doubt about the evil of Saddam Hussein or the necessity of removing his weapons of mass destruction. 

Those Americans who opposed our going to war with Iraq, who wanted the United Nations to remove those weapons without war, need not apologize for giving voice to their conscience, last year, this year or next year.  In a country devoted to the freedom of debate and dissent, it is every citizen’s patriotic duty to speak out, even as we wish our troops well and pray for their safe return. Congressman Abraham Lincoln did this in criticizing the Mexican War of 1846, as did Senator Robert F. Kennedy in calling the war in Vietnam ‘unsuitable, immoral and intolerable.’

Diplomacy and no first use of nukes urged in Iraq crisis

LOS ANGELES, CA - March 17, 2003 - Physicians for Social Responsibility - Los Angeles (PSR-LA) called on the Bush Administration to continue diplomacy and find a peaceful solution to the Iraqi crisis. The public health group claimed that a war on Iraq would increase the likelihood of a terrorist attack in the US, cause untold suffering to the Iraqi people and threaten our economy and social needs at home. The group also demanded that President Bush publicly commit to a "no first use" policy on nuclear weapons.

"We call on the President to use diplomacy and to give the U.N. weapons inspectors their requested time to finish their work," said Paul Kawika Martin, Peace and Security Associate for PSR-LA. "Not only is it important for the U.S. to find a peaceful solution, but the U.S. must let the international community know that it will not use weapons of mass destruction. If Saddam Hussein thinks we may use nuclear weapons like our 'bunker busting' bomb against him, he may unleash chemical and biological weapons against us first."

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