The Continuing Devestation of Agent Orange

We still have unfinished business with the people of Vietnam who continue to suffer the effects of Agent Orange. Children born to children of the war have birth defects and no one knows how long the chemicals will infect future generations. THIS WAS/IS GENOCIDE. Helping Americans to understand their problems will also shed light on our Vietnam Veterans, also burdened by the sickness of the deadly dioxins and other chemicals they inhaled while strafing the country. The only redemption is our determination to help the victims. Please visit this site to learn more from Vietnamese Women who are touring the USA to educate us:

Delegation of Vietnamese Women
Agent Orange Victims Visit
10 US Cities, Sept 28–Oct 31, 2008

Co-sponsors: Veterans For Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, National Lawyers Guild & United For Peace & Justice
Organizing groups for the delegation have formed & are planning events in 9/28 - 10/5: New York City, New Jersey & New Haven, see below 10/6 - 10/8: Washington DC, press conference at the Supreme Court, meetings with Congress representatives, contact us 10/9 - 10/12: Birmingham AL, meetings with lawyers, contact us 10/12 - 10/14: Pittsburgh PA, Reconciliation & Healing: Remembering Vietnam, La Roche College, contact us 10/15 - 10/18: Detroit MI, National Lawyers Guild, Law for the People Convention, Friday 10/17 10/19 - 10/21: Chicago IL, NPR Worldview, Roosevelt University, Hull House, U of Illinois at Chicago 10/22 - 10/25: Portland & Eugene OR, 10/22 Knight Law School, 7pm (Eugene). contact us 10/26 - 10/28: Los Angeles CA, Reception by CHEER, UCLA Labor Center, Strategy Center & SoCA for Youth, contact us 10/28 - 10/31: Bay Area CA, events in Laney College (10/28, 4pm, Oakland), Eastside Arts Alliance (10/28, 7pm 2277 International Blvd at 23d Ave, Oakland), Glaser Center (10/29, 7pm 547 Mendocino Ave. at 10th St, Santa Rosa), and at Veterans Bldg (10/30, 7pm, Rm 223, 401 Van Ness at Golden Gate, San Francisco), contact us
http://www.vn-agentorange.org/

War Resisters Need Safe Haven

GI Rights Hotline

For help getting out of the military, or related military issues, call the new GI Rights Hotline number at 877-447-4487. Free, confidential, and accurate info for troops, vets, recruits, and their families.

Courage to Resist
July 9th actions at Canadian Consulates in 12 US cities
Stop the deportation of Corey Glass and all war resisters!
Join a vigil and delegation to a Canadian consulate near you on Wednesday--the eve of U.S. war resister Corey Glass' possible deportation. We will demand, "Dear Canada: Abide by the June 3rd resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!" More details and cities to be confirmed!

• San Francisco CA - Noon to 1pm - 580 California St (map). Sponsored by Courage to Resist. Info: 510-488-3559; courage@riseup.net
• Seattle WA - Noon to 1pm - 1501 4th Ave (map). Sponsored by Project Safe Haven. Info: 206-499-1220; projectsafehaven@hotmail.com
• Dallas TX - 3pm - 750 North St Paul St (map). Sponsored by North Texas for Justice and Peace. Info: 214-718-6362; hftomlinson@riseup.net
• New York City NY - Noon to 1pm - 1251 Avenue of the Americas (map). Sponsored by War Resisters League. Info: 212-228-0450; wrl@warresisters.org
• Philadelphia PA - Time TBA - 1650 Market St (map). Sponsored by Payday Network. Info: 215-848-1120; payday@paydaynet.org
• Minneapolis MN - Noon to 1pm - 701 Fourth Ave S (map). Info: jrkilgour@yahoo.com
• Los Angeles CA - Noon to 1pm - 550 South Hope St (map). Sponsored by Progressive Democrats LA. Info: pdlavote@aol.com
• Boston MA - 2pm - Copley Square Park (map); Sponsored by Veterans for Peace (Boston Chapter); Contact info: nateg@pobox.com
• Phoenix AZ - 5pm to 6pm - 2415 East Camelback Rd (map). Sponsored by Women in Black Phoenix (azpeace.org)
• Denver CO - Noon - 1625 Broadway (map). Sponsored by Veterans for Peace Denver. Info: 303-762-8408; spexx@mac.com
• Miami FL - 200 South Biscayne Blvd (map). Sponsored by Veterans for Peace Miami. Info regarding delegation: VetsForPeace@the-beach.net
• Washington DC - Time TBA - 501 Pennsylvania Ave NW (map). Sponsored by Veterans for Peace. Info: TBA

Help organize a vigil at one of these other Canadian Consulates: Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, Detroit, Anchorage, Houston, Raleigh or San Diego. Contact Courage to Resist at 510-488-3559 for help.
Veterans for Peace issued a joint call with Courage to Resist and Project Safe Haven for July 9th vigils at Canadian Consulates: "Dear Canada: Do Not Deport U.S. War Resisters!" Contact us if you can help organize a vigil, or can otherwise get involved. Locations of the 22 Canadian Consulates in the United States.
Recently on June 3rd the Canadian Parliament passed an historic motion to officially welcome war resisters! It now appears, however, that the Conservative government may disregard the motion. [my bold] Iraq combat veteran turned courageous war resister, 25-year-old Sgt. Corey Glass of the Indiana National Guard is still scheduled to be deported July 10th.
We will ask that the Canadian government respect the democratic decision of Parliament, the demonstrated opinion of the Canadian citizenry, the view of the United Nations, and millions of Americans by immediately implementing the motion and cease deportation proceedings against Corey Glass and other current and future war resisters.
Join Courage to Resist, Veterans for Peace, and Project Safe Haven at Canadian Consulates across the United States (Washington DC, San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles confirmed--more to be announced).
We mailed and delivered over 10,000 of the original letters to Canadian officials. Please sign the new letter, "Dear Canada: Abide by resolution - Let U.S. war resisters stay!"
If you haven't already, please sign the petition and foward this to EVERYONE who loves our veterans: http://www.couragetoresist.org/canada
http://www.couragetoresist.org/x/

Anti-War Resistance is On the Rise

Need a little boost to get out to the next demo? Here's an article from SmirkingChimp.com to get you up & going:
Arrests for War Resistance Increase Again
by Bill Quigley June 19, 2008 - 10:01am
"We can never forget that everything that Hitler did in Germany was 'legal,' and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did was 'illegal.' It was 'illegal' to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany, but I am sure that if I lived in Germany during that time I would have comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal... we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive."-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
There have been over 15,000 arrests for resistance to war since 2002. There were large numbers right after the run up to and invasion of Iraq. Recently, arrests have begun climbing again. Though arrests are a small part of anti-war organizing, their rise is an indicator of increasing resistance.
The information comes from the Nuclear Resister, a newsletter that has been reporting detailed arrest information on peace activists and other social justice campaigns since 1980. Felice and Jack Cohen-Joppa, publishers of the Nuclear Resister, document arrests by name and date based on information collected from newspapers across the country and from defense lawyers and peace activists.
Since 2002, the Nuclear Resister has documented anti-war arrests for protestors each year:
2002 - 1800 arrests
2003 - 6072 arrests
2004 - 2440 arrests
2005 - 975 arrests
2006 - 950 arrests
2007 - 2272 arrests
2008 - 810 as of May 1
[...] "In fact," notes Cohen-Joppa, "in 2007, anti-war arrests were reported during 250 distinct events in 105 cities in 35 states and the District of Columbia. So far in 2008, arrests have been reported at 65 events in 43 different cities in 19 states and D.C."
An example of the scope of resistance can be found in the Chicago-based Voices for Creative Nonviolence. They joined with other major peace groups like CODEPINK, Veterans for Peace, and the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance in early 2007 to launch The Occupation Project, a campaign of resistance aimed at ending the Iraq War. Theirs was a campaign of sustained nonviolent civil disobedience to end funding for the U.S. war in and occupation of Iraq. The Occupation Project resulted in over 320 arrests in spring of 2007 in the offices of 39 U.S. Representatives and Senators in 25 states.
[...] Anti-war arrests are significantly under-reported by mainstream media. For example, around the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq in March 2008, most news stories wrote that there were 150 to 200 arrests nationwide. Cohen-Joppa and Nuclear Resister report there were over double that number, well over 400, many outside the cities where regular media traditionally look.
Though arrests typically drop off in election years, as people's hopes are raised that a new President or Congress will make a difference and stop the war, this year looks like arrests are likely to continue to rise. In part, that will depend on the attitude of authorities in Denver and Minneapolis, where the political conventions are being held. In 2004, New York City authorities overreacted so much to protestors at the Republican convention that they arrested historic numbers of protestors -- including hundreds who had no intention to risk arrest. [my bold] If Senator McCain is elected, anti-war resistance activities are expected to rise much higher.
[...] Though war resistance activities and arrests have not stopped the war in Iraq, those struggling for peace remain committed. "None of us know what will happen if we continue to work for peace and human rights," says a handmade poster of one involved in the resistance, "But we all know what will happen if we don't."http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/15355

Veterans for Peace Back Up Congressman Kuchnich: They Have Their Own Impeachment Petition

What a perfect opportunity for a combination punch! Let's help the Vets get into the People's House to meet with Congressman John Conyers. The Vets' impeachment petition is below, along with information about their next convention. There will be a tribute to David Cline and other Vets who have been freed from this life.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich Introduced 35 Articles of Impeachment Against President Bush on Monday Night
Submitted by david swanson on Tue, 2008-06-10
TUESDAY EVENING: The Clerk of the House is expected to read the articles of impeachment, which should take about 5 hours, at the conclusion of which Rep. Kucinich will make a motion. Watch C-Span! http://c-span.org
Rep. Robert Wexler is the first to cosponsor and will be on Keith Olbermann today.
CALL THE MEDIA!
Email Your Congress Member - Congress has 72 hours to table it, send it to committee, pass it, or reject it.
The full text of the articles is available at:
http://chun.afterdowningstreet.org/amomentoftruth.pdf
Extensive documentation to accompany each article will be posted later today. Watch these websites:
http://kucinich.us
http://democrats.com
http://afterdowningstreet.org
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/bush
Veterans for Peace members have been trying to meet with Representative John Conyers to deliver an Impeachment petition.
Wednesday, June 11, members of Veterans For Peace will be delivering 22,000 signatures demanding impeachment of President George Bush to Representative John Conyers' office. Representative Conyers, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, has refused to meet with the members of VFP for the past two months. Upon arriving at Representative Conyers' office, members from New York, North Carolina, New Jersey, Ohio and the District of Columbia have decided to conduct a sit-in until he agrees to meet with them.
In light of Congressman Dennis Kucinich putting forth 35 Articles for Impeachment and reading those Articles on the floor of the House of Representatives last night, 6-09-08...
YOU CAN HELP VFP
Call Representative Conyers (202-225-5126), ask that he meet with members of Veterans For Peace and accept the 22,000 signatures that call for the Impeachment of the President.
View the Press Release here - PDF
Read VFP's Case for Impeachment - PDF
This Country needs the Accountibility called for in our Constitution and must Act for the sake of Country and that Constitution and Right the Wrongs Committed 'In Our Names'!
http://imagineaworldof.blogspot.com/2008/06/tell-rep-conyers-to-meet-with-veterans.html#li nks
Tell the world: My America Doesn't Torture!
Convention Updates The convention is only 11 weeks away. Have you reserved your room yet? Convention registration is $200 and available online. Below are some updates and special events happening that weekend
Special Seminar on Justice for Victims of Agent Orange - Join us on Wednesday, August 27 for this half day seminar
Travel by Rail - Several VFP members are encouraging people to travel to the Convention by Amtrak.
Tributes - There will be tributes to David Cline and other VFP members who have passed this year.
Roommate - Are you looking to share a room at the Convention?

IVAW Adam Kokesh Delivers Congressional Stop Loss, Helps Bay Area Counter-Recruitment Groups

Winter Soldier Comes to Oakland and Marin:
Adam Kokesh of IVAW Speaks at the Oakland Federal Building and College of Marin; makes counter-recruitment visits to East Bay schools
WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, May 6
12:00 noon: Oakland Federal Building, 1301 Clay St: weekly anti-war vigil
2:00 PM: Counter-Recruitment Visits to East Bay High Schools
5:00 PM LIVE on Flashpoints with Dennis Bernstein KPFA
7:00 PM College of Marin, Kentfield Campus– Student Center
WHAT: Iraq Veteran Reveals Truth About Iraq and Military Recruitment
Iraq war veteran and member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Adam Kokesh, will speak at the weekly anti-war vigil at the Oakland Federal Building. This is the tenth year of the Tuesday vigil which was begun in early 1998 to oppose the genocidal sanctions imposed on Iraq which killed one and a half million Iraqis during the ten years they were in place. Now the vigil calls for and end to the murderous war and occupation on the people of Iraq. Kokesh will speak at noon.
Kokesh will also encourage students at East Bay high schools and the College of Marin not to enlist for military service. Thousands of service members are involuntarily having their tours of duty extended through the military’s stop loss program, keeping them in harms way and increasing the mental and emotional strain on each soldier. According to a study by the Rand Corporation, 1 in 5 U.S. soldiers who served in Iraq or Afghanistan – nearly 300,000 individuals – suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And documents released in a San Francisco Federal class action lawsuit against the Department of Veterans Affairs reveal that 18 veterans kill themselves everyday. For the sake of the troops, and the people of Iraq, the war must end now.
Winter Soldier Comes to San Francisco: Adam Kokesh Delivers Stop-Loss Orders to Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and Speaker Pelosi
Congress Cannot Go Home Until All the Troops Come Home! Iraq War Veteran, Bay Area Residents, Demand Congress Do Their Duty: End the War
WHEN/WHERE: Wednesday, May 7, San Francisco:
12:00 noon: San Francisco State University, Rm 201 Hensill Hall
3:00 PM: Deliver Stop Loss Orders to Offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 450 Golden Gate Ave then, Senator Barbara Boxer, 1700 Montgomery St.
5:00 PM: Deliver Stop Loss Orders to Senator Diane Feinstein’s office #1 post St. With Code Pink
7:00 PM: Veterans Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Blvd.
WHAT: Iraq war veteran, Adam Kokesh, and Bay Area residents will deliver “official” stop-loss notices to the offices of the San Francisco Congressional delegation. These will notify them that all of their leaves, vacations, passes and home visits have been cancelled until further notice. Just as active-duty personnel endure involuntary extensions of their tours of duty, veterans and citizens are notifying our representatives that they, too, will have their “tours of duty” involuntarily extended until every soldier and mercenary is out of Iraq and brought home.
Addressed to the individual members of Congress, the order reads in part:

“…By Order of the People of the United States; You are officially informed that all leave, vacation, passes, and family visits are hereby CANCELLED. You are ordered to remain at your posts until all U.S. troops and “private contractors” are removed from Iraq and Afghanistan, and all the wars are ended. You may not go home until all the troops are home.”

After delivering the orders, Kokesh will address San Franciscans at the Veterans Memorial Building.
Adam’s activities in the San Francisco Bay Area are organized by the SF Coalition to Host Adam Kokesh and are co-sponsored by: Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans for Peace, American Friends Service Committee, U.S. Labor Against the War, United For Peace and Justice, Direct Action to Stop the War, Act Against Torture, the Ecumenical Peace Institute/CALC, the East Bay Coalition to Support Self-Rule for Iraqis, the Catalyst Project and the Marin Peace and Justice Center.
For more information see
http://kokesh.blogspot.com/2008/01/adam-kokesh-on-tour.html
http://www.kokesh.mpjc.org
http://www.stop-losscongress.org/
CONTACT:
David Rubinson, 415 441 7500
Michael Reagan, 510 846 0490
IVWA Adam Kokesh Demands Congress Stop Loss

Your Attendence Requested

IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST the WAR
Winter Soldier II Fundraiser

Thurs. Feb. 21st 7-9 PM (Doors Open 6:30)
NYC Society for Ethical Culture Society Auditorium
2 W. 64th St (at Central Park West)
.......Directions
A Greeting From Pete Seeger (Tape)
Panels will include:
Vietnam Veterans with/a segment of the
original Winter Soldier (Detroit 1971)
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans
(looking forward to WSII in D.C. March 2008)
IVAW members in Canada (they refused to go back to Iraq)
MUSIC BY MEETLIAH
Iraq & Afghanistan Vets FREE
Students $5
Adult members of the peace Community $20
Reserve your tkts through your local peace group
(reserve a block of seats) or call:
212-228-0450 ext.104 (IVAW)
Lv Message at: 845-358-5709 or 212-678-7311
http://www.veteransforpeaceny.org/vfpnyevents.htm

All $$ goes to Winter Soldier II in D.C. Mar. 13-15…
http://ivaw.org/wintersoldier

We DO Need Heros

The amazing Vietnam Veterans and Dr. Phuong are an inspiration for all of us. Thanks to the Vets for bringing her to us. Dr. Phuong is a leading Vietnamese public health doctor/researcher on the affects of Agent Orange from Vietnam and is visiting the US to attend the American Public Health Association and to meet with people in DC, NY and Boston. Her New York meeting is next week:
Vietnam Agent Orange Public Health Tour
http://www.vn-agentorange.org

Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong

Tuesday, November 13th from 7:30 -9:00 pm
The Brecht Forum
451 West Street (bet. Bank & Bethune Streets, NY

Come Meet Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, a leading clinician/researcher on the affects of Agent Orange on the women and children of Vietnam. Dr. Phuong is the Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Medical University of HCM City. She has also established a training program for rural midwives from ethnic minorities living in the Central Highlands who use their own languages to educate people about reproductive health issues.

Dr. Phuong can be reached at Tu Du Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City

Dedicated to Dave

VIETNAM ERA EDUCATIONAL CENTER HOSTS
A FILM ABOUT AGENT ORANGE IN VIETNAM

On Saturday, November 3, at 1:00 p.m.
the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Foundation will host a presentation of the film
The Last Ghost of War.

http://www.njvvmf.org/category.cfm?SID=23&Category_ID=337&ClearCache=1
This screening is dedicated to the memory of former President of Veterans for Peace David Cline. Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP to (732) 335-0033. A donation of $5.00 per person is suggested. The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116. The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM - 4 PM. Admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Regular adult admission is $4.00; student and senior citizen admission is $2.00; and children under 10 are admitted free.

David Cline: Peace Warrier

I always looked for Dave at demos and marched as close to him as possible. I trusted him and felt safe in his presence. He had infinite patience and kindness. This is a great loss for all of us.

Dave is in the documentary, "Sir, No Sir!" about the rise of military anti-war resistance during the Vietnam War, and I am grateful for that. He and other vets understood the necessity for us all to know our history and NOT let the revisionists take over. Dave Cline and the anti-war movement, soldiers and citizen soldiers alike were part of that history. Learn and IMPLEMENT their lessons.

http://www.sirnosir.com/
Here is a link to Stan Goff's brief bio of Dave. I will post more info in the coming days to memorialize this great hero.
http://www.feralscholar.org/blog/index.php/2007/09/15/dave-cline/