Historic March Against Iraq Var with Military Families, Veterans, Fayetteville NC March 19 : NOLA Indymedia

MARCH 19 CALL TO ACTION
North Carolina Peace & Justice Coalition
March 19 Steering Committee
http://www.NCpeacejustice.org
Contact: March 19 Staff, Andrew Pearson, info@ncpeacejustice.org 919 286 5057

ON THE 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF IRAQ: MARCH AND RALLY IN FAYETTEVILLE, NC

On Saturday, March 19, thousands of people of conscience from around the Southeast and beyond will join hundreds of military families and veterans in Fayetteville, North Carolina, for a historic march and rally against the war on Iraq. The events in Fayetteville are organized and endorsed by over 100 organizations, including United for Peace and Justice and Iraq Veterans Against the War, and will be the main component of the nation’s anti-war movement on March 19.
Fayetteville is the home of Ft. Bragg, one of the largest military bases in the country. Nearly 1 in 5 soldiers deployed in Iraq is from North Carolina. We are at the center of the American military enterprise. Nearly 50 soldiers from Fayetteville has died in Iraq. Thousands more have been repeatedly separated from their families for long periods of time. Soldiers and veterans push to piece their lives back together.

Organizations, congregations, and individuals who are not in the military nevertheless care deeply about deaths and injuries to our own military as well as to the Iraqi people, the economy, the lands.

Last year 1400 people gathered in Fayetteville on March 20 to bring the troops home. This year, over 100 organizations are mobilizing, and at least 50 cities are sending buses, from New York to Atlanta, Knoxville to Wilmington, Norfolk to Columbia. This year's weekend of events will focus on the voices and experiences of soldiers, veterans, their families, and those closest to the war and its ravaging effects. Our aim is to stand with and amplify the voices of those veterans and military families who are brave enough to speak out and tell their truths, as against the triumphalist versions of the Administration and mainstream media.

Main sponsors of the 2005 actions are: Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against the War, Quaker House, Fayetteville Peace with Justice, Military Families Speak Out, Bring Them Home Now, NC Peace and Justice Coalition, NC Council of Churches, and United for Peace With Justice. Please see http://www.NCpeacejustice.org for more information.

Over the past three years, North Carolina has been home to one of the South's most vibrant anti-war movements. We organized an 8,000-person-strong demonstration in Raleigh before the invasion of Iraq on February 15, 2003. We pushed Republican Congressman Howard Coble to announce that he is calling for a return of the troops home. We North Carolinians have resisted the war along with tens of millions of people worldwide.

Last year's mobilization was the largest peace demonstration in Fayetteville since the Vietnam War and was a huge success. It drew media attention from around the country and the world. It gave many service men and women a chance to speak out. This year promises to be even more significant as the American public is increasingly weary with the arrogance, lies, and coercion that are used to keep us in this war.

This year, we're upping the ante. Already, we have been contacted by grandparents who are driving from Texas with their three grandchildren to help end the war. Parents of soldiers killed in Iraq will come for comfort and resistance. Buses will come from New York and beyond. Energy is high, and the commitment is strong to:

"Show REAL Support for the Troops: Bring Them Home Now!"
"Money for Jobs and Education, NOT for War and Occupations!"
"The world STILL says No to War in Iraq."

Schedule of Events: Fayetteville, March 18, 19, 20
WELCOME CENTER
Open Friday March 18, 4:00 pm – Sunday March 20, 5:00 pm. Rainbow Room, 223 Hay St, Fayetteville, NC

FRIDAY, MARCH 18: Hip Hop Against Racist War Concert.
Featuring nationally recognized artists, Little Brother and Ricanstruction.
Seabrook Park Resource Center, 706 Langdon St, Fayetteville, NC, 28301, Doors open at 8:00 pm, Performance from 9:00 - 11:45 pm. $5-10 Entry
SATURDAY, MARCH 19: Rally and March to End the War in Iraq and Bring the Troops Home Now.
A permitted, safe and empowering march and rally to Rowan St. Park, from 11:00 - 4:00 p.m.
• Bus drop-off and Gathering at: Amtrak Station in Downtown Fayetteville, and Cumberland County Health Center, 227 Fountainhead Lane, Fayetteville, North Carolina 28301
• Buses and marchers arrive starting at 10:00 am.
• A brief rally will occur at 11:00 am
• The march will leave at 12:00 noon.
• The Rally lasts from 1:00 - 4:00 pm
SUNDAY, MARCH 20: Southern Organizers' Gathering: Building Our Communities, Sharpening Our Skills
9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Rainbow Room, 223 Hay St, Fayetteville, NC. Register online. Cost is $30 by March 1, $35 until March 15. Lodging is $30. Register Online.

The Organizers Gathering is being held in conjunction with the first national conference of Iraq Veterans Against the War and meetings of Military Families Speak Out and Goldstar Families for Peace. These events are not open to the public.

Originating Sponsors of March 19 in Fayetteville:
Bring Them Home Now
Fayetteville Peace With Justice
Iraq Veterans Against the War
Military Families Speak Out
NC Council of Churches
NC Peace & Justice Coalition
Quaker House, Fayetteville
United for Peace and Justice
Veterans For Peace

GUIDELINES AND UNITY FOR MARCH 18-20

While we are gathering in Fayetteville, the community will take careful note of how we act. Hundreds of military families, vets, and soldiers who are looking for support in speaking out will take their cues from the character of our event. In fact, The whole world will be watching our actions in Fayetteville.
We are determined to make our events in Fayetteville peaceful, respectful, diverse, safe, family-friendly, creative, and empowering. There will be children, grandparents, disabled vets, community organizers, military families, members of many congregations and religions, young activists, anarchists, socialists, patriots, pacifists, revolutionaries, and poets.

The March 19 Planning Committee has been working together since November, spending countless hours coming to consensus on the most appropriate and strategic messages, themes, tactics and strategy for our work. We adopted our core messages because of their broad appeal to a wide range of constituencies opposed to the war on Iraq. We also understand that stopping the war on Iraq requires a united effort, solidarity between many movements, and a determination to build broader alliances. We have adopted 5 additional themes which will be included in our messages, publications, and program:

Self Determination for All Peoples: (Iraq for Iraqis, Palestinian
Statehood, etc.)

Stop US Aggression Abroad (Iran, Venezuela, N Korea, Syria, etc..) -
No war on the world.

Educate the Youth, don't Recruit Them!

Support GI resistance

No to Torture, Secret Prisons, Unconstitutional Immigrant Detentions

Our goal is to end the war and occupation of Iraq, by showing REAL support for the troops: Bring them home now! The war on Iraq represents the weakest link in the Bush administration's pattern of deceit, corporate favors, and empire-building. To that end, we seek to bring a wide array of forces together around our basic message to end the war on Iraq.

We see the events in Fayetteville as particular, important, and necessary steps towards this goal, and recognize that the nature of the event calls for specific tactics and commitments from all who wish to participate. We understand the risks that many in the military take by speaking out, and the importance of creating a safe and empowering space to encourage others to join our movements.

We ask that anyone coming to share in this historic event pledge to uphold the following guidelines.

In Fayetteville, we will gather in the diverse traditions of nonviolence, with respect for the right to self-determination of oppressed peoples and communities. Together we envision a day in which a culture of peace with justice will prevail, where all people will live together free from oppression.

This weekend, in the tradition of nonviolence:

We will gather together in a manner that reflects the world we choose to create.

We will promote an alternative to domination systems by acting with love, respect, mutuality, compassion, and acceptance for the interdependence of all life.

We will struggle for a world free from violence and we will use actions, words and symbols consistent with this struggle.

We will not use or instigate violence against any person, nor vandalize property or burn any flags or other emotive symbols.

We will act with respect for the people and property of the local community.

We will promote the safety of ourselves and others through our actions and interactions.

We commit to recognize and to work to dismantle all forms of oppression in our personal relationships, local neighborhoods, and globally.