Charles Brown
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OPPOSE THE WAR posted May 6, 1999
In this alert: Oppose U.S./NATO war in the Balkans - commentary Emergency mobilization June 5 to stop the war Endorse the call to action 1999 sweatshop activist organizing packet
<><><><><> OPPOSE U.S./NATO WAR IN THE BALKANS
Commentary by Trim Bissell, national coordinator of Campaign for Labor Rights
In addition to mobilizing around corporate campaigns, legislation and codes of conduct, the work of the anti-sweatshop movement also includes opposing the economic, military and repressive structures which make the global sweatshop possible. In that context, I am writing to ask for your support for the June 5 emergency mobilization to stop the war in the Balkans.
Working people have many reasons to oppose U.S. military intervention in the Balkans.
The U.S. military is not a humanitarian institution. It intervenes to promote corporate interests. The U.S. promoted bloody conflicts in Central America, resulting in deaths, disappearances and displacements on a scale dwarfing anything now occurring in the Balkans. The U.S. School of the Americas trains the worst human rights abusers in the Western Hemisphere and honors its most notorious graduates in a "Hall of Fame." The U.S. continues to arm Turkey, a NATO ally guilty of atrocities against the Kurds far worse than what was being done to the Kosovars before the NATO bombing. Under the guise of anti-drug efforts, the U.S. is rapidly increasing its military involvement in Colombia, where the government is closely tied to paramilitaries which target unionists and human rights advocates.
We should be wary of blanket recommendations that the situation in Kosovo be resolved through negotiations, without first discussing what is to be negotiated. The Rambouillet plan proposed by the U.S. State Department, combined with policies already mandated by the U.S.-dominated International Monetary Fund (IMF), require the region to yield its political, military and economic sovereignty. NATO bombing is rapidly de-industrializing the former Yugoslavia, as part of a larger strategy to relegate the region to a Third World role, namely, providing cheap labor, cheap raw materials and open markets.
People of conscience condemn attacks on civilian populations, whether those attacks are against Albanians or against Serbs. It is quite another matter to suppose that U.S./NATO military force is the solution to any problem in the former Yugoslavia. The plight of the Kosovars has increased in proportion to NATO activity in the region. While the U.S. government moves thousands of military personnel and vast quantities of weapons with ease, Kosovar refugees are left to huddle in squalid camps, their misery providing further pretext for continuing the war effort.
It is doubtful whether any change in regimes resulting from the NATO intervention will lead to an increase in prosperity, democracy or worker rights. Economic policies imposed by the IMF contributed significantly to social/political breakdown which in turn propelled the region into armed conflict. At this point, there does not seem to be any way to offer meaningful proactive solidarity with democratic forces in the region. The most helpful thing we can do now is to oppose intervention by the U.S. military - which has an appalling record on human rights - in a situation where human rights abusers already abound.
<><><><><> EMERGENCY MOBILIZATION TO STOP THE WAR National March on the Pentagon, June 5, 1999
[Statement from the Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War]
U.S./NATO bombs and cruise missiles are raining down on Belgrade, Pristina, Novi Sad and other cities, towns and villages in Yugoslavia, falling on Serbs, Albanians, Hungarians, Romanis and Montenegrins alike. In the name of "peace," NATO has killed thousands and destroyed hospitals, homes, schools, universities, bridges, power and water treatment plants, factories, and more. In the name of "protecting human rights," the launching of the air war has triggered a refugee crisis displacing hundreds of thousands of people.
Now, as the bombing and its terrible toll escalate, the threat of a U.S. invasion of Yugoslavia looms. A ground war will mean the deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops.
Now is the time to act! We are urging you to join us in the newly formed Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War. Hundreds of thousands of us marched against the U.S. war on Iraq in 1990-91. We have continued to work against the sanctions that have killed more than 1.5 million civilians in that country. Now, the Pentagon is embarked upon another bloody intervention, in violation of all international law, and against the interests of the people of the Balkans and the people of this country as well.
The Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War is planning activities to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people who will say in a loud and clear voice: "Stop the bombing! Stop the war! Bring the troops, ships and planes home now! Money for jobs, healthcare and education, not for war!"
On Saturday, June 5, there will be a mass march from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to the steps of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.
Yugoslavia is the fourth country - along with Iraq, Afghanistan and the Sudan - bombed by U.S. military forces in the past eight months. Now we are at the edge of an even wider and more destructive war. We must act urgently to build a broad and deep movement that says "NO" to this madness. Join and endorse the Emergency Mobilization today. Circulate this appeal to your co-workers, neighbors, campus, church, mosque, synagogue, union and community.
Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War Initial Endorsers (list in formation):
Ramsey Clark Bishop Thomas Gumbleton Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., Exe. Dir., IFCO / Pastors for Peace Edith Villastrigo, Leg. Dir., Women Strike for Peace Rev. Djokan Majstorovic, Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava, NYC Michael Parenti, Author Geronimo ji Jaga Pratt Brian Becker, Sara Flounders International Action Center Manning Marable Catholic Worker Nadja Tesich, Author Barry Lituchy Covert Action Quarterly Leonore Foerstel, Women for Mutual Security Center for Peace in the Balkans, Toronto, Canada Haiti Support Network / Haiti Progress Frank Velgara, Working Group on Puerto Rico / FS Hellenic American Peace Committee Larry Holmes, Workfairness Jeremy Scahill, Pacifica Radio Iman El-Sayed, College Voice, College of Staten Island John Ranz, Pres., Survivors of Buchenwald, USA Heather Cottin, Jewish-Serbian Friendship Committee William Blum, Author, Killing Hope Karen Talbot, International Center for Peace and Justice David Sole, Pres. UAW Local 2334 Greek Americans for Action Gloria La Riva, Int'l Peace for Cuba Assn. Of Greek Resistance Fighters, 1941-1945 Alan Dale, Emergency Comm. Against US Intervention in Yugoslavia*, MN Women in Black Hector Rivera, Welfare Poets Kadouri Al-Kaysi, Comm. in Support of the Iraqi People Leslie Feinberg, Author Carlos Rovira, Latinos for Mumia Ohio Citizen's Action Prof. Dan Georgakas, Queens College Trudy Rudnick, AFT, Local 3882 Westsiders Against War, NYC Rev David Olson, Community Church of Boston* Stevan Kirschbaum, VP, USWA Local 8751 Boston School
Bus Drivers Prof. Rashid Khalid, Boston Vigils for the Iraqi People Ed Childs, Chief Shop Steward, Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 26, Harvard U.* Committee for Peace and Human Rights,
Boston Campaign for Labor Rights
<><><><><> ENDORSE THE CALL TO ACTION
Add your name or your organization to the growing list of endorsers for the Emergency Mobilization to End the War National March on the Pentagon June 5, 1999 by going to <http://home.earthlink.net/~npcboston/jun5end.htm> and completing the on-line form or fill out the coupon below and send it to <iacenter at iacenter.org>.
Yes, I want to be an endorser for the Call to Action.
Name: Street address: City / State (Province) / Zip (Postal code): Country: Phone: Fax: Email: Group / School / Union:
Emergency Mobilization to Stop the War 39 W. 14th St., #206 New York, NY 10011 (212) 633-6646 fax: (212) 633-2889 Email: <iacenter at iacenter.org> Web site: <http://www.iacenter.org>
<><><><><> 1999 SWEATSHOP ACTIVIST ORGANIZING PACKET
Campaign for Labor Rights has prepared a multi-theme, multi-campaign packet for local activists who are organizing around sweatshop issues. Updated and additional materials will be mailed automatically during the year to everyone who orders the initial installment. The initial packet includes brochure masters (INS and immigration issues, living wage, What can I buy?), leaflet masters, masters for consumer cards, masters for sign-on letters, background information on campaigns (farmworkers, Disney, Nike, Phillips-Van Heusen, The Gap) and a resource list. Order by email <CLR at igc.org> or phone (541) 344-5410. Include your postal address: Packet is in hard copy. Whole packets only; it is not practical to break down packets and send selected pieces. Packet includes a donation form and a return envelope. Suggested donation: $10.00.