For Emergency Response vs US. attack on Syria or Iran

[Neal Resnikoff]

This is a resolution from the Midwest Anti-War Mobilization. Please consider this as a proposal to Occupy Chicago to endorse the call for an Emergency Response to a U.S. attack on Syria or Iran, discuss the need to oppose the U.S./NATO war plans, plan to participate, set up phone-trees to alert people, etc. We would be happy to present this to the General Assembly whenever you think that would be best.


ALERT--
BE PREPARED FOR THE GOVERNMENT
TO LAUNCH ATTACKS ON IRAN OR SYRIA!

The government has been escalating its threats against both Iran and Syria--and has imposed more and more sanctions, tried to destabilize both of them, and more.

We need to protest this and also prepare for a big demonstration of outrage if the U.S. government or one of its proxies (such as Israel or NATO) openly launches a military attack. We should be ready to come out for an emergency protest.

It is the responsibility of Americans to try to stop U.S. aggression against any sovereign nation that has not attacked the U.S.

The U.S. claims to uphold democracy and the rule of law, but in fact international law in the UN Charter and elsewhere condemns such aggression as a crime. Regardless of what excuse the U.S. gives for attacking another people, we must firmly oppose such U.S. slaughter of human beings.

The U.S. has no right to prowl around the world, looking for opportunities to gain control of more countries. We know from long experience of unending U.S. wars that they are only for the benefit of the super-rich who want to expand the U.S. empire and get control over other peoples’ resources, markets, labor power and strategic locations, while blocking their rivals.

The corporate media is constantly used to demonize those the U.S. government targets and to promote hysteria in a buildup to war. Meanwhile, they omit or downplay what the government really wants in its reckless military assaults. Regardless of what anyone thinks of the heads of other governments or their systems and culture, it is our duty to try to hold back the bloody hands of the U.S. government. This is how we fight for peace and justice--against the world’s greatest terrorist.

If an attack begins in the morning, before noon our time, everyone should assemble that day at 5 p.m. at the Federal Plaza. If the attack comes later, we will protest at 5 p.m. the next day.

THE CALL TO COME OUT WILL BE GIVEN ON LINE. BUT THE LATEST NEWS WILL TELL YOU WHEN TO COME OUT TO FEDERAL PLAZA. SEE YOU THERE. ORGANIZE YOUR TELEPHONE TREES NOW.




Contact information for Midwest Anti-War Mobilization:
CCAWR@AOL.COM 773. 209.1187

[marymcmahon@clear.net]

People who have not been following events in Syria, as part of their interest in the Arab Spring, may want to start now.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/ins ... 62943.html

http://blogs.aljazeera.net/liveblog/Syria-Citizen-Video

"Since most foreign journalists are barred from entering Syria, videos posted online by activists have become a key source of information about the uprising.
Al Jazeera cannot independently verify the veracity of the videos."

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/spotli ... 04797.html

[JoeScarry]

Here is a post I did about the need to think twice (and three times...and more) when the U.S. talks about fighting Iran: http://bit.ly/NoIranWar It includes links to additional organizations that have adopted resolutions to resist calls to war against Iran and/or Syria.

In my opinion, there are three important principles at work with this resolution:

(1) The harm done by U.S. military action almost always outweighs any possible good, so our beginning posture should be: Don't act militarily.

(2) There is a very heavy burden that must be met before we can ever have a clear enough understanding of the objective circumstances to consider overriding principle (1) above. We don't have that understanding with respect to Iran or Syria, and more importantly, we do not have that understanding with respect to what U.S. military in action in Iran or Syria would actually end up consisting of.

(3) We have a responsibility to tackle these issues proactively, i.e. to find ways we can act to prevent military action. Always being in the mode of protesting military action that has already happened is simply not good enough.