Grassroots Action

Minnesota Leaders Speak Out Against War in Iran was held July 9, 2008 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St Paul. Very well-received. International press from the Arab world was there and picked up the story.

News and Photos are at:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NN7rr-85UwA

http://www.islamonline.net/English/Multimedia/Library/NewsAnalyses/2008/...

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?c=Article_C&cid=12138717293...

At noon on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 30 Long Islanders gathered on the sidewalk in front of Rep. Gary Ackerman's Bayside office with signs and flags to protest HR 362, Ackerman's resolution asking for an embargo to be imposed on Iran. Our action took place several hours after Code Pink's "naval blockade" of Ackerman's houseboat in Washington, D.C. We were comprised of members of Great Neck SANE/Peace Action, Five Towns Forum, Code Pink, Pax Christi Long Island, MoveOn.org, LI Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives, Veterans for Peace, and the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock.

Monday night, July 14, after almost an hour of testimony and a unanimous City Council 7 to 0 vote, Bellingham became the first community in Washington State to take a stand against possible U. S. military intervention in Iran.

From Bill Ramsay, St. Louis Instead of War Coalition: "Today we received word from Rep. William Lacy Clay’s chief to staff that he will be withdrawing his co-sponsorship of HR 362. Below is the Congressional Record of his request that his name be withdrawn from the co-sponsorship list.

Common sense has prevailed, at least momentarily, in Madison, Wisconsin's municipal court.

Trespassing charges were dropped today against three peace activists who had entered an Army recruiting station to discuss the Iraq war with recruiters.

The Army apparently decided to cut its public relations losses. When the officer who was to testify on the Army's behalf failed to show up (was AWOL, in other words), the judge dismissed the charges against the trio.

Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) held hearings in Seattle on May 31, 2008. While the mainstream media has still ignored the hearings for the most part, the stories told by these brave veterans are being heard. On May 15, members of IVAW testified before a hearing convened by the Congressional Progressive Caucus in Washington DC.

As was reported here back in March, 250 peace activists brought the costs of the war to their local mall, and 2 of them were arrested.

IRAQ VETERAN KRISTOFER GOLDSMITH FROM LI TESTIFIES AT CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON MAY 15, 2008

Congress has heard from politicians, pundits, and generals, but not, up to this point, from the average boots-on-the-ground soldier.

In Arkansas there are many miles between peace groups, though there may be some hiding out there in the hills we haven't found yet. Last week a racial justice worker from Pine Bluff told me "Arkansas gets lonely for this kind of work."

Rutgers students and community activists packed the city council meeting last night, demanding that it pass a resolution against the war in Iraq, and that use its influence to get the charges against the Rutgers 3 (Suzan Sanal, Erik Straub, Arwa Ibrahim) dropped. The resolution was passed unanimously, and New Brunswick thus became the fourth city in New Jersey to stand against the war.