Dear People of Peace
Albert Einstein said: Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.
And now we have a way to help active duty servicemen and women refuse to continue to fight.
Liam Madden (former Marine Sgt from Bellows Falls) and the Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) are organizing a summer bus tour of 21 military bases. They will set up camp outside of each base, have a BBQ, and invite active duty servicemen and women to come off base and talk to them about the GI Resistance Movement. (www.ivawdeployed.org)
Iraq Veterans Against the War are planning for the same type of movement!
BUT THEY NEED OUR HELP!!
They need to raise $25,000 for this summer tour. Liam Madden has asked Vermonters to do their part and I have agreed to help make this happen. We hope to raise, among Vermonters, at least $3,000 for this project.
We now know the Democrats in Congress are not going to stop this war. Here is our chance to put our support into something that we know will make a huge difference!
Personally, Dennis and I are donating $250 to this campaign. We know that this might be one of the most important contributions we have ever made.
There are two ways to donate to this campaign.
1. You can send a check, tax deductible, made out to Iraq Veterans Against the War, to me at: Carol Tashie, 74 Baxter Street, Rutland, VT 05701. I will gather this money and present it to Liam on June 10th at a fundraiser we are holding in Rutland. Please put the greatest amount you can afford in the mail TODAY.
2. We are holding a FUNDRAISER on Sunday June 10th at the UU Church of Rutland, from 7:00 – 8:30pm. Liam Madden will be there to speak about the bus tour and the work that IVAW is doing. At this event, we will be asking people to open their wallets (and checkbooks) and GENEROUSLY SUPPORT this GI Resistance campaign. There will be IVAW buttons and shirts on sale, we will have simple finger food, some music, and maybe another speaker. But the purpose of this event is to raise as much money as possible for the IVAW bus tour.
If you are unsure about the importance of the campaign to promote GI Resistance, please consider the words of Lt. Ehren Watada, spoken at a Veterans for Peace gathering:
We have all seen this war tear apart our country over the past three years. It seems as though nothing we’ve done, from vigils to protests to letters to Congress, has had any effect in persuading the powers that be. Today, I speak with you about a radical idea. It is one born from the very concept of the American soldier (or service member). It became instrumental in ending the Vietnam War, but it has been long since forgotten. The idea is this: that to stop an illegal and unjust war, soldiers can choose to stop fighting it.
I tell this to you because you must know that to stop this war, for the soldiers to stop fighting it, they must have the unconditional support of the people. I have seen this support with my own eyes. For me it was a leap of faith. For other soldiers, they do not have that luxury. They must know it and you must show it to them. Convince them that no matter how long they sit in prison, no matter how long this country takes to right itself, their families will have a roof over their heads, food in their stomachs, opportunities and education. This is a daunting task. It requires the sacrifice of all of us. Why must Canadians feed and house our fellow Americans who have chosen to do the right thing? We should be the ones taking care of our own. Are we that powerless - are we that unwilling to risk something for those who can truly end this war? How do you support the troops but not the war? By supporting those who can truly stop it; let them know that resistance to participate in an illegal war is not futile and not without a future.
Thank you. And please share this with everyone you know who wants to end the war. We will accept checks from all over (not just Vermont) to present to Liam on the 10th. |
|
 |
|
 |
||
|
|
|
 |
||||
Download PDF Poster. Double click poster above |
||||
|
|
|
|
|