Who are they? (United for Peace & Justice)

About United for Peace & Justice United for Peace & Justice is a new national campaign that brings together a broad range of organizations throughout the United States to help coordinate our work against a U.S. war on Iraq. At an initial meeting in Washington, DC on October 25, more than 70 peace and justice organizations agreed to form United for Peace & Justice and signed on to the following statement:

The demand placed on us by world events is to deal with the Iraq crisis and to work to stop the war that is being planned. This is unfolding in a global context where other crises can and will erupt in connection to the Iraq crisis and they too will demand our action. In addition, we will oppose new repressive measures at home. We can and will work together now, focused on stopping this war, and as we go forward we will discuss other issues and the larger context. Unite for Peace & Justice and say NO! to war.

United for Peace & Justice welcomes the participation of any and all national, regional and local groups who share our goal and wish to work with others. Decisions are made at meetings of the coordinating committee, which is open to representatives of all participating groups. A smaller administrative committee helps to make sure decisions are implemented. If you are interested in being a part of United for Peace & Justice, contact andrea@globalexchange.org.

Since October 25, United for Peace & Justice has decided to promote the following calendar of anti-war events. In addition, we will be discussing other ways we can work together to build the broadest and strongest anti-war movement.

* November 20: UFP endorsed the "Not In Our Name" call for a national day of student and youth protest

* Jan. 18-20: UFP endorsed the Black Voices for Peace call for peace and justice events to be held during the MLK Jr. Memorial weekend

* Feb. 15 or 16: UFP is calling for a mass anti-war mobilization in New York City

* March 8: UFP endorsed the Women's Peace Vigil's call for women's peace actions on International Women's Day

* April 5: UFP is calling for a national mobilization in Atlanta, GA on the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (4/4/68) to strengthen the link between justice and peace issues.

Following is a partial listing of the groups involved in United for Peace & Justice:

Aaron Patterson Defense Committee Academics For Justice African-American Women’s Clergy Association American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee American Friends Service Committee American Muslims for Jerusalem American Renaissance Americans for Social Justice An Absurd Response to an Absurd War Anti-Capitalist Convergence Antiwar.com The Arab-American Forum Arab Student Union, University of Michigan-Dearborn Arizona Green Party Asian American Movement E-zine Black Radical Congress Black Voices for Peace Brockport Students Against War (BSAW) CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities Campus Greens Center for Community Change Center for Constitutional Rights Center for Immigrant Families (CIF) Center for Religion, Ethics, and Social Policy at Cornell University Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment Central Nebraska Peace Workers Change the Game Church Women United Citizens for Participation in Political Action (CPPAX) Citizen Works Coalition Against Global Exploitation (CAGE) Coalition Against the War on Civil Liberties Coalition for World Peace Code Pink for Peace Committee on Women, Population and the Environment (CWPE) Committee to Free Pedro Pacheco Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism Concerned Families of Westchester Concerned Students and Faculty of St. Augustine Prep The Connected Collective Council of Churches of the City of New York Democracy Rising Disarm East End Women in Black Ecological Options Network (EON) Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) Ella Baker Center for Human Rights Feminist Peace Network Food Not Bombs, San Francisco and East Bay FootPrints for Peace Frontlines Newspaper Georgetown Peace Action Global Exchange Grassroots International The Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition Green Alliance Green Party of New Jersey Green Party of NYS Green Party of the United States Greenpeace House of The Goddess Center for Pagan Wombyn Houston Coalition for Justice Not War Idaho Green Party Independent Progressive Politics Network International Socialist Organization Institute for Policy Studies, Peace Working Group Iraq Pledge of Resistance A Jewish Voice for Peace Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel Jews for Racial & Economic Justice KhaYUMbia Konscious Media Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group Left Party Left Turn LOKOJ – Bangladesh Long Beach Area Peace Network (LBAPN) Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives Middle East Children’s Alliance Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP) Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) Mobilize New York Mothers Acting Up National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression National Coalition for Peace and Justice National Council of Churches National Lawyers Guild, NYC Chapter Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (NISPOP) National Network to End the War Against Iraq NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby New York City Labor Against the War (NYCLAW) Nukewatch Not In My Name Not In Our Name Nowar Collective Occidental Anti-War Coalition Palestine Right to Return Coalition Pax Christi USA Peace Action Peace and Justice Committee of Capital District Greens Peace and Justice Task Force, Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church of Christ The PeaceMongers Society PeaceNoWar PeaceRoots Alliance Peninsula Peace and Justice Center Pennsylvania Lesbian and Gay Task Force People Against Oppression and War Peoples NonViolent Response Coalition (PNVRC) People's Organization for Progress Pride At Work, AFL-CIO Progressive Business Network Psychologists for Social Responsibility Queers For Racial & Economic Justice Raging Grannies (Peninsula, CA chapter) Rice For Peace Rouge Forum Ruckus Society St. Luke's Evangelical Fellowship San Mateo County League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) San Miguel Peacewalkers September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows Shalom Center Shepherd College Green Party Shobak.Org (Outsider Asian Voices) SOA Watch Socialist Action Socialist Party USA Sojourners Speak Out Speak Truth to Power Tour: Generation Hip Hop Says No to War Strategic Pastoral Action Students Against Social Injustice (SASI), McKendree College Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC) Student Peace Action Network (SPAN) Students Take Action for New Directions (STAND) Students Transforming and Resisting Corporations (STARC) Taking Aim Texans for Peace Thomas Merton Center The Thomas Paine Project Tikkun Community TransAfrica Forum TrueMajority Undisputed Truth United for Justice with Peace US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation United Students Against Sweatsops (USAS) University of Maryland, College Park Peace Forum (UMCP Peace Forum) Unitarian Universalist Service Committee US Peace Council United Students Against Sweatshops Veterans for Peace Vietnam Veterans Against the War Vukani Mawethu War Resisters League War Times Washington Peace Center West Sonoma County Women’s Peace Group Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND) Western States Legal Foundation Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, U.S. Section Vanguard Public Foundation Working Assets Z Magazine and ZNET

About United for Peace & Justice

United for Peace & Justice is a new national campaign that brings together a broad range of organizations throughout the United States to help coordinate our work against a U.S. war on Iraq. At an initial meeting in Washington, DC on October 25, more than 70 peace and justice organizations agreed to form United for Peace & Justice and signed on to the following statement:

The demand placed on us by world events is to deal with the Iraq crisis and to work to stop the war that is being planned. This is unfolding in a global context where other crises can and will erupt in connection to the Iraq crisis and they too will demand our action. In addition, we will oppose new repressive measures at home. We can and will work together now, focused on stopping this war, and as we go forward we will discuss other issues and the larger context. Unite for Peace & Justice and say NO! to war.

United for Peace & Justice welcomes the participation of any and all national, regional and local groups who share our goal and wish to work with others. Decisions are made at meetings of the coordinating committee, which is open to representatives of all participating groups. A smaller administrative committee helps to make sure decisions are implemented. If you are interested in being a part of United for Peace & Justice, contact andrea@globalexchange.org.

Since October 25, United for Peace & Justice has decided to promote the following calendar of anti-war events. In addition, we will be discussing other ways we can work together to build the broadest and strongest anti-war movement.

November 20: UFP endorsed the "Not In Our Name" call for a national day of student and youth protest
December 10: UFP is calling for a national anti-war day of action
Jan. 18-20: UFP endorsed the Black Voices for Peace call for peace and justice events to be held during the MLK Jr. Memorial weekend
Feb. 15 or 16: UFP is calling for a mass anti-war mobilization in New York City
March 8: UFP endorsed the Women's Peace Vigil's call for women's peace actions on International Women's Day
April 5: UFP is calling for a national mobilization in Atlanta, GA on the anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (4/4/68) to strengthen the link between justice and peace issues.

We invite you to join us and become part of this new effort.

Following is a partial listing of the groups involved in United for Peace & Justice:

Aaron Patterson Defense Committee
Academics For Justice
African-American Women’s Clergy Association
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
American Friends Service Committee
American Muslims for Jerusalem
American Renaissance
Americans for Social Justice
An Absurd Response to an Absurd War
Anti-Capitalist Convergence
Antiwar.com
The Arab-American Forum
Arab Student Union, University of Michigan-Dearborn
Arizona Green Party
Asian American Movement E-zine
Black Radical Congress
Black Voices for Peace
Brockport Students Against War (BSAW)
CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities
Campus Greens
Center for Community Change
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Immigrant Families (CIF)
Center for Religion, Ethics, and Social Policy at Cornell University
Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment
Central Nebraska Peace Workers
Change the Game
Church Women United
Citizens for Participation in Political Action (CPPAX)
Citizen Works
Coalition Against Global Exploitation (CAGE)
Coalition Against the War on Civil Liberties
Coalition for World Peace
Code Pink for Peace
Committee on Women, Population and the Environment (CWPE)
Committee to Free Pedro Pacheco
Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism
Concerned Families of Westchester
Concerned Students and Faculty of St. Augustine Prep
The Connected Collective
Council of Churches of the City of New York
Democracy Rising
Disarm
East End Women in Black
Ecological Options Network (EON)
Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC)
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Feminist Peace Network
Food Not Bombs, San Francisco and East Bay
FootPrints for Peace
Frontlines Newspaper
Georgetown Peace Action
Global Exchange
Grassroots International
The Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition
Green Alliance
Green Party of New Jersey
Green Party of NYS
Green Party of the United States
Greenpeace
House of The Goddess Center for Pagan Wombyn
Houston Coalition for Justice Not War
Idaho Green Party
Independent Progressive Politics Network
International Socialist Organization
Institute for Policy Studies, Peace Working Group
Iraq Pledge of Resistance
A Jewish Voice for Peace
Jews for Peace in Palestine and Israel
Jews for Racial & Economic Justice
KhaYUMbia
Konscious Media
Lamorinda Peace and Justice Group
Left Party
Left Turn
LOKOJ – Bangladesh
Long Beach Area Peace Network (LBAPN)
Long Island Alliance for Peaceful Alternatives
Middle East Children’s Alliance
Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP)
Military Families Speak Out (MFSO)
Mobilize New York
Mothers Acting Up
National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression
National Coalition for Peace and Justice
National Council of Churches
National Lawyers Guild, NYC Chapter
Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines (NISPOP)
National Network to End the War Against Iraq
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
New York City Labor Against the War (NYCLAW)
Nukewatch
Not In My Name
Not In Our Name
Nowar Collective
Occidental Anti-War Coalition
Palestine Right to Return Coalition
Pax Christi USA
Peace Action
Peace and Justice Committee of Capital District Greens
Peace and Justice Task Force, Rocky Mountain Conference, United Church of Christ
The PeaceMongers Society
PeaceNoWar
PeaceRoots Alliance
Peninsula Peace and Justice Center
Pennsylvania Lesbian and Gay Task Force
People Against Oppression and War
Peoples NonViolent Response Coalition (PNVRC)
People's Organization for Progress
Pride At Work, AFL-CIO
Progressive Business Network
Psychologists for Social Responsibility
Queers For Racial & Economic Justice
Raging Grannies (Peninsula, CA chapter)
Rice For Peace
Rouge Forum
Ruckus Society
St. Luke's Evangelical Fellowship
San Mateo County League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
San Miguel Peacewalkers
September 11 Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Shalom Center
Shepherd College Green Party
Shobak.Org (Outsider Asian Voices)
SOA Watch
Socialist Action
Socialist Party USA
Sojourners
Speak Out
Speak Truth to Power Tour: Generation Hip Hop Says No to War
Strategic Pastoral Action
Students Against Social Injustice (SASI), McKendree College
Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC)
Student Peace Action Network (SPAN)
Students Take Action for New Directions (STAND)
Students Transforming and Resisting Corporations (STARC)
Taking Aim
Texans for Peace
Thomas Merton Center
The Thomas Paine Project
Tikkun Community
TransAfrica Forum
TrueMajority
Undisputed Truth
United for Justice with Peace
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
United Students Against Sweatsops (USAS)
University of Maryland, College Park Peace Forum (UMCP Peace Forum)
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
US Peace Council
United Students Against Sweatshops
Veterans for Peace
Vietnam Veterans Against the War
Vukani Mawethu
War Resisters League
War Times
Washington Peace Center
West Sonoma County Women’s Peace Group
Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND)
Western States Legal Foundation
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, U.S. Section
Vanguard Public Foundation
Working Assets
Z Magazine and ZNET

Below is a letter I am sending to an aquantance who participated in the rally and did not believe that any anti-american groups were involved in the "Peace" rally. I've omited the color coded list of groups and I was much more civil than I would like to have been.

The organization that helped organize and fund the recent rally in NY. There are some really freaky groups involved with this.
Check out this site: (one of the members) http://members.cox.net/hotgoddesscenter/fpw

I've highlighted in red anything with the words peace, or anti war in it. I would grant that these have some credibility if they pass one very important test: Did they protest the war in Bosnia and the cruise missile attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan before 9/11. I haven't looked at many yet, but the few I have did not. If they did not they are simply hypocritical, self serving political tools.

In teal I highlighted all of the religious institutions I could find. I was very generous. These I give a quick pass, because war sucks and cannot be a goal for any good religion. Like I said, I was generous.

The list that remains can be categorized into the following areas: Special Interest groups, Special Favor groups, Socialist orgs., Green Party, Anti-Semitic, Anti-American, Racist organizations, Terrorist Organizations, Gay and Lesbian Organizations, Unions, Other Peace Groups.

I don't have the time to look up every single group, and as the list is long I may have missed some peace, or church affiliated groups.

The motives of the non-peace, non-clerical organizations troubles me. Why? Most could care less about peace. Why would they show up at a peace rally then?
Aaron Patterson wants out of jail and off of death row. Peace in the middle east has nothing to do with this. Who does he expect to help him because of this? Why?
Anti-Capitalist Convergence wants to overthrow the current American social/monetary system. - America achieveing it's goals in the middle east would harm this cause.
Green parry just wants to be seen being active so that they can grow. (Though they may also want peace, it is a tertiary goal.)
Socialists want to toss out the constitution and bill of rights and start over in a Marxist image.
American Muslims for Jerusalem want Jews removed from Israel (the region, that was never a country, once named Palestine). They support the goals of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Black Radical Congress -Black Marxist Revolutionary group.
That's the extremely short list that time allows, I haven't had time to comb through them all.

Some of the organizations listed baffle me and when time permits I will send out some e-mail to find out. Amongst those are:
The Thomas Paine Project (bill of rights = 10 commandments group) I can see these guys having a problem with the patriot act and the office of Homeland Security on principal, they shouldn't have much to say about the current events in Iraq.
The Jewish non-clerical organizations, do they realy think that the Muslim's will be nice to them if they keep saying they want peace? I will find out what's going on with this somehow. I don't doubt they want peace, but by now they should know that the only peace you get from helping those who want to kill you is when they succeed.

Some organizations just have there hands out. There looking for money plain and simple. They want peace, but only because it takes away from the money that they want handed to them. Frankly that is shameful.

The peace and church groups I understand and empathize with fully. I think they are well meaning and are holding on to hope that there is a better way. They remind me of the early Christians who would not fight against the Romans and were fed to the lions in the coliseum. You have to respect that bravery and faith. I myself don't want to become lion excrement.

I feel that many of the rest do not understand the results there actions can cause. There are some that understand them and don't care, and of course there are those actively participating in hopes of hurting America.

In American and around the world we have military personnel who's morale is being hurt by these rallies. Some will begin to question why they are there, what they are doing and what people at home think of them. In the event of war, this will cost many of them there lives. Some are wondering right now if they will come home to a Desert Storm reunion, or a Viet Nam reunion. I can guarantee that some are upset with their country, few are upset with their government, and most are upset at the protests. To them, it's personal, because they pledged their lives to protect the protestors.

In Iraq, the dictator knows he has more room to play games because of the protests. To him the protestors are allies. They give him room to maneuver and dance around the issues that caused all of this in the first place. He praises the protestors. He doesn't want peace, he just wants to know he will win and keep as many of his deadly toys as possible. He praises terrorists and gives money to the parents of homicide bombers with the same smile he gives the protestors. I'll stop there before I get side tracked too far.

I'd like to say there is one group that upsets me the most, but I really can't. There are several that fit the bill. I suppose other than the ones with their hands out, my eye brows raise the highest for the groups that use this rally because they dislike our President, and the ones who do not want to loose money. (Lawyer groups fearing Tort reform.) For them, peace has nothing to do with it, the people effected are unimportant. They just want to diminish the power and popularity of the President regardless of the cost in lives the protests could cause. (Yes, undue delays can compromise the security and safety of the military personnel involved. Should this push out till spring guys will be dieing due to heat.)

College groups; I was that age once and enjoyed parading my budding wisdom and knowledge in front of others. Not only that, but it was fun to go places with large groups where there was always a chance to get laid. I just have to say have fun to these guys. So long as they keep it legal and aren't out to hurt others I have no problem with these groups. Anarchists on the other hand are stupid. They fail to realize that in the absence of authority the effete and scholarly are the first to be subdued and shackled. I'd consider them as suicidal if I thought for one second they actually thought they might achieve their goal.
I've already used way too much of my time on this. I hope you can look at your Allies in this effort with open eye and understand that though they march with you, they march to the beat of a different drum, often a self serving and murderous one.

I know I haven't given an accurate example of each of the groups, individualy many of them are honorable and even noble. As a whole this group stinks like a cesspool of hate, greed and Anti-Americanism. Perhaps I would give them more credit If I saw them march on the UN to protest slavery in Africa, human rights abuses in Iraq, Iran, and China. The theft of lands from white farmers in South Africa. (you could call this reclamation I suppose, but that isn't what the anti-apartied movement was about.)

Know your enemies, but know your 'friends' better. You are judged by the company you keep.
Be carefull, be well, be informed.

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