[Antiracism] WMass GEARS UP FOR D.C. 3/17 PROTEST

[Nick Camerota]

PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY
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STOP THE WAR IN IRAQ: end war funding; bring the troops home now
STOP THE WAR AT HOME: end racism and poverty; money for the people, not the 
Pentagon
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WESTERN MASS. TO MARCH ON PENTAGON: Area residents demand money for human 
needs, not war

On Saturday, March 17, 2007 -- the 4th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq 
and the 40th anniversary of the historic 1967 march on the Pentagon -- 
people from western Massachusetts will be at the Pentagon demanding the 
immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

The March 17 demonstration will assemble at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 
(Constitution Gardens) at 12 noon in Washington, D.C. and march to the 
Pentagon.

"The real war is right here at home. The war we should be waging is one 
against racism and poverty. The government can find over $2 billion a week 
for the Iraq war. Why can't they provide adequate assistance to the victims 
of Katrina? This is all wrong. Poor and working people in our country need 
money for decent  jobs, housing, healthcare and education," said Catherine 
Donaghy, Western Mass. liason to the Boston Rosa Parks Human Rights Day 
Committee and a local Troops Out Now Coalition organizer.

* UPDATE: Common Ground Caravan from New Orleans to Join March 17 national 
protest

A caravan of buses, vans and cars will travel from New Orleans to join this 
demonstration. One of the main themes of the Pentagon march is, “From Iraq 
to New Orleans, Fund People’s Needs Not the War Machine.” The caravan will 
make stops and hold events in several Southern cities on its way to the 
Pentagon protest.

The New Orleans-to-the-Pentagon caravan is being organized by the Common 
Ground Collective, the grassroots organization founded in the wake of 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita which devastated the Gulf Coast from Texas to 
Florida in August-September 2005. While the federal and state governments 
have been guilty of extreme negligence that has compounded the suffering 
caused by one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. history, Common Ground 
volunteers have provided people-to-people relief and assistance to hundreds 
of thousands of people in Louisiana.

“Common Ground has served more than half a million people without getting 
any government support,” said Common Ground founder Malik Rahim. “At the 
same time, billions of dollars have been spent on a needless war in Iraq 
that has drained our country’s resources which could be meeting people’s 
needs. We’ll be paying for this war for the next 50 years. That’s why I’ll 
be marching on the Pentagon on March 17.”  FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION about 
initiatives to assist the victims of Katrina, access this URL: 
http://www.troopsoutnow.org/nokatrinaritaevictions.shtml

* FOR MORE INFORMATION: email wmassmobe at hotmail.com (please type "M17DCBUS" 
in subject line) or phone the Western Mass. IAC/Troops Out Now Coalition at 
413-896-5219.

Chartered buses from Springfield to the March 17 DC protest will be 
departing that Saturday at 12:05 AM (location TBA). The cost of an 
individual bus ticket is $50. Make checks or money orders payable to the 
Western Mass. Mobilization and send them to WMass Mobe, PO Box 2733, 
Springfield, MA 01101. Please be sure to include your mailing address and 
phone number with your payment. Direct further inquiries to Catherine 
Donaghy (Northampton) at 413-587-0059 or email cadonaghy at yahoo.com

http://www.troopsoutnow.org

INITIAL ENDORSERS INCLUDE:
- Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General
- Maxine Waters, Congresswoman
- Alice Walker, Pulitzer prize winning author
- Cynthia McKinney, Congresswoman
- Cindy Sheehan, co-founder Gold Star Families for Peace, author
- Ron Kovic, Vietnam Veteran, author, Born on the 4th of July
- Malik Rahim, Founder, Common Ground Collective, New Orleans
- Paul Haggis, Director of Crash, 2005 Academy Award for Best Picture
- Elias Rashmawi, National Coordinator, National Council of Arab Americans 
(NCA)
- Howard Zinn, Author, A People's History of the United States
- Chaplain James Yee, former Army chaplain, Guantánamo Detention Center
- Mahdi Bray, Executive Director, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation
- Leonard Weinglass, Attorney for the Cuban Five
- Ben Dupuy, Co-Director, Haiti Progres
- Juan Jose Gutierrez, Executive Director, Latino Movement USA
- Calvin Gipson, Former President, San Francisco LGBT Pride Committee
- Rev. Graylan Hagler, Senior Pastor, Plymouth Congregational Church, 
Washington D.C
- Al Garcia, Alliance for a Just & Lasting Peace in the Philippines
- Macrina Cardenas, Mexico Solidarity Network
- Eugene Puryear, Howard University, student leader
- CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities
- Da Urban Butterflies Justice Committee
- Mimi Kennedy, Actor (Dharma & Greg)
[=30=]

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