From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest) To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #131 Reply-To: abolition-usa-digest Sender: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk abolition-usa-digest Thursday, May 20 1999 Volume 01 : Number 131 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 21:56:34 EDT From: DavidMcR@aol.com Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Report on New Yugoslavia Peace Coalition In a message dated 5/20/99 8:05:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time,=20 CarolMoore@kreative.net writes: << Subj:=09 Report on New Yugoslavia Peace Coalition Date:=095/20/99 8:05:07 PM Eastern Daylight Time From:=09CarolMoore@kreative.net (Carol Moore) To:=09carolmoore@kreative.net (Peace list from) =20 Report on National Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia Press Conference and Meeting May 20, 1999 =20 **Big News** Civil Disobedience at White House Planned June 3=96see below** =20 The coalition was formed earlier this month by leaders of major U.S. peace organizations, including the American Friends Service Committee, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi, Peace Action, War Resisters League, Women's Action for New Directions, and the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom. (Plus others, did not get whole list. I don=92t think there is a web page yet with all these details.) =20 The coalition issued an =93appeal for peace=94which: **called for end to bombing as prerequisite for peace process to begin **an immediate ceasefire **condemned all atrocities **encouraged all efforts made in good faith toward a diplomatic solution, as well as nonviolent alternatives **supports return of OSCE monitors and truly international peacekeeping operation that will monitor activities of Serb military and KLA. =20 PRESS CONFERENCE At National Press Club Speakers included: Representative Dennis Kucinich Representative Barbara Lee (Senator John McCain, who supports invading Yugoslavia and was speaking at a National Press Club function stuck his head in.) Reps. of American Friends, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Veterans for Peace. Moderator Gordon Clark of Peace Action, Sladjana Dankovic, a Serbian progressive and peace activist, and Chris Ney of War Resisters League were particularly effective, IMHO. =20 Actions announced: Ongoing Bridge of Light actions around the country May21-22 coordinated actions around the country June 5th March June 12-Demo vs. Clinton in Chicago June 18-Demo vs. Albright in Chicago July 24th=96National Action in DC if bombing has not stopped =20 Reporters questions: (there weren=92t many representatives of press; they were looking for =93big news=94 and not just announcement of a coalition) **Mr. Kempster of the Los Angeles Times asked (rather abrasively) what is your solution for ethnic cleansing and where were the =93peaceful Serbs=94 last fall during the negotiation period? He was offered a range of answers, which boiled down to: the bombing greatly escalated the Serbian expulsions and killings, plus Albanians are fleeing NATO bombs; and the press ignored the Serbian and Albanian peacemakers in favor of the extremist Serb government and the KLA; OSCE was there and very successful, but press ignored them cause not =93sexy.=94 **A Reporter from a Religious publication asked (also somewhat abrasively): your groups are all Christians, why should we listen to you instead of Jewish groups who experienced the Holocaust? Gordon Clark of Peace Action (who identified himself as being Jewish) gave a spirited and definitive response: Not everyone is Hitler and not every situation is the Holocaust. It=92s a misplaced analogy. You can=92t say that only Jewish people can have an opinion on the US going to war in this or similar situations. Others pointed out that the Jewish Peace Fellowship was against the War and that various religious views and secular groups were involved in the coalition. =20 LUNCH MEETING =20 Issue: how to work with Serb groups and the issue of nationalism is something that should be discussed in smaller group situation with representatives of peace groups and Serbians. Also, Albanian peace people should be invited to join. =20 Endorsements: there will be levels of endorsement for Coalition for Peace in Yugoslavia: national, regional and local, to give everyone a chance to endorse. Must only agree with the Appeal for Peace. =20 Civil Disobedience: A lot of Quakers and others are itching to get arrested so we decided to do a civil disobedience at the White House on June 3, the same day a big C.D. is being organized at the UN. Peace groups will write letters to Clinton before hand asking for an audience; because he will refuse, we will go to White House and get arrested. =20 July 24th: while it is hoped the bombing will be done by then, we must in the meantime build a coalition to do a Washington action that day. =20 Advertising Campaign: a proposal will be drawn up to raise money for an advertising campaign on local cable television stations. =20 It was a great day for peace and I hope we can all plug in an support the coalition. Peace Action is the main contact at this moment, including for the civil disobedience. Peace Action, 1819 H St., NW #420, Washington, DC 20006. (202) 862-9740 http://www.peace-action.org/ =20 Carol Moore in D.C. Http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/C&C-news.html =20 =3D=3D >> - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. 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