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| Tuesday, Oct. 8th - National Teach-In on Syria and U.S. Policy in the Region Dear Friend of United for Peace and Justice,  While Congress has pushed our government into a deeper state of suspended animation, the situation in Syria and the Middle East continues to unfold at breakneck speed. The current government shutdown has shown us again that our elected officials are choosing to play politics rather than doing the work they were hired to do-- govern the nation and care for the needs of its people. We cannot trust them to make sound decisions about our national security. We must stay on top of developments in Syria and the Middle East. Today marks the 12th year of the US war on Afghanistan. Continued successful pressure on our government to choose diplomacy over military aggression in Syria paves the way for diplomacy in Afghanistan. It's clear. The American people have had enough of costly foreign wars and occupation. A few weeks ago our nation was on the brink of yet another deadly military mistake. At the last moment, a threat of a U.S. missile attack against Syria was averted as the justifiable concern about chemical weapons moved away from a military incursion into a diplomatic process. The raging civil war has not yet stopped, but the massive outpouring of anti-war sentiment from people in every corner of the country and around the world prevented this new attack, and is helping to slow the flow of arms into Syria. Our victory was clear, but our work is far from over. • Will there be a negotiated resolution to the armed conflict inside Syria, or will the fighting escalate into an even broader regional war? • How did the peace movement in the U.S. and world-wide stop Washington from proceeding with military action in Syria, and how can we build on our success to change U.S. policy in the region? • What's happening now, on the ground in Syria and on the diplomatic front? What is the U.S. interest in Syria and how does this connect to U.S. policy in the Middle East more generally? These are some of the important issues that a dynamic panel of people will address in the National Teach-In on Syria. You are invited to watch the teach-in on line as we dig deeper into the issues and learn the lessons. We are happy to join with other national groups to sponsor this live streamed panel on Tuesday, October 8th: • Phyllis Bennis - Director, New Internationalism Project at the Institute for Policy Studies • Stephen Miles - Coordinator, Win Without War • Nick Berning - Communications Director, MoveOn.org • Rep. Barbara Lee (invited) - 13th Cong. District, CA • moderated by Judith LeBlanc - Field Director, Peace Action Watch this important discussion with others! This is a moment to bring people together, to take our organizing to a new level. - Invite people to your home to watch the teach-in together. - If you are at a school or college get a room and organize a screening. - Ask your local library or religious institution to set up a public viewing. - Ask you local community cable station to run the program live or taped. - Use this teach-in as an opportunity to talk with others about how to strengthen the work of the anti-war movement. We realize the time of this event might make it hard for some folks on the West Coast to see the broadcast, but we'll be sending out information about how you can access this event after October 8th. Then, on Wednesday, October 9th, join the Jobs-Not-Wars national conference call. Wed. Oct. 9, 8:30 pm ET/7:30 CT/ 6:30 MT/5:30 PT. What did you do in your community when the attack on Syria was threatened? How can we build on the broad sentiment that organized to stop this attack in order to fund basic needs for health and food with cuts to military contracts that pave the road to the next war? The Jobs-Not-Wars campaign works at the grassroots level to change the priorities of our nation. How can we be most effective in each of our communities as we struggle to meet human needs, moving away from war & militarism Join us to discuss the next steps this coalition should take.www.Jobs-Not-Wars.org It's time to keep building the movement! While we can rightly celebrate the power the peace and justice movement has had, we must not squander this moment. Please make a donation to UFPJ, so that we can continue to keep our member groups and dedicated activists linked together for effective action and impact. |
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