Fw: new antiwar project/welcome feedback & support

----- Original Message -----
From: maxie <maxie@igc.org>
To: <maxie@igc.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2002 6:23 PM
Subject: new antiwar project/welcome feedback & support


> PLEASE FREELY DISTRIBUTE AND POST
>
> January 3, 2002
>
> Prospectus
>
> WAR TIMES (working title)
> A New, Biweekly, Tabloid Newspaper Opposing the "War on Terrorism"
>
> The terrorist attacks of September 11 marked the beginning of a new and
> frightening period in our history. Thousands of people died that day, and
> their families along with the country as a whole are still struggling to
> recover. But President Bush's response of  "permanent war against
terrorism
> at home and abroad" has further endangered the lives and liberties of
> millions of people everywhere.
>
> The world's most powerful nation has mercilessly bombed Afghanistan and is
> installing a neo-colonial government of its own choosing, although that
> country has never attacked the U.S. Millions of Afghans have been
displaced
> and face starvation this winter. The administration has also green-lighted
> massive Israeli assaults on Palestine, and it threatens to attack Iraq,
> Lebanon, Somalia, and other countries. The agenda seems clear: to remake
the
> world in the rightwing image with little regard for human consequences.
>
> At home, we are seeing a wholesale attack on constitutionally guaranteed
> civil liberties, especially those of immigrants and other people of color.
> The administration has institutionalized racial profiling and is secretly
> rounding up thousands of Arab Americans and other people of Middle Eastern
> background. At the same time, it is giving billions to the military,
> offering huge bailouts and tax incentives to corporations and the wealthy
> while ignoring the hundreds of thousands of laid off workers, and cutting
> social services. All in all, we face a second, different kind of war, a
> domestic war, in which longstanding racism and inequity are multiplying.
> Both form part of a long-range strategy to turn the clock back on past
gains
> and consolidate U.S. global domination.
>
> Peace, safety, and justice at home are more than ever linked to peace and
> justice abroad. To end the "permanent war," we need to build a mass
movement
> against U.S. interventions abroad and link to it the struggles for social
> justice. The security and livelihood of people across the globe depend on
> success in this fight.
>
> AN EDUCATIONAL MOMENT
>
> Such a movement must be constructed step-by-step. After initial emergency
> actions in the wake of the first bombing of Afghanistan, we are all
> struggling to strategize how to build the movement, how to dig in for the
> long haul yet still prepare for emergencies. We are becoming aware of the
> twists and turns that this war may take, and trying to come up with
> successful responses.
>
> The majority of people in the U.S. appear to back the "war on terrorism"
at
> this time. There is some opposition to some of the most extreme domestic
> measures, especially the military tribunals. Pro-war sentiment among
African
> Americans is known to be less than solid. But overall Bush has won support
> and is currently eyeing new targets.
>
> The mainstream media in the U.S. have largely capitulated to the war
drive,
> filtering their presentation of the news through "patriotism." Important
> stories and information are ignored, buried, or presented in a pro-war
> context. Some of the progressive press is doing a heroic job, especially
> over the Internet, but little of it is geared for outreach to new
audiences.
>
> On the positive side, pockets of opposition have appeared across the
> country. There are signs of discontent over the economic effects of
> intensified militarism which are hurting a wide range of people here, from
> airport workers to students. And there are unusual openings for
progressives
> to join the public discussion of U.S. foreign and national policy. This is
> an "educational moment," and the proposed new publication is aimed at
> maximizing our ability to take advantage of it.
>
> THE NEW PUBLICATION: A Voice of and for the Movement
>
> To broaden and deepen the fight against the Bush program requires
compiling
> information and analysis, and putting them into the hands of large numbers
> of readers. To help meet this challenge, we propose the publication of a
> free, mass produced, biweekly, and nationally distributed tabloid. It will
> be a valuable outreach and education tool for organizers on the ground and
> an entryway for new people into the peace and justice movement. It will
> complement existing publications and be backed by a modest Internet
> operation that would introduce people to the already developed anti-war
Web
> presence.
>
> Content: The tabloid will present a view of the world that makes
opposition
> to Bush's program urgent, vivid, and logical. To do so, it will be
designed
> with an artistic sense, using photos, cartoons, and other graphic elements
> throughout. Overall, it must be popular, attractive, have flair, and
utilize
> humor and poetry as well as information and analysis. It will be bilingual
> at least in part, beginning with Spanish.
>
> The tabloid is intended to track the development of the war at home and
> abroad, spotlighting the dire consequences of Bush's program for human
> beings and the earth. It will provide backgrounders, facts, and clear,
> readable analysis. It will report on the work of the developing peace and
> justice movement as well as anti-racist struggles, thus providing an
> important representation of the possibility, vitality, and importance of
> opposition. Articles will be based on reliable and widely accepted
> information sources, both domestic and international.
>
> Audience: Its audience will be those most open to criticism of the
> government's actions but not yet part of the movement against Bush's
program
> of  "permanent war." Currently this includes many peoples of color,
> students, women, and religious folk. The tabloid will work to reach more
> workers and labor movement people. It will change and grow over time, and
> link up with new communities. At the same time, the publication will keep
> the anti-war movement itself abreast of new developments, including news
> about movement activities around the country.
>
> Distribution: The tabloid will be free so that it can be widely
distributed
> through drops, by organizations and individuals, and by bundle agents. The
> lead site for the project will be Northern California, but it will be
> distributed nationally. A pilot issue, scheduled to be published in
> February, will be used to launch the base for distribution as well as to
> build support.
>
> Finances:  We estimate the first year's budget as just over $500,000 for a
> bimonthly publication. We will seek foundation funding but expect most of
> the money to come from individuals and organizations.
>
> YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED
>
> The project is in its early stages and needs input at every level. To
date,
> we have formed an initial group in the Bay Area to organize the project.
We
> have begun to get input from different people and have some initial
> fundraising commitments. Ultimately the paper will need thousands of
people
> and organizations that are willing to financially support, contribute to,
> and distribute the publication. You can help in these ways:
>
>      *Give feedback on the concept, including the name, War Times
>      *Fundraise and make a donation (checks may be written to EBC/War
Times)
>      *Distribute copies to your networks
>      *Volunteer your writing, editing, photographic, or design skills
>      *Pass this prospectus on or introduce us to others who can help
>
> For further information contact us at wartimes@attbi.com, EBC/War Times,
> 1230 Market Street, PMB 409, San Francisco, CA 94102, 510-869-5156.
>
> Organizing Committee (organizations listed for identification purposes
> only):
>
> Jan Adams, former associate director, Applied Research Center
> Linda Burnham, executive director, Women of Color Resource Center
> Max Elbaum, former managing editor, CrossRoads magazine
> Adam Gold, STORM
> Rebecca Gordon, Seminarians for Peace
> Felicia Gustin, co-director, Speak Out
> Van Jones, national executive director, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
> Elizabeth (Betita) Martinez, director, Institute for MultiRacial Justice
> Steve Williams, executive director, POWER
> Bob Wing, former executive editor, ColorLines magazine
>
> Initial SF Bay Area Endorsers (organizations listed for identification
> purposes only). National endorsers list in formation:
>
> American-Arab Anti-Discrimination CommitteeSan Francisco Chapter
> Frances Beal, national secretary, Black Radical Congress
> Robert Chlala, Students for Justice in Palestine
> Jung-hee Choi, Women of Color Resource Center
> Malkia Cyril, We Interrupt This Message
> Gary Delgado, executive director, Applied Research Center
> Antonio Diaz, executive director, PODER
> Hari Dillon, president, Vanguard Foundation
> Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Indigenous World
> Michael Eisenscher, Labor Committee for Peace and Justice
> Arnoldo Garcia, National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
> Fred Goff, Data Center
> Francisco Herrera, singer and activist
> Phil Hutchings, racial justice activist
> Yuri Kochiyama, activist
> Gerald Lenoir, board member, HIV Education and Prevention Project of
Alameda
> County
> Yolanda Lopez, visual artist
> Miriam Ching Louie, activist and author of Sweatshop Warriors
> Barbara Lubin, executive director, Middle East Childrens Alliance
> Sharon Martinas, Challenging White Supremacy Workshops
> Gus Newport, former Mayor of Berkeley
> Peter Olney, Institute for Labor and Employment
> Eric Quezada, Mission District organizer
> Colin Rajah, executive director, Just Act
> Adrienne Rich, poet
> Wilson Riles, former City Councilperson and progressive Oakland Mayoral
> candidate
> Helen Zia, author
>
>
>
>
>