Planning continues for peaceful march in Little Rock

Peaceful Demonstration Against the Iraq War
Saturday, October 27 Place: Little Rock- Chenal Parkway and Bowman Rd intersection

In solidarity with 11 other massive demonstrations in cities across the U.S., please join us for an action here in Little Rock sponsored by ACPJ- the Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice. We will meet at the intersection of Chenal Parkway and Bowman Road from 12:00 to 1:00pm. Please come for as long as you can and bring signs that express how you feel. There is strength in numbers. Say no to the war in Iraq!

For more information, call John Coffin at 952-8181 or go to our website www.acpj.org.

Here is the ACPJ Press Release for this event:

Protesters Say: Out of Iraq Now!
Citizens united against the war in Iraq will be demonstrating on Saturday, October 27, in Little Rock at the intersection of Chenal Parkway and Bowman Road, from 12 noon until 1 pm. The event is being organized by the Arkansas Coalition for Peace and Justice. The peaceful demonstration will be in solidarity with protests being held across the country on that date, ACPJ organizer John Coffin reported.

"We want to remind our elected officials, and especially Senators Lincoln and Pryor, that 68 percent of Americans are against the war in Iraq, and want to see an end to it quickly," he added. "That was the message from the November, 2006 elections, and the sense of urgency about establishing a time-table for the withdrawal of American troops is as real now as it was then. Unfortunately, political skirmishing in the nation’s capital has kept our country from being true to this electoral mandate. That has got to change, especially now since the drums of war about Iran are being heard louder and clearer. It is almost too sad to say, but why would we believe and trust the same leaders who created this mess in Iraq, who were so profoundly mistaken about the reasons to go to war, to be telling us what to do in Iran?"

Coffin went on to say that the war in Iraq is costing too much in terms of American and Iraqi lives. "The human cost is unacceptable. Tens of thousands of soldiers and non-combatants have been killed or wounded, including over 55 from our own state. We all support our troops and the sacrifices they are making, but our support means to say loud and clear: bring them home now! Give us a real plan for withdrawal. Give these families, where the absence of a father or mother or loved one is felt every day, an honest break."

The financial burdens of the war, costing American taxpayers over $9,500,000,000 per month, or $320,000,000 every single day, are excessive. U.S. taxpayers have every right to say that these funds would be better spent on other priorities, he recounted, such as children’s health care, bridge repair and airline safety. "There is another way to solve these apparently intractable differences between our countries, and the American way is to find non-violent means to do so," Coffin added. "This administration needs to work harder and more fervently to find such a path in resolving these differences. We believe it can be done!"

The ACPJ is a central-Arkansas volunteer association of individuals and organizations who support a vision of harmony with the earth and all people through education, dialogue and direct action. It has three areas of focus: peace and non-violence, social justice and ecology. More information is available at their web site – www.acpj.org, or by calling 952- 8181 in Little Rock.

The following is an excerpt from the www.oct27.org website:

This coming Saturday, October 27, people from all walks of life will gather in 11 cities around the country in a national expression of the breadth and depth of antiwar sentiment in this nation. For many people, it will be their first step in transforming their antiwar feelings into antiwar action. Regional actions will enable much larger numbers of people to participate.

Watch a video by Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films, made in support of the October 27 mobilization.

People everywhere want the war to end, but Washington has failed to take decisive action. With each passing month, the Iraq disaster claims the lives of nearly 100 service people and countless Iraqis as it drains 12 billion of our tax-dollars. Our communities are neglected and suffer the consequences.



Join the October 27 National Mobilization to End the Iraq War, initiated by United for Peace and Justice.