Peace movement and 2008 presidential campaign

PEACE MOVEMENT AND PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN 2008‏
From: Omnicenter Communications (omninews@listserv.uark.edu) on behalf of Dick Bennett (jbennet@uark.edu)
Sent: Mon 8/18/08 11:27 AM
Reply-to: Dick Bennett (jbennet@uark.edu)
To: OMNINEWS@LISTSERV.UARK.EDU


PRESIDENCY, CONGRESS, AND THE PEACE, JUSTICE, and ECOLOGY MOVEMENT

The pje organizations are not sitting on their hands during these last days of the presidential campaigns, but have plunged into the middle of them. The several pje organizations I have checked recently have intensified their “educate the candidates and Parties” campaigns.
Most dramatic is Amnesty International, which will display a full-scale replica of a Guantanamo prison cell at both nominating conventions, to demand of the candidates and Parties emphatic opposition to torture, to prolonged detainment without charge, to unaccountability of high-level officials, and other human rights abuses. (from a letter from AI). Larry Cox is Exec. Dir. of AI.

Like AI, Friends of the Earth believes that we cannot take for granted that a change of Administration or of Congress will change the carbon regime to the degree that must happen if we are to bring down CO2 to 350 PPM quickly enough. The Lieberman-Warner energy bill was proposed, but defeated, and anyway it was deeply flawed and would not require the real changes needed to stop climate change. So FOE is keeping the pressure on not only the Bush Admin. but also on Congress and the presidential candidates, to make sure they face facts and seek real solutions, not the greenwashing now pervading corporate tactics. Brent Blackwelder if President of FOE. (from a letter from FOE). www.foe.org

For a third example, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, in their July/Aug. 2008 Newsletter focusing on nuclear weapons, will not “wait until January,” but are “urging presidential and congressional candidates to embrace a vision of a world free of nuclear weapons.” They and we cannot count on the next president and Congress to reverse US nuclear weapons policy, but we must show them we want that change to be much more than generalities—complete nuclear disarmament, no first use policy, renegotiate START, ratify the CTBT, and rescue the NPT. www.fcnl.org
Of course these campaigns are not new, for these organizations and hundreds of peace, justice, and ecology organizations have always been in the middle of politics by informing the citizenry against the special interests and elites that control information and politicians, especially during presidential campaigns. Let us join with other peace organizations with courage and hope in educating our candidates and our Cong. delegation about human rights, global warming, nuclear weapons, and other urgent matters, including the power of corporations to determine national policies. If we do not, we can be sure the forces in politics for profit and empire will fill our vacancy.
Remember that not only our politicians but the staff members that do research, advise, and coach them must be better informed also. Are you yet on a first name basis with the staffs?

SENATOR LINCOLN (202) 224-4843 Fax: (202) 228-1371.

Fayetteville office: 251-1380; www.lincoln.senate.gov; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/index.cfm; http://www.lincoln.senate.gov/webform.html

SENATOR Mark Pryor: Phone: (202) 224-2353 Fax: (202) 228-0908. www.pryor.senate.gov ; http://pryor.senate.gov/contact/

CONGRESSMAN Boozman: Lowell office: 479-725-0400.

DC address: 1708 Longworth House Office Bldng., Washington, DC 20515; 202-225-4301.

Dick Bennett
jbennet@uark.edu
(479) 442-4600