Ron Kovic / International ANSWER – 2005-09-23 09:32:23
http://www.internationalanswer.org/
This is to express my enthusiastic support for the Sept. 24 demonstrations to End the War in Iraq and the ANSWER Coalition. This demonstration represents an important turning point in the struggle against this war. For the first time, many citizens who have not until now joined in the struggle to stop the war are joining people of all races and classes, veterans, military families, clergy and everyday Americans to speak out and join this dynamic and expanding movement.
The recent hurricane disaster in New Orleans underscores the urgent need for all of us to join together to strongly oppose the direction this government is now going in, and to demand funds and resources for our fellow citizens here at home.
On September 24, as a Vietnam veteran who knows all too well the horrors of war, I plan to join with hundreds of thousands in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles and around the world to demand an end to the war in Iraq, and that the Bush administration immediately bring our troops home to their families and communities. I hope everyone will join us in this important movement for peace.
— Ron Kovic, Vietnam war veteran, and author,
“Born on the Fourth of July”
Join the massive united action at the White House on the morning of the 24th.
Here’s a partial list of speakers:
• Jessica Lange, actor
• George Galloway, British Member of Parliament
• Ramsey Clark, former U.S. attorney general
• Cindy Sheehan*
• Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farm Workers of America
• Malik Rahim, New Orleans community activist who survived Hurricane Katrina
• Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
• Ralph Nader
• Mahdi Bray, Exec. Dir., Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation
• Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, attorney/co-founder, Partnership for Civil Justice, National Lawyers Guild
• Elias Rashmawi, National Council of Arab Americans
• Brian Becker, National Coordinator, A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
• Lynne Stewart, human rights attorney
• Rev. Al Sharpton*
• Anita Dennis, mother of Iraq War veteran / resister
• Clayola Brown, President of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, Vice President of UNITE HERE**
• Ben Dupuy, Former Ambassador At Large for the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide
• Jos Williams, President, President of the Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO
• Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg
• Christine Araquel, Alliance for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines
• Andy Thayer, Equality Campaign
• Curtis Muhammed, Community Labor Union of New Orleans*
• Margaret Prescod, Global Women’s Strike
• Hadi Jawad, founder of Crawford Peace House
• Chris Silvera, Teamsters Black Caucus
• Musa Al-Hindi, Al-Awda National
• Michel Shehadeh, L.A-8 defendant, a Palestinian activist framed COINTELPRO-style
• Nancy Wolforth, Executive Vice President, AFL-CIO
• Manuel Santos, Socialist Front of Puerto Rico
• Brenda Stokely, Million Worker March, New York City Labor Against the War
• Peta Lindsay, Youth and Student A.N.S.W.E.R. Student, Howard University student
• Mounzer Sleiman, National Council of Arab Americans
• Macrina Cardenas, Mexicanos Sin Fronteras
• Jeanette Caceres, Spoken word artist from New York University
• Gloria La Riva, National Committee to Free the Five
• Riya Ortiz, Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines, Campaign for Justice Not War
• Larry Holmes, Troops Out Now Coalition
• Chuck Kaufman, Nicaragua Network
• Women’s Anti-Imperialist League
• Representative of Bayan USA
• Eugene Puryear, Youth and Student A.N.S.W.E.R. Student, Howard University student
• Patti Smith, singer
All speakers confirmed by the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition except those indicated by an asterisk (*) are confirmed by UFPJ and those indicated by two asterisk (**) are confirmed by USLAW.
ANSWER has secured the permit for a massive march that will go directly on Pennsylvania Ave. in front of the White House for the first time in many years, and then onto the FBI and the Justice Department.
On Saturday the antiwar movement and all the above speakers will come together on one stage at the White House/Ellipse for a powerful, united display of opposition to Bush’s criminal war. But first, we have to pay for that stage.
Since May, the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition has been actively promoting the united antiwar demonstration on September 24 and VoteNoWar.org members across the United States have been working hard to forge a massive showing of unity in the streets. Now all the major groups are working together in Washington. But it is the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition that has full responsibility for paying all of the expenses for the joint rally at the White House, including sound, stage, communications, porta-toilets and other logistics expenses.
Together, these expenses total more than $52,000 – all of which must be paid before the march and rally. These expenses do not include the tens of thousands of dollars spent on bus rentals, printing and other publicity.
We are making an urgent appeal to you as friends and supporters to make as generous a contribution as possible to help ANSWER pay these necessary expenses.
