by NCRR 9/11 Committee
Thursday, Mar. 06, 2003 at 7:04 PM
ncrr-911@2mpower.net (213) 680-3484
Please join us ... Asian Pacific American Democratic Club & Nikkei for Civil Rights & Redress (NCRR) 9/11 Committee. We are organizing an API contingent in the upcoming march on Sat., March 15, against the war on Iraq.
The organizing meeting is:
DATE: Saturday, March 8
TIME: 2 p.m.
PLACE: JACCC, 244 S. San Pedro St., 2nd floor in Little Tokyo (located between 2nd & 3rd streets; parking across the street for $3)
The principles proposed by NCRR 9/11 Committee are listed below. Our aim is to unite a broad group of API communities to march together against the threatened war, while being clear about our principles.
For more information, call (213) 680-3484.
Proposed principles for API peace contingent:
1. We oppose a war with Iraq
There is no evidence linking Iraq to the September 11 attacks or, according to U.N. weapons inspections, that it was preparing aggressive action against any other countries, including the U.S. There is evidence that continued arms inspections, satellite and other intelligence can insure Iraq does not develop or deploy weapons.
A war against Iraq will also further destabilize the Middle East and create more hatred towards the U.S.
2. A war would cause great suffering for both the Iraqi & American people
Hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties will occur in a country where over 50% of the population is under the age of 16-years-old. Iraqi survivors will be left to live in bombed out rubble or refugee camps.
We do not want to see American youth killing Iraqi youth and families or be killed themselves for the sake of more oil to enrich the wealthiest in the U.S.
3. Health, education & other human services would be cut further
· An estimated $100-200 billion for the invasion and occupation for a year would come at a time when increasing numbers of Americans lack health care, education funds are being slashed and the need for affordable housing is at a crisis point.
These and other human services will be sacrificed even further to fund the war and reconstruction efforts, and to compensate for Bush’s tax cuts primarily aiding the very wealthy.
4. We oppose the erosion of civil liberties here at home
Under the guise of “fighting terrorism,” racial profiling and discriminatory immigration policies against Arab American and South Asians reminiscent of racist World War 2 policies that led to the imprisonment of 120,000 Japanese Americans.
We demand the resignation of Rep. Howard Coble from chairmanship of the House Committee on Homeland Security for claiming that imprisonment was “for our own good.”
We oppose the U.S. Patriot Act, passed hastily and without public oversight or understanding of its meaning and consequences.