By Mike Ferner

In the “old days” of the U.S. peace movement, when many people focused on the threat of a global nuclear “exchange” an organization called Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) postulated what would happen if a major American city was actually blasted by an atomic bomb.

The doctors described utterly horrific scenarios extending far beyond the numbers of dead and severely wounded. In plain words they described what the few survivors would experience: a landscape that not only had sustained unimaginable casualties, but which had also suffered the destruction of its transportation and health care infrastructure. No ambulances would arrive with lights and sirens to whisk away the suffering. Doctors, nurses, blood plasma, pain killers, antibiotics, bandages – all would be destroyed along with the hospitals and highways.

As difficult as it was to picture such a reality, the hardest thing to imagine was that in a nuclear war there would be no “outside” from where help will come. When every major city suffers the same fate as yours, no one “out there” can help you. “Out there” is all gone. Instantly, in city after city, life becomes a contaminated, pre-industrial struggle for survival.

For those of you looking to donate time, money, food, etc., for victims in the Gulf region please consider the following webpage as a source of:

Grassroots / Low-income / People of Color-led Hurricane Katrina Relief

Where to donate to organizations who are:

• Organizing at the grassroots level in New Orleans, Biloxi, Houston and other affected areas
• Providing immediate disaster relief to poor people and people of color
• Directed by, or accountable to, poor people and people of color
• Fostering the democratic inclusion of poor people and people of color in the rebuilding process

Grassroots / Low-income / People of Color-led Hurricane Katrina Relief

For Immediate Release:
September 13, 2005

Contact: Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Jeff Leys: 773-573-5380
Farah Mokhtareizadeh: 856-236-6141

CHICAGO, IL and WASHINGTON DC, September 13–For the next sixteen days, advocates for economic justice in Iraq will fast outside the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) in Washington, D.C. With the IMF and World Bank meeting in ten days, fasters with Voices for Creative Nonviolence will call for the cancellation of the $125 billion of debt incurred by Saddam Hussein and now thrust upon the Iraqi people.

From September 27-29, fasters will move on to the United Nations building in New York City while the UN Compensation Commission meets in Geneva. Both the IMF and UNCC meetings are critical because they will determine the United States’ and international demands for Iraq’s repayment of debt and reparations.

The UNCC’s claims for Iraqi debt relate to the invasion and occupation of Kuwait in 1990-91 by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Iraq has paid $19 billion in reparations claims, including over $2 billion since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime. The UNCC imposed an additional $33 billion in war reparations claims against Iraq which are yet to be paid. Virtually all unpaid claims are owed to oil companies or governments. Virtually all claims of individual people are settled and paid.

Fast participants will present five key demands which must be met for economic justice for Iraqis:

by Carl Davison, Michael Lynn

CHICAGO (September 15, 2005) -The Chicago City Council Wednesday passed a resolution demanding the removal of US troops from Iraq. Passing by a Council vote of 29 to 9, with 12 abstaining or not voting, the resolution urges ‘the United States government to immediately commence an orderly and rapid withdrawal’ from Iraq. In addition to the death and suffering of the war, the resolution stressed that ‘Chicago residents’ share of monies appropriated for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan now exceeds $2.1 billion.’

Chicago is now the largest U.S city to take this stand. The only other major US city to pass a similar resolution is San Francisco. The Evanston, IL City Council voted against the war yesterday, and Gary, IN did so last month.

by Mike Ferner

All last week I had a rare opportunity – to join several impressive speakers on the “Bring Them Home Now” tour’s northern route. Al Zappala, whose son was killed in Iraq last year; Tammara Rosenleaf, whose husband is due to deploy to Iraq this fall; Stacy Bannerman, whose husband has already served a tour in Iraq; Carlos Arredondo, whose son was killed during a second tour in Iraq; Elliott Adams, former Army paratrooper in Viet Nam; and two Iraq war veterans: former Marine, Michael Hoffman, and Cody Camacho, former Army Specialist.

At each stop I was with them: Detroit, Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Albany, Amherst, and Boston, we explained what motivated us to be on the tour. We condemned the war and ongoing occupation. We urged people to attend the massive demonstrations planned for September 24-26 in Washington, D.C.