{news} A Call to Resist the War in Iraq - please forward

[Charlie Pillsbury]

A Call to Resist the War in Iraq

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:        John Humphries, 860-236-5175
The Rev. Allie Perry, 203-865-6575; 203-215-2613 (cell)
The Rev. Kathleen McTigue, 203-288-1807; 203-232-1044 (cell)

HONORING the DEAD, OPPOSING the WAR:
FAITH-BASED WITNESS honors the PROPHETIC VOICE of DR.
KING and the US SOLDIERS and IRAQI CIVILIANS who have DIED
in the WAR

Saturday, January 15

New Haven Green

10:00 am - 2:30 pm: Reading the Names

of all US Soldiers who have died in Iraq since the
invasion and an equal number of Iraqi civilians who
have been killed as a result of the war

***PHOTO OP: Portable 60-ft Wall with the Names and
Photos***

Noon: Media Event

featuring readings from Dr. King's 1967 sermon against
the Vietnam War, a public signing of A Call to Resist
the War in Iraq, and launching a new action campaign

Religious leaders and people of faith from around the
state will hold a public witness and press conference
at Noon on January 15, 2005, on the New Haven Green
near the Corner of College and Chapel Streets*.  The
event will mark the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s
birthday, highlighting his opposition to militarism and
war and responding to his call to seek out "every
creative means of protest."  The group will honor those
who have died in the war in Iraq by reading many of
their names.

Challenging faith communities to speak out against the
torture of prisoners and other war crimes, religious
leaders will publicly sign a pledge of resistance and
launch a campaign of coordinated activities to oppose
the war, including providing counseling to military
personnel questioning the justification and morality of
the ongoing war and occupation in Iraq.

"Responsibility for US war crimes in Iraq doesn't lie
with the soldiers who have been called to serve," said
the Rev. Allie Perry. "The responsibility lies with the
high government officials who gave the orders in this
illegal and immoral war, sending men and women,
physically and morally, into harm's way.  And now the
responsibility lies with us, as citizens of the world,
to bring these crimes and this illegal war to a halt."

On April 4, 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
spoke out prophetically against the war in Vietnam. He
urged other people of faith to join him, saying, "We in
the churches and synagogues have a continuing task to
urge our government to disengage itself from a
disgraceful commitment. We must be prepared to match
actions with words by seeking out every creative means
of protest possible.."

"Our generation needs to heed Dr. King's words today",
said the Rev. Kathleen McTigue, of the Unitarian
Society of New Haven. "Religious people in this country
must begin to live up to the mandates of our faiths. We
must raise our voices against the growing slaughter and
destruction in Iraq. We must speak and act, loudly and
consistently, against the torture and other crimes
being committed in our names."

Both Rev. Perry and Rev. McTigue are members of the
Steering Committee for Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice,
a statewide interfaith network of religious leaders and
people of faith promoting nonviolent alternatives to
war.

The group will announce a new campaign to oppose the
war by publicizing the national GI Rights Hotline,
providing training to clergy in counseling military
personnel about their rights, and supporting efforts
around the state to discourage young people from
enlisting in the military and educate them about
conscientious objection.  Preparing for the March 20
anniversary of the invasion, they will collect
humanitarian aid for Iraq, sponsor educational events,
and organize meetings with Congressional
representatives.

Volunteers of all ages will read names of the war dead
in 15-minute shifts, alternating the name of a US
soldier with the name of an Iraqi civilian. Event
organizers estimate that reading the more than 2700
names will take nearly five hours.  The text of the
Call to Resist is posted at
http://internationallaw.pro-se-institute.org/ct_clergy.html

[This is a very powerful call from a group of clergy
and other religious leaders called Reclaiming the
Prophetic Voice.  They are planning to sign and release
it on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, as explained
in the media release that follows the Call.  The Call
could serve as a model for local groups all over the
country. - Jeremy Brecher]

A growing number of U.S. citizens have realized that
the war in Iraq is an immoral and profoundly
destructive waste of both Iraqi and American lives. The
war was begun in violation of international law, and
founded on lies told to our own people and to our
allies. It has included defiance of the Geneva
Conventions with illegal and secret detentions of
prisoners, a denial of due process of law and well-
documented torture and killing of prisoners in American
custody. Its extravagant cost increasingly robs our own
neediest citizens of vital services while enriching a
few private corporations.

We believe it is the moral responsibility of every U.S.
citizen to raise our voices and take action to stop
this illegal war and bring our soldiers home. We
believe it is our duty as both Americans and members of
the international community to insist that our
government immediately adhere to the international
agreements binding us, including the Geneva Accords
protecting prisoners from torture and indefinite
detention.

Many members of the armed services are seeking ways to
avoid service in Iraq or leave the military completely;
some young men are refusing to register for Selective
Service. Increasing numbers of enlisted men and women
are risking prison sentences or forced immigration in
order to avoid collaboration in an immoral war. We
applaud these choices and will do all that we can to
encourage others to follow their example.

More specifically, we support and will spread the word
about the G.I. Rights Hotline and other efforts to
support soldiers in withdrawing from the military. We
will counsel young men turning eighteen on the moral
obligations as well as risks inherent in a refusal to
register with the Selective Service,  and we will raise
funds to support them in their legal defense. Should a
draft be reinstituted we will encourage young men and
women not to comply.

The War Crimes Tribunals following World War II
declared, "Anyone with knowledge of illegal activity
and an opportunity to do something is a potential
criminal under international law, unless the person
takes affirmative measures to prevent the commission of
the crimes."  We, the undersigned, commit ourselves to
undertake all affirmative measures available to us to
fulfill our obligations under these treaties, which
have guided our world for half a century. We will
continue to raise our voices and engage in nonviolent
resistance until our government has withdrawn from Iraq
and brought our soldiers home.

Signed:

RECLAIMING THE PROPHETIC VOICE
c/o 247 Saint Ronan St.
New Haven, CT  06511
(203) 865-6575


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