THE SAN DIEGO COALITION FOR PEACE AND
JUSTICE generally meets the first and third
Monday of each month (if unsure, call (619) 263-9301
or email info@sdcpj.org) at
the First Church of the Brethren at 7 pm, 3850
Westgate Place, San Diego. For directions, click
here.
HIGH SCHOOL LEAFLETTING Help pass out anti-war/pro-peace leaflets at local
high schools (La Jolla, Sweetwater, Poway, San
Marcos, San Dieguito, Madison, Lincoln, Vista and
others). For more info: sjagitator@ucsd.edu
Get Involved with Peace!
The U.S. occupation of Iraq has led to approximately
4,000 American deaths and roughly 30,000 injuries.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died and millions are homeless.
Spending on the war thus far has been:
over $520,000,000,000
(slightly abridged)
I've got some bad news.
My friends at the Courage Campaign asked me to convey it to you personally by email, given this community's activism against Blackwater over the last year.
Thursday, June 5th, after a federal judge cleared the way, Blackwater opened a large training facility in San Diego, just three blocks from the border that separates California and Mexico.
As you may know, I wrote a book ("Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army") chronicling how this dangerous private security corporation leveraged over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars in Iraq and Afghanistan to build an elite Praetorian Guard for the "global war on terror." Now, Blackwater is setting its sights on the so-called "war on drugs" and recently opened its own private CIA, called "Total Intelligence Solutions," marketing "CIA-type services" to Fortune 500 companies.
Blackwater is aggressively building up a parallel infrastructure to the U.S. national security apparatus as its owner, Erik Prince, promotes Blackwater as the "Federal Express" of the military industrial complex.
And now Blackwater has set up shop in California a stone's throw from the Tijuana International Airport. But this battle with Blackwater is not over. Grassroots activists in San Diego, led by relentless local groups like Citizens' Oversight Projects, Activist San Diego, and the Peace Resource Center of San Diego, are ramping up their campaign to shut down Blackwater's base of operations on the border.
Chris Hedges, the former Middle East Bureau Chief for the New York Times, brilliantly captures the threat that Blackwater represents to us in this excerpt from his review of my book:
"These hired guns... appeared on the streets of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. They operate, at home and abroad, beyond the bounds of legal constraints and are controlled by secretive puppet masters, such as Erik Prince, who have close ties to the radical Christian right.
Should our nation enter a period of instability following another terrorist attack on American soil, an economic collapse, or a series of environmental disasters, the tyranny that groups such as Blackwater impose on others could become the tyranny they impose on us. The rise of this unchecked mercenary force... could presage the final stage in the collapse of American democracy."
Those are harrowing words, I know. But this is not hyperbole -- it's reality. And that's why we need to spread the word that Blackwater has just opened a base of operations inside California. If we don't act soon to push these mercenaries out of California, the nightmare scenarios described above could be realized right before our eyes.
Thank you for taking time to read this message and send it to your friends.
Jeremy Scahill
P.S. If you are interested in reading more about Blackwater, and would like to buy my book, please consider making it a two-for-one action by making a donation to my good friends at the Courage Campaign.
If you contribute at least $50 to the Courage Campaign, I'll sign a copy of "Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army" and Courage will send it to you as soon as possible:
..............
The Courage Campaign is an online organizing network empowering nearly 100,000 members to make this a new era for progressive politics in California. In 2008, the Courage Campaign will work with grassroots and netroots activists to increase California's importance in the race for the White House, hold our elected officials accountable, and defeat the November initiative that would ban marriage equality.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! PLEASE COME TO THE COUNCIL MEETINGS AND HELP US DEMONSTRATE THAT SAN DIEGANS DO NOT WANT BLACKWATER IN OUR COMMUNITY (OR ANYWHERE).
12th floor, 202 "C" Street
Downtown San Diego
More info on Blackwater: www.prcsd.org
Thank you for your support!
Peace Resource Center of San Diego and Activist San Diego
Below are the "strategic guidelines" as adopted by the Coalition at the June 19, 2006 meeting
San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice
Strategic Guidelines
The peace movement has experienced remarkable success in shaping public opinion with regard to the war on Iraq. Recent polls substantiate that nearly two-thirds of Americans oppose the war. Unfortunately, public sentiment has not been reflected in public policy. A disempowered Congress, a toothless media, and an unyielding administration bent on "staying the course" necessitate our finding new ways to engage with power. With this in mind, the San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice adopts the following guidelines to be used in the planning and implementation of future SDCPJ activities:
1) SDCPJ will engage in nonviolent activities
2) SDCPJ will engage in anti-war activities of high visibility
3) SDCPJ will engage in activities that increase the political costs of the war
4) SDCPJ will engage in activities that directly impede the administration’s ability to prosecute war
5) SDCPJ will plan and implement activities which reflect a high degree of moral outrage with the continuing occupation of Iraq
6) SDCPJ will carry out activities proportional to the crimes committed in Iraq
7) SDCPJ will engage in activities virtually assured to penetrate media blackout
8) SDCPJ will engage in activities that demand response from elected officials
9) SDCPJ will engage in activities that empower participants and challenge the climate of fear
10) SDCPJ will prioritize outreach to new groups and individuals, and the formation of new alliances
The San Diego Coalition for Peace & Justice welcomes your comments and ideas. Please email your thoughts to info@sdcpj.org
POSTED MONDAY, DECEMBER 20TH
Please see the document below (SDCPJ Statement) for the coalition's statement on NBC's revelation of the Pentagon's spying on counter-recruitment and anti-nuclear organizations.
You can see MSNBC's orginal article, including link to 8-page excerpt from Pentagon's database at:
The database itself is a secret 400-page Department of Defense document isting more than 1,500 "suspicious incidents" across the country over a recent 10-month period. The 8-page excerpt lists one San Diego event at the 32nd Street Naval Station. This event was a demonstration during the trial of Pablo Paredes.
Attend San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice Meetings
First Church of the Brethren, 3850 Westgate Place. Meetings are generally the first and third Monday of each month. If unsure, or for more information, call 619-263-9301 or email info@sdcpj.org.
