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The
Government is trying to
silence
antiwar resistance in September
Defend our right to erect
antiwar tents on the Capitol Mall!
Stop the War at Home & Abroad -
Stop the War Against the Movement
SIGN
THE PETITION ONLINE
Three
months ago, the Troops Out Now Coalition applied to the National
Parks Service for permits to erect an
anti-war tent city on the Mall
across from the Capitol in Washington DC from September 22 to September
29, as a build up to the March against the war at home and abroad on
September 29.
As some of you might recall, we organized a tent city (encampment) on
this same area last spring, as a part of the fight to end all war
funding.
In a meeting with representatives of the National Parks Service, on
Thursday, August 23, we were informed for the first time that we would
not be allowed to erect the tents because suddenly, it had been decided
that all of the areas on the Mall where tents could be erected would be
fenced off and would under go “re-soding” at the very time that we
planned to use the mall.
We don’t believe that it’s a coincidence that the Mall area closest to
the Capitol is suddenly off limits to protest during the very time when
Congress will again be voting to spend another $145 billion dollars on
the war and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Everyone knows that
September is going to be a crucial month for the struggle to end this
criminal war. The anti-war movement has been mobilizing all summer for
the fall.
Momentum for the September 22-29 Encampment to Stop the
War and the September 29 March on Washington is growing, with more than
70 organizing centers and 32 states across the U.S. actively
mobilizing. Every day we learn of new cities that are organizing
buses, car caravans, and vans. Every day, activists are calling and
emailing to let us know that they will be joining the Encampment.
Apparently, the government has also been preparing for
the fall, preparing to silence mass resistance to the war unless we do
something about it. Recently the ANSWER Coalition was hit with
$10,000 fines for postering for the Sept. 15 march. And now, we learn
that the Mall is off limits. Make no mistake about it, the efforts
on behalf of the government to squelch resistance to the empire are
real and dangerous, but they will not work if we unite and fight back.
WE
ARE CONFIDENT THAT WE WILL WIN WITH YOUR SUPPORT
What you can do:
- Join us in a campaign to let
the politicians in Washington D.C. know that we will not be silenced.
Please sign the petition online at http://www.troopsoutnow.org/grantencampmentpermit.shtml
- Please call Mary A. Bomar,
Director of the National Park Service at (202) 208-6843 and
Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne at (202) 208-6416
- Make a donation to help us
with the enormous costs of organizing for the Encampment to Stop the
War and the March on Washington. In addition to printing hundreds of
thousands of leaflets, organizing buses, purchasing or renting
equipment for the Encampment, we now face the expenses of mounting a
political and legal challenge to stop Washington's attempt to silence
dissent. You can donate online at http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml
With your continued help and
support, we are continuing to organize and mobilize for the Encampment
to Stop the War and the September 29 March on Washington. If you
haven't made plans to participate, please contact a local organizing
center at www.troopsoutnow.org/sept2907orgcents.shtml
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add
this button to your blog or website
Help us push back this attack on
our right to assemble and speak out against the criminal occupation of
Iraq.
Sign the Petition: http://www.troopsoutnow.org/grantencampmentpermit.shtml
Make an online donation to help with the enormous expenses
involved in moving forward with the Encampment.
http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml
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