Bring the Troops Home Now!!!

Walk to Ft. Drum

New York Citizens will be marching across the state to bring support to our Active Duty Soldiers and Iraq Veterans against the war.

This march will be an act of rebirthing civic duty and responsibility to defend our Constitution and strengthen our resolve to stop the damage this unjust, illegal, and immoral war is doing to our families, communities and most of all, soldiers.

Join with Veterans, teachers, students, laborers, farmers, children, young and old to call for an end to the war.

VISIT THE EVENT WEBSITE FOR COMPLETE INFORMATION:
===> http://www.nysmarchesforpeace.org <===

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Mobilize to Support Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans, and support the Different Drummer Cafe!

Rochester Against War will be organizing a carpool and possibly a bus to Watertown, NY to the "Ft. Drum Spring Festival" in Watertown, NY home of Ft. Drum at the Black River Park & Campgrounds.

The festival is meant to honor National Armed Services Day with a picnic showing how the antiwar movement supports the troops and showing their families we want the troops home now!

It will also be a time to support the Different Drummer Cafe, the first antiwar, soldiers cafe in a military town and to support Iraq Veterans Against the War who will be in attendance.

===> If you are interested in carpooling or getting on a potential bus, please email us with the subject "GET ON THE BUS" -- contact@rochesterAgainstWar.org <===

Event Details: (click on the image to download the PDF)

Saturday, May 17th, 2008 -- 1:00pm - 7:00pm
Black River Park & Campgrounds
1605 Huntington St., Watertown, NY

• Live music: rock, country, folk, R&B, hip-hop • Games and fun for the kids! • Food for sale or picnic along the river
• Information booths: Military/VA benefits, disability, PTSD treatment, home loans, etc.

Sponsored by the Different Drummer Internet Cafe, 12 Paddock Arcade, downtown Watertown.

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5 Years Too Many! Mark the 5th anniversary of this war with your feet and your voice!

==> CLICK HERE TO SEE A FULL LIST OF EVENTS IN THE "PEACE SURGE" and to download the flyer

The rally will be the culmination of a number of actions happening throughout March

-- Live Screenings of the Winter Soldier II: Iraq and Afghanistan feed from Washington, DC
-- 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War Public Art Installation and Open House Reception at the Storefront Anti-War Crisis Center

Is your group interested in sponsoring / co-sponsoring this demonstration?

==> Click here to request sponsorship/co-sponsorship


Current List of Co-Sponsors:
Iraq Veterans Against the War, Rochester Against War, MoveOn.org / Progressives in Action, The Antiwar Storefront, Peace Action and Education Task Force of Metro Justice, International Socialist Organization, Campus Antiwar Network (CAN), Declaration of Peace Affinity Group, Food Not Bombs, Rochester Indy Media, Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), House of Mercy, 1199 SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, The Public Policy Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester, Brockport Amnesty International Group #191, Veterans for Peace.

===> CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FLYER <===

Winter Soldier Screening Success!

Rochester Against War (RAW) and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) would like to thank everyone who made this event possible and all those who attended. Over 130 people attended the movie screening and most stuck around for the panel discussion.

Here is a report that RAW member Rianne Mitchell wrote:

-- Braving single digit temperatures, on Wednesday, Feb 27th, about 140 people came out to a local movie theatre to view the Vietnam era documentary Winter Soldier and participate in a panel discussion with anti-war veterans from the Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The local chapter of IVAW organized the fundraiser to help send members to the upcoming Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan in Washington DC.

Rochester Against War and other civilian organizations such as the Anti-War Storefront, Peace Action & Education, and Military Families Speak Out provided support for the event that raised more than $1,000. Panel members fielded questions on a range of issues including the military’s treatment of veterans, the war in Afghanistan, and how they came to be against the war. Before, after (and sometimes during) the film, impromptu discussion about soldiers issues could be heard in the lobby, at the concession, and among the staff.

Speaking from the front, local activist Roberto Resto, who was wounded in the Vietnam War and came back to the US and joined the GI resistance movement, underscored the urgency of the tasks facing the anti-war movement, "Forty years later, we haven't learned. We are back in the same quagmire, the same war. Only this time, our weapons are more powerful. We have to stop this nightmare. We cannot continue to send young men and women to die in a war for oil and profit." --

We raised a bunch of money that will help make the IVAW members trip to DC to the national Winter Soldier event possible.

The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle wrote a very good article on the event: ==> click here to read <==

Rochester resident TJ Buonomo: Officer discharged for speaking out

TJ is a local member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and has participated with many groups in Rochester including Rochester Against War. Recently he spoke at a Veterans Day Observance in downtown Rochester (pics coming soon!).

We'll save him the embarrassment of a "profile in courage", instead we'll let him speak for himself. He just gave a wonderful interview with the national war resisters organization, Courage to Resist which is published on their website.

==> click here to listen to the interview <==

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Exclusive Interview with Independent, "Unembedded" journalist Dahr Jamail

Brian Lenzo of Rochester Against War and Jeff DeToro of the International Socialist Organization were able to sit down with Dahr for a discussion of his book, his experiences in Iraq, and the future of the antiwar movement here in the United States.


===> click here to download the interview <===

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Exclusive Interview with war resisters Eli Israel, Camillo Mejia, and Phil Aliff of Iraq Veterans Agaisnt the War!!

Brian Lenzo of Rochester Against War and Kyle Brown of the International Socialist Organization were able to sit down with Camillo, Eli, and Phil for an exclusive soldiers round table discussion on resistance, the war, and the antiwar movement.

click here to download the interview

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450+ Rochestarians Pour Down Main St. on July 2nd!
Stand Up Rochester! Its time to End the War!

Commuters leaving downtown Monday encountered more than 400 protesters calling for an end to the war in Iraq. Some motorists honked and waved in support. Others held their horns continually in hope of moving traffic, which was delayed as the protesters crossed streets with police escorts. Another amazing action that shows the Antiwar Majority has taken to Main St America!


  

==>  Click here for the full image gallery   <===

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