Global Peace And Justice Auckland Newsletter #19, January 30, 2003

Website http://www.gpja.pl.net/ Contact details: Forums - John Minto, (09)
8463173 mailto: mailto:jbminto@xtra.co.nz; Newsletter Editor - Mike Treen 0212547440
miket@pl.net Web page - Geraldine Peters (09) 3570655 mailto: mailto:bern@ihug.co.nz
Donations can be sent to GPJA, 84 Paice Ave, Sandringham, Auckland. All
communication regarding the GPJA mailing list (email or snail) should be
addressed to mailto: mailto:gpjamailinglist@xtra.co.nz

MOBILISE AGAINST WAR

GPJA FORUM AND ORGANISING MEETING MONDAY, FEB 3(7.30PM TRADES HALL)

MARCH ON SATURDAY, FEB 15 (12 NOON, QEII SQUARE)

PEACE CONCERT SUNDAY, FEB 16 (1PM, POTTERS PARK)

Dear friends,

The march towards war is accelerating with Bush's so-called State of the
Union address being used to rally support for a war. He announced that the
UN Security Council was to be "summoned" to hear a report from his Secretary
of State Colin Powell. We can expect that to be an ultimatum to the other
"great powers" to support the war or be sidelined in decisions to be made
for a post-war Iraq.

Helen Clark continues to promise support for the invasion if it gets the nod
from the UN Security Council and places the responsibility on Iraq for
failing to "comply in full with the (UN) resolution and the requirements of
UNMOVIC." This she says "will clearly provoke war with or without Security
Council sanction." (see
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PA0301/S00278.htm)

In the face of a war with devastating consequences for the people of Iraq and the world this academic detachment is irresponsible in the extreme. There has not been a word on criticism of the US war drive. The decision to replace the frigate Te Kaha with the frigate Te Mana in the Gulf sends a clear signal that the NZ government has no problem being part of the armada gathering in the Gulf. If war breaks out it will be impossible to claim it is only there to look for al Qaeda suspects when its official duties include "escorting coalition vessels through the Straits of Hormuz".

You can help organise opposition to this war and any NZ participation in it by coming to the next GPJA meeting this Monday, Feb 3, 7.30pm, Trades Hall,147 Great North Rd. Publicity will be available to pick up to advertise the protest march planned for the international day of action on Saturday, February 15 and the Peace festival in Potters Park on Sunday, February 16th.

A great line-up of artists have volunteered to perform on the 16th including: Don McGlashen, Shona Laing & Karen Hunter, Golden Horse, Caitlin Smith, The Weather, Taos, One Voice Choir, Brenda Lydiard and Mark Laurent, Selwn College Band, Salon Kingsadore, Michele Acourt. NB STARTING TIME CHANGED TO 1PM.

POSTERS AND LEAFLETS CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM http://gpja.pl.net/ These will be posted over these next few days.

DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED

Building an antiwar movement costs money. We are often given helpful suggestions on how we could advertise our events more effectively. The simple fact is that the biggest constraint is that we depend on donations for everything we do. That means people like you. Send a cheque to GPJA, 84 Paice Ave, Sandringham, Auckland. Better still make a small monthly Automatic Payment - Contact our treasurer Brian Vandam for a form: mailto: mailto:vandam@math.auckland.ac.nz

WHAT'S ON IN AUCKLAND WILL BE UPDATED NEXT NEWSLETTER

FROM DAVOS - A capitalist war?

".If we go to war, we will use force in the most economical way possible." - Policy Planning Director, Richard Haass, U.S. State Department to host Nic Gowing, during the Special BBC World Debate held at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, 26/01/03.

BEST ON THE WEB

ANTIWAR MOVEMENT

Anti-war protesters announce Feb. 15 rally for `millions' NEW YORK - Anti-war protesters on Wednesday predicted "literally millions" of people in New York, San Francisco and more than 30 international cities would march the weekend of Feb. 15 against war in Iraq.

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5058881.htm
See also: http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
http://www.internationalanswer.org/
http://peacefultomorrows.org/

NZ Protests - Devonport, Waihopai, Wellington
http://www.indymedia.org.nz/

US war plans stirs protestors
It was a sight rarely seen in Blenheim since the days of the 1981 Springbok tour.
More than 200 people, concerned at American aggression towards Iraq, took to the streets on Saturday morning to protest against a possible war in the Middle East http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/marlboroughexpress/0,2106,2221199a6008,00.html

Kiwi among 'human shields' heading for Iraq
http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2208262a11,00.html

Sunday, January 19: On Sunday, people from the McMurdo Station in Antarctica joined with the millions of others around the world in calling for peace not war. With the Antarctic Mt Range in the background we laid on the ice in a symbolic call for peace. Seven continents united." http://www.vicpeace.org/iraq/actions/19jan-antartica.html

In timing and in size, last weekend's antiwar protests made history http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/3612389.html

Front pages of an antiwar tabloid!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/frontpages/

Not in our name statement published as two-page add in New York Times http://www.nion.us/NION.HTM

US Churches preparing for civil disobedience against war http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,881282,00.html

PILGER AND FISK

Pilger: Blair is a coward
William Russell, the great correspondent who reported the carnage of imperial wars, may have first used the expression "blood on his hands" to describe impeccable politicians who, at a safe distance, order the mass killing of ordinary people.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12581179&method=full&siteid=50143

Robert Fisk: The wartime deceptions: Saddam is Hitler and it's not about oil http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=373102

Robert Fisk: The coffee table war
American publishers have been churning out glossy memorials to the Twin Towers and bullish pro- war propaganda. But do their arguments stand up?
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=373317

IRAQ WAR

IMAGES: This is what the Gulf war looks like http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0301/S00125.htm

Playing hide and seek with Saddam - Mark Steel
http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=371877

Counting the dead
In the event of war, how many Iraqi civilians will die? And how many will starve, or be displaced? In secret, the UN has been doing the sums http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,884356,00.html

Bush is losing it
It was a bad week for the Bush administration, and it's likely to get worse. The American people are beginning to understand the folly and greed that inform its economic policy. And most of the civilized world has turned decisively against the Iraqi adventure.
http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15012

Troops in Gulf to use uranium shells
http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/22-1-19103-0-15-32.html

We're going for oil
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12554272&method=full&

US accused of using torture during interrogation
http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en16188&F_catID=&f_type=source

An engineered crisis
The desire for hegemony over the Middle East - not Iraq's weaponry or even its oil - is America's real motivation for war, writes Brian Whitaker http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4592284,00.html

US hypocrisy over biological weapons
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_27-1-2003_pg4_6

America's dreams of empire
http://www.latimes.com/la-op-hoodbhoy26jan26001512,0,2180773.story

War Whatever
Bush aide: Inspections or not, we'll attack Iraq http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12377231&method=full&

The other State of the Union
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0128-01.htm

The Nazi connection of Granddad Bush
In October of 1942, under the Trading With the Enemy Act, the U.S. government halted operations at New York's Union Banking Corporation. A bank official was charged with "Running Nazi front groups in the United States." His name: Prescott Bush.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/HL0301/S00114.htm

GLOBAL JUSTICE MOVEMENT

"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing" - Arundhati Roy; January 28, 2003 Porto Alegre, Brazil
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=1&ItemID=2919>http://www.zmag.or>http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=1&ItemID=2919

Global Justice movement stronger than ever - George Monibot http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,883654,00.html

"Argentina: A new kind of revolution" Guardian's Weekend magazine.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4589659,00.html (pt 1)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4591063,00.html (pt 2)

Kelsey on GATS: "Spread the word!"
More than 100 people crowded into Wellington City Council chambers yesterday evening to attend the launch of Professor Jane Kelsey's "Serving whose interests?", a shocking expose on what the secretly negotiated GATS (the General Agreement on Trade in Services) means for New Zealanders.
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/PO0301/S00104.htm

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