End U.S. Wars At Home And Abroad. Reclaim Armistice Day.
Join Veterans For Peace and Military Families Speak Out for Armistice Day on The Mall in Washington DC on 11/11/2018.
Visit www.NoTrumpMilitaryParade.us for a full list of the weekend events.
This includes a concert on McPherson Square Saturday night, an interfaith service Sunday morning, a solemn veteran and military family-led march on Sunday at 9:00 am and more events at McPherson Square Sunday afternoon, including a BBQ for homeless vets.
Military Families Speak Out & Veterans For Peace with The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Pictured Below: May 29, 2018 – Sacramento, CA – Military Families Speak Out & Veterans For Peace Memorial in conjunction with The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
Military Families Speak Out is participating in The Poor People’s Campaign activities that are taking place TUESDAY May 29th. Every week there are simultaneous nonviolent direct actions in DC and State Capitols across the nation. The 40 days of rallies and direct actions are an integral part of the Poor Peoples Campaign, which was started by Dr. King, who believed the US had lost its moral compass and it’s time to connect the issues of poverty, racism, the war, and now the environment.
The theme this week, the day after Memorial Day, is War, Militarism, War Economy and the Proliferation of Guns. For many military families, Memorial Day is a day of mourning that we spend with our families and loved ones, especially our Gold Star Families. Many of us participate in memorials that let the public reflect on the cost of war. It is because of this, the national leaders of the Poor People’s Campaign responded to MFSO’s request to change the weekly Moral Direct Action to a different day instead of Monday.
‘Wave’ of Arrests in California and U.S. Promised by Poor People’s Campaign, Citing Fight Against Racism, Poverty, War Economy, Ecological Devastation
From the article: “Lauri Loving of Davis and Military Families Speak Out/Veterans for Peace decried the “spiritual death” of the U.S. and its military incursions all over the planet. “It’s time to bring the troops back and take [care] of them,” said Loving, whose son suffers from PTSD and other physical ailments because of his deployment in Iraq.
She criticized the “economic draft” that preys on young men and women in high school to use as “cannon fodder” in “unpopular, unwinnable wars.””
http://www.davisvanguard.org/2018/02/wave-arrests-california-u-s-promised-poor-peoples-campaign-citing-fight/
Bringing Supplies to Deported Veterans in Tijuana
Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) members Linda Valdez, Ed Garza, Jeff Merrick and Pat Alviso loading down Ed’s truck with donations for our deported veteran visit in Tijuana.
Adelante companeros!
Long Beach Veterans Day Parade Photos
In 2007, our application was rejected by the city of Long Beach and Pageantry Productions because of our political stance. We were only asking for the right to march under our organization’s banner and with our organization’s t-shirts. Because we stayed the course, meeting with several officials, and making the front for several days in our local newspaper and some national television news, we were eventually granted permission to march. That was after our friends from Iraq Veterans Against the War rejected an offer to sit on the fire truck, sans IVAW t-shirts, but showed up and saluted all parade marchers in the median on the day of the march.
It was a moment we will never forget and that is another reason to continue to take this annual opportunity to be part of the parade, so we can point out that the wars continue.
We do not participate to glorify war but remind people that we want peace now. Also, we continue to have students pass out informational materials to youth, so they consider the truth and consequences about enlistment and war.
Afghanistan: The Forgotten War
By Mary Hladky, Military Families Speak Out
October 5, 2017 — Watching the PBS series on Vietnam is a graphic reminder of the horrors of war. Unfortunately, one of the few things the U.S. government learned from Vietnam was how to hide the horrors of the Afghanistan war from public view as much as possible, to prevent the backlash experienced during the Vietnam war. No body counts, no reporters roaming free, only embedded journalists, minimal media coverage with little footage of the actual war, and no pictures of coffins returning home.
The Trump Administration has decided to continue to support the war in Afghanistan, only with more troops and no stated end game. As this war completes its 16th year, on October 7, more troops are on their way to Afghanistan. The suffering of our troops, their families and the Afghan people will continue.
Afghanistan is the forgotten war, even though it is currently the United States’ largest military foreign engagement, with 16,000+ troops and tens of thousands of defense and agency contractors.
The only people who benefit from this war are the military contractors and the corrupt Afghan government, made up of many drug and war lords guilty of human rights abuses and war crimes. The Afghan government and Taliban controls, protects, and benefits from the enormous poppy crop that supplies over 90% of the world’s heroin. SIGAR (Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction) reports that reconstruction in Afghanistan is nearly nonexistent after spending $100 billion.
The Afghan government, which the U.S. has propped up with billions of dollars and thousands of American livesremains overwhelmingly corrupt, a government the Afghan people will never accept.
In the meantime, the Taliban has grown in numbers and holds more territory than ever before, 40-50% of the country.
The human costs of war for our troops, the Afghan forces and civilians has been enormous. Death, injuries and nearly a trillion dollars have been wasted for no redeemable benefit. Yet instead of pursuing peace, our government continues to opt for more war.
Americans need to take a stand against the Afghanistan war. We need to reflect on what it is that we believe – ask yourself two basic questions:
How, as Americans, do we continually accept sending young men and women to risk their lives for a futile, never ending war?
What would you say to a mother who loses her son or daughter in Afghanistan? Can you explain what her child actually died for? What was the noble cause?
It’s up to everyone one of us who are uncomfortable with the answers to these questions, to demand an end to the Afghanistan War.
Demonstration against projected troop level increase in Afghanistan
JOIN VETERANS FOR PEACE & MILITARY FAMILIES SPEAK OUT (Chapter 110/ OC)
In a demonstration against another troop level increase in Afghanistan
4:00 p.m. the day after the Trump Administration makes the announcement
PCH and Main St. in Huntington Beach by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher’s office
Please join veterans, military families and other peace groups that are opposed to the increase of troop levels in Afghanistan. Each new sitting president has increased troop levels and it’s time to “END THESE ESCALATIONS”
Peace Contingent at Teaneck, NJ’s Fourth of July Parade
Join Veterans, Military Families, and other area residents in the
Peace Contingent
Teaneck, NJ’s
4th of July Parade
Meet at 9 am
Queen Anne Road and Van Buren, just South of Cedar Lane
Rides are available during the parade.
We will have signs and banners.
Feel free to make your own with these themes:
Bring the troops and contractors home from Afghanistan NOW!
Take care of our troops and veterans when they get home!
Don’t send the NJ National Guard to Afghanistan. Keep them here in NJ for NJ!
Bring the War Dollars Home for Our Communities. Money for health care (education, jobs, housing) – not for war!
The Peace Contingent is sponsored by the Teaneck Peace Vigil, Military Families Speak Out, Bergen County, and Veterans For Peace, Chapter 21 NJ
For final details check the local newspaper.