Upcoming anti-war events

This update is from MoveOn.org, dated 1/10/03
Posted here (slightly edited) 1-13/03

Over the next two weeks, hundreds of events will be taking place across the country to voice opposition to the push for war. The events are catalogued at a great website: http://www.unitedforpeace.org

We suggest you check it out.

Here's the context: On Jan. 9th, Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, told the security council that his team hadn't found any "smoking guns." On January 27th, Blix will make a full report to the council; he's widely expected to repeat that to date, no evidence of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction have been found. And according to newspaper reports, Tony Blair's "assessment of the situation is increasingly in line with that of Mr. Blix."

Meanwhile, at the White House, Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer continued to make the case for invading Iraq. It's widely believed that President Bush will use the January 27th report by Hans Blix to the Security Council, and his State of the Union address the day after, to launch his final push for war.

We face the prospect of an imminent war against Iraq, fought alone. Luckily, as the British newspaper The Guardian put it, the tides are turning. The world community wants to see the inspections process work, and some of our closest allies are questioning the push for war.

Throughout this month, leading up to the 27th, hundreds of groups across the country will be holding marches, workshops, vigils, and other events indicating the public opposition to war. There will be major marches in Washington, DC and San Francisco. And from Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Las Vegas, Nevada, people are gathering to voice their concern. The events are listed at: http://www.unitedforpeace.org

You can also list local events on the site if they're not already there. We can't make any promises about the organization or tone of the events listed at the sites. But we do feel it's important that people speak up at this critical time. Take a look -- maybe there's an event in your area that will appeal to you.

MoveOn will also be doing quite a bit over the next two weeks. Next Thursday, they'll be launching a controversial and hard-hitting "Let the Inspections Work" TV ad, supported by local press conferences in 12 major media markets. And then on the following Tuesday, they'll be holding meetings with members of Congress and their staff. After less than two days, over 6,900 people are signed up.

We've got less than a month to convince President Bush to let the inspections work. Please consider joining an event in your community.

Sincerely,

--Eli Pariser
International Campaigns Director
MoveOn.org
Friday, January 10th, 2002

Here are two interesting news articles on the inspections process and the current prospects for war:

The Guardian: "The tide, after all, appears to have turned. What limited enthusiasm there was for invading Iraq ebbs slowly away in today's papers." http://www.guardian.co.uk/thewrap/