The World Says no to War- Come to NYC Feb 15

Transfered from old site <!--break--> REPOSTED FROM "ROCHESTER LIST" &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>Ms. Cagan, 55, is the co-chairwoman of United for Peace and Justice, the &nbsp;<BR>umbrella group that is organizing the protests. The city has refused to &nbsp;<BR>grant her a parade and rally permit for more than 10,000 people. She and &nbsp;<BR>other coalition representatives have scheduled a second meeting with the &nbsp;<BR>Police Department and the city's corporation counsel today. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>"This may be our last chance to stop the war," she said. "If it starts, &nbsp;<BR>it will be much harder to end. If marches do not work, we will escalate. &nbsp;<BR>We will have to do things to disrupt the normal flow of life in this &nbsp;<BR>country. There will have to be more civil disobedience. If bombs are &nbsp;<BR>being dropped on other people in our name and with our tax dollars, we &nbsp;<BR>will do what we can to make sure these bombs do not get there." &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>Here in Rochester, we are making plans to join the protests in New York. Local SEIU 1199 has a bus, RIT students will fill a bus, Geneseo students will fill a bus, Metro Justice already has two buses filled. Call today to reserve your seat and volunteer to help. 325-2560, 414-4274 &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>As Leslie Cagan said, this might be our last chance to stop this war, so on Saturday, February 15th we roll into New York City, with or without permission. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>See you in the streets, &nbsp;<BR>Jess &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>*** &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>PUBLIC LIVES &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>A Longtime Antiwar Activist, Escalating the Peace &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>By CHRIS HEDGES &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>LESLIE CAGAN is willing to count many things. She will count the &nbsp;<BR>billions the United States will spend if it goes to war in Iraq. She &nbsp;<BR>will count the dead. She will count the oil companies that line up for &nbsp;<BR>the spoils. She will count the nations that turn their backs on this &nbsp;<BR>country in anger. And she will, on Feb. 15, count the demonstrators who &nbsp;<BR>are to gather in Manhattan and three dozen cities around the globe to &nbsp;<BR>rally to stop the war. She will count all this. She is counting now. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>But Ms. Cagan will not count down the days until a war. She is an &nbsp;<BR>apostate, an unbeliever, a heretic to those who preach the gospel of &nbsp;<BR>glory and power and empire. They count one way. She counts another. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>"This may be our last chance to stop the war," she said. "If it starts, &nbsp;<BR>it will be much harder to end. If marches do not work, we will escalate. &nbsp;<BR>We will have to do things to disrupt the normal flow of life in this &nbsp;<BR>country. There will have to be more civil disobedience. If bombs are &nbsp;<BR>being dropped on other people in our name and with our tax dollars, we &nbsp;<BR>will do what we can to make sure these bombs do not get there." &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>Ms. Cagan, 55, is the co-chairwoman of United for Peace and Justice, the &nbsp;<BR>umbrella group that is organizing the protests. The city has refused to &nbsp;<BR>grant her a parade and rally permit for more than 10,000 people. She and &nbsp;<BR>other coalition representatives have scheduled a second meeting with the &nbsp;<BR>Police Department and the city's corporation counsel today. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>"If we do not get a parade and rally permit for over 100,000, we will go &nbsp;<BR>to court," she said. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>Ms. Cagan, in a zippered sweatshirt and baggy jeans, sat in a small &nbsp;<BR>corner cubicle set up in space donated by the Local 1199/S.E.I.U health &nbsp;<BR>and hospital workers' union on 42nd Street. Her graying hair was chopped &nbsp;<BR>and cut in what looked like a studied snub of hair stylists. The rows of &nbsp;<BR>fluorescent lights overhead were turned off "because it gives people &nbsp;<BR>headaches." And in the gloomy half light of the room, her face was lit &nbsp;<BR>up by the backlight of her Apple computer. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>She has kept ideological leanings out of the protest. The fliers being &nbsp;<BR>distributed are simple and direct, with the slogan "The World Says No to &nbsp;<BR>War," along with a list of cities from Copenhagen to Rome that will also &nbsp;<BR>see protests on that date. The first call for demonstrations on Feb. 15 &nbsp;<BR>was issued by the European Social Forum. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>She is one of the grandes dames of the country's progressive movement. &nbsp;<BR>As a student at New York University in 1968, she did not drop out &nbsp;<BR>because that would have made it "harder to organize on campus." She &nbsp;<BR>graduated with a degree in art history to become a professional &nbsp;<BR>organizer, emerging as a national figure in the antiwar movement. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>But unlike others who cleaned themselves up, got a conventional job and &nbsp;<BR>looked back on protest as one of the dalliances of youth, she kept at &nbsp;<BR>it. She alternated between managing independent, left-wing political &nbsp;<BR>campaigns, like Mel King's Congressional run in Boston, to working in &nbsp;<BR>the lesbian-gay rights movement, the antinuclear movement and the &nbsp;<BR>campaign to normalize relations with Cuba. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>"I am not a pacifist," she said. "I am a scaredy-cat. I can't imagine &nbsp;<BR>going up against the military might that we can unleash on other &nbsp;<BR>countries. But I believe people have a right to self-defense. I hope &nbsp;<BR>that if I had been in the Spanish Civil War I would have found the &nbsp;<BR>courage to fight back." &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>HER organizational skills are prodigious. Young women and men leaned &nbsp;<BR>into her cubicle every few minutes to get checks signed, confirm meeting &nbsp;<BR>times and pass on messages. Outside her office, a group of activists &nbsp;<BR>were seated in a semicircle, backpacks strewn across the floor and &nbsp;<BR>buttons on their shirts reading "No Blood for Oil," passionately &nbsp;<BR>debating tactics. On the wall were sheets of white paper with the names &nbsp;<BR>of speakers who have agreed to address the demonstrators in Central Park &nbsp;<BR>after the march, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Julian Bond, Patti &nbsp;<BR>Smith and poets from "Def Poetry Jam." &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>There are some 300 volunteer groups currently passing out hundreds of &nbsp;<BR>thousands of fliers across the city in languages from Creole to Arabic &nbsp;<BR>to Chinese. If they are as warmly embraced as Ms. Cagan insists they &nbsp;<BR>are, her math may soon mean a lot. &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>"The difference between this antiwar protest movement and the Vietnam &nbsp;<BR>antiwar movement is that we have a huge grass-roots campaign before the &nbsp;<BR>war has even begun," she said. "Our volunteers on the subway are &nbsp;<BR>approached by strangers requesting leaflets." &nbsp;<BR> &nbsp;<BR>Life as an activist is not easy. The pay is meager, the job security &nbsp;<BR>poor and the stress, especially given the effort to hold together &nbsp;<BR>fractious and opinionated groups, tremendous. &nbsp;<BR>

<p>Transfered from old site</p> <!--break--><p>REPOSTED FROM "ROCHESTER LIST"<br />  <br /><br />  <br />Ms. Cagan, 55, is the co-chairwoman of United for Peace and Justice, the<br />  <br />umbrella group that is organizing the protests. The city has refused to<br />  <br />grant her a parade and rally permit for more than 10,000 people. She and<br />  <br />other coalition representatives have scheduled a second meeting with the<br />  <br />Police Department and the city's corporation counsel today.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />"This may be our last chance to stop the war," she said. "If it starts,<br />  <br />it will be much harder to end. If marches do not work, we will escalate.<br />  <br />We will have to do things to disrupt the normal flow of life in this<br />  <br />country. There will have to be more civil disobedience. If bombs are<br />  <br />being dropped on other people in our name and with our tax dollars, we<br />  <br />will do what we can to make sure these bombs do not get there."<br />  <br /><br />  <br />Here in Rochester, we are making plans to join the protests in New York. Local SEIU 1199 has a bus, RIT students will fill a bus, Geneseo students will fill a bus, Metro Justice already has two buses filled. Call today to reserve your seat and volunteer to help. 325-2560, 414-4274<br />  <br /><br />  <br />As Leslie Cagan said, this might be our last chance to stop this war, so on Saturday, February 15th we roll into New York City, with or without permission.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />See you in the streets,<br />  <br />Jess<br />  <br /><br />  <br />***<br />  <br /><br />  <br />PUBLIC LIVES<br />  <br /><br />  <br />A Longtime Antiwar Activist, Escalating the Peace<br />  <br /><br />  <br />By CHRIS HEDGES<br />  <br /><br />  <br />LESLIE CAGAN is willing to count many things. She will count the<br />  <br />billions the United States will spend if it goes to war in Iraq. She<br />  <br />will count the dead. She will count the oil companies that line up for<br />  <br />the spoils. She will count the nations that turn their backs on this<br />  <br />country in anger. And she will, on Feb. 15, count the demonstrators who<br />  <br />are to gather in Manhattan and three dozen cities around the globe to<br />  <br />rally to stop the war. She will count all this. She is counting now.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />But Ms. Cagan will not count down the days until a war. She is an<br />  <br />apostate, an unbeliever, a heretic to those who preach the gospel of<br />  <br />glory and power and empire. They count one way. She counts another.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />"This may be our last chance to stop the war," she said. "If it starts,<br />  <br />it will be much harder to end. If marches do not work, we will escalate.<br />  <br />We will have to do things to disrupt the normal flow of life in this<br />  <br />country. There will have to be more civil disobedience. If bombs are<br />  <br />being dropped on other people in our name and with our tax dollars, we<br />  <br />will do what we can to make sure these bombs do not get there."<br />  <br /><br />  <br />Ms. Cagan, 55, is the co-chairwoman of United for Peace and Justice, the<br />  <br />umbrella group that is organizing the protests. The city has refused to<br />  <br />grant her a parade and rally permit for more than 10,000 people. She and<br />  <br />other coalition representatives have scheduled a second meeting with the<br />  <br />Police Department and the city's corporation counsel today.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />"If we do not get a parade and rally permit for over 100,000, we will go<br />  <br />to court," she said.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />Ms. Cagan, in a zippered sweatshirt and baggy jeans, sat in a small<br />  <br />corner cubicle set up in space donated by the Local 1199/S.E.I.U health<br />  <br />and hospital workers' union on 42nd Street. Her graying hair was chopped<br />  <br />and cut in what looked like a studied snub of hair stylists. The rows of<br />  <br />fluorescent lights overhead were turned off "because it gives people<br />  <br />headaches." And in the gloomy half light of the room, her face was lit<br />  <br />up by the backlight of her Apple computer.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />She has kept ideological leanings out of the protest. The fliers being<br />  <br />distributed are simple and direct, with the slogan "The World Says No to<br />  <br />War," along with a list of cities from Copenhagen to Rome that will also<br />  <br />see protests on that date. The first call for demonstrations on Feb. 15<br />  <br />was issued by the European Social Forum.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />She is one of the grandes dames of the country's progressive movement.<br />  <br />As a student at New York University in 1968, she did not drop out<br />  <br />because that would have made it "harder to organize on campus." She<br />  <br />graduated with a degree in art history to become a professional<br />  <br />organizer, emerging as a national figure in the antiwar movement.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />But unlike others who cleaned themselves up, got a conventional job and<br />  <br />looked back on protest as one of the dalliances of youth, she kept at<br />  <br />it. She alternated between managing independent, left-wing political<br />  <br />campaigns, like Mel King's Congressional run in Boston, to working in<br />  <br />the lesbian-gay rights movement, the antinuclear movement and the<br />  <br />campaign to normalize relations with Cuba.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />"I am not a pacifist," she said. "I am a scaredy-cat. I can't imagine<br />  <br />going up against the military might that we can unleash on other<br />  <br />countries. But I believe people have a right to self-defense. I hope<br />  <br />that if I had been in the Spanish Civil War I would have found the<br />  <br />courage to fight back."<br />  <br /><br />  <br />HER organizational skills are prodigious. Young women and men leaned<br />  <br />into her cubicle every few minutes to get checks signed, confirm meeting<br />  <br />times and pass on messages. Outside her office, a group of activists<br />  <br />were seated in a semicircle, backpacks strewn across the floor and<br />  <br />buttons on their shirts reading "No Blood for Oil," passionately<br />  <br />debating tactics. On the wall were sheets of white paper with the names<br />  <br />of speakers who have agreed to address the demonstrators in Central Park<br />  <br />after the march, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Julian Bond, Patti<br />  <br />Smith and poets from "Def Poetry Jam."<br />  <br /><br />  <br />There are some 300 volunteer groups currently passing out hundreds of<br />  <br />thousands of fliers across the city in languages from Creole to Arabic<br />  <br />to Chinese. If they are as warmly embraced as Ms. Cagan insists they<br />  <br />are, her math may soon mean a lot.<br />  <br /><br />  <br />"The difference between this antiwar protest movement and the Vietnam<br />  <br />antiwar movement is that we have a huge grass-roots campaign before the<br />  <br />war has even begun," she said. "Our volunteers on the subway are<br />  <br />approached by strangers requesting leaflets."<br />  <br /><br />  <br />Life as an activist is not easy. The pay is meager, the job security<br />  <br />poor and the stress, especially given the effort to hold together<br />  <br />fractious and opinionated groups, tremendous.<br />  <br /></p>