At a time when the danger of cataclysmic war is greater than ever the US peace movement is in tatters. Please join and support Cindy’s efforts to inject some life into this supremely important campaign.
On October 21, 1967, 50,000 people marched on the Pentagon in opposition to the escalation of US imperialist aggression in Vietnam. An anti-war rally was held at West Potomac park near the Lincoln Memorial where 70,000 people had gathered for a concert by musician and peace activist Phil Ochs. Both groups joined together and marched; this action was to be known as the March on the Pentagon.
During 1967 there were numerous anti-war marches across the nation in all major cities including New York, Boston, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
These actions and the protests and demos of the 1968 presidential elections would lead to the call for a general strike which culminated in the mobilization of 500,000 protestors in another march on the Pentagon known as the Vietnam Moratorium which took place on October 15, 1969. A month later, due to the success of the first march, another rally was held.
On October 7th, 2001, the US invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of apprehending those behind the attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001. US forces have remained in active occupation, making the illegal and immoral war in Afghanistan the longest foreign occupation in US history. In response to ongoing US military aggression across the globe and the continuing bi-partisan increases in Pentagon funding we are calling for a 21st century March on the Pentagon on the 51st anniversary of the massive 1967 march and all the subsequent marches. The bloated military budget is draining our communities and families dry of precious blood and treasure while decimating nations and peoples who have done nothing to us.
The working title, “Women’s March on the Pentagon” is in direct response to a leader in the recent women’s march who said, “I appreciate that war is YOUR issue Cindy, but the Women’s March will NEVER address the war issue as long as women aren’t free.”
It is the belief of many of us that NO woman is free while the US spends trillions of dollars bombing millions and militarily occupying over 150 countries around the world.
Our demands are simple: The complete end to the wars abroad; closure of foreign bases; dramatically slash the Pentagon budget to fund healthy social programs here at home: the only good empire is a gone empire.
The antiwar/peace, anti-Imperialist voice has been shut out of, or marginalized by many protests and movements especially since Trump was inaugurated. We are in solidarity with most social and environmental movements, yet many refuse to address war and the preparations for war. War affects us all in one way or another. War destroys the natural environment. This March will not degenerate into a Get out the Vote Rally for the complicit Democrats.
The “nuclear clock” is at two minutes to midnight, and with the threat of nuclear annihilation becoming an incomprehensible reality, WE MUST MARCH FOR PEACE AND AGAINST THE WAR MACHINE.
To create a space in which to connect the dots of US Militarism back to the liberation and emancipation of all people around the world and to reverse the effects that the US War Machine has on the degradation of the environment we call for endorsement of this action. Although the working title is “Women’s March on the Pentagon” we invite all participation. At the moment our only web presence is on Facebook at: Women’s March on the Pentagon. We are furiously catching up with the excitement generated by the initial proposal.
We are also planning on calling for solidarity marches around the world to march, or rally in front of military installations, US embassies, or war profiteers for those who cannot make it to the March on the Pentagon.
If you’d like to be an initial endorser/supporter of this call, please email Cindy Sheehan at:
CindySheehansSoapbox@gmail.com and give her your name and way you’d like to be identified.
We will be opening the call to everyone soon and will actively begin to organize in March 2018 with a national call in meeting and tentative meetings with Cindy Sheehan in:
Washington DC: April 5
Boston: April 9
NYC: April 10
SF: (TBD)
LA: (TBD)
Chicago: (TBD)
Hoping to hear from you soon and looking forward to working with you on this important issue, once again.
—Cindy.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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Terrific call to action by Cindy. It should meet with widespread support! Can anyone suggest an issue as important and urgent as avoiding nuclear war and the constant criminal wars that kill millions of people around the world on the most transparently hypocritical reasons? The military glorification and war bullshit by the prestitutes and politicians has gone way too far in this country. Enough is enough.