'저는 그들의 땅을 지키기 위하여 싸웠던 인디안들의 이야기를 기억합니다. 백인들이 그들의 신성한 숲에 도로를 만들기 위하여 나무들을 잘랐습니다. 매일밤 인디안들이 나가서 백인들이 만든 그 길을 해체하면 그 다음 날 백인들이 와서 도로를 다시 짓곤 했습니다. 한동안 그 것이 반복되었습니다. 그러던 어느날, 숲에서 가장 큰 나무가 백인들이 일할 동안 그들 머리 위로 떨어져 말과 마차들을 파괴하고 그들 중 몇몇을 죽였습니다. 그러자 백인들은 떠났고 결코 다시 오지 않았습니다….' (브루스 개그논)





For any updates on the struggle against the Jeju naval base, please go to savejejunow.org and facebook no naval base on Jeju. The facebook provides latest updates.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Text Fwd: CAN'T HAVE GUNS AND BUTTER ANYMORE - TIME TO SPEAK OUT

Former state senator Michael Brennan from Portland was instrumental
in helping to organize the news conference

School teacher and CodePink activist Lisa Savage from Solon outlined the purpose of the campaign
and called on everyone to acknowledge the "elephant" in the middle of the room

Rev. Gary Vencill, United Methodist Church minister from Prospect, spoke about
the moral implications of on-going wars and cutbacks in human needs programs


Social worker Mary Beth Sullivan from Bath connected homeless issues
to massive military spending and made an emotional appeal for an end to the madness


We had about 70 people join us at the Maine state capital in Augusta for our Bring our War $$ Home campaign kick-off news conference this morning. Some key media turned out so our message will make its way across the state.

Just as I began typing this post my radio was tuned to Maine Public Radio and I heard a news spot about our protest. They quoted Lisa Savage saying that Mainers have paid $2.5 billion toward the wars in Iraq-Afghanistan-Pakistan since 2001.

Each of our speakers did a fine job of talking about the serious cuts facing education, health care, social programs and infrastructure across the state. Sadly up to this point those opposing the $438 million in education and social spending cuts in Maine's budget have called for tax increases to make up the difference. But the Democrat Governor John Baldacci has vowed to veto any tax increases and the state legislature has virtually discounted any "revenue enhancements". Thus no one across Maine has been talking about the real "elephant" in the middle of the room which is Pentagon spending and endless war. Today we broke that silence in our state.

Following our news conference a large group of us went to a legislative hearing room for a combined meeting of the state House and Senate Appropriations and Education Committees which are overseeing a massive slashing of programs. After a series of agency directors stood up and spelled out the cutbacks in their programs the floor was opened for public comments. At that point five of us from across Maine got up one after the other and talked about the creation of our Bring Our War $$ Home campaign before the overflowing committee hearing room.

In my brief statement I said that constituencies are now in competition with one another to save their particular program and this was no way to run a state or a country. I asked them if they could find a way to spend the $2.5 billion that Mainers have contributed to our wasteful wars. I ended with an appeal to all Maine politicians - local, state, and federal - to stand up and really represent their local constituencies by speaking out against war spending.

We can't have guns and butter anymore..... the public must demand that all elected officials find the courage to give voice to our growing opposition to endless war.

(Photos by Peter Woodruff and Roger Leisner)

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* Update: Bruce Gagnon blog
Saturday, January 16, 2010
BRING OUR WAR $$ HOME



Here is video from our news conference kick-off in Augusta, Maine last Thursday launching our Bring Our War $$ Home campaign.

Thanks to Jeffrey Phillips for video taping and Martha Spiess for editing.

Word about this campaign is now circulating nationally and we are getting some nice comments from other activists. It is clear that most people want to see more of this kind of coordinated action campaigning rather than the hit-and-miss isolated actions we often do in our movements.



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