Text Fwd: Support The Global Day of Action on Military Spending, April 12

From 'The National Campaign to End the Korean War' on April 10, 2011 supports*

The Global Day of Action on Military Spending, April 12

The National Campaign to End the Korean War strongly encourages its
members and member organizations to participate in the first-ever
Global Day of Action on Military Spending (GDAMS) on Tuesday, April
12, 2011.

Co-organized by the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, DC,
and the International Peace Bureau in Geneva, Switzerland, GDAMS has
been endorsed by more than 100 organizations in 35 countries. Actions
will include a protest in front of the White House, actions at the
United Nations in New York and Geneva, a march in Kampala, a
demonstration in Dhaka, a forum in Seoul, and much more.

The National Campaign to End the Korean War adds its voice to these
protests by underscoring the military costs stemming from the ongoing
state of unresolved war on the Korean peninsula. This figure is
estimated to exceed $15 to $20 billion annually, including costs of
expanding and maintaining U.S. bases and troops stationed in South
Korea and in the region in the event of a conflict.

As a global action, GDAMS coincides with the annual release of the
figures for global military expenditures by the Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute. In 2009, the world spent more
than $1.5 trillion on the military. Even in the middle of a global
economic crisis, military spending has increased, with the United
States responsible for nearly half of all expenditures. People around
the world say enough to war and preparation for war. We need
investments in jobs, education, healthcare, and sustainable economies,
including the production of safe, renewable energy.

On April 12, people around the world will demand that their
governments reduce military spending and redirect our public tax
dollars towards investments in building more just and sustainable
societies. We will send a message that these astronomical sums –
whether $20 billion/year related to the unresolved Korean War, or $1.5
trillion/year in overall military spending -- are far too much, and
such excessive military spending takes us far off the path from global
peace and security.

Please visit GDAMS website http://www.demilitarize.org

for more information about the Global Day, the endorsing
organizations, and the specific actions.

From the National Campaign to End the Korean War

www.endthekoreanwar.org