Demonstrations to mark start of Iraq War

The Iraq War began March 20, 2003, so there will be several peace demonstrations against Bush and Obama's predatory wars this week. 

 

The Triangle branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and Orange County Peace Coalition are vigiling in front of the post office on Franklin Street (Peace and Freedom Plaza), Wednesday, March 17th, 12 to 1pm.  

 

Friday is the Chapel Hill peace vigil, now on the Daylight Savings Time schedule of 5-6pm, at the corner of East Franklin and Elliot (by the Village Plaza shopping center).  It began back when the issue was the sanctions that were killing the Iraqi people (which still are in place to some extent), or possibly earlier.  

 

I think there is still a Durham peace vigil, 12-1 on Saturdays at Brightleaf Square.  

 

There will be a rally in Fayetteville at Market House/Market Square, 1-4 on Saturday, organized by the Quaker House.  For a map see  http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com/bigmap or call 252-323-3912   

 

ANSWER is organizing a large national event in Washington, but there don't see to be any buses going from the Triangle. 

 

There are also events around the US backed occupation of Palestine and immigration reform. 

 

March 16th Balance & Accuracy in Journalism (BAJ) is hosting three locals who were in the Gaza Freedom March in Egypt, and will talk about what Americans can do to end the Israeli occupation and brutalization of Palestine.  The meeting, Helping a Peace Process Emerge for Gazans, Israelis, and All the Rest of Us, is at the Community Church of Chapel Hill (106 Purefoy Road) at 7:30.  For information, call 942-2919. 

 

Copied from a calendar email:  "March for America: Immigration Reform for New American Families and Economic Justice for All American Families: 1-4PM, March 21, National Mall, Washington, DC.  14 buses leave NC: buy $15 ticket by March 15: Contacts:
  * *Raleigh*, El Pueblo, 4 N Blount St. Raleigh
    NC, *919-835-1525*.
  * *Durham*, El Centro Hispano, 201 W. Main St. Durham, NC.* 919-687-4635*; ggillis@ reformimmigrationforamerica.org/
  * *Charlotte*, Latin American Coalition, 4938 Central Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28205-6878,* (704) 531-3848*.
  * *Greensboro*, Faith Action International, 705 North Greene Street,
    Greensboro, NC 27401-2025,*(336) 379-0037*.
  * *Chapel Hill*, UNC RI4A, Wooten Gough,* 336-306-3252*
  * *Chapel Hill* RI4A, Juan Mejia,* 919-699-5673* http://reformimmigrationforamerica.org/ .  Buses leave about 5 AM March 21 and return by 1 AM March 22. Locations TBD." 

There are also some immigration talks this week. 

 

Apparently there is a movement to make March 15th Peter Francisco Day in NC, in honor of a great, but now little known, soldier in the Revolutionary War (there was an editorial in The News & Observer Saturday). 

 

 

Creek Week and National Wildlife Week coming up

Creek Week, an annual event celebrating Durham's waterways, is March 20 to 27th. The schedule is online at www.keepdurhambeautiful.org. There will be several trash cleanups on the 20th, replacing the regular Earth Day cleanups, workshops on how to adopt a waterway and use the public equipment, nature hikes, kayaking, art workshops using the trash collected on the 20th, a storytime for kids, and more events all week.

According to the Piedmont Wildlife Center (www.piedmontwildlifecenter.org) March 15-21 is National Wildlife Week, and they have some ideas about how to celebrate on their website, and information about an annual wildlife photo contest.

International Women's Day is tomorrow

International Women's Day, March 8th, is another day of action for peace and progress that began in the USA but is now more celebrated in other countries, as a day of action or as a holiday like Valentine's Day.  There are still many examples of oppression against women, such as the pay gap for doing the same jobs as men and lastate laws that allow the prosecution of a woman for a miscarriage, such as if she stays with an abuser (this story was on Democracy Now! last week).  There do not seem to be any events marking International Women's Day locally, but the Triangle branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, which both women and men can join, is celebrating International Women's Month and celebrating its 75th anniversary March 13th, 10am-12 in Chapel Hill.  For information, call 968-1888. 

Stalin died today in 1953

Today is the anniversary of Joseph Stalin's death in 1953, possibly caused by the pro-capitalist revisionists, who had already gotten into the highest positions in the Soviet leadership. There are two interesting articles on Stalin in the current issue of Revolutionary Democracy (www.revolutionarydemocracy.org), by Yuri Yemelianov and Moni Guha, a prominent Indian Marxist-Leninist who passed away last April, but they are not currently available online. Anti-communist propaganda taught as factual history in North Carolina's public schools, UNC, Duke, etc. about Stalin are exposed at Grover Furr's website (www.chss.montclair.edu/english/furr/politics.html#STALIN). Alliance ML also has many articles, but the new website is not quite finished.