No War Westchester

SAT, 3/20 @ 1 PM > Come Home America – March for Peace in White Plains

Download March 20 Flyer (Word)   Download March 20 Flyer (PDF)  

COME HOME AMERICA
7th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq

MARCH FOR PEACE & NEW NATIONAL PRIORITIESSaturday, March 20, 1:00 PM
Main Street & Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains

• End the Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan — Bring All U.S. Troops Home Now
• Support the Troops by Preventing Further Injuries and Deaths, and Reuniting Military Families
• Redirect Military Spending to Fund Jobs, Education, Human Needs and Clean Energy
• Stop Aggressive Military Recruitment of Youth

 

1:00 PM – Gather, Speakout on Wars, Military Budget & Military Recruiting
1:30 PM – March on Mamaroneck Avenue to Congresswoman Nita Lowey’s Office (914-428-1707)
2:00 PM – Keynote Speakers & Music

Endorsed by:  Code Pink Westchester, Iraqi Student Project-Westchester, No War Westchester, WESPAC Foundation, Westchester Women in Black [list in formation]

No War Westchester
www.NoWarWestchester.org 

Tues., JAN 26 > Bring our War Dollars Home!

Please drop by Westchester-area Congressional and Senate offices anytime on Tuesday 1/26 to oppose the Afghanistan Troop surge, and the sky high military budget.   

Peace Action of NY State has called for coordinated visits statewide on Tuesday.  No War Westchester and our local network of organizations concerned about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have agreed to help.  

Our priorities in Westchester are to visit Sen Schumer’s office in Peekskill, Rep. Nita Lowey’s office in White Plains, and Rep. Eliot Engel’s office in Mt. Vernon.     We suggest if possible that several people converge around noontime, or other convenient time, if that is possible for your district or community.

Resources:   Talking points and details about Afghanistan war spending are included below.  Please download our campaign leaflet, “Bring Our War Dollars Home,” which explains the tradeoffs in military vs. civilian spending for New York state and each Congressional District.   

Please drop off this leaflet or mail it in, and make sure that your member of Congress knows how our local area is being hurt by high military spending.   

Information about the record $630 BILLION military budget can be found in the excellent article, “Obama and the Permanent War Budget” by William Hartung.  Also see the good resource guide from American Friends Service Committee on the Cost of War in Afghanistan.   

New York state has already paid $82 BILLION for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including $15 BILLION for the war in Afghanistan. New York State government is facing a $7.5 BILLION deficit now because of the struggling economy and the federal diversion of resources to the military.   

The federal government should provide more funds for strugging state governments, but it is running out of money because of massive spending for two unnecessary wars.  Congress will be considering requests for additional funding for the proposed Afghanistan Troop Surge of 30,000+ additional troops in March.   

It costs $1 million a year to maintain one (1) soldier in the war in Afghanistan. YOU ARE PAYING FOR THIS.  

Please let the members of Congress who represent you know you want them to Bring our War Dollars Home, and cut the military budget to pay for jobs, education, housing and health care now.    

No War Westchester
www.NoWarWestchester.org

PS  If you’re in NYC on Tuesday, you can join a NYC Peace Action visit to Sen Schumer or Sen Gillibrand’s office.  See below:

 Hello!
We are writing to you because we would like you to participate in our January 26th drop in visits to Senator Schumer and Gillibrand’s offices in Manhattan. The point of these visits is to inform our senators that we want an end to the War in Afghanistan. We will be visiting Senator Schumer’s office at 12:30 pm (757 Third Avenue, Suite 17-02) and Gillibrand’s at 1:00pm (780 Third Avenue, Suite 2601). Attached is an information sheet that we’d like you to use at the visit. Please RSVP by calling Cheryl Wertz at 646-723-1749. We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Peace Action
www.panys.org     

Tuesday, January 26 — Statewide Action to Oppose Afghanistan Troop Surge and Escalating Military Budget  

Be an Active Citizen and Raise Your Voice for Peace.  Please drop by your local Congressional Office anytime on Tuesday, Jan. 26 and drop off a personal letter or postcard, and/or one of our leaflets.  

Our message is: 

• Bring our War Dollars Home – Paying for Endless War Hurts New York State
• Oppose Afghanistan Troop Surge of 30,000+ more Troops
• Stop Air Strikes and Drone Attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan
• Bring all US troops home Now from Afghanistan and Iraq
• Cut the Military Budget and Fund Human Needs -- We want to know what you, as the Member of Congress who represents us, is going to do to rein in excessive military spending, at a time of sky-high unemployment and economic hardship in the US.

Our local locations are as follows:    

Senate Offices:  

1) Sen. Charles Schumer

1 Park Place, Suite, 100
Peekskill, NY  10566
Tel.  (914) 734-1532Â
FAX  (914) 734-1673

Map of office: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1+Park+Place,+Peekskill,+NY+10566&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1+Park+Pl,+Peekskill,+Westchester,+New+York+10566&z=16

Senator Charles Schumer
757 Third Avenue, Suite 1702
New York, NY 10017 Phone: (212) 486-4430
Fax: (212) 486-7693

Washington DC Phone/Fax �
Phone: 202-224-6542
Fax: 202-228-3027  

Link to Email Page:> http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/contact.cfm  

2) Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Our other Senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, doesn’t have an office in Westchester, but you can phone/fax her, and/or join the NYC visit to her office on Tuesday.

Westchester Office
Office of Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Tel. (914) 725-9294
Fax (914) 472-5073  

New York City Office
780 Third Avenue, Suite 2601
New York, New York 10017
Tel. (212) 688-6262
Fax (212) 688-7444  

 Washington DC Phone/Fax   Tel. (202) 224-4451
Fax (202) 228-0282  

Link to Email Page:> http://gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/    

House of Representatives Offices:

1) Rep. Nita Lowey – 18^th Congressional District

White Plains District Office
222 Mamaroneck Ave., #310
White Plains, NY 10605
914-428-1707
914-328-1505 (fax)

Rockland County
845-639-3485

Washington, DC Phone/Fax
202-225-6506
202-225-0546 (fax)

Link to Email Form> http://lowey.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=56&sectiontree=56

2) Rep. Eliot Engel – 17^th Congressional District

Westchester
6 Gramatan Avenue; Suite 205
Mt. Vernon, NY 10550
Map & Directions
Phone : (914) 699-4100
Fax: (914) 699-3646
Office hours:  Monday-Friday 9 am – 5 pm

Bronx
3655 Johnson Avenue
Bronx, NY 10463
Map & Directions
Phone : (718) 796-9700
Fax: (718)796-5134
Office hours :
Monday-Friday 9 am – 5 pm

Rockland
261 West Nyack Road
West Nyack, NY 10994
Map & Directions
Phone : (845) 735-1000
Fax: (845) 735-1963
Office hours: Monday-Friday 9 am – 5 pm

Washington, DC Phone/Fax
Phone : (202) 225-2464
Fax: (202) 225-5513

Link to email form:> http://engel.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=169&sectiontree=3,169

3) Rep. John Hall – 19^th Congressional District

Carmel Office
40 Gleneida Avenue, 3rd Floor
Carmel, New York 10512
Phone: (845) 225-3641 x49371
Fax: (845) 228-1480

Goshen Office
Orange County Gov’t Center
255 Main St., Room 3232G
Goshen, NY 10924
Phone: (845) 291-4100
Fax: (845) 291-4164

Washington, DC Phone/Fax
Phone: (202) 225-5441
Fax: (202) 225-3289

Link to email form:> http://johnhall.house.gov/emailjohn.asp

Bombs of Foreign Wars Explode At Home

“The bombs in Vietnam explode at home; they destroy the hopes and possibilities for a decent America,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1967.

“I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted,” King said. “I speak for the poor in America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home and death and corruption in Vietnam.”

Taxpayers in Westchester County, New York will pay $5.9 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001.  For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

• 1,079,469 People with Health Care for One Year OR
• 10,958,988 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR
• 112,975 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
• 89,145 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
• 955,207 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
• 1,094,114 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR
• 33,274 Affordable Housing Units OR
• 2,045,487 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
• 666,915 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
• 67,798 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
• 87,973 Port Container Inspectors for One year

Taxpayers in New York State will pay $82.1 billion for total Iraq and Afghanistan war spending since 2001.  For the same amount of money, the following could have been provided:

• 15,138,866 People with Health Care for One Year OR
• 153,692,779 Homes with Renewable Electricity for One Year OR
• 1,584,400 Public Safety Officers for One year OR
• 1,250,207 Music and Arts Teachers for One Year OR
• 13,396,167 Scholarships for University Students for One Year OR
• 15,344,245 Students receiving Pell Grants of $5350 OR
• 466,652 Affordable Housing Units OR
• 28,686,646 Children with Health Care for One Year OR
• 9,353,049 Head Start Places for Children for One Year OR
• 950,823 Elementary School Teachers for One Year OR
• 1,233,766 Port Container Inspectors for One year

Source: www.NationalPriorities.org

12-02-09 West Point Action

Photo Slideshow from Andrew Courtney