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Washington Report, May/June 2005, pages 50-51 Northern California Chronicle “It’s Time to End This War,” Says Rep. Lynn WoolseyBy Elaine Pasquini
SPENDING MONEY in their local community instead of funding the war on Iraq was the focus of a March 4 rally and march in San Rafael, CA organized by Next Generation teen activists, the Marin Peace and Justice Coalition, and Presente. The afternoon event began on the grounds of the public library and ended, after visits to several city offices, with a march through the streets of the downtown business district. Some 150 people participated, including Democratic Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey of California’s 6th congressional district and San Rafael councilmember Cyr Miller. “We’re here to tell the president it’s time to end this war,” declared Woolsey, who in January led 27 members of Congress in sponsoring H. Con. Res. 35, calling for President George W. Bush to bring the troops home from Iraq now. “We need to address the root causes of terrorism—poverty and despair—and pursue alternatives to war,” she declared. According to estimates by the Massachusetts-based non-profit National Priorities Project, San Rafael residents have contributed $55.7 million to fund the Iraq war. “We need to spend our tax dollars on services in our local community, instead of funding a war in Iraq,” Marin Academy student Naomi Gibbs, 16, one of several teenage speakers at the rally, told the crowd. Rachel Corrie Remembered
Last December San Rafael resident Jane Jewell and 13 friends formed a small group called “14 Friends of Palestine, Marin.” On March 6 the group presented a concert at San Rafael’s Unitarian Church in honor of Rachel Corrie. The 23-year-old American activist was crushed to death by an Israeli military-driven Caterpillar bulldozer in Gaza two years ago as she tried to protect the home of Dr. Samir Nasrallah from demolition. The concert was also a fund-raiser for Rebuilding Alliance (RA), an organization committed to rebuilding Palestinian homes demolished by the Israeli army. The concert began with a performance of Bach’s Sonata in D major by cellist Arleen Uryu and pianist Jane Jewell. Jewell’s daughter, Hannah, also performed classical music on the cello. Other musicians included guitarist Doug Adams singing his original piece “Rachel,” and Middle Eastern music performed by Helm. RA executive director Donna Baranski-Walker told the audience that sufficient funds had just been raised to buy land for the Nasrallah family, and that proceeds raised from the memorial concert would be used to help rebuild the family’s home. RA’s Gaza project manager, Marwan Diab of the Gaza Community Mental Health Program, briefed the audience on his work to assist Gaza residents in coping with the trauma of living under Israeli occupation, home demolitions and the killing of innocent civilians. The multifaceted program also featured Terra Linda High School students reading excerpts from Rachel’s letters to her family during her stay in Gaza, and a moving Power Point presentation with guitar accompaniment by Dave Lippman of his recent trip to Palestine. Sudan and the War in Darfur
Speaking at San Francisco’s World Affairs Council March 1, Amnesty International (AI) field organizer Mona Cadena discussed the situation in Darfur and AI’s humanitarian efforts to assist the people in the remote area of western Sudan. Cadena reviewed the situation in Darfur since the February 2003 uprising against the Khartoum government of the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM). According to Cadena, the two groups claimed “political and economic marginalization in the region” as one reason for their discontent with the central government. “The people of Darfur—located far from the capital city—did not seem to be receiving any benefits from Khartoum,” she charged. The government attempted to quell the uprising with military force, she said, which led to “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” according to the United Nations. More than 70,000 people have died—many from illness and malnutrition—and some six million have fled to other parts of Sudan or to refugee camps in neighboring Chad. Providing health care, the aid worker stressed, is AI’s main focus. At least 10,000 of the estimated 200,000 refugees living in crowded camps in Chad die each month from meningitis and other diseases, Cadena said. Providing security is the organization’s other major concern. According to eyewitness reports of atrocities committed in Darfur as told to AI aid workers, militiamen called janjaweed (an Arabic word for armed men on horses) raped, murdered and terrorized the residents of Darfur. Cadena read excerpts from an AI worker’s report of a 37-year-old woman’s testimony claiming her husband was murdered by the janjaweed. More reports continue to flow in, she said, as aid workers interview women who experienced the atrocities. Last Nov. 9, following three weeks of negotiations in Abuja, Nigeria sponsored by the African Union, a peace accord was signed between the SLA/ JEM and the Sudanese government. Among other measures, Cadena noted, Khartoum agreed to end military flights over Darfur and to ease restrictions on humanitarian agencies entering Sudan to deliver aid to refugees. AI supports the U.N.’s Jan. 31 report calling for an International Criminal Court investigation of claims of massive human rights abuses in Darfur, Cadena said. The U.S., however, opposes the report and prefers that trials of any alleged war criminals be held in Darfur, she concluded. Samir Seif Saluted
Renowned Egyptian film director and producer Samir Seif was the guest of honor at a March 15 evening reception hosted by Egyptian Consul General Abderahman Salaheldin. “The arts usually bring people together,” noted Consul Salaheldin, enthusiastically welcoming guests to the stately consulate. After a dinner of Egyptian cuisine, guests enjoyed a viewing of Seif’s “His Excellency, the Minister” (“Maali Al-Wazir”), which probed the link—sometimes comically—between authority and corruption. The film, which opened the 26th Cairo International Film Festival three years ago, garnered raves from the guests. “Funny,” “thought-provoking,” “clever” and “brilliant” were a few of the audience’s comments at the end of the evening. The award-winning director was in the Bay Area to participate in a March 13 screen-writing seminar at the Fourth Annual Tiburon International Film Festival. A graduate of Cairo’s High Cinema Institute, Seif has directed more than 25 films and several television series since 1976. Some of his works, including “His Excellency, the Minister” written by Wahid Hamed, have generated controversy. In his prime-time television series “Time of the Roses” (“Awan Al-Ward”), also written by Hamed, the director turned his lens on the sensitive issue of Muslim-Copt relations. Seif is currently working on a new television series. Thousands Rally to End Iraq War
On the second anniversary of America’s attack on Iraq, more than 15,000 people marched from Dolores Park to a rally at San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza. Demanding an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, activists from every part of the Bay Area participated in the event organized by International ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) and United for Peace and Justice coalition. Chanting “Support our troops, bring them home,” many carried signs reading, “End the Occupation—U.S. Out of Iraq.” One marcher’s sign called for “Healthcare, not Warfare,” while an Italian’s sign urged, “Italy Out of the War!” Among the variety of speakers who addressed the crowd were the Rev. Cecil Williams of Glide Memorial Church and Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who, prior to the rally, lobbied unsuccessfully for Mayor Gavin Newsom to lower the U.S. flag atop City Hall to half-staff in honor of the 1,520 coalition forces and thousands of Iraqis killed in the war. Elaine Pasquini is a free-lance photojournalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. |
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