Feature Archives

Alessandro Tinonga writes: The war against Lebanon is absolutely shocking. According to the BBC, the number of Lebanese casualties may be as high as 900 after nearly four weeks of fighting. Almost one third of the dead are children under the age of 12. Latest UN estimates for displaced people in Lebanon put the figure at between 700,000 and 800,000.

For those of us in the anti-war movement, we must take a stand against the violence being perpetrated against the Lebanese and the Palestinian people. However, there is a clear point of division amongst the anti-war movement: how to address the issue of national liberation. This division manifests itself in many ways ranging from a political statements from major anti-war organizations like United for Peace and Justice, or the hesitancy of some elements of the Santa Cruz anti-war movement to have a united demonstration last Friday against the war.

Eight members of the Santa Cruz Weapons Inspection Team (SCWIT) performed a street theatre skit to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. The group, all dressed in white clothes, assembled at noon on the corner of Pacific Ave and Cooper St. in downrtown Santa Cruz for a dramatized reenactment of the nuclear bombing interspersed with a mock inspection and symbolic dismantling of a Trident II D5 nuclear submarine missile. Audio || Photos

Lockheed Martin, the world's largest weapons contractor, manufactures the Trident II missile and tests its components and subsystems at their 4,400 acre site in Bonny Doon. SCWIT has been trying to raise awareness about the safety of this facility for many years and used the Hiroshima Day event to build for a march on Wednesday, August 9th to the gates of Lockheed Martin. Community members are invited to join a carpool from the Holy Cross Church parking lot at 12:45pm. The march begins at 2:00pm a half mile before the gates to the facility on Empire Grade Road. SCWIT also holds a vigil outside the Bonny Doon Lockheed Martin site on the second Thursday of each month.

Buddhist Peace Fellowship Displays Names of Iraq War Dead

Each year on August 6, many peace activists, commemorate the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, with protests & marches. Some use street theatre and satire to bring a message of peace. Others choose a more subtle approach, trying to connect with people on a personal level. One such group is the Buddhist Peace Fellowship of Santa Cruz. Members of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship used the Hiroshima Day anniversary to draw attention to the casualties of the war in Iraq. All day at the corner of Center and Lincoln Streets, the group displayed a three foot tall, hundred foot long, scroll listing 40,000 names of Iraqi civilians killed in the war. There was also a pair of booths created which listed the names, photos, and brief stories, of over 2,000 US and coalition soldiers who also died in the war. Audio || Photos

On Saturday, August 12th, there were anti-war marches in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, DC. The protests demanded an end to the destruction of Lebanon, an end to US aid for Israel, and "money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation." In San Francisco, several thousand protesters gathered in Civic Center at 11am before marching up Market St. around 12:30pm and returning to Civic Center for another rally at 2pm.
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On July 27th, the ACLU Northern California released a new report, called State of Surveillance: Government Monitoring of Political Activity in Northern and Central California. It exposes the fact that federal, state and local agencies have infiltrated or monitored political activities of people all over Central and Northern California, supposedly due to threats of "terrorism." From the stories of grandmothers opposing the war in Iraq to anti-war protestors at the Port of Oakland, the 35-page report tells the stories of individuals and groups that were targets of government surveillance because of their political activity.

On Monday July 17th, Bay Area Jewish activists protested in front of the Israeli consulate against Israel's attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. Seventeen people engaging in an act of civil disobedience blocked the street in front of the consulate and were arrested. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Videos: 1 | 2 | 3

Jewish Voice for Peace is organizing public actions in major cities across the country to help bring an end to the current conflict. Many JVP members have friends and family in Gaza, Lebanon, and Israel. They believe that Israel’s refusal to negotiate and its decision to act with overwhelming force—using weapons supplied by the United States-- have escalated this situation to war.

On Wednesday July 12th, Hezbollah abducted two Israeli soldiers on the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel responded with the heaviest bombing of Lebanon in 24 years and the imposition of a naval blockade. WIth over 50 civilians killed in the first day of bombings, outrage has spread throughout the Middle East and around the world. In San Francisco, a protest against Israel's actions was held in front of the Israeli consulate on July 13th. Photos: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Video

On the Fourth of July, CodePink and Gold Star Families launched the nationwide fast, calling for the U.S. government to bring our troops home from Iraq--FAST.

In California, hunger strikers are also focusing on Assembly Joint Resolution 36, which opposes the Iraq war and was introduced by Lonnie Hancock. This measure would memorialize the President and Congress to restore the balance between the federal government and the states by limiting federal control of the California National Guard to cases where there is an insurrection or a declaration of war under the US Constitution.

Sacramento activist Victor is one of about 3,000 nationwide fasting as part of a political statement to Bring the Troops Home Fast , but unlike many others, he was initially denied a permit to express his right to do so.
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