Call to Action: Books Not Bombs March 4th

One year later, it has become even clearer that our generation will continue to be betrayed by this government's drive to make our country an empire. The policy of pre-emptive war and occupation stands in contradiction to and undermines the advancement of young people's rights and the fulfillment of our needs. The billions going to fund the U.S. occupation of Iraq,­ an occupation which continues to kill innocents every day ­ would be better used making reparations to that country and funding the future of American youth.

So we will stand up as a generation on March 4th because...

*There's always enough money for building weapons of mass destruction and for locking up young people, but there's somehow never enough for education. For every new missile or prison built, another public school is allowed to crumble, and another class of students can't afford to pay for rising tuition.

*We are losing our basic freedoms and constitutional rights one by one, as the government expands its power through Patriot Acts and detention camps. Those who speak out are treated like criminals, innocent people are rounded up from their homes, and we're all being watched--yet we are no safer.

*In place of decent jobs and schools, young people have been given military recruiters, who get students' information without their permission. Low-income youth and youth of color have been extensively targeted by military recruiters just as they have been consistently denied access to higher education.

*Our colleges and universities are complicit in the war machine and the infringement of our rights, from performing research for the Pentagon to turning in students' records to investing in killer corporations. Our schools are supposed to be independent, but many now serve these military and corporate interests instead of the public good.

We believe the US can be better than this. But unless we take action, the threats to our lives and liberties will only continue to grow.

Our generation can join together now in questioning and resisting the course that has been set for us--against our interests, against our will, and against some of our most deeply held values. As young people have before, we can ignite real change starting in our own schools and communities.

**Because NYSPC recognizes that the war at home is directly related to the war abroad, the March 4th Day of Action this year will be organized in solidarity with and leading up to United for Peace & Justice's March 20th Global Day of Protest Against War & Occupation.**

2. THE BOOKS NOT BOMBS AGENDA - OUR DEMANDS:

*Funding for Education, not Empire.
Currently only $.02 of every federal dollar is devoted to education funding. We demand funding increases for education, especially programs targeting low-income youth such as the Pell Grant, TRIO, and GEAR UP. Further, we demand that the drug provision in the Higher Education Act--which denies federal education funds to convicted drug offenders--be repealed, and that Congress pass legislation (such as the DREAM Act and the Student Adjustment Act) that would increase educational opportunities for undocumented youth.

*No Military Recruitment in our Schools
College administrations should support the ongoing legal challenge to the Solomon Amendment, and both colleges and high schools should make it campus policy to prominently advertise the rights of students and parents to opt out of having student information released to military recruiters.

*Respect our Civil Liberties
Provisions that violate youth and students rights in the Patriot Act must be revised. School student governments and administrations should pass resolutions to oppose the implementation of such provisions.

*Campuses for Peace, not War
Campus administrators must publicly disclose all military-related research and all financial relationships with weapons manufacturers. Campus administrators must pledge to work towards severing these relationships and agree to a freeze on any new military research or additional dealings with weapons manufacturers.

*Schools not Jails
College administrators must divulge all university business relations--including contracts and investments--with companies that profit from or finance prison construction or operations. College administrations should set up recruitment and retention programs for communities adversely affected by incarceration, specifically low-income youth and youth of color. Lastly, state governments must invest more money in education and
rehabilitation programs instead of prioritizing incarceration.

3. JOIN US! - WHAT YOU CAN DO ON MARCH 4th 2004:

Across the country, on March 4th and the weeks leading up to it, we will be:

*winning student government, faculty, and administration resolutions in support of the Books Not Bombs agenda, and demands like cutting tuition, divesting from militarism, and keeping the Pentagon and the Patriot Act out of our schools.

*registering voters for peace and freedom, and calling on young people to build our political power in 2004 to show that our government can no longer ignore us.

*organizing demonstrations, parties and concerts to bring people together, have some defiant fun, and help build our movement.

*publishing articles in newspapers, creating artwork for people to see, performing poetry and theater against the war at home, fusing our culture with our cause.

*creating teach-ins and hosting speakers on subjects like the struggle for financial aid and affirmative action, the current situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, and university involvement in the prison-industrial complex.

*reaching out at neighboring schools and other places where youth congregate, to raise consciousness of what's going on and bring more people into this struggle.

*thinking about what actions will send the most powerful statement on March 4th, uniting our local communities around the campaign, then going out and organizing up a storm.

If you're going to be taking part in the day of action, please register your support on Campus Activism (http://www.campusactivism.org/booksnotbombs) by listing your group as a "participating group," and drop us a note to let us know what you'll be up to at info [at] nyspc.net

4. MARCH 4th ENDORSERS:

Initial Endorsers:
180/Movement For Democracy and Education
Black Radical Congress Youth Division/TransAfrica
Campus Greens
Coalition to Demilitarize the University of California
Muslim Student Association of the US and Canada
National Youth Advocacy Coalition
New York Youth Bloc (New York City)
Not With Our Money
Student Environmental Action Coalition
Student Peace Action Network
Students Transforming and Resisting Corporations
Students United For a Responsible Global Environment
United States Student Association
United Students Against Sweatshops
Uptown Youth for Peace & Justice (Manhattan)
Young Communist League
Young Democratic Socialists
Young Koreans United (USA)
Young People's Socialist League
Youth PAWR (Philadelphia)

Additional Endorsers:
American Friends Service Committee
Environmentalists Against War
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Global Exchange
Historians Against the War
Peace Action
Progressive Librarians Guild
United for Peace & Justice
US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation
US Labor Against the War