Justice for People of the Gulf Coast Still Needed

============================================
ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email
============================================
Please forward widely!

REMEMBERING HURRICANE KATRINA: Take action now

A year after Hurricane Katrina struck, the Gulf Coast remains a disaster zone,
particularly for its poorest, predominantly African American, residents. While the
Bush Administration continues to squander billions waging war in Iraq, the pace of
rebuilding in New Orleans and surrounding areas has been inexcusably slow. Many of
the low income communities with large African American populations, like New
Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, lack basic services and necessities -- public transit,
hospitals, even water and electricity. Storm debris and garbage from a year ago
still litter many areas, and decent housing for thousands of people is still a
struggle.

Where to lay the blame for this fiasco? The biggest culprit is of course the
arrogant Bush Administration, which has been consistently indifferent to the
suffering of ordinary people, be they impoverished Gulf Coast residents or the
traumatized populace of Iraq. But Congress, too, shares responsibility for the
failures in the Gulf Coast, just as it does in the Persian Gulf: They have the power
to cut off funds for the Iraq war and reallocate them where they are truly needed,
in the re-building of the Gulf Coast and elsewhere.

As we commemorate, with sorrow and anger, the one-year anniversary of Hurricane
Katrina, it's time to shine a spotlight on the politicians who are allowing the
neglect in New Orleans and the destruction in Iraq to continue. (For ongoing updates
and action alerts on the situation in the Gulf Coast, we strongly recommend signing
up for the Katrina Information Network's email list http://www.katrinaaction.org .)

United for Peace and Justice and our member groups and allies are gearing up to
DECLARE PEACE this fall, focusing pressure on pro-war members of Congress through
nonviolent civil disobedience and other forms of creative resistance, and making the
Iraq War a central issue in the November Congressional elections.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. On Tuesday, August 29th, call your local radio talk shows and point out the
connections between the ongoing war in Iraq and the contnued nightmare in New
Orleans and the Gulf Goast. Make the point that racism has been at the core of both
the government inaction on the Gulf Coast and in the Bush Administration's foreign
policy. It is time to end the war and bring all our troops home: we want our tax
dollars used instead to re-build the Gulf Coast.

2. Watch the Spike Lee documentary, When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts
that will be shown on HBO cable in its entirety on Tuesday, August 29th. If you can
pull together a group to watch the movie, afterwards you should discuss ways you can
take practical actions wherever you are which will make a difference. Visit
http://www.katrinaaction.org for discussion questions and action ideas.

3. Plan now to be part of the Sept. 21- 28th Declaration of Peace week of antiwar
activities throughout the ntion. Check the UFPJ web site http://www.unitedforpeace.org to
find out how you can get involved. Or go to the Declaration of Peace web site
http://declarationofpeace.org/view/events to find out what's being organized near
you. Of course, it is not too late to organize a local event during that week!
============================================

Help us continue to do this critical work: Make a donation to UFPJ today --
http://www.unitedforpeace.org/donate

ACTION ALERT * UNITED FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE
http://www.unitedforpeace.org | 212-868-5545
To subscribe, visit http://www.unitedforpeace.org/email

If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, visit
http://www.demaction.org/ufpj/unsubscribe.jsp