Anti-War Rally/March in Syracuse Tomorrow

See this diary at Daily Kos for the details.

There will also be a panel discussion at 7:30 pm Saturday evening at Hendricks Chapel on the Syracuse University campus titled "The Peoples’ Response to the Petreaus Report".

Excerpt:


“Soldiers and Civilians Speak Out in Syracuse, New York”
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW!

New York State Regional Anti-War March & Rally
Saturday, September 29, 2007
1pm Rally – (2:30pm March to Syracuse University – 3:30pm Rally at Walnut Park)
Everson Museum Plaza, 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, New York

Not since Viet Nam, has such a broad-based, grassroots coalition been formed in New York State to oppose war. Over 59 organizations state-wide have endorsed this action which was initiated by (IVAW) Iraq Veterans Against the War, NY and will be hosted by the Syracuse Peace Council (SPC), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) -1199 and Syracuse University’s Student Peace Action Network (SPAN).

As the Bush Administration seeks to extend the war indefinitely and appease citizen opposition with meaningless troop withdrawals, people from throughout Upstate New York—veterans and retirees, workers and students, people from all walks of life—will converge on Syracuse for a mass demonstration against the war,” notes one of the demonstration organizers, Rose Viviano, of the Syracuse Peace Council.

The participants, coming from New York City to Buffalo and all points in between, are united by four demands:
° Bring the troops home now (including private contractors)
° Full health benefits for returning veterans
° Money for jobs, education and healthcare - not occupation
° Reparations to the Iraqi people





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“The Peoples’ Response to the Petreaus Report”

Panel Discussion to be held Saturday, September 29, 2007, 7:30 pm
at Hendricks Chapel, Syracuse University Campus, Syracuse, New York
The panelists will be Scott Ritter, Dr. Dahlia Wafsi, and Jimmy Massey The moderator will be Rev. Dr. Tom Wolfe.


Panelists Bios:

Scott Ritter is noted for his role as a chief United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998, and later for his criticism of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the US invasion of Iraq in March, 2003, Ritter publicly argued that Iraq possessed no significant weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). He became a popular anti-war figure and talk show commentator as a result of his stance.


Dr. Dahlia Wasfi was born of a Jewish mother and Iraqi father. She spent her early childhood in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, until she returned with her family to the United States in 1977. In 2004 and 2006 Wasfi visited Iraq to see her family in Basrah and Baghdad. Based on her experiences, she is speaking out against the negative impact of the U.S. invasion on the Iraqi people and the need to end the occupation.

Jimmy Massey is a 12-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Marines during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. After witnessing the brutality of the US military’s retaliation against the growing resistance of the Iraqi people and participating in the unlawful shooting of unarmed protestors he became one of the first non-commissioned officers to report widespread human rights abuses in Iraq. He is a leading pro-soldier, anti-war activist and one of the founding members of Iraq Veterans Against the War.