Hello, all. It's been a while since the last NOWAR post, but plenty of antiwar work has been going on behind the scenes.
August 6 will be the ninth anniversary of the sanctions on Iraq. It is also the 54th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. It has been declared an International Day of Action against the sanctions. Here in Austin, there will be a Commemoration of Hiroshima/Vigil calling for an end to the sanctions, with tables for making art, visual displays, and a dance performance, on that day. This will be from 5:15-6:30 pm on Friday, August 6, at in Austin, Texas at 11th and Congress, the south side of the State Capitol. Later on, at sunset (roughly 8:45 pm), people will gather at Point Lou Neff in Zilker Park to float Japanese lanterns and candles on the waters of Town Lake, which has been a traditional method of commemorating the bombing of Hiroshima. The newly formed Austin chapter of Peace Action is organizing this action, the national peace group dedicated to grassroots political action.
Is there anything other than the macabre coincidence of dates linking the bombing of Hiroshima with the sanctions on Iraq? The most obvious connection seems to be the wanton and needless killing of innocents. Perhaps 250,000 people have died as a result of the Hiroshima bombing, many of them children. In Iraq, nine years of sanctions have killed well over 1 million people, over half of them being children under five years old. Another connection is the fact that in both places people are dying because of the effects of radiation, from radiation sickness in Hiroshima, and from a vast explosion of leukemia and birth defects in the south of Iraq, where the US deposited approximately 350 tons of depleted uranium (DU) during the Gulf War.
The idea behind the joint commemoration is to create a crossover between people with different concerns, who work on different issues. From anti-sanctions to antiwar to antinuclear activists to environmentalists and people who work on the rights of Native Americans (for whom nuclear issues are often of crucial importance), these issues are of great relevance to a very large number of people in Austin.
As one of the few antiwar events of this summer, this assumes even greater importance. A large turnout in Austin will not only invigorate local efforts but will also serve as an inspiration to groups around Texas that are also planning to participate in August 6 actions. Please post this message where appropriate, and please do come out. Since this event is still some time away, there will be a reminder sent out.
In Solidarity,
the NOWAR Collective
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