MINUTES
END THE WARS ABROAD AND AT HOME: CHARTING A PATH FOR 2008
NEW ENGLAND UNITED CONFERENCE
APRIL 25-26, 2008
TUFTS UNIVERSITY
Overall attendance at some point over the two days is estimated to be 150 people with participants from all six New England states.
Friday Forum: Where We Stand in the Middle East and at Home: Moderated by Beth Dyer, CT United for Peace (attendance 80)
• US Foreign Policy and Military Spending -- Max Elbaum, War Times editor; writer, monthly column, Washington's Wars and Occupations.; author of Revolution in the Air: Sixties Radicals Turn to Lenin, Mao and Che
• Impact on the Countries of the Middle East -- Stephen Zunes, Middle East contributor for Foreign Policy in Focus; professor of politics at the University of San Francisco and chair of its Middle East Studies program; author of Tinderbox: U.S. Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism
• The Domestic Crisis and the War -- Ellen Frank, Visiting Professor of Economics at UMass- Boston; Senior Economist at the Poverty Institute; contributor to Dollars and Sense, the magazine of economic justice
Music: Ben Grosscup, Chris Nauman & Beth Adams
Saturday Agenda:
WELCOME: Marilyn Levin, Boston United for Justice with Peace Coalition
EDUCATIONAL/ISSUE WORKSHOPS:
• Immigrant Rights Are Labor and Human Rights -- Sergio Reyes
• European No Bases Campaign -- Andrea Licata
• Lessons of the Fight Against the War in Vietnam -- Jeff Mackler
• Torture, Rendition, and Guantanamo – Eleanor Newhoff & Jerry Cohen
• Why the US Supports the Israeli Occupation -- Stephen Zunes & Omar Baddar
• War, Oil, and the Climate Crisis – Tina Clarke
• Surge/Out Now -- Max Elbaum
• Film: Finding Our Voices – Beth Adams
• Film: Daniel Ellsberg Speaks to Impeachment and Municipal Indictment – Harold Burbank
MAJOR ORGANIZING STRATEGIES PANEL: Chair: Marilyn Levin, Boston United for Justice with Peace Coalition (attendance 120)
• Cutting the Manpower Supply for Illegal Wars – Wayne Smith, Vietnam vet; Nancy Lessin, MFSO; Liam Madden, IVAW
• Pressuring or Changing Congress and the Presidency – Paul Kawika Martin, Peace Action; Charley Richardson, MFSO
• Building a Mass Movement/Organizing Mass Actions – Ashley Smith, writer for Socialist Worker and International Socialist Review
• Broadening the Movement to End the War – Kim Foltz, Bikes not Bombs, Mass. Global Action
ACTION CAMPAIGN WORKSHOPS:
• National Assembly/Mass Action Chris Gauvreau, Marilyn Levin, Duncan McFarland, Mark Stahl, John Harris
• Palestine and the Anti-War Movement Stanley Heller, Mazin Qumsiyeh
• Campaign on the War on Terror/Defend Constitution Bryan Koulouris, Suren Moodliar, Dorothea Manuela, Ben Grosscup
• GI Resistance & Counter-Recruiting Liam Madden
• Electoral/Legislative Action in an Election Year Paul Kawika Martin, Sam Smith
• Building A Cross-Movement Agenda for Hope Kim Foltz, Paul Shannon
• From Every Village Green (local organizing campaign) Ron Greenberg
PLENARY TO DISCUSS AND VOTE ON ACTION CAMPAIGN PROPOSALS FOR NEU: Chair: Tony Palomba, Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety (attendance 105)
PROPOSAL FOR AN ANNUAL NEW ENGLAND UNITED CONFERENCE by Marilyn Levin & Beth Dyer – NEU will organize annual regional conferences for education and for democratic decision–making to choose and organize future action campaigns. Resolution passed almost unanimously.
Eight Action Campaign Resolutions were brought to the plenary from the Action Campaign Workshops. The plenary agreed on a method of voting for the top four action campaigns that NEU would officially adopt for the rest of 2008 and through the winter. Only resolutions receiving 2/3 or more of the vote could be selected. Working committees would be initiated to implement the selected action campaigns and report back to NEU.
PROPOSED RESOLUTIONS: (Four major action campaigns adopted by NEU with 2/3 vote (in order of votes in support) Some are summarized.
• CREATE CIVILIAN SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE SUPPORT NETWORK –NEU take the lead in creating a network of support utilizing five methods: 1) Outreach to military personnel, 2) Provide key material assistance to service members considering resistance, 3) Coordinate regionally to identify the drill and deployment schedule for local units to conduct outreach, 4) Maintain Iraq care package donation boxes to send to Iraq in tandem with GI resistance material, 5) Work with military families to provide connections, support, and resources to service members. NEU supports counter-recruiting efforts among youth. (Passed on 1st round of voting with 67 votes)
• FOR MASS ACTION AND EFFORTS TO BRING UNITY TO THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT – 1) NEU endorses antiwar protests at both the Republican and Democratic national conventions to demand immediate withdrawal of US forces. We must step up pressure on both political parties and demand that they quit funding the war and end the occupation. 2) NEU endorses the open, inclusive, democratic, conference to be held June 28-29 in Cleveland – the National Assembly to Stop the War in Iraq – whose purpose is to bring the whole movement together and to demonstrate the grassroots support for unified national mass actions. 3) NEU is in favor of nationally coordinated fall/winter actions 2008-2009. (Passed on 2nd round of voting 68 to 2)
• PALESTINE AND THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT – 1) NEU integrate the issue of Palestine into the broader antiwar struggle. 2) Build solidarity with Palestinian and Israeli human rights activists. 3) Actively support the call of the Palestine Civil Society Movement for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions until Israel complies with international law and respects human rights. (Passed on 2nd round of voting 54 to 4)
• BUILDING A CROSS-MOVEMENT AGENDA FOR HOPE – 1) NEU will organize support for local and statewide summits of the social movements and organizations independent of major parties. 2) NEU will sponsor a region-wide summit of the social movements and organizations with a view to joint and mass actions and campaigns to promote a common agenda for hope. 3) An NEU working group will establish criteria for identifying issues, partners, and beginning dialogues leading to local summits. (Passed on 2nd round of voting 42 to 15)
Working committees were organized for the proposals that were adopted. They will meet by conference call and report to the next NEU meeting.
RESOLUTIONS THAT DID NOT PASS after 1st round of voting: (Listed in order of support) All are summarized.
FROM EVERY VILLAGE GREEN – NEU would adopt the From Every Village Green model for next October’s actions to organize antiwar action in towns throughout the region and to plan a major action in Boston in coordination with the regional FEVG actions.
NONVIOLENT DIRECT ACTION AT CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES – Calls for 1) Winter Soldier support, 2) Bird-dogging candidates, 3) Educating constituents, 4) Media work to pressure candidates, 5) Sit-ins at congressional offices.
SUPPORT THIRD-PARTY ANTI-WAR CANDIDATES AND PREPARE VOTER GUIDES
WAR ON TERROR – 1) Encourage organizations to join People’s Campaign for the Constitution by organizing local coalitions to hold elected officials to protect the Constitution. 2) Form a People’s Campaign subcommittee to work with groups and coordinate efforts within NEU. 3) Empower subcommittee to draft outreach statement dealing with demand for withdrawal of troops, to stop attacks on civil liberties and defend human rights.
Submitted by Marilyn Levin, Boston United for Justice with Peace Coalition
