Peace in Colombia
My friend Sanho Tree who is likely one of the most intelligent human beings on earth in my opinion, sent out this compelling overview of the situation in Colombia.
Please take a moment and watch this flash presentation.
I traveled to Colombia last year with WFP and Sanho was the delegation leader. It was a life changing experience and you can read my take on it HERE
When you are done please Go Here and use this call script when contacting your congressman about Colombia.
Witness for Peace has also sent out the following 5 DAYS OF ACTION PLAN and offers the following guide.
1. PEACE IN COLOMBIA FLASH-MOVIE JUST RELEASED!
Featuring images illustrating Plan Colombia failure, words from peace church
leader Ricardo Esquivia, and YOU, the video makes it easy to share about
U.S. involvement in Colombia and contact your members of Congress.
Check it out! www.peaceincolombia.org/colombiafinal.html
2. LETTER FROM COLOMBIA
"The military aid sent to the Colombian government by the U.S. government
through the so-called "Plan Colombia" has been more than throwing kindling
on the fire. It's been like gasoline enflaming the fire that consumes the
Colombian society, prolonging and multiplying its lethal effects. (Plan
Colombia funding) has not helped to stop the war, but rather has contributed
to its growth." Ricardo Esquivia and Peter Stucky, Colombian Protestant,
Mennonite church leaders. Read more of this letter from these Witness for
Peace partners at http://go.sojo.net/campaign/peaceincolombia/explanation
3. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The vote is expected in the House of Representatives the week of June 27 as
the foreign operations appropriations bill reaches the floor. Rep. Jim
McGovern (D-MA) will offer an amendment to the bill that will cut military
aid to Colombia. Only a handful of world affairs are debated when the
foreign operations bill comes up each year, so it is significant that
Colombia is one of them. Through continuous opposition to Plan Colombia, we
have achieved our goal of making Colombia policy a controversial issue in
Congress!
The foreign operations budget this year is under pressure due to the
enormous expenditures of the Iraq war, and we have a better chance than
usual this year at cutting military aid. See www.lawg.org
Colombia" for more background information.
Call your Representative and ask him or her to vote YES to any amendment
cutting military aid to Colombia. A sample script and talking points are
available at http://www.peaceincolombia.org/callscript.htm
4. DAYS OF ACTION: Five days of Action for five years of Plan Colombia.
June 20-24 Action Days for Colombia
5 days of Action for 5 years of failed Plan Colombia
Resources available at peaceincolombia.org
Monday, June 20: Fax and Movie
Promote the flash-movie to all your networks! Send a faxed message to your
representative asking him/her to cut military aid to Colombia. Send the
movie link to friends!
Tuesday, June 21: Media Day
Make the realities of US involvement in Colombia public! Use our sample
letter to the editor and send to your local paper. See
Peace in Colombia
Wednesday, June 22: Phone a Friend
Talk to two friends about the importance of opposing "Plan Colombia II"
and then triple the impact of Thursday's Call in Day by helping them contact
Congress.
Thursday, June 23: CALL-IN DAY 202-224-3121
Call your representative to tell him/her to vote YES on amendments that
cut U.S. military aid to Colombia, or that transfer military assistance to
social aid. Remember, congressional offices are sensitive to calls (more so
than emails) from constituents, which makes this action very important. Go
here for a sample script and talking points.
Friday, June 24: Solidarity Actions
Show solidarity with the Colombian people by lighting a candle for
peace, chalking your sidewalk, or sharing your knowledge and experience
of Colombia with your church and community. Take pictures and spread
the word!
And, GET FREE 'PEACE COFFEE' that supports an end to violence in
Colombia! The first 100 people to report back on the actions that they took
during the week will receive a free sample of fair trade coffee produced by
the Nasa in Cauca, Colombia. You may have visited Nasa communities on a
Witness for Peace delegation. Peace Coffee
This is our chance to influence the course of U.S./Colombia policy. Let me
know how your members of Congress plan to vote and about local organizing.
And please contact me if we can help you in any way. Thanks for stepping up
your heartfelt work!
Please take a moment and watch this flash presentation.
I traveled to Colombia last year with WFP and Sanho was the delegation leader. It was a life changing experience and you can read my take on it HERE
When you are done please Go Here and use this call script when contacting your congressman about Colombia.
Witness for Peace has also sent out the following 5 DAYS OF ACTION PLAN and offers the following guide.
1. PEACE IN COLOMBIA FLASH-MOVIE JUST RELEASED!
Featuring images illustrating Plan Colombia failure, words from peace church
leader Ricardo Esquivia, and YOU, the video makes it easy to share about
U.S. involvement in Colombia and contact your members of Congress.
Check it out! www.peaceincolombia.org/colombiafinal.html
2. LETTER FROM COLOMBIA
"The military aid sent to the Colombian government by the U.S. government
through the so-called "Plan Colombia" has been more than throwing kindling
on the fire. It's been like gasoline enflaming the fire that consumes the
Colombian society, prolonging and multiplying its lethal effects. (Plan
Colombia funding) has not helped to stop the war, but rather has contributed
to its growth." Ricardo Esquivia and Peter Stucky, Colombian Protestant,
Mennonite church leaders. Read more of this letter from these Witness for
Peace partners at http://go.sojo.net/campaign/peaceincolombia/explanation
3. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
The vote is expected in the House of Representatives the week of June 27 as
the foreign operations appropriations bill reaches the floor. Rep. Jim
McGovern (D-MA) will offer an amendment to the bill that will cut military
aid to Colombia. Only a handful of world affairs are debated when the
foreign operations bill comes up each year, so it is significant that
Colombia is one of them. Through continuous opposition to Plan Colombia, we
have achieved our goal of making Colombia policy a controversial issue in
Congress!
The foreign operations budget this year is under pressure due to the
enormous expenditures of the Iraq war, and we have a better chance than
usual this year at cutting military aid. See www.lawg.org
Colombia" for more background information.
Call your Representative and ask him or her to vote YES to any amendment
cutting military aid to Colombia. A sample script and talking points are
available at http://www.peaceincolombia.org/callscript.htm
4. DAYS OF ACTION: Five days of Action for five years of Plan Colombia.
June 20-24 Action Days for Colombia
5 days of Action for 5 years of failed Plan Colombia
Resources available at peaceincolombia.org
Monday, June 20: Fax and Movie
Promote the flash-movie to all your networks! Send a faxed message to your
representative asking him/her to cut military aid to Colombia. Send the
movie link to friends!
Tuesday, June 21: Media Day
Make the realities of US involvement in Colombia public! Use our sample
letter to the editor and send to your local paper. See
Peace in Colombia
Wednesday, June 22: Phone a Friend
Talk to two friends about the importance of opposing "Plan Colombia II"
and then triple the impact of Thursday's Call in Day by helping them contact
Congress.
Thursday, June 23: CALL-IN DAY 202-224-3121
Call your representative to tell him/her to vote YES on amendments that
cut U.S. military aid to Colombia, or that transfer military assistance to
social aid. Remember, congressional offices are sensitive to calls (more so
than emails) from constituents, which makes this action very important. Go
here for a sample script and talking points.
Friday, June 24: Solidarity Actions
Show solidarity with the Colombian people by lighting a candle for
peace, chalking your sidewalk, or sharing your knowledge and experience
of Colombia with your church and community. Take pictures and spread
the word!
And, GET FREE 'PEACE COFFEE' that supports an end to violence in
Colombia! The first 100 people to report back on the actions that they took
during the week will receive a free sample of fair trade coffee produced by
the Nasa in Cauca, Colombia. You may have visited Nasa communities on a
Witness for Peace delegation. Peace Coffee
This is our chance to influence the course of U.S./Colombia policy. Let me
know how your members of Congress plan to vote and about local organizing.
And please contact me if we can help you in any way. Thanks for stepping up
your heartfelt work!
posted by Loretta Nall at
6:13 AM
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