Peace and solidarity

WASHINGTON — During confirmation hearings on Alberto Gonzales’ nomination as Attorney General, senators should question him about a recently uncovered memo that George W. Bush “ordered” the torture of detainees at Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and other military prisons around the world, several human rights groups suggested last month. (From the People's Weekly World Newspaper)

The Communist Party USA expresses its deep sorrow on the death of Yasser Arafat, the decades-long leader and larger-than-life symbol of the Palestinian people’s quest for justice, human rights, self-determination and statehood.

We are sincerely thankful to the Communist Party of Greece for once again hosting this vital meeting of fraternal Parties and for the opportunity to share thoughts and learn from our collective experience so that we may heighten our unity in action.

In the March 25 Chicago Sun-Times, columnist Mary Mitchell had the absolute gall to accuse those who do not support this war of not supporting the military men and women, many just teenagers, who have been deployed to Iraq.

Since the start of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the Bush administration and its supporters in the media have been working overtime perpetuating an old myth that protesting a war is unpatriotic and against our troops whose lives are on the line. Nothing could be further from the truth. The U.S. people have a patriotic duty to object to the rogue-nation policies of George W. Bush and his “Republican Guards.”

WASHINGTON – Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) told a protest rally in San Francisco a few weeks ago that George W. Bush has “awakened a sleeping giant,” the worldwide movement to stop his doctrine of unilateral, preemptive war on Iraq.

Wednesday March 19, at 6:51 p.m., a DC-3 Aerotaxi belonging to Empresa Nacional de Servicios Aéreos (registration CUT-1 192, flight number CNI877), took off from Nueva Gerona Airport on the Isla de la Juventud bound for Havana. It carried 31 passengers, a crew of five and an escort. The passengers included 25 Cuban adults, an Italian citizen and five children.

With layer upon layer of misrepresentation, exaggeration, and outright lies, George W. Bush and his war cabinet have recklessly flung our nation into an illegitimate, illegal, and unnecessary war.

I wasn’t surprised to hear that the crew on the space shuttle Columbia enjoyed listening to John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Looking at our beautiful and fragile planet from space must evoke a deep feeling – a feeling that Imagine captures so poignantly – of the oneness of life and the overarching necessity of safeguarding world peace.

NEW YORK – The Bush administration faced a widening credibility gap in its efforts to convince the world that a war to remove Saddam Hussein is imperative even if 100,000 Iraqis die in the Pentagon’s “Shock and Awe” war scenario.

Former presidents Nelson Mandela of South Africa and Jimmy Carter of the United States added their voices to the millions demanding that George W. Bush halt his drive toward war against Iraq and give the UN inspectors time to complete their work.

On December 14, 2002 thousands of youth will hit the streets of Harlem and Washington Heights to let our voices be heard. Uptowh Youth for Peace and Justice recognizes the urgency of opposing this war, which would represent not only an attack on the innocent people of Iraq, but also on our communities at home.

Three weeks ago the Bush administration announced a new strategic-military
policy, titled, “The National Security Strategy of the United States,” which,
to put it bluntly, is a promissory note for unending and calamitous war.

From The People's Weekly World: At the heart of any viable solution to the present conflict in the Middle East lies the issue of full national rights and statehood for the Palestinian people. Peoples and governments worldwide increasingly recognize this fact.
To read the full story, click here.

­The reports from occupied Ramallah speak for themselves. The live reports I receive by phone or e-mail from friends and colleagues in Ramallah, Bir-Zeit, Tulkarm and other Palestinian cities are dreadful.

From The People's Weekly World:
At a movie theater turned convention hall, the Communist Party of India ? (Marxist) [CPI(M)] held its 17th Congress here, March 19-24. The hall was adorned with banners quoting from Marx, Engels, Lenin and Che Guavara. Outside life-size portraits of CPI(M) leaders welcomed the 750 delegates and guests. The CPI(M) is one of the largest Communist Parties in the non-socialist world with 700,000 members.
For the full story, click here.

From The People's Weekly World:
Earlier this month, a Communist Party USA delegation ? National Chairman Sam Webb, Vice Chairman Scott Marshall, African American Equality Commission Chairwoman Debbie Bell and International Secretary Marilyn Bechtel ? visited China for a week on invitation of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The group was the first official party delegation since long-time National Chairman Gus Hall visited China with a delegation in 1988.
To read the full story, click here.

From The People's Weekly World: A spectre is haunting the world -- the spectre of nuclear war. Does this sound like rhetorical exaggeration? Perhaps, but the leaking of the Nuclear Posture Review offers a sobering glimpse into the Dr. Strangelove mentality that now inhabits the White House.
To read the full story, click here.

In our call to this meeting we stated that peace has become the central issue around which all other struggles revolve today. Whether it is the struggle for affordable housing, for immigrants rights, for nationalization of the steal industry or for a just foreign policy, none can make progress while the current administration pursues it unending "war on terrorism." The war on terrorism has become the rationale for pursuing a militaristic, anti-democratic, anti-labor anti-women and racist agenda against all people while wrapping it in the flag of patriotism.

"Imperialism and the Struggle for Peace in the 21st Century."

Portions of this National Meeting on Peace and Solidarity of the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) were webcast live from Chicago via streaming audio right here at www.cpusa.org.

Saturday March 16th:

Click here to hear the full streaming audio of the Opening Report -- Turn around the Bush Administration policy of unending war at home and abroad.

Click here to hear the full streaming audio of the Panel Presentations on Peace Campaigns

Sunday March 17th:

Click here to hear the full streaming audio of the Panel Presentations on Solidarity