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ProSense (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore | Mon Feb-04-08 01:07 PM Original message |
New York Feminists for Peace and Barack Obama! |
New York Feminists for Peace and Barack Obama!The petitionIn the coming elections, it is important to remember that war and peace are as much "women's issues" as are health, the environment, and the achievement of educational and occupational equality. Because we believe that all of these concerns are not only fundamental but closely intertwined, this Tuesday we will be casting our vote for Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, we have watched with shock and sorrow as our country has become mired in war. The resulting tragedy for our own soldiers, their immediate families and for the people of Iraq has been incalculable. Less obvious, but no less grave has been the impact on our domestic institutions and economy. With a defense budget of half a trillion dollars and expenditures now averaging $12 billion a month for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, resources that might have been used for health care, housing, education, repair of infrastructure, relief of poverty and community development have been drained away. We urgently need a Presidential candidate, who understands that "pre-emptive" attacks on other countries and the reliance on military force have diminished rather then strengthened our national security. And we urgently need a Presidential candidate whose first priority is to address domestic needs. We do not believe that Senator Hillary Clinton is that candidate We base our judgment on her seven-year record as the Senator from New York. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she has carefully identified herself as a supporter of a strong, enlarged and proactive military. In 2002, she voted to authorize the "use of force" against Iraq, while voting against an amendment that would have mandated further diplomacy. In subsequent years, she expressed enthusiastic support for the war effort, objected to fixed timelines for the withdrawal of U.S troops and until last summer voted for the "unconditional funding" of the war. Under pressure from the Democratic base, Senator Clinton has recently issued numerous statements about bringing the troops home "responsibly" But her actual plan would leave tens of thousands of Americans soldiers in Iraq over a period of many years. Her record of embracing military solutions and the foreign policy advisers she has selected make us doubt that she will end this calamitous war. Choosing to support Senator Obama was not an easy decision for us because electing a woman President would be a cause for celebration in itself and because we deplore the sexist attacks against Senator Clinton that have circulated in the media. However, we also recognize that the election of Barack Obama would be another historic achievement and that his support for gender equality has been unwavering. In backing Senator Obama, we are mindful of the inconsistencies in his voting record and the limitations of his own plans for withdrawal. Yet it is noteworthy that at a time when this position was politically unpopular and when he was aiming for national office, Barack Obama opposed the U.S. invasion of Iraq and has spoken out against the war ever since. This puts him in a far better position to articulate a clear challenge to a Republican opponent. We are also moved by the positive tone of the Obama campaign, the tremendous energy it has released across the country, the dramatic engagement of young people and the impetus for change that his candidacy embodies. We are speaking out now because we cannot afford to elect another President who will continue the aggressive, interventionist policies of the present. Signed (List in formation, institutional affiliations are listed for identification purposes only) Janet Abu-Lughod, Graduate Faculty, New School, emerita Lila Abu-Lughod, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, Columbia University Rev. Patricia Ackerman, environmentalist Meena Alexander, Poet, Hunter College, CUNY Frances Anderson, Progressive Democrats of America Laura Anker, American Studies, SUNY/Old Westbury Electa Arenal, writer, translator Ilana Attee, clinical psychologist Caron Atlas, arts & culture consultant Eleanor J. Bader, teacher and writer Eva-Lee Baird, peace activist Ellen Baker, high school teacher Valerie Barr, Union College Rosalyn Baxandall, State University of New York/Old Westbury Nan Bauer-Maglin, City University of New York, emerita Seyla Benhabib, Yale University Carolyn Patti Blum, human rights lawyer Cynthia Bogard, Hofstra University Aranzazu Borrachero, Queensborough Community College Marsha Borenstein, Major Owens Communications Services Center Cynthia Brown, writer Rosalind Boyd Pamela Allen Brown University of Connecticut, Stamford Alice Bucker Candace C. Carponter, lawyer Veronica Casano, retired social worker Kathleen Chalfant, actor Ellen P. Chapnick, Dean for Social Justice Initiatives, Columbia Law School Kathy Cicerani Erin Clermont, writer/editor, Veteran Feminists of America Lorraine Cohen, LaGuardia Community College Sandra Coliver, human rights lawyer Louise Fischer Cozzi, Jewelry Designer Judy D’Angio, Executive Secretary Dana-Ain Davis, Queens College Rev. Holly Haile Davis Thulani Davis, writer Ann Decker, Art Director Victoria de Grazia, Columbia University Diane Dreyfus, environmental activist Erika Duncan, writer Sue Donnelly, peace activist Sandra Dunn, translator, educator Gina Eichenbaum-Pikser, student nurse-midwife Zillah Eisenstein, Ithaca College Carolyn Eisenberg, Hofstra University Kate Ellis, Rutgers University Julie Elson, state worker retired Kathy Engel, poet Sally Fisher, HIV / VAW Activist Michelle Fine, Graduate Center at City University of New York Louisa Flood, lawyer Nanette Funk, Brooklyn College Lin Goodwin, professor Katherine Gallagher, human rights attorney Judi Gardner, middle school home & careers teacher Reena Geevarghese, peace activist Celia Gerard, artist and teacher Joan P. Gibbs, Esq. National Conference of Black Lawyers Stephanie Gilmore, Trinity College Linda Gnat-Mullin, Energetic Empowerment Tami Gold, Hunter College Stephanie Golden, free-lance author Nancy Goldner, psychotherapist, Returning Veterans Response Network Linda Gordon, New York University Vera Graaf, filmmaker Farah Jasmine Griffin, professor and writer A Lin Goodwin, professor Carol Gruber, William Paterson University, emerita Lynne Haney, New York University Sheila Hanks Saidiya Hartman, Columbia University Melinda Hass, psychoanalyst Barbara Hawkins, Teachers College, Columbia University Lena Hayes, teacher and youth advocate Jane Hirschmann, community organizer Katherine Hite, Vassar College Carol Horwitz, lawyer Rebecca Horwitz, teacher Martha Howell, Columbia University Carol Huston, peace activist Margo Jefferson, writer Randi Johnson, writer Sally Jones, peace activist Daphne Joslin, William Paterson University of New Jersey Alice Kessler Harris, Columbia University Cheryl Klein, book editor Laura Kogel, LCSW, psychotherapist, faculty, The Women's Therapy Centre Institute Lucy Koteen Tamar Kraft-Stolar, criminal justice advocate Nancy Kricorian, writer Susan Kricorian, artist & educator Jane Kurinsky, LMSW, peace Activist Anna Lappé, author/activist Tanya Laurer, artist Diane Green Lent, photographer Gail Lerner, peace activist Gloria Levitas, formerly Queens College/CUNY Andrea Libresco, Hofstra University Sandy Livingston, writer Barbara Machtinger, Bloomfield College Holly Maguigan, New York University School of Law Karen Malpede, writer Emily Martin, professor, anthropology, New York University Vicki McFadden, mother of Iraq vet and peace activist. Elizabeth A. McGee, social sector consultant Oseye Mchawi, Center for Law and Social Justice, Yoruba Society of Brooklyn, Inc. D. H. Melhem, poet Margaret Melkonian, Hague Appeal for Peace Ellen Meyers, educator Maria E. Montoya, New York University Esther Moroze, peace activist Leith Mullings, Graduate Center/ CUNY Cheryl Mwaria, Hofstra University Paula Nesoff, LaGuardia Community College Judy O'Brien, educator Susan O’Malley, Kingsborough Community College Lynn Otty, peace activist Patricia Paley, school social worker Gail Pellett, Gail Pellett Productions Patricia Paley, school social worker Rosalind Petchesky, Hunter College & the Graduate Center, CUNY Jamie Peters Linda Penn, psychologist Dr. Charlotte Phillips, pediatrician Katha Pollitt, writer Alexandra Ponce de Leon, Media Research Analyst, Universal McCann NY Dr. Linda Prine, reproductive rights activist Amy Quinn-Suplina, community peace & justice activist Rachel Pecker Marcuse Pfeifer, retired art dealer Alice Radosh, research psychologist, retired Janet Randall, Northeastern University Rayna Rapp, anthropologist, New York University Marci Reaven, historian Judith Reppy, Cornell University Nina Reznick, lawyer Nancy Romer, Brooklyn College Constancia Dinky Romilly, registered nurse, retired Esther Rowland, Barnard College Emeritus Martha Saxton, Amherst College Donna Schaper Ellen Schrecker, Yeshiva University Adrianne Shropshire, activist Lucy Sikes, retired graphic designer Alice Slater, lawyer & peace activist Marjorie Siegel, Teachers College, Columbia University Betty Smith, International Publishers Judith Stacey, New York University Gretchen Stromberg, senior citizen Dr. Joan Sturgis, physician Meredith Tax, writer Tinka Topping, educator Melissa Van, peace activist Andrea A. Vasquez, American Social History Project, The Graduate Center/CUNY Lise Vogel, Rider University, emerita Kerry Washington, actor Sandy Weinbaum, non-profit administrator Barbara Weinstein, New York University Cora Weiss, U.N. Representative, International Peace Bureau Michele Westervelt, school aide & military mom Joan Wile, author Maggie Williams, William Patterson University Bethany Yarrow, singer Rosalie Yelen, peace activist Susan Yohn, Hofstra University Marilyn Young, New York University |
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