Dear
Friends,
The
National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance (NCNR) is organizing an action in
D.C. on September 22 as part of the week of actions of Campaign
Nonviolence. The action is "Sowing the Seeds of Hope: From Congress
to the White House".
We
will be visiting the office of Paul Ryan as one of the members of Congress who
is doing so much to hurt the people of this country and of the world.
Then we will go to the White House where we will deliver a similar letter to
President Obama and engage in an act of nonviolent civil resistance.
We
will be mailing the following letter to Paul Ryan's office and then delivering
it in person on September 22. Please let me know if you want to sign onto
the letter at joyfirst5@gmail.com. Many of you have
already signed onto a similar letter to Obama, but if you haven't and still
want to sign onto that letter contact malachykilbride@yahoo.com
And
please join us in D.C. on September 22. We will begin the day in the
cafeteria of the Longworth House Office Building at 9 AM and eventually go to
Paul Ryan's office by 10 AM. After some dialogue at the representative’s
office, we will reconvene at the Edward R. Murrow park at noon for some very
good speakers and then process to the White House where there will be an action
of nonviolent civil resistance. Please let me, Malachy, or Max know if
you are able to risk arrest.
Peace,
Joy
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE
325 East 25th Street, Baltimore, MD
21218
Representative
Raul Ryan
1233
Longworth House Office Building,
Washington,
D.C. 20515
September
12, 2015
Dear
Rep. Ryan,
As representatives of the National Campaign for Nonviolent
Resistance (NCNR), we are writing to request a meeting with you or a senior
member of your staff. At this meeting, we would express our concerns
about our government’s continuing wars and military incursions around the world
and how this impacts global poverty and the threat to our planet's climate and
habitat. The suggested date for a meeting would be September
22. We realize that you are on the opposite ideological spectrum from
us. For example, we believe in gun control, the necessity of raising
taxes on the wealthy, citizenship for the undocumented and marriage
equality. Though we have major differences with your political
perspective, we still hope that we can engage in dialogue. We are in a
crisis situation in this country and in the world, as the pope has written.
Therefore, NCNR has issued a call to action: “We call
upon people of good will to come to Washington, D.C. on Tuesday,
September 22, 2015 to actively participate in a witness of nonviolent
civil resistance calling on Congress and the White House to take meaningful
action as we confront the climate crisis, the unending wars, the root causes of
poverty, and the structural violence of the military-security
state.” While the president has recently taken laudable steps to avoid war
with Iran and reduce carbon emissions, significant action is still needed to
end fracking, to stop the XL Keystone Pipeline, to eliminate our dependence on
fossil fuels by banning offshore drilling for oil including in the Arctic, and
to address the planet's looming climate catastrophe.
Unfortunately,
except on occasion, instead of using the State Department, our government
instead orders the Pentagon to deal with conflict. Such behavior in
concert with our allies greatly contributes to a violent and destabilized
world. The U.S. use of armed drones by the military and the Central
Intelligence Agency has inflicted enormous human suffering, is
unconstitutional, and is only creating more “terrorists.” Congress should cease
its hostile rhetoric and sanctions against North Korea, Russia, and Iran.
Furthermore, the US should seek a diplomatic solution to the civil war in
Syria, disband NATO, and end the increasing military presence in Southeast
Asia, commonly referred to as the "Asian Pivot," which threatens
China. Furthermore, Congress must end all military aid to Egypt, Israel, Saudi
Arabia, and the other countries in the Middle East. A new approach must be
taken to free the Palestinians from over half a century of violent Israeli
oppression. Diplomacy is the only answer to stop the cycle of violence.
Violence and war are not the answers to conflict, as invariably noncombatants
suffer the most. Diplomatic efforts to end the sanctions and hostile relations
with Cuba are a good example of the positive path that can be taken and should
be followed with other countries labeled as our enemies.
Nuclear
weapons can never be used, and the plans to use a trillion tax dollars to
"upgrade" the nuclear arsenal is madness. A recent study by the
Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, an independent think tank that
works closely with the Pentagon, reports that the actual costs for updating the
nuclear triad — the intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarines and
aircraft capable of delivering nuclear warheads will cost $1 trillion dollars.
This is beyond senselessly wasteful! It is immoral and actually illegal
under international law to possess such weapons capable of global annihilation
thousands of times greater than the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
These tax dollars must be re-allocated towards reviving our sagging
infrastructure and supporting social services desperately needed by the
poor.
Almost half the people on this planet live off less than $2.50 a day and around
22,000 children die every day due to poverty according to UNICEF.
However, the U.S. has continued to expend half of the federal discretionary
budget on warmongering. Besides wasting tax dollars, untold number of
lives have been lost or injured, millions of refugees live unsettled lives and
ecocide is being committed on Mother Earth. "Six years after the
onset of the financial and economic crisis, hunger remains high in the United
States. The financial and economic crisis that erupted in 2008 caused a
significant increase in hunger in the United States," according to the
World Hunger Education Service. As you know, the banks were bailed out, but the
people were left to suffer the consequences. In addition, the World
Hunger Education Service states that in the US "In 2013, there were 45.3
million people in poverty. This is up from 37.3 million in 2007. The number of
poor people is near the largest number in the 52 years for which poverty
statistics have been published."
According to the National Center for Children in Poverty "More than 16 million
children in the United States – 22% of all children –
live in families with incomes below the federal
poverty level – $23,550 a year for a family of four.
Research shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice that
level to cover basic expenses. Using this standard, 45% of children live
in low-income
families." Congress is seeking more than half a trillion
dollars for the Pentagon 2015 budget. Instead, the Pentagon budget must
be radically reduced with the savings going towards programs to lift people out
of poverty.
We
look forward to a meeting in order to discuss the issues raised in this
letter. We have detailed specific solutions which include severe cuts to
the military budget, ways to alleviate income inequality and how to deal with
climate chaos. Of course, we vehemently reject the Ryan budget which
takes from the poor and gives to the rich. And your proposed budget calls
for more military spending. We believe Pope Francis will address the U.S.
Congress. As you know the pope has been a leader calling for serious steps to
be taken to address the climate crisis. In addition, Francis has called into
question our economic system and the resultant income inequality and the wars
which have a direct impact on the poor and on our planet. We hope you will listen
to him and follow his call for a nonviolent way of addressing conflicts.
We
have requested a meeting on September 22, as during that time
Campaign Nonviolence is calling for a week of actions around the U.S. in which
the issues of the climate crisis, poverty, and war are addressed. We, members
of the National Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance, are heeding the call on behalf
of Campaign Nonviolence. We look forward to your response to our
request, and hope that there will be an opportunity for dialogue. As the
majority leader of the House Ways and Means Committee, you must take bold
action to confront climate chaos, inequality and militarism. And we are
prepared to work with you on these crucial matters.
Sincerely,
Joy
First
Malachy
Kilbride
Max
Obuszewski
National
Campaign for Nonviolent Resistance
Donations can be sent to the Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 325 E. 25th St., Baltimore, MD 21218. Ph: 410-366-1637; Email: mobuszewski [at] verizon.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/
"The master class
has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles.
The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject
class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their
lives." Eugene Victor Debs
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