The polls, the media, the politicians... a synchronized chorus of false harmony, a cacophonous screech of cries for war. What is not projected on the official channels are the voices of reason and restraint, the strains of music coming from every corner of our nation and the world that sings for Peace.

There are Survivors of the attacks in NYC that are saying Not In My Name shall war be unleashed — students who are unwilling to be told that there is no option for them but to kill and be killed in an endless cycle of violence — mothers and fathers who know that there is a better way to eliminate the threat of terrorism. Not In My Name will our civil liberties, our democratic rights, and our futures be foreclosed in an futile war that only empowers terrorists by delivering to them the result they seek with their vicious murders.

For a current list of the Coalition For World Peace endorsing organizations, see the home page

Imagine
by John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And all religions too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
every woman and man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

(John Lennon was murdered by a fanatic, who claimed to be religious, in the streets of New York. We miss him.)

Anti-War Rally In Downtown LA Draws Hundreds

Source/Publisher: Daily News Friday, September 21, 2001

A crowd of more than 300 took part in an anti-war protest Thursday (September 20,2001). Anti-war protesters hold signs to busses as they pass by Pershing Square.--(photos by Gene Blevins - Daily News).

By TROY ANDERSON
Staff Writer

An emerging anti-war movement in Los Angeles held its second vigil Thursday evening in Pershing Square in downtown, drawing 300 to 400 people.

Men in Aztec dress pounded on drums and women in colorful headdresses danced as protesters held up signs to passing motorists, many of whom honked apparently in support and some yelled indecipherable jeers out their windows.

Protesters played flutes, held up rainbow flags with peace symbols and signs that read, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind -- Gandhi" and "The death of more innocents will not make us safe."

Sally Marr, an organizer for newly emerged Coalition for World Peace said the vigil is the second one the group has held since the first one Sunday at Griffith Park which attracted about 300 people.

"We are forming it to counterbalance the retaliatory and militaristic attitudes in the country, and we are trying to resolve this in a peaceful way," she said. "It's the beginning of an anti-war movement.

"This is not going to be like any war we've ever known. We are trying to stop this before it starts."

East Los Angeles resident Rudy Pisani, 71, a Korean War veteran, said the U.S. foreign policy has caused enormous suffering in war-torn Afghanistan and throughout the world.

"Now they have turned against the USA because the USA has always bombed Muslim nations," Pisani said. "People live in caves there. What are we going to bomb? My heart goes out to the innocent people in Washington, D.C., and New York who died. But violence will not solve this."

North Hollywood resident Pawel Chmielewski, 47, said he opposes all wars because many civilians are killed.

"We need to normalize our relations with Iraq and end sanctions against the Palestinians," he said. "This is the reason for the terrorist attack. This has nothing to do with the Muslim religion. They are just fighting back."

Marr said the United States needs to ask why its foreign policies have sparked such hatred.

"The country has been practically leveled to the ground already by what the Russians did. There are 30 million land mines the Russians dug into the ground and dropped from airplanes there. If we send in ground forces from America, can you imagine how many people are going to come back without their limbs?"

Organizers said they plan to hold another rally at noon Saturday at the Federal Building in Westwood, and another one a week later at the same location.

Sister Elizabeth Prus, 91, of the Catholic Sisters of Social Services said war is useless.

"We are coming down to the level of the people we abhor," she said. "We are not here to do vengeance."

New York Times
September 21, 2001

Peace Signs
Amid Calls for War

By ANDREW JACOBS

The drumbeat for war, so loud in the rest of the country, is barely audible on the streets of New York.

In Union Square Park, which has become an outdoor memorial to loss and grief, peace signs, antiwar slogans and pleas for nonviolence far outnumber demands for retribution. The equestrian statue of George Washington charging into battle has been transformed into a monument of antiwar sentiment, and although there are a handful of wanted posters featuring Osama bin Laden, there are far more that say, "Mourn the Victims, Stand for Peace" or "An eye for an eye creates blindness."

In interviews with two dozen New Yorkers, most people said the desire for peace outweighed any impulse for vengeance, even among those directly affected by the destruction of the World Trade Center. Many said they were worried that the rest of the country, encouraged by the White House and the news media, was driving the nation toward a large- scale conflict.

"I don't want to see more people go through pain and suffering," said Shannon Carr, 34, who teaches at St. Ann's, a private school in Brooklyn. Several children at the school have parents still buried in the rubble of the twin towers. "There has to be justice," Ms. Carr said, "but I don't think war is the answer."

While much of the country clamors for martial retribution, with polls showing nearly 90 percent supporting a military response, many New Yorkers who were interviewed remain ambivalent about President Bush's promised war against terrorism. Many expressed fear that any strike would spark another wave of mayhem in New York.

"It's easy to call for blood when you live in Des Moines," said Terrance Kincaid, 37, an insurance broker from Queens. "We have seen the horrific consequences of aggression. For the rest of the country, it's still just a bunch of television images."

Other New Yorkers said they had no wish to inflict misery on the civilians who would inevitably become victims of an American military assault.

"A few days ago I was saying, `Bombs away,' but now that I've calmed down, I don't want a war," said Jana Crawford, 29, a photo editor at Advertising Age magazine in Manhattan. "I don't want a lot more people to die."

Some of those opposed to military action say their voices are not being heard by Washington or the mainstream news media.

"The White House is demanding blood and the television is preparing us for war, but no one is considering alternatives," said Carol Thompson, a political science professor at Northern Arizona University, one of 530 academics who have signed a petition urging restraint. More than 1,200 religious leaders have added their names to a similar statement, as have a group of actors, authors and other celebrities who plan to publish their "Justice Not Vengeance" declaration in newspapers across the country.

This afternoon, a series of rallies on college campuses around the nation will strike a similar theme, and on Friday night, a peace vigil will wend its way from Union Square to the armed forces recruiting station in Times Square.

Of course, there are plenty of New Yorkers who believe that only war will end terrorism, including many liberals who have been surprised by their own emotions. "I've had blood lust from the very beginning," said Jackie Bayks, 38, a lawyer who has been unable to return to her apartment in Battery Park City. "It's strange because I'm not a patriotic person, but I've been feeling very patriotic this week. I just can't help myself."

Karen Senecal, a minister at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village, said she had been trying to resist the temptation to join in the culture of jingoism. "Part of me realizes that violence brings more violence, but another part of me wanted retaliation," she said. "Many people are getting strength in that, and I felt I was missing something."

Some say they are reluctant to buck the tidal wave of patriotism by speaking about peace. "I feel like I can't talk about nonviolence because I'm afraid it will be perceived as disrespectful or un-American," said Madeleine Bloustein, 40, a voice-over actress from Brooklyn.

But a large number of New Yorkers are not sure where they stand. As shock gives way to anger, their thirst for revenge is only growing stronger; others say the opposite is true. But many, like Matthew Pack, a student at New York University, have been whiplashed by their emotions. A self-described pacifist who is "way to the left," Mr. Pack, 22, said he felt disgusted by his own vengeful fantasies.

"I'm not used to feeling this way," he said, "and every time my head starts to cool off, I see one of those missing person posters and all those emotions come back. The only thing I can say at this point is that I'll never be the same."

Thousands Demonstrate in Britain Against Threat of Military Action on Afghanistan

The Associated Press Published: Sep 22, 2001

LONDON (AP) - Thousands of protesters staged a series of rallies throughout Britain Saturday to voice opposition to military action against Afghanistan.

In London, police said approximately 3,000 people had gathered in the city center close to the official Downing Street residence of Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Many of the protesters wore black and carried pieces of paper reading: "Stand shoulder to shoulder for peace and justice. No more violence."

The silent vigils - organized by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament - were mirrored in Manchester, 160 miles north of London, and also in Glasgow, Scotland.

"Any military strike is going to kill yet more civilians who don't deserve to die, in the same way as the Americans didn't deserve to die," said Carol Naughton, a spokeswoman for the group, in London.

"It will only create a spiral of violence, and it will create a huge uprising against the U.S., and possibly, Britain."

It is estimated that between 200 and 300 British nationals were killed in the attacks on the World Trade Center. Blair has said Britain is allied with President Bush, and fully backs America's war against terrorism - having undertaken a 9,000-mile, 48-hour diplomatic mission to four countries to strengthen support for military action against those responsible (Pro-Bush allies) for the Sept. 11 suicide hijackings.

The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, however, called on Western powers Saturday not to launch a military attack against Osama bin Laden, the terrorist leader thought to be behind the atrocities in New York and Washington, saying it would only lead to more bloodshed.

In Manchester, around 300 people marched through the city and gathered for speeches.

In Glasgow, the protest by approximately 1,000 people began with a minute's silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the attacks.

European Union leaders declared their "total solidarity" with the United States during a special summit in Brussels Friday. They agreed to a package of measures designed to combat international terrorism and pledged support for a strike against those directly responsible for the tragedies.

Demonstrations Against W-ar!

(from Citizens For Legitimate Government)

It's a difficult time. With so many scarred by the attacks in the US on September 11th, 2001, we look towards justice. But as Ghandi said, "An eye for an eye and the whole world goes blind."

That's why Citizens for Legitimate Government, while respecting the need for justice, is planning massive anti-war demonstrations for the duration of this war. Throughout the United States, we must do everything to ensure that not a single innocent person is killed, not one more drop of innocent blood shed, not one more family is left without their loved ones without a reason. We don't want to become our enemy. Justice yes, mass murder no.

Stay tuned to Citizens for Legitimate Government Actions Forum at for more information on events in your area. If it's a peace vigil, or an anti-war protest, we'll have it posted on our forum, and on this page. If you want to join our Actions Forum and don't have an account, go to http://www.legitgov.org/discus/, in the left column click on "Edit Profile," then "Instant Registration" and enter your name, email address, username and profile. Wait for the email confirmation, and you're all set.

Stay tuned. We will fight against the death of innocents and we will make sure that while justice shall be served (without cruel and unusual punishment,) we don't slaughter another 600,000 people, as in the Gulf War.

Jon Bexell
Action Alerts Committee Co-Chair
Citizens for Legitimate Government