Organisation requires skill & vice versa...

Lenin as a Midfield General?

via Philosophy Football


"For those who desire not simply an aimless skipping from instance to instance, an integral central movement will take us forward towards a great goal." 
- Lenin

The Agrarian Question and 'The Critics of Marx' might not be the most obvious place to find the tactical masterplan to re-organise a midfield drifting into non-activity. An early proponent of route one, Lenin's team kept their eyes on one step forwards, not too many backwards, towards the other lot's six-yard box. 

Leninist football rejects the appeal of a talented but disorderly squad in favour of the centrality of class upfront. Never mind United, Philosophy Football's latest T- shirt features the one, only and original 'Red Army', preparing to conquer all opposition. 

Available from HERE

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Counterfire national members and supporters meeting: Confronting the crisis

07730 612105 Saturday December 3rd, 1-5pm, Marchmont Community Centre 62 Marchmont Street London WC1N 1AB Crisis in Europe - threats against Iran - the occupy movement - November 30 strikes and protests, This is the most challenging and exciting time for the movement in decades. Counterfire is holding this meeting to assess the situation post N30 and discuss next steps. The agenda will include: 1) The crisis and the movement 2) Taking Counterfire forward We need as many members and supporters from all parts of the country to participate to get a real picture of the state of the movement after N30 and to discuss what has worked and what hasn't for Counterfire locally. Come and join the discussion. If you book transport now you will save money. Phone Jo on 07730 612 105 or email jo@counterfire.org to register and for more info

Wall Street is War Street: the protests go global

STOP THE WAR COALITION

> 16 October 2011
> Email office@stopwar.org.uk
> Tel: 020 7801 2768
> Web: http://stopwar.org.uk
> Twitter: http://twitter.com/STWuk
> Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/stopthewarcoalition
>
> IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
> 1) WALL STREET IS WAR STREET: THE PROTESTS GO GLOBAL
> 2) FILM, VIDEO AND PHOTOS OF THE ANTI-WAR ASSEMBLY
>
> *********************************
> 1) WALL STREET IS WAR STREET: THE PROTESTS GO GLOBAL
>
> The Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protests this weekend have spread
> worldwide taking in 1000 towns and cities in 80 countries. We
> could be witnessing the start of a global movement on a scale we
> haven't seen since tens of millions went on to the streets in
> 2003 to oppose the Iraq war.
>
> At the heart of the US Occupy Wall Street demands is the call to
> cut the war machine (SEE http://bit.ly/qDXOFP) which has consumed
> over a trillion dollars in the past ten years and is currently
> fighting wars in seven countries - Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan,
> Libya, Somalia, Yemen and - the latest addition - Uganda, where
> Obama has just deployed US troops. (SEE http://bit.ly/r1e0yu)
>
> If the "war on terror" is included - the latest instalment of
> which is the ludicrous Iranian "plot", the war-addicted Barack
> Obama - holder of the Nobel Peace Prize - is currently waging
> eight wars. (SEE http://bit.ly/nEArmP)
>
> We need to make the cost of the UK war machine integral to the
> OWS movement here, which has begun so impressively this weekend
> with Occupy the London Stock Exchange.
>
> This year alone Britain is spending £9 billion on the wars in
> Afghanistan and Libya and on the maintenance of the Trident
> nuclear missile system. Recent Stop the War articles have shown
> how this money could be used to fund public services, rather than
> the government's current policy of decimating them. (SEE
> http://bit.ly/qxLqXO AND http://bit.ly/odNXt3)
>
> *********************************
> 2) FILM, VIDEO AND PHOTOS OF THE ANTI-WAR ASSEMBLY
>
> Stop the War has been flooded with positive comments about the
> Anti-War Assembly in Trafalgar Square on 8 October - more than
> we've had for any event for years. These are typical of the
> responses:
>
> "Great day! What a great feeling to be amongst so many people who
> feel so passionate about this issue. And what an outstanding list
> of speakers and performers!" - Sean Murphy.
>
> "Amazing day! I loved how everyone came together through
> creativity, through music, art and poetry...it was beautiful!" -
> Madeleine McCabe
>
> We have now posted a 45 minute TV film of the event, which
> captures the spirit and inspiration of the day, including the
> march to Downing Street at the end of the Assembly, led by
> 106-year-old Hetty Bower, which blockaded David Cameron's
> official residence. (SEE http://bit.ly/pYJ6Pb)
>
> Also on the Stop the War website are videos of the speeches by
> John Pilger, George Galloway, Brian Eno and many more. (SEE
> http://bit.ly/pC0CYW)
>
> We have begun creating picture galleries for the hundreds of
> photographs we have been sent of the event. (SEE
> http://bit.ly/pe08yk AND http://bit.ly/qJv6ZH). More to follow
> soon.
>
> Many thanks to all the speakers, filmmakers, actors, musicians
> and artists who made the Antiwar Assembly in Trafalgar Square on
> 8 October such a success.

Clare's livestream from #occupylsx on my Qik

[embed]http://qik.com/claresolomon[/embed]

Feel free to embed. Live link up from New York coming soon. 

#occupylsx livestream and liveblog

Liveblog HERE

Watch live streaming video from counterfire at livestream.com

Noam Chomsky: Join us in Trafalgar Square on 8 October

IN THIS NEWSLETTER:
> 1) NOAM CHOMSKY: JOIN US IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE ON 8 OCTOBER
> 2) WHY UN COMPOSER PLAYS AT ANTIWAR ASSEMBLY
> 3) STOP THE WAR BRIEFING ON CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN
> 4) PLEASE KEEP DONATING
>
> ****************************************
> 1) NOAM CHOMSKY: JOIN US IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE ON 8 OCTOBER
>
> The Antiwar Mass Assembly on Saturday continues to attract high
> profile pledges, the latest from Noam Chomsky and others who have
> issued the following statement:
>
> After 10 years of war in Afghanistan, more than 100,000 Nato
> troops remain and tens of thousands have died. Government claims
> that the war is contributing to Britain's stability look
> increasingly hollow. Opinion polls suggest the majority of
> Britons want a speedy withdrawal of British troops, a view
> recently endorsed by the trade unions. Politicians have to get in
> step with public opinion and announce a date to bring troops
> home. We will be attending the mass anti-war assembly this
> Saturday 8 October in Trafalgar Square. We urge you to join us.
>
> * To see the full list of those attending, go to:
> http://bit.ly/pBlNMI
> * To see the provisional timetable for the day, go to:
> http://bit.ly/o10L6p
>
> This is clearly going to be a memorable day. It will end with a
> march to Downing Street, led by ex-soldiers and military
> families, to demand that the government bring the troops home
> from Afghanistan now.
>
> Please do all you can in the days remaining to spread the word
> and encourage as many people as possible to join us.
>
> ANTIWAR MASS ASSEMBLY
> 8 OCTOBER 12 NOON - 4PM
> TRAFALGAR SQUARE LONDON
> See http://bit.ly/o10L6p
>
> ****************************************
> 2) WHY UN COMPOSER PLAYS AT ANTIWAR ASSEMBLY
>
> The world-renowned composer Howard Blake, whose compositions
> range from the huge hit "I'm Walking in the Air", from the
> classic film The Snowman, to his composition titled "Charter for
> Peace" commissioned by the United Nations for the 50th
> anniversary of its founding, which was first performed in 1995
> before the Queen, prime minister John Major, and a host of
> dignitaries.
>
> Howard Blake was so outraged by the United Nations' resolutions
> in March this year -- when it gave the US and NATO cover for
> going to war with Libya -- that he has withdrawn the "Charter for
> Peace" from his catalogue, saying:
>
> "The UN resolutions taken over Libya leading up to its invasion
> on March 19th 2011 violated [its] principles and the work is
> withdrawn from the catalogue, since to say that the organisation
> carries out a 'charter for peace' is no longer anything but a
> mockery of its formerly professed beliefs." SEE
> http://bit.ly/nTKN6G
>
> It is for this reason that Howard Blake has offered to play his
> most famous composition "I'm Walking in the Air" at Saturday's
> Antiwar Assembly in Trafalgar Square. Stop the War very much
> welcomes his decision to join us.
>
> ****************************************
> 3) STOP THE WAR BRIEFING ON CHILDREN OF AFGHANISTAN
>
> Six percent of babies die at birth and 25 percent before their
> 5th birthday. Conflict and political violence force millions of
> children and their families to flee their homes.
>
> A child's basic right to life and development is seriously
> compromised by growing up in the context of war and occupation.
>
> Afghanistan has become the very worst place on earth to give
> birth to or raise a child.
>
> A new briefing, written for Stop the War by Lisa Davis, director
> of Rights International, with a conclusion by US author and
> activist David Swanson, is available on the Stop the War website.
>
> * For a summary of The Children of Afghanistan, go here:
> http://bit.ly/rdZdLZ
> * To download the full report, go here:
> http://tinyurl.com/5s69xhm
>
> ****************************************
> 4) PLEASE KEEP DONATING
>
> Many thanks to everyone who has donated to our financial appeal
> to cover the costs of the Antiwar Assembly on Saturday. Your
> contributions have helped enormously.
>
> However, we still need to raise more to ensure that we are not
> left with a debt after Saturday, which would hinder the future
> activities we are already planning.
>
> If you have not contributed, please consider giving a donation
> now. Details of the various methods for donating are here:
> http://bit.ly/n0eEh2
>
> If you would prefer to make your contribution by becoming a
> national member of Stop the War, you can do that here:
> http://bit.ly/k0tBVk
>
> ****************************************
> --
> To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank e-mail to stwc-unsubscribe@lists.riseup.net

Book launch: People Demand. Out now

'The People Demand: a short history of the Arab revolutions' - video trailer Posted: 25 Sep 2011 01:43 PM PDT 28 September: London book launch - details HERE 12 October: Newcastle book launch - details HERE Read an extract and buy the book HERE Trailer by Elly Badcock

Book and/or donate to 1st Oct Coalition of Resistance conference

Coalition of Resistance Against Cuts & Privatisation | 28 | September 5th Bookings are coming in fast now from across Britain and Europe. Next Saturday is set to be an exciting day! Make sure you have booked your place - click here to register An urgent appeal from the Coalition of Resistance Dear supporter, As you may already be aware, Coalition of Resistance has initiated an important European wide conference to help co-ordinate the resistance to austerity on a mass, global scale taking place on October 1st in London. The conference is costing in excess of £10,000 and we need to raise this money through our supporters. How you can help: 1) Book your place for the conference now. Click here to book online or send a cheque for £5 waged / £3 unwaged / £10 rep. from organisation to Europe Against Austerity, Coalition of Resistance, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX We wan't everyone to register in advance as ticket money will help towards the cost of the conference. 2) Donate to the Conference. Click here to make a donation online or send a cheque to Europe Against Austerity, Coalition of Resistance, Housmans Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, London N1 9DX Thank you for your continued support and see you on the 1st October, Andrew Burgin Secretary, Coaliton of Resistance EUROPE AGAINST AUSTERITY CONFERENCE Saturday 1st October, London Should Greece default? Has the euro got a future? Is there an alternative to cuts? Are we facing 'double dip' recession? As the European economic crisis worsens and ordinary people are made to pay, hear what the left parties and campaigns across Europe have to say. Take the opportunity to be part of the debate: join us to discuss alternatives and action for change. Speakers include: Jeremy Corbyn MP; Unite; NUJ; Pierre Laurent, Party of the European Left; Sevim Dagdelen MP Die Linke; Sinn Fein; Olivier Besancenot NPA; Annick Coupe Solidaires, France; Max Banc Attac Germany; Piero Bernocchi COBAS, Italy; Prof Costas Lapavitsas, SOAS; Marisa Matias MEP, Left Bloc, Portugal Registration: £5 waged / £3 unwaged / £10 delegates from organisations   More info from www.europeagainstausterity.org / coalitionofresistance@gmail.com / +44(0)7939 242229 Conference initiated by Coalition of Resistance. See here for a list of supporting organisations. Our mailing address is: Coalition of Resistance Coalition of Resistance, c/o Housman's Bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road London, London N1 9DX Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2011 Coalition of Resistance All rights reserved.

TWEETS NOT WAR: LEARNING FROM THE ARAB SPRING

ANTI-WAR SPEAKOUT/TWEETOUT   
7:30PM UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION   
MALET STREET LONDON WC1E 7HY   
For more details, see: http://bit.ly/n9X9qz

Whether you attend the Antiwar SpeakOut/TweetOut in person in    
London, or you watch the live stream on the Stop the War website,   
this is an event not to be missed.

You will see poets, rappers and spoken word artists (see below)   
performing at a Twitter convention in which everyone can   
participate.

Don't worry if you are not a Twitter user yet. This will be an     
event in which you can learn how it works and why it has become   
such an important tool for activists and campaigners, not least   
as was shown in the Arab Spring uprisings. It is today enabling   
instant eyewitness reports of the brutal crackdown on the Yemen   
democracy movement.

Stop the War has taken the idea of a TweetOut from the Egyptian   
democracy movement, which used them to spread the word about   
their protests.

As well as enjoying the brilliant cast of spoken word artists    
performing for Stop the War, the aim will be to publicise as   
widely as possible in the Twittersphere the Antiwar Mass Assembly   
in Trafalgar Square on 8 October, marking the tenth anniversary   
of the war in Afghanistan.

If you're coming to the SpeakOt/TweetOut in person, come armed     
with your mobile! Or your laptop, if you want to be really   
ambitious (there will be a WiFi link).

If you're not a Twitter user yet, you will be able to text your   
messages which Stop the War will turn instantly into tweets for   
display on the Tweet Screen and publish directly to Twitter.

The performers in the SpeakOut include author Michael Rosen, who   
was until recently the Children's Poet Laureate, poets Michael     
Horowitz, Michael Powell and Sanasino Al-Yemen, rapper Jimmy   
Jitsu, and many more.

Twitter users at the event, and those following it on the live     
stream, are asked to use the hashtag #8oct (non Twitter users    
will learn what a hashtag is on the night!).

Tweeters will also be reacting to the spoken word artists,   
whether watching them in the audience or the live stream, and    
instantly communicating with their Twitter followers about the     
performances.

The aim is to make SpeakOut/TweetOut as interactive as possible   
and as much a collective event as we can. Join us in person if     
you live in London, or online if you don't.

ANTI-WAR SPEAKOUT/TWEETOUT   
7:30PM UNIVERSITY OF LONDON UNION   
MALET STREET LONDON WC1E 7HY   
For more details, see: http://bit.ly/n9X9qz

TUC votes to reaffirm support of Palestine

Lots of good stuff coming out of the TUC this week...

The Trades Union Congress voted on Wednesday to reaffirm its work with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign to actively encourage affiliates, employers and pension funds to disinvest from, and boycott the goods of, companies who profit from illegal settlements, the Occupation and the construction of the Wall'.   The new policy also 'calls on all unions on the basis of this policy to review their bi-lateral relations with all Israeli organisations, including Histadrut'. To read a full report click here, to find out more about trade union support for PSC at this year's TUC read here.

TUC statement on pensions

embargo: For immediate release

The TUC's public service unions met urgently today after the conclusion of the TUC's annual Congress to receive a report on the most recent round of negotiations with the government on public service pensions and to consider the next steps in their united campaign to defend decent pensions for millions of public services workers as part of their battle for decent pensions for all.

The TUC and unions are committed to continuing the talks with the government, and with the relevant employers in each of the separate major public service pensions schemes, but the government is urged to bring new proposals to the table urgently to make progress possible. Today's meeting also agreed, however, given the failure of the government to engage properly in the negotiations, to step up the campaign and to hold a first day of action on Wednesday 30 November.

Each union has been asked to consider taking what they judge to be the most appropriate form of action possible to show their support for this united campaign.

This would range from strike action, where ballot mandates have been secured from members and unions judge that appropriate, through to lunchtime meetings, rallies and joint events with community groups and service users. The intention will be to take the call for pensions justice for both public and private sector workers to every corner of the land on that day in the biggest trade union mobilisation in a generation.

Further consideration is being given to what further action may be appropriate beyond the day of action if progress towards a settlement is not secured.

A further meeting will be held before the end of September to receive reports from unions on plans being made.

This call reflects the huge anger of public service workers over the threat to their pensions and the deep frustration over difficulties of securing government engagement in meaningful negotiations. This planned day of action will be an unprecedented coming together of the whole public service workforce and the communities they serve in a united demand for pensions justice.

The TUC and unions remain absolutely committed, in good faith, to seeking a fair negotiated settlement of this dispute so that this action will not be necessary. But the government needs to understand the strength of unions' resolve reflected in today's decision.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E:rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Gibson T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: egibson@tuc.org.uk

Press release (500 words) issued 14 Sep 2011

Fab Fernando's Kitchen at Philosophy Football event.

For the third year running  Philosophy Football is organising a party for the TUC as part of the World Day for Decent Work. This year the evening is headlined by the sublime comedy of Isy Suttie , best-known as Dobby in  Channel 4's Peep Show. Plus Llewella Gideon performing her brilliant one-woman show,  Little Big Woman. And closing the night a musical fusion of Flamenco, Latin and North African beats from Fernando's KItchen to get you up and dancing. Plus a DJ set by Melstars:Music filling the dancefloor into the early hours. 

As always our ambition is to provide a night to mix entertainment and ideas. With contributions from Owen Jones, author of Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class; Sarah Veale, Head of Equality and Employment Rights at the TUC; Danny Dorling, author of So You Think You Know About Britain ; and Rebecca Asher, author of Shattered: Modern Motherhood and the Illusion of Equality. A panel guaranteed to get you thinking!

FRIDAY 7 October. At the New Red Lion, 271 City Road in Islington,  one of London's premier theatre pubs. 

Booking opened last week and the first couple of rows are sold already so don't delay!  Book your tickets at >  http://www.philosophyfootball.com/view_item.php?pid=493

Or call 01273 472 721

Mark

War? Not up my tweet.

Very glad to be asked to participate in this fab event. Copied from our friends in Egypt, what an exciting sounding project. Hope to see you there too.
=================

This brand new, exciting Stop The War project is to raise awareness of the Anti-War Assembly on 8 October in Trafalgar Sq and, hopefully, get it 'trending' on twitter. Remember to bring your smart phones.

Hosted by Clare Solomon this fun-packed evening includes poetry and spoken word by Michael Rosen Michael Horowitz and Sanasino Al-Yemen, 140-second special tweet appearances by Laurie Penny, Sanum Ghafoor & Owen Jones, MC's Jimmy Jitzu & Raggo Zulu Rebel, live link-ups with Joe Glenton and others, and much much more.

All acts will be live tweeted and projected on a large Twitter Wall.

**Please can you also publicize the event on your blogs, Facebook walls and, of course, Twitter** And you can also set up your twitter to feed directly to Facebook using Selective Tweets: http://www.facebook.com/selectivetwitter

Suggested donation of £3/£5 to go towards the costs of the Assembly.

If you can't make it you can still participate on the night by simply tweeting at the same time using the hashtag #StWOct8Assembly anytime between 7.30-10pm on 22 September.

Line up so far:

Micheal Rosen
Micheal Horovitz
Owen Jones
Laurie Penny
Sanum Ghafoor
Sanasino Al-Yemen
Jimmy Jitsu
Raggo Zulu Rebel
Black Snow
Nekz Mc
Ed Greens
Alan Morrison
Celia Mitchell
Martin Powell
Clare Saponia...more to come.

========================================

The assembly on 8 October has been organised to mark the 10 year anniversary on the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan and the injustice of Palestine, and now of course Libya. The event will be a rallying call against the injustices of the war, from Guantanamo Bay to arms sales around the world, and a chance to show the creative richness of all those campaigning for peace.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=236491009695617

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Historic Ft. Lewis speak out brings together active-duty soldiers, veterans and military families Movement to stop soldier suicides and wars abroad gains momentum SSG Kevin Baker speaks about organizing inside the barracks after Sgt. Kirkland's suicide. (Photos: Steve Fetbrandt) This report is from March Forward!, an organization of veterans, service members and military families that is leading the struggle in the United States to expose the military's criminal mental health care system and to stop U.S. wars. March Forward! is an affiliate of the ANSWER Coalition. March Forward! veterans organized a historic speak out at Ft. Lewis Army base in Washington state on Aug. 12. The event, organized in less than one week's time, built upon the hard work that March Forward! has carried out over the past year. The main goal of the speak out was to challenge the U.S. military's criminal treatment of troops with PTSD—and to accuse the command at Fort Lewis of murder. Iraq war veterans traveled all the way from Los Angeles, and linked up with March Forward! members at Ft. Lewis on Aug. 7. We began to prepare for the speak out by continuing the campaign for justice for a fellow soldier, Sgt. Derrick Kirkland, but our efforts turned into much more. 'Justice for Sgt. Kirkland' Since March 2010, March Forward! has rallied around the case of Sgt. Kirkland, a two-time Iraq war veteran and infantryman at Ft. Lewis who was rated a "low risk" for suicide after three suicide attempts and pleas for help. He hanged himself after being denied any meaningful treatment, and being publicly humiliated by his superiors for seeking help.  Active-duty March Forward! members in Sgt. Kirkland's unit, who served with him in Iraq, witnessed the treatment he received, and were in the barracks when he lost his life, began organizing against their own command and the mental health care system at Ft. Lewis. The Aug. 12 speak out outside Ft. Lewis was a culmination of this work. Sgt. Kirkland's mother, his fellow soldiers, and other veterans organized this public event to draw attention to the suicide epidemic, challenge the military brass, and give a voice to the thousands of veterans and their families suffering because of the wars and the mental health care crisis. Organizing the speak out Spending less than a week organizing outside Ft. Lewis, scores of active-duty troops and recent veterans were brought into the anti-war struggle. Word got out quickly about the exciting work being done. March Forward! held a press conference announcing the speak out, which was covered widely in the local media. It became a top story on the evening news. One local TV station reported "Soldier's suicide sparks campaign for change." With in the first few days, we met a diverse group of soldiers. Immediately, their responses to the Kirkland campaign were overwhelmingly positive. Every single soldier spoke in complete unison about the broken mental health care system, as well as being fed up with deployments. They all expressed distrust with their chain of command, and highlighted the fact that these wars were and are not worth loosing their lives over. Each soldier expressed that, before meeting March Forward! members, they had no idea organizations like this existed. They were eager to get active. 'Justice for Staff Sergeant Hagemann' March Forward! members and new recruits covered the surrounding area with flyers and posters for the speak out. One of those flyers made it into the hands of Ashley Hagemann, a 26-year-old mother of two, whose husband had just lost his life to suicide weeks before.  Ashley Hagemann (center) and Mary Corkhill (right), speak about the mistreatment their loved ones received before their suicides. Her late husband, Staff Sergeant Jared Hagemann, was in 2/75 Ranger Regiment at Ft. Lewis. He had been on eight combat tours, with a ninth on the horizon. After each deployment, he sought help for PTSD. He was rejected each time. By the time his eighth deployment was complete, he was desperate to never to go again. Despite his pleas to the military for help, he was told he had no choice. According to his widow, Ashley, Jared felt had no other option but suicide. He died of a gunshot wound to the head on June 28, 2011. He was one of a shocking 11 suicides in just a few months at Ft. Lewis. But like Sgt. Kirkland's case, this suicide became much more than just another number. Finding other military families, joined with soldiers and veterans, gave Ashley a vehicle to fight back, expose those responsible, and join the movement for change that brought so many together at Ft. Lewis in the first place. March Forward! made this happen. We exposed the case of SSG Hagemann through the media attention already generated around our work on the Sgt. Kirkland campaign. SSG Jared Hagemann's tragic death quickly became a national story. Click here to watch the first story breaking the case. March Forward! has just launched a nationwide campaign around SSG Hageman's case. Please sign the petition to demand justice for SSG Jared Hagemann and forward it widely. 'The Army is guilty of murder' The March Forward!-organized speak out was held Aug. 12 at Coffee Strong, a veteran-run, anti-war coffeehouse just outside Ft. Lewis. It was the first event of its kind--active-duty troops, veterans and military families banding together to exert direct pressure on the military brass--since the current U.S. war drive began in 2001; and at a crucial time, with the Army reavealing on Aug. 13 that July yielded the most suicides ever in a single month. Over 80 active-duty soldiers, veterans, military families, and community members turned out to the event. People traveled from all over the Seattle-Tacoma area to attend, including several from as far as Portland, Ore. Several veteran political activists in the crowd told March Forward!: "This is the best political event, we have ever attended." The panel itself included Mary Corkhill, Sgt. Kirkland's mother, Ashley Hagemann and five members of March Forward!, including members of Sgt. Kirkland's unit, Iraq war veterans and an active-duty soldier stationed at Ft. Lewis. Each told their own personal stories, and each condemned the Army and the U.S. government for throwing away the lives of so many service members. Ryan Endicott, a former Marine Corps infantryman who served in Iraq and March Forward! organizer, put the mental health crisis in context: "There is now an epidemic of suicides in the military. For the last two years, more soldiers have died from suicide than from combat. This is a staggering number. This is a major crisis. Something is very wrong. … And if this is such a crisis for U.S. troops, imagine the rate of post traumatic stress disorder among the people of Iraq and Afghanistan." Spc. Joseph Chroniger and Cpl. Ryan Endicott speak about the broken mental health care system in the military. Iraq war veteran and March Forward! co-founder Mike Prysner chaired the event: "It is our assertion here tonight, that Sgt. Kirkland and SSG Hagemann did not kill themselves, that they were killed by the Army. They were killed by the Army's criminally inadequate mental health care services, and by the chain of command. … Drastic change in needed. And we must be the vehicle for that change to happen." Mary Corkhill traveled from her home in Indiana to participate in the speak out. "Thank you all for honoring my son by being here. It really, really means a lot to me to know that you guys care." She went on to describe the long list of deceptions and evasions that have characterized her dealings with the Army over her son's death, including false claims that he died in combat and that the grieving family did not wish to speak with the media. Fellow soldiers of Sgt. Kirkland exposed their eyewitness accounts of his treatment. A soldier who served in Iraq with Sgt. Kirkland, Joseph Chroniger, said, "They did nothing to help Kirkland, as far as I'm concerned the Army killed my friend." Ashley Hagemann gave gripping testimony about here husband's struggle to get help: "People mocked him. They judged him. They told him to 'man up. Take a sleeping pill. You're fine. It's all in your head.' No, it wasn't. … The only thing he had control of was how he ended his own life. For that I blame his chain of command." Sign the petition demanding justice for SSG Jared Hagemann. Another of Sgt. Kirkland's fellow soldiers, Staff Sergeant Kevin Baker, said, "The fact that we are being sent over and over to wars we have no reason to fight, then treated so carelessly when we get home, shows that enlisted soldiers have the right to organize internally, within the military, in our interests." Specialist Danny Birmingham, an active-duty soldier on Ft. Lewis, pointed the way forward for active-duty troops. Birmingham recently returned from Iraq, and has set the example to other troops by taking a stand and exercising his right to refuse to take part in these unpopular wars, and became a conscientious objector. "A lot of people that resort to suicide feel that there is no other way out. Being a conscientious objector is an alternative way out. Obviously the military doesn't want people to know this. Well, I'm going to tell them." It was a diverse array of speakers, all accusing the military of murder, and calling on others to join the growing movement of veterans and their families to hold the U.S. government accountable.  The event literally brought the issue of soldier suicides to the military's doorstep. March Forward! made this happen. March Forward! was able to show that the military is incapable of handling the crisis that it has created, and the only real way to make change is through the rank-and-file, along with military families. The speak out and organizing effort at Ft. Lewis was a major step in building the movement for change. We are now planning for more such events in the months ahead. This historic speak out was made possible by the support of people like you. Please donate to help this important project to expose the military's criminal mental health care system and to stop the wars. We urge you to make a generous donation today.

A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition http://www.AnswerCoalition.org/ info@AnswerCoalition.org National Office in Washington DC: 202-265-1948 Boston: 857-334-5084 | New York City: 212-694-8720 | Chicago: 773-463-0311 San Francisco: 415-821-6545| Los Angeles: 213-251-1025 | Albuquerque: 505-268-2488   If this message was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive future ANSWER updates, click here to subscribe.