PURPOSE OF THE CONFERENCE

This conference will bring together antiwar and social justice activists from across the country and around the world to consider what we can do together to end the U.S. wars, occupations, bombing attacks, sanctions, threats and interventions that are taking place in the Middle East and across the globe and to address the inseparable social, political, economic and environmental crises at home. Attend and voice your opinion on where the antiwar and social justice movements are today and where we go from here. Below you will find a DRAFT ACTION PROPOSAL submitted by UNAC's National Coordinating Committee for the consideration of the conference.

Our goal is unity in action while respecting our diversity and differences in political program and orientation. Attendees will have every opportunity to amend or otherwise change this proposal in accord with democratic procedures. The DRAFT ACTION PROPOSAL will be placed on UNAC's website as well as all amendments, resolutions and related matters to be voted on by the conference and that are submitted in a timely manner, four days before the conference convenes.

NOTE TO REGISTRANTS

TO SUBMIT AMENDMENTS AND RESOLUTIONS TO DRAFT ACTION PROPOSAL

Any organization or individual attending the conference may submit written amendments to the Draft Action Proposal, including demands and proposals for spring and fall actions and beyond as well as resolutions. The makers of any such amendment, proposal or resolution must be present at the conference in order to have their proposal considered. A copy of all such submissions must also be received by UNACpeace@gmail.com or UNAC at P.O. Box 123, Delmar, New York 12054 no later than three days before the conference convenes – by March 19, 2012 – in order to be placed before it. We encourage forwarding submissions earlier in order to be posted on the website and to allow more attendees to read them in advance. In drafting submissions, please keep in mind that the purpose of the conference is to plan future actions to advance UNAC's basic “Out Now” and related social justice demands. Resolutions that go beyond the stated purpose of the conference, however worthwhile and important, cannot possibly be considered in the limited time available.

Anyone submitting a resolution or other document to the conference for its consideration that is longer than one short paragraph must bring copies in sufficient numbers to ensure that all attendees receive one. We do not have the resources to make copies for all attendees. Email us at UNACpeace@gmail.com for further information on this matter or call, 518-227-6947 or 518-281-1968 or 781-316-2018.

DRAFT ACTION PROGRAM

United National Antiwar Coalition

National Antiwar-Social Justice Conference

March 23-25, 2012

Stamford, Connecticut

ACTION PROGRAM PART I

WE, THE NINETY-NINE PERCENT, AFFIRM THAT:

The history of all successful social movements demonstrates that the few, the one percent, NEVER yield to the MANY unless the MANY are organized democratically, independent of the institutions of the status quo, united in struggle in massive numbers and confident in victory.

Abolitionist Frederick Douglas said:

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

In this spirit, we rededicate ourselves to the struggle against all U.S. wars at home and abroad.

We, the 99 percent, demand that the government of the United States, the self-appointed cop of the world, the imperialist, neo-colonial one percent, who live and profit at the expense of the world’s people:

• End all wars, interventions, targeted assassinations and occupations! U.S. out of NATO and all other interventionist military alliances!

• No to targeted assassinations around the world and no to violent attacks in countries where the U.S. is waging undeclared wars.

• Bring all the troops, mercenaries, war contractors, death squads and military “advisors” home now from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Colombia, Haiti, Cuba/Guantanamo and Korea. U.S. troops out of the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe!

• No to the U.S.-backed military coup in Honduras!

• End all threats of war and intervention against Iran and Syria! No to sanctions, blockades and embargoes!

• No to the U.S. troop build-up in Australia and threats of intervention in the China Sea!

• Close the 1,000-plus U.S. military bases around the world!

• End U.S. aid to dictators everywhere! Hands off the Arab Spring! End US military aid and weapons exports to the Egyptian military! Stop the US-initiated military build-up in Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen and other regimes working to crush popular democratic movements in the Middle East!

• End all U.S. aid to Israel, military, economic and diplomatic! End U.S. support to the Israeli Occupation of Palestine! Self-determination for Palestine! End the Siege of Gaza!

• Compensation and reparations to the peoples of the world whose countries the U.S. has attacked, destroyed, occupied and impoverished – to the victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade – to the communities of the oppressed and exploited!

• Shut down the military-industrial complex and the biological and chemical warfare complex!

• Starting with the U.S., the world’s greatest nuclear power and the only nation in history to use nuclear weapons on innocent populations, abolish all nuclear weapons! End all drone attacks! No to the militarization of space!

We, the 99 percent, demand: Bring our war dollars home now!

• $Trillions for jobs at top union wages, quality housing, education and universal single-payer health care for all!

• Bail out the people, not the banks and corporations! Tax the rich not working people! Stop all government attacks on trade unions! No to union-busting, layoffs and cutbacks! Reverse and end all foreclosures and evictions!

• No to U.S.-mandated G8 and G20 national and international austerity drives to pay for the world economic crisis brought on by the one percent!

We, the 99 percent, demand: No to Militarization of U.S.!

• No to the use of the U.S. military to intervene in labor disputes on the side of the employer – as happened during the 1970 postal strike when U.S. soldiers attempted (unsuccessfully) to break the strike! Pass the Employee Free Choice Act and Repeal the anti-union Taft-Hartley Law – to end unfair restrictions on the right of workers to be effectively represented by unions!

• No to the growing federally-sponsored militarization of police forces in many cities and states. No to the increasing control of local law enforcement by national police agencies such as Homeland Security, ICE, the DEA and the FBI. No to distribution of military weapons and drones to local police forces and national agencies.

• No to all military intervention on U.S. soil. Repeal all provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act that allow indefinite military detentions without charges or trial.

We the 99 percent demand: Civil liberties for all!

• Reverse the coordinated nationwide crackdown on the Occupy Wall Street encampments and allow all occupiers to safely return to their protest sites.

• Stop the 300,000 yearly deportations of immigrants! No human being is illegal! Full legalization now! No to “guest worker” programs! End the militarization of the borders! Tear down the border walls! No to use of drones by police for border surveillance and control of citizens within this country!

• No to Islamophobia and racism! No to the modern-day McCarthy-era “War on Terror.” No to the “national security state!” No to indefinite detentions, renditions and torture! Repeal the Patriot Act, the Anti-terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act and all other encroachments on fundamental democratic rights and civil liberties/due process/habeas corpus!

• No to the victimization of Muslim and Arab American communities! No to the 700,000 FBI/ICE-threatening “knocks on the door” since 9-11! No to the 40,000 detentions of Muslim and Arab Americans! No to the thousands of arrests, pre-emptive prosecutions and frame-up imprisonments!

• No to FBI intimidation of antiwar activists, to Grand Jury witch hunts, subpoenas, FBI break-ins and threats of prison! End the persecution of the 24 victims of FBI repression!

• Stop infringements on the right to peaceful assembly and protest! End government restrictions on the exercise of constitutional rights! End police spying, physical attacks, tear gassing, pepper-spraying and other forms of brutal treatment and arrest of peaceful demonstrators!

We, the 99 percent, demand: End racist attacks on the Black, Latino and Native American communities!

• No to the criminalization of Black, Latino and Native American youth! No to the racist, slave labor, increasingly privatized-for-profit prison-industrial complex! No to the racist “Stop and Frisk” policies!

• No to police brutality and murder! No to the re-segregation and massive defunding of public education and social services!

• No to the racist attacks on voting rights! No to the racist death penalty! Affirmative action to end racist inequality and unemployment!

We, the 99 percent, demand: End the destruction of the environment!

• No to the oil wars to further line the pockets of the one percent while deepening the climate crisis and environmental destruction that threatens all humanity!

• Trillions for sustainable energy research and development! No to tar sands extraction, fracking and environmentally destructive pipelines! No to deforestation and destructive mining and logging!

• Starting with the U.S., the world’s leading nuclear power nation, close all nuclear power plants! The U.S. has no standing to compel other nations, like Iran, to close their nuclear facilities.

• No to the war machine, the number one producer of greenhouse gasses!

We, the 99 percent, demand an end to government cover-ups of its heinous and criminal deeds!

• End the threats of prosecution of Wikileaks leader Julian Assange! An informed society requires the right to know the truth about secret government warmaking, assassination plots, violations of international law, secret treaties and death squad murders! Full accountability of the military, financial and industrial criminals for their illegal acts against the people!

• Free ALL political prisoners! Free Mumia Abu-Jamal! Free Bradley Manning! Free Lynne Stewart! Free Leonard Peltier! Free the Newbugh Four! Free Tarek Mehanna! Free Aafia Siddiqui!

ACTION PROGRAM: PART II

We, the United National Antiwar Coalition, will:

1) Build national protest activities in Chicago in May, 2012, during the NATO/G8 Summit meetings held in Chicago. These actions will be UNAC’s central organizing priority for the spring. Action components include:

a) Build a nationwide Chicago march and rally on Saturday, May 19, against the NATO/G8 summit meetings called by the Coalition Against NATO/G8 War and Poverty Agenda that will incorporate the demands in Part I of this Action Proposal.

b) Organize a national civil liberties campaign to secure from Chicago and federal officials the right to a permitted, family-friendly march and rally in Chicago, in sight and sound of the NATO/G8 summits, on May 19. We demand that our protest be free from police repression, spying, police provocations and “laws” that restrict our civil liberties.

c) Organize a Chicago People’s Summit educational conference. (Tentative date: May 12-13, 2012).

2) Support May Day (May 1) actions demanding immigrant and labor rights.

3) Support the call from Occupy Washington, D.C. for a March 30 national gathering of Occupiers across the nation.

4) Support the Committee to Stop FBI Repression in its fight to end government harassment. Withdraw all Chicago Grand Jury subpoenas of the 24 antiwar and social justice activists and return all confiscated materials.

5) Participate in antiwar/social justice protests at the August, 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa and at the September Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

6) Call for and build October 2012 local and regional protests to mark the eleventh year of the U.S. war against the people of Afghanistan and the Guantanamo-type mass incarcerations and torture at Bagram Air Base.

7) Support the November 2012 School of the Americas protests in Fort Benning, Georgia.

8) Support actions to close Guantamamo Bay and other “secret” prisons that practice torture and participate in rendition and indefinite detentions and oppose targeted assassinations.

9) Call for and support united emergency protests in the event of threats of war or when war is initiated.