Northwest Winter Soldier

05/31/2008 - 12:30pm
05/31/2008 - 4:15pm
Etc/GMT

Saturday, May 31st from Noon to 4:15pm
Town Hall, 1119 8th Ave in Seattle's First Hill Neighborhood
Intersection of 8th Ave & Seneca St
Click here for directions: http://www.townhallseattle.org/directionsAndParking.cfm
Tickets are $5 at the door

In 1971 Vets from the Vietnam War, organized by Vietnam Veterans Against the War, came together to provide testimony about the horrific events that occurred during the War. Many spoke about the killing innocent civilians, rape, and torture that they had witnessed and taken part in.

Last month Iraq Veterans Against the War held a similar event in Washington D.C. Hear local and regional chapters of Iraq Veterans Against The War bring home the truth about the occupations with eyewitness accounts of what is really happening day in and day out, on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. The event will be followed by a march to the Federal Building. Our intent is to fill Town Hall to capacity then to own the streets of Seattle.

While Winter Soldier in Washington D.C. was powerful and moving to all that witnessed it and it was well covered by media from around the world, it was not covered by major media in the United States. We want this to be different. We need to make enough noise on the streets of Seattle that the media can't ignore this event.

To do this IVAW needs the help of the people and organizations of the region.

Panels will address:
-Eyewitness accounts and ersonal stories from veterans and military families
-Veterans' Healthcare and the failure of the VA system
-The poverty draft and military recruitment today
-Supporting war resisters and the future of GI resistance
-Racism and the War on Terror
-Veterans, GIs, students and labor working together end the war

With guest speaker Antonia Juhasz, respected policy-analyst, author and activist. Her recent book, The Bu$h Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time, exposes the Bush administration's use of corporate globalization policy as a weapon of war.

Also, guest appearance and book signing by Dahr Jamail, author of the award-winning book Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq.

Endorsed by: Veterans for Peace (Chapters: 92 Seattle, 72 Portland, 132 Corvallis, 109 Olympia, 139 North Olympic Peninsula, Grants Pass, 913 Wenatchee, 141 SW Oregon, 143 Everett, 134 Tacoma) Dorris Kent - Gold Star Families for Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against the War Anti-Imperialist, Military Families Speak Out Washington and Oregon, Recruiter Watch PDX, Green Party of Washington, Evergreen Peace and Justice Action League of Spokane, Collateral Repair Project.org, Code Pink Oregon and Washington, Eastside Fellowship of Reconciliation,Tacoma Students for a Democratic Society, Students Educating Students About the Middle East, Teen Peace Project, American Friends Service Committee Washington and Oregon, Vancouver for Peace, PDX Peace Coalition, Oregon Peace Institute, White Feather Peace Community, Washington Truth in Recruiting, International Socialist Organization, Youth Against War and Racism, Freedom Socialist Party, Seattle Central Community College Anti-War Collective, Socialist Alternative,Courage to Resist, Backbone Campaign, Progressive Democrats of America, Women in Black Seattle, Port Townsend Peace Movement, Seattle Anti-Imperialist Commitee,Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Peace Action Coalition Tacoma, Oregonians Against the War, Whatcom Peace and Justice Center, Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War, Lake Forest Park for Peace, World Can't Wait, Western Washington Fellowship of Reconcilliation, El Centro de la Raza.

I agree about the marketing

I agree about the marketing angle. I was unaware of this website until I literally stumbled on to it via an unrelated search query.

You are not effective in your publicity.

I do not want to discourage you because you are doing great things! BUT...

You are not getting publicity! I did not hear about this march in Seattle until after the event and a news brief on alternative news on 4th of June.

You have a great website. I am a former dot com consultant to fortune 100's. And you guys are missing the boat in regards to reaching the general public!

MARKETING is EVERYTHING! Before the march. BEFORE a website. BEFORE ANYTHING !!!

Please take this as constructive criticism.

To your web developers, "If you build it, they will come".

WRONG!

Such thinking is a fallacy. A great website and shitty marketing will get you nothing! A website is only one very small part of the effort. The website HAS to be matched with effective marketing. And you do not have it.

Please forward to all Vet Organizations. I would have loved to join that March in Seattle but you were too ineffective in getting the word out. You need to start a campaign... 90 percent of the effort... an effort of marketing before the March. EVERYBODY contributes. I can show you how to market online with little or no money. It is not as easy as your web developers think. Nearly all web developers are clueless when it comes to marketing! There are tricks and tactics just like in fighting a war. It is strategic! And some of it is a bit covert. I absolutely positive your web developers could use some help. Once a marketing plan is in place, you can have volunteers (non-developers) follow it - effectively automating your marketing effort. But you need to be trained just like in a war. I am in Ellensburg, WA. Give me a hollar. Let's have a sit down.

Ken Boettger
Ellensburg, WA

coffee house

Seth,

Do you have any more information about the new coffee house that IVAW is working on?

Making Noise in the Streets of Seattle

Molly Ivins suggested just before she died last year that citizens should take to the streets banging pots against the surge. I'll bring a pot to make some noise in her honor for peace.

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