CodePink People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War
Endorse (or see other options in the text)
From: Erica Weiland, NWTRCC Social Media Consultant, Seattle
For November 2016 CC Meeting
I met Paula Kahn, an organizer with CODEPINK, at SOAW border action Oct 7-10. Not only was she excited to learn about war tax resistance, she felt that our work would be a great match for endorsing and/or being a part of the People’s Tribunal on the Lies and Costs of the U.S. War on Iraq, an effort which CODEPINK is organizing.
As their website says: “After 14 years of costly war based on lies, it’s time for truth and accountability. The People’s Tribunal on the Iraq War will bring together the biggest tent of the global anti-war/peace movements intersected with other movements to speak to the costs of this war—and war itself. The Tribunal will bring the lies that created the war on Iraq to public awareness, while demanding Obama act on them. It will build and inspire the anti-war movement that we will need after the inauguration of the next administration in 2017. It will be a tool all groups can use to build, inspire and enliven their organizations and communities.”
There are many ways for organizations to take part in the tribunal. The three categories that make the most sense for us to consider are Endorser, Coalition Organizer, and Witness:
The key demand of the tribunal is to ask Obama to form a Commission on Truth and Accountability about the Iraq war – if we became an Endorser, this is what we would be endorsing.
As a Coalition Organizer, we would be using the tribunal as a media opportunity to spread our own messages about the costs of the Iraq war alongside promoting the event.
And/or we can have a “witness” testify in the tribunal (either in person, by phone, or by video call) about the costs of war and the necessity of resistance.
More info on the CodePink website
I think this is an excellent opportunity for NWTRCC to get involved. I would urge us to fulfill all three of these roles, but I think any organized participation by war tax resisters would be very valuable.
I (Erica) will take the lead on organizing NWTRCC’s involvement with this tribunal in whatever way the CC approves; for example, signing up NWTRCC as an endorser, using social media to promote the event and NWTRCC as a Coalition Organizer, and/or finding someone to testify as a witness to the costs of the Iraq war.
