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[OPIRG-EVENTS] Anti-War Sit-in, Ottawa, Fri. Feb 14




Please forward!!! In the spirit of St. Valentine, say no to war!!!

Bus seats are filling fast, so let us know as soon as possible 
whether you would like to join us on Friday, February 14 for the mass 
silent sit-in at the Canadian War Dept. in Ottawa (buses leave 
Thursday Feb. 13, return evening of the 14th).  We will surround the 
War Dept. with the power of love and determined nonviolent resistance 
on Friday, February 14.

Why?
We've marched in the streets
We've faxed
We've e-mailed
We've written letters and sent them snail-mail
We've written letters to the editor
We've held teach-ins and sit-ins,
We've presented peace zucchinis
We've urged Canadian soldiers not to fight
We've held citizens weapons inspections at Canadian manufacturers of 
weapons of mass human destruction
We've written letters to the editor
We've worked on municipal anti-war resolutions
We've organized delegations to Iraq
We've done children's art projects against the war
We've violated the sanctions by sending medicines and clothing to the 
people of Iraq
We've seen public opposition to war grow to encompass the majority of 
the Canadian people
We've done lots of other things and yet...

Still the government of Canada publicly waffles while:
Canadian Generals take part in war planning at U.S. Central Command.
Almost 1,000 Canadian soldiers continue to enforce the sanctions.
Canada continues to supply the U.S. military, ranking #46 on the top 
100 Pentagon contractors list for 2002.
Veterans of the 1991 war against Iraq continue to die of Gulf War 
Syndrome, with no compensation from their government.

It's clear: The War Dept. needs a change of heart! So we'll be there 
to help them with that change on Valentine's Day!

Join us now to bring the demands of the Canadian people to the base 
of military power in Canada.

Let's directly tell the government: NO WAR IN OUR NAME. Bring all 
troops home now. Build homes, don't blow them up. End the sanctions. 
Support Gulf War vets in their just demands for compensation and 
medical treatment. As Hans Blix delivers his next report on Feb 14, 
join us to mark the 12th anniversary of the U.S. bombing of the 
Ameriyah bomb shelter in Baghdad, an atrocity which incinerated 
almost 1,000 people.

GET ON BOARD
Buses:
- from Hamilton:  (905) 730-1181, 905-523-7879,
- from Kitchener-Waterloo/Guelph: (519) 578-1425 (call after 3:30 
pm), Guelph: (519) 824-2091,
- from Toronto: (416) 651-5800
- from St. Catharines: (905)  688-5550 ext. 3977.

In Ottawa call (613) 237-0730 ext. 1.

If you are driving up on your own and can help drive folks who cannot 
make the bus, please let us know if you would be willing to take 
latecomers!

All tickets $40 round-trip, includes accommodation in churches and 
meals. If you cannot make it but can help sponsor a seat, send 
donations to Homes not Bombs, PO Box 73620, 509 St. Clair Ave. West, 
Toronto, ON M6C 1C0.

Thanks!

PS:  WHO WAS ST. VALENTINE, AND WHY WOULD CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IN HIS NAME BE
APPROPRIATE???

Why St. Valentine's Day? Because the man for whom a disgustingly 
commercial holiday is named was in fact a resister to war and 
injustice. The days of the Roman Empire are very much like our own, 
what with massive violence to protect the wealth of the privileged 
few. In the ancient Roman Empire, Emperor Claudius II banned rituals 
leading to love and marriage, as young men in love or who married 
were reluctant to join the army, for which Claudius was having 
recruitment troubles. Although the Emperor declared engagements and 
marriages to be illegal, a priest called St. Valentine felt the 
Emperor's dictates were unjust and started to conduct marriages in 
secret. Once his activities became known he was jailed and later 
executed, in part for helping Christian prisoners escape.

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