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Report on International Peace Conference / Latest Impeachment Polls / "End the War" Events / More Actions

Listed here are information and links to photos about an historic peace conference in London, where Cindy Sheehan was one of the participants. You will also find astonishing updated polls from AfterDowningStreet, asking the American people about Bush and Cheney's REMOVAL FROM OFFICE. Hear the Bonifaz Blog Call Audio and read about the numerous "End The War" events that are planned for January 7th.

REPORT ON INTERNATIONAL PEACE CONFERENCE

by David Swanson

David Swanson and Cindy Sheehan in London.

" Steve Cobble and I participated in an historic international peace conference in London on December 10 and in various related events the same week. We met with several Members of Parliament and will be working to facilitate teamwork and future events with them and members of the US Congressional Progressive Caucus.

The conference, hosted by the Stop the War Coalition, was a great success. About 1,500 people packed into a large hall, including delegates from all around the UK, and from Iraq, the US, Iran, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Canada, Poland, Greece, Italy, Spain and many other European countries.

The conference passed a statement calling for an international weekend of action on March 18/19, 2006, to mark the third anniversary of the war.

The week of events included a reception with the Mayor of London, who is strongly opposed to the war and willing to say so in no uncertain terms. See report and photos here

For one whole day, Cindy Sheehan and Andrew Burgin (the organizer of the conference) and I went to Scotland and met with Members of Parliament and with anti-war activists. This was quite an encouraging series of meetings. I spoke with Alex Salmond, a Member of Parliament working hard for the impeachment of Prime Minister Tony Blair. See report and photos here


I spoke on a panel titled "Bringing Bush and Blair to Account." I discussed the work of the After Downing Street Coalition, the ways in which activists in the US and Britain have been able to work together to drive stories into the media, and the ways in which we can work together to impeach Blair and President George Bush. See my speech here


On Sunday, the day following the conference, Steve took part in a strategy meeting at the Stop the War Coalition offices, while I joined Cindy Sheehan and many others in paying a visit to Blair's residence at 10 Downing Street. See report and photos here


In the course of this trip, we made many connections, helping to build solidarity in an international movement. Our task now is to make March 18, 2006, bigger and even more successful than was February 15, 2003. "

Click for the full report and photos


AFTERDOWNINGSTREET POLL: SUPPORT FOR REMOVING BUSH IS HIGHER THAN FOR CLINTON

Thanks to the generosity of AfterDowningStreet members, we hired Rasmussen Reports to ask Americans for the first time whether George Bush and Dick Cheney should be REMOVED from office.

In 1998, before House Republicans began impeachment proceedings for President Clinton, only 26% of Americans supported his removal.

Our new poll shows significantly more Americans believe Bush (32%) and Cheney (35%) should be removed, even before the House gets still-secret evidence that Bush Lied.

Should President Bush be impeached and removed from office?
Yes 32% No 56% Not Sure 12%

Should Vice President Cheney be impeached and removed from office?
Yes 35% No 53% Not Sure 12%

Moreover, Rasmussen's results significantly understate support for their removal, because the Rasmussen poll is always 5-10% "friendlier" to Bush than all other polls. Here is our complete analysis

This is the third poll funded by AfterDowningStreet members, and the fourth on impeachment since June. But NO mainstream media polls dare ask about impeachment, because they fear Karl Rove's wrath. We need your help to keep up the pressure on the other polls!


Also, few progressive blogs have reported on these astonishing polls. Please urge your favorite bloggers to discuss the polls YOU paid for.

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BONIFAZ BLOG CALL AUDIO
On Tuesday night Joe Trippi hosted a blog call with John Bonifaz, 2006 candidate for Secretary of State of Massachusetts. Those that made the call know that it was a great discussion about voting rights and election reform. You can listen to the audio of the call here


Feel free to download, share, and host the file on your site. For more information on John Bonifaz, visit his website - http://www.JohnBonifaz.com

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THREE DOZEN JANUARY 7th "End the War" EVENTS ALREADY PLANNED

Sign up for one in your area, or help plan one!
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event

After Downing Street and Democrats.com are joining with Backbone Campaign, Progressive Democrats of America, Democracy Cell Project, Cities for Peace, MilitaryFreeZone.Org, Operation Ceasefire, United for Peace and Justice, U.S. Tour of Duty, Hip Hop Caucus, Democracy Rising, World Can't Wait, Gold Star Families for Peace, PeaceMajority Report, Global Exchange, Bring Them Home Campaign, UP (United Progressives) for Democracy, 20 20 Vision, Impeach Bush Coalition, and Peace Action in asking you to help organize public meetings or smaller gatherings on Saturday, January 7, on the topic of ending the war.

The war is costing us dearly in lives, in security, and in resources. We need this national day to make our demand heard and bring the war to an end. (Events can also be held on days other than the 7th, to fit the schedules of those involved.)

Because the holidays are coming, the time to organize these events is now. Here's how:

STEP 1: Identify an individual or organization or coalition to take the lead in organizing an event.

STEP 2: Post the event so that people can sign up for it and other organizers can contact you and work together. Whoever posts the event will have control of and be able to communicate with the list of people who sign up to attend it. It is also possible to post an event without many details and fill them in later.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event

STEP 3: See the resources posted on that website, which include tips on contacting your Congress Member. Invite him or her to host the event or to be your guest at an event you host, whichever they and you prefer. You can also hold an event without a Congress Member, such as a panel, a discussion circle, or a house party, and it's easy to do so with the resources provided here:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/event

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posted by Annamarie at 11:07 PM