Jan 19, 2007
By Rob Mulford
This morning at about 9:00 a.m., 20 Fairbanks, Alaska area residents exercised their rights by petitioning their elected congress persons with a Declaration of Peace. The declaration was presented and read to the local offices of Senators Murkowski and Stevens and Congressman Young. It was in the form of a proclamation and an ultimatum emphatically requesting that they defund the war in Iraq, bring the troops home now, investigate and prosecute war profiteers, and provide funding for full benefits, adequate health care, and other support for returning servicemen and women.
The declaration ultimatum is part of an effort initiated by Voices for Creative Nonviolence called the Occupation Project and is not without consequence to the elected congress persons. It promises a return on or after Feb. 5 to either thank the congress person or to reiterate with possible acts of Nonviolent Civil Disobedience.
The project was initiated locally by members of North Star Veterans for Peace with participation and endorsement by the Alaska Peace Center, the Fairbanks Coalition for Peace and Justice as well as other members of the community.
On exiting Senator Lisa Murkowski’s office, half of the group broke out - lead by the wonderful singer song writer, Susan Grace - in a 3 part harmony rendition of “Dona Novis Pacem”. Thank you so much Susan.
Please read the document below.
Wage Peace, Rob Mulford
Rob Mulford is a Fairbanks-area Air Force veteran and the local contact for Veterans for Peace.
The Occupation Project A Campaign of Sustained Nonviolent Resistance to End the Iraq War January, 18, 2007
Senator Ted Stevens;
We as Peace Loving Americans and Alaskan Residents, asserting the inalienable rights of all humankind, recognize that:
- The Iraq war was launched under a cloud of lies and false pretenses and is an act of aggression against a country that was not a threat to the U.S.
- Over 3,000 American Servicemen and Women and possibly 600,000 Iraqis have lost their lives to the violence of war.
- Tens of thousands of American Servicemen and Women have been horribly physically disabled.
- The horror of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is destroying the lives of heroes and wrecking families. Many suffering soldiers are turned of the military with Less Than Honorable Discharges to suffer without remedy.
- The insanity of Sectarian Violence was made inevitable and has been exacerbated by U.S. meddling in the internal laws and political economic structure (in violation of international law) of an occupied state.
- We are not safer due to the war in Iraq and the so-called “War on Terror”. Freedom is increasingly more threatened by our own government than by some outside “enemy”.
- Much of the world that once considered the U.S. a bastion of human rights and democracy now sees us as an imperialistic threat to world security.
- Wealthy people and greedy corporations profit from lucrative no bid contracts and swoon over profits to be made from the Production Sharing Agreements and Iraq’s rewritten oil laws.
We hereby proclaim our total opposition to the War on and Occupation of Iraq and the so- called “War on Terror” and emphatically request that you sign and or agree publicly to the terms of the attached Declaration of Peace.
We will return early in February (after Feb. 4) to thank you for agreeing to this declaration or to reiterate our requests. In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King and Gandhi, some may be moved to acts of Peaceful Nonviolent Civil Disobedience. We will repeat this activity periodically in the weeks that follow until said Declaration is agreed to or congress takes such measures without your participation.
Occupation Project Contact: Rob Mulford, 907-457-5578,
Alaska Congressional Delegation’s Declaration of Peace
As a duly elected member of Congress, I Ted Stevens commit to publicly support the establishment and activation by March 15, 2007 of a comprehensive plan for a rapid end to the U.S. war and occupation in Iraq.
As part of this Declaration, I will:
Signature:____________
*Printed Name: Ted Stevens U.S. Senator, Alaska
