PRESS STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 25th, 2009

Austin, Texas--A broad coalition of Texas peace and justice organizations will announce Monday, November 30th, at 11 am, at Under the Hood Cafe, (17 S. College St.) Killeen, Texas, that they oppose any escalation of the war in Afghanistan. These groups include the Dallas Peace Center, Texans for Peace, the Crawford Peace House, Austin Center for Peace and Justice, Code Pink, the South Texas Alliance for Peace and Justice, and others, listed below.

Coalition spokespersons will call upon President Obama to completely withdraw all military and paramilitary personnel and announce immediately a plan to rebuild the country.

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Interviews available in advance. Press packets onsite.

(Note: Listed below are supporting/endorsing groups and contact information for same)

Arlington Peace Center - Len Ellis 972 927 4434 Peace-Center@tx.rr.com
Austin Center for Peace and Justice (ACPJ) - Sylvia Benini 512-579-9114 sylvia.benini@gmail.com
Austin Concientious Objectors to Military Taxation (ACOMT) - Shirley Smith 512-228-2252 peacetax_tx@yahoo.com
Austin Permanent Peace Protest - Banafsheh Madaninejad 979.525.9366 bmadaninejad@gmail.com
Austin GI Rights HotLine - Bernice Hecker 512.452.6245 bernan@aol.com
Campus Antiwar Movement to End the Occupations (CAMEO) - Matt Tedrow mtedrow@mail.utexas.edu
Christians for Peace - Larry Egly 254.630.9141 legly@hot.rr.com
Code Pink - Austin - Fran Hanlon fran.hanlon@gmail.com
Code Pink - Dallas - Nancy Cunningham codepinkdallas@gmail.com
Code Pink - Fort Worth - Yvette Richardson 817.896.9084 eyerule00@yahoo.com
Code Pink - Houston - Madeline Crozat-Williams magicas@pdq.net
Crawford Peace House - Johnney Wolf wolfishq@gmail.com
Dallas Peace Center - Lon Burnam 214-823-7793 lon@dallaspeacecenter.org
Denton Peace Action - Dan Burnam danburnam@yahoo.com
Houston Peace and Justice Center (HPJC) - Dave Atwood dpatwood@igc.org
Iranians for Peace - Bijan Abadi babadi@sbcglobal.net
Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) - Austin - Hart Viges hartviges3000@yahoo.com
The Interfaith Community for Palestinian Rights - Eileen Lundy 512.786.5969 eileenlundy@yahoo.com
Military Families Speak Out (MFSO) - Houston - Sherry Glover another4peace@yahoo.com
North Texas for Justice and Peace - Rusty Tomlinson hftomlinson@yahoo.com
Peace Action Denton - Sammie Haren 940-323-0303 ranchersdaughter@gmail.com
UNT Campus Antiwar Network - Andrew Teeter 817.455.3787 untcan@gmail.com
Pax Christi - Austin - Mary Berwick mary.hogan.2901@sbcglobal.net
Peace Mennonite Church - Ryan Koch 214-902-8141
San Antonio PEACECenter - Susan Ives 210-224-HOPE suives@texas.net
South Texas Alliance for Peace and Justice - Ann Smith 361-992-1535 smtann@stx.rr.com
Texans for Peace - Charlie Jackson 512-736-8385
Texas Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) - Dave Collins 830-868-9055, collindave@hughes.net charliej@texansforpeace.org
Under the Hood Café (Fort Hood Support Network) - Cindy Thomas - underthehoodcafe@gmail.com
Veterans for Peace (VFP) - Houston - Stan Merriman stan.merriman@sbcglobal.net
Waco Friends of Peace - Alan Northcutt 254-744-1682 anorthc@aol.com

Listed below are 4 ways you can get involved and participate in helping to stop the escalation:

1. Contact the White House - Call the White House at 202-456-1111 and leave a message for President Obama telling him that you are opposed to any escalation of the war in Afghanistan. Contact your local member of Congress as well.

2. Endorse the Texas statement - Endorse the statement above and get your organization to sign on and participate in statewide news release. (Go HERE to endorse)

3. Contact your local media - Write a letter to the paper, blog, call the television studios and radio programs and let them know you are opposed to any escalation. Attend local media events (see cities and dates at right).

4. Attend a Rally or Vigil - Be a visible presence and in solidarity with your fellow Texans who also oppose the escalation. (see cities and dates at right).

5. Share "Twelve Reasons to Leave Afghanistan Now" - Read the attached .pdf and the reasons for ending the war and occupation of Afghanistan and forward a link to it to your friends.

Texas Press Events

November 30 (Statewide) - Press Conference,Killeen - Under the Hood Cafe (17 S. College St.)

Texas Rally/Vigil Events
The following dates have been scheduled. IF President Obama goes ahead with an escalation of the war there will likely be additional protests and vigils.

(Austin) - Monday November 30 Vigil, 4-6 pm Outside of Senator Cornyn's office 6th and Lavaca. Austin Center for Peace and Justice

(Dallas) - Monday November 30 Vigil, 4-6 pm Earle
Cabell Federal Building, 1100 W. Commerce St. (please bring candles) Dallas Peace Center

(Waco) - Tuesday December 1 Afghanistan Escalation Protext 3:30-5:30 pm Corner of Valley Mills and Waco Drives (on Jason's Deli side).will provide large :OUT OF AFGHANISTAN NOW banner and small signs, please bring your own signs as you wish to express. Waco Friends for Peace

(El Paso) - Tuesday December 1 Peace Vigil 3:30-5:30 pm at the front of the Cortez Building, 310 N.
Mesa, the building housing Cong. Reyes's office. Border Peace Presence

please let us know of other events

NATIONAL CONTACTS