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| When friends and politics collide...!.Our friends Travis Silcox, English professor at SCC, (right) and Betty Travis, friend, international traveller, and sometime student at SCC (left) holding a banner representing the peaceful sentiments of many at Sacramento City College. Professor Silcox spent last summer in Guatemala, learning about the effects of U.S. foreign policy in that war-damaged country. (The U.S.- sponsored overthrow of Guatemalan President Arbenz in 1954 kicked off a four decade civil war that resulted in the loss of 200,000 people killed or "disappeared."). It was bananas and the United Fruit Company then, now it's oil. Having the U.S. intervene in your country isn't always good...... |
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| There were many colorful signs on view. |
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Alex Garza and Al Rojas, SEIU Local 1000 members. Alex is against the war because it's a waste of life-- "The defense industry is sucking up resources that we need in order to maintain social programs here at home." Al Rojas stated "We're deciding our grandchildren's future. It's up to us to say "no" now-- that we'll no longer accept a murderous foreign policy!" |
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Another Union represented at the "Californians' say "NO" to war" convergence. To the question "Should Labor Unions take a position on U.S. policy issues?" Andrew Stern, International President of SEIU stated in a letter to U.S. President Bush: "SEIU members, like other Americans, have a wide range of opinions about important policy issues, but we all care about human life and about our country. It is the working people of America and our children whose lives will be on the line if our government cannot resolve conflicts without war. In that spirit, we want to express our concerns and outline our principles." Stern then outlines four principles: 1) War involves enormous risks to our families and our communities and must be the last option and not the first. 2) The goal of our foreign policy must be to promote a safer and more just world-- promoting peaceful multilateral solutions for disputes. 3) U.S foreign policy must give high priority to improving the lives of people around the world. In the labor movement, we have known for generations that when there is no justice, there is no peace. 4) The rights and freedoms our government says it is fighting for abroad must be protected here at home. One of America's greatest strengths is our basic civil liberties-- including the right to free speech, to privacy, and to due process. |