The following Press Release is for our January 11 ‘Close Gantanamo’ Demonstration:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Key, President, Peace Fresno (559) 237-6331
Bill Simon, Chair, Greater Fresno Area Chapter ACLU-NC (559) 227-6565
Jean Hays, W.I.L.P.F. (559) 439-0280
Rev. Floyd Harris, Director, National Network In Action (559) 803-0286
DEMONSTRATION TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO
January 11, 2008, Friday
11:30 am - 1:00 pm
The New Federal Building
2500 Tulare Street, Fresno
The people of the United States have been given numerous warnings about protecting our liberty. Benjamin Franklin warned that “they who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary security deserve neither liberty nor security.” Franklin D. Roosevelt warned us: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” And Dwight D. Eisenhower warned us about the Military Industrial Complex taking control of American society. These warnings have fallen on deaf ears.
Today, the American people have largely succumbed to fear and to the power of the Military Industrial Complex. We have given up liberty for security. We have allowed our government to lead us into an unjust war, to curtail our civil liberties through the “No Child Left Behind Act”, “The Patriot Act”, “The Military Commissions Act”, the pending “Homegrown Terrorism Protection Act”, and the Presidential Executive Order of July 17, 2007, and to arbitrarily subject human beings to secret rendition, torture and indefinite detention at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba without trial, access to attorneys or the rights and freedoms granted by our Constitution.
The ACLU, including the ACLU-NC, Amnesty International, The National Religious Campaign Against Torture, United for Peace and Justice, and many other organizations have joined in calling on all Americans who are opposed to torture and indefinite detention to wear orange on January 11, 2008 and to participate in actions urging the immediate closure of Guantanamo and the end of U.S. sponsored torture.
In solidarity with all people of good will, Peace Fresno is organizing a demonstration to be held on January 11 from 11:30 am - 1:00 pm in front of the new Federal Building at 2500 Tulare Street in downtown Fresno. We will call for the closure of Guantanamo, the end of torture, and the restoration of the civil liberties which we have lost in recent years. We will tell Fresno that civil liberty is more important than a false security.
This action is being cosponsored by Peace Fresno, The Greater Fresno Area Chapter of the ACLU-NC, W.I.L.P.F., and the National Network In Action.
The following Letter to the Editor of the Fresno Bee was written by Joshua Key in response to his printed interview on Christmas:
‘Lost the real meaning’
01/04/08 00:27:32
In the story on Dec. 26, “Demonstrators want peace on Earth,” the reporter included only part of what I said. He wrote, “This is boring,” Joshua said. “It’s Christmas.”
I said, “It’s boring. It’s Christmas. But the reason I’m out here is because I believe that war is wrong.”
By not including all I said, the reporter lost the real meaning of what I said. I do believe that war is wrong and that people need to realize this. Sometimes it is important to do things even if they are boring.
Joshua Key
Age 9
Fresno
