RSU President Announces Withdrawal of Anti-War Stance at RSU

Taken from http://ryersonfreepress.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 24, 2008
RSU President Announces Withdrawal of Anti-War Stance at RSU

Last night, RFP reporters donated 7 hours of their lives to witness the September board meeting of the Ryerson Students' Union. While there will be extensive coverage of the meeting in the October issue, out next week, this letter made its way to us today. We thought it fit to publish. It was sent to all members of the Canadian Peace Alliance.

OPEN LETTER to the members of the Canadian Peace Alliance:

Dear members of the Canadian Peace Alliance,

It is with great regret that I must inform you that the Board of Directors of the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) resolved last night to not continue its membership in the Canadian Peace Alliance. While I affirm that a significant minority of our Board and I are very supportive of the Canadian Peace Alliance and are staunchly opposed to war, I can no longer say that this is the position of the RSU.

The RSU has had a long and proud tradition of supporting anti-war initiatives. From the position taken at our 2002 Annual General Meeting against the American-led occupation of Iraq to strong student contingents at rallies calling for Canadian troops out of Afghanistan, the RSU has, in the past, been a proud and vocal supporter of peace.

Unfortunately, our Board of Directors has shifted dramatically to the political right and, at last night’s meeting several motions were served that illustrated this shift. This includes the narrow defeat of a motion to continue our membership in the CPA and proposed budget amendments that would see our funding of campaigns for peace, accessible education and student rights all reduced to zero. Further budget cuts to our progressive campaigns work are still outstanding and will be considered at our next meeting.

I would, however, like to assure you and your members that there are still a dozen directors and thousands of Ryerson students who are committed to the peace and anti-war movement at Ryerson. The Students Against War coalition will continue to be anchored by the Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson (CESAR). I also commit to you all that, as President, I will work hard to ensure that the first-ever national anti-war conference scheduled for February will be a success, and not derailed by these circumstances.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

In peace and solidarity,

Muhammad Ali Jabbar

President
Ryerson Students' Union
Local 24, Canadian Federation of Students

Students Against War Meeting

Hello all, we will have our first meeting of the school year Monday Sept 22 at 6pm in SCC309, third floor of the Student Centre 55 Gould Street. We will be discussing how to build the anti war movement on campus.
We will have food so please let us know if you think you can make it?

Thanks,

--
RYESAW
Ryerson Students Against War
ryesaw@gmail.com

HOUSING NOT WAR MUSICAL PROTEST

HOUSING NOT WAR
MUSICAL PROTEST
***FREE MEAL***MUSIC***

12:30PM | Saturday, September 20 @ Moss Park (Sherbourne & Shuter)

FEATURING: Faith Nolan, Sara Marlowe, The PARC Drummers, Mohammad Ali
...hip hop, blues/jazz, folk & more (check web updates)...

[NOTE regarding recent permit issue in news media: this event will proceed as planned!]

REPLACE THE MOSS PARK ARMOURY WITH HOUSING!

The Moss Park Armoury sits in one of Canada's poorest neighbourhoods, surrounded by Toronto's highest concentration of homeless people. The government trains 800 soldiers every month in the armoury while people outside die without food and shelter! The Moss Park Armoury should be replaced with decent, accessible, affordable housing!

Join us for a free meal, music, demonstration and march on the armoury!

*FREE MEAL*
*CHILD CARE AVAILABLE AT EVENT* (please let us know ahead of time if possible)

For more info, or for accessibility needs, contact TDRC:

TORONTO DISASTER RELIEF COMMITTEE (TDRC)
416-599-8372 | housingnotwar@tdrc.net | www.HousingNotWar.ca

The Canadian Armed Forces has produced videos (which are found on their Website) videos which use traditional First Nations images to promote the Canadian Military. In some cases sacred images morph into military images such as tanks. Natives in kayaks and canoes morph into subs,a leaf that turns into an owl which turns into fighter jets.Is it just me or is this totally offensive. These are all peaceful images that are transformed into images of war. A war in which innocent civilians die.

Iran Pledge

Ryerson Students
Against War & Racism

Pledge for action against an attack on Iran
We the undersigned call on our government to actively oppose plans for an attack on Iran.
We believe that any attack on Iran would be a disaster for the ordinary people of that country and would massively increase instability across the Middle East and beyond.
In the event of escalation towards an attack we pledge to join a national campaign of action and protest.
We also pledge on the day of any attack to walkouts of school and mobilize for local protests in towns and cities across the country.

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SIGNATURE






Ryerson Students Against War & Racism
RyeSaw@gmail.com http://ryesaw.blogspot.com/

Don't Iraq Iran

On August 2, demonstrations took place in nearly 100 American cities to oppose war against Iran, part of a North American-wide day of action. In Canada, a number of cities also demonstrated to oppose war against Iran, including Toronto.

Please join us to say: "Don't attack Iran!" and "Stop the war before it starts!" As the US sinks deeper into quagmire in Iraq and Afghanistan, it will feel even greater pressure to expand the war to Iran. Be part of the mobilization to help stop another US-led war.

For more information, please visit http://stopwaroniran.org.

Rick Hillier named Chancellor of Memorial University?

Rick Hillier has just been named the Chancellor of Memorial University in Newfoundland. For the full story see the Ryerson Free Press.

Rick Hilliers Quote For Today

It's the last week for everybody's favourite Chief of Defence Staff, so we thought we'd feature some of Rickys best quotes, eat your heart out Don Cherry.


"These are detestable murderers and scumbags. They detest our freedoms, they detest our society, they detest our liberties." -- Hillier on July 14, 2005, on Osama bin Laden and Islamist terrorists in general. He added: "We're not the public service of Canada. We're not just another department. We are the Canadian Forces, and our job is to be able to kill people. "

Student Anti-War Planning Meeting

Monday, June 23, 2008

4:00pm - 6:00pm

Ryerson Students' Centre SCC #301CESAR Board Room

55 Gould Street

Ryerson Students Against War & Racism invites you to come out to our info session and anti war planning meeting. Find out how you can be a part of the Student Anti War Movement!

Ryerson Students Against War & Racism

ryesaw@gmail.com

http://ryesaw.blogspot.com/

What Happens in Afghanistan Stays in Afghanistan

The Double Standard of Canada’s Foreign Policy,

While sexual assault and rape is a crime when it happens to Canadians, it’s perfectly alright when it happens to Afghanis according to the Canadian military.

According to a recent Toronto Star article Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan who have witnessed the sexual abuse and even rape of innocent civilians including young children have been ordered by their commanding officers to ignore these crimes.

Even worse, these crimes are being committed by the Afghan army, the same army that we are there to support and defend.

Are we really fighting this war to defend the rights of the Afghan people? This latest information makes that a little bit harder to swallow.

Afghan Civilians Killed By Foreign Spies

Just in; Afghan civilians killed in secret raids by foreigners: UN official

A UN rights official has alleged that secret foreign intelligence agents have been taking part in secret raids that have killed Afghan civilians on multiple occasions, (at least three). Also no one is taking responsibility for these killings. Basically the UN official explained “foreign intelligence agencies are operating with “impunity” in certain provinces”.

So now we now what Canada’s $27 million secret spy fund can go towards. So that our secret foreign intelligence agents can continue the fine work of our coalition partners like the U.S. in using spies to kill innocent Afghan civilians while acting with total impunity and no accountability.

Money For War But Not To Save Lives

For search and rescue operations and patrolling the West Coast and B.C. mountains Canadians rely on the aging CC-116 Buffalo planes. However the 41-year-old CC-115 Buffalos are old and not going to last. But Stephen Harper and his Conservative government refuse to replace them until 2015 even though reports have shown that 2015 is too long since the planes will be 48 years old then and most likely not even operating anymore. Why is the government not buying new search and rescue planes to help save Canadian lives? Because their focus is on the war and continued occupation of Afghanistan. Last year they spent $3.4-billion for gigantic C-17 cargo-lifter planes for the Afghanistan war.

Canadian Military spends $27 Million in an attempt to increase their intelligence

Canadian Military spends $27 Million in an attempt to increase their intelligence

Over the next three years the Canadian military will spend at least $27 million dollars to fund a brand new special intelligence unit who will be charged with spying in Afghanistan and elsewhere. Apparently the government and the military have finally realized that they don't have enough "intel" on Afghanistan. Some questions that remain unanswered:

* What the hell are we doing here anyways?
* Why haven't we been welcomed with open arms?
* Why are the Afghan people upset about us and other foreign armies invading their country, occupying it and killing innocent civilians?
* Why are we propping up a government of War Lords and Drug Lords?
* Why are we spending all this money on war when we could instead end child poverty and homelessness and eliminate all postsecondary tuition fees instead?