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About Us
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Sacramento Area Peace Action is an all-volunteer organization that works to educate and mobilize the public to promote a non-interventionist and non-nuclear U.S. foreign and military policy and to promote peace through international and domestic economic, social, and political justice. Our objectives are to:
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End the development, use, production, and sale of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction. |
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Promote international disarmament and eliminate U.S. arms exports. |
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Significantly reduce U.S. military spending and transfer these savings to domestic social needs. |
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Stop U.S. military intervention against other nations and peoples. |
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Respect the entitlement of all people to a decent livelihood, self-determination, and human rights, including fair trade. |
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Support sustainable use of world resources. |
Position Statements
U.S. Government Threats Against Iran
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Sacramento Area Peace Action strongly objects to the Bush administration’s threats against Iran, and calls upon other Peace and Justice groups to oppose the administration’s attempt to mislead the American people with fear and lies about Iran, as it did about Iraq.
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- The Bush Administration’s agenda is to dominate the Middle East, as was fully described in the National Security Strategy of the United States (2002).
- The allegations against Iran’s nuclear development program, that it is for weapons development rather than nuclear power, are a pretext for U.S. military aggression, as were the lies about weapons of mass destruction (WMD) that were used to destroy Iraq and its people. And in both cases, it is not Iran or Iraq, but the U.S. which has used both nuclear and other WMD against other nations, including the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan, the use of
Agent Orange against the people of Vietnam, the use of radioactive weaponry against the people of Yugoslavia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
- The U.S. is hypocritical and inconsistent in its actions and policies about who gets to have or not have nuclear weapons. While the U.S accuses Iran of violating the
Non-Proliferation Treaty, it not only maintains a huge stock of nuclear weapons but is developing new nuclear weapons in violation of that treaty. Currently the U.S. has
Trident submarines with nuclear warheads in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. voices no objections to the nuclear weapons possessed by Israel, one of Iran’s five neighbors that has nuclear weapons (the others are China, Russia, and near-by India and Pakistan)
- The terrorist acts of the United States are a threat to millions around the world and to the environment. Among the instances of U.S. terrorism in the Middle East are: the 1953 overthrow of Iran’s democratically-elected government by the CIA; the subsequent installation of the Shah’s dictatorship; the monetary and weapons support of the U.S. for both sides in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s (in which an estimated 700,000 people died and 875,000 people were injured); the 1991 bombing of Iraq’s civilian infrastructure and the use of radioactive weapons; the 1991-2003 illegal and inhumane sanctions against Iraq which targeted civilians and caused the deaths of over a million Iraqis, mostly children; and the 2003 invasion and subsequent occupation of Iraq.
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Therefore, we call upon U.S. citizens and residents to:
- Actively oppose the current U.S. war agenda.
- Call for the U.S. to respect international law and the sovereignty of other nations.
- Demand that the U.S. Congress actively oppose sanctions or any type of covert or overt military action against Iran.
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Invasion and Occupation of Iraq & Afghanistan
Sacramento Area Peace Action (SAPA) affirms that:
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The United States' (U.S.) invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan is a violation of international law, including the Geneva Conventions and applicable United Nations treaties and obligations, and
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The U.S. continues to inflict unnecessary, immoral, and unjust pain and suffering upon the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. |
We oppose the past and current U.S. foreign and military policies towards Iraq, which have included:
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The massive military assault on Iraq in 1991 which destroyed the civilian infrastructure in violation of international law and was followed by 12 years of sanctions, causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians. |
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The massive invasion of 2003 and continued military action which have claimed the lives of over 100,000 Iraqis and thousands of Americans. |
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The continued US military occupation of Iraq. |
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The continued U.S. control of the economy and government of Iraq. |
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The building of U.S. military
bases in Iraq. |
We call for:
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Immediate cessation of all U. S. combat military operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan; |
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Immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops and bases from Iraq and Afghanistan. |
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The restoration of Iraq to its people by giving them back full sovereignty and control
over their government, economy, and resources. |
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U.S. payment for the reconstruction of Iraq to be managed and controlled by the Iraqi
people. |
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A change in U.S. foreign policy
towards Iraq to respect Iraqi sovereignty and the right of Iraqis to control their
own country, government, economy and resources without interference of foreign
governments or corporations.
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Palestine and the Arab/Israeli Conflict
Sacramento Area Peace Action recognizes that U.S. government policy is a
primary actor in the implementation of various colonial campaigns in the Middle East
region, particularly against the Palestinian people.
U.S. government military and economic aid to Israel enables Israel to:
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Violate international law, the Geneva Conventions and applicable United
Nations resolutions. |
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Illegally
and violently subjugate the entirety of the Palestinian people through a combined
colonial policy of occupation, exile, racial, religious and ethnic
discrimination.
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Further trespass
on Palestinian lands with Jewish-only settlements and by-pass roads. |
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Build the illegal apartheid
wall which physically and politically separates Palestinians from extended
family, work, education, medical treatment and other essential aspects of
their lives, and confiscates Palestinian property.
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Commit military violence and
other war crimes against the Palestinian people. |
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To bring justice and peace to Palestine and Israel, we call for the
immediate: |
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Cessation of all U.S.
military and non-military aid to Israel. |
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Adoption of a U.S.
foreign policy based on the right of people to self-determination and independence from
colonization. |
3. |
End to the U.S.
government’s diplomatic support to Israel, particularly its unfailingly pro-Israel votes
and vetoes at the United Nations. |
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U.S. non-military aid to Israel should be conditioned upon: |
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Monitored and
enforced stipulation that such aid will not be used to offset Israeli funds used for
military purposes. |
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Israel’s adherence to
all applicable international laws and United Nations resolutions, including full
implementation of the Palestinian Right of Return to their homes and property. |
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Termination of all
Israel’s apartheid-like practices and policies which directly and indirectly discriminate
against Palestinian citizens in Israel in every aspect of their lives, e.g., education,
health, employment, legal standing and recourse, child benefits, land and housing, social
security and welfare, etc. |
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Latin America
Sacramento Area Peace Action recognizes that the history of Latin America, from the time of its “discovery” by Europeans, has been one of conquest and domination. The role of the U.S. in that history has been one of almost continual intervention. These interventions have subverted democratically elected governments, and have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. The result has been to maintain an entire continent in a state of perpetual subjugation to foreign control, so that its wealth can be exploited for the benefit of outsiders.
The poverty and misery of Latin America is not accidental. Economic policies promoted by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund result in societies with little spending on education, health care, and other social programs. U.S. trade policies create hunger, refugees, and a lack of food self-sufficiency. Latin America, notes eminent South American author Eduardo Galeano, “continues to exist at the service of others' needs, as a source and reserve of oil and iron, of copper and meat, of fruit and coffee, the raw materials and foods destined for rich countries which profit more from consuming them that Latin America does from producing them.
Revolution and repression in Latin American societies arise from the injustice of a system that rewards elite ruling classes with fabulous wealth, while condemning the masses of the people to poverty and hunger. When these social upheavals threaten the “stability” of a nation, and the profits of foreign investors, foreign military aid arrives to save the day. Military advisors train local forces in counter-insurgency tactics, psychological warfare, torture, and murder. Foreign aid packages pay for more weapons -- from small arms to armored vehicles and fighter-bombers -- with which to intimidate and repress the population, and keep the elites in power. Latin America 's “social unrest” must not be allowed to interrupt the flow of profits to the north.
Sacramento Area Peace Action understands that we must not limit our protests to spheres of violence, military aid, and interventions. The economic invasion of Latin America by foreign interests is equally violent and unjust. For real solutions to arise, we must strengthen democracy, and let the people of the Americas find the solutions for themselves.
We therefore call for action in the areas of policy and military aid, economic relationships, and promoting democracy.
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Police and military aid: |
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A halt to all police
and military aid to Latin America , including weapons sales or transfers of any kind. |
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A halt to the training
of Latin American police/military personnel, whether conducted in the U.S., Latin America,
or at any other location. |
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The closure of all U.S. military bases in Latin America, and the
withdrawal of all U.S. military personnel and mercenary “private contractors”. |
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A ban on any kind of aid to
countries that permit torture or any other violations of human rights by security
forces. |
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Economic relationships: |
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The withdrawal of the U.S. from the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund, and a comprehensive public review of the effects of U.S. foreign aid on
the economies of Latin America. |
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The cancellation of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas, and
a review of the effect of the North American Free Trade Agreement on the U.S., Mexico,
and Canada. |
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As a first step toward a new economic policy, the commission of an
international study on the construction of mutually beneficial and non-exploitative
trade relationships between nations in different stages of development. |
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The abandonment of
the embargo on Cuba specifically, as well as the abandonment of the use of embargoes or
sanctions as an instrument of foreign policy. |
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Promoting democracy:: |
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A stop to the U.S. practice of undermining and overthrowing governments
that do not meet the expectations of the U.S. government, as has happened in Guatemala,
El Salvador, Nicaragua, Chile, and was recently averted narrowly in Venezuela;; |
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The immediate withdrawal of
recognition and all aid to any government whose democratically elected leadership is deposed by a
military coup;
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A ban on U.S. involvement in foreign elections, including both government or private campaign contributions, whether in cash or any other form of material support |
Nuclear Weapons/Star Wars
Advocacy of a nuclear-free world is a crucial part of our activism as we work for an end to militarism in all its forms. We support disarmament, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the abolition of all nuclear weapons, including the use of U-238 (so-called “depleted uranium”) and other radioactive materials in any form of weaponry.
We believe that all aspects of the nuclear industry can result in radiological harm to all living creatures, contaminate the air, soil and water, and can cause genetic harm to future generations. We urge an end to uranium mining, uranium enrichment, plutonium and tritium production, and the design, development and manufacturing of nuclear weapons.
We support the re-establishment of the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972. The President's action in 2002 terminating the treaty without Congressional authorization is unconstitutional. The increased research, development, testing, manufacturing, production and deployment of space-based weapons and space-based components of the U.S. Missile Defense system will instigate a dangerous, costly, and destabilizing arms race in space.
We oppose:
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The placement of any objects carrying nuclear weapons, laser beam weapons, kinetic or gravitational field weapons in orbit around the Earth; |
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The use of satellites and computers to disrupt other nation's data bank and communication systems |
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The militarization and weaponization of near and outer space by the United States government. |
We call for:
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The peaceful uses of near and outer space as a global commons for all peoples of the world; |
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Global cooperation on space research; |
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The U.S Space Preservation Act of 2003; |
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An International Space Preservation Treaty; |
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A prohibition against placing weapons in orbit or on celestial bodies; |
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A prohibition to prevent the threat of force against outer space objects and |
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A prohibition against targeting any nation from outer space. |
Military Budget
Sacramento Area Peace Action recognizes that:
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The U.S. military budget exceeds the combined
total for all other countries in the world. |
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The U.S. military budget exceeds
50% of the US Federal discretionary budget. |
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Far exceeds the amount actually needed for the defense of our country. |
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Is being used to carry out a worldwide unilateral and imperialistic foreign policy. |
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Supports 770 military bases and military personnel stationed in 146 countries throughout the world for the purpose of controlling, dominating, and exploiting the oil and other resources and markets of the world. |
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Supports oppressive, dictatorial, and anti-democratic governments that violate the basic human rights of their citizens. |
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Is being used by our military and industrial complex to control and dominate the U.S. economy and government. |
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Includes $8.8 billion for the “Star Wars” anti-ballistic missile defense program, which risks the escalation of an international arms race. |
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Includes funding for development and procurement of additional nuclear weapons. |
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Finances
military bases, procurements, and other military
projects and programs that benefit a particular Congressional
district in order to ingratiate legislators with their constituents. |
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Has created enormous U.S. budget deficits and increases in the U.S. national debt, sharply reducing the capacity of our country to meet its crucial domestic needs. |
Sacramento Area Peace Action calls for the U.S. military budget: to be reduced:
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To the level actually required for the defense of our country, rather than for foreign interventions for the exploitation of resources, including oil, and markets around the world. |
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To eliminate funding for military aid and weapons sales to other nations. |
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To eliminate funding for the unnecessary Star Wars Anti-Ballistic Defense Program,
for further development and procurement of nuclear weapons, and government funding
of other military projects and programs that benefit a particular Congressional
district in order to ingratiate legislators with their constituents.
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To redirect funds from the military budget to meet domestic needs. |
Economic Globalization
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Sacramento Area Peace Action believes that national and international institutions of
governance, which impacts the global economy, operate best when they are transparent
and accountable to all people.
We oppose:
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Economic
globalization that places corporate profits before human needs, undermines democratic
participation in the economic process, and destroys our common and limited resources
to the detriment of all life.
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The use of
the police or military to suppress the efforts of workers to organize and to work for a
living wage and fair labor standards. |
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A global
military trained and equipped by the United States military and its arms trade that
promotes an interventionist foreign policy and protects corporate interests and
corporate profits |
We support:
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The forgiveness of debt in countries that have suffered from past or
current unjust financial, economic, tariff or trade arrangements by institutions such
as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization.
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A global economy
based on peace that extends human rights for all, that promotes equity and justice among people
and protects the environment. |
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