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The Return of the Billboards!
By priscillafairbank on 2018-08-28 08:58:15
[caption id="attachment_ 11572" align="alignnone" width="504"]
War cannot be humanized:
lt canjonly be/abolished:
Text of September billboards to be shown in
the Capital District in September of 2018[/caption] Women Against War is sponsoring another set of sky-blue billboards
with an anti-war message in the Capital Region during the month of September. One of the things we do as an organization
is seek ways to educate ourselves and the public about conflict around the world and the role of US policy in supporting and
sustaining it. In order to push our policy makers to make different choices, we need to be aware, well informed, and
engaged in public discussion of these issues and our responsibilities. September felt like an appropriate time for our next
message. It is the beginning of the active election season with NYS primaries on September 13 and the final push before
Election Day on November 6", Our Congressional Representatives, both Senators and House Members, must be held
accountable for their votes and positions affecting foreign policy, including budget bills. Some of the candidates running are
clear about presenting a different position and choice. I am eager to support those who would work for protecting the spirit
of the JCPOA (multi-nation agreement referred to as “Jran Nuclear Agreement” from which President Trump has withdrawn
our nation); work to ease the humanitarian crisis in Yemen by first stopping our military and financial support of Saudi
Arabia; work for easing of tensions and negotiating denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula; and work to re-engage the US
in global climate efforts and goals that are part of the Paris Agreement (following President Trump’s withdrawal of the US.)
Who we choose in these elections can change the course of our nation’s involvement in conflicts around the world. Election
season is a time to vigorously exercise our informed democratic participation. September is also back-to-school time when
families turn from the season of camp, travel, and vacations to one of being more serious and focused. It is a time when
many are thinking about their futures and how the choices they make will affect that future. The quote we have chosen on
our billboard is by Albert Einstein. [caption id="attachment_11578" align="alignnone" width="600"]
A mushroom cloud towers
over Nagasaki after the detonation of an atomic bomb in 1945.
Photograph by U.S Army Air Force via Library of Congress[/caption] Who better represents curiosity, a brilliant mind, and
the dilemma of the risks posed by splitting the atom vs
This famous physicist was an avowed pacifist and worked to warn the world of the dangers of nuclear proliferation
throughout the rest of his life. “War cannot be humanized. It can only be abolished.” is a clear and urgent message.
[caption id="attachment_ 11575" align="alignnone" width="600"]
t
r canno
Watumanized-
It can only be
abolished.
—Einstein
oat WORLD WAR org
i ame = : Mobile version of our
billboard message," War Cannot be humanized. It can only be abolished", World Beyond War 2018[/caption] The Costs of
War Project at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs has produced a
showing that Washington’s war on terror has affected, in some manner, 76 countries. | We are supporting perpetual global
wat! We say “No more! End Endless War!” This billboard message is also timed to support the Grannies for Peace
annual vigil honoring on September 21. Grannies’ theme this year is End Endless War.
width="600"] May billboard
launch in Niskayuna NY « on South side of Central Avenue, May 3, 2018[/caption] Women Against War learned of the
billboard project being promoted by World Beyond War. World Beyond War designed various billboards with anti-war
messages that local organizations could sponsor to be displayed in their own communities. During May, we had two with a
different anti-war message: “3% of U.S. military spending could end starvation on earth.” We feel the awareness and
discussion that resulted from the hundreds who saw that message are vital to our community and democracy.
=~ [caption
id="attachment_11574" align="alignnone" width="600"]
le
Proposed billboard with
Jeanette Rankin quote, from World Beyond War.org[/caption]
WOrle i
a ee FF
We need to push our elected
officials t to make different choices. President Dwight Eisenhower warned the nation in 1961 of the growing influence of the
military-industrial complex and the need for a knowledgeable and alert citizenry to guard against the rise of misplaced
power. It is time to choose peace and break the cycle that has pulled us into a permanent war economy with nearly 50% of
each tax dollar going to current or past military. P.S. If you want to see the September billboards, this is where you can
find them: The first billboard is located on Erie Blvd., north of Monroe St., Schenectady 12305. This is between Union
and Nott Streets. It is on the east side of Erie Blvd., facing north. The second billboard will be on Central Ave., Albany,
west of Westgate Plaza and Yardboro Avenue You are also invited to attend a billboard launch to be held at the Schenectady
billboard on Friday, September 7, 2018, from 12 noon to 1 PM.
If you can, wear something blue to match the sign. We will have signs but feel free to bring others relating to ending war.
More information: info@womenagainstwar.org
[*Some editing and graphics by Mickie Lynn]
