Note the the decision by conference organizers to 'sanitize' a conference resolution democratically adopted during the Cleveland conference that specifically condemns both Jewish and Christian Zionist groups for promoting the war. Gordon goes on to call for conference organizers to ensure the offending language is deleted by lining up votes for an alternative amendment via a referendum of those attending the conference.

Greetings:

Three weeks after the June 28-29 national antiwar conference, it is heartening to note that nearly all of the commentaries and evaluations posted by both participants and observers have been highly laudatory. This includes some of the more moderate forces, such as Cleveland Peace Action, whose president attended all the
sessions and left feeling positive about the conference's achievements, albeit with criticisms and differences.USLAW's National Coordinator forwarded the Assembly's documents to all 170 of that group's affiliates, showing that what was decided at the Cleveland conference is being taken seriously by broad and significant forces.

At the time the conference convened, Congress had voted another $162 billion to fund the wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan and the Democratic leadership had caved in completely (again!) to Bush and the bipartisan warmakers. At the same time, Obama was calling for an additional 10,000 troops to be sent to Afghanistan. It is now clear that expanding the Assembly's program to oppose the U.S. war and occupation of that country was an important step forward for the Assembly, as was integrating the issue of Palestine in the broader antiwar struggle.

Antiwar activists who looked to Congress and the major presidential candidates to end the wars and occupations felt abandoned. At the same time, the antiwar movement remained divided and weakened. There was a vacuum that needed to be filled in terms of providing themovement with purpose, direction and leadership. The Assembly sought to help fill that vacuum by creating a badly needed forum for discussion and debate as to how the movement can be revitalized. If the Assembly has received high grades from activists from all over the political spectrum, it is because it brought people together,promoted democratic discussion and debate and helped inject a sense of excitement and determination that is vitally needed.

We are off to a great start. However, our biggest challenges are before us and there is no time to delay in addressing them.

As I see it, these should be the Assembly's immediate priorities in the upcoming period:

First, conduct the referendum. Leaving intact language like "the influence of Jewish and Christian Zionists" is so offensive to so many people and organizations, which are key to the antiwar cause, that retaining it would doom the Assembly to irrelevance, if it survived at all.

Referendum "ballots" should be going out in the next few days and we need to work hard to ensure that votes are cast and that the amendment sponsored by the 13-member Administrative Body (AB) prevails overwhelmingly. The amendment proposes to replace "It is a war spurred on by the interests of the military industrial complex and the influence of the lobbies of Jewish and Christian Zionists" with "It is a war spurred on by the corporate interests behind the military industrial complex and the influence of powerful lobbies supporting the Israeli occupation of Palestine."

Second, expand the membership of the Continuations Body (CB). We need to spread the word throughout the movement, urging organizations that support the five points to sign up. Let's keep in mind that we are not talking here about groups "affiliating" with the Assembly but only with having a voice in planning and implementing its program.

On August 3, the AB will hold another conference call during which it will take action on all pending applications for CB membership (yes, that is the function of the CB under our structure but as of August 3, the AB and the CB will be one and the same since only AB members will be members of the CB on that date). Of course, August 3 is not a
deadline for signing up with the Assembly -- building the CB will be an ongoing process.

Third, encourage participation in the demonstrations at the Democratic and Republican Party Conventions, which are now just around the corner. We can certainly help get the word out through the Assembly's website.

Fourth, support and build the other actions leading up to the elections and this includes actions opposing bombing Iran. As the major candidates vie with each other to see who can get the most votes on the Iraq issue, both make clear they have no intention of withdrawing all the troops or ending the war and occupation of that country. And both favor escalating in Afghanistan. Disgust and disappointment with their failure to take an antiwar, anti-occupation stance can be translated into street actions which will give the movement visibility and lay the basis for larger actions to come.

Fifth, secure endorsements for the December 9-14 actions. These have the potential of uniting broad sections of the movement, especially if held on December 10, International Human Rights Day. ANSWER and TONC have already endorsed the December days and every effort must bemade to get UFPJ on board as well.

Sixth, secure endorsements of the Open Letter to the Antiwar Movement. If there are to be united mobilizations this spring, work has to proceed now to find a date mutually acceptable to the entire movement. This requires sustained education and agitation at every turn. Unity has to become the business of many more activists and their organizations and institutions than has hitherto been the case, or the movement will remain fractured and less able to mobilizemaximum numbers in the upcoming actions.

It is, of course, the Assembly's view that all of these actions advance the demand for "Out Now!" from Iraq and Afghanistan, and that opposition to U.S. support for the Israeli occupation of Palestine be voiced as well.

The Assembly has also called for support of the struggles of veterans and military families and promotion of the Moratorium's activities.

A final point involves the Assembly's website. A number of people have urged changes to make it more reader friendly but until now we have not had a webmaster who could make it happen. Now we do, in fact, we have two such persons: Zaineb Alani and Pete Shell. Our mostappreciative thanks to both and to Mark Stahl, who is helping coordinate an effort to bring together Zaineb, Pete, Marcia Bernsten and Andrew Lehman to decide how best to proceed. As an outcome of their discussions, we can look forward to significant changes in the website, which will help draw the attention of ever increasingnumbers of people to the Assembly and its program and activities.

-- Jerry Gordon
Secretary, National Assembly to End the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and Occupations