WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

Boycott The War And Withhold Profits From War Profiteers
Presenters: Dilys Pierson, John Berkowitz
This workshop focuses on war profiteering by those multinationals that supported the Bush strike on Iraq, and the ways you can withhold your hard-earned dollars from their war chests. Learn about the surprising products that mean profits for these companies, and ways you can redirect your dollars to local and independent businesses and brands.

Conscientious Objection
Presenter: Kevin Ramirez
Kevin Ramirez, coordinator of the Military Out of Our Schools Program for the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors will talk about the current work of CCCO. The presentation will cover two central themes: conscientious objection & the draft, and an introduction to counter-recruitment. How to compile a claim for conscientious objection, draft registration information, and the current likelihood of a draft will be topics for discussion. The counter-recruitment section of the presentation will cover how the military uses the public schools to recruit soldiers, and the kinds of strategies we can use to challenge this recruitment. Literature and materials will also be available on these topics.

Free Palestine & Fight Anti-Arab Racism
Presenter: Andrew Nelson
Arab and Muslim organizations across the nation have demanded that the anti-war movement include demands to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine and take up the fight against anti-Arab and anti-Muslim racism. Andrew Nelson argues that taking up these demands will strengthen and broaden the anti-war movement and prepare it for challenging US Empire’s war on the people of the Middle East in the region and here at home.

Food Politics and Genetic Imperialism: Iraq and Beyond
Presenter: Brian Tokar
This workshop will focus on how the US is exerting its control over people in Iraq and worldwide through the imposition of biotech-friendly agricultural policies. Brian Tokar will
look toward the role of agriculture, food 'aid' and hunger politics in US efforts to assert its economic hegemony worldwide.

Ghettozing Palestine: Israel's "Separation Wall" and Struggle for Justice in the Middle East
Presenters: S’ra DeSantis, Mark Hage
This workshop will focus on the continued construction of the “Separation Wall”
in the West Bank. S’ra DeSantis and Mark Hage will highlight how the Wall obstructs Palestinian freedom of movement, destroys Palestinian farmland, and blocks access to healthcare and institutions of higher education. They will also talk about the current state of the Middle East peace process.

Grassroots Labor Organizing Against the War
Presenters: Traven Leyshon, Dawn Stanger
This July the AFL-CIO voted to break with the government over the war. This was the product of grassroots organizing within labor that echoes the sentiments of ordinary workers. We will review labor anti-war organizing to date, and brainstorm the next steps in building a working class movement against the war.

Haiti and the SOA: the Struggle Against US Sponsored Terrorism
Presenters: Ashley Smith, Tom Luce, Palmer Legare
What is the context of the current US occupation of Haiti? How are the Haitian Police and US trained death squads collaborating to systematically murder, jail and terrorize pro-democracy activists in Haiti? How does the continued operation of the US Army School of the Americas support this terrorism? What opportunities exist for local organizers and activists to work in solidarity with Haitians and to close the SOA?

In the Shadow of 9-11 and the Bush Doctrine: Reassessing Anarchist Organizing Strategies in North America
Presenter: Cindy Milstein
Anarchists in North America have responded to the many injustices committed during Bush’s first four years in various ways. Much proactive movement-building energy was drained by the need to constantly react to the newest manifestation of U.S. government policy, at home and abroad. Questions that will be discussed in this workshop include: What have we, as anti-capitalists, learned from the last four years? How do we prevent the Bush administration's policies from usurping all radical political energy? What are our imperatives, looking back and looking forward, for building critical consciousness of and resistance to fortress North America and institutionalized domination?

Out Now! Self Determination for Iraqis
Presenter: Kathleen Brown
Kathleen Brown explains why the anti-war movement must demand the immediate withdrawal of all forces from Iraq; why activists should support Iraqi’s right to self-determination and their right to resist occupation. Only Iraqis, not the US or the UN, will be able to rebuild their own society in their own interests.

Lessons of the Anti-Vietnam War Movement
Presenters: Jay Moore, Jude Sargent, Will Allen, Orin Langelle
The anti-Vietnam War movement helped to bring that war to an end. Drawing upon their experiences and perspectives, Jay Moore, Jude Sargent, and Will Allen will explore the successes and failures of that world-shaking movement. They will also examine possible lessons for organizing a stronger movement against war and imperialism today.

Re-Colonization and Resistance: US Foreign Policy in a Left-Leaning Latin America
Presenters: Ben Dangl, Juan Carlos Vallejo, David Palmer, Wanda Colon Charolette Dennet, Pete Shear
This workshop, organized by Toward Freedom, will include stories of exploitation and militarization in Latin America, as well as successful grassroots resistance to such “re-colonization.” Participants will focus on Plan Colombia, corporate exploitation of natural resources in the Amazon, Venezuela’s new political process and resistance to US military bases in Ecuador and Vieques, Puerto Rico. Come with questions.

Resistance Through Music and Spoken Word
Presenter: Laura Simon
Political music has played a role in many movements such as the Wobblies union struggles, civil rights, anti-war and anti-globalization. Musical resistance helps to strengthen, motivate and educate others about current issues. Music inspires the masses as well as provides sustenance to those in the trenches. Laura Simon will facilitate the workshop encouraging attendees to share their contributions and she will share hers as well. She will introduce the group to an organization founded in the 60's by Pete Seeger and Charlie King- The People's Music Network.

Rogue State: The Aims of US Imperialism Today
Presenter: Ashley Smith
The US currently occupies several countries, maintains over 725 military bases throughout the world, spends over $400 billion on its military budget, and has used the so-called War on Terror as a cover for extending its imperial reach around the globe. The International Socialist Review’s Ashley Smith analyzes the project of the new American imperialism, its aims, strengths and weaknesses and how we can build a resistance to stop it.

Sept. 24th Mobilization for Justice and Peace: Organizing the VT Contingent
Presenters: Joseph Gainza, Debra Stoleroff
This workshop will serve as an information session for Vermonter’s who are planning to attend the Septemter 24th Mobilization for Justice and Peace in Washington, D.C. including optimizing the visability of Vermonters by organizing a Vermont contingent as part of the march.

Take Back the Air Guard
Preseneters: Sandy Baird and Hal Cochran
The Pentagon has transformed the Vermont Air National Guard into a bomber squadron and the Burlington International Airport into a bomber base, and has sent our Air Guard to drop bombs on the Iraqi people. Take Back the Air Guard is an ad hoc, grassroots coalition of Burlington residents who intend to stop the Pentagon's misuse of our Air Guard and our airport, compel the Pentagon to restore the Air Guard's proper mission of state and homeland defense, and keep the men and women of the Air Guard at home, where they belong. We will explain (1) the details of this Pentagon scheme in the context of its Future Total Force doctrine and (2) how we will use the local political process to stop it.

The War at Home: The Return of the Death Penalty to Vermont
Presenters: Marc Estrin, Zephyr Teachout, Nancy Welch, Rachel Lawler
Members of Vermonters Against the Death Penalty will consider what made possible the return of the death penalty to Vermont after fifty years, reasons to oppose the death penalty and connections between anti-death penalty and anti-war activism, plus what we can do now to fight capital punishment in Vermont and nationwide.

War, Corporate Globalization and the Environment
Presenters: Dennis Brutus, Anne Petermann, Orin Langelle
This workshop will examine the links between war, corporate globalization and ecological devastation. As oil and other valuable resources diminish, while global warming intensifies, conflicts over these dwindling resources will escalate further while pushing Earth's life support systems to the brink of collapse.

Winning the Battle of the Story: Story Based Strategies for Social Change
Presenter: Doyle Canning
SmartMeme has developed a range of strategy tools for applying a “narrative power analysis” to social change work, and developing tools to wage story based strategies in grassroots campaigning. > The STORY training also explores the relationship between meme theory -- the study of how memes spread and replicate – and movement building. The training crosses issues and organizing experiences to help participants integrate messaging and storytelling into grassroots campaign work--with a focus on ending the occupation of Iraq.

Women Organizers
Nilda Medina-Diaz, Wanda Colon, Krishna Ahooja Patel

Do You Feel a Draft?
Campus Anti-war Network

Homeland Security Lawsuit/ Patriot Act
Mike Cassidy

Counter- Recruitement in VT
Peace & Justice Center, Veterans for Peace, UVM Students Against War, Johnson State Anti-War Coalition

Struggle for Vieques
Nilda Medina-Diaz, Wanda Colon,

Impeach Bush: Why and How
Karl and Trish Novak

Resource Wars: The Origins of US Intervention in the Middle East
Charlotte Dennett

How To Build An Anti-War Network On Your Campus
Campus Anti-war Network

Documentaries

Depleted Uranium
Sunny Miller, Traprock