American "Diaspora" against Patriot Act and Pre-emptive War

[Ivo Skoric]

Press release
Martin Luther King day abroad will be celebrated well. Certainly 
better than in the US where Bush just appointed his favorite right-
wing judge to the appelate court - during Congressional recess, i.e. 
without Senate vote.
ivo

US VOTERS MOBILIZE AGAINST THE PATRIOT ACT AND 
PREEMPTIVE WAR

Worldwide launch of the 100,000 for 2004 voter pledge campaign: Jan.
19, 2003


Electoral debates in the United States often focus on technical 
issues such as how much money a candidate has raised or "soft 
politics" such as crime and tax breaks. US presidential candidates 
tend to avoid controversial topics, often the issues of most interest 
to voters.

American Voices Abroad (AVA), a coalition of US citizens living
overseas, wants to change that.

To that end, AVA is initiating a voter pledge campaign entitled
"100,000 for 2004," in which voters pledge to vote only for 
candidates who 1. oppose unconstitutional legislation, particularly 
USA Patriot Act, and 2. reject the doctrine of preemptive war, 
contained within the National Security Strategy of Sept. 2002. The 
Coalition will officially launch the campaign on Jan. 19 and 20 in 
cities across Europe, corresponding with the opening of the US 
political season in Iowa. 

  AVA aims to form a 100,000-strong independent voting bloc made up 
of Americans living abroad. Participants sign a pledge form promising 
to vote both in party primaries and in the general election for a
candidate who meets the campaign's criteria. Organizers will present
the pledges to all candidates and campaign managers in order to
encourage them to address these issues and adopt the "100,000 for
2004" campaign minimum standard platform.

 AVA is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization with the goal of
developing an active network of US citizens living abroad who oppose
current US domestic and foreign policies. There are between 6 and 8
million US citizens living abroad, more than the population of any of
the 22 least populous states. For more information see
www.americanvoicesabroad.net. 

For more information please contact the Colin King, the coordinator 
of the worldwide "100,000 for 2004" campaign at e-mail
2004_berlin at americanvoicesabroad.net or on his cell phone +49 (0)172
991 2239.


100,000 for 2004 launch events in Europe:

The Czech Republic, Prague: AVA's "Democracy Extravaganza" and
campaign launch at the Globe Bookstore from 4:00 pm until midnight on
Jan. 19, will include voter registration, film screenings, a public
discussion with director Joan Sekler, poetry readings and live
concerts. 
 Contact: Gwendolyn Albert   +420 777621227 avaprague at seznam.cz; 

France, Paris: One year from the inauguration of the next US
president,  Americans Against War France will initiate the 100,000 
for 2004 campaign with readings and public discussion at the Village 
Voice Bookstore at 7 - 9:00 pm on Jan. 20. 
 Contact: Laurie Chamberlain, +33 (0)672 39 35 16,
 laurie18lesser at yahoo.com

France, Montpellier: A screening of a documentary produced by Eli
Landau to commemorate Martin Luther King will launch the 100,000 for
2004 campaign in this city, along with discussions open to the French
public, from 7 - 10:00 pm on Jan. 20.
 Contacts: saramitter at wanadoo.fr and blmcguire at hotmail.com

Germany, Berlin: AVA Berlin will hold a press conference at the Haus
der Demokratie, followed by a voter registration party and the
award-winning documentary «Unprecedented: the 2000 presidential
elections»
 Contact : Isabel Cole, +49 (0)30 4847 6454, amis at andere-seite.de

Germany, Tubingen: AVA will open a "town hall meeting" at the
German-American Institute on Jan. 19.  Contact: Penelope Pinson, 
fritz.hackert at nexgo.de 

The Netherlands, Amsterdam: AVA will provide voter registration at 
the annual Martin Luther King day dinner on Jan 19th.
 Contact : Linda Deak, +31 705179003, deak at xs4all.nl


----End Forwarded Message(s)----

------- End of forwarded message -------Ivo Skoric
1773 Lexington Ave
New York NY 10029
212.369.9197
ivo at balkansnet.org
http://balkansnet.org