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EIGHT AID AGENCY LEADERS DEMAND UN PROTECTION
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,948283,00.html
Today's warning came as the first British passenger plane to land in Iraq
for 13 years brought 60 tonnes of vital medical aid to Basra.
The Virgin Atlantic 747 - loaded with incubators, wheelchairs and
life-saving drugs worth around £2m - touched down on the deserted runway at
Basra international airport just hours after the US president, George Bush,
declared that major hostilities were over.
Virgin Atlantic boss Sir Richard Branson said flights might now be the best
way to bring much-needed supplies to the war-torn country.
Speaking on the runway at Basra, where his 747 was greeted by a guard of
honour of waiting soldiers, he said the aid flight could be the first of
many.
"The aid agencies obviously should do their part as well, but Virgin has the
big benefit of its own airline. My belief is that there needs to be
literally hundreds of flights like this," he said.
Virgin flew aid flights into Baghdad in 1990 and flew hostages out of the
Iraqi capital ahead of the 1991 Gulf war. Civilian flights from Britain were
then banned under Saddam's regime, but Sir Richard said Virgin was ready to
start flights to Baghdad and Basra once it had permission from a new Iraqi
authority.
----- Original Message -----
From: <bob.steel1@juno.com>
To: <savaipa@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: <OPCTJdiscuss@yahoogroups.com>; <NIPGtalk@yahoogroups.com>;
<casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk>
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 1:14 PM
Subject: [casi] bob.steel1: Re: World Peace , Freedom and Welfare.
> This is a response I made to a message from someone overseas (since I
> didn't ask for permission to reproduce the letter, I'm not revealing his
> identity).
>
> Since we are all in this mess together, I thought this idea should be
> circulated more widely, and others who have had the same idea should
> enter into a dialogue and plan.
>
> Exactly what do we do, and how do we do this?
>
>
> --------- Begin forwarded message ----------
> From: bob.steel1
> To:
> Subject: Re: World Peace , Freedom and Welfare.
> Date: Sat, 3 May 2003 11:09:26 PST
>
>
> >It seems that there should be a kind of collaboration >between the peace
> loving people around the world . I >don't know how this can be organised
> , but there must be >a way that can help unifying the efforts of all
> advocates >of freedom and peace in all nations , regardless of
> >their ethnic origins , religions or nationalities .
> > Let it be a web site { World Peace , Freedom and >Welfare }to which
> millions from around the universe can >subscribe , the funding of which
> can come through nominal >endowments by subscribers . Through the inter-
> >net there can be a kind of an organizing board elected to >run all the
> administrative matters . Standards according >to which the nominees will
> be elected can be designated >through professionals who can master such
> issues. I know >things are not that simple , but as said a trip of a
> >million miles always start with a step.
> > Persons like you and me with real and honest will >can gather more
> freedom and peace loving people around >and with real enthusiasm we can
> spread the truth among >them .What I mean is that we should never loose
> hope. On >the contrary the more we feel desperate the more keen we
> >should feel towards continuing our struggle to establish >a more healthy
> society of people with genuine belief in >equality freedom and peace.
> > Gradualism step by step people will acquire the >wisdom, the will,
> and the knowledge to participate in >this Universal craving for freedom .
> This is the only way >we can face the arrogance and tyranny of Mr. Bush
> >and all the other dictatorial powers governing the >nowadays world .
> > Think about such a proposal . I from my side of the >world will
> start contacts to get it started .
>
> It would be help -- although there are already a few organizations with
> sites. What is needed is to collect the power of the people into an
> organized and effective force. The big corporations spend money all over
> the world to further their objectives -- the people need to find a way to
> do the same. We need to mount a massive advertising campaign, targeted in
> particular towards the American people, and oriented towards the next
> election and putting pressure on the politicians in office.
>
> We should expect resistance: the US government will likely try to label
> such an organization as being terrorist and subversive trying to
> undermine American values, and there will be need to respond to that. We
> need to get as many prominent and reputable world figures as possible
> involved: religious and social leaders, academics, government officials
> and former officials, scientists, writers and artists, jurists. The
> reputation of such an organization must be impeccable and inspire
> confidence in it's legitimacy.
>
> Ideally we could help third party candidates mount political campaigns --
> but I don't know what the legal issues would be: if candidates could
> accept money, or if a non-American could advertise (and would the
> networks accept such advertisements?). Perhaps the Greens could be
> involved with this. Perhaps the peoples of the world could fund an
> international radio and television network.
>
> The key thing would be to inform the people who now vote and to get out a
> portion of the vast numebr of people in the US who do not vote. Religious
> leaders (such as the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Dali Lama,
> and the most respected figures in the other religions) should issue
> statements endorsing sane and peaceful canditates and policies, and
> denouncing candidates who want war, empire, and curtailments of human
> rights. Perhaps massive demonstrations thoughout the world could endorse
> the more enlightened candidates. We have to meet political power with
> political power, and financial power with financial power.
>
> Bush might spend $500 million on his re-election campaign, but the people
> of the world could raise $billions if everyone contributed. We could hire
> top-notch advertising companies to show the truth about Iraq, and other
> places around the world. We could develop documentary films, and mail out
> pamphlets and informational floppy disks to millions of Americans. We
> could devlop a web site which would not only talk about the political
> crisis, but have games, news, music, and other features which would
> attract people to log on.
>
> This has to be a massive and well funded organization to meet the massive
> well-funded juggernaut which is driving this assault on truth and
> liberty. It will take the *united people of the world* to win this war.
>
> This effort has to be circulated among all the peace and peaceful
> organizations so that a censensual body can form. Perhaps an existing
> organizations can take the responsibility of coordinating this effort at
> the beginning. I would like to see the UN do this, but I'm afraid that it
> is subject to much political pressure. We need an alternative "UP" -- a
> United People to do what the United Nations has been unable to do -- a
> world-wide union devoted not merely to labor, but which might indeed get
> support from the large labor unions. We need the support of
> environmental, religious, medical, academic -- all the the existing
> organizations who are concerned. We need the whole world.
>
> --------- End forwarded message ----------
>
>
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