yes bush has to be stopped

The folks at Avaaz are among the few who have vision clear enough to see through the murk of nationalist politics to the issues of legality, workable governance, and human rights obligations that are the core of the international issues it tackles. Avaaz posits clearheaded frameworks for the address of serious problems, avoiding partisan breastbeating and muddleheaded extremism. Their focus is on the welfare of millions affected by the political decisions of a very few, and marshalling the will and energy of concerned folks across the globe to effect positive change. Big up the Avaaz.

Paul & Avaaz:

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your wonderful initiative.

We at Eteraz.Org: States of Islam have long awaited the rise of something like yours from the global left side of things.

I have introduced you to our readers.

http://eteraz.org/story/2007/1/11/1311/64702

to the guys at AVAAZ: GOOD ON YA!!!! BUSH is set out to destroy the western world. His aggression makes others retaliate. STOP BUSH - STOP THE WAR. The Iraqi people need support and the country needs rebuilding, not killing and destroying. Is this another Vietnam where thousand of American troops are being sent against their wishes to fight instead of rebuild? So many innocent lives lost. I am not a religious person, but I pray that this madness stops. To all those who are against the war, make a stand, sound your voice. To those who have been sent to Iraq, blessed be. Harm none and do what ye will.

O Mundo no século XXI , não pode ser gerido , de desequilíbrio em desequilíbrio , como se a humanidade estivesse em plena Idade Média !

Amazing!

Thank you - all of you - signers and posters

Just one day so far, we're almost to our initial target on the petition, you've already funded a big chunk of the ad - and we've booked it. Keep signing and forwarding!

thanks especially to Martinho for our first Portugese comment above, and to Ali for saying no to the clash of civilisations and yes to a world we can all share

a global voice can't just be heard in English - we're working like anything on translations - Spanish site and blog are now up!

plus the American friends at MoveOn.org just endorsed us...

More soon,

peace and justice from Avaaz everywhere

Avaaz is brilliant. This is the way of the future for grassroots political movements -- to get people activated across the globe with the power of the Internet. Your multi-issue stance is innovative and needed. You have my full support, and I'm spreading the word!

Hi,

Keep it up you are doing excellent work. I hope people from all over the world sign up and make it into a global petition. From all the relgions in the world and people from all walks of life. To send a message to Mr Bush.

That we want to live a life of tolerance with all the faiths of the world. We must send a message to Mr. Bush that we do not want to divide the world and put religions against each other.

Here is an English translation of Martinho Júnior's previous Portuguese post:

"In the 21st century, the World cannot be governed by going from crisis to crisis, as if humanity were still in the Dark Ages!"

Hello,

It is commendable that AVAAZ is placing an advertisement in a leading Washington paper, but it is a very confusing one. The elements are: A headline 'Even HE won't do it'; a picture of Tony Blair; then a line underneath the picture: 'Block the escalation in Iraq'.

The immediately perceived meaning is that 'Even Blair will not block the escalation in Iraq,' which is clearly not the intention. What I believe it is meant to indicate is that 'Even this warmonger dares not escalate the war in Iraq', which is quite a different thing.

On the other hand, perhaps I am wrong, and this is the kind of thing that politicians will readily understand, because politicians, themselves, never mean what the actually say, nor say what they actually mean.

In any event, the 'New Look' Congress is a complete illusion and unlikely to heed any message which comes from the people. It is the powerful lobbies which control American politics, supplying campaign funds to Democrats and Republicans in equal measure, so that, no matter which party appears to be in power, the decisions are made by those who put it there. It is widely believed that the Israel lobby is now the most powerful force in American politics, so, unless Israel has a change of heart, the conflict in Iraq will continue to be handled as Israel sees fit, and the escalation will spill over to Iran and Syria.

Hold onto your hats!

This is an excellent initiative. Bush, Blair and Howard must be stopped dead in their tracks.

I would like to be able to read the names and their comments as they sign the e-petition.

God Bless you and your site!
Save those innocent people please.
Just read this and hope you can do something about it!

An urgent plea from the people of Haditha.
Mr. Zaid Mahdi

Janury 12, 2007

Peace be upon you, I am one of the residents of Haditha, a city under siege for two months now, by the American and Iraqi forces. We have serious shortages of food stuffs and medical supplies. Movements within the city itself is restricted and there are many isolated communities running out of food and fuel.

The situation is dire, I beg you, help us make our voice heard by the good people of the world, Alert your representatives and government officials. Help us avert a humanitarian disaster and put an end to the harassment and humiliation we are currently suffering.

Sender Mr. Zaid Mahdi
Date 11/1/2007

http://www.iraq4allnews.dk/index.php?sec=news&act=view_news&
id=14932

:: Article nr. 29749 sent on 13-jan-2007 09:08 ECT

www.uruknet.info?p=29749

This is a great initiative and we need many more of such ideas! We need to get out all the information we have about the horrible war everywhere. We need to get our voices heard in as many places as possible. Another way to allow this is to guarantee free access to our writings, photos and websites and let the information flow freely. This cannot only be guaranteed by publishing it on the Internet on our own websites - as you do it on this one, but by licensing it freely as well (e.g. with a CC-By-SA or GNUFDL). This would also show our seriousness to revitalize 'the public thing' (http://therespublica.org/Vision.htm). All the best! I fully support your goals.

Email petitions are a nice way to feel you are doing something, but you are not. It is well documented that they are ignored. To really effectively voice your protest, write a letter, one on paper.

Thanks for sharing your opinion with us. As someone who really believes in what Avaaz is doing, I wanted to take a minute to address your concerns.

Avaaz's Iraq campaign, as the rest of our efforts, extends well beyond signing a petition. We are also asking people to contact their representatives and publishing an ad opposing the surge in an influential Washington newspaper. The effectiveness of the ad, and media coverage of it, will be exponentially increased because 41,000 (and counting) people across the world have endorsed it. With numbers comes legitimacy.

Also, these e-mail petitions allow us to build a global community of like-minded people and increase our power to make sure global public opinion is taken into account by world leaders and corporations.

Now on the larger theme of the efficiency of e-advocacy: The internet is an organizer's dream come true. It allows us to contact millions of people and mobilize them quickly and at low cost. Groups like Moveon.org in the US, and GetUp in Australia, have re-defined grass roots organizing by using technology to their advantage. Ask any US congressional staffer, and they will tell you that the rise of the internet has been accompanied by a huge increase in correspondence received by representatives from their constituents. Furthermore, online campaigns like "Save the Internet" or 'Make Poverty History" also serve as great examples of the enormous potential the internet holds to make globalization more just and democratic.

There is beyond doubt that Internet is the way to go for political movements - I speak for many people in India who do not have computers at home, or have enough to pay for internet service which is expensive and the many homes that go without electricity for many days.

If our target is to reach the millions of poor - we need to cut the strongholds that bind the povertry stricken, remove the 'charismatic' leaders from their seat, eliminate policies that restrict them and stomp out the greedy leaders who will stamp on hungry stomachs to get their votes. India is a perfect example of inflated progress -majority of urban india still milling in poverty and the rural india still owned by rich landlord with bonded slavery.

Just because some MNCS's have set up shops and people speak english and ape the west - PROGRESS has not arrived. It is still knocking on the back doors loud and clear but the hype and the inflation is so high that the people in power can not hear them nor see them since they are blinded by the din and the noise of the few dollars in their treasury and the glitter of gold that still lies in their lockers and banks.

If you see hard you will still see the unjust, poor, impoverished, people abused of their basic rights, caste and class conflicts, the rattled infrastructure, the lack of political will among leaders, corruption, bribery, rule of the underworld, lawlessness, social apathy, silencing of people who stand for justice and so much and many more. I hang my head in shame !

AVAAZ.org should encourage opinion leaders such as legislators in the USA and other countries to read the book by Barbara Tuchman (deceased) entitled "The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam" (Cardinal).

Her message is that in situations like Vietnam (and now Iraq) military commanders and political leaders seem to be oblivious of warning signs and keep escalating things until the final ignominious defeat.

The truth of Tuchman's thesis -- another version of the saying that goes roughly "those who ignore the lessons of history are bound to repeat its mistakes" -- is shown up in Afghanistan. Surely somebody in the Bush White House or the State Department remembers what happened to the British and the Russians in Afghanistan?

On the Vietnam front, I well remember the TV shots of US helicopters being shoved over the side of the aircraft carriers in the haste of the Americans and their allies running from the Vietnamese Army.

I can think of nothing else that has so reduced the credibility and authority of the US and all the good it has to teach than those shots. Is this what we will see again in Iraq?

Avaaz.org - Thank You so much and Blessed Be for the work you're all doing!!!

Here Here to Humanity...Us - the Humans which Believes that things can actually Be Done!

PeaceSalaamShalom....To All....By All....

Hagit - Israel.