April 8 Madison War Abolition Walk

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28th MADISON WAR ABOLITION WALK: NO F-35
SATURDAY, APRIL 8 – GARVER FEED MILL

On Monday, March 27th, Madison activists were joined by Catholic Workers and CODEPINK: Women for Peace to do nonviolent resistance actions at the gates of Truax and the Capitol. The actions got a lot of media attention. CODEPINK’s tiktok video is here. Lots more TV, radio and print coverage is at Safe Skies site here. Below is the statement from the group that was at the gates of Truax. We call on Governor Evers to change the mission of Truax to a peaceful one. Our letter to him from Sunday’s Wisconsin State Journal is here.

Can you help us build on the No F-35 energy?! Madison for a World BEYOND War invites you to join us for a family-friendly No F-35 War Abolition Walk next Saturday. Join us for all or part. Would you like to walk with us to Truax and get a ride back? Drop us a line at warabolition@gmail.com. We’ll have more War Abolition Walks this spring; you can sign up here for our invitations by email.

Saturday, April 8, 2023

  • 11:00 am Vigil, banner, flyer, and/ or sing at the Farmers Market at Garver Feed Mill, 3241 Garver Green; sidewalk by the Capital City Trail bike path near the west entrance to Garver.
  • 12:00 noon War Abolition Walk begins, Garver Feed Mill at the Capital City Trail bike path.
  • 12:30 pm Gather at the pedestrian bridge over E Washington Ave, at N Marquette St, vigil with banners, greet drivers and bikers.
  • 1:00 pm War Abolition Walk continues north on Starkweather Creek bike path.
  • 1:30 pm Gather at Madison College, corner of Anderson and Wright Streets, vigil with banners.
  • 1:45 pm War Abolition Walk continues on Wright St to Truax.
  • 2:00 – 2:30 Vigil, banner, sing, on the sidewalk across from the gates of Truax ANG Base, 3200 Pierstorff St.

Connect with us @ warabolition@gmail.com

We are Madison for World BEYOND War, a chapter of World BEYOND War, a global movement to end all wars.

Statement from the nonviolent resisters at the Truax gates on March 27:

F-35 FIGHTER BRINGS THE WAR HOME TO WISCONSIN!
WE SAY NO!

We come here today, March 27, 2023 to say: ground the F-35 fighter jet and abolish war! The F-35 fighter jet is a threat to the planet. It should not be based in Madison or anywhere.

Under state law, the Air National Guard provides protection of life and property and preserves peace, order and public safety, but the ANG at Truax violates that mandate. ANG bases in several states provide emergency relief during floods, earthquakes and forest fires; search and rescue operations; medical missions. Fighter jets can’t “preserve peace, order and public safety.” They are worthless in a natural disaster. They are not effective for search and rescue. They can’t help maintain vital public services. The F-35 is only an instrument of war and more than ever before, the ANG at Truax will threaten the lives of civilians abroad and degrade the quality of life in Madison.

The F-35, wherever it is deployed, will degrade the environment, intensify climate chaos, intensify the horrors of present wars and precipitate new ones. Due to the expansion of NATO and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the threat of nuclear annihilation has never been so grave as now. Placing the F-35 at Truax will make Madison a target in any nuclear confrontation with Russia. But in reality, nowhere on earth will be safe.

We urgently call on the governor of Wisconsin, on the Adjutant General of the Wisconsin National Guard, on the commander of Truax Field, on the state’s legislature and congressional delegation to change the mission of Truax. We call upon world leaders to disarm and abolish war and on the world’s people to join us in this demand.