Orlando

Date: Saturday, October 17

Time: 12:00 Noon

Title: Mass March on the Weapons Makers – End the War Economy -  Healthcare Not Warfare

Location: The 12 noon rally will assemble at the south east corner of Alafaya Blvd. (SR 434) and University Blvd , the main entrance to the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Details: Following the rally participants will march 1/4 mile south along Alfaya Blvd. to the Central Florida Research Park entrance to demand an end to the war economy.

HEALTHCARE, NOT WARFARE

While more than 18,000 Americans die annually for lack of healthcare services (USA Today, 5/22/02) the United States allots more than $600 billion dollars for military spending each year. In June 2009 the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that the U.S. accounted for 42-percent of the global arms spending in 2008. The U.S. military budget is more than 7 times that of China .

Orlando’s Research Park is home to four of the top 10 recipients of tax payer dollars via the United States ’ bloated military budget. These corporations and their respective rank and earnings among defense contractors are:

#2 Boeing – $32 billion (2007)

#4 Northrup Grumman – $24 billion (2007)

#5 General Dynamics – $21 billion (2007)

#6 Raytheon – $19 billion (2007)

In total, these four corporations received $96 billion dollars in taxpayer dollars in 2007 via the military budget.

Protest participants will call on Florida elected representatives, weapons makers’ employees, and the Florida general public to denounce the U.S. wars in Iraq , Afghanistan , and Pakistan , and militarism in general.

Parking is available in strip mall lots on the west side of Alafaya Blvd. on both sides of University Blvd. (Beware of lots with parking restrictions and tow warnings.)

The events are being organized by the Florida Peace Congress (FPC), a group which seeks to empower and unite peace/anti-war groups throughout the state of Florida . To date the Orlando action has been endorsed by more than 20 groups representing Miami , Tampa , St. Augustine , and Jacksonville . (List of endorsers below.)

For more information: 321-368-5093  or Sabletide@yahoo.com

Endorsing groups for the October 17 Orlando protest:

1.      Florida Peace Congress

2.      Central Florida Veterans For Peace

3.      Military Families Speak Out (MFSO)

4.      Florida Peace Action Network

5.      Humanists for Peace

6.      RiseUpTampaBay

7.      Brevard Patriots for Peace

8.      Students for a Democratic Society at UCF

9.      The Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign

10. CODEPINK of East Central Florida

11. Peace Now Citrus County

12. St. Augustine People for Peace and Justice

13. Nature Coast Coalition

14. South Florida Palestine Solidarity Network

15. Marions for Peace

16. Green Party of Florida

17. Socialist Party of Florida

18. Broward AntiWar Coalition

19. Socialist Party of Southeast Florida

20. Radicaljack.com

21. Wage Peace of Jacksonville

22. SOA Watch South Florida

23. Environmental and Peace Education Center of Fort Myers (EPEC)

24. The Refuge

25. Veterans For Peace South Florida – Chapter 32

26. Code Pink Tampa Bay

27. Tampa Bay Veterans for Peace, Chapter 119

28. Socialist Party of Tampa Bay

29. Socialist Party USA .