Tod Ensign

Template:TOCnestleft Tod Ensign has been a long-time far-left activist starting early on with anti-Vietnam "soldiers" organizations such as the National Committee for a Citizens' Commission of Inquiry on U.S. War Crimes in Vietnam", Citizens' Commission of Inquiry (CCI) in late 1970-71 to Agent Orange organizations in the 2000s.

National Committee for a Citizens' Commission of Inquiry on U.S. War Crimes in Vietnam

One of the most pro-Hanoi anti-Vietnam war propagandist groups was the CCI, formed in late 1970 with the help of Jane Fonda, Jeremey Rifkin, Tod Ensign, Mike Uhl and others. Members of it's "Staff", "Sponsors" and "National Coordinating Committee]] constituted one of the most pro-Hanoi voices of the war. Members ranged from the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) to the leftist (later Maoist dominated]] Vietnam Veterans Against the War in Vietnam (VVAW), some independent Marxists and hardcore Marxists who were in the CPUSA orbit or even the American Maoist movement.

• Tod Ensign was listed as "STAFF" of the CCI in a 1970 letter about their upcoming "National Inquiry" in Washington, D.C. This letter was reprinted as Exhibit 8 in "The Meaning of the Bicentennial: Volume One: The Peoples Bicentennial Commission", Max Friedman, ACU Education and Research Institute, 1976, p. 38.

Writer/Contributor to the Maoist-Oriented U.S. Weekly, the Guardian

Tod Ensign had an article entitled "Sailor Punished for Publishing Satiric Paper" in the April 9, 1986 edition of the Maoist-oriented U.S. weekly, the Guardian, p. 4

Global Day of Action

More than 250 U.S. cities took part in the March 20, 2004 Global Day of Action protesting Pentagon wars and occupations. The biggest demonstration was in New York, where 100,000 people marched and rallied.

The event was initiated by the International ANSWER--Act Now to Stop War and End Racism--Coalition, and United for Peace and Justice.

During the ANSWER segment of the rallies, Brian Becker, a co-director of the International Action Center and member of the ANSWER Steering Committee, applauded the courage of the Muslim community in turning out for the march, given the current repression, surveillance and raids.

Palestinian flags flew, and speakers in this segment included Ihab Darwish, Free Palestine Alliance; Lamis Deek, Al-Awda Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Imam Asharaf Uz Zaman, Islamic Circle of North America; Ismail Kamal, Muslim Student Association; Mahdi Bray, Muslim American Society and Freedom Foundation; and Waleed Bader, Arab Muslim American Federation/National Council of Arab Americans.

Teresa Gutierrez of the International Action Center appealed to the crowd to boycott Coca-Cola, implicated in the assassination of workers unionizing its Colombian plants.

Brenda Stokely, chair of New York City Labor Against the War and president of AFSCME District Council 1707, vowed, "We're going to bring down the imperialist powers who think they have the right to slaughter our children!" Larry Holmes of the International Action Center spoke and a taped message from political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal urged resistance to racist oppression, police occupation and imperialist oppression.

In the UFPJ segment of the rallies, speakers included Suheir Hamma of Def Poetry Jam; Sinan Antoon, an Iraqi filmmaker; David Cline, national president of Veterans for Peace; and Tod Ensign of Citizen Soldier. Fernando Suarez del Solar of Military Families Speak Out said: "Bush lied. Who died? My son."

Also featured were Tony Benn, former member of the British Parliament, representing Stop the War UK; New York City Councilmember Bill Perkins; and U.S. Rep. Major Owens. Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Dorothy Zellner, a Jewish activist, advocated an end to Israeli occupation, and Ziad Abu Rish of SUSTAIN--Stop U.S. Tax Aid to Israel Now--supported Palestinian self-determination.

References

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