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What's Next for the Peace Movement?
commondreams.org - On March 29, some 35,000 to 45,000 people from across New England came together on the Boston Common for a march and rally to speak out for peace and justice in Iraq. As an African-American who has been involved in the peace movement since I was a teenager in the early 1980's -- and as one of the moderators at Saturday's rally -- I was incredibly moved by the breadth and vitality of our movement -- even in the midst of this war.

Clearly, however, marching is not enough. If the peace movement wants to keep building on the momentum generated by this historic event -- and dozens like it across the country and around the globe -- I see three main challenges that we will have to face in the weeks and months ahead. How we respond to these challenges will determine whether we can turn our growing numbers into a sustained effort to stop this war -- and to make our government's policies reflect the values our society should be based on.

posted by West 10:24 PM

 

Congressman calls for creation of US "Peace Department"
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US congressman and anti-war activist revived his proposal for the creation of a "US Department of Peace" to be headed by a cabinet-level official on a par with the secretary of state or secretary of defense.

Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich, a presidential candidate and an outspoken critic of President Bush's policy on Iraq , unsuccessfully introduced similar legislation in July 2001.

But he said he is reintroducing the bill because, especially during this time of war, Washington needs a peace department.

"Now, more than ever, this legislation is urgently needed," Kucinich said.

"Our current foreign policy makes our nation less safe and will make it impossible to meet our domestic needs," Kucinich said.

The proposed legislation calls for a department that would advocate non-violence and peace education. It would support international disarmament treaties and help resolve potentially violent conflicts around the world, Kucinich said.

The Department of Peace would also promote non-violence as an organizing principle in our society, and would generally seek to "help to create the conditions for a more peaceful world," he said.

"This legislation offers a path towards peace and prosperity," Kucinich said.

posted by West 12:52 PM

 

In Defense of Cacophony
(Ilyse Hogue, AlterNet, April 9, 2003)
March 20th, the day after the United States began to drop bombs on the Iraqi people, San Francisco was the stage for widespread creative dissent to an illegal and unjustifiable war. . . . That day crystallized the willingness of hundreds of thousands to stand with the global majority in opposing this war. The reasons for people's actions are not monolithic, just as the tactics are not. Like an ecosystem, this movement's strength lies in the symbiotic exchange and interweaving of diverse voices raised to inscribe a new cultural narrative upon the American consciousness. . . . The nonviolent grassroots uprising that occurred in San Francisco in the last two weeks was purely organic. Mix the right ingredients and the outcome is sure to be even more impressive than predicted. This is the model that Direct Action to Stop the War (DASW) counts upon. DASW is not an organization. There is no paid staff, no office, no elected leaders. There is only one requirement for participation – you must act in accordance with your conscience in opposing this war. . . . I have learned that social justice is rarely achieved without willing individuals and groups escalating their voices in the face of overwhelming odds. . . . From the Boston Tea Party, this country was born and nonviolent direct action has served to shape its moral compass ever since. Without it women would not vote, and the working people would have no weekends. Basic rights we take for granted were won through nonviolent struggle in the face of overwhelming odds. . . . Current estimates are that Californians will pay between $300 and $6,000 a piece in taxes to foot the $100 billion price tag for this war. These funds could be spent to jump-start the ailing economy in California, revive our debilitated school system, or invest in clean energy to get us off imported oil. This speaks nothing of the moral and psychic costs our country will bear. . . . he is a doctor in the addiction unit at the VA hospital in San Francisco. He treats the American victims of the previous wars for manifestations of their psychic wounds. He told me his funding has been cut. The VA has laid several people off in the last year at the same time as the Bush administration is creating new veterans. . . . He said he feels as though the war is too easy to ignore and he will be left to pick up the pieces of human beings who souls were shattered by carrying out this awful deed. . . . I have heard his cry echoed by the Gulf War veterans that have come out against this war in large numbers. They say the best way to support the troops is to bring them home. The Bush Administration sent troops into war the same week they proposed cuts in health and family programs for veterans. Is this a cultural narrative that makes sense? My friend has come to the conclusion that if stopping traffic for a day forces people to examine these questions it should be looked upon as a gift rather than an inconvenience. . . . Many will be tempted to call the pro-peace movement a failure as American troops are taking Baghdad. I answer that to do so would be a misinterpretation of how transformation of culture occurs. The real victory lies in throwing our hat into the ring in the struggle for this cultural narrative. By building a community of resistance, we plant the seeds for this cultural narrative. . . . The peace movement is as diverse as each individual whose heart propels him or her to take action against this war. Acts of creative resistance continue to spring up around the world on a daily basis as more people are invigorated by understanding their own power to take a stand. It is as impossible to predict how the pro-peace movement around the war will proceed as it is to predict the next evolution of a given ecosystem. What is certain, though, is that the impacts on the global culture of this spontaneous and widespread uprising will alter the cultural narrative as indelibly and profoundly as evolution alters the global ecosystem in which we live. . . . I leave you with this question: when you look back on this turning point in human history years from now, will you be proud of the action you took to change the course laid out before us? What strand did you weave into the emerging story?

posted by Lorenzo 10:43 AM

 

Rep. Dennis Kucinich To Introduce Bill for Department of Peace
commondreams.org SUMMIT COUNTY Summit Daily News - Vail, Colorado - Presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, will introduce a bill today to establish a Cabinet-level Department of Peace, an agency that would be responsible for things ranging from social services to a Peace Academy.

Kucinich has the support of 38 other U.S. representatives, including Mark Udall, D-Colo. Udall represents Summit County in the 2nd Congressional District. A representative from his office will discuss the proposal from 2-3 p.m. today at the Summit County Community and Senior Center south of Frisco.

The newest Cabinet-level department was created last year, when President Bush crafted the Department of Homeland Security, designed to protect U.S. citizens from terrorism. Prior to that, President Jimmy Carter established the Veterans Administration almost 30 years ago. Today, there are 15 departments with numerous agencies under their collective umbrellas.

If approved, the Department of Peace would be dedicated to peacemaking and the study of conditions that are conducive to domestic and international peace. The department's mission would be to promote justice and democratic principles, expand human rights, strengthen nonmilitary means of peacemaking, promote human potential and work to create peace, prevent violence and develop new ways to resolve disputes.

"We have lived with war, violence and abuse for far too long," said Kucinich spokeswoman Denise Hughes. "By establishing a Cabinet level Department of Peace, we have the unique opportunity to confront the root cause of these evils and the ability as a society to build a safer world."

posted by West 5:25 PM

 

US Peace movement wraps itself in the Stars and Stripes
guardian.co.uk - The American peace movement is making a bid to reclaim the US flag and establish its patriotic credentials, as hostility to dissent against military action in Iraq intensifies.

Haunted by accusations of anti-Americanism from the Vietnam era, and under pressure from a growing atmosphere of intolerance towards protesters, one anti-war group has unveiled a huge billboard with the message "Peace is Patriotic" against the image of an unfurling Stars and Stripes.

One of the nation's largest groups, Win Without War, is encouraging the two million people on its email list to send supportive letters to soldiers.

"We know that this is what the pro-war folks try to slam us on," says Medea Benjamin, the founding director of the San Francisco-based advocacy group, Global Exchange.

Ms Benjamin, a spokeswoman for the 30,000-strong group, which is raising money for more patriotic billboards, believes the strategy of questioning the patriotism of protesters is already silencing potential dissenters.

"It is working with the progressive wing of the Democratic party. We want to reclaim the right to portray the flag. For all those who want to show their sense of patriotism and oppose the war, we want to create a space for that."

It is just one sign of both a blatant and subtle shift in strategy among the loose confederation of different organisations that make up the peace movement, now that war has started. Many have been keen to distinguish between their campaign against the politicians who have launched the war and their support for the soldiers who are fighting it.

"One of the ways in which our message has changed since the war started is that we are making it clear that our opposition to the war doesn't mean that we're opposed to the troops," says Leslie Cagan, a spokeswoman for United for Peace and Justice, the umbrella group that organised the largest demonstrations in recent weeks. "We want to support them by bringing them home," she says.

Some have also shifted their goals of civil disobedience from disrupting everyday life with "die-ins" on busy streets to drawing attention to the collusion of corporate, federal or media institutions in the war effort. The change is partly the product of a more media-savvy movement, which is now armed with its own public relations advisers to help sell their message.

posted by West 7:51 PM