Sign Me Up for the Declaration of Peace!

[im10ashus]

by John Dear

This summer we’ve seen several beautiful protests against U.S. warmaking. Friends have been fasting for peace in front of the White House under the banner, “Troops Home Fast.” Others have been walking for peace through Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Eighty five year old Rev. Daniel Berrigan and two dozen others blocked the entrance to the U.S. mission to the United Nations, demanding the closure of Guantanamo, and were arrested and jailed. In New Mexico, we’re preparing for the 61st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima when we’ll sit in sackcloth and ashes to repent of the sin of war and nuclear weapons at Los Alamos, where the Bush administration spends billions of dollars on nuclear weapons, and even wants to start pit production next year. Hundreds will join us in Los Alamos on August 6th, including Kathy Kelly and Cindy Sheehan. Everyone is welcome.

But the killing of Iraqi sisters and brothers goes on with no end in sight, even though the polls show that some seventy percent of the U.S. public oppose Bush’s war, want the troops brought home, and desire a comprehensive, concrete and rapid withdrawal plan. People from all walks of life are saying, “Bring home the troops; close all U.S. bases in Iraq; fund a peace process for a post-occupation transition; reconstruct Iraq through massive reparations; and spend the hundreds of billions of dollars used to kill Iraqis instead on schools, jobs, healthcare, and low-income housing here at home, including the reconstruction of New Orleans.”

For the past few years we have marched, kept vigil, lobbied Congress and prayed for peace in a spirit of nonviolence, as Gandhi and King would advise. But nonviolence is not passive, reactionary, or weak. It requires creativity, assertiveness, and risk-taking. It is stronger than violence, so it takes the lead. It sets the agenda, insists on truth, takes action, and sees through its goal toward new breakthroughs of justice and peace.

In the early 1980s, activist Ken Butigan launched the Pledge of Resistance in opposition to Reagan’s contra war on Nicaragua. Tens of thousands agreed to commit nonviolent civil disobedience if the war did not end. We know now that that campaign became a major obstacle to the Pentagon, and helped end that war. Recently, Ken and his colleagues have started another, similar campaign. The two of us traveled to New York City in May to meet with Leslie Cagan, coordinator of United for Peace and Justice, to discuss his proposal. We explained that the Bush administration will tolerate marches and vigils for years to come. These nonviolent marches and vigils are important, but, we suggested, the time has come to up the nonviolent ante.

cont'd...

http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0711-21.htm

[uppityperson]

1. good writing, peace

[im10ashus]

2. I thought so too.

Peace!