Disarming Violence on a Path Toward Peace |
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Horrors of our daily news — from Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons, to the disastrous destruction of Ukrainian towns and lives, Sweden and Finland joining NATO, and bloody massacres in the schoolyard — compel us to disarm violence and join with our national and global peace movements to "change the system" from a culture of war to a culture of peace.
Violence is a soulless, cruel tool that oppresses the spirit of life and will destroy the world as we know it. Advocates of empire use violent armies to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure in order to promote tyranny and perpetuate militarism. Democracy must control violence and make sure violence does not drive public policy.
This issue of Justice Rising (JR) looks at the violence of war, violence in our streets and the rise of violence in our politics — so clearly demonstrated by the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. Then it illuminates pathways toward peace, where people around the world understand that we are all connected on a small earth, and human survival is dependent on us coming together to promote the common good.
As outlined here, we must become a part of a global movement calling for a "people to people" dialogue and embrace neighbors as friends, not enemies. We need to collectively develop a non-violent concept of security that fulfills human needs. We have to cooperatively and respectfully understand and addresses the root causes of violence and war that range from catastrophic climate change to inequality, oppressive patriarchy, poverty, and food and water insecurity. We have to expose and stop the vicious cycle between climate change and military operations where climate change instigates military operations that are the greatest cause of climate change, which accelerates the vicious cycle of more war and more climate change.
Women have to be at the table to deliver a feminist formula for peace that “prioritizes interdependence and justice while protecting and valuing people and the planet over profit. This means ending nuclear weapons, and autonomous weapons, stopping the militarization of outer space, and abandon NATO's 2030 plan to achieve "full spectrum dominance.”
The war industry markets war and violence to bolster their profits. Pamela Haag points out that marketers of guns act as if their product is “no different from mouthwash, tiddlywinks, or shoes.” The problem is that their product is different. Guns kill. The war industry conjures up enemies to create fear, and manipulates US military policy in order to sell their products. They do not mention that their products cause untold misery by demolishing everything in sight, killing millions of people and destroying infrastructure, the economy and the environment.
AfD co-chairs Nancy Price and David Delk played crucial roles putting this issue together. Nancy led the effort based on her work heading the Yolo County Nuclear Freeze campaign in the 1980s, and her current work with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and the US Peace Council. David made many invaluable contributions to this issue, including the promotion of the iconic peace symbol seen above.
The most critical aspect of this issue is for you to take the actions listed in the Take Action sidebars to build a movement that personally and collectively demands an end to war; brings all stakeholders to the table to negotiate peace; bans war profiteers from making public policy; and opposes militarism and imperialism.
Our next JR will concentrate on creating a world without war and coercion. Topics will include:
Image: Jake Van Yahres
Violence is a soulless, cruel tool that oppresses the spirit of life and will destroy the world as we know it. Advocates of empire use violent armies to kill civilians and destroy infrastructure in order to promote tyranny and perpetuate militarism. Democracy must control violence and make sure violence does not drive public policy.
This issue of Justice Rising (JR) looks at the violence of war, violence in our streets and the rise of violence in our politics — so clearly demonstrated by the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. Then it illuminates pathways toward peace, where people around the world understand that we are all connected on a small earth, and human survival is dependent on us coming together to promote the common good.
As outlined here, we must become a part of a global movement calling for a "people to people" dialogue and embrace neighbors as friends, not enemies. We need to collectively develop a non-violent concept of security that fulfills human needs. We have to cooperatively and respectfully understand and addresses the root causes of violence and war that range from catastrophic climate change to inequality, oppressive patriarchy, poverty, and food and water insecurity. We have to expose and stop the vicious cycle between climate change and military operations where climate change instigates military operations that are the greatest cause of climate change, which accelerates the vicious cycle of more war and more climate change.
Women have to be at the table to deliver a feminist formula for peace that “prioritizes interdependence and justice while protecting and valuing people and the planet over profit. This means ending nuclear weapons, and autonomous weapons, stopping the militarization of outer space, and abandon NATO's 2030 plan to achieve "full spectrum dominance.”
The war industry markets war and violence to bolster their profits. Pamela Haag points out that marketers of guns act as if their product is “no different from mouthwash, tiddlywinks, or shoes.” The problem is that their product is different. Guns kill. The war industry conjures up enemies to create fear, and manipulates US military policy in order to sell their products. They do not mention that their products cause untold misery by demolishing everything in sight, killing millions of people and destroying infrastructure, the economy and the environment.
AfD co-chairs Nancy Price and David Delk played crucial roles putting this issue together. Nancy led the effort based on her work heading the Yolo County Nuclear Freeze campaign in the 1980s, and her current work with the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and the US Peace Council. David made many invaluable contributions to this issue, including the promotion of the iconic peace symbol seen above.
The most critical aspect of this issue is for you to take the actions listed in the Take Action sidebars to build a movement that personally and collectively demands an end to war; brings all stakeholders to the table to negotiate peace; bans war profiteers from making public policy; and opposes militarism and imperialism.
Our next JR will concentrate on creating a world without war and coercion. Topics will include:
- Ending sanctions as a tool of war that hurt the poor, women, children, elderly and disabled;
- Exposing covert US actions and alliances to overturn sovereign governments;
- A deep dive into the history and promise of current peace initiatives, including Common Security 2022 and the Athens Declaration April 2022;
- Critique of NATO’s 2030 Plan to extend global reach and full spectrum dominance;
- Getting the UN Climate Conference of Parties at COP27, meeting in Egypt, to deal with the impacts of military operations on climate change.
Image: Jake Van Yahres
Take Action Now!
- Join AfD's new Disarming Violence/Establishing Peace campaign that will use eNews and Alerts to keep you up-to-date and engaged in the national and international movement demanding diplomatic negotiations to bring about a just peace for all — beginning with Ukraine.
- Learn about the No to NATO meeting and Peace Summit parallel to the annual NATO meeting, June 24-27.
- Learn about the June 18, 2022 Poor People's & Low-Wage Workers' Assembly & Moral March on Washington and to the Polls to vote.
- Help bring the Climate, Peace, Economic and Environmental Justice movements you are involved with together to facilitate the success of all these interrelated movements.
- Join violence prevention groups including police review boards and weapon regulation efforts.
- Tell your political representatives to defund the military and refund diplomacy.
- Educate yourself and everyone you know about keeping outer space a universal peace zone, and the dangers of militarizing the universe.
- Check out Peace in Ukraine, AfD's newest partner in disarming violence and establishing peace. They have excellent resources including talking points, statements, petitions and more. See their “Stop the War in Ukraine, Russian Troops Out, No NATO Expansion" at www.peaceinukraine.org.