Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Issue No. 31 September 16-22, 2001 Quezon City, Philippines |
‘Let Us Seek an End to Militarism’ BY WAR RESISTERS LEAGUE (WRL) Back to Bulatlat.com Alternative Reader Index As
we write, Manhattan feels under siege, with all bridges, tunnels, and subways
closed, and tens of thousands of people walking slowly north from Lower
Manhattan. As we sit in our offices here at War Resisters League, our most
immediate thoughts are of the hundreds, if not thousands, of New Yorkers who
have lost their lives in the collapse of the World Trade Center. The day is
clear, the sky is blue, but vast clouds billow over the ruins where so many have
died, including a great many rescue workers who were there when the final
collapse occurred. Of
course we know our friends and co-workers in Washington D.C. have similar
thoughts about the ordinary people who have been trapped in the parts of the
Pentagon which were also struck by a jet. And we think of the innocent
passengers on the hi-jacked jets who were carried to their doom on this day. We
do not know at this time from what source the attack came. We do know that
Yasser Arafat has condemned the bombing. We hesitate to make an extended
analysis until more information is available but some things are clear. For the
Bush Administration to talk of spending hundreds of billions on Star Wars is
clearly the sham it was from the beginning, when terrorism can so easily strike
through more routine means. We
urge Congress and George Bush that whatever response or policy the U.S. develops
it will be clear that this nation will no longer target civilians, or accept any
policy by any nation which targets civilians. This would mean an end to the
sanctions against Iraq, which have caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of
civilians. It would mean not only a condemnation of terrorism by Palestinians
but also the policy of assassination against the Palestinian leadership by
Israel, and the ruthless repression of the Palestinian population and the
continuing occupation by Israel of the West Bank and Gaza. The
policies of militarism pursued by the United States have resulted in millions of
deaths, from the historic tragedy of the Indochina war, through the funding of
death squads in Central America and Colombia, to the sanctions and air strikes
against Iraq. This nation is the largest supplier of "conventional
weapons" in the world - and those weapons fuel the starkest kind of
terrorism from Indonesia to Africa. The early policy of support for armed
resistance in Afghanistan resulted in the victory of the Taliban - and the
creation of Osama Bin Laden. Other
nations have also engaged in these policies. We have, in years past, condemned
the actions of the Russian government in areas such as Chechnya, the violence on
both sides in the Middle East, and in the Balkans. But our nation must take
responsibility for its own actions. Up until now we have felt safe within our
borders. To wake on a clear cool day to find our largest city under siege
reminds us that in a violent world, none are safe. Let
us seek an end of the militarism, which has characterized this nation for
decades. Let us seek a world in which security is gained through disarmament,
international cooperation, and social justice - not through escalation and
retaliation. We condemn without reservation attacks such as those which occurred
today, which strike at thousands of civilians - may these profound tragedies
remind us of the impact U.S. policies have had on other civilians in other
lands. We are particularly aware of the fear, which many people of Middle
Eastern descent, living in this country, may feel at this time and urge special
consideration for this community. We
are one world. We shall live in a state of fear and terror or we shall move
toward a future in which we seek peaceful alternatives to conflict and a more
just distribution of the world's resources. As we mourn the many lives lost, our
hearts call out for reconciliation, not revenge.
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