[Peace-discuss] discussion please

[C. G. Estabrook]

Friends--

Much as I respect the opinions of Jim, John, Lisa, Peter and Robert, I'm
more persuaded by what I take to be the views of Al and Ricky. I'm not
convinced that our paramount concern should be to protect the apparent
sensibilities of our fellow citizens.  Those sensibilities have been
extensively manipulated by the most sophisticated PR system in history,
the US media, to cover policies of war and world economic control.

We may not be able to attack those policies -- or even tell people what
they are, since they're generally misrepresented ("War on Terrorism") --
without ruffling some of those sensibilities.  We need to find an
effective way to break through the carapace with which the media covers us
all if we're going to make anyone AWARE of what's going on.

The important thing is to tell the truth, not hide it or explain it away
because we're afraid other people may take offense.  The government will
avidly use the dead of September 11 to cover over the many dead for whom
they're responsible -- and the many more for whom they apparently plan to
be responsible -- to say nothing of the mounds of corpses of men, women
and children that continuing US polices, Republican and Democrat, are
responsible for.

That's what should offend all of our sensibilities, and we shouldn't be
too worried about offending our neighbors' sensibilities, real or
manufactured, to make that point.  

Nor should we be too concerned to insist, rather defensively it seems to
me, on how we love our country.  I like the answer that Chomsky gave, when
he was described by the demagogue William Bennett as "a man who has made a
career out of hating America." Responding to that quite amazing lie (of
the sort that we should be prepared to receive), Chomsky said, "I choose
to live in what I think is the greatest country in the world, which is
committing horrendous terrorist acts and should stop."

And that's what AWARE should say on September 11 -- along with "Another
World is Possible."

Regards, Carl

PS: I don't BTW agree that the candlelight vigil was a failure.  We
shouldn't let the misrepresentation by the N-G (by accident or design)
define the event.  People there knew perfectly well that we meant to call
to mind all the victims of terrorism, those of the one day September 11,
and the many more who suffer down all the days of US imperialism.

  ======================================
  Civil disobedience is not our problem. 
  Our problem is civil obedience.
  Our problem is that numbers of people all over the world 
  have obeyed the dictates of the leaders of their government 
  and have gone to war, and millions have been killed 
  because of this obedience ...
  Our problem is that people are obedient all over the world 
  in the face of poverty and starvation and stupidity, 
  and war, and cruelty.  
  Our problem is that people are obedient 
  while the jails are full of petty thieves, 
  and all the while the grand thieves are running and robbing the country.  
  That's our problem.  --Howard Zinn, *Failure to Quit*
  =====================================================