[Peace-discuss] Guest commentary

[Dan Schreiber]

I've considered myself a friend of AWARE for about a year and a half, and
have advocated in my church for many of the programs that AWARE has been
instrumental in bringing to CU.  I appreciate the energy you all put into
projects that attempt to make the world a better place.  As somewhat of an
outsider, I thought my impressions might be valuable to you.

I was very disappointed in the AWARE reference in Carl's article today.
Whether intentional or not, and whether true or not, it implicated AWARE as
a place containing people who hold patronizing, hypocritical and racist
views, based on a single sentence within a long letter advocating more
caution and respect towards Obama.  For those who don't know much about
AWARE, or those who share many of the same values as AWARE, this is the
exact opposite impression that should be given.  Why would anyone want to
join or be associated with such an organization?  Why would anyone want to
attend events sponsored by such an organization?  Why would I want to
advocate for your programs in my own circles if this is the impression your
own members are making to the public?

Something like this goes beyond disagreements about Obama, and I'm not
involved enough to know what they are.  But, I would beg you all to spend
less time figuring out what your positions are on Obama, and more time
figuring out how to limit the damage to AWARE that the disagreements are
causing, or at least figure out a way to go your separate ways without
publicly undermining the very values of peacemaking that you have so
energetically advocated for the last few years.

Peace,
Dan Schreiber


  -----Original Message-----
  From: peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net
[mailto:peace-discuss-bounces at lists.chambana.net]On Behalf Of Al Kagan
  Sent: Sunday, September 04, 2005 12:25 PM
  To: Peace-Discuss
  Subject: [Peace-discuss] Guest commentary


  I want to respond to Carl Estabrook’s guest commentary on page B-3 of
today’s News-Gazette. While I agree with much of the commentary, I think the
ending is a gratuitous attack on me, AWARE and the anti-war movement.

  Let me say upfront, that I have never been interested in personalizing our
discussions of strategy and tactics. Intertwining the issues with personal
attacks is a recipe for failure. We must be able to critically evaluate our
activities, and those who see and respond to criticism as personal attacks
should re-evaluate the effects of their actions.

  One must ask why a discussion about our strategy and tactics must be aired
in public in the local newspaper? Let me repeat a little of my original
thoughts here. We have an African-American Senator who is very popular in
the black community. If we want to do local anti-racist work, we can’t
afford to alienate many in this community with a sledgehammer approach. We
ought to try to engage this politician and appeal to his own self-interest.
We should argue that according to the polls, his constituents and especially
the black community are ahead of him and want an end to this war.

  It was very clear at the AWARE meeting that nobody wants to give Senator
Obama a pass on his war position. Coming to the personal level, the great
majority of those who know me even a little would laugh at the author’s
assertion, “Liberals who fail to say so [Obama “has blood on his hands”]
because of the senator’s race find themselves supporting the war.” My
opposition to the war and US imperialism is not in question, and I don’t
consider myself a “liberal.”

  Finally, to call the above argument, “…patronizing or hypocritical, if not
racist” is beyond the bounds of principled debate.

  It seems to me that we have a set up for another shouting match at today’s
meeting, therefore I will not be there. AWARE needs to work through it’s
internal process for having principled discussions. When our norms and
guidelines are ignored, we must be able to confront the situation and put it
right. If we can’t do this, we will not be able to advance our work.



  Al Kagan
  Africana Unit, Room 328
  University of Illinois Library
  1408 W. Gregory Drive
  Urbana, IL 61820
  USA

  tel. 217-333-6519
  fax 217-333-2214
  akagan at uiuc.edu
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