[Peace] PRC ANTI-WAR STATEMENT

[Jeff Machota]

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative(PRC) passed this statement
September 19 at our General Meeting.

Please note the rally planned for Wednesday, September 26 at Noon on the
South Patio of the Union.

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PRC Statement on Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001
9/19/2001

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC) has long been 
involved in movements in opposition to indiscriminate killing and in 
support of self-determination for all people (for instance, in Iraq, 
Palestine, Central America, and Bosnia). Therefore, the PRC, as an 
organization with a long history of struggling for peace with 
justice, is shocked and horrified by the acts of terrorism committed 
on September 11th, 2001. We absolutely reject and condemn any and all 
forms of terrorism. These horrendous attacks unjustly took the lives 
of thousands of innocent working people and injured a great many 
more. We express our condolences and strongest sympathies to the 
friends, co-workers, and families of the injured, missing, and 
deceased.

In our reflection on this tragedy and on the actions of our nation in 
its aftermath, we believe it is necessary to call upon the American 
people and the world community to oppose the scape-goating of Arab 
Americans; to denounce military retaliation; to resist curtailment of 
our civil liberties; and to begin to heal our communities through an 
understanding of the history of injustice and the necessity of 
working towards peace.

NO SCAPE-GOATING. We are appalled by the prejudice and ignorance 
which has led many people to stereotype and scapegoat Muslim, Arab, 
and Arab American individuals resulting in dozens of reported 
instances of threats and violence against innocent people. The 
sympathy and support from the Muslim, Arab, and Arab American 
communities in response to this violence has been overwhelming but 
has been overshadowed by the American media's narrow coverage of 
extreme examples of a few Palestinians celebrating the attacks. To 
insinuate that Middle Eastern people as a whole, or as individuals 
are guilty by association for the crimes of terrorists is irrational 
and racist.

NO MILITARY RETALITATION. As we mourn this tragic loss of human life, 
we must do everything in our power to prevent further carnage. We 
cannot turn these times of national mourning into blank checks for 
aggression and war. The media has dubbed the attacks, "the War on 
America," and has indicated that massive preparations are already 
underway for retaliatory strikes, if not all-out war. Tuesday's 
attack, however, was an act of international terrorism, not an act of 
war since, as of yet, there is no evidence which suggests that a 
foreign government initiated the attack on the United States. We 
simply cannot punish another state, let alone its civilian 
population, for the crime of a group of fanatical and deranged 
individuals. This logic of collective punishment is as irrational and 
inhumane as the logic of terrorism espoused by the terrorists 
themselves and will only serve to  accelerate and intensify the cycle 
of violence. We urge our elected officials to pursue the 
internationally-recognized judicial means of bringing perpetrators to 
justice.

NO LOSS OF CIVIL LIBERTIES. Our Congressional representatives are 
attempting to pass measures that would drastically reduce our civil 
liberties in the name of national security and the war on terrorism, 
including increased license for FBI surveillance of civilians. These 
infringements not only violate our constitutional rights, but will 
also inevitably be used to disrupt domestic movements for social 
change. We must resist and, if necessary, reverse these decisions. It 
is precisely in these times of national crisis and despair that we 
must champion civil liberties and the freedom to dissent. Our 
response to terrorism must not be to eliminate civil liberties and 
transform the U.S. into a police state, but rather for the U.S. to 
act justly and peaceably toward other nations and respect all 
people's right to self determination.

HEALING OUR COMMUNITIES AND WORKING FOR PEACE. The key to re-building 
and healing our communities will be an increased commitment to 
understanding the history of the U.S.'s responsibility in 
perpetuating political, social, racial, and economic injustices and 
inequities and a commitment to working for peace. Peace is not 
attainable if the cycle of violence is never broken. Violence cannot 
be responded to with violence. While terrorism is morally 
reprehensible regardless of the motives of the perpetrators, nature 
of its targets, or identity of its victims, it is also true that 
terrorism is bred in a certain social and political environment. For 
instance, the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon - 
symbols of American economic and military power - appear to have been 
inspired by opposition to U.S. global domination and exploitation. 
While we mourn for the innocent victims of this tragedy, we must also 
remember the victims of international terrorism supported by the U.S. 
For instance, the U.S. exports more weapons than any other country. 
Our School of the Americas has trained terrorists, interrogators, and 
death squads in South and Central America. In the last century alone, 
we have imposed military and economic violence in, among other 
places, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Vietnam, and Iraq. In each instance, 
untold numbers of innocent people lost their lives. It is our duty to 
ask why.

Why is it significant that the United States is culpable in the 
killing of innocent people? How should this historical reality inform 
our present response to terrorist attacks? It is significant because 
the history of aggression and war demonstrates that responding to 
violence with violence resolves nothing and only brings greater 
misery to the multitude of suffering people around the world. For 
instance, in 1998, in an attempt to punish Osama bin Laden for the 
bombing of U.S. embassies abroad, the U.S. fired 12 cruise missiles 
at the Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan. This U.S. 
act of terrorism deprived the Sudanese people of critical drug 
supplies, a deficiency that was partially responsible for the loss of 
tens of thousands of lives. This kind of harm to civilian populations 
cannot happen again. Instead, it is imperative that all compassionate 
people call upon the U.S. government and its allies to use 
non-violent means of bringing the terrorists to justice. In order to 
not create more victims like the ones we mourn today, the U.S. needs 
to use its leadership to end the cycle of violence.

CALL TO ACTION. In the wake of a national tragedy that has left us 
shocked and grief-stricken, and whose aftermath threatens more lives, 
we are reminded of the wisdom of Mother Jones' words, "Remember the 
dead and fight like hell for the living."  In this spirit, the PRC 
calls on all people of conscience to:

(1) Actively speak out against the irrational and racist 
scape-goating of Muslim, Arab, and Arab American people.
(2) Oppose any and all military retaliations initiated by the U.S. 
government or its allies. We must uphold the dignity and human rights 
of civilian populations by denouncing the indiscriminate use of force 
against targets where destruction of civilian life and social 
infrastructure (e.g. hospitals, roads, sewers, etc.) is sure and 
certain.
(3) Defend our civil rights and liberties against any infringements 
on these rights by the U.S. government in the wake of this attack. We 
must uphold and promote the inalienable right of life, liberty, and 
the pursuit of happiness for all peoples.
(4) Endeavor to understand the roots of international violence and 
struggle to work for peace with social justice.
(5) Make your voice heard by joining with others in collective action 
to promote peace and justice. As one example of such collective 
action, the PRC is planning an emergency response rally for 
Wednesday, September 26th at 12noon on the South Patio of the Illini 
Union on the University of Illinois Quad. Please join us.

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC) is a multi-issue, 
multi-tactical activist organization committed to struggling for 
peace with social justice. The PRC is a program of the Illinois 
Disciples Foundation (IDF). For more information about the PRC, call 
(217) 352-8721 or email prc at prairienet.org.

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