[Peace] PRC ANTI-WAR STATEMENT

Thu Sep 20 12:09:59 CDT 2001

is PRC part of the peace coalition? ALso, the IMC might need some security 
in the future. I don't know if PRC knows this, there was some discussion at 
the IMC steering committee meeting about security at the IMC. Some of us 
have written letters to the editor and some and the IMC received some 
menacing phone messages. Could PRC offer some security advice?
If someone could attend the steering committee meeting at the IMC next 
Sunday at noon from PRC, i think that there might be some good in that.
In solidarity,
Robert Dunn
Ps, read the Snooz Gazoo, I have a letter in it.

>From: Jeff Machota <jmachota at shout.net>
>To: peace at lists.groogroo.com
>Subject: [Peace] PRC ANTI-WAR STATEMENT
>Date: Thu, 20 Sep 2001 10:48:45 -0500 (CDT)
>
>
>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.
>
>=============================================================
>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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