PNVRC Statement

In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, a coalition of peace and justice groups gathered to address our concerns and hopes for the future in a world where violence has been perpetrated to address injustice. We appealed to our nation's leaders to seek justice rather than vengeance. The destruction of civilian targets in the United States and the resulting deaths of 3,000 people is a personal loss, and like the rest of the country we have reacted with fear, anger, numbness, and shock. At the same time, those of us who have worked long years for peace

feel disempowered, disheartened, and at odds with mainstream opinion in our country. We see that unmet social needs and lack of security are the roots of violence both here and abroad. We must not assign blame or exact vengeance. As we condemn the attacks against our fellow citizens, so must we accept the challenge of self-examination and real reform.

The only real security is global and includes social and economic justice for all. Real security means reducing our dependence on oil, consuming less and finding ways to harness alternative energies. Real security and peace are more than the absence of conflict. They have political, spiritual and cultural dimensions. Our notion of security must be transformed from a fear-based concept of "national" security based on the threat of overwhelming violence to one of universal "human security" based on the security of all people everywhere. True peace means having adequate shelter, enough to eat, clean air and water, and access to medical care and education. True peace requires tolerance, compassion, cooperation and diplomacy.

We are witnessing the erosion of civil liberties in our country. There is a failure to admit or even to discuss differing points of view. Our leaders say, "You are either with us or against us," and this party line is the only admissible view. Congress has undermined its own constitutional authority by ceding excessive powers to the President and the Justice Department, which bodes ill for the future of our democracy.

We are greatly disturbed by the current U.S. version of foreign policy and by the Bush/Cheney "War Against Terrorism", which is actually an assault on our economy, our civil rights, and our Constitutional democracy. Those who are poorest in our society will bear the costs of this war, while those who are among the world's wealthiest 20% will gain financially. A minimal estimate of new Pentagon and domestic security budget increases is about

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$100 billion. The proposed second tax cut in less than a year will pour our budget for education, health, and housing down the drain. Our resources are squandered in an illusory search for security, while social needs will suffer into the next generation.

The U.S. has a history of using violence to maintain power and empire. Corporate influence and our support of repressive governments in the world's poorest countries spark human

and environmental degradation. But aren't equality under the law, human rights, and democracy American values? We have been taught that the richness of the United States is in its diversity, and that scapegoating on the basis of race, religion or nationality is unacceptable.

Let us examine the differences between our professed values and our actions at home and abroad. We must look behind the corporate-owned media to find out who has benefited from U.S. actions since 9/11. We must accept the truth that the defense and aerospace industries and the corporations with global reach are the victors here, and ask how we, as workers, consumers, and investors, benefit from our government's actions.

We must insist that our leaders act in concert with other countries and under international law to address the real problems that are the source of terror and violence in our world. Otherwise, our actions are not different from those who attacked our civilian population on 9/11 - they are violence in support of the will to power and economic influence.

We come together around the core value of nonviolence. We see all too clearly that responding to violence with more violence creates an escalating cycle that threatens to spiral out of control. We reject the idea that we are doomed to a future of endless death and destruction. Nonviolence is a belief that change is possible.

Nonviolence is hope.

Let us rededicate ourselves to our professed ideals of democracy, human rights and civil liberties. Let us work together toward meaningful peace, and insist that our government operate honorably within the rule of law.

by Peoples NonViolent Response Coalition
Oakland, California USA
June 10 2002

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