Saturday, September 23, 2006
Pacifica Commentary For September 20, 2006
If you are only in touch with commercial media, you probably won't know about the Declaration of Peace. There is a lot of money in war, so why would the commercial media want to speak of peace?
This week some 430 peace organizations throughout the United States have planned a coordinated 275 events. Here is a local example. On Monday, September 25th in Hollywood there will be a protest gathering from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM at the military recruiting station, 7060 Hollywood Blvd. Some of the participants will engage in civil disobedience.
The Declaration of Peace was months in the planning, it was taken from the Pledge of Resistance which we used during the US wars in Central America. That pledge contributed to the United Nations conducting peace accords in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Many peace organizations are faith based. The idea was to pull together both the many progressive religious peace groups together with the secular peace organizations. The unifying spiritual and political component is fasting. The month of August has been devoted to fasting, one of the most universal ecumenical practices. Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christian, and Islamic people all have fasting as part of their culture. Fasting is seen as a spiritual quest, and a prelude to historic or to prophetic action. The rules for the fast were completely open. Some chose to fast on water only, others on liquids only, other on lighter meals. Fasting is a time to focus attention on a mission and that is what took place.
Now the time for action has arrived. We are tired of an administration that hucksters torture while it knows that torture is simply a way of forcing people to affirm what the torturers want. Torture gave us a rationale for the Iraq war. Our tortured captives would affirm that Al Qaeda was in sync with Saddam Hussein.....this was a damn lie, but that is what everyone does under torture. That torture created lie led to the death of our troops and Iraqi people. We are tired of an administration that promotes kangaroo courts and denies all of our long-standing legal protections. We are tired of an administration that does not have a clue about diplomacy, dialogue or truth telling.
So welcome to the Declaration of Peace. If you treated your dog the way the CIA treats its victims, you would be convicted of a felony.
Many of you were in the service. Do you remember what you were told to do if you were captured? You were to give your name, your rank and your serial number...nothing else. By its mentally ill focus on torture and absence of any regard for legal procedures our corrupt leaders are endangering our troops, endangering our citizens and poisoning the soul of the United States of America.
For further information on Declaration of Peace events, call: 213/489-1900.
This week some 430 peace organizations throughout the United States have planned a coordinated 275 events. Here is a local example. On Monday, September 25th in Hollywood there will be a protest gathering from 10:00 AM until 1:00 PM at the military recruiting station, 7060 Hollywood Blvd. Some of the participants will engage in civil disobedience.
The Declaration of Peace was months in the planning, it was taken from the Pledge of Resistance which we used during the US wars in Central America. That pledge contributed to the United Nations conducting peace accords in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.
Many peace organizations are faith based. The idea was to pull together both the many progressive religious peace groups together with the secular peace organizations. The unifying spiritual and political component is fasting. The month of August has been devoted to fasting, one of the most universal ecumenical practices. Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, Christian, and Islamic people all have fasting as part of their culture. Fasting is seen as a spiritual quest, and a prelude to historic or to prophetic action. The rules for the fast were completely open. Some chose to fast on water only, others on liquids only, other on lighter meals. Fasting is a time to focus attention on a mission and that is what took place.
Now the time for action has arrived. We are tired of an administration that hucksters torture while it knows that torture is simply a way of forcing people to affirm what the torturers want. Torture gave us a rationale for the Iraq war. Our tortured captives would affirm that Al Qaeda was in sync with Saddam Hussein.....this was a damn lie, but that is what everyone does under torture. That torture created lie led to the death of our troops and Iraqi people. We are tired of an administration that promotes kangaroo courts and denies all of our long-standing legal protections. We are tired of an administration that does not have a clue about diplomacy, dialogue or truth telling.
So welcome to the Declaration of Peace. If you treated your dog the way the CIA treats its victims, you would be convicted of a felony.
Many of you were in the service. Do you remember what you were told to do if you were captured? You were to give your name, your rank and your serial number...nothing else. By its mentally ill focus on torture and absence of any regard for legal procedures our corrupt leaders are endangering our troops, endangering our citizens and poisoning the soul of the United States of America.
For further information on Declaration of Peace events, call: 213/489-1900.
