My response to 9/11/01 and then to the invasion of Iraq
with links to articles and resources
New posts are added at the bottom of this page -- click here to jump to the bottom. Last update on February 11, 2008. Much more is also in my blog.Soon after September 11, 2001
I want to recognize that this is a time when we all are aware of the vulnerability of our country and our people after the attacks on the east coast. I have been reading about people feeling that those acts of terror have stripped away the sense of safety that we as a nation felt. While I acknowledge that is true in some important ways, I would also like to say that it has been a long time - if ever - since many of us felt safe, when so many people in this country and in our world are targeted, harassed, beaten and killed because of bias based on their real or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, ethnicity, ability, etc. Many of us have been aware that we have lived in a war zone all along. Six years ago my youngest son was beaten because he was bisexual. He committed suicide a month later because he believed he lived in a world filled with hate he could no longer face. When I watched the news and heard that people were throwing themselves from the windows of the World Trade Center as it was being destroyed, I thought of my son Bill. ~ Gabi Clayton
"Speak up. Let your voice be heard. Use your voice to bring comfort and calm. If you hear someone making racist comments, please speak up and remind them that these were the actions of a few individuals, not all Arabs, not all Muslims. Remind them that these actions, if in fact eventually proven to be the result of Arab terrorists, remain the responsibility of those individuals. Terrorists come from all groups of people, from all walks of life, from all nationalities. Let us not make this tragedy worse by terrorizing our fellow human beings as these terrorists have done. We must show more compassion than they have shown their victims."
Excerpted from Sept 12, 2001 - Message from The Equality Project On the Terrorist Attacks on the USA
The answer, according to my daughter - by Chris Corrigan. "My daughter Aine and I were walking in the woods today playing a game. She was pretending that there were monsters in the forest and that they were coming to eat us. We had to be vigilant. We had to defend ourselves. ..."
September 13, 2001 - this is from a letter to PFLAG members and affiliates from Arnold Drake, the organization's President at the time and Kirsten Kingdon, then Executive Director :
On Tuesday, untold thousands of people were killed by terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., as well as the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. The devastation we are witnessing is ricocheting around the country and the world. It is taking a tremendous toll on all of us. Although some of us are more directly affected, as the tragic stories unfold, we all grieve.
This is a time that will test all of us. It is a time of national, and indeed international, tragedy. It is also a time of complexity, and we hope that as individuals, as PFLAG chapters and as a nation, we will respond to this horror in ways that will break the cycle of violence and move the world towards peace. Reports are already surfacing of threats and retaliatory acts against anyone who is, or who is perceived to be, Arab or Muslim.
The rest of this letter has been taken down from the PFLAG website but it is posted here http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/events/091901ev.htm
October 19, 2001
I want to share this important statement from the National Youth Advocacy Coalition:
PRESS STATEMENT; 09 October 2001
Vengeance Must Not Substitute for JusticeWashington, DC - Following intensely emotional discussion, as well as considerable introspection, the staff of the National Youth Advocacy Coalition has decided that we cannot, as an organization committed to social justice, continue to ignore what is happening in this country and in the Middle East as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11th.
As people who work minutes from one of the targets of the bombing, and as proud Americans, we are horrified by the devastation wrought by these terrorists. We are acutely aware of the human toll that this attack has taken on our country-some of us are still grieving, having lost loved ones
in this tragedy. Indeed, we stand in absolute solidarity and in sympathy with those who grieve the loss of a mother or a father, daughter or son, husband, wife, life partner or other family or friends.And we, too, want to see justice done.
Nonetheless, we are greatly concerned by the response of our government, and we cannot support the dehumanization and increased racial profiling of Arab, Muslim, Middle Eastern, and Central and South Asian people; the further loss of fundamental American civil liberties; a shifting of economic resources away from critical social and human services; and now, military action in the Middle East which puts innocent people, including US service members, at risk. Nor can we accept rhetoric and actions which disproportionately put young people and people of color directly in the line of fire.
These are not issues we take lightly.
In taking this stance, we recognize that it won't be popular and it may even be dangerous. Even now, more than three weeks after this horrific attack, there exists a highly-charged, revenge-bent atmosphere-an atmosphere palpable particularly for people who look like they may be from the Middle East, but which ultimately affects all Americans. We are deeply concerned about the environment of suspicion, blame and violence fueled, in large measure, by the bellicose rhetoric which came early from the White House. We hope that their proverbial "better angels" guide all Americans in this time of turmoil. We specifically call upon President George W. Bush to be a leader in this regard, and we are grateful that he has begun to tone down the rhetoric.
Many have advocated for a national discussion which includes asking why so many people around the world hate the United States in the first place. It is just too bad that this becomes a central question for our government only after the US becomes a target.
We know we face the inevitable charges hurled from predictable quarters condemning our position as un-American. We are clear, however, in the distinctions between blind nationalism and true patriotism. We refuse to muzzle our deep and heartfelt concerns about this war, for fear of being labeled as traitors. If democratic ideals are ever to be truly realized by all Americans, we must all stand with our country when and where she is right, and work firmly and steadfastly to correct the course when, as now, we believe she is in danger of betraying the ideals that make her great.
A thirst for vengeance can never really be quenched. It comes from a place of hatred, not of love. By acting with our military, more innocent people will die-civilians, children, young soldiers, many with families of their own to support, both here and abroad.
As cliché as it may seem, violence only brings more violence. If as a country we take the bait, the healing will not begin, and this terrible national tragedy will only get worse as more terrorism occurs as a result of our actions. We would do well to remember the old adage about not becoming that which we most despise.
We are not saying that the US cannot work hard to bring the people who are responsible for these atrocities to justice. But, the ends cannot justify the means when the means require us to restrict the democratic values which make us American in the first place.
We are also aware of the need to offer more than just criticism of our government's actions; and advocate for the following:
* The United States government must define clear goals and desired outcomes of this "New War." We continue to be confounded as to what would, in this instance, constitute victory. It seems to us that this war is much like our alleged War on Drugs in that the targets are ever-changing, the resources needed for the fight ever-growing, and the only real evidence of results are the increases in incarceration rates for young people of color.
* The United States government must not reinstate the military draft. One need only to take a cursory look at some of the current and previous occupants of the White House and Vice President's Residence to see that it is disproportionately the young and poor who will be pressed into service, not those whose political connections run deep. Of course, for LGBT young people who want to serve their country, their courage should be praised, not diminished by a policy that requires them to lie about their sexual orientation.
* As a nation, we must bring all available resources to bare against ethnic, racial, and religious-based profiling-always a negative side effect of war. Already we have seen hundreds of acts of violence against people who are perceived to be terrorists or terrorist-sympathizers because of how they worship, how they look, or where they may be from in the world.
* The United States government must avoid the restrictions on fundamental civil liberties that the law enforcement community is already demanding in exchange for providing some illusory sense of personal safety. Basic civil rights for LGBT people have been under assault for many years, and any further erosion of the civil liberties of all Americans will only make it worse.
* Our nation must not allow the diversion of American resources to corporate bailouts, defense, intelligence, and the military industrial complex at the expense of social safety net programs-especially in the midst of an economic downturn like the one we are experiencing. Not surprisingly, non-profits that serve youth, particularly LGBT youth, are already seeing dramatic
declines in corporate and individual giving. For youth programs, particularly those who depend on government funding, the shift to a wartime economy could be disastrous.Some may ask why an organization working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth would even have an opinion about this war. In the past, we, like other social justice groups, have been attacked for our multi-issue approach to organizing. Even some of our colleague organizations may wish we would stay silent.
In fact, we did consider saying nothing.
In the end, however, social justice must be about something more important than a narrow agenda serving only a few. For us, it requires us to look at the connections which exist between oppressions, and refuse to accept a hierarchy which must always include a few at the top and many at the bottom.
It is important for all of us to remember that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth are represented in every race, religion, and in all parts of the world; and that they suffer injustice compounded by their multiple identities. We must be vigilant, especially now, in our efforts to fight injustice in all its forms.
We are humbled by the spirit of community which has come into our country in countless untold ways over the past few weeks; and we honor the powerful courage shown by so many of our fellow Americans. Now should be a time to grieve for those whom we have lost, celebrating their lives and spirits, and to reflect upon what it will take to end violence, and hunger, and poverty, and tyranny in every corner of the world.
We should not sit back and accept that so many more must die in order for the US to appear strong. Our national ego cannot allow vengeance to substitute for justice.
The National Youth Advocacy Coalition is the only national organization solely focused on advocacy, education, and information addressing the broad range of issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. NYAC works to end discrimination against these young people and to ensure their physical and emotional wellbeing. NYAC is a social justice organization and represents the interests of LGBT youth and the over 500 organizations nationwide providing support services to LGBT youth.
And I also want to share this:
The Wolves Within ~ Author Unknown
An old Grandfather, whose grandson came to him with anger at a schoolmate who had done him an injustice, said, "Let me tell you a story. I too, at times, have felt a great hate for those that have taken so much, with no sorrow for what they do. But hate wears you down, and does not hurt your enemy. It is like taking poison and wishing your enemy would die. I have struggled with these feelings many times."
He continued, "It is as if there are two wolves inside me; one is good and does no harm. He lives in harmony with all around him and does not take offense when no offense was intended. He will only fight when it is right to do so, and in the right way."
"But the other wolf, ah! He is full of anger. The littlest thing will set him into a fit of temper. He fights everyone, all the time, for no reason. He cannot think because his anger and hate are so great. It is hard to live with these two wolves inside me, for both of them try to dominate my spirit."
The boy looked intently into his Grandfather's eyes and asked, "Which one wins, Grandfather?"
The Grandfather solemnly said, "The one I feed."
November 3, 2002
I am against the war that the United States is moving toward with Iraq. For an article that explains some of why I feel this way, please read this article by Robert Fisk: What the US President wants us to forget October 9, 2002, Independent Digital (London, UK). Also my friend Bryant Russell says some things I think are really important in this opinion piece: It's OK to speak out against policies of the president - October 18, 2002, The Olympian (Olympia, WA)
For more information about the anti-war movement, see these resources:
International A.N.S.W.E.R. [Act Now to Stop War & End Racism]
and also
VoteNoWar.org - an educational campaign of International A.N.S.W.E.R.
November 19, 2002
Here is another article I want to recommend: Another World Must Be Possible on the War Times website. War Times has a lot of good information. http://www.war-times.org/ Their mission statement is:
The terrorist attacks of September 11 marked the beginning of a new and frightening period in our history. Thousands of people died that day, and their families along with the country as a whole are still struggling to recover. But President Bush's response of "permanent war against terrorism at home and abroad" has further endangered the lives and liberties of millions of people everywhere.
War Times is being produced to help broaden and deepen the fight against the Bush program by compiling information and analysis, and putting them into the hands of large numbers of readers. We are planning for it to be a free, mass produced, biweekly, and nationally distributed tabloid-sized newspaper. It will be a valuable outreach and education tool for organizers on the ground and an entryway for new people into the peace and justice movement.
December 14, 2002
My friend Martha sent me this tonight and I want to share it:Subject: Rooting out Evil
Toronto, Canada
November 21, 2002Canadians to lead weapons inspection team into USA
A coalition of Canadian peace groups today announced their intention to send an international team of volunteer weapons inspectors into the United States later this winter.
The coalition, Rooting Out Evil, are recruiting inspectors through their newly launched website, www.rootingoutevil.org. "Our action has been inspired by none other than George W. Bush," said Christy Ferguson, a spokesperson for the group.
"The Bush administration has repeatedly declared that the most dangerous rogue nations are those that:
1) have massive stockpiles of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons;
2) ignore due process at the United Nations;
3) refuse to sign and honour international treaties; and
4) have come to power through illegitimate means."On the basis of President Bush's guidelines, it is clear that the current U.S. administration poses a great threat to global security," said Ferguson.
"We're following Bush's lead and demanding that the U.S. grant our inspectors immediate and unfettered access to any site in the country - including all presidential compounds - so that we can identify the weapons of mass destruction in this rogue state," added David Langille.
Visitors to Rooting Out Evil's website are invited to sign on as honorary members of the weapons inspection team. Honorary inspectors can participate in the action, or they can simply lend the support of their name as they would on a petition. The actual inspection team that crosses the border will be comprised of prominent individuals from Canada and other countries.
The Rooting Out Evil coalition includes Greenpeace Canada, the Centre for Social Justice, and the Toronto Committee Against War and Sanctions on Iraq, and is supported by American groups such as the National Network to End the War Against Iraq, Global Exchange and the US section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. They oppose the development, storage, and use of weapons of mass destruction by any state.
For information: David Langille or Christy Ferguson info@rootingoutevil.org
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada Phone (306) 664-6071
December 15, 2002
See this powerful animation "Technical Difficulties" on http://www.moveon.org/technicaldifficulties/ It takes a while to load (on a slow connection) but its worth it. Do have your computer speakers on.
(Moved from its original site at http://www.dubyadubyadubya.com/)
December 21, 2002
As I am thinking about war, I am remembering these:
The War Prayer
by Mark Twain
http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1110-04.htmJohnny Got His Gun
by Dalton TrumboPublisher Comments:
"This was no ordinary war. This was a war to make the world safe for democracy. And if democracy was made safe, then nothing else mattered--not the millions of dead bodies, nor the thousands of ruined lives...This is no ordinary novel. This is a novel that never takes the easy way out: it is shocking, violent, terrifying, horrible, uncompromising, brutal, remorseless and gruesome...but so is war."
Review:
"It is hard to imaging a more persuasive argument for staying out of war than this smooth, savage, brilliant tale."-Chicago Daily NewsPowell's Books page or Amazon Books page for this book.
December 31, 2002
Local resource: Sound Nonviolent Opponents of War (SNOW) - a Puget Sound Washington coalition working to prevent escalation of war in Iraq and elsewhere. http://www.snowcoalition.org/
January 8, 2003
Then They Came for Me - by Stephen F. Rohde, Esq.
http://www.janrainwater.com/htdocs/Rohde.htm
Stephen Rohde, a constitutional lawyer and President of the ACLU of Southern California, is indebted to the inspiration of Rev. Martin Niemoller (1937).
January 26, 2003
The Village Voice:
A Pill to Wipe the Conscience Clean - THE GUILT-FREE SOLDIER
"On the eve of a messy 21st-century war, university researchers are probing ways to unlearn fear. Erik Baard dissects the uses of the amygdala." http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0304/baard.phpZNet:
Interview With Noam Chomsky
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=1&ItemID=2804From the Wilderness:
URGENT BULLETIN: U.S. - IRAQ INVASION LIKELY TO BEGIN WITH STATE of the UNION, Tuesday
http://www.fromthewilderness.com//free/ww3/013003_die_is_cast.html
(updated version -- original was at http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/012403_invasion.html)
February 25, 2003
Look at these photos from February 15 peace events around the world: http://www.hyperreal.org/~dana/marches/
(moved from http://www.hyperreal.org/~dana/ ) This will take a while to load (on a slower connection) but WOW!And another: Pictures from 110 protests out of over 400 throughout the world: http://www.punchdown.org/rvb/F15/
This is a page with links to each picture.
February 28, 2003
Two quotes worth thinking about now:
Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials,
April 18, 1946, reported by Gustave Gilbert in his book Nuremberg Diary."Of course the people don't want war. ... But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. ... voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country."
See http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm for more about the above quote.
In 1848 Representative Abraham Lincoln responded in a letter to his law partner, William H. Herndon, who had suggested that the United States would be prudent to attack Mexico before they attacked us. This was Lincoln's reply:
"Allow the President to invade a neighboring nation whenever he shall deem it necessary to repel an invasion, and you allow him to do so whenever he may choose to say he deems it necessary for such purpose - - and you allow him to make war at pleasure. Study to see if you can fix any limit to his power in this respect, after you have given him so much as you propose. If, to-day, he should choose to say he thinks it necessary to invade Canada, to prevent the British from invading us, how could you stop him? You may say to him, 'I see no probability of the British invading us' but he will say to you 'be silent; I see it, if you don't.
The provision of the Constitution giving the war-making power to Congress, was dictated, as I understand it, by the following reasons: Kings had always been involving and impoverishing their people in wars, pretending generally, if not always, that the good of the people was the object. This, our Convention understood to be the most oppressive of all Kingly oppressions; and they resolved to so frame the Constitution that no one man should hold the power of bringing this oppression upon us. But your view destroys the whole matter, and places our President where kings have always stood."
Is Opposing the War an LGBT Issue? A policy brief by the American Friends Service Committee's GLBTQ Community Relations Unit in partnership with National Youth Advocacy Coalition. Now posted on the Safe Schools Coalition website:
(pdf format)
http://www.safeschoolscoalition.org/LGBTAntiWar.pdfU.S. Diplomat Resigns, Protesting 'Our Fervent Pursuit of War'
New York Times 2/28/03
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/27/international/middleeast/27NATI.htmlThe text of John Brady Kiesling's letter:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/27/international/27WEB-TNAT.htmlWhat Ever Happened to Protest? Speak Up: A democratic nation has a sacred and historic duty to debate any choice for war
by Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/843843.asp
March 1, 2003
Thank you to Mike Webb http://www.mikewebbsite.com/ for giving out this information and URL on his excellent talk show on KIRO radio in Seattle last night:
13 MYTHS ABOUT THE CASE FOR WAR IN IRAQ
Myth 1: Removing Saddam Will Punish 9/11 Perpetrators
Myth 2: Powell Presented Strong Evidence at UN
Myth 3: Saddam May Soon Threaten US
Myth 4: Experts 'Discover' Prohibited Missile
Myth 5: Bin Laden Tape Proves Iraq Connection
Myth 6: Iraq Still Has Large Nuclear Program
Myth 7: If US Pulls Out Now, It Looks Bad
Myth 8: A Cheap, Easy War
Myth 9: Wartime Press is Free and Unbiased
Myth 10: Goal is to Free Iraqis, Not to Grab Oil
Myth 11: War Solves the Energy Crisis
Myth 12: UN Commitments Don't Really Matter
Myth 13: Protesting a War is UnpatrioticSee much more about each of these myths at http://islandimage.net/oc/13myths/Factsheet.cfm?ID=5
Over 900 public readings of the Aristophanes' bawdy antiwar comedy Lysistrata are scheduled for Monday, March 3. The public performances will occur in 56 countries and all 50 US states, condemning a preemptive war on Iraq. For more details on the project, visit the project's website: http://www.LysistrataProject.com.Two Olympia performances are scheduled. They will occur downtown, at Traditions Café (5th & Water St.) and at The Evergreen State College in The Longhouse. Both Olympia performances start at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3.
Bill Moyers on Patriotism and the American Flag
Bill Moyers commentary last night on his wonderful show NOW, which was delayed an hour but I was lucky enough to catch. http://www.pbs.org/now/commentary/moyers19.html
March 4, 2003
Why the Right Hates America
If They Love America So Much, Why Are They Working Overtime to Destroy It?
By Mark Zepezauer - CounterPunch - February 28, 2003
http://www.counterpunch.org/zepezauer02282003.htmlThe Last One - begins with "OK, this is my last anti-war column."
by Charley Reese - March 3, 2003
http://reese.king-online.com/Reese_20030303/index.php
March 5, 2003
This happened yesterday in a suburb of Albany, New York:
Peace T-shirt leads to man's arrest
(No longer posted, but it was at http://www.msnbc.com/local/WNYT/M276307.asp?0cv=NB10&cp1=1)
Lawyer Arrested for Wearing a 'Peace' T-Shirt
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/03/55956.html (originally posted at http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2329464)
Man charged with trespassing after mall security objects to peace T-shirt
http://www.tribnet.com/24hour/nation/story/792557p-5663983c.htmlHe Kept His Shirt On -- And Got Arrested (added here on 1/15/04)
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0305-08.htm
March 6, 2003
More about the man arrested for wearing a peace t-shirt:
From the Houston Chronicle
This was posted at http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/1804822 -- may be in the newspaper's archives but that is paid access only)
Marchers protest arrest over 'peace' T-shirt
(
from the London Times, UK
Shooting the messenger: lawyer arrested over anti-war T-shirt
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,5470-601553,00.htmland from Times Union - Albany, NY:
Mall drops T-shirt charges
(This was posted at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=112620 -- it is now in the newspaper's archives but that is paid access only)
and
Editorial: Tempest over a T-shirt
(This was posted at http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=112621 -- it is now in the newspaper's archives but that is paid access only)And more good resources:
Veterans for Common Sense - an ad-hoc organization of Gulf War veterans working to ensure the debate over war considers all necessary issues.
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/Attorneys Against the War - providing a clearinghouse for information about the war, including links to all the major antiwar sites, posts of useful media articles, updates on what can be done, information on how the war as planned would violate the U.N. Charter, the Geneva Convention, and the U.S. Constitution, and an expanding list of attorneys opposed to the war.
http://www.sds-law.com/aaw/RealTime.cgi?doc=index.html
March 8, 2003
Rights on the Rack - Alleged Torture in Terror War Imperils U.S. Standards of Humanity
by Jonathan Turley
Published on Thursday, March 6, 2003 by the Los Angeles Times
www.commondreams.org/views03/0306-05.htm
Afghan Prisoners Beaten to Death at US Military Interrogation Base
by Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Published on Friday, March 7, 2003 by the Guardian/UK
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0307-04.htmAccording to the Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War PART III - CAPTIVITY - SECTION I - BEGINNING OF CAPTIVITY - Article 17 (adopted in 1949):
"No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war to secure from them information of any kind whatever. Prisoners of war who refuse to answer may not be threatened, insulted, or exposed to any unpleasant or disadvantageous treatment of any kind." Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights http://193.194.138.190/html/menu3/b/91.htm
War
by Howard Zinn
Featured Views - Published on Thursday, February 27, 2003 by CommonDreams.org
http://www.commondreams.org/views03/0227-12.htmHoward Zinn, professor emeritus at Boston University, is the author of A People's History of the United States.
Bill Moyers Talks with Chris Hedges
3/7/03 NOW Transcript
http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_hedges.htmlAs foreign correspondent for the New York Times, Chris Hedges covered the Balkans, the Middle East, including the first Gulf War, and Central America. Last year, he was a member of the team of reporters that won the Pulitzer Prize for New York Times' coverage of global terrorism. He now writes the column, "Public Lives" and the book War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. More on Chris Hedges: http://www.pbs.org/now/politics/hedges.html
March 9, 2003
The New York Times March 9, 2003 OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Just War - or a Just War?
By JIMMY CARTER
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/09/opinion/09CART.htmlNew York Times Editorial/Op-Ed March 7, 2003
Losses, Before Bullets Fly