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Peace & Politics Magazine
EDITOR'S NOTE: I used to begin this page with a longish narrative about how it came to be, but as that gets longer ago (9/11/01, updated through the Cornoavirus), I've moved that past the list of articles and resources.
America's confrontational foreign policy failed. It should pursue a cooperative global policy by Jeffrey D Sach
Peter Beinart: A Jewish Perspective on Solving the Israel/Palestine Crisis (on our sister site, Going Beyond Sustainability)
With Sensitivity and Courage: Sharing Books in the Classroom about Crossing the Border
Immigration Justice as a Jewish Issue? The Blog of Jewish activists for Immigration Justice
Reports from JAIJ's delegations to the prison holding 2500-3000 migrant teens in Homestead, Florida (since closed due to public pressure), in June 2019, and a full week volunteering and witnessing on the US-Mexico border, in February, 2020, as well as other activities.
An Inspiring Evening with Malala Yousafzai, Teen Superstar Girls’ Education Activist
Afghanistan: Trump was Right the First Time
We Should All Be Pursuing A Lasting Victory Over World Want (Dr. James Cumes)
Rehumanizing the 'Enemy' and Confronting Ourselves: Challenges for Educators in an Era of Peace
The First Covenant Was Sealed With The Rainbow. Does Hope For Interfaith Harmony Begin There?
Political Analysis from an Afghani-American Perspective
Second Thoughts on a Third World War: An American Professor's Analysis
What Place for Peace Advocates After the Attack?
Share the Wealth, Not the Violence (Reyner Garner)
Replanting Trees, Rebirthing Peace (Rabbi Brian Walt and Rabbi Arthur Waskow)
A World Out of Touch With Itself: Where the Violence Comes From (Rabbi Michael Lerner)
Statement by David McReynolds and the War Resisters League Executive Committee
A Message to Members and Supporters of Amnesty International
The Dalai Lama's Letter to the President of the United States of America
Message from His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of the The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan: A Muslim Calls for Sanity
A Muslim Denounces Terrorism
Palestinians Too are Shocked by the Disaster
How to Deal With Bin Laden
Representative Barbara Lee's Statement in the House of Representatives Opposing the Use of Force Resolution
Letter From A Terrorism Survivor
Week 1: Ghosts and Echoes
Rosa Parks, Danny Glover, Gloria Steinem, Harry Belafonte And Dozens of Others Join Effort Calling For Justice Not Vengeance
Vietnam Vets Against the War Statement
Michael Ruppert's Conspiracy Chronology
Marching in Gandhi's Footsteps
Manifesto: Artists (& Activists) After September 11
Barbara Kingsolver, Nat Hentoff, Michael Moore, Rick McCarthy: American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression Panel on Censorship and Freedom Post-911
Statement of Bat Shalom (Daughter of Peace) to the UN Security Council
Heresies in Pursuit of Peace: Thoughts on Israel/Palestine
Stop The Coming October War in Iraq : The UN's Iraq Arms Inspector
The Divine Right of Capital
Imagining a World Where Labor Rights Trump Property Rights
Statement by Shenandoah Titus, Human Rights Officer for the Town of Amherst, MA, May 2002, Condemning Antisemitism
This page was founded in the aftermath of the World Trade Center/Pentagon attacks of 9/11--so that voices of peace can bring hope and reflection. It began as a collection of writings that brought comfort, understanding, and hope for peace to the editor of this website following the attacks--and links to resources for organizers. It has since expanded to cover a range of issues related to peace and justice.
2016 UPDATE: If the goal is world peace, we envision a peaceful world...brainstorm paths to get there...and develop infrastructure to create the most promising alternatives. Instead of armies and weapons, this could focus on training citizens in deep democracy (like STM) and nonviolent conflict resolution. Or it might involve a drastic rethinking of resource use, so wars aren't started over who happens to control reserves, and no class of have-nots is so embittered that it embraces guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and destabilization.
Rather than grafting environmental safeguards onto highly polluting manufacturing processes, let's backward-engineer clean technologies from the goal of creating clean industry--as bioengineer John Todd did. Todd had a goal of purifying drinking water in a harsh desert environment. Rather than incrementally improve the chemical and mechanical treatment of water, he designed a zero-energy-input piping system that used the wild swings in the desert climate to kill the harmful bacteria.
Instead of bemoaning food shortages, why not work backward from the goal that every person around the world has enough to eat, sustainably, to encompass the types of crops we grow, methods of growing, food distribution and purchasing systems, and more?
2020 UPDATE: The Cornoavirus (a/k/a COVID-19) has changed a lot of assumptions we used to take for granted. At first glance, reactions to the virus pandemic (such as the massive uptick in disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) flooding our trash streams and the vast increase in water used for personal hyugiene and sanitation) seem to go counter to green principles.
But the virus has also created incredible opportunity for deep, lasting change. For decades, we've been told that we have to go slow, it's too hard to change, etc. Yet in the spring of 2020, we saw an entire world throw away all the rules and invent new ones--a massive global pivot. We saw, after hundreds of years, movements for racial justice reach critical mass and become part of the mainstream culture. We saw the peaceful toppling of an authoritarian, bigoted, anti-environment rgime in the United States and the election of a candidatate who built his campaing on unity, humility, and healing.
And despite our physical isolatiion behind computer screens, we saw how much we can achievein collboration, and how we can build commiunities of interest and action not just in our own locations, but around the world.
I wrote this introduction on the eve of the Jewish year 5762, less than a week after the attacks on New York and Washington that destroyed the World Trade Center and badly damaged the Pentagon in September, 2001--and snuffed out the lives of some 5000 innocent people.
I am a native New Yorker and lived for a while in Washington, DC. While I now live 150 miles away from New York, there is a part of me that will always think of it as home. In fact, I was walking in front of the World Trade Center just two weeks before the bombing, and watched the sun set gloriously over the twin towers from Staten Island, where I gathered with my family to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday. We know people who got off the subway and saw the terror; this is very personal to me. We are fortunate that all our loved ones were safe; we know others not so fortunate.
My mailbox that week was full of responses to the attacks. As I grappled in my own mind with the meaning of it all, I felt driven to offer a Page of Peace, where I could share writing and resources that have helped to give me comfort, understanding, and hope for peace.
The pieces I present here are the voices, the opinions of their authors. When I had them, I included the authors' names and e-mail addresses. Even I don't agree with everything I read here; nor do I expect you to. In fact, if you're the sort of person that thinks, America Right or Wrong, you may not want to read farther. Some of these voices are critical of US actions in the past that led to bin Laden's vast level of anger--and as a child of the Vietnam era, who saw my own government perverted and distorted toward evil, I can understand that viewpoint. If you have not thought about what would happen in the world if the US response takes many innocent lives, you will not be happy with this page. And I don't want to argue with you; you may leave now and I won't be insulted. (And I really don't want to deal with nasty e-mail about your perspectives; if you send it, I won't respond.)
I believe that each of us has the power to do good in the world--even in the face of unspeakable evil. I am presenting these writings as one small thing that I can do to help heal these wounds of war, and it comes from my perspective about the interconnections within the world. If you're looking for other ways to help--consider starting a Jewish-Christian-Muslim dialog group...giving money to the Red Cross or other legitimate international disaster relief group...donating blood at your local hospital. And do what you can to make sure we do not compound this crime through the crimes of racism/ethnic cleansing (against Arabs, Muslims or anyone else), destruction of civil liberties, or abandonment of our struggles to improve the world
Peace be with you
Shel Horowitz
Compiled by Hollis Thomases--with a few additions from me:
RESOURCES:
Local peace site (western Massachusetts) with links to national and international resources:
https://www.crocker.com/~afsc/calendar/calendar.html
Includes a Calendar of upcoming events in the Valley related to the disasters of September 11th and the national reaction to them, and of Peace and Justice events
NEWS (in addition to the major news networks):
https://www.wtop.com (news site from Washington, D.C.)
CamWorld is keeping an online timeline
https://www.camworld.com
The Independent Media Center - https://www.indymedia.org/ The New York City Indy Media Center (with news of the Friday night vigil in Union Square) is at the following URL: https://nyc.indymedia.org/
CONTACTING OUR NATIONAL LEADERS:
https://capwiz.com/msnbc/home/default.asp
allows US residents to write to the President, both senators, and your representative in Congress--with one click. it also allows you to write to local and selected national media. make your voice heard for peace!
TO HELP:
https://helping.org/promos/cs_wtc.adp
https://www.firehouse.com (provides information on NYC firemen)
Blood Donations (and Cash Donations)--
American Red Cross: 800-448-3543 (GIVELIFE)
American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/
COPING/GRIEF COUNSELING:
American Psychiatric Institute https://www.psych.org
APA Help Center https://helping.apa.org/therapy/traumaticstress.html
Patience Press https://www.patiencepress.com/
AtHealth.com https://www.athealth.com/Practitioner/Newsletter/FPN_2_42.html
List of Crisis Counselors https://www.find-a-therapist.com/directories/crisis.htm
National Disaster Information for Children https://www.nasponline.org/NEAT/terror_eds.html
Educators for Social Responsibility (ESR) free guide, "Talking to Children about Violence and other Sensitive and Complex Issues in the World" https://www.esrnational.org/
(Quoting from the press release: According to ESR executive director, Larry Dieringer, "many children will be scared for their own and their loved ones' safety after hearing about and watching the tragedy on television. Some will have violent retaliation fantasies. There is a danger that some students will stereotype Arabs and other ethnic groups, and harass students perceived to be from the Middle East. Still others will ask why some people in other parts of the world are so angry at the United States." The guide helps adults think about the impact of tragedies like this one on young people, understand how children's needs differ at various ages, and choose appropriate responses.)
Grief Counselors (Children's Educational Co-op) https://www.GriefCounselors.com
THE 911 MEMORIAL MUSEUM IN NEW YORK CITY
Remembering 9/11: A Visit to the Memorial (This article is hosted on our sister site, shelhorowitz.com)
ONLINE MEMORIALS:
American Memorials
https://www.americanmemorials.com/NationalTragedy.htm
National Obituary Archive
https://www.nationalobituaryarchive.com/notablePersons/notable.asp?obituaryid=64163480
Internet Remembrance Campaign
https://remember.worldatwar.org/
September 11th Ribbon
https://clubs.lycos.com/live/events/september11_ribbon.asp
Children's Hunger Relief Fund Victim's Memorial Online.
https://www.victims-memorial.org
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