|
Contributed by Dylan Penner
|
|
Wednesday, 01 January 2003 |
Something remarkable has been happening over the past few
months. Since September of 2002 millions of people have taken to the streets to oppose "Showdown Iraq” as CNN lovingly calls it. Countering escalating repression
and propaganda, people have converged in thousands of actions to oppose an American-British-led war on Iraq. Over twenty US municipal governments, including Washington and Baltimore, have passed resolutions indicating their official opposition to war with Iraq. In Detroit, such a resolution passed unanimously and explicitly states that even the Pentagon admits 80% of Iraq's military capacity was eliminated in the 1991 Gulf War. Diverse groups continue to launch increasingly connected campaigns, contributing to a rapidly growing infrastructure of resistance to the war. In this spirit The ACTivist Magazine
endorses and fully supports The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War. War is not inevitable. Nor is it the answer.
On the International Day of Action to Stop the War, January 18th, 2003, people around the world will unite with even stronger voices of protest. The date marks the twelfth anniversary of the Gulf War. It is also Martin Luther King's birthday, and his message of peace resonates as loudly now as it did in his lifetime, if not more so. The impending war on Iraq is further accelerating people’s realization that the “war on terrorism” and the expansion of corporate globalization are two sides of the same coin.
Beginning January 1, 2003, I will act on a New Year's resolution, my first in a while. My resolution? I will be fasting for peace in order to draw attention to the devastating trade sanctions, the ongoing weekly aerial bombings, and the looming invasion of Iraq. I will continue with this fast until January 18th. The people of Iraq have been subjected to brutality from inside and outside their country. It is not easy to comprehend the scope of starvation in Iraq, but that is all the more reason for us to try to do so.
Fasting is one of the oldest and most meditative of activist tools. Gandhi would fast for weeks at a time and often was able to win campaigns by evoking compassion from his oppressors. It pricks the conscience of those in power to change decisions. Perhaps more importantly, fasting is a way of finding answers within ourselves. If enough people use such a tool, who knows what can happen? If you are interested in taking part in a fast, be sure to discuss it with a healthcare professional beforehand, then let The ACTivist know about your participation. Send e-mail to fast@the-activist.org.
In this issue, Gabriel Draven outlines in his article, Money For Nothing, a number of easy ways to run an inexpensive, yet effective campaign. In Witnessing Palestine, Peter Trainor recounts his firsthand experiences in the West Bank while working as a human rights activist. The gravity of the conflict there opened his eyes, and will likely do the same for anyone who reads this account. With his article “ The Whole World is Watching” Chris Davenport calls for a media activist’s “code of ethics.” He argues that activist journalists should be vigilant in putting accuracy ahead of advocacy, while cultivating a well-articulated passion for the truth. Banning Burnout examines how to deal with the stresses of activism and prevent physical, emotional and spiritual exhaustion. In it, I also suggest a number of well-developed strategies to maintain one’s health despite a busy life. The life of the “Priest Revolutionary” Philip Berrigan (1923-2002) has left a lasting impression on the hearts, minds and spirits of many activists, including Max Blanco, who reflects on Berrigan’s heroic life and passing in this issue.
As activists, we must take on the responsibility to hold firmly, non-violently and compassionately to the truth, while being flexible enough to accept that there are six billion perspectives other than our own. Though there are countless thousands of campaigns active around the world on every issue we can imagine, they are, at their very core, campaigns for truth. So long as we remember that, justice cannot be far behind.
Dylan Penner,
Editor |
