After a long simmering summer, we are again faced with the drum-beat of war. As the U.N. sanctions continue to devastate the Iraqi people, the undemocratically elected regime in Washington and its junior partner, Britain, are trying to coerce, bribe, and threaten the members of the Security Council to unleash its war machine against Iraq. However, in spite of the continuous propaganda campaign and the deafening support of the obedient press, the general populations in countries of the west continue to be opposed to military intervention.
At Science for Peace, we need, therefore, to help crystallize this general opposition into a force which will make participation in this war a political liability. Indeed, we need to replace the current debate, which focuses on whether to join in a war against Iraq or not, to one where our leaders are compelled to actively oppose intervention and war. If we are to call ourselves peace activists, we must mobilize now in order to prevent this war rather than later protesting its continuation. Such a mobilization will need to be brought to the people in our various communities—in the churches, mosques, synagogues and temples, in our work places, on the subway, in classrooms and on the streets. Already, a number of groups have come together across the country to oppose the war against Iraq and to end the genocidal sanctions. A number of events are planned for the week between November 10 and November 17. So far these are planned for British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
As part of the effort for these campaigns, we are hoping to coordinate some of these activities, materials and expertise through our newly redesigned web site. Chris Trendall has spent over a month working on a new site that will allow people to discuss issues, post important information, provide a place where materials can be downloaded and keep track of events. For the campaign to stop the war against Iraq, indeed for all our different efforts, we need individuals to start actively participating in generating information, get flyers and letters out to the public and into the offices of government people and to start addressing people in all our communities. We have redesigned the web site so that coordinated actions can be maintained across the country and interactions with people around the world facilitated. This is only a tool that needs your input at many different levels.
I stress that with the war budget of the U.S. now greater than 1 billion dollars each day, our commitment to end war and promote justice, human rights, and a sustainable planet must be revitalized. If you are already actively involved, let all Science for Peace members know what you are doing and how others can support you. And if you need a little “encouragement” to get going, visit our web site, call us or write to find out what needs to be done. Get out there! Get busy!!