MLK's Legacy Continues: Hope and Action
in the Midst of
War
by Frida Berrigan
Dissident Voice
January 16, 2003
This week Martin
Luther King Jr. would be 74 years old. On his birthday, it is easy to look
around the country and the world and be thoroughly depressed. The disastrous
war on terrorism, the impending war against Iraq, the ballooning budget deficit
and the calls to solve that with major social spending cut backs (not a
decrease in military spending), increased poverty and desperation, and the fact
that the WorldWatch Institute warns that the human race only has a generation
(maybe two) in which to save the world.
But we draw
energy and hope from the fact in every corner of this country, people are
embodying Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of peace and justice and working to
make it a reality.
Even a casual
perusal of regional newspapers turns up countless articles on the peace
movement. Read these headlines for a jolt of hope and energy:
Los Angeles:
Thousands Rally Against War in Iraq, Push Peace...
Minneapolis: Demonstrators
Rally to Protest Possible War with Iraq...
Hundreds in San
Francisco Protest INS Registration...
81-Year-Old
Picketer: 'The Time to Act is Now'...
Sept. 11 Victims'
Kin Protest in Iraq...
"Human
Shield" Peace Activists Mobilize for Iraq...
Highway Protests:
Citizens with Signs Stand Up for Peace...
Pacifist Hopes
Human Shield Will Halt US March to War...
On the Coast of
Maine a Peace Sign Shines Bright in the Night...
Anti-War
Organizers Welcome 'New Spirit' of Dissent...
Nude Women
Protest War Again; Men Also Demonstrate...
.... And that is
just a sampling.
LABOR (and
Labour) AGAINST WAR
The labor
movement is mobilizing against the war. In the United States, labor unions have
formed U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW), bringing together 76 labor
organizations that represent over 2 million members. Their founding document is
excerpted below: "Whereas, we have no quarrel with the ordinary working
class men, women and children of Iraq, or any other country; and Whereas, the
billions of dollars spent to stage and execute this war are being taken away
from our schools, hospitals, housing and Social Security; and Whereas, Bush's
drive for war serves as a cover and distraction for the sinking economy,
corporate corruption and layoffs; and Whereas, labor has had an historic role
in fighting for justice; therefore ... We resolve that U.S. Labor Against the
War stands firmly against Bush's war drive." For more information email: nyclaw01@excite.com And in the UK, two
railroad operators have refused to drive a
train loaded with ammunition destined for British forces being deployed in
the Persian Gulf. The drivers, who seem to be the only ones at that location
trained to move the freight along that route, have gummed up the whole works
and their anti-war union Aslef, is 100% behind them.
VETS AND
SOLDIERS AGAINST WAR
Perhaps most
importantly, those who will be most affected by war against Iraq-- military
personnel-- are mobilizing against it. To commemorate the 12th anniversary of
the beginning of the Gulf War, January 17, 1991, veterans and military families
are holding a press conference this week to voice their opposition to war in
Iraq.
Two
organizations, Veterans for
Common Sense (VCS) and Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), joined forces to
assert their opposition to war against Iraq, and urge that President Bush
"win without war by adhering to the UN process." As veterans who have
seen the horrors of war up close, and family members of enlisted men and women
who dread fighting this new war, they contend that absent a "smoking
gun" or "clear and present danger," war with Iraq is neither
necessary nor inevitable.
HOLLYWOOD
AGAINST WAR
Even Hollywood
is getting in on the criticism of the war. "Artists for Winning Without
War," a project of MoveOn.Org, pulled
together an unlikely list of supporters for a strong antiwar statement. While
Brittany Spears has yet to figure out where she stands, other mainstream actors
and performers are standing behind the statement that war against Iraq,
"will increase human suffering, arouse animosity toward our country, increase
the likelihood of terrorist attacks, damage the economy, and undermine our
moral standing in the world." Now let's see who wears an anti-war button
on their haute couture at the Grammys.
Viggo Mortensen,
the actor who plays Aragon (a.k.a. Strider) in the blockbuster Lord of the
Rings trilogy, drew an analogy between the evil he battled on celluloid and the
evil emanating from Washington in an interview with the Minneapolis Star and
Tribune. He remarked that, "[Henry] Kissinger and [John] Ashcroft are
servants of Sauron." We tend to agree. For those who have not read the
trilogy or seen the movie, Sauron is the embodiment of evil and the creator of
the all-powerful ring that the characters are trying to destroy.
ANTI-WAR
REPUBLICANS? Yes, Anti War Republicans
Republicans are
also getting in on the anti-war act (or at least, the anti-this-war-act). The
Wall Street Journal featured a full-page ad entitled "A Republican Dissent
on Iraq" on Monday, January 13th. The signers supported the Gulf War,
military action against Afghanistan, and accept the "logic of a just
war," but warn, "a billion bitter enemies will rise out of this
war." The ad, organized by Business
Leaders for Sensible Priorities, is signed by over two dozen Republicans
who gave financial support and votes to Candidate Bush.
CLEVER COUNTER
DEMONSTRATORS
Of course, not
everyone is against war in Iraq. As the buses chug into Washington this weekend
for the Anti-War protests, they will be met by a small group of
counter-protestors who despite their abhorrent politics, have come up with this
year's greatest acronym so far. MOVE-OUT (Marines And Other Veterans Engaging
Outrageous Un-American Traitors).
Frida Berrigan is a Senior Research Associate at the Arms Trade Resource Center,
a project of the World Policy Institute. She is also on the Executive Committee
of the War Resisters League. EMail: berrigaf@newschool.edu