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A CALL TO ACTION FOR PEACE

 

Our government has stolen from us the time to grieve.

 

They have made it clear they want war -- on anyone, at any price, with

seemingly no thought for the consequences.

 

Government officials speak openly of going after " high-value " targets

such as capital cities in countries that " harbor " terrorists. There are

calls for carpet-bombing a country of 25 million people. In a world

where no objections are raised in the halls of power to such plans, our

task is clear:

 

We must fight for the soul of our nation. We have no choice but to begin

speaking out and organizing for peace as we grieve. The best way we can

honor those who have died is to make sure no more innocents are killed,

here or abroad.

 

If we win, there is the possibility of a new movement for peace, a new

hope for justice. If we lose, the escalating cycle of hatred may usher

in a new era of unending war.

 

Officials think they have the support of an angry, blood-thirsty public,

and many in the United States are calling for vengeance. But there is

also great fear, not just for our own safety but for what such a war

will unleash in the world.

 

Military actions that kill civilians will also multiply tenfold the

number of people willing to die to wreak havoc on the United States. We

have already paid a terrible price. What will happen when we arouse

further anger with a blatantly unjust and destructive retaliation?

 

Many, even in the peace movement, are saying, " Now is not the time to

talk politics; the country needs time to heal. "

 

Just the reverse is true: Now is the time, before it is too late.

 

We, the undersigned organizations, are calling for Sunday, September 23,

to be a National Day of Action for Peace with Justice. We will call for

a peace based not on terror and death but on recognition of our common

humanity. In each locality, people concerned about the drive to

destruction should gather in public, as close to 2 p.m. as possible.

 

We will gather -- in churches and in parks, in homes and universities,

public squares, streets and living rooms -- with banners and signs, with

black armbands and candles, in fear and in hope.

 

While a single gathering will not itself change policy, it signals the

mood of the public and will help build a movement. September 23 will be

not the end, but the beginning of more vigorous organizing for peace and

a just world.

 

We have already seen spontaneous demonstrations of thousands of people

across the country. There is new interest in the consequences of our

foreign policy. People are listening.

 

Now is the time: For action. For organization. For change.

 

Organizations that want to sign onto this call should write to

worker-nowar.

 

In Solidarity, The Nowar Collective www.nowarcollective.com