Stand for Peace and Justice
Argument about the whether this war is justified sometimes appeals to concepts or beliefs such as democracy, freedom and peace, and one's belief in certain values like this is questioned if you don't agree with the actions being taken (eg Howard's claim that peace marchers are giving "comfort to Saddam Hussein" - implying that peace marchers support cruel dictators. Or that if you march for peace you are "not supporting our troops" - this being unpatriotic.
At this site by Znet (a site dedicated to supporting "progressive" issues)
there is an invitation to sign a statement on "Peace and Justice".
I read through this statement carefully, and decided it represented my beliefs perfectly, so I signed up. If you do, you will get an email confirming your signing, with an option "un-sign" should you change your mind.
I've put a summary or short form of the statement below, but you should go to the site to read the full statement.
"I stand for peace and justice. I stand for democracy and autonomy.
I stand for internationalism. I stand for equity. I stand for freedom.
I stand for solidarity. I stand for diversity. I stand for peace.
I stand for sustainability. I stand for justice.
I stand for a policy ... to provide healthcare, education, housing, and jobs.
I stand for a world [which will]... foster solidarity, promote equity, maximize participation, celebrate diversity, and encourage full democracy.
I stand for peace and justice and, more, I pledge to work for peace and justice."
Now of course almost anyone could agree with the statements I have quoted, (or many of them anyway) which are shortened and taken out of context. Bush, Blair and Howard use similar statements themselves. But I've also done this to illustrate that the detailed context matters. The methods we choose to achieve the goals matter. That is where the big disagreements are.
Now I appreciate there are many who will have very different views ... and perhaps those might like to put alternative statements up or point to different sites which we could look at.
Argument about the whether this war is justified sometimes appeals to concepts or beliefs such as democracy, freedom and peace, and one's belief in certain values like this is questioned if you don't agree with the actions being taken (eg Howard's claim that peace marchers are giving "comfort to Saddam Hussein" - implying that peace marchers support cruel dictators. Or that if you march for peace you are "not supporting our troops" - this being unpatriotic.
At this site by Znet (a site dedicated to supporting "progressive" issues)
there is an invitation to sign a statement on "Peace and Justice".
I read through this statement carefully, and decided it represented my beliefs perfectly, so I signed up. If you do, you will get an email confirming your signing, with an option "un-sign" should you change your mind.
I've put a summary or short form of the statement below, but you should go to the site to read the full statement.
"I stand for peace and justice. I stand for democracy and autonomy.
I stand for internationalism. I stand for equity. I stand for freedom.
I stand for solidarity. I stand for diversity. I stand for peace.
I stand for sustainability. I stand for justice.
I stand for a policy ... to provide healthcare, education, housing, and jobs.
I stand for a world [which will]... foster solidarity, promote equity, maximize participation, celebrate diversity, and encourage full democracy.
I stand for peace and justice and, more, I pledge to work for peace and justice."
Now of course almost anyone could agree with the statements I have quoted, (or many of them anyway) which are shortened and taken out of context. Bush, Blair and Howard use similar statements themselves. But I've also done this to illustrate that the detailed context matters. The methods we choose to achieve the goals matter. That is where the big disagreements are.
Now I appreciate there are many who will have very different views ... and perhaps those might like to put alternative statements up or point to different sites which we could look at.
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