Promoting Peace Daily

City Lights bookstore of San Francisco has wonderful banners hanging from the roof that form the statement, "Dissent is Not Un-American," with a face on each banner that has an American flag over the mouth as a gag on speech. In that same pro-peace and pro-civil liberties spirit, I strongly urge everyone to wear their peace and civil liberties pins, T-shirts, scarves, hats and all other peace regalia proudly and often.

The exception will have to be on the job since the "movement" cannot employ most of us, unless you are sure your job allows it. However, off the job, we have a right, and in these warmongering times, a duty to promote peace and civil liberties if humanity and planet earth are to survive. Those of us who easily remember the Vietnam War and before know that it was not just counting the body bags and the declining economy that forced Americans to support peace; it was our daily efforts at actively promoting peace and civil liberties. In keeping with the saying, the best defense is a good offense, we should not only wear our peace and civil liberties regalia, we should promote it out loud. When we pass someone wearing a "United We Stand" shirt with the American flag, we should state as we walk by, "Dissent is Not Un-American," which I think is a better version of "Peace is Patriotic." We should keep the language clean and positive since it is the peaceniks who carry the banner of culture. Other good statements are: Food Not Bombs, War is Not Healthy for Children and Other Living Things, Study War No More. If we are among the workingclass, we should say, No War but the Class War. When we see parents allowing their children to play with war "toys," we should tell the parents that war is not a game and they should buy constructive peace toys.

To those of you who make peace regalia, we need more of Picasso's dove of peace on pins and clothing. Scarves should have peace doves and symbols with words such as "Peace on Earth" and "Peace and Justice" in many languages rather than any version of the American flag. We need to promote internationalism, civil liberties and peace.