Speaking Out for Peace and Justice

Monday, January 27, 2003

Conservative pundits like George Will seem to find endless delight in baiting and berating the "left". In a recent op-ed piece, Mister Will claimed that the "left" is inarticulate, tired, vain, and unable to rise "above rock lyrics and name-calling". I'd like to respond to these charges in a way that even the very smug Mister Will can understand.

First of all, we're not "left", nor are we "liberal"; we are in front and leading, we are the vanguard for what's to come.

Secondly, if you're shouting slogans at a rally or writing a dozen words on a sign, of course it's going to be something short and catchy, like the lyrics of a song. What better way to communicate your idea?

Thirdly, to deride the Anti-War Movement for "name-calling" is laughable. Come on, we People of Peace are suffering much worse than "name-calling"; we're being forced to fund a war that is unethical and antithetical to our values and our way of life.

And finally, the Anti-War Movement and the related Global Peace and Justice Movement (GPJM) is not a rag-tag gang of vain, incoherent, burned out 'radicals', as suggested by Mister Will; it's a large and growing organization of concerned global citizens of great socio-economic, political, and educational diversity. Here's a short list of items being promoted by various factions within the GPJM:

* elimination of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization;
* adoption of Social Capitalism, a type of capitalism where all social costs are included in the price of goods and services;
* more widespread use of local currency, barter, exchange, and gifting;
* more authority and control at the local level;
* less power in the hands of the ruling elite;
* greater government transparency and accountability;
* human values rather than money values;
* development of renewable energy sources;
* greater environmental stewardship and protection;
* sharp reductions in -- and eventual elimination of -- military spending;
* the use of diplomacy rather than violence to resolve conflicts; and
* putting an end to the War on Drugs.

The Global Peace and Justice Movement seeks to create a world that respects human dignity and protects our fragile environment. The GPJM recognizes that another world is possible, a world that works for all people, not just the fortunate.

If you so called "conservative pundits" continue to insist that the Anti-War, Anti-Globalization, Environmental, and Human Rights Movements are simply a bunch of tired old hippies or disenfranchised youth who don't know what they want or what they're talking about, i challenge you to a public debate of the issues... any time, any place.

Dennis Mitrzyk -- Citizen for Global Peace and Justice (CGPJ)



home phone: 650-493-0367