declare peace

I've been getting lots of email from the peace movement lately. As increasing numbers of Americans wake up to reality and turn against the war in Iraq, the movement has been reaching out, and heating up.

United for Peace and Justice lists a full calendar of events, under the banner "We Declare Peace". See what's happening in your area. US readers, if you haven't signed the Voter Peace Pledge, it's not too late.

As always, I urge you to support Lt. Ehren Watada, the first US officer to refuse deployment to Iraq. Watada's pre-trial hearing is August 17; August 16 is a National Day of Education, asking the question "Is the US war and occupation of Iraq illegal?"

Watada is not alone: see Courage To Resist for more courageous peace stories.

The movie "Sir! No Sir!" - the largely untold story of the GI movement to end the Vietnam War - is now available on DVD. If you purchase it through UPJ, the distributors will make a small donation to the peace movement. (But - maddeningly and typically - I can't find a link through which to do that! The UPJ email link goes directly to the Sir! No Sir! website. If I find something, I'll update this.) Iraq Veterans Against the War will buy a DVD for anyone who has served in the military since September 11, 2001.

On the political front, the defeat of hard-core hawk Joe Lieberman in the Connecticut Democratic Primary is encouraging. As my email buddy Kevin Baker recently wrote me:

Ralph Reed, down in flames; Tom DeLay, gone; Bob Ney, gone; and now Joe Lieberman, upset in Connecticut. I know, I know...it’s all still a long way from bringing back a politics of worth, but the earth is beginning to quake beneath those bastards at last! November could be very interesting.

As Baker notes, I find it hard to celebrate - Hooray! It's Not As Bad As It Could Be! - but these are clearly good signs.