By Kathie MM
Posts on this blog often address moral disengagement— ways of thinking promoted by unscrupulous leaders in order to persuade ordinary people to behave in inhumane and sometimes deadly ways (see here and here).
Other posts feature moral engagement , manifested in:
- Resisting participation in socially-condoned violence and discrimination
- Speaking truth to power
- Taking responsibility for one’s own behavior, and
- Adhering to humane moral principles (see here and here .
Engaging Peace was formed to promote moral engagement. For Memorial Day 2018, we honor nonprofits that werenot only founded by and/or serving members or former members of the military, but also promote moral engagement to counter organized violence.
GI Rights Network, a peace-oriented coalition of nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations (e.g., the American Friends Service Committee) that provide free and confidential information (about, for example, conscientious objector and AWOL status) to U.S. military servicemembers, veterans, and their families.
Center on Conscience & War, a member of the GI Rights Network, advocates for rights of conscience, opposes military conscription, and serves all conscientious objectors to war.
Veterans for Peace, an international organization made up of military veterans, military family members, and allies, dedicated to building a culture of peace, exposing the true costs of war, and healing the wounds of war.
Iraq Veterans Against the War, a service-member and veteran-led movement working to end militarism by transforming themselves, the military culture, and American society.
Vietnam Veterans Against the War, committed to the struggle for peace and for social and economic justice for all people.
Finally, for this Memorial Day, let’s work on getting our society to stop memorializing the warriors sent by the US power structure to kill people in other lands; let’s honor instead the veterans who work for peace and social justice, and let’s move toward making reparations to the countries where so many lives have been sacrificed. See, for example, this and this.