Iraq Veterans Against the War marching in Boston. Photo by Jonathan McIntosh, used under CC Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
You won’t learn a lot about them in the corporate media, but there are hundreds if not thousands of them doing their work: non-profits resisting war and combating arms proliferation and promoting peace and nonviolence.
Today we provide links to many of these organizations. Visit their sites and learn more about them.
Some of these organizations were started by veterans committed to educating their compatriots concerning the real nature of war and the lies and propaganda used to promote it:
Nuclear weapons: The United States is the only nation in the world that has dropped atomic weapons onto a civilian population. Right now it has a stockpile of about 5,000 nuclear weapons, many of which can be launched within 15 minutes.
Cluster bombs: The U.S. dropped thousands of cluster bombs (weapons that kill large numbers of civilians, even after an armed conflict has ended) in Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. An international Convention on Cluster Munitions, sponsored by the United Nations, entered into force in 2010, yet the U.S.–along with Russia, China, and several other states–has been unwilling to sign the agreement. (See Feickert and Kerr [opens in pdf]).
Landmines: The U.S. refuses to join its NATO allies and many other nations in banning the use of landmines.
Drones: In secret meetings, the U.S. identifies individuals around the world as threats, then uses drones to kill them without trial or benefit from counsel.
Illicit arms sales: A recent effort by the United Nations to establish an Arm Trades convention to help stop the illicit international sales of weapons failed in part because the U.S. government refused to sign off on the draft treaty. The National Rifle Association proudly takes responsibility for killing the agreement.
What can you do to help stop the U.S. government from acting like the world’s chief thug?
You can support and volunteer for non-profits that strive to move the U.S. away from its preoccupation with power and destruction towards one of conflict resolution, reconciliation, social justice, and cooperation.
Engaging Peace, Inc. is one such organization, and we welcome your support in the form of reading and commenting on the blog, subscribing to the newsletter, as well as your financial donations.
In addition to Engaging Peace, here are some other groups you may want to learn about:
[Editor’s Note: Today’s story of engagement, by Ora Lora Spadafora, celebrates Ralph DiGia (1914-2008). Written as if in DiGia’s own voice, the tribute was presented in 2010 at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusetts during a ceremony remembering conscientious objectors buried on the Abbey’s “C.O. Hill.”]
Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Ralph DiGia and I live and work for peace just as I have for many decades.
Thank you for inviting me here to tell my story. The first time I was in Massachusetts I came here to be in a protest rally for Sacco and Vanzetti. But I didn’t stay very long that time because I had to get back to the War Resisters League in New York, which offered me a great opportunity as a pacifist and worker for social justice. And believe me, there have been many opportunities.
Years later during the Vietnam War, I was sent to jail for three years because I was a Conscientious Objector for ethical reasons, but I guess those reasons weren’t good enough. Ah, but that was over forty years ago, and we still keep going to war.
Now it’s Iraq and Afghanistan, and soon it will be other countries yet to be named. We never do stop going to war, do we? And I’ve seen them all having lived almost through the entire twentieth century, including The War to End All Wars…and that was almost a hundred years ago now.
Can I tell you something, just between you and me? War doesn’t end war. Only peace ends wars. But if you’re here today, you already know that.
Sounds simple enough, but there are still many people who don’t believe that…I mean millions of people don’t believe peace ends war.
For the past twelve years that I’ve been resting here, I’ve had a lot of time to think about this. I have to tell you I can still feel that same fire and passion I did years ago. What it comes down to is renewing our vision.
But since I can’t get around the way I used to, I’d like to ask you keep this vision of peace alive. Vision is not the ability to predict the future; it is a commitment to pursue possibility.
This is the time to ask “Why Not?” once again. Not for our own sake but for those who come after us. Our children, our loved ones and for all those we’ve never met, but who also hunger and thirst for peace in their lives.
I’ve devoted my life to Peace and will always work towards that no matter what the consequences are! So please join me. Thank you, and Peace.
