Gitlin on the student peace movement

Ian Murray seamus2001 at home.com
Fri Sep 21 08:54:39 PDT 2001


----- Original Message ----- From: "Nathan Newman" <nathan at newman.org> To: <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com> Sent: Friday, September 21, 2001 8:13 AM Subject: Re: Gitlin on the student peace movement


> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Doug Henwood" <dhenwood at panix.com>
>
>
> Nathan Newman wrote:
> >On the other hand, I have great confidence in our ability to
challenge the
> >current war fever, as I wrote. And great confidence in the current
new
> >generation of activists to try new better tactics that actually
promote
> >positive alternatives, rather than just a "no" strategy.
>
> -The first task, it seems to me, for a peace movement right now
would
> -be to stop the U.S. from doing anything horridly crazy. I don't
think
> -you need to come up with an alternative; for the moment, "no" is
> -urgently ok. Time is pretty short, from the sound of some of the
> -rhetoric. Over the longer term, I agree that just saying "no" isn't
> -enough, but that's an issue for the longer term.
>
> You've got it reversed. The question is HOW to stop he US from
acting
> crazily. A bunch of the usual suspects screaming "No" in the
streets is
> pathetically inadequate to the rightful demands of those demanding
justice.
> They will be ignored.
>
> And Bush will get his war, if the choice is between his alternative
and
> "no."
>
> On the other hand, there is global support for demanding justice,
> international law due process, and a longer term commitment to
isolating
> terrorism through promoting global justice for those with legitimate
demands
> of their own.
>
> No justice, no peace.
>
> It's that simple. Why lefties believe it is true for their favored
victims,
> but think US victims will meekly accept less is beyond me. Everyone
> deserves justice and those who won't fight for it will not succeed
> politically.
>
> Nathan Newman
=========== Your use of the word fight, above, is troublesome........is there not an unbridgeable gap between violence and justice?

Ian



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