Gitlin on the student peace movement

Nathan Newman nathan at newman.org
Fri Sep 21 09:14:57 PDT 2001


----- Original Message ----- From: "Ian Murray" <seamus2001 at home.com>
> 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?

No. I'm not a pacificist, although I usually think violence is a poor means to fight for just ends. But I believe in nonviolence not because I am against using violence per se, but because I think there are better weapons to use.

Peace is the product of justice, not the means by itself to attain it. As long as others are fighting for misery, for poverty, for greed, for exploitation, for domination, fighting against that is not just compatible with justice, but an absolute requirement.

-- Nathan Newman



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