---

More Ways to Say Yes to Peace and No to War

---

As you read this column, a war with Iraq may have already begun. I hope not. But, I must admit that the optimism that I felt while writing the March column in mid-February has faded as I sit down to write this one.

Last month, I wrote about some of the successful indications that occurred on the day of Great Experiment III, the worldwide peace prayer and meditation vigil sponsored by James Twyman, Doreen Virtue, and Greg Braden on February 9th. Here are two more. The epicenter of that experiment was a core group of participants in the tiny village of Neve Shalom in Israel. Statistics, provided by the Israeli military, show a dramatic drop, from 50% to 100%, in violent incidents throughout Israel and Palestine on February 10, the day after the vigil. For example, shots fired at military installations dropped by at least 50%, and other violent acts dropped as much as 100%. Also, Israeli statistics now indicate that the month of February showed the lowest numbers in violence from every category since the current wave of violence began around two and a half years ago.

That's wonderful news. However, the news during March indicates that violence has escalated once again. No matter which way you slice it, the prayer vigil had only a relatively short-term effect before being overwhelmed by the negative mindset of this world, which has gotten increasingly stronger since 9/11. That doesn't mean Experiment III was a failure. Indeed, it demonstrated that a measurable positive effect could be obtained through collective prayer and meditation. The question now is how do you sustain and build upon this or any other similar effort? One way that is being worked on is a plan by Twyman to develop a mediation center dedicated to round-the-clock peace prayer and meditation.

In the mean time, there are other collective efforts open to those who seek the road of peace and not war. There is, for example, a petition effort designed to ask world religious leaders like the pope to physically gather in Baghdad in order to try to stop a war from beginning (go to www.emissaryoflight.com to sign it).

Another effort took place on February 26. Billed as the Virtual March on Washington, it was sponsored by True Majority (www.truemajority.com) and other anti-war groups. Over 500,000 faxes, emails, and phone calls were received by Senators who were the focus of the effort. And that was only the number that got through. The phone lines were jammed and email boxes overflowed. I myself, for example, was unable to voice my opinion to Illinois Senator Peter Fitzgerald because my emails kept getting returned and his phone was constantly busy.

And the effect of this effort? That's hard to say. According to the New York Times, efforts like this are putting President Bush on the defensive. The main coverage by mainline media, however, focuses on the fact that the lead spokesperson for the event was the actor Martin Sheen. Suddenly, those who object to the U.S. government's policy on Iraq are being accused of being led around by the nose by Hollywood. Even more serious is the assessment of the current administration by Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, one of the few voices in the senate who is raising a loud voice in protest. Byrd believes that the U.S. is on a dangerous path with its new doctrine of pre-emption. Let me quote him:

"The doctrine of preemption — the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future — is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self-defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the U.N. Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our — or some other nation's — hit list. High-level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together?"

You can check out the views of this 85-year old senator who has served with eleven presidents by going to his virtual newsroom at http://byrd.senate.gov/byrd.

Senator Byrd was recently interviewed by Larry King on CNN. If you've studied the U.S. Constitution, you know that the United States’ government was set up in such a way that the power of the presidency (executive branch) would be balanced by the legislative branch (the House of Representatives and Senate) and the judicial branch (the Supreme Court). According to Byrd, the Bush administration is treating the legislative branch like it's an extension of the presidency instead of a separate and equal partner. With this administration there is, warns Byrd, a “We’ll let you know when we want you to know and then you'll do what we want you to do” attitude. Here then is another danger of the current situation. Could it be that this presidency is tampering with the U.S. constitution, the very core of our U.S. democracy?

If the Bush administration won’t take Congress seriously, is it any wonder that the opinions of peace demonstrators in the U.S. and throughout the world, as well as the opinions of the U.N. and many of our allies are disregarded? This does not mean that we should cease to offer opinion, however. Silence is even more deadly. Those of us who work for peace must continue the effort. Here are some other internet resources that can bolster our efforts:

United for Peace and Justice (www.unitedforpeace.org): United for Peace & Justice is a new national campaign that brings together a broad range of organizations throughout the United States to help coordinate our work against a U.S. war on Iraq. Find out about the latest peace marches and rallies here.

Cities for Peace (www.citiesforpeace.org): Cities for Peace is national coalition of local officials and concerned citizens working to express the will of their communities through civic resolutions regarding the proposed war in Iraq. As of March 14, 2003, 151 U.S. cities passed resolutions opposing the war. Cities in Illinois include Chicago, Evanston, DeKalb, and Oak Park. You can click on the city and read the resolution.

Education for Peace in Iraq (www.saveageneration.org): The mission of this group is working to improve humanitarian conditions in Iraq through education and advocacy in the U.S. The site features articles like, “Kris Kristofferson and 1,000 Veterans Strongly Question Iraq Invasion.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Iraq (www.nationbooks.org/chapter.mhtml?t=hiro): This site answers questions like, Is Saddam once again threatening his neighboring countries?, Is Saddam a terrorist?, and Is Saddam harboring Al Qaeda? The answers are excerpts from the book, Iraq: In the Eye of the Storm by Dilip Hiro.

The Institute for Accuracy (www.accuracy.org): A nationwide consortium of policy researchers, the Institute for Public Accuracy seeks to broaden public discourse by gaining media access for those whose perspectives are commonly drowned out by corporate-backed think tanks and other influential institutions. Recent articles include “Facts and Interviews on U.N. Security Council Resolutions” and “Critical Analysis of Bush’s 2003 State of the Union Address.”

Link TV (www.worldlinktv.org): If you’ve got Dish or Direct TV, you can tune into this cable channel, the first national network offering a global perspective on news, current events and culture, presenting viewpoints seldom covered in the U.S. media. For example, Link TV airs live broadcasts from major peace rallies, and the program “Mosaic: World News From The Middle East” features a selection of daily news reports in English from a variety of Middle Eastern broadcasters. Complimentary information is available on their web site.

The Nation (www.thenation.com): The magazine, The Nation has published several articles by those opposing the war. Here is a sample of what you can find at their web site: “The Case Against the War” by Jonathan Schell (March 3, 2003), “Republic or Empire?” by Joseph Wilson (March 3, 2003), and “Bush’s Presidential Malpractice” by David Corn.

TrueMajority (www.truemajority.com): TrueMajority sifts through all the stuff going on in Congress. When your voice counts to create a just and sustainable world, you get an email alert.

Voices for Peace (www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20030106&s=interns): This page contains an excellent list of some of the organizations that are opposing the war on Iraq. Email and web site links are included.

---

Mary Montgomery-Clifford is a certified web author and developer. Her company, Montgomery Media Enterprises ("Freelancing with Finesse!"), specializes in public relations, events, promotions, writing project and web authoring, development and publicity. Ms. Montgomery-Clifford has a Master's Degree in religious studies from Chicago Theological Seminary (CTS) in June 2002 and is working on a Ph.D. with a focus on the new scholarship of Unlimited Love and the Other Regarding Virtues in the Fall of 2002. She is also in the process of completing the Morris Pratt Institute Course on Modern Spiritualism. Contact her via e-mail at Monty764@aol.com, by phone at 773-235-8821 or at her web site at www.montymedia.com.

---

Next Article

Return to This Month's Index

Go to the Home Page