Oct 13 min read

Waking the Resistance - upcoming events with WNPJ

On October 8, WNPJ will kick off a wave of peace throughout our state. In remembering WNPJ's origin as a network of organizations and individuals who united in a stand for peace at the time of the Gulf War, we are inviting people from around the state to again stand together for peace. We welcome your creative and local peace actions and are planning educational and inspiring zooms leading up to our Oct 19th Fall Assembly: Mobilize: Creating a Collective Shift from Militarism to a Culture of Peace and Environmental

Justice.

If you have any ideas, writings, actions, proposed educational zooms...please be in touch.

Also you can join us in conversation on Thursday, October 3 at noon for our Weaving the Web

zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89361313008?pwd=UmxCOUcxL3ZFb244aXp0SnBVTFRSZz09

For more contact: dena.eakles@gmail.com or erikambach@gmail.com

We have heard the voices that divide us. We have witnessed our politicians selling out the will

of the people (77% who want a ceasefire) and ensuring the prosperity of the military industrial

complex. We have watched our government choose sides and engage in proxy wars, enabling

some (Israel), while ignoring others (Sudan). Through it all, US bombs and weaponry are the

supreme destroyer.

We have witnessed freedom of speech eroded on campuses, in boardrooms and in our schools. And as voices for peace emanated from the Mideast, we have too often ignored them and remained divided and/or silent - confused by media spins and the outright lies of our

government. And media accounts of atrocities worldwide are scarce if visible at all.

Young people are demanding that we acknowledge the environmental impacts of our militarism - both in production and implementation. While many Boomers stood shoulder to shoulder in the '70's confronting the destruction of our environment and yielding gains in legislation and education, we were hesitant to challenge the militarism which has defined this country from its onset.

But now we must be ready to do so. The consequences of inaction are too great.

We are asking for a peaceful transfer of power. Not simply in the election, although that would

be helpful, but in our cultural thinking. Too many of our people believe in war, accept the notion

of dominance through power, and are willing to support the annihilation of the "other". We

have sacrificed our humanity, as much of the global world is witnessing and condemning. It is

now up to us to reverse this trend.

But power does not yield willingly.

What means do we have to overcome the violence and the warring that has dominated us?

Unity in our diversity is one of our strengths. And knowing that peace is possible and attainable through shared understanding and unrelenting effort is another.

We can no longer sit idly by in disbelief or hopelessness. We must come out of complacency and face the task before us - and most importantly we must welcome others to stand with us. Gone must be the days of tribal silos. Our humanity is calling us to accept the fundamental truth: we are one people, one planet. We have learned the ways of war, let us now discover the path of peace, together, and wake our rersistance to the normalcy of war.