Statement from Indiana Peace & Justice Network, posted in the Indy Star

We wish to speak for peaceful alternatives to war against Iraq.

We do not support our nation’s move to war. We do not accept that dissent from flag-waving support of this war is unpatriotic or naive. We do not accept that the rhetoric of war is the only rhetoric with which to respond to terrorism or that military aggression against Iraq is necessary for our defense.

We come to these conclusions from many beginnings. We may not agree about all issues concerning appropriate response to terrorism or to Iraq’s actions. Some of us are pacifists; some are not. Some of us believe that peaceful solutions have not been given a chance. Some of us understand that our own nation’s policies may have contributed to the hostility that has erupted in terrorist attacks on our nation. Some of us wish to see greater cooperation with international responses to terrorism. Some of us regret that the events of 9-11 were met with immediate and ill-considered rhetoric of war. Some of us are offended that our calls for peaceful alternatives are ignored, silenced, or insulted.

We do not condone terrorism. We seek justice for terrorists. We support peaceful efforts to increase protection from terrorist attacks. We call on our leaders to consider whether peaceful alternatives might not be more effective if supported by resources comparable to the enormous resources being mobilized for war. We are loyal to our nation and supportive of the individual men and women in our armed services. But we loyally dissent from the choice of war.

Opposition to military attack on Iraq must become more visible and audible so that our leaders cannot presume universal support. To this end, we here declare our opposition to the looming war and we invite others to join us. We desire to make public that a large number of citizens do not support the move to war. We desire to be a voice for those dissenters.

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