An additional important part of the peace movement's work is
to continue to tell the truth about what's going on in Iraq. While the
administration wants people to believe that combat operations are over in Iraq,
it's important for the peace movement to tell the full story that 50,000
troops, 75,000 contractors and 90 military bases remain in Iraq.
In the past few months, something else exciting has emerged and that is the work around the One Nation Working Together national mobilization planned for Washington, D.C. on October 2nd. Close to 70 peace organizations have endorsed this effort initiated by the SEIU, CWA, the NAACP and more! The Peace Table contingent of this vibrant coalition has almost doubled in size over the past 2 weeks. The message: in order to free up dollars for creating jobs and funding community programs like education, health care and the environment, at least 25% of the nearly $600 billion spent annually on the military needs to be redirected.
New Jersey Peace Action's own efforts in North Jersey will likely result in approximately 10 busloads of peace activists heading down to Washington, D.C. with additional buses leaving from South Jersey.
These efforts not only show a growing peace movement, but a peace movement that is ready to work with allies in both the labor and civil rights movement. This kind of alliance is what is needed in order to make significant changes in our national priorities.
While raising money may be an issue for the peace movement, passion, commitment and vision isn't.
A strong peace movement isn't always or only about high visibility actions. It is also about doing the hard work day in and day out to change the course of the discussion or debate, or to reach out to people through Facebook and Twitter, one person at a time.
Of course, the intensity generated by the 2008 Presidential election could not be sustained. Some of those involved with working for change naturally figured that their work was done when the elections were over. That often happens when people put too much faith in others to address problems that can only be addressed through hard work and persistence at the grassroots level over an extended period of time. Additionally, it is always easier to turn out numbers when people think they can actually prevent a war from beginning rather than trying to bring an end to a prolonged conflict.
And while people have to make sure that they have the money to survive the recession, that doesn't mean that they stop worrying about the wars, especially when almost half of those polled understand the connection between the two.
Let me throw down a challenge, right here and right now. May the peace movement and those who cover it acknowledge that it is possible to struggle with raising money and weather a natural drop-off in numbers based on circumstances, while doing focused, effective and historic work to build a movement for peace at the same time! In fact, it's a testament to the passion and vibrancy of the movement that it is determined not only to survive through these times, but to grow.
--Madelyn Hoffman, Executive Director of New Jersey Peace Action
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