November 11 is Armistice Day / Remembrance Day. Ninety-nine years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, fighting ceased in the "war to end all wars." People went on killing and dying right up until the pre-designated moment, impacting nothing other than our understanding of the stupidity of war.
Thirty million soldiers had been killed or wounded and another seven million had been taken captive during World War I. Even more would die from a flu epidemic created by the war. Never before had people witnessed such industrialized slaughter, with tens of thousands falling in a day to machine guns and poison gas. After the war, more and more truth began to overtake the lies, but whether people still believed or now resented the pro-war propaganda, virtually every person in the United States wanted to see no more of war ever again. Posters of Jesus shooting at Germans were left behind as the churches along with everyone else now said that war was wrong. Al Jolson wrote in 1920 to President Harding:
"The weary world is waiting for
Peace forevermore
So take away the gun
From every mother's son
And put an end to war."
Mass slaughter and war-created famines and disease epidemics have now become almost routine, but we don't have to stand for it. World Beyond War is organizing events all over the world on November 11, 2017. So is Veterans For Peace. So is WILPF. And RootsAction.org and many other organizations. Send us your events here. We'll post them here. Here are some ideas for events you might do:
Sit in your Congress member's or senator's or MP's office until they meet your demands for peace.
Demonstrate on a street corner.
Collect petition signatures.
Hold a forum to which you invite great speakers.
Use the videos and ideas from World Beyond War's online study and action guide: Study War No More!
Screen and discuss a video:
Make a presentation using tools like these:
- A Mapping War and Peace Prezi.
- WBW Prezi (Prepare for your event with this Prezi using these resources: the prezi in a PDF and in-depth information to present with the prezi: PDF.)
- A Global Security System Power Point (Ideal to accompany an event focused on this book, but can also stand on its own.)
- Is Peace Possible? Power Point by Russ Faure-Brac. (Also in older version of Power Point.)
- Psychopathy and Propaganda Power Point by Coleen Rowley. (Also in older version of Power Point.)
Do a Penny Poll that lets people determine what they'd like the public budget to look like.
Use a PDF presentation on nuclear weapons thanks to Evan Knappenberger.
Make peace dolls.
Use flyers, sign-up cards, sign-up sheets.
Wear/give/sell sky blue scarves and bracelets, and shirts, and stickers, cups, etc.
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