1. We mourn the victims and condemn
the attacks of September 11.
As members of the human community we decry the attacks on civilians in
this country, as we decry the loss of civilian life in Afghanistan and
anywhere around the world.
2. We stand in defense of civil
liberties.
Since the September 11 attacks, we have seen Congress hand
unprecedented powers to President Bush to decide when and how to wage
war; we have seen Bush respond by delimiting the numbers of people who
are to be "in the know" about what is going on. At the same time, the
Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) have called for and begun to receive much-expanded
powers to harass and detain immigrants, to wiretap phones and censor
political activities. Congress has passed a new law entitled the
P.A.T.R.I.O.T act that makes it possible for secret government searches
of homes and offices, and perpetual monitoring of telephones and email
as well as arresting, detaining, trying, convicting and executing
anyone purely on suspicion and without proof or due process. All of
these trends represent a dangerous precedent for people of this country.
3. We oppose anti-Arab,
anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and all forms of racial, ethnic, and
religious violence and bigotry.
The list of hate crimes against Arab-American people, and, indeed, any
persons considered dark-skinned and "other" has grown staggeringly
since September 11. We look back on the precedent of interning
Japanese-Americans during WWII with shame, but it is a history we can
learn from. Racism and violence do not make us a safe, free people. We
must uphold the democratic and human rights of all people at all time.
4. Justice not vengeance: bring the
perpetrators to justice through established principles of international
law.
Only the United States and Australia in the world refuse to sign a
treaty forming an international criminal court, which signals the
community of nations that the U.S. does not stand for the rule of law.
The post-World War II trials at Nuremberg compellingly depicted the
Nazi atrocities and the justification for punishment of war criminals.
The ongoing trials of suspected war criminals for murders arising from
Bosnian and Croatian conflicts demonstrate that war criminals can and
should be brought to justice and punished. However for this to work it
has to be applied even handedly and not selectively as it has been.
5. We oppose militarism and war.
We do not think that waging "the war on terrorism" against starving
nations like Afghanistan or bombing the Iraqi people is a way to punish
international terrorists. This will only cause more terrorism here and
abroad. The US "war against terrorism" cannot be won, as terrorism is
not a tangible enemy, but a tactical concept and that cannot be
defeated by military attack. This "war on terrorism" will only serve to
turn us from a civil society into a military one for a long time to
come.
6. We seek global peace through
social and economic justice.
Terrorism comes in many forms. Individuals and nation states, with the
aim of putting fear into people so they can be manipulated and
controlled, practice it. We condemn terrorism in all of its forms and
demand that it stop as it only serves to perpetuate itself. The only
way to do that is to attack it at its root causes and to work for
global peace by assuring that all humans on this earth attain social,
economic and political equality. That is justice.
7. Statement for an end to the
Israeli occupation of Palestine.
NWOPC, as an organization dedicated to peace with justice, deplores the
taking of innocent lives on all sides. We oppose Israel's military
occupation and current military invasion of the occupied territories
and call for their immediate withdrawal. We also demand the withdrawal
of Israeli forces from territories occupied in June 1967 in accordance
with United Nations Security Council resolution 242 and the dismantling
of all Israeli settlements in the occupied territories as well as the
right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland in accordance
with United Nations Resolution 194. We affirm a just two state
solution, insuring equal access to the resources of the region and
providing secure and recognized borders. We support the efforts of all
Israelis and Palestinians working towards peace. Finally, the United
States cannot be an honest broker for peace as long as our tax dollars
continue to fund Israel's military occupation of Palestinian lands. We
insist upon the end of all U.S. aid to Israel until the above
conditions are met.
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