I'M A VISIONARY! AND I DIDN'T EVEN NEED PEYOTE!

Below is the rough draft of the NWOPC Vision Statement and Points of Unity, which I helped craft. Thought you'd all find it interesting.

(P.S. Below is now the revised/codified version, which we now use as a flyer at our weekly demonstrations.)

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NORTHWEST OHIO PEACE COALITION
Weekly meetings: Mondays 7pm, First Unitarian Church, Bancroft and Collingwood
Phone: 419-255-7552
Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nwopc

NWOPC Vision Statement

NWOPC continues in the building of a mass movement for peace, social justice and environmental responsibility. Our movement respects the self-determination, human rights and well-being of all people and promotes the ecologically responsible, just and equitable preservation and use of the earth's natural resources. We strive to embody the values we espouse in our day-to-day activities, in the coalitions we build, and in the world we are working to create. NWOPC will be vigilant in addressing oppression based on age, class, cultural heritage, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, race, religion, and sexual orientation.

As non-violent residents of the Northwest Ohio area and as citizens of the world, it is imperative that we monitor the actions and policies of our local and national communities, sovereign nations, and corporations, and we assert our right to hold them publicly accountable for their actions and policies.

We say NO to war in all its manifestations.

Points of Unity

1. We seek global peace through non-violent social, economic and environmental justice. Violence comes in many forms: from individuals as well as from nation-states and corporations. Violence only serves to perpetuate itself. We will work to understand the root causes of violence and we will work for global peace by assuring that all human beings on this earth attain social, economic and political equality.

2. We oppose militarism and war. The Bush administration's current policies encourage the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Countries labeled as part of the "axis of evil" will logically arm themselves to discourage the possibility of a U.S. attack. This will only cause more terrorism here and abroad. The U.S. "war against terrorism" cannot be won, it will only serve to turn us from a civil society into a military one for a long time to come. We oppose the current expansions on military spending and will expose the risks of such actions. If we continue to prioritize militarism, military spending, and corporate greed above the welfare of our communities, the quality of our public services and the education of our children will suffer.

3. We uphold the democratic and human rights of all people at all times. We will work to examine and reveal how U.S. foreign policy leads to a perception of arrogance globally and to racial and class discrimination in the United States, thereby challenging the security and well-being of all. For example, U.S. military involvement is on the rise in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. U.S. political, economic and military aid is fueling Israel's rise as an unchallengeable regional military power and sustains Israel's illegal occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. We oppose the drive to expand U.S. control over other nations and will work to rectify the situation.

4. Justice not vengeance: bring the perpetrators of violence to justice through established principles of international law. Only the U.S. and Australia refused to sign a treaty forming an international criminal court. This signals to the community of nations that the U.S. does not stand for the rule of law and refuses to be accountable for its actions. We will work to educate our community about the dangers of pre-emptive war and forced regime change.

5. We stand in defense of civil liberties. Although we mourn the victims and condemn the attacks of 9/11, we will not stand by and allow civil liberties and civil rights to be stripped away as a consequence. Since the 9/11 attacks, Congress has passed a new law entitled the U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act) which makes it possible for secret government searches of homes and offices, perpetual monitoring of telephones, e-mails, and library and credit card use, as well as the jailing of citizens and non-citizens on the basis of mere suspicion and without due process. All these trends represent a dangerous precedent for the people of this country.

Revised 7/21/03