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No War for Oil!
Below are solutions to driving over our ecological cliff, whether preventing war or
during "peace"
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Leaving office, George Washington warned that a
government of overwhelming power "is not reason. . . . It is a force like
fire, a dangerous servant and a terrible master."
- Nat Hentoff on the reach of the USA Patriot Act, writing in the Village
Voice, Nov. 15, 2002. The impending Dept. of Homeland Security will
allow further invasion into privacy and treatment of innocent civilians as
suspect and guilty. Also, over a quarter million troops are to be
mobilized on U.S. soil for the war on Iraq, more than the number of troops
headed to Iraq. A San Francisco Chronicle columnist spoke of the
feds' trend with this headline: "Fascism Comes On Little Cat Feet"
(Nov. 18, 2002)
Town Portrait for Peace, Port Townsend,
Washington
Oct. 27, 2002 by David Conklin
"A new world is possible and we pledge to make it real."
Resistance is mounting against war on Iraq.
It's hard to influence national governments, but if enough of us get out into
the streets and demonstrate, positive changes will come. For example, local governments are listening to their citizens and sending a message to the
White House and the world. Read the city of Arcata, California's
proclamation,
to which Sustainable Energy Institute/Culture Change contributed in the drafting.
 "A violent culture is not the only one
conceivable," was our response in Culture
Change magazine to the 9-11
attacks. The U.S. government's foreign policy history is oily, and led up to this "War OF
Terrorism." We know from our petroleum industry background here
at Sustainable Energy Institute that in our overpopulated society, driving cars and consuming
manufactured goods are again bringing on war for oil. We are
heartened that resistance to war is mounting along with consciousness that
we must graduate from massive fossil fuel dependence.
 Read "Spare Iraq and the atmosphere, avoid oil shock"
by the environmental movement's well known oil industry analyst
Jan Lundberg. To complement the vision of a petroleum-free future,
peace must be attained now and forever for sustainable security. See Not In Our Name, below, as one excellent way to get active now!
For more information about
the war on Iraq read:
Understanding the U.S.-Iraq
crisis: A primer by Phyllis Bennis
Not In Our Name
NOT
IN OUR NAME IS A STATEMENT
OF CONSCIENCE AGAINST WAR AND REPRESSION
Let
it not be said that people in the United States did nothing when their
government declared a war without limit and instituted stark new
measures of repression.
The
signers of this statement call on the people of the U.S. to resist the
policies and overall political direction that have emerged since
September 11, 2001, and which pose grave dangers to the people of the
world.
We
believe that peoples and nations have the right to determine their own
destiny, free from military coercion by great powers. We believe that
all persons detained or prosecuted by the United States government
should have the same rights of due process. We believe that
questioning, criticism, and dissent must be valued and protected. We
understand that such rights and values are always contested and must
be fought for.
Click
here to read the remainder of statement and go to the NOT IN OUR NAME
WEBSITE
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At Sustainable Energy Institute and Culture Change,
we promote sustainable living in recognition of natural limits on
technology. In 1990 we began the Alliance for a Paving
Moratorium largely as a peace proposal, during the buildup of the
first Gulf War. Now the world is at even greater risk, as the
limitations on invading Iraq - recognized by the first President Bush -
are not being heeded by George Junior. In response to this latest
global threat, we offer this essay: Ending
U.S. Oil Tyranny.
In addition to stopping new road construction to
stop sprawl wherever we could, we have launched projects such as Pedal
Power Produce toward local-based food security. Petroleum in effect feeds most of the planet, but
oil's running out. Demanding
no more war for oil is excellent, but will go nowhere if oil consumption
is not slashed now. Energy consumption is out of control in
industrial societies, twice as bad in the U.S. and in Europe.
Business as usual constitutes the main threat to life. War for any purpose serves as a distraction from
the reality of the ongoing war on the planet waged by U.S. and
transnational corporations seeking profits and control over all countries.
We have ideas on how to slash energy consumption while
securing a better way of living. This cultural change can be brought
about by some simple programs. One is to end new oil exploration
such as offshore drilling: join the Committee Against
Oil Exploration. For acting locally to change globally, take the Pledge
for Climate Protection to cut petroleum dependence and heal the
land. Thank you for helping to create a greater sense of community.
And don't forget to cut down on guzzling oil now, if we are to achieve
Peace!
Comedy corner: http://wisdomtools.com/~brbothwe/GulfWars.jpg
News:
- Tax resisters raise interesting arguments, and here
are some who understand oil. Check out taxrefusal.com/oiltable.html
for report on world oil production's peaking now, and see the website
founder's further oil
analysis.
- protest.net is a well put
together calendar and announcement system for worldwide protests against
global corporate players' scams and devastations of the environment.
- A new book on the hidden casualties of the 1990-'91
Gulf War would give anyone pause, when considering whether to repeat more
such devastation -- on more than just Iraq, as it happens. See http://www.northatlanticbooks.com/prod
ucts/1556431635.html
- Oil depletion warning in The
Oil Endgame is Here; see links from southwestenergy.org
- For a tax-revenue analyst's view of the costs of war
on Iraq, see Ralph Martire's column from the Chicago Sun-Times, Oct. 5,
2002, which sounds the alarm that Social Security funds will have to pay
for the war and the rebuilding of Iraq, now that the federal surplus has
been squandered by Bush for the wealthiest 1 per cent of Americans.
Read about it at
http://www.suntimes.com/output/martire/cst-edt-mart05.html
- Get informed about antiwar.com
a division of the Center for Libertarian Studies.
- Check out Voices of the Wilderness at www.nonviolence.org/vitw/
which conducts a Campaign to end the Economic Sanctions Against the People
of Iraq.
- For updates from the mainstream press, see truthout.org for such stories
as "CIA Report Contradicts Bush Warnings on Iraq" (Associated
Press):
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/10.10B.cia.iraq.htm
- Analysis of Bush's Oct. 7 speech on Iraq, from the Institute
for Public Accuracy
Park It For Peace
You're invited to Park It For Peace! Just recently a group of people
discussing what could be done to promote peace and consume less gasoline
(thus reducing the demand for Iraq's oil) came up with this idea: every
Monday we'll park our cars at home and either walk, bicycle, or use public transportation to get to work or whatever.
Although this effort originates in Bellingham, Washington, there are hopes
of the "movement" spreading throughout the nation. If enough
people begin to Park It For Peace, eventually even the oil companies will
feel the impact. It's one small step concerned people can take to promote
a healthier environment and peace. For more information, contact Shirley Osterhaus at 360-734-5176. Monday would be a great day to join
those who Park It For Peace!
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