MLK's Legacy Continues: Hope and Action in the Midst of War

By Frida Berrigan, AlterNet. Posted January 16, 2003.

This week Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 74 years old. On his birthday, it is easy to look around the country and the world and be thoroughly depressed. The disastrous war on terrorism, the impending war against Iraq, the ballooning budget deficit and the calls to solve that with major social spending cut backs (not a decrease in military spending), increased poverty and desperation, and the fact that the WorldWatch Institute warns that the human race only has a generation (maybe two) in which to save the world.

But we draw energy and hope from the fact in every corner of this country, people are embodying Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision of peace and justice and working to make it a reality.

Even a casual perusal of regional newspapers turns up countless articles on the peace movement. Read these headlines for a jolt of hope and energy:

Los Angeles: Thousands Rally Against War in Iraq, Push Peace...
Minneapolis: Demonstrators Rally to Protest Possible War with Iraq...
Hundreds in San Francisco Protest INS Registration...
81-Year-Old Picketer: 'The Time to Act is Now'...
Sept. 11 Victims' Kin Protest in Iraq...
"Human Shield" Peace Activists Mobilize for Iraq...
Highway Protests: Citizens with Signs Stand Up for Peace...
Pacifist Hopes Human Shield Will Halt US March to War...
On the Coast of Maine a Peace Sign Shines Bright in the Night...
Anti-War Organizers Welcome 'New Spirit' of Dissent...
Nude Women Protest War Again; Men Also Demonstrate.......

And that is just a sampling.

Labor (And Labour) Against War

The labor movement is mobilizing against the war. In the United States, labor unions have formed U.S. Labor Against the War (USLAW), bringing together 76 labor organizations that represent over 2 million members. Their founding document is excerpted below: "Whereas, we have no quarrel with the ordinary working class men, women and children of Iraq, or any other country; and Whereas, the billions of dollars spent to stage and execute this war are being taken away from our schools, hospitals, housing and Social Security; and Whereas, Bush's drive for war serves as a cover and distraction for the sinking economy, corporate corruption and layoffs; and Whereas, labor has had an historic role in fighting for justice; therefore ... We resolve that U.S. Labor Against the War stands firmly against Bush's war drive." For more information email: nyclaw01@excite.com And in the UK, two railroad operators have refused to drive a train loaded with ammunition destined for British forces being deployed in the Persian Gulf. The drivers, who seem to be the only ones at that location trained to move the freight along that route, have gummed up the whole works and their anti-war union, Aslef, is 100% behind them.

Vets And Soldiers Against War

Perhaps most important, those who will be most affected by war against Iraq -- military personnel -- are mobilizing against it. To commemorate the 12th anniversary of the beginning of the Gulf War, January 17, 1991, veterans and military families are holding a press conference this week to voice their opposition to war in Iraq.

Two organizations, Veterans for Common Sense (VCS) and Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), joined forces to assert their opposition to war against Iraq, and urge that President Bush "win without war by adhering to the UN process." As veterans who have seen the horrors of war up close, and family members of enlisted men and women who dread fighting this new war, they contend that absent a "smoking gun" or "clear and present danger," war with Iraq is neither necessary nor inevitable.

Hollywood Against War

Even Hollywood is getting in on the criticism of the war. "Artists for Winning Without War," a project of MoveOn.Org, pulled together an unlikely list of supporters for a strong antiwar statement. While Brittany Spears has yet to figure out where she stands, other mainstream actors and performers are standing behind the statement that war against Iraq, "will increase human suffering, arouse animosity toward our country, increase the likelihood of terrorist attacks, damage the economy, and undermine our moral standing in the world." Now let's see who wears an anti-war button on their haute couture at the Grammys.

Viggo Mortensen, the actor who plays Aragon (a.k.a. Strider) in the blockbuster Lord of the Rings trilogy, drew an analogy between the evil he battled on celluloid and the evil emanating from Washington in an interview with the Minneapolis Star and Tribune. He remarked that, "[Henry] Kissinger and [John] Ashcroft are servants of Sauron." We tend to agree. For those who have not read the trilogy or seen the movie, Sauron is the embodiment of evil and the creator of the all-powerful ring that the characters are trying to destroy.

Anti-war Republicans?

Yes, Anti War Republicans Republicans are also getting in on the anti-war act (or at least, the anti-this-war-act). The Wall Street Journal featured a full-page ad entitled "A Republican Dissent on Iraq" on Monday, January 13th. The signers supported the Gulf War, military action against Afghanistan, and accept the "logic of a just war," but warn, "a billion bitter enemies will rise out of this war." The ad, organized by Business Leaders for Sensible Priorities, is signed by over two dozen Republicans who gave financial support and votes to candidate Bush.

Clever Counter Demonstrators

Of course, not everyone is against war in Iraq. As the buses chug into Washington this weekend for the Anti-War protests, they will be met by a small group of counter-protestors who despite their abhorrent politics, have come up with this year's greatest acronym so far. MOVE-OUT (Marines And Other Veterans Engaging Outrageous Un-American Traitors).

Frida Berrigan is a Senior Research Associate at the Arms Trade Resource Center, a project of the World Policy Institute. She is also on the Executive Committee of the War Resisters League. She can be reached at berrigaf@newschool.edu.

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