http://www.unitedforpeace.org/article.php?id=1871

United for Peace and Justice Unity Statement

Adopted as a work in progress at the June 2003 United for Peace and Justice National Strategy Conference

We, the members of United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ), stand opposed to the "pre-emptive" wars of aggression waged by the Bush administration; we reject its drive to expand U.S. control over other nations and strip us of our rights at home under the cover of fighting terrorism and spreading democracy; we say NO to its use of war and racism to concentrate power in the hands of the few, at home and abroad.

We come together to turn the tide, to overwhelm war with peace, and oppression with justice. We hold that sovereign nations have the right to determine their own future, free from the threat of "pre-emptive attacks" and "regime change," military occupation, and outside control of their economic resources. We call for new foreign and domestic policies based on the peaceful resolution of disputes amongst states; respect for national sovereignty, international law, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; the defense and extension of basic democratic freedoms to all; social and economic justice; and the use of public spending to meet human and environmental needs.

We seek to build a broad mass movement for peace and justice composed of all who are threatened by the new war program. We envision UFPJ as a movement-building coalition that coordinates and supports the work of existing groups and builds linkages and solidarity where none exist. We will link the wars abroad with the assaults at home, and U.S. militarism to the corporate economic interests it serves. We will work to make the peace movement a strong ally to movements for social and economic justice in the U.S. and abroad.

We will pay special attention in all aspects of our work to the inclusion and leadership of constituencies bearing the brunt of the war's impact at home, such as people of color, youth, women, and workers. We will be pro-active in addressing internal power dynamics within our movement, especially regarding issues of race, class, gender, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity, nationality, disability, cultural heritage, or ethnicity.

We will work for peace and justice through nonviolent means. We will strive to embody in our day-to-day work the values we espouse and the world we seek to build.

War and Empire: The Right-Wing Agenda and Why It's Urgent to Work for Peace and Justice

When the U.S. government invaded and occupied Iraq--though Iraq posed no imminent threat and had already been devastated by 12 years of punishing economic sanctions--it broke international law and defied world public opinion, killed thousands of Iraqi civilians and soldiers unnecessarily, treated U.S. soldiers as cannon fodder, and devastated Iraq's ancient cities and modern infrastructure.

The Bush administration sold the war by claiming war was necessary to prevent terror attacks, eliminate weapons of mass destruction, and liberate Iraq through "regime change." These were bold-faced lies and half-truths. Yet the corporate media and nearly all of the Democratic Party refused to challenge them. Now, with a colonial-style occupation underway, Washington is moving to place the reins of power in Iraq in U.S. hands, establish permanent military bases there, and shift control over Iraq's oil reserves and companies to foreign corporations.

George W. Bush has declared the war on Iraq officially over, but the threat posed by the U.S.' increasingly militaristic policies has only grown. It is now clear the war on Iraq was the leading edge of a relentless drive for U.S. empire. Exploiting the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration has sought to use aggressive military action to pursue a long-term agenda: to forcibly dominate the world and impose right-wing policies at home under the cover of fighting terrorism. This military strategy brutally reinforces the empire-building agenda of corporate globalization, which uses "free trade" policies to concentrate power and wealth in the hands of a few by attacking labor and environmental protections, reducing governments' control over their country's economies, and slashing public services. This reckless pursuit of empire is endangering the lives and rights of people abroad and at home.

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