THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD
For
nearly 20 years I have been active in various social movements for peace, social
justice and ecological preservation. Publishing, writing and editing in various
forms have been part of this work along with organising to resist oppressive
government actions and lead to changes in policy. My involvement began with
the struggle to prevent the construction of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
on Long Island (the plant was completed, but never put into use). It deepened
with President Carter's call for the reintroduction of draft registration in
1980. My decision to refuse to register and ultimately to speak out publicly
about that decision was a key point in my young life. Connected with it came
a decision to devote my energies to working for a world of peace and justice,
even when it meant taking personal risks.
CONFRONTING MILITARISM
I believe that people of good will must speak out and act if we are to build a decent and humane world. Militarism threatens not only individual people and groups of people, but the entire future of our planet. I have acted to oppose militarism in many ways over the past 20+ years, often through nonviolent direct action.
1999 Kosovar Nonviolent Resistance Lacked International Support
2000 Nonviolent Resistance on Vieques
2002 War on Iraq and the Demise of Democracy
I was a 19 year-old college student when President Carter called for the reinstitution of draft registration. I hadn't thought much about war and the military, but as I listened to others and thought about the issue I quickly realised that I could not kill other people and wanted to stop others from doing so. I quickly became involved in efforts to resist this increased militarization. I have written a book about my experiences in the draft resistance movement, though no publisher has accepted my invitation to put it into print.
1984
Letter to the US Attorney
1984
Op Ed piece to Jewish newspapers
1985
Excerpts from Trial Testimony
1985
Statement before Sentencing
Viet Nam-era Draft Resistance Article
Hell No: Draft Resistance and the War
Resisters League
LINK:
WAR
TAX RESISTANCE
My
decision to refuse to offer my body for the military purposes of the U.S. government
led naturally to the position that I wouldn't contribute financially to those
same purposes. As a result I have refused to pay federal income tax, over 50%
of which has consistently gone to military programs. Instead, I calculate the
tax I owe (when I have earned above taxable income) and give away that amount
to groups working to make the world a better place.
2001 Article on War Tax Resistance
LINK:
National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
As
a Jew and someone committed to peace and justice for all peoples, I have long
been pained by Israel's denial of fundamental Palestinian human and national
rights. From the time that I marched with Palestinians in protest of the massacres
at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Israeli-controlled Southern Lebanon
in 1982, I have spoken out for the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
In the Spring of 1992 I had the opportunity to travel to Israel and Palestine
to meet with people concerned with peace and justice in both communities and
to help facilitate two workshops on nonviolent conflict resolution. I have continued
to speak out as a Jew for a just peace.
1992 Impressions & Reflections on a visit to Israel and Palestine
1996
Letter to the New York Times
Israel's Jubilee: A Time for Peace?
2001 Israel/Palestine Op Ed piece
2002 Support Israeli-Palestian Peace
Links:
Gush Shalom--an Israeli Peace Group whose perspective I share
Mumia Abu-Jamal, left, is currently on death row in Pennsylvania. Mumia is a journalist and activist whose trial was filled with errors. To learn more, or join the international campaign calling for a new trial, contact Free Mumia Abu-Jamal.
Letter to Representative, 1995
An American Gulag: Indiana's Super-Max Prisons
A
Different View on Violent Offenders
LINK:
OPPRESSION ISSUES
I
have tried to weave an understanding of oppression--race, class, gender, sexual
orientation, religion, etc.--into all of my work and writings. I believe that
oppression is at the core of most violence and that these issues must be confronted
if we are to create a world of peace and justice. Living in St. Kitts, a predominantly
Black nation, heightened my understanding of the complex issues of race.
1992
Letter to Cortland Standard on racism
1993 Letter to Cortland Standard on racism
1996 Letter to the New York Times on economic inequality
1998 Letter about Gay/Lesbian Teachers
2000 Support Native American Land Claims
2001 Other Native Land Claims Have Been Settled
