RedCeltic
18th October 2001, 16:06
I clipped this from my party's web site (SP-USA) This statement was passed by the National Convention Oct/12/01
We can not allow our collective shock at the recent events in New York and Washington to be used as an opportunity to further militarize U.S. society. The Socialist Party rejects terrorism of any sort, whether undertaken by state agencies or paramilitary organizations. Terrorism, that is the deliberate use of violence against civilians, can never be justified. It can only lead to an unending spiral of attack and counterattack. We oppose the bombing of Afghanistan and the launching of commando raids within that country. From Dresden to Vietnam to the Persian Gulf, the United States has consistently demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the lives and welfare of innocent civilians. The bombing raids inside of Afghanistan are yet another instance in this recurring pattern. The Socialist Party opposes any acts of retribution that are aimed at any other countries suspected of giving aid and sanctuary to those responsible for the recent attacks. The individuals involved in planning and aiding these attacks must be held accountable for their actions. This should be undertaken through international agencies, rather than by the unilateral actions of the United States.
In our efforts to gain greater security in the future, it is essential that we defend our civil liberties. The current law permitting the federal government to hold those suspected of serious crimes for an indefinite period as "material witnesses" must be repealed. This provision has enabled government prosecutors to circumvent constitutional guarantees of a fair and speedy trial.
The Socialist Party also rejects racial profiling and ethnic stereotyping. Most Arab-Americans, and indeed most Moslems around the world, deplore the recent events. They should not become the convenient scapegoat for the fear and anger that we all feel.
The corporate controlled media has deliberately whipped up war hysteria. Dissident voices are marginalized, while the mass media present an endless series of commentators shrilly repeating the call for vengeance. We need an alternative media that can open the political discourse to those who challenge the established powers and call for peace not war. The recent tragedy has provided the administration and Congress with a further rationale to greatly increase military spending. Our security as Americans will not be secured by even more missiles and fighter planes. The United States already spends far more on arms than any other country. The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington were not prevented by our immense arsenal of weapons. We need to institute an immediate cut of 50% in the military budget, and we need to use the hundreds of billions of dollars thus saved for vital domestic social services and for humanitarian aid to those in less developed countries.
We also need to confront the unpleasant reality that the United States is hated and feared in much of the world. U.S. foreign policy has been designed to prop up brutal dictatorships, while undermining movements for social reform. Decisions have been made for short-run strategic advantage, with no consideration given to the long-run implications of these policies. Afghanistan has become the primary target for U.S. military operations. There can be little doubt that the Taliban faction that controls most of Afghanistan has shielded some of those responsible for the recent attacks. The Taliban has also imposed one of the most reactionary and dictatorial regimes in the world, based on violence and the oppression of women. Yet the Taliban came to power with weapons provided to Afghan guerrilla units by the United States. Indeed, the CIA found it useful to arm Islamic fundamentalist forces against Soviet occupation troops, although the Agency knew of the reactionary held by the fundamentalists. The Northern Alliance, the current recipient of U.S. military aid, is nothing more than a regional coalition of warlords, notorious for their corruption and their contempt for democratic and human rights.
U.S. foreign policy has had a devastating impact throughout the world, but the impact on the Middle East is of special relevance to the recent tragedy. The United States has aided corrupt regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, allowing a tiny elite to waste billions of dollars in lavish spending. U.S. decision makers have looked favorably on these regimes as friendly allies willing to protect the interests of U.S. oil companies. For more than a decade, the United States has imposed a crushing blockade on Iraq. Yet Saddam Hussein had been viewed as an ally until the invasion of Kuwait. The U.S. blockade has lasted for a decade, causing the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, many of them children and the elderly.
The confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians has been the flash point for conflict in the region. The Israeli government's attacks on Palestinian civilians have been met with terror attacks on Jewish civilians by Hamas and other paramilitary organizations. This conflict will not be resolved by violence. We condemn the use of terror by both sides, and we call for Israel to immediately withdraw from the Occupied Territories.
The Socialist Party will continue to work toward a new and very different foreign policy, one based on promoting social justice and democracy rather than corporate profits and short-lived strategic interests. In the Middle East, we call for an immediate end to the blockade of Iraq and the cessation of all aid to Israel and the termination of military aid to all Middle Eastern countries.
In Washington, both Democrats and Republicans have rushed to embrace a military response. This is hardly new. U.S. foreign policy has been based on a bipartisan consensus since 1941. We need a very different political system where dissident voices, including that of democratic socialism, can be heard. It is high time that those opposed to militarism break with both of the corporate parties.
We need to also address the connections between the globalization of the capitalist market economy and the current crisis. The growing gap between rich and poor both within the United States and around the world fuels the desperation that drives the fundamentalist fervor of bin Laden and his associates.
Throughout the peace movement there is a call for a radically different alternative society. This is a call that we share. It is our firm belief that the creation of a just and humane society can not occur as long as a few gigantic corporations control much of the world's resources. Only a democratic socialist transformation of the United States and the other wealthy countries can provide the basis for a new world without war and injustice.
The Socialist Party remains committed to its century long opposition to U.S. military interventions around the world. We will work with others to build a strong, vital grass-roots movement to oppose the current drift toward war and toward the militarization of American society.
(Edited by RedCeltic at 11:07 am on Oct. 18, 2001)
We can not allow our collective shock at the recent events in New York and Washington to be used as an opportunity to further militarize U.S. society. The Socialist Party rejects terrorism of any sort, whether undertaken by state agencies or paramilitary organizations. Terrorism, that is the deliberate use of violence against civilians, can never be justified. It can only lead to an unending spiral of attack and counterattack. We oppose the bombing of Afghanistan and the launching of commando raids within that country. From Dresden to Vietnam to the Persian Gulf, the United States has consistently demonstrated a flagrant disregard for the lives and welfare of innocent civilians. The bombing raids inside of Afghanistan are yet another instance in this recurring pattern. The Socialist Party opposes any acts of retribution that are aimed at any other countries suspected of giving aid and sanctuary to those responsible for the recent attacks. The individuals involved in planning and aiding these attacks must be held accountable for their actions. This should be undertaken through international agencies, rather than by the unilateral actions of the United States.
In our efforts to gain greater security in the future, it is essential that we defend our civil liberties. The current law permitting the federal government to hold those suspected of serious crimes for an indefinite period as "material witnesses" must be repealed. This provision has enabled government prosecutors to circumvent constitutional guarantees of a fair and speedy trial.
The Socialist Party also rejects racial profiling and ethnic stereotyping. Most Arab-Americans, and indeed most Moslems around the world, deplore the recent events. They should not become the convenient scapegoat for the fear and anger that we all feel.
The corporate controlled media has deliberately whipped up war hysteria. Dissident voices are marginalized, while the mass media present an endless series of commentators shrilly repeating the call for vengeance. We need an alternative media that can open the political discourse to those who challenge the established powers and call for peace not war. The recent tragedy has provided the administration and Congress with a further rationale to greatly increase military spending. Our security as Americans will not be secured by even more missiles and fighter planes. The United States already spends far more on arms than any other country. The terrorist attacks in New York and Washington were not prevented by our immense arsenal of weapons. We need to institute an immediate cut of 50% in the military budget, and we need to use the hundreds of billions of dollars thus saved for vital domestic social services and for humanitarian aid to those in less developed countries.
We also need to confront the unpleasant reality that the United States is hated and feared in much of the world. U.S. foreign policy has been designed to prop up brutal dictatorships, while undermining movements for social reform. Decisions have been made for short-run strategic advantage, with no consideration given to the long-run implications of these policies. Afghanistan has become the primary target for U.S. military operations. There can be little doubt that the Taliban faction that controls most of Afghanistan has shielded some of those responsible for the recent attacks. The Taliban has also imposed one of the most reactionary and dictatorial regimes in the world, based on violence and the oppression of women. Yet the Taliban came to power with weapons provided to Afghan guerrilla units by the United States. Indeed, the CIA found it useful to arm Islamic fundamentalist forces against Soviet occupation troops, although the Agency knew of the reactionary held by the fundamentalists. The Northern Alliance, the current recipient of U.S. military aid, is nothing more than a regional coalition of warlords, notorious for their corruption and their contempt for democratic and human rights.
U.S. foreign policy has had a devastating impact throughout the world, but the impact on the Middle East is of special relevance to the recent tragedy. The United States has aided corrupt regimes such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, allowing a tiny elite to waste billions of dollars in lavish spending. U.S. decision makers have looked favorably on these regimes as friendly allies willing to protect the interests of U.S. oil companies. For more than a decade, the United States has imposed a crushing blockade on Iraq. Yet Saddam Hussein had been viewed as an ally until the invasion of Kuwait. The U.S. blockade has lasted for a decade, causing the deaths of
hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians, many of them children and the elderly.
The confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians has been the flash point for conflict in the region. The Israeli government's attacks on Palestinian civilians have been met with terror attacks on Jewish civilians by Hamas and other paramilitary organizations. This conflict will not be resolved by violence. We condemn the use of terror by both sides, and we call for Israel to immediately withdraw from the Occupied Territories.
The Socialist Party will continue to work toward a new and very different foreign policy, one based on promoting social justice and democracy rather than corporate profits and short-lived strategic interests. In the Middle East, we call for an immediate end to the blockade of Iraq and the cessation of all aid to Israel and the termination of military aid to all Middle Eastern countries.
In Washington, both Democrats and Republicans have rushed to embrace a military response. This is hardly new. U.S. foreign policy has been based on a bipartisan consensus since 1941. We need a very different political system where dissident voices, including that of democratic socialism, can be heard. It is high time that those opposed to militarism break with both of the corporate parties.
We need to also address the connections between the globalization of the capitalist market economy and the current crisis. The growing gap between rich and poor both within the United States and around the world fuels the desperation that drives the fundamentalist fervor of bin Laden and his associates.
Throughout the peace movement there is a call for a radically different alternative society. This is a call that we share. It is our firm belief that the creation of a just and humane society can not occur as long as a few gigantic corporations control much of the world's resources. Only a democratic socialist transformation of the United States and the other wealthy countries can provide the basis for a new world without war and injustice.
The Socialist Party remains committed to its century long opposition to U.S. military interventions around the world. We will work with others to build a strong, vital grass-roots movement to oppose the current drift toward war and toward the militarization of American society.
(Edited by RedCeltic at 11:07 am on Oct. 18, 2001)