“Voting is civic hygiene – both essential and insufficient. And voting alone has never been enough to protect anything – least of all the vote itself.” – (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Dear Friends,
I first saw the photo above in an article by our colleague Bruce Gagnon, coordinator of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space; it is an image I have never forgotten. I can only hope that this boat, and all the refugees onboard, found a safe shore on which to land. Humanity, of course, does not have any lifeboats – no magic escape pods. There is no one on another shore waiting to give us refuge.
This beautiful planet we call home is not only all we have, but it also contains everything we need for everyone’s existence. Yet, the lust for power and wealth drives a system that destroys our fragile planet, and marginalizes and uses those with less (or no) power to realize the selfish ends of those in power. It colonizes not only the lands it invades, but also the minds of those it needs to control in order to keep the system working for the benefit of the few.
As Vaclav Havel describes it, “Because the regime is captive to its own lies, it must falsify everything. It falsifies the past. It falsifies the present, and it falsifies the future. It falsifies statistics… It pretends to respect human rights. It pretends to persecute no one. It pretends to fear nothing. It pretends to pretend nothing” (quoted in Engaging the Powers, by Walter Wink).
In the United States, we are seeing the madness of, and the devastation wrought by this system that has been built on our own shores over hundreds of years. Only now the unbridled fear, hatred and greed that drives President Trump, as well as the vast majority of the Republican Party that marches in lockstep with his lunatic fancies, is pushing our nation (and perhaps all of humanity) towards the precipice.
That anyone would even try to argue that systemic racism does not exist in our nation is absurd. Yet racism does not exist in a vacuum; it is just one of four massive, intersecting, and existential challenges to human security – Patriarchy, Capitalism, Militarism and Racism.
While our nation is focused on the Coronavirus and Racial Injustice – both of which are issues of major importance – the machinations of the Military-Industrial Complex continue to grind forward like a perpetual motion machine. We squander our treasure, both financial and human, on the false god of National Security; we have totally lost sight of what real national security looks like – a nation in which people have (including, but not limited to) decent shelter, food security, education, physical and mental health care, decent paying jobs, a safe and healthy environment (safe food, clean air and water), safe infrastructure, and feel safe and secure both in their homes and in public.
All of that is falling apart at the seams. Trump continues to eviscerate policies, laws and treaties attributed not only to President Obama, but also to previous presidents, both Democrat and Republican. Trump continues to pull our nation out of treaties meant to avoid violent conflict (and particularly the probability of nuclear war), creating an unstable world that is now moving closer to the precipice, I believe, than at any time in history. He quite simply is actively working to tear our nation apart at the seams.
We must stop this madness, and sadly the only hope We The People have right now is to vote Trump out of office (and that will be just a beginning). Only then can we begin the long and difficult process of repairing the tremendous damage already done, and working to reimagine this experiment we know as the United States of America, and build it into something worthy of being called a democracy.
Trump has continually refused to agree to accept the potential outcome of this November’s election. Beyond that, he has engaged in a massive misinformation campaign, questioning the legitimacy of voting by mail, a method crucial to citizens casting votes in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Trump is is actively, and blatantly, threatening a free and fair election. Therefore, we all need to stay focused on maintaining a strong, robust election process, as well as being prepared for whatever may happen.
So PLEASE VOTE, and URGE EVERYONE ELSE TO VOTE.
Please remind others of the importance of voting. People can find out how to register to vote (in any state) at VOTE.ORG.
Choose Democracy! Take the pledge to commit to mass resistance to expand and protect democracy.
Read 10 things you need to know to stop a coup at Waging Nonviolence.
Check out the Counter-coup unarmed community organizing resource list at Voices for Creative Nonviolence.
Movements Matter!!! Read this New York Times opinion piece, Don’t Believe the Lie That Voting Is All You Can Do: Stop minimizing the work of movements.
Attend the online training workshop “Beyond Marches & Rallies: Nonviolent Action to Protect an Election” with Rivera Sun. The Mike Yarrow Peace Fellowship is hosting this event, cosponsored with the Seattle Fellowship of Reconciliation chapter.
Check out the video of the recent webinar on defending democracy. Nonviolence International, Beautiful Trouble, BlackOUT Collective, and OR Books presented: “Democracy Defense: Advice from Activists Around the World.” This interactive webinar featured presentations by scholars and activists who took part in people power defense of democracy and elections.
We will be watching developments closely up to, and beyond, election day, and will share these and additional opportunities for nonviolent action on our Take Action page.
The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) called out the system comprised of the Quadruplets of Patriarchy, Capitalism, Militarism and Racism on WILPF’s 100-year anniversary (2015): “All rely on violence and together produce militarism, war, and other forms of violence… Patriarchy and violent masculinities predispose societies to militarism, war, and violence. Racism creates fear of ‘the other,’ which helps create a ‘need’ for militarism. Capitalism generates inequality, fostering violence and conflict.”
It is high time to call out this violent system for what it is and who it benefits, and to break down the archaic structures and build something for a better future for ALL of humanity. Together, we are strong!
On behalf of Ground Zero Center,
Leonard Eiger
Editor’s Note: This message was originally sent to Ground Zero supporters via the GZNonviolence E-News. You can sign up to receive these occasional messages, calls to action, and announcements by clicking here. Thank you for supporting our work.
