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Robert Muller ON PEACE AND WAR AND THE UN

March 17, 2003 admin

I visited Robert Muller at his UN office — he was very visible at the time, and was a hero of mine whom I'd been championing in the ways I do. We made a great connection. He's not been in the public eye lately, but he was early in beautifully sounding the tone of oneness, and his doing it from a position high up at the UN (I think he was the number two person — the Under Secretary) was an astonishment.

DR. MULLER on PEACE & WAR & THE UN

By Lynne Twist

Dr. Robert Muller, former assistant secretary general of the United Nations, now Chancellor emeritus of the University of Peace in Costa Rica was one of the people who witnessed the founding of the U.N. and has worked in support of or inside the U.N. ever since. Recently he was in San Francisco to be honored for his service to the world through the U.N. and through his writings and teachings for peace.

At age eighty, Dr. Muller surprised, even stunned, many in the audience that day with his most positive assessment of where the world stands now regarding war and peace. I was there at the gathering and I myself was stunned by his remarks. What he said turned my head around and offered me a new way to see what is going on in the world. My synopsis of his remarks is below:

“I'm so honored to be here,” he said. “I'm so honored to be alive at such a miraculous time in history. I'm so moved by what's going on in our world today.”

(I was shocked. I thought — Where has he been? What has he been reading? Has he seen the newspapers? Is he senile? Has he lost it? What is he talking about?)

Dr. Muller proceeded to say, “Never before iN the history of the world has there been a global, visible, public, viable, open dialogue and conversation about the very legitimacy of war.”

The whole world is in now having this critical and historic dialogue — listening to all kinds of points of view and positions about going to war or not going to war. In a huge global public conversation the world is asking — “Is war legitimate? Is it illegitimate? Is there enough evidence to warrant an attack? Is there not enough evidence to warrant an attack? What will be the consequences? The costs? What will happen after a war? How will this set off other conflicts? What might be peaceful alternatives? What kind of negotiations are we not thinking of? What are the real intentions for declaring war?”

All of this, he noted, is taking place in the context of the United Nations Security Council, the body that was established in 1949 for exactly this purpose. He pointed out that it has taken us more than fifty years to realize that function, the real function of the U.N. And at this moment in history–the United Nations is at the center of the stage. It is the place where these conversations are happening, and it has become in these last months and weeks, the most powerful governing body on earth, the most powerful container for the world's effort to wage peace rather than war.

Dr. Muller was almost in tears in recognition of the fulfillment of this dream.

“We are not at war,” he kept saying. We, the world community, are WAGING peace. It is difficult, hard work. It is constant and we must not let up. It is working and it is an historic milestone of immense proportions. It has never happened before — never in human history — and it is happening now, every day, every hour, waging peace through a global conversation. He pointed out that the conversation questioning the validity of going to war has gone on for hours, days, weeks, months and now more than a year, and it may go on and on.

“We're in peacetime,” he kept saying. “Yes, troops are being moved. Yes, warheads are being lined up. Yes, the aggressor is angry and upset and spending a billion dollars a day preparing to attack. But not one shot has been fired. Not one life has been lost. There is no war. It's all a conversation.”

It is tense, it is tough, it is challenging, AND we are in the most significant and potent global conversation and public dialogue in the history of the world. This has not happened before on this scale ever before–not before WWI or WWII, not before Vietnam or Korea, this is new and it is a stunning new era of Global listening, speaking, and responViEtDeVtRiCksibility.

In the process, he pointed out, new alliances are being formed. Russia and China on the same side of an issue is an unprecedented outcome. France and Germany working together to wake up the world to a new way of seeing the situation. The largest peace demonstrations in the history of the world are taking place–and we are not at war! Most peace demonstrations in recent history took place when a war was already waging, sometimes for years, as in the case of Vietnam.

“So this,” he said, “is a miracle. This is what “waging peace ” looks like.” No matter what happens, history will record that this is a new era, And that the 21st century has been initiated with the world in a global dialogue looking deeply, profoundly and responsibly as a global community at the legitimacy of the actions of a nation that is desperate to go to war. Through these global peace-waging efforts, the leaders of that nation are being engaged in further dialogue, forcing them to rethink, and allowing all nations to participate in the serious and horrific decision to go to war or not.

Dr. Muller also made reference to a recent New York Times article that pointed out that up until now there has been just one superpower–the United States, and that that has created a kind of blindness in the vision of the U.S. But now, Dr. Muller asserts, there are two superpowers: the United States and the merging, surging voice of the people of the world. All around the world, people are waging peace. To Robert Muller, one of the great advocates of the United Nations, it is nothing short of a Miracle and it is working.

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Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences by Senator Robert Byrd

March 17, 2003 admin 33 Comments

Published on Wednesday, February 12, 2003 by CommonDreams.org

Reckless Administration May Reap Disastrous Consequences

by US Senator Robert ByrdSenate Floor Speech – Wednesday, February 12, 2003

To contemplate war is to think about the most horrible of human experiences. on this February day, as this nation stands at the brink of battle, every American on some level must be contemplating the horrors of war.

Yet, this Chamber is, for the most part, silent — ominously, dreadfully silent. There is no debate, no discussion, no attempt to lay out for the nation the pros and cons of this particular war. There is nothing.

We stand passively mute in the United States Senate, paralyzed by our own uncertainty, seemingly stunned by the sheer turmoil of events. only on the editorial pages of our newspapers is there much substantive discussion of the prudence or imprudence of engaging in this particular war.

And this is no small conflagration we contemplate. This is no simple attempt to defang a villain. No. This coming battle, if it materializes, represents a turning point in U.S. foreign policy and possibly a turning point in the recent history of the world.

This nation is about to embark upon the first test of a revolutionary doctrine applied in an extraordinary way at an unfortunate time. The doctrine of preemption — the idea that the United States or any other nation can legitimately attack a nation that is not imminently threatening but may be threatening in the future — is a radical new twist on the traditional idea of self defense. It appears to be in contravention of international law and the UN Charter. And it is being tested at a time of world-wide terrorism, making many countries around the globe wonder if they will soon be on our — or some other nation's — hit list. High level Administration figures recently refused to take nuclear weapons off of the table when discussing a possible attack against Iraq. What could be more destabilizing and unwise than this type of uncertainty, particularly in a world where globalism has tied the vital economic and security interests of many nations so closely together? There are huge cracks emerging in our time-honored alliances, and U.S. intentions are suddenly subject to damaging worldwide speculation. Anti-Americanism based on mistrust, misinformation, suspicion, and alarming rhetoric from U.S. leaders is fracturing the once solid alliance against global terrorism which existed after September 11.

Here at home, people are warned of imminent terrorist attacks with little guidance as to when or where such attacks might occur. Family members are being called to active military duty, with no idea of the duration of their stay or what horrors they may face. Communities are being left with less than adequate police and fire protection. Other essential services are also short-staffed. The mood of the nation is grim. The economy is stumbling. Fuel prices are rising and may soon spike higher.

This Administration, now in power for a little over two years, must be judged on its record. I believe that that record is dismal.

In that scant two years, this Administration has squandered a large projected surplus of some $5.6 trillion over the next decade and taken us to projected deficits as far as the eye can see. This Administration's domestic policy has put many of our states in dire financial condition, under funding scores of essential programs for our people. This Administration has fostered policies which have slowed economic growth. This Administration has ignored urgent matters such as the crisis in health care for our elderly. This Administration has been slow to provide adequate funding for homeland security. This Administration has been reluctant to better protect our long and porous borders.

In foreign policy, this Administration has failed to find Osama bin Laden. In fact, just yesterday we heard from him again marshaling his forces and urging them to kill. This Administration has split traditional alliances, possibly crippling, for all time, International order-keeping entities like the United Nations and NATO. This Administration has called into question the traditional worldwide perception of the United States as well-intentioned, peacekeeper. This Administration has turned the patient art of diplomacy into threats, labeling, and name calling of the sort that reflects quite poorly on the intelligence and sensitivity of our leaders, and which will have consequences for years to come.

Calling heads of state pygmies, labeling whole countries as evil, denigrating powerful European allies as irrelevant — these types of crude insensitivities can do our great nation no good. We may have massive military might, but we cannot fight a global war on terrorism alone. We need the cooperation and friendship of our time-honored allies as well as the newer found friends whom we can attract with our wealth. Our awesome military machine will do us little good if we suffer another devastating attack on our homeland which severely damages our economy. Our military manpower is already stretched thin and we will need the augmenting support of those nations who can supply troop strength, not just sign letters cheering us on.

The war in Afghanistan has cost us $37 billion so far, yet there is evidence that terrorism may already be starting to regain its hold in that region. We have not found bin Laden, and unless we secure the peace in Afghanistan, the dark dens of terrorism may yet again flourish in that remote and devastated land.

Pakistan as well is at risk of destabilizing forces. This Administration has not finished the first war against terrorism and yet it is eager to embark on another conflict with perils much greater than those in Afghanistan. Is our attention span that short? Have we not learned that after winning the war one must always secure the peace?

And yet we hear little about the aftermath of war in Iraq. In the absence of plans, speculation abroad is rife. Will we seize Iraq's oil fields, becoming an occupying power which controls the price and supply of that nation's oil for the foreseeable future? To whom do we propose to hand the reigns of power after Saddam Hussein?

Will our war inflame the Muslim world resulting in devastating attacks on Israel? Will Israel retaliate with its own nuclear arsenal? Will the Jordanian and Saudi Arabian governments be toppled by radicals, bolstered by Iran which has much closer ties to terrorism than Iraq?

Could a disruption of the world's oil supply lead to a world-wide recession? Has our senselessly bellicose language and our callous disregard of the interests and opinions of other nations increased the global race to join the nuclear club and made proliferation an even more lucrative practice for nations which need the income?

In only the space of two short years this reckless and arrogant Administration has initiated policies which may reap disastrous consequences for years.

One can understand the anger and shock of any President after the savage attacks of September 11. one can appreciate the frustration of having only a shadow to chase and an amorphous, fleeting enemy on which it is nearly impossible to exact retribution.

But to turn one's frustration and anger into the kind of extremely destabilizing and dangerous foreign policy debacle that the world is currently witnessing is inexcusable from any Administration charged with the awesome power and responsibility of guiding the destiny of the greatest superpower on the planet. Frankly many of the pronouncements made by this Administration are outrageous. There is no other word.

Yet this chamber is hauntingly silent. on what is possibly the eve of horrific infliction of death and destruction on the population of the nation of Iraq — a population, I might add, of which over 50% is under age 15 — this chamber is silent. on what is possibly only days before we send thousands of our own citizens to face unimagined horrors of chemical and biological warfare — this chamber is silent. on the eve of what could possibly be a vicious terrorist attack in retaliation for our attack on Iraq, it is business as usual in the United States Senate.

We are truly “sleepwalking through history.” In my heart of hearts I pray that this great nation and its good and trusting citizens are not in for a rudest of awakenings.

To engage in war is always to pick a wild card. And war must always be a last resort, not a first choice. I truly must question the judgment of any President who can say that a massive unprovoked military attack on a nation which is over 50% children is “in the highest moral traditions of our country”. This war is not necessary at this time. Pressure appears to be having a good result in Iraq. Our mistake was to put ourselves in a corner so quickly. Our challenge is to now find a graceful way out of a box of our own making. Perhaps there is still a way if we allow more time.

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Wade Frazier’s LINKSLETTER

February 26, 2003 admin

Wade Frazier, a very simpatico listmember, is doing something that I'm putting into a new “links” category on this site, “Unique Voices Making Sense of These Times.” A few words from Wade:

Until the underlying political-economic reality behind why there is no alternative energy is comprehended, we can have a million “bright ideas” and they will go nowhere. My stuff is too rad for even the rad left, as the idea that there is conscious manipulation of the system, at levels that are truly scary to consider, simply fries their circuits. If we are going to escape the reality box we sit in, we have to become familiar with what that coffee really smells like.
The thing that makes my work “radical” is that I have challenged nearly all the assumptions we have built our ideologies on. The capture and consumption of energy is the basis for all life on earth, which all human systems ride atop. All wars have been fought over economic issues. The ruling classes concoct religious, political, racial, and ethnic rationales to put noble veneers on mass murder. And the people fall for it because the game everybody is playing is that it is all about economics.
I made my site so people can be educated — or I “dis-educate” them by showing how shaky the conventional wisdom is. I may be directing some people at you who are trying to work with others on the big game, and could benefit from your “rabble-rousing.”
Bucky Fuller was saying a long time ago that politics is obsolete as a fundamental problem-solver. At best, politics is a janitor. Economics has always been in humanity's driver's seat, and energy runs that car. It probably cannot get clearer than this phony “war on terror,” which is all about securing energy and expanding imperial domination so even more energy can be secured.
The scarcity paradigm can come crashing down if enough of us care enough to make it happen. The inertia of humanity, and our dark path brethren who are trying to turn earth into a hell, are formidable obstacles, but I believe it can be done. When the scarcity paradigm collapses, a completely different humanity is going to appear. The answers to the most pressing problems are here, but nearly universally ignored, and those who say they seek the solutions are often the biggest obstacles to attaining them. It is very weird, even surreal.

I'm linking to Wade's Linksletter, a new name for what he's been doing in serving a small list with commentary that succinctly tracks the major ideas that are in play, into which he inserts urls to pieces on the Net. It's intended to do what this site is trying to do in “making sense of these times.”

For a sample, here was Wade's last commentary, without the urls so you easily can see the scope of what you could learn about by clicking through to the linked pieces. Wade's unusual in that his life experience has placed him at the center of many of the things making the news. Also unusual is that he sees beyond the wisdom of the radical left with an understanding of oneness that you rarely find in the political spectrum.

Linksletter #1 — without the urls (get them in Wade Frazier's Linksletter, column left)

February 24, 2003

Geov Parish [a much appreciated Featured Columnist in our last format….ST] is a fellow Seattleite, and his latest is about the war plans the U.S. has for Iraq which will make Hiroshima appear tame, with virtually nobody in the U.S. seeming to care.
Tom Tomorrow's latest is pretty hilarious. I link to some of the best political cartoonists on the Internet.
It is evident that Bush, Blair, Powell, Rumsfeld and the rest are lying at every turn. Blair's dossier on Iraq turned out to be plagiarized. Since every rationale Blair has invoked has collapsed, he is trying to conjure a moral reason for invading Iraq. There has not been a humanitarian invasion in world history. Whatever benefits have been derived by invasion have been unintended consequences. Oil is the main driving force behind invading Iraq, with some other complementary motivations, and it has been on the slate for a very long time.
One of the most cynical exercises in recent memory is Turkey holding out for an outright bribe in order to support the invasion of Iraq. Just today they accepted 15 billion dollars from the U.S. The Kurds are in deep trouble. This deal is very similar to the “cash register coalition” that the U.S. fabricated for the Gulf War of 1991.
John Pilger's new book shows how the U.S.-British “low intensity genocide” is devastating the Iraqi people. one aspect of the U.S. economic assault on Iraq is the collapse of its education system, once the Arab world's finest. The experience of Afghanistan after being “liberated” the U.S. gives a hint of what Iraq can expect.
Bush lies nearly every time he opens his mouth now. Powell's presentation at the U.N. is one of the more impressive cases of high level disinformation I have seen. Now, it appears as if Blair, Bush and friends are going to seize on Iraqi missiles that might go a few more miles than advertised as their rationale for invasion.
Here is the position of principled leftists on why invading Iraq should be avoided. The good news is that the public demonstrations of February 15, and other public efforts, are tarnishing the Bush image globally and are affecting the U.S. media. Bush is going full steam ahead before the resistance becomes too formidable.
The European politicians backing Bush are doing it in defiance of their citizenry, and Blair's days may be numbered. Some reporting on Blair receiving huge bribes is interesting.

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