Peace

The terrorist attacks of September 11 took thousands of innocent lives; women and men of all races, nationalities, classes, and faiths. Those responsible for this crime against humanity must be brought to justice. But these attacks did more than kill, they created a dangerous atmosphere in the world. Now the US government is unleashing its own terror on the rest of the world in the name of making the world safe.

What if there was a war and no one showed up? Imagine that working class Americans refused to fight to advance President Bush\'s imperialist objectives. Imagine that those who keep America running refused to make or ship the implements of war. Imagine workers stopping business as usual to halt the US war machine. Imagine if a coalition of left and center forces could be organized into a mass peace movement. Bringing organized labor into the movement can help make this a reality.

Dynamic: Can you tell us how the idea came about to visit Ramallah?

Keren: I was in the Palestine Solidarity Society at Sussex University. We are part of a network of Palestine solidarity campaigns all around Britain, and we decided to actually go to Palestine. We were going to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, which have experienced brutal repression since the beginning of this uprising.

Dynamic: What are the main problems facing the Palestinian people, and what are the solutions?

Wail: The occupation is the main problem for both the Palestinian and Israeli people. Israel must completely end the occupation and Israel must implement all UN resolutions related to the issue of occupation, especially #242, #338 and #194

When I arrived at the meeting place uptown, it was still dark. There were several people lined up or sitting on benches at 125th Street in Harlem - older folks of color, children in strollers. I approached the corner, video camera on my back, feeling the strange combination of simultaneous excitement and exhaustion. Tired because I woke up at 4 a.m. after a long day and week of work. Excited because I was on my way to Washington, D.C., for what would surely be the largest demonstration I had ever attended.

Since the inception of its �War on Terrorism�, the Bush Administration has been signaling that it plans to invade Iraq to bring about a regime change, that is, the overthrow of the government of a sovereign state. Oblivious to any criticism, the administration has recently stated that it plans to carry out this mission, even if it means that the United States will be acting contrary to the wishes of every other nation in the world.

It is increasingly clear that the Bush Administration is dead set on invading Iraq and overthrowing Saddam Hussein despite U.S. and international law, domestic or foreign opposition. This new
escalation of thewar on terroris is the most dangerous step yet by the Bush administration, which has put the world closer to global conflict than at any time in a generation.