MPJC Position on Peace and Justice Issues
2005
2006
2008
2009
The Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition is opposed to the military draft and supports the right of each person to follow his or her conscience in the event of war.
Furthermore, we are opposed to the economic or "back-door" draft that is currently in place. As funding for schools and universities decline, and unemployment rises--especially in communities of color-- military service is one of the only ways of securing a decent job or funding for higher education. We support the expansion of real job and educational opportunities for young people, including lowering the costs of higher education, expansion of scholarship programs, and job creation which will give them real non-military options.
At the same time, the coalition believes that there would be significant disincentives for going to war if a broad-based, gender-neutral, "auto-onset" draft were instituted, one which would be activated any time Congress authorized military aggression (as opposed to defense from attack). Such a draft would assure that politicians would think more seriously about the consequences of military aggression and the advantages of resolving conflict through diplomatic and legal means, and many more citizens would be motivated to consider the true impact of a decision to go to war and to express their opposition to such a decision.
MPJC Position on Withdrawal from Iraq
MPJC position on Withdrawal of troops from Iraq
The United States attacked Iraq without justification and now has a moral obligation to repair the damage it caused. Coalition members believe that the United States must withdraw its troops from Iraq immediately.
The last time we sampled the membership, there were a number of opinions about how soon to withdraw, depending on the UN or some other multinational force replacing US forces. At this point it is clear that the UN is not coming in; there is already a civil war going on, and the presence of US troops is exacerbating it. The reality check of more US soldiers coming home in body bags and even more of them coming home "alive" minus an arm, or a leg, or a face, in addition to the mounting Iraqi casualties, either caused directly by US military action or by the terrorist attacks that are a direct result of our military adventurism there, has caused MPJC to rethink its previous position.
In all likelihood there will be dangers to Iraqis when the United States pulls out, but they will be far less than the dangers they will face if US troops are not withdrawn. Iraq cannot make progress while it is occupied by the United States.
After three years of war and twelve years of sanctions, the United States has a moral obligation to restore the homes and infrastructure that have been destroyed, but the rebuilding can only begin after the dust settles and the smoke clears. The first step is to get the troops out\u2014NOW!
Torture is never justified, because torture is both immoral and unreliable.
It is immoral because it licenses people to do into others what they would never want done to themselves. Soldiers are trained to think of the enemy as less than human so they can kill without hesitation or remorse. The same mind set encourages an interrogator to act inhumanely.
It is unreliable because a suspect will not necessarily provide correct information or a valid confession under torture but merely whatever the victim imagines the torturer wants to hear. In the oft-cited case of the ticking time bomb, even a culpable suspect can lead investigators on a series of wild goose chases by naming false locations. The torture scenario also usually presupposes the guilt of a suspect without due process. Many an innocent person has been tortured in the name of judicial expediency.
MPJC Position on Nuclear
Disarmament and Nuclear Power
See also http://www.warresisters.org/Reviving_Resistance.pdf
1. Nuclear Disarmament
The Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition rejects any development, testing and use of nuclear weapons. We demand that the Oakridge, TN, nuclear weapons facility stop refurbishing and resume dismantling all our nuclear warheads. It is dangerous and hypocritical for the U.S. to maintain a nuclear weapons stockpile while insisting that the rest of the world disarm. We demand that our government accept resposibility for its serious contamination of earth and water by cleaning up any and all waste from nuclear weapons development facilities.
2. Use of Depleted Uranium
Depleted Uranium (DU) is what is left after U-235 is extracted from uranium ore. It is very heavy and is used to coat armor-piercing shells and other ordnance. When the ordnance explodes, the DU vaporizes and is ingested by the military on both sides and by civilians. It is thought to be responsible for Gulf War Syndrome and the high incidence of lung cancer and birth defects in the regions where it was used (Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Puerto Rico, and the Balkans).
Because the contamination from storage and use of DU lasts virtually forever, the Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition calls for immediate cessation of the mining and processing of uranium ore and sealed storage of weapons containing DU as well as other DU waste.
3. Nuclear Power
The Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition rejects the use of conventional fusion nuclear power for electricity production or propulsion of land, sea, air, and space vehicles. Far from being a source of clean, cheap energy, "dirty" radiation is produced all along the production and operation cycle , and the high level waste from spent fuel rods and decommissioned reactors will be hazardous for hundreds of thousands of years. Scientists have shown that nuclear power will not prevent climate change from global warming.
MPJC encourages its members and others to reduce their consumption of fossil-fuel energy by walking or riding bicycles instead of driving, and avoiding the use of electricity whenever possible. In addition we encourage the greatly increased use of renewable solar, wind, and water electricity generation and recommend that electric companies allow individual home solar arrays and wind turbines to be connected directly to the grid to save money, to reduce dependence on non-renewable electricity sources, and to help democratize the local means of energy generation.
The MPJC feels that the basic right to vote, while still strong in this country, is being faced with numerous challenges. After the controversy in Florida during the 2000 presidential vote and in Ohio during the 2004 presidential vote many new regulations were implemented to help prevent voter fraud and other irregularities. We must ensure that any steps taken to protect the integrity of the voting system do not infringe on the rights of the poor, of minorities, and for anyone who does not have a photo id. We must also ensure that our elections are not influenced by the party in power, corporate interests, and intimidation by poll workers. While the new voter I.D. laws both in Indiana and the ones proposed on a national basis do provide some protection against fraud, they cause a larger problem by instituting a "poll tax" in the form of a charge for an acceptable form of I.D. We must work to make the polls accessible to all who wish to participate on election day without undue complications or discouraging measures. The voting system must be accountable for all votes cast. Steps that could encourage greater turnout would be the institution of election day as a national holiday, which would give everyone ample opportunity to go to the polls, a longer election period, and instant runoff voting.
MPJC Position on War Tax Resistance - Revised February, 2010
End the War – Stop Paying for it!
For over eight years peace activists have voted, lobbied, marched, and taken direct action to first prevent and then end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Courageous soldiers have refused to fight the wars. But, still the wars go on and still we/they pay for it. Congress repeatedly votes to appropriate billions of dollars to continue the wars. War tax resistance is no less futile than the efforts of peace activists mentioned above and quite to the point. It is one more way to raise consciousness. It's time for taxpayers who oppose this war to join together in nonviolent civil disobedience and show Congress how to cut off the funds for this war and redirect resources to the pressing needs of people. This can be done by refusing to pay some or all of our federal income taxes. Fifty percent of these taxes are used to fund the military, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. http://www.warresisters.org/federalpiechart
Resistance begins with your W4 and 1040!
Michiana Peace and Justice Coalition endorses the War Tax Boycott "Withhold from War / Pay for Peace," initiated by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee (NWTRCC), and supports any of its members who participate in this boycott. More information about the campaign as well as a registration form is available at www.nwtrcc.org. There is a pdf version of FAQ about why folks who work for peace don't do war tax resistance at http://www.nwtrcc.org/why-isn't-rick.pdf
This campaign to boycott and redirect war taxes was launched in September 2007 as Congress began its consideration of a Bush Administration request for an additional $190 billion appropriation for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is still in effect. It was begun in the fall, ahead of tax season, so that those who wanted to refuse to pay for war could explore the options, decide what to do, and prepare to resist well before 2007 taxes were due. The campaign is being promoted by peace activists around the country. To engage in war tax resistance, it is important to adjust your W4 in the beginning of the year so you will owe taxes when you fill out your 1040. See www.nwtrcc.org/practical1.html
Refusing to pay taxes because of war is an act of civil disobedience, but it also provides the opportunity to use that money for positive, healing, and rebuilding programs. War tax boycott participants were encouraged to redirect their resisted taxes to a project providing health care among Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria (this organization went out of business at the end of 2009), a health care center in New Orleans providing free care to survivors of Katrina www.commongroundclinic.org, or to a humanitarian project of their own choosing. (One of our MPJC members is directing a program to help Iraq refugees get a college education in the U.S. - www.iraqistudentproject.org)
MPJC Position on Withdrawal from Afghanistan
The United States attacked Afghanistan in the wake of the 9/11/2001 attack on the twin towers, after the Taliban refused or was unable to turn over the al Qaida leadership to the UN, and now the U.S. has a moral obligation to repair the damage it caused. MPJC believed in 2001 that the correct policy was to use police forces to bring the leaders of Al Qaida to justice, not start a war of revenge on an entire country. Coalition members still believe that the United States must set an early deadline (a few months) to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. Civilians who would be in imminent danger of death should be evacuated as well. In addition to withdrawal of troops, the U.S. must stop the use of remote controlled Predator drones to do its killing.
In all likelihood there will be dangers to Afghanis when the United States pulls out. The Taliban is likely to regain control of the country and reinstitute severe social practices. The situation for women which has improved marginally since 2001 would likely deteriorate. MPJC is deeply concerned about the suffering of Afghanis both now and after the withdrawal, but believes that it is the responsibility of Afghan citizens, not the U.S. or the world community, to bring about changes in their government and way of life nonviolently.
The following quote has been taken from the National Priorities Project website page – The Cost of War in Afghanistan(www.nationalpriorities.org). The legitimacy of the Afghan government per the October 2009 elections is more open to question than ever before.
“Today the Kabul government is losing support among the Afghan people. The Taliban and other insurgent groups are gaining recruits because there is neither basic security nor jobs. Corruption and an unwillingness to address human rights abuses have undermined support for the government. The behavior of foreign troops has often violated cultural norms and created fear and humiliation. Practices like night raids, use of drones and aerial bombardments tend to increase support for insurgents. As the conflict widens, meager education and health services become even more limited. People in Afghanistan have consistently called for basic services, food, civilian rule of law and healthy institutions that can be trusted. As one of the poorest countries on earth, Afghanistan will continue to need aid and outside investment for years to come.”
After eight years of war, the United States has a moral obligation to restore the homes and infrastructure that have been destroyed, but the rebuilding can only begin after the foreign troops have departed and their bases have been dismantled. We acknowledge that the Taliban is unlikely to be receptive to any aid for rebuilding from the U.S., but believe that continued presence of coalition troops is steadily drawing more support for the Taliban, making it more likely that the Afghanis will welcome the Taliban when the inevitable withdrawal occurs. The first step is to get the troops out.
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