[185] in libertarians
Stop the War in Haiti Campaign?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Vernon Imrich)
Mon Sep 12 14:42:14 1994
Date: Mon, 12 Sep 94 14:39:54 -0400
From: vimrich@flying-cloud.mit.edu (Vernon Imrich)
To: libertarians@MIT.EDU
Cc: counterpoint@MIT.EDU, safe@MIT.EDU, sppm@MIT.EDU, thistle@MIT.EDU
This is a "trial balloon" message to several politically
oriented groups at the MIT campus. With the war hawk
rhetoric now flowing fast from Washington, it appears as
if a US led invasion of Haiti may now be a foregone
conclusion. It is my belief that this is a totally
inapropriate reaction to a difficult situation. Frankly,
I am stunned that the Democrats, who for years championed
the cause of "US out of Central America," now seem all
to eager to get us right back in. I think they need to
re-examine the lessons of El Salvador, Nicaragua, Grenada
and countless other military interventionist policies.
They will not do this, however, if we do not remind them.
Therefore, I was wondering what the interest would be
in starting a "Stop the War" or "Stop the Impending War"
coalition. Depending on our numbers we could do everything
from letter writing efforts, to full fledged anti-war
rallies. We could have a unique impact in Cambridge as
Joe Kennedy, the US Rep from Cambridge is very involved in
the Haitian policy issues. If we act now, we may be able to
prevent the great loss of life -- both Haitian and US -- in
the resolution of this conflict. If we act too late, we
will get caught up in the "support the troops" knee-jerk
patriotism and have no chance for impact.
Here is a possible agenda for such a coalition (in order of feasability):
1) Write a resolution condemning any military invasion and/or
intervention of Haiti, perhaps to include an equally
strong condemnation of the current Haitian regime. We could also
include possible non-military solutions to the situation.
2) Circulate this resloution (via e-mail, in person, etc.)
to get people to sign on, pledge support, etc.
2-a) Do a postering campaign detailing the terrible costs of military
action (including some figures from the recent Gulf War
and/or other actions).
3) Mail the resolutions and show of support to Rep Kennedy, and possibly to
others including the MA congressional delegation, and even the
White House, detailing our opposition to the action.
4) Reach out to other campuses to do the same.
4-a) Reach out to local (non-student) anti-war groups? "Get the snowball
rolling."
5) Organize rallies, marches, demonstrations.
6) Other???
I know a lot of us disagree on things, and even have differing reasons
to oppose this action. But whether it is "stop US Imperialism" or
"stop Clinton's shameless attempt to garner votes" or "stop military
solutions to political disputes" we CAN agree on the need to prevent
a war. Indeed, disparate philosophies from across the political
spectrum united in their opposition to this action could be a powerfully
compelling statement.
Comments? Suggestions?
Vernon Imrich
