We are living in the new age of endless war, endless suffering and endless spending in the service of destruction.
This new age has seen the US urgently wage war in other countries to rebuild those nations while America’s infrastructure rots and its citizenry grows more cynical, unhealthy and divided. The notion of rebuilding America first stands no chance when the constant talk of war consumes our political and popular mindset, and meaningful dialogue about peace doesn’t exist. Talking about peace, demanding peace is patriotic. No foreign entanglements is one of the most basic and fundamental principles upon which this country was founded.
In just the past few weeks, we have again witnessed how easy it is to go to war. We witnessed how the military-industrial complex needs to feed its hunger for power with war-without-end. And we witnessed how powerless we can be made to feel when the decision to kill and destroy is made in the name of protecting our freedoms.
There is a degree of public angst over this state of endless war, but not nearly enough. There is hardly a whisper in the halls of Congress calling for the US to stand down. The old guard is too entrenched. There are a few peace rallies here and there, but none with the vigor and purpose needed to enact change.
“Build communities, not nations”
On September 20, 2015, the Trends Research Institute will launch Occupy Peace, a movement designed to reinstate the core values that gave birth to this nation and to provide the tools for advancing peace. The roots of this movement will take hold at the heart of the oldest intersection in the country. At the corners of Crown and John streets in Kingston, New York, stand four magnificent pre-Revolutionary War structures. The institute and its affiliates are run from three of them; the fourth structure is a county-run museum.
These buildings stand in the shadow of the Kingston Courthouse, constructed in 1789. The courthouse and earlier buildings on the site (since 1683) were the scene of critical episodes in the founding of the nation and the writing of the United States Constitution. There is no more meaningful and inspiring location at which to replant the seeds of true democracy than here; no better place to resample our moral and constitutional DNA than here.
At noon Sunday, September 20, with the support of Kingston Mayor Shayne Gallo, Gerald Celente and invited guests will use this historic setting to reinforce the principles that founded the country. Attendees gathered on these historic streets will learn the steps they can take in their communities to demand that peace, not endless war, drive the agendas of their elected officials.
“What I hope can be taken from this event is that we must build communities, not nations,” says Gallo. “We spend blood and treasure in the name of building and rebuilding other nations, but our communities are neglected.”
Celente and a hand-picked group of contributors are crafting a bold Occupy Peace initiative that reinforces these principles:
» No foreign entanglements.
» Wage war only when imminent threat exists.
» Zero tolerance for illegal wars based on lies and retreaded failed reasoning.
» Build communities here, not foreign nations elsewhere.
» Let the people vote on whether to fund wars.
Hard work lies ahead
Between now and September, the institute will work with inspiring and peace-minded historians and other experts to create a program that provides the tools to make peace a driving force in the halls of government and in the living rooms of Americans who are fed up with politicians, fed up with so-called military experts and a complacent media that make going to war so easy.
It’s time to fight for liberty, not war.