You have to fight for peace

Occupy Peace is unlike any other “official” or grassroots peace initiative.

Born at a rally at noon on Sept. 20, at the corners of John and Crown Streets in historic Kingston, NY, this peace movement has teeth.

It is designed to stir grassroots initiatives across the country to demand peace by holding elected officials accountable for senselessly prompting war to build other nations while, at every turn, stripping you of your rights at home – invading your privacy, limiting your right to free speech, and subjecting you to military tactics imposed by your local police department.

The Trends Research Institute has, for more than a decade, carefully tracked the endless march to war championed by politicians, retired generals, military strategists, intelligence officials and know-nothing media elites. Without exception, the senseless slaughter of millions of innocent civilians and the destruction of their nations by the US and its Coalition of the Willing have created the conditions for the madness and hatred that now prevails.

We are living in the new age of endless war, endless suffering and endless spending – all in the service of destruction. The War on Terror — started with words howled by former President George W. Bush, “you are either with us, or you are against us” — empowered reflexive, thoughtless violence aboard, and ever increasingly at home as well.

Under the guise of protecting our freedoms, we have been robbed of our basic rights. The military mindset is so pervasive that war is triggered without vote, without meaningful dialogue and certainly without the support of common citizens. The military mindset is so pervasive that your local police department is equipped with armored vehicles, high-powered weapons and a soldier mentality more suited to troops policing an occupied land in a foreign county. Yes, that military mindset is so pervasive, your every move is easily tracked, misinterpreted and potentially turned against you.

Think about it. Besides railing against these injustices on social media or to your friends, where is the unified movement, with a plan for peace, you can turn to?

Listen to your leaders and would-be leaders. Who’s talking peace? Who’s talking about ending violence abroad and at home? Who in power and or vying for power has a plan for peace?

You know the answer: No one!

Peace needs a platform. Peace needs leadership that rises from the heart of the country and not the political, governmental and industrial power structures that repeatedly have led this country down the road of destruction.

Despite the lives lost and trillions of dollars already wasted, the debate in America is not about the wisdom of starting yet another war doomed to failure. It’s about whether the killing fields are wide enough and the killing power adequate.

The notion of first rebuilding America stands no chance when constant talk of war consumes our political and popular mindset, and meaningful dialogue about peace does not 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.

Occupy Peace will build a platform for peace. The Trends Research Institute is working with inspiring and peace-minded historians and other experts. We’ll 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 fed up with politicians, fed up with so-called military experts and fed up with a complacent media.

All make going to war all too easy.

Join Occupy Peace.