Nov-Dec 2003:
WRL’s Legacy & Future
Missile Street, Iraq
Reporting Peace & War
Race & the Peace Movement
Hip-Hop Resists War
Destroying Creation
Where the Weapons Are
Killing with Increments
Activist News
WRL News
Activist Reviews

Homepages:
War Resisters League
The Nonviolent Activist

Stop the Merchants of Death!

As part of WRL’s “Stop the Merchants of Death” campaign to resist the “new wars” of the post-Cold War, globally corporatized world, the League’s Anti-Militarism Task Force has assembled a bureau of qualified speakers who can talk about the companies that profit—and profiteer—from war and occupation. From January 15 (Martin Luther King’s birthday) to April 15 (Tax Day), 2004, these speakers are available in the northeastern U.S. for presentations to universities and colleges, high schools and any interested groups. The sponsoring university or local group will be asked to pay a speaker’s fee and transportation costs. The fee will be decided by the local coordinator (see below), in consultation with the sponsoring site and the speaker.

After the presenters share the information, all groups will be invited to discuss the best ways to address the problem of war profiteering, envision a more just foreign policy and develop creative nonviolent strategies to bring it about. The results of these discussions will be shared with wider and wider audiences as the speaking engagements multiply. Although Stop the Merchants of Death will start in the Northeast, it will bring its presentations throughout the nation beginning in September 2004.

For more information, go to Merchants of Death.

New Structure

WRL’s National Committee reformed the League’s governance in July. Hammered out by a five-person committee, the new structure is more streamlined and will be more accountable. The new structure calls for (1) a substantial reduction in the number of people serving on the National and Executive Committees (the latter to be renamed the Coordinating Committee); (2) the appointment of two-thirds of National Committee members by the committees that do the work of the League and the direct election of the other third by the membership; and (3) the creation of a National Organizing Network that would bring League activists together annually to share experience and ideas, elect representatives to the executive, discuss strategy, and produce proposals for action. The League is now making the transition to the new structure. We expect the new Coordinating Committee to be in place by the end of this year with the rest of the elements in place by our summer NC meeting.

Staff Update

There have been a number of staff changes over the summer and fall. National Office Director Melissa Jameson said farewell in July. Anti-Militarism Interim Disarmament Coordinator Brad Simpson left in June. Our new Anti- Militarism Coordinator, G.. Simon Harak, was a co-founder of Voices in the Wilderness, the Chicago-based group that has been challenging the sanctions and bombings against Iraq since 1996. A nationally recognized speaker on Iraq, Simon is now bringing his organizing experience and pacifist perspective to bear on the broader questions of demilitarizing the nation. At this writing, however, we have not yet replaced Melissa; Nonviolent Activist editor Judith Mahoney Pasternak is acting as Interim Coordinator, while John M. Miller and longtime volunteer Ellen Davidson edit this magazine.

Military Myths

WRL’s counter-recruitment video Military Myths has won several awards. The latest is the “Under the Influence” Documentary award at the H2O Hip Hop Odyssey International Film Festival. The award cites the video as “the best film inspired by Hip-Hop culture” in 2003. A curriculum guide for the video will be available shortly.