Issues

KNOW Statement of Principles

KALAMAZOO NONVIOLENT OPPONENTS OF WAR


STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

OUR MISSION: We non-violently resist war and militarism, and work to create a world in which human beings care for one another and for the earth, and in which the human imagination turns away from hatred, violence, and domination, toward peace and justice.
PRINCIPLES:

NONVIOLENCE: We believe that violence in all forms is unacceptable, and we commit ourselves to act nonviolently both in our personal lives and in society. We make a moral commitment to the renunciation of violence, whether it takes the form of physical or psychological harm.

We believe that the power of nonviolence can be a positive force for change, a practical strategy for resisting violence and injustice in the world.  Gandhi called this integrative power “satyagraha,” organized nonviolent efforts to resist social harms. Martin Luther King Jr. put it this way, we strive for “the persistent and determined application of peaceable power to offenses against the community.”  Following Thoreau, we believe that on some occasions it is appropriate to “clog the machinery” of the state through forms of nonviolent direct action or civil disobedience.

We nonviolently oppose and resist war or any military action as a solution to conflict. We also resist oppression, injustice, imperialism, militarism, torture, capital punishment, and violence against the natural world.  We often find ourselves in sympathy with resistance movements, although we cannot support the use of violence even in the pursuit of just ends. We support those movements that practice nonviolent resistance and that seek negotiated and nonviolent solutions.

We agree with Gandhi who said: “Nonviolence is the law of life for human beings…it is both a means and an end.”

Therefore, we ask that all who participate in our actions and our deliberations seek to resolve conflict nonviolently in their own lives and communities, as well as to advocate and bear witness for nonviolence in all relationships, private and public, at home and among nations.

Nonviolence means:

Respect for all people because each person has a piece of the truth.

Giving our opponents a face-saving way out.

Reconciliation, not victory, as the conclusion to all disputes

Speaking truth

Being nonviolent in words and tone as well as in action

Courage to persevere in the face of hostility

Trusting in the power of love to achieve reconciliation and peace.

NONVIOLENCE AND FAITH:  While we recognize that many people may have come to KNOW based on their religious beliefs, KNOW is not a religious organization. We do hold in common the belief that nonviolent action and true seeking for forgiveness and reconciliation can ultimately prevail over violence.

ELECTORAL POLITICS: KNOW, as an organization, does not endorse candidates for office, nor campaign on behalf of any particular political party. We do seek to inform our supporters and the general public of the political record and political views of officeholders and candidates regarding fundamental issues of war, peace, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

POSITIONS:

1. MILITARISM AND THE NATION’S PRIORITIES: As the military budget expands, the nation increasingly lacks the financial means and political will to deal with the true crises of our time, which include poverty, climate change, and the severe depletion of the earth’s resources. KNOW favors a drastic reduction of the military budget and the diversion of the nation’s resources to reduction of poverty, both in the U.S. and abroad, conservation of resources, development of alternative energy, and the retraining of a reduced military to focus on peacekeeping, mutual aid, and reconstruction.

2. IRAQ, IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, MIDDLE EAST:

Regarding Iraq, we support –

An end to the current occupation

A legislative initiative to withhold funding for the continuation of the war and occupation

A return of all US troops.

US funding for Iraqi reconstruction by Iraqis

No permanent US military bases in Iraq

Regarding Iran, we support –

No military action against Iran

A regional diplomatic initiative to resolve the tensions and conflicts

Regarding Afghanistan, we support –

An end to the current occupation

A regional diplomatic initiative to resolve the conflicts

Regarding Israel and Palestine, we support –

Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian lands.

Development of a resolution for both countries to exist with autonomy, dignity and respect either as two nations or as one integrated nation, whichever they choose

3. NUCLEAR WEAPONS: The use of nuclear weapons is unthinkable, the threat of using nuclear weapons is immoral, and the possession of nuclear weapons constitutes a reckless endangerment of life on earth. We believe the United States must renounce the use of nuclear weapons, and begin dismantling and destroying its nuclear arsenal, as well as all other weapons of mass destruction.  The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which the U.S. is a signatory, requires nuclear disarmament by all nations.

4. TERRORISM strikes at innocent civilians and non-combatants. We condemn all forms of terrorism, by states or non-state actors. Weapons such as land mines, cluster bombs, and depleted uranium, which kill and maim indiscriminately even after hostilities have ceased, must be outlawed and renounced by all nations, including the United States.

5. MILITARIZATION AND WEAPONIZATION OF OUTER SPACE pose fundamental threats to the global commons and to the peaceful use of space.

6. MILITARY OCCUPATION is a form of violence that necessarily imposes harsh restrictions on civilians and gives rise to resistance which is often violent. We therefore oppose military occupation and martial law, whether in Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, or Palestine.

7. TRAINED PEACEKEEPERS, whether non-governmental “peace teams” or international forces, are often necessary to reduce violence and foster reconciliation. We favor greatly increased international support for the peacekeeping mission of the United Nations.

8. DIPLOMACY should be the primary means of resolving conflicts between nations. The US government should turn to negotiation as a first resort in addressing potential international conflicts. KNOW supports the creation of a Department of Peace within the Executive Branch to encourage and support both governmental and grassroots diplomacy.
9. MILITARY CONSCRIPTION AND RECRUITMENT as it is generally practiced misrepresents the nature, terms, and length of military service, emphasizes its “glamour”, and exploits the vulnerabilities of potential recruits. We seek to educate and inform potential recruits of these misrepresentations and the moral implications of military service. We also seek to inform both potential recruits and those already in the military of their rights and their options for declaring themselves conscientious objectors and obtaining a discharge from the service.

10. SOLDIERS AND VETERANS: We recognize and honor the service offered and the sacrifices made and suffered by the nation’s soldiers and veterans. At the same time, we lament that much of the loss and sacrifice—both physical and psychological–suffered by soldiers and their families is avoidable, in that legitimate foreign policy goals could be achieved by nonviolent means and a reallocation of resources and power. KNOW also supports complete funding of medical benefits for veterans.

11. CLIMATE CHANGE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST THE NATURAL WORLD:
Scientists are now in nearly unanimous agreement that climate change is happening, that it is accelerating, that it is largely human-caused, that it is irreversible but still remediable to some extent, and that it poses a serious threat to the ecosystems of the planet and to the stability of human civilization. Even the United States Department of Defense warns that the threat to the world by climate change is far greater than that of terrorism and could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy, with rioting, the death of millions, and even nuclear war. “Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,” concludes the Pentagon analysis. “Once again, warfare would define human life” (UK Observer, Feb. 22, 2004).

KNOW believes that all efforts to curb violence and foster peace MUST include recognition of the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change and vigorous action by nations, groups, and individuals to mitigate its disruptive, destructive, and deadly effects.

12. GLOBALIZATION AND “LOCALIZATION”: While it is no doubt necessary in our time to “think globally,” it is increasingly imperative that we “act locally,” insuring local control and a high degree of local self-sufficiency, right sharing of ever-diminishing and precarious resources, preservation of local cultures and regional ecosystems, decentralized and independent control of media, and replacement of an economy based on competition, power, and consumption with one based on cooperation and preservation.

13. POVERTY is a cause and a form of violence—violence against people, civilization, and the environment. There can be no peace without justice, and there can be no justice without right sharing of the world’s resources. Therefore, we support and commend programs to alleviate the plight of the poor and to close the ever widening social and economic gap between the rich and the poor. We particularly, however, support programs which work with the poor and marginalized rather than merely for them and which seek to give families and communities the means to a dignified and sustainable self-sufficiency.

14. RACISM has been a principal cause of violence throughout history. A belief in the inherent superiority of one ethnic group over another, racism leads to oppression, brutality, and denial of fundamental human rights. Racism has been the justification for colonialism, internment, segregation and apartheid, dispossession, slavery, and genocide.
KNOW believes, with Shirin Ebadi, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (2003), that “If the 21st century wishes to free itself from the cycle of violence, acts of terror and war, … there is no other way except by understanding and putting into practice every human right for all mankind, irrespective of race, gender, faith, nationality or social status.”

15. HUMAN RIGHTS AND NATURAL RIGHTS: KNOW supports both the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and The Earth Charter. We support the rights of indigenous peoples to cultural survival and self-determination. Likewise, KNOW recognizes the right of all species to the resources necessary to survival—i.e., the necessity for right sharing of the world’s resources for all species.

ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATION & COOPERATION:

KNOW is a member of the West Michigan Justice and Peace Coalition, United for Peace and Justice, and the Michigan Peace Network.

KNOW also shares common values, and cooperates with, many other organizations such as ACLU, Code Pink, the Department of Peace Campaign, Fair Food Matters, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Greenpeace USA, International Forum on Globalization, Iraqi Health Now, ISAAC, the Kalamazoo Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, War Resisters League and Women in Black.

KALAMAZOO NONVIOLENT OPPONENTS OF WAR


STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

OUR MISSION: We non-violently resist war and militarism, and work to create a world in which human beings care for one another and for the earth, and in which the human imagination turns away from hatred, violence, and domination, toward peace and justice.
PRINCIPLES:

NONVIOLENCE: We believe that violence in all forms is unacceptable, and we commit ourselves to act nonviolently both in our personal lives and in society. We make a moral commitment to the renunciation of violence, whether it takes the form of physical or psychological harm.

We believe that the power of nonviolence can be a positive force for change, a practical strategy for resisting violence and injustice in the world.  Gandhi called this integrative power “satyagraha,” organized nonviolent efforts to resist social harms. Martin Luther King Jr. put it this way, we strive for “the persistent and determined application of peaceable power to offenses against the community.”  Following Thoreau, we believe that on some occasions it is appropriate to “clog the machinery” of the state through forms of nonviolent direct action or civil disobedience.

We nonviolently oppose and resist war or any military action as a solution to conflict. We also resist oppression, injustice, imperialism, militarism, torture, capital punishment, and violence against the natural world.  We often find ourselves in sympathy with resistance movements, although we cannot support the use of violence even in the pursuit of just ends. We support those movements that practice nonviolent resistance and that seek negotiated and nonviolent solutions.

We agree with Gandhi who said: “Nonviolence is the law of life for human beings…it is both a means and an end.”

Therefore, we ask that all who participate in our actions and our deliberations seek to resolve conflict nonviolently in their own lives and communities, as well as to advocate and bear witness for nonviolence in all relationships, private and public, at home and among nations.

Nonviolence means:

Respect for all people because each person has a piece of the truth.

Giving our opponents a face-saving way out.

Reconciliation, not victory, as the conclusion to all disputes

Speaking truth

Being nonviolent in words and tone as well as in action

Courage to persevere in the face of hostility

Trusting in the power of love to achieve reconciliation and peace.

NONVIOLENCE AND FAITH:  While we recognize that many people may have come to KNOW based on their religious beliefs, KNOW is not a religious organization. We do hold in common the belief that nonviolent action and true seeking for forgiveness and reconciliation can ultimately prevail over violence.

ELECTORAL POLITICS: KNOW, as an organization, does not endorse candidates for office, nor campaign on behalf of any particular political party. We do seek to inform our supporters and the general public of the political record and political views of officeholders and candidates regarding fundamental issues of war, peace, social justice, and environmental sustainability.

POSITIONS:

1. MILITARISM AND THE NATION’S PRIORITIES: As the military budget expands, the nation increasingly lacks the financial means and political will to deal with the true crises of our time, which include poverty, climate change, and the severe depletion of the earth’s resources. KNOW favors a drastic reduction of the military budget and the diversion of the nation’s resources to reduction of poverty, both in the U.S. and abroad, conservation of resources, development of alternative energy, and the retraining of a reduced military to focus on peacekeeping, mutual aid, and reconstruction.

2. IRAQ, IRAN, AFGHANISTAN, MIDDLE EAST:

Regarding Iraq, we support –

An end to the current occupation

A legislative initiative to withhold funding for the continuation of the war and occupation

A return of all US troops.

US funding for Iraqi reconstruction by Iraqis

No permanent US military bases in Iraq

Regarding Iran, we support –

No military action against Iran

A regional diplomatic initiative to resolve the tensions and conflicts

Regarding Afghanistan, we support –

An end to the current occupation

A regional diplomatic initiative to resolve the conflicts

Regarding Israel and Palestine, we support –

Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Palestinian lands.

Development of a resolution for both countries to exist with autonomy, dignity and respect either as two nations or as one integrated nation, whichever they choose

3. NUCLEAR WEAPONS: The use of nuclear weapons is unthinkable, the threat of using nuclear weapons is immoral, and the possession of nuclear weapons constitutes a reckless endangerment of life on earth. We believe the United States must renounce the use of nuclear weapons, and begin dismantling and destroying its nuclear arsenal, as well as all other weapons of mass destruction.  The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which the U.S. is a signatory, requires nuclear disarmament by all nations.

4. TERRORISM strikes at innocent civilians and non-combatants. We condemn all forms of terrorism, by states or non-state actors. Weapons such as land mines, cluster bombs, and depleted uranium, which kill and maim indiscriminately even after hostilities have ceased, must be outlawed and renounced by all nations, including the United States.

5. MILITARIZATION AND WEAPONIZATION OF OUTER SPACE pose fundamental threats to the global commons and to the peaceful use of space.

6. MILITARY OCCUPATION is a form of violence that necessarily imposes harsh restrictions on civilians and gives rise to resistance which is often violent. We therefore oppose military occupation and martial law, whether in Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, or Palestine.

7. TRAINED PEACEKEEPERS, whether non-governmental “peace teams” or international forces, are often necessary to reduce violence and foster reconciliation. We favor greatly increased international support for the peacekeeping mission of the United Nations.

8. DIPLOMACY should be the primary means of resolving conflicts between nations. The US government should turn to negotiation as a first resort in addressing potential international conflicts. KNOW supports the creation of a Department of Peace within the Executive Branch to encourage and support both governmental and grassroots diplomacy.
9. MILITARY CONSCRIPTION AND RECRUITMENT as it is generally practiced misrepresents the nature, terms, and length of military service, emphasizes its “glamour”, and exploits the vulnerabilities of potential recruits. We seek to educate and inform potential recruits of these misrepresentations and the moral implications of military service. We also seek to inform both potential recruits and those already in the military of their rights and their options for declaring themselves conscientious objectors and obtaining a discharge from the service.

10. SOLDIERS AND VETERANS: We recognize and honor the service offered and the sacrifices made and suffered by the nation’s soldiers and veterans. At the same time, we lament that much of the loss and sacrifice—both physical and psychological–suffered by soldiers and their families is avoidable, in that legitimate foreign policy goals could be achieved by nonviolent means and a reallocation of resources and power. KNOW also supports complete funding of medical benefits for veterans.

11. CLIMATE CHANGE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST THE NATURAL WORLD:
Scientists are now in nearly unanimous agreement that climate change is happening, that it is accelerating, that it is largely human-caused, that it is irreversible but still remediable to some extent, and that it poses a serious threat to the ecosystems of the planet and to the stability of human civilization. Even the United States Department of Defense warns that the threat to the world by climate change is far greater than that of terrorism and could bring the planet to the edge of anarchy, with rioting, the death of millions, and even nuclear war. “Disruption and conflict will be endemic features of life,” concludes the Pentagon analysis. “Once again, warfare would define human life” (UK Observer, Feb. 22, 2004).

KNOW believes that all efforts to curb violence and foster peace MUST include recognition of the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change and vigorous action by nations, groups, and individuals to mitigate its disruptive, destructive, and deadly effects.

12. GLOBALIZATION AND “LOCALIZATION”: While it is no doubt necessary in our time to “think globally,” it is increasingly imperative that we “act locally,” insuring local control and a high degree of local self-sufficiency, right sharing of ever-diminishing and precarious resources, preservation of local cultures and regional ecosystems, decentralized and independent control of media, and replacement of an economy based on competition, power, and consumption with one based on cooperation and preservation.

13. POVERTY is a cause and a form of violence—violence against people, civilization, and the environment. There can be no peace without justice, and there can be no justice without right sharing of the world’s resources. Therefore, we support and commend programs to alleviate the plight of the poor and to close the ever widening social and economic gap between the rich and the poor. We particularly, however, support programs which work with the poor and marginalized rather than merely for them and which seek to give families and communities the means to a dignified and sustainable self-sufficiency.

14. RACISM has been a principal cause of violence throughout history. A belief in the inherent superiority of one ethnic group over another, racism leads to oppression, brutality, and denial of fundamental human rights. Racism has been the justification for colonialism, internment, segregation and apartheid, dispossession, slavery, and genocide.
KNOW believes, with Shirin Ebadi, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (2003), that “If the 21st century wishes to free itself from the cycle of violence, acts of terror and war, … there is no other way except by understanding and putting into practice every human right for all mankind, irrespective of race, gender, faith, nationality or social status.”

15. HUMAN RIGHTS AND NATURAL RIGHTS: KNOW supports both the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and The Earth Charter. We support the rights of indigenous peoples to cultural survival and self-determination. Likewise, KNOW recognizes the right of all species to the resources necessary to survival—i.e., the necessity for right sharing of the world’s resources for all species.

ORGANIZATIONAL AFFILIATION & COOPERATION:

KNOW is a member of the West Michigan Justice and Peace Coalition, United for Peace and Justice, and the Michigan Peace Network.

KNOW also shares common values, and cooperates with, many other organizations such as ACLU, Code Pink, the Department of Peace Campaign, Fair Food Matters, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Greenpeace USA, International Forum on Globalization, Iraqi Health Now, ISAAC, the Kalamazoo Interfaith Coalition for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, War Resisters League and Women in Black.