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Dear Sust-mar people, While I think many people know that there is a real relationship between the resources squandered on militarism and planetary destruction, it is often hard to make the connections in our lives. Remembrance Day offers us an opportunity to help make the necessary connections. As one slogan I have come to appreciate very much says, "To remember is to end all war." We need to remember to spur us on to find ways to prevent war and militarism. Below are some "enviro-ideas" which touch on this theme. (I do a column of "enviro-ideas" for a local bi-weekly paper.) If anyone would like other Remembrance Day resources, I have some I could send, including a lesson plan by WW2 vet, former teacher and the current president of Veterans Against Nuclear Arms, David Morgan. But I will only be able to respond to e-mails after Nov. 5 as I am away from home right now. all the best, Jan Slakov ******************************** (français ci-dessous) statement from: Fred H. Knelman, Victoria, B.C., WW II veteran and author of "Every Life is a Story: The Social Relations of Science, Ecology and Peace", Black Rose Books, Montreal, Que., l999 _White Poppies for Remembrance Day_ I want peace and security for Canadians and the whole world. This is one reason why I will be wearing a white poppy for Remembrance Day, as well as a red one. I want not only to remember those who have fought and suffered as soldiers but to rededicate myself to preventing war and ending militarism. I also want to remember that 95% of the casualties in contemporary wars are civilians. Some of our government's policies towards Yugoslavia, including the bombing, violated international law, which many veterans fought hard to establish. Now our government is joining in the obscenely costly and destabilizing NMD (Nuclear Missile Defence) project. The battlefield today is in the hearts and minds of all citizens. We must unite to bring true peace and security to Canada and the world. ************************************** Addiction to arms (January, 1998?) Last issue's enviro-idea was about personal addictions and how to overcome them. This week, let's remember the words of Rosalie Bertell, scientist, author, Grey Nun and president of IICPH. "It seems that many of the world's governments, including our own, are addicted to violence as a way to solve international problems. They suffer from ever increasing military budgets which rarely make us more secure. While most members of the global family do without, governments squander money and resources on arms, just the way alcoholics squander family resources on booze. "Let's make sure the Canadian government provides proper benefits for its military personnel but let's not let it get away with increased spending on weapons and military training." Let's find out more about how Canada's most expensive federal department spends its money and work to make the Department of Defence accountable. Enviro-Clare can provide you with more information. Remember, ARMS ARE FOR HUGGING, not for killing. This Enviro-idea based on information provided by: Rosalie Bertell, Ph. D., GNSH President, ACS (1998-2000) President International Institute of Concern for Public Health (1984+) 710-264 Queens Quay West Toronto ON M5J 1B5 CANADA Tel: 1-416-260-0575 Fax: 1-416-260-3404 Email: IICPH@compuserve.com ************************************************ White Poppies It is widely recognized that one of the things we need to do to stop destroying the earth is to cut back on military build-up, especially the arms race which continues apace despite the end of the Cold War. With this in mind, I am joining with others in wearing a white poppy this year, as well as a red one. I want to remember not only our veterans, but the many civilians who die in war and the many people who work for peace and justice. I want to renew my commitment to creating the kind of social justice and basic security which help prevent war. The white poppy tradition began in England in 1933; a tradition I am glad to see here in Canada now too. To obtain a white poppy, contact me (in Bear River) or Jan Slakov (address below). Stephen Downes retired Canadian soldier former UN peacekeeper Bear River, NS (467-3886) Jan Slakov, Box 35, Weymouth, NS B0W 3T0 (902) 837-4980 mailto:jslakov@tartannet.ns.ca **************************************************** texte de : Fred H. Knelman, Victoria, B.C., ancien de la 2e Guerre Mondiale et auteur de "Every Life is a Story: The Social Relations of Science, Ecology and Peace", Black Rose Books, Montreal, Que., l999 _Des Coquelicots blancs pour le Jour du souvenir_ Je veux la paix et la securité pour les Canadiens et pour tout le monde. C'est une des raisons pour lesquelles je porterai un coquelicot blanc (avec un coquelicot rouge aussi) pour le Jour du souvenir. Je veux non seulment célébrer le souvenir des soldats qui ont lutté et qui ont souffert, je veux également redédier mes efforts pour prevenir la guerre et pour mettre un terme au militarisme. Je veux aussi rappeler que, de nos jours, les 95% des victimes de la guerre sont des civils. Certaines politiques de notre gouvernement envers la Yougoslavie, y compris les bombardements, ont violé le droit international, ce même droit international pour établir et pour faire respecter lequel de nombreux d'anciens combattants ont travaillé si fort. Maintenant notre gouvernement contribue au coûteux Systeme national de defence antimissile, qui risque d'avoir un effet déstabilisateur. Le champ de bataille aujourd'hui se trouve dans le coeur et dans l'esprit de tous les citoyens. Il faut s'unir pour établir une paix et une securité véritables au Canada et dans le monde. ************************************************************** Remembering the Causes and Costs of War White poppies for Remembrance Day? Why? Back in 1933, the Women's co-operative Guild in England chose to wear white poppies to symbolize their commitment to work for peace and to end their complicity with militarism. The tradition is being adopted in many other communities now too. Many people are choosing to wear red poppies to remember veterans and white poppies to renew their commitment to work for peace and to remember the true costs and causes of war: 1) The arms trade, in which Canada actively participates, flourishes at the cost of empty bellies and displaced peoples. 2) The late Eric Fawcett, Founding President of Science for Peace, supported the white poppy campaign, adding: Financial warfare, the deliberate undermining of regional economies, kills people and cripples even more lives than the hot wars that inevitably follow. The concept of 'financial warfare' refers to the grinding poverty in which up to half the human race lives in poor countries that are loaded with huge debts that can never be paid; and now with free market economies being forced on Asian countries, the former Soviet Union and East Europe, we see major nations like Russia and Indonesia falling into the same morass. 3) We need to remember that 95% of the victims of war are not soldiers but civilians. Bruna Nota, president of WILPF (Women's International League for Peace and Freedom), hopes that the white poppy tradition will help us arrive at a new way of viewing security. "We are like the people who created a whole science based on the false premise that the earth is flat. We are operating on the false premise that security is garanteed by military forces and preparedness. In fact only a just sharing of all resources, by the availability of education, food, shelter, sanitation, health care, by the full respect of human rights, by adopting practices that ensure the health of the earth, air, water and all its inhabitants, can provide the security in which we can care for each other in trusting and responsible communities." While it is possible to buy manufactured white poppies in Britain, many Canadians have been making their own. Homemade poppies are a way of honouring diversity. They have often been made of waste materials such as boxboard, so they are also a tribute to sustainability. People can contact Jan Slakov at Box 35, Weymouth, NS, B0W 3T0, (902) 837-4980, <jslakov@tartannet.ns.ca> if they would like more information or a sample homemade white poppy. Teachers in particular might want to request a Remembrance Day lesson plan and other educational resources. Note: Jan will be away until Nov. 5. -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on Sustainable Maritimes (sust-mar) -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Questions about sust-mar? Problems? Email <sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca> Please remember to UNSUBSCRIBE if your email account is changing, or if you are going away. To leave the list, just send email to <majordomo@chebucto.ns.ca> As the text of your message, type only "unsubscribe sust-mar" (without quotes)
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