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U.S.
Artists Denounce “War on Terror”
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The
signatories included American actor Donald Suthorland
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By
IOL Correspondent in Washington, Steve Smith
WASHINGTON,
June 15 (IslamOnline) – A group of U.S. intellectuals and artists
distanced themselves from the Bush-administration self-styled ‘war
on terror’ and said they were working to get more artists and
intellectuals to adopt their position.
“Let
it not be said that people in the United States did nothing when their
government declared a war without limit and instituted stark new
measures of repression,” said a statement posted on the artists’
website earlier this week and is being widely circulated
electronically now.
Those
who signed the “statement of conscience” said they were calling on
the people of the U.S. to resist the policies and overall political
direction that have emerged since September 11, 2001, which “pose
grave dangers to the people of the world.”
“They
[the U.S. administration] told us that asking why these terrible
events had happened verged on treason. There was to be no debate.
There were by definition no valid political or moral questions. The
only possible answer was to be war abroad and repression at home,”
said the statement.
The
“Not In Our Name” statement was signed by dozens of intellectuals
and artists who say many more will sign it. They also said that many
others want to join them but were worried that the signature could
negatively influence their careers.
Among
the signatories are the author and filmmaker Henry Chalfant, Paul
Chevigny, professor of law New York University (NYU), the historian
Stephanie Coontz, actor and playwright Jessica Blank and Columbia
University Professor Edward Said.
The
actor Donald Suthorland said that a debate should be allowed in the
U.S. to find out why the terrorists carried their attack.
"What
the nation's built on is discussion, contradiction and growth, and at
the moment you can't discuss anything. If you do start to discuss it,
you get criticized. If people hate us, you have to find out why and
try to solve that problem," he said.
“We
believe that peoples and nations have the right to determine their own
destiny, free from military coercion by great powers,” the artists
said. “We believe that all persons detained or prosecuted by the
United States government should have the same rights of due
process.”
“We
believe that questioning, criticism, and dissent must be valued and
protected. We understand that such rights and values are always
contested and must be fought for.”
The
statement called on “the people of conscience” to take
responsibility for what their own governments do, oppose and even
"resist" first the injustice that is done in their name.
“Thus
we call on all Americans to RESIST the war and repression that has
been loosed on the world by the Bush administration,” said the
statement. “It is unjust, immoral, and illegitimate. We choose to
make common cause with the people of the world.”
The
artists called on American people to begin to ask questions and end
the atmosphere of intimidation created by the right-wing Bush
administration.
After
September 11, the U.S. Congress voted a carte blanche for Bush and his
administration to extract retribution, while ordinary citizens flew
the flag and approval ratings soared to stratospheric heights.
But
nine months later, some American intellectuals are beginning to ask
questions with many saying they want to gauge the practical success of
the so-called “war on terror”.
When
the Democrats recently tried to make a political issue out of the
revelation that the FBI had been warned last summer that attacks could
be imminent. They asked about what the president knew.
Vice
President Cheney, seen by liberals as one of the most radical elements
in the administration, answered the Watergate-style inquiry by
suggesting that criticism of the president during time of war was
tantamount to treason.
Lt.
Col. Steve Butler, an Air Force officer with 24 years of experience,
including fighting in Desert Storm, exercised his constitutional
freedom of speech by writing a letter critical of President Bush to
the local newspaper where he's stationed in California, and has been
suspended by his superiors.
But
the artists say that given the interminable nature of the war on
terror, that notion amounts to a permanent temporary suspension of
critical thought. They said they will resist.
"In
our name, the government has brought down a pall of repression over
society,” their statement said.
“The
President’s spokesperson warns people to ‘watch what they say.’
Dissident artists, intellectuals, and professors find their views
distorted, attacked, and suppressed. The so-called Patriot Act --
along with a host of similar measures on the state level -- gives
police sweeping new powers of search and seizure, supervised if at all
by secret proceedings before secret courts.”
To
know more about this statement, click here:
http://www.artistsnetwork.org
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