Dear RN list (and others), April 25 I am very excited just now; let me tell you why. Where just a day or two ago I felt overwhelmed by the amount of violence in our world, I am feeling now like the pieces are coming together to make some headway for peace. Janet Eaton, the friend who happens to live not far from here and wh is widely known as an educator and anti-MAI activist, is sending out two of the puzzle pieces, which I will forward on to you. One is a call by Nobel laureates (who are willing to travel themselves to Yugoslavia to see to the implementation of their program!!) for an end to the bombing and ethnic violence and a setting up of genuine negotiations and UN-supervised peace-keeping. The other posting Janet is sending out is an explanation of WHY "we" are fighting this war, an explanation which fits with other things I have read (notably a recent Science for Peace posting "a look at the history of 2 wars" - drawing parallels between the way the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia and the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and also the hypocrisy and treachery of the US vis à vis Viet Nam and Cambodia. I will forward this posting to any of you who would like it.) IF we can help people see beyond the propaganda and understand that the real reasons for this bombing are NOT humanitarian and IF we can help people feel hope for real peace, maybe we can help bring real peace. The other posting I want to send you is one by a member of Women in Black, Cynthia Cockburn. For years now, Women In Black have been protesting the "ethnic cleansing". Cynthia points out how the NATO war has led to an increase in all the things Women in Black have been struggling against: eg. violent patriarchy, polarization and blanket stereotyping of groups, reduction of the space for dialogue. Those of us who are speaking out publicly about this war must keep what Cynthia Cockburn says in mind, and not allow oursleves to be sucked into demonizing the "other" side and glossing over the wrongs of "our" side. This is precisely the kind of thing that war is based on; it's part of the essence of war. all the best, Jan
