[alicebot-aiethics] The Peace Platform

[Richard Wallace]

Quickly realizing that I am in a small minority in my own country, I thought
it would be appropriate for me to articulate my feelings about the war and
peace.  I have a long history of opposing American military involvement
overseas, beginning with the Vietnam War, which ended when I was 15.  I was
one of the few opposed to the Persian Gulf War, believing that sanction were
not given enough time to work.  As a long time member of the Libertarian
party, I have always favored a reduction of the U.S. military.  These ideas
are not all new in response to the current crisis, but a summary of long
held personal beliefs and values.

Today in our Writer's Group at the Chapel we began to prepare a statement
for Peace, but we were interrupted by a member who wanted to Bomb Them Back
to the Stone Age and be the Policeman of the World.  The mood changed and we
couldn't finish the statement, so I decided to take another crack tonight:

1. Let's not concentrate office workers in gigantic towers, but spread them
around many smaller facilities throughout cities and suburbs.
2. Let's not rely on jet travel so much.  America made some bad choices in
the past, when we sacrificed the railroads to build interstate highways and
support jet travel.  Rebuild the railroads and diversify our transportation
options.
3. Stop driving so much.  Telecommute more, and decrease our reliance on
automotive transportation, and in turn oil.
4. Alternative energy sources like Wind and Solar need to be developed much
more.  Continued reliance on oil only increases the chance of conflict.
5. Decrease U.S. military involvement overseas.  Let other nations settle
their own conflicts without us.  We don't have to be Policeman of the World.
6. The Wired World will help us decrease our reliance on fuel and
transportation, and allow us to spread out and decentralize organizations.
The recent burst of the Internet bubble does not invalidate the long-term
potential for services such as home shopping.  Investing in network and
computer technology will liberate us from the hydrocarbon economy.
7. The Pentagon and the World Trade Center are powerful symbols of America.
But they are also symbols from a time gone by.  The Pentagon was built
during World War II and oversaw the Cold War.  But it is a symbol of an
industrial age, an age of mechanized war between states.  We should
decentralize the military as much as possible to remove such high-profile
targets.  The World Trade Center too is a symbol of an age when Bigger was
Better.  The challenge to build the highest building in the world is an
archetype of the age of extremes.  It was an age before environmental impact
studies, historical preservation, or archaeological studies of building
sites in lower Manhattan.  As evil as the destruction of these symbols was,
we should ask whether the existence of such symbols is worth the price.
8. No outcome could be worse than the loss of civil liberties and human
rights that have been built up over generations.  We cannot sacrifice any of
our civil rights in the name of tracking down and punishing terrorists.
9. Afghanistan is one likely target of military action.  It should be
remembered that Afghanistan has never been conquered, although the British
and Russian both tried for centuries.  Afghanistan destroyed the Soviet
Union.  The terrain is mountainous and the people are accustomed to fighting
foreigners on their own soil.  The last place in the world where America
should be involved militarily is Afghanistan.
10. Pray for peace.  Whether you stand for war or peace, please say a prayer
for a peaceful outcome as soon as possible, with the smallest loss of life.
Even if you disagree with every point above, you can't disagree that the
pain and suffering ahead should be as limited as possible.  If enough people
pray for peace, it can be achieved.

Thanks for listening.
Rich