[alicebot-aiethics] The Peace Platform

[Andreas H. Drescher]

Dear Rich,

thank you for this statement.
It shows how to keep ones heart warm
but ones blood cold.

Lets build a bridge between the Peace Platforms in our countries!

Even if my brother was killed right beside me, I´m not allowed
to throw a hand granade into the crowd, the killer dissapeared in.
I have to run to get him. Him! Not his grandma or his neighbour...


Andreas

> 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
>
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