Dennis Foster <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> asked "Does anyone have information about the A.N.S.W.E.R. organization? See story below forwarded to me by a hawkish high school buddy. Any insight will be appreciated."
Some of the information in this message is true though it is written in a very biased and inflammatory way. For a more nuanced criticism of International ANSWER, see articles written by people in the peace movement or by mainstream reporters who have some sense of the context. Here are a few references:
* David Corn, LA Weekly, "Behind the Placards: The Odd and Troubling Origins of Today's Anti-War Movement": http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1031-08.htm
* David Corn, The Nation, "The Banning of Michael Lerner": http://www.thenation.com/capitalgames/index.mhtml?bid=3&pid=385
* Ted Glick, Independent Progressive Politics Network, "April 20th: Unity-Building and Youth Leadership": http://www.ippn.org/futurehope/4-20-2002.htm
* Michael Albert and Stephen Shalom, Z Magazine, "Ten Q&A On Antiwar Organizing": http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=45&ItemID=2527 Question 8 "How should we relate to groups doing antiwar work with whom we disagree in significant ways -- the IAC and ANSWER, NION, the war's mainstream opponents? How do we evaluate all these? Should we work with people we have serious differences with, avoid them, or what?"
* Michelle Goldberg, Salon.com, "Peace Kooks" -- the article costs money to view, but has been reposted on this right-wing site: http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=3944
- Here is a letter by the author responding to criticism of her article:
http://archive.salon.com/politics/letters/2002/11/15/peace_kooks/index1.html
Many people in the peace movement have struggled with how much we should align ourselves with other anti-war organizations with whom we strongly disagree about goals, strategies, and tactics. Some, like myself, have chosen to work only with groups that I completely endorse like the American Friends Service Committee, War Resisters League, and Peace Action. Others have felt the need to work with anyone who opposes the US invasion of Iraq.
I don't know much about Pastors for Peace, but I believe they are a totally nonviolent organization that does exactly what it says -- defying the blockade of Cuba by shipping humanitarian goods to the people and engaging in dialog with the people of Cuba. The slams against it in this message are, I believe, completely untrue. I would guess that the same is true of the attacks on the Muslim Student Association and the Free Palestine Alliance but I don't know much about these groups.
--Randy -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Randy Schutt Author of Inciting Democracy: A Practical Proposal for Creating a Good Society
The Vernal Education Project: Working to increase the skills and support of progressive activists http://www.vernalproject.org
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