Forty years ago, the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice ran its first signature ad against the war in Vietnam.

Today, in the midst of another war and another quagmire, we’re planning another signature ad so we can stop this war too.

Ad Text(you can also download a PDF version of the ad)

1966: Forty years ago, a small group of people formed what is now the Interfaith Council for Peace & Justice, to give voice to people of faith and conscience in opposition to the war in Vietnam. They spoke out in this ad:

Our religious convictions lead us to speak to the brotherhood of all men and call for new directions in the search for peace.

We urge a new spirit of sharing in the building of world community. A dangerous assumption has developed in recent years that our country can determine the course of the whole world. A true world community must grow out of the varied cultures and aspirations of all peoples; it cannot be imposed by the military power of a Pax Americana or any military power. We must dedicate our national strengths and our spiritual values to a world “made safe for diversity.”

We urge a constructive attitude toward the world’s revolutions. Poor nations, aspiring to a decent life, require great social change to recover from past colonial domination, indigenous poverty, and rising population. We must be willing to allow nations to work out their own destiny, recognizing that various political persuasions including Communism will be involved in the process. The United States and other rich nations can help to reduce the suffering of these inevitable social upheavals by expanding the United Nations’ programs of technical assistance and economic aid. This holds the greatest promise for an evolution of stable societies and the growth of individual liberties.

We urge re-evaluation of our relations with Communist societies. The fear of Communism has been intense during the last twenty years. But we have gained some perspective in our recent relations with Europe: we have reached an accommodation with Russia; we have seen other Communist nations evolve in ways that do not threaten us. We must strive to make this accommodation possible in our relations with Asia. Our present policy toward China that suggests military encirclement promotes hostility and fear. Only as we break the circle of suspicion and hostility can we start the long patient process of reconciliation.

We urge a negotiated settlement to the war in Vietnam. We believe that war in this nuclear age settles hardly anything and may destroy everything. The goal of military victory is exacting enormous suffering of the Vietnamese people, who have endured war for a quarter of a century. At best, our present policy may end this conflict at the price of a great loss of life, of an indefinite military occupation of South Vietnam, and of a legacy of hatred. At worst, the present policy may lead to a confrontation with world powers that could provoke nuclear war.

2006: Forty years later, as we see the U.S. in the midst of another war reminiscent of the Vietnam quagmire, we continue to give voice to people of faith and conscience so that we can bring peace to this conflict as well.

Our religious and moral convictions still lead us to speak to the fellowship of all humanity and call for new directions in the search for peace:

We urge a new spirit of sharing in the building of world community. A dangerous policy has continued over the years that our country should determine the course of the whole world. A cooperative world community must grow out of the varied cultures and aspirations of all peoples; it cannot be imposed by the military power of a Pax Americana or any military power. We must dedicate our national strengths and our spiritual values to a world “made safe for diversity.”

We urge a constructive attitude toward the aspirations of poor and working people of the world. Poor nations, aspiring to a decent life, require great social change to recover from past colonial domination, grinding poverty and economic globalization/destabilization. We must be willing to allow nations to work out their own destiny, recognizing that various political persuasions, including those that reject corporate domination, will be involved in the process. The USA and other rich nations can help to reduce the suffering of these inevitable social upheavals by expanding the United Nations’ programs of technical assistance and economic aid, as well as participating in debt cancellation measures. This holds the greatest promise for an evolution of stable societies and the growth of individual liberties.

 

We urge re-evaluation of our relations with Muslim and Arab societies. The fear of terrorism has been used during the last several years to justify our invasion of Iraq and our hostile treatment of Iran. We have allowed our fear of losing access to oil to color our relationships with Arab countries and to pursue a path of military action to maintain dominance. Our present occupation of Iraq and U.S. policy toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict promote hostility, fear, and hatred among those living in Arab and Muslim countries.Only as we break the circle of suspicion and hostility can we start the long, patient process of reconciliation.

We urge an end to the war in Iraq and a movement toward a just peace in the region. We believe that war in this nuclear age settles hardly anything and may destroy everything. The goal of military victory is exacting enormous suffering of the Iraqi people, who have now endured war and brutal sanctions for over 15 years. Our present policy has virtually no hope of ending this conflict, increases the deficit, costs $177 million a day, and ignores investments in healthcare, education, and other social needs. Worse yet, it comes at the price of great loss of life, of an indefinite military occupation of Iraq, and growing enmity with Iran and other Muslim and Arab societies. At worst, the present policy is likely to lead to more military confrontations and the growing danger of provoking nuclear war.

End the War in Iraq. Stop Perpetuating the Cycle of Violence.

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