Using the Internet to Work for Justice:
A quick guide to online resources that provide a counterpoint to the drumbeat for war.

1. Learn about the situation in Central Asia

Many of us (myself included) have only a very rough understanding of the regional politics at play here. If you understand some of the context around the recent catastrophic events, you'll understand more deeply why a full-scale military response is not just immoral, but strategically inappropriate (that is, assuming the goal is to combat terrorism):

There's a great piece by Tamim Ansary on Salon that gives some perspective and provides a brief introduction to some of the basic facts
here: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2001/09/14/afghanistan/index.html

Ahmed Rashid provides a more dispassionate and richly factual account here
http://www.public-i.org/excerpts_01_091301.htm

He has also written a book: Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia, available from Yale U. Press or your local independent bookstore. An interview with him from the time the book was published came out in Atlantic Monthly and is archived here:
http://www.theatlantic.com/unbound/interviews/ba2000-08-09.htm

There's a good article in The Nation by Robert Fisk here:
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20011001&s=fisk

Fisk has been covering the region for decades. Look for more of his stuff (esp. in The Independent, where he's a reporter.)

There's another piece about bin Laden, by Mary Anne Weaver for The New Yorker. You have dig around for it; click "From the Archive" on their splash page.

Finally, here are some Afghan sources:

Afghan Info http://www.afghan-info.com/

IFAS http://www.institute-for-afghan-studies.org/

Afgha.com site of the Afghan Resistance

Voice of Afghanistan http://www.voiceofAfghanistan.com/

Learn about the long-term struggles of Afghan women here:
http://rawasongs.fancymarketing.net/

2. Keep on top of events.

Of course, it's important to keep track of what's going on in the mainstream media. Pay attention to the NY Times, Washington Post, NPR, network news, CNN, etc. But there's a wealth of information available from alternative sites. Of course, you can always check out shows like NPR's On the Media:
http://www.wnyc.org/new/talk/onthemedia/otmindex.html

or FAIR.org's Counterspin: http://www.fair.org/counterspin/

for insightful commentary on the mainstream media's coverage.

A. Get intelligent about "intelligence"

One thing anyone who wants to be active for peace will want to do is check out sites that specialize in military intelligence -- these sites provide some insightful (if frequently cold-blooded) analysis, and give a glimpse of what the military/intelligence community is thinking:

Stratfor http://www.stratfor.com

Jane's http://www.janes.com

RAND http://www.rand.org

B. Progressive internet radio (best if you have high-speed access; some also provide substantial text):

KPFK broadcasts in LA at 90.7 and in Santa Barbara at 98.7. Despite being part of the troubled Pacifica Network (many of the links below elucidate problems with Pacifica) they still provide reasonable alternative coverage. Other Pacifica affiliates are WBAI (99.1) in NYC, KPFT (90.1) in Houston and WPFW (89.3) in D.C. A full list is here:
http://www.pacifica.org/about/afsubs.html

One set of Pacifica stations has fervently resisted the corporate coup: KPFA (94.1) in Berkeley, and KFCF (88.1) Fresno. You can also hear them online here:
http://www.kpfa.org/forms/0_aud.htm

Some other internet radio sources are comprised mainly of "refugees" from Pacifica stations. Try these:

WBIX http://www.wbix.org

FSRN (Free Speech Radio Network) http://www.fsrn.org

You can find shows not available on most of the Pacifica network (including Democracy Now!) by checking out

Webactive http://www.webactive.com

and

Flashpoints.net http://www.flashpoints.net

Finally, a really great show "Expert Witness Radio," is in the midst of finding a new web space. Keep checking in here:
http://www.markmarshall.com/what%27sthetruth.html

C. Text-based reports/commentary:

FPIF http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/

Common Dreams http://www.commondreams.org

Indymedia http://www.indymedia.org (also check for local groups, e.g., la.indymedia.org)

Z magazine http://www.zmag.org

Alternet Alternet.org http://www.alternet.org

Michael Moore http://www.michaelmoore.com/

Oneworld http://www.oneworld.net

From the UN: IRIN
http://www.reliefweb.int/IRIN/asia/asiafp.phtml

Some websites of print magaines

In These Times http://www.inthesetimes.com/

The Progressive http://www.theprogressive.org

The Nation http://www.thenation.org

Mother Jones http://www.motherjones.com -- especially their "Beyond the Blasts" section

3. Get active.

I've included some posters with this disc. Keep your eye on pax.protest.net to find out about other organized events. The protest.net main site has an activist handbook that's pretty good.

A. Sign petitions, write letters.

Here's an International Petition with over 100,000 signatures as of 9/18.

U.S. mirror is here: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/224622495

Moveon.org has a petition here: http://www.moveon.org/justice

(Moveon is a moderate-liberal group that formed a PAC during the impeachment hearings. They have a lot of clout with Dems. They have very encouraging message boards here:

http://www.actionforum.com/forum/index.html?forum_id=220 )

There are a bunch of smaller petitions on E the People and The Petition Site:

[1] http://www.ethepeople.com/affiliates/national/index.cfm?PC=PETFV1&PETID=547314

[2] http://www.e-thepeople.com/affiliates/national/index.cfm?PC=PETFV1&PETID=548359

[4] http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/401599763

[5] http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/496741796

[6] http://www.e-thepeople.com/affiliates/national/index.cfm?PC=PETFV1&PETID=547546

[7] http://www.ethepeople.com/affiliates/national/index.cfm?PC=PETFV1&PETID=546641

You can also send letters and make calls to your elected reps. in Washington. Don't know whom to call? Try this : http://www.congress.org

AFSC's No More Victims campaign, is doing a fund drive and ciruclating a petition here:
http://www.afsc.org/nomore.htm

B. Support Peaceful Organizations:

There are dozens of links to such organizations on Working For Change:
http://www.workingforchange.com

They also allow you to make donations with a credit card online using a secure server. There are a few that seem particularly worthwile to me:

Global Exchange http://www.globalexchange.org/september11/

C. Call the mainstream media.

As long as the vast majority of Americans remain ignorant of the possible consequences of a large-scale military operation in Central Asia, there will be little opposition to potentially disastrous policies. My gut reaction is to call and complain about the poor quality of the coverage thus far. This is unlikely to accomplish much. Calling on mainstream media to invite commentary from alternative sources is one positive thing we can do, and might even be helpful. We might recommend that major network and cable news depts. call on people like Ahmed Rashid, Robert Fisk, Barbara Lee (the only Rep. in Congress who voted against giving POTUS a blank check to make war), etc.

Here are some resources that will help you get access to networks and news departments:

FAIR: http://www.fair.org
Especially helpful in this regard is their Media Contact List: http://www.fair.org/media-contact-list.html

Media Alliance http://www.media-alliance.org

D. Help other people get active

Of course, you can distribute this flyer/disk at will. Also feel free to post a copy on your own web page, add your own updates, etc.

Finally, the most important thing is to talk to people. Talking to people on discussion boards and in chat rooms is one thing, but I'm advocating here that you actually talk to the people around you. If you're well informed, you can really help them understand what's going on around them. And that's extremely important.

Oh yeah, and here is an important article about corporate/government PR. It's important to remember that, unlike some of the other issues people get "active" about, this is one in which most Americans need very little convincing. On the other hand, people who have a vested interest in military action can easily marginilize peace activists. So keep your heads up.

 

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