"NO BLOOD ON OUR MONEY!" Read the Boycott War campaign platform Visit the Boycott War Design Gallery Alternatives to War-based Economics and Bloodstained Corporations Take the BOYCOTT WAR! Power Quiz ®
BOYCOTT WAR There rarely come opportunites like we have before us now: the world's remaining superpower is struggling politically, militarily, and economically. It is desperate. The time for change, for equality is now - and the world is on our side.
|
THE BOYCOTT WAR CAMPAIGN
The Boycott War campaign is a network of various activists and organizations who share a common goal (peace) and a common strategy (boycott). The initiative to boycott arose simultaneously from various parts of the world as a reaction to the plans of the United States to invade Iraq. The idea is to use one of the primary weapons that citizens of the world have: our wallet.
The United States has bombed more countries in the last 35 years than any other country on this planet. The United States is also the world's biggest arms dealer. The industry is plentiful. Exorbitant amounts of money are made from the sales of weapons whose sole purpose is bloodshed. From Angola to Afghanistan children's limbs and lives are paying the costs while corporate executives are reaping the profits. Hence, it is no coincidence that the huge corporations of the United States, the richest country in the world, are the primary target of this boycott.
The boycott is founded on the basic principle that people must come before profits, that communication must come before conflict. It is based on the idea that war shall not be a profit-making industry (often subsided by taxpayers' money).
The great burden of war falls hardest upon the lives of women, children, and the poor -the ones least responsible. The ones that are most responsible for war -the corporations that are interwoven with the military industrial complex, the high-ranking generals and military planners, the politicians who plot expansionist policies, and the corporations who finance the campaigns of militarism and militaristic politicians- are most often the last ones to feel the consequences of war. That ought to change.
The purpose of the boycott is to make war a less attractive option for corporate and political interests whether they be in the United States, England or elsewhere. The boycott will continue until significant measures are taken (primarily in the United States) to sow the seeds of peace, to demilitarize society, to provide adequate support for war-torn nations and peoples, and to dramatically slash the military budget. If the United States is truly interested in peace and democracy then it should have no problem in ratifying the International Criminal Court as so many other countries have done. If the United States is truly interested in the welfare of children across the world then it should have no problem in agreeing to a complete ban on land mines, depleted uranium, and cluster bombs.
Until that day comes we intend to do what we can to channel our consumption towards less destructive sectors of our global and local economies.
This boycott is a peaceful means to attain a peaceful world. Join us today in sowing seeds for peace - one dollar at a time!
Note: These are the guiding principles of a shared campaign. This campaign does not pretend to be the only way of addressing the issue of militarism nor does this campaign end with the war against Iraq. It will continue until the forces of war cease to be a dominant aspect of our society. This statement is an expression of general sentiments that unite a wide range of groups. Some may advocate the boycott of a single company whereas other may advocate the boycott of an entire country or of all transnational corporations from certain countries. The specific tactics employed and the specific companies and countries that are targeted may vary from place to place but we are united by a common goal:
NO BLOOD ON OUR MONEY!
Link Up:
To let us know that your own boycott organization supports the platform of the Boycott War campaign just send an e-mail to boycottwar@hotmail.com with the text "Boycott War Campaign -Yes!" as the message title and send us your link if it's not already up.
Send any ideas, comments, or link suggestions to the same address.