riddle@ut-sally.UUCP (Prentiss Riddle) (11/01/84)
What would you do if the U.S. invaded Nicaragua or El Salvador tomorrow? Here's one possible answer: At the present moment, thousands of men and women across the United States are helping to organize and participate in the Emergency Response Network to block or halt U.S. intervention in Central America. These people are pledging to engage in acts of nonviolent civil disobedience if the United States invades, bombs, sends combat troops or otherwise significantly escalates its intervention in Nicaragua or El Salvador. If such an invasion should occur, this nonviolent action will bring the issue dramatically before the North American people, will pressure Congress to act, and will signal the unwillingness of thousands of U.S. citizens to support the war. [From a brochure prepared by the Austin ERN task force.] Becoming a part of the Emergency Response Network involves making a commitment to one or more of three levels of participation: Resistance (nonviolent civil disobedience), Witness and Support (legal vigils and demonstrations in conjunction with the above), and Ongoing Work (newsletters, publicity, letter-writing, etc.). Here in Austin the Network has specific plans for the resistance portion of the response: volunteers will peacefully occupy Congressional offices within 24 hours of a U.S. invasion and refuse to leave until the invasion has stopped. At least as important is the ongoing work: The U.S. is already at war in Central America. One of the purposes of forming the Emergency Response Network is to raise awareness in our community and to work to replace present U.S. policies in Central America with policies that promote peace and justice. It is also our hope that the very existence of the Emergency Response Network will prevent the escalation of the war by deterring a U.S. invasion of Central America. [From the Austin brochure.] The Emergency Response Network was originally proposed by members of the Christian peace movement and has spread beyond it to include other communities as well. National endorsers as of a few months ago included Witness for Peace, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Pax Christi, Clergy and Laity Concerned, the American Friends Service Committee, SANE and Sojourners, among others. The actual work of the Network, however, is done by local groups in individual communities across the country. If anyone is interested, I can post a list of regional co-ordinators of Witness for Peace or the AFSC who can help you get in touch with people working on the Emergency Response Network in your town. For more information, see the article "A Pledge of Resistance" by Jim Wallis in the August 1984 issue of the Christian peace magazine "Sojourners." --- Prentiss Riddle ("Aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada.") --- {ihnp4,harvard,seismo,gatech,ctvax}!ut-sally!riddle [Apologies for the first, incorrect, posting if I didn't cancel it fast enough.]