Message of Solidarity from "Peace Action of Washington State"
Dear Friends,
Peace Action of Washington State, the largest peace and justice group in the Northwestern U.S, joins in endorsing your efforts to remove U.S. military bases from your home. The presence and oppression of the U.S. military in Okinawa serves no legitimate purpose, and is a threat both to the people of Okinawa and to the creation of peace and justice worldwide.
Many of the ships and personnel which the U.S. military sends to Okinawa are based here in Puget Sound. Many of the aircraft which fly overhead were built here. Many of the tax dollars which finance the U.S. military presence in Okinawa are raised in Washington State. We are the people behind the occupation of Okinawa.
We are not, however, willing participants. We see the U.S. military being used to 'solve' problems which no amount of weaponry can solve, and we see the needs of Americans and of poor people everywhere going unaddressed. Our schools are falling apart so we can build more combat aircraft. Our environment is being poisoned with nuclear waste because the funds needed to clean up the mess are being used to modernize nuclear weapons. Our health care is compromised so that the Navy can have a thirteenth aircraft carrier, which even the Navy itself didn't want. Our civilian foreign aid has been all but eliminated to allow us to give weapons and military training to some of the most brutal governments on the planet. Our friends and relatives who are in the military suffer from inadequate pay, housing, and medical care while the weapons manufacturers reap enormous profits.
The U.S. military is not serving our needs, but the needs of transnational corporations. During the recent WTO conference the people of Seattle showed the world that we oppose corporate domination of the world, and that we stand in solidarity with the oppressed of the world in our belief that people should be allowed to speak their own mind and control their own destinies.
We look forward to hearing news of your action, proving once again to the leaders of Japan and the United States that Okinawans believe in the power of peace and the strength of local communities. We are happy to aid your efforts in whatever way is appropriate; please let us know how we can help.
in peace,
Fred Miller,
Peace Action of Washington State
nagocnet@hotmail.com