[haw-info] Reminder: Vote on new HAW statement

[statement at historiansagainstwar.org]

Members and friends of Historians Against the War,

Just a reminder that the deadline for voting on HAW’s new basic statement
of unity is this Wednesday, April 15. The new statement is attached below,
and is also available on our blog at
http://www.historiansagainstwar.org/blog/2009/04/haw-info-vote-on-new-haw-statement.html

A YES vote on the new statement is a vote for the following:

-- The new statement would supersede the 2003 statement (available at
http://www.historiansagainstwar.org) in defining broadly HAW’s position.

-- It would create a new membership category consisting of people who
indicate that they are in substantial agreement (however broadly defined)
with the new statement. A list of those who self-identify as HAW members
would be maintained for purposes of voting for the Steering Committee and
other HAW business.

-- Others who choose not to sign, or neglect to sign, would still get
informational mailings.

A NO vote on the new statement is a vote to retain the 2003 statement as
an expression of HAW's identity.  If NO votes are in the majority, the new
statement will stand as an expression by the Steering Committee, not a
basic statement of the organization.

If you have not already done so, please vote with a reply to
statement at historiansagainstwar.org.

Are you in favor of adopting the following statement as the new basic
statement of HAW?  (Please mark an X next to one of the following)

___ Yes

___ No


Statement by Historians Against the War

As historically minded activists, scholars, students, and teachers, we
stand opposed to wars of aggression, military occupations of foreign
lands, and imperial efforts by the United States and other powerful
nations to dominate the internal life of other countries.

In particular, we continue to demand a speedy end to US military
involvement in Iraq, and we insist on the withdrawal, not the expansion,
of US and NATO military forces in Afghanistan. We also call for a sharp
reduction of US military bases overseas, and an end to US financial and
military support of regimes that repress their people, or that occupy the
territories of other peoples. We favor as well a drastic redirection of
national resources away from military spending and toward urgently needed
domestic programs.

We deplore the secrecy, deception, and distortion of history, the repeated
violation of international law, and the attack on civil liberties
domestically that have accompanied US policies of war and
militarism—policies that became especially belligerent in the aftermath of
September 11.

We fear that the current, rapidly escalating crisis of global capitalism,
which is creating suffering worldwide, will lead to escalating wars abroad
and intensifying repression at home. We support solutions to this crisis
that seek to enrich the lives and increase the power of people globally,
and protect their fundamental human rights. We are unalterably opposed to
any attempts to solve the crisis at their expense.

We are aware that, in the words of the late historian William Appleman
Williams, "empire as a way of life" has long characterized the United
States and is not easily changed. However, we are mindful as well that the
current conjunction of international and domestic crises offers an
opportunity to alter longstanding destructive patterns. As historians, we
believe that we can and must make a contribution to the broad,
international movements for peace, democracy, and environmental and social
justice. In pursuing our objectives, we look toward building and joining
alliances with a wide variety of intellectual and activist groups that
share our concerns.