An Occupy Pittsburgh statement on Militarism

The Pittsburgh General Assembly passed this statement on 11.1.2011.

The public source for the Statement can be found here. I have included a copy below.

Anti-Militarization Statement

Submitted by jdm on Wed, 11/02/2011 – 3:32pm

WHY WE OCCUPY…

There is collusion, self-servicing and patronage

At many levels

Between government and

Financial industries

Pharmaceuticals industries

Energy industries

Food industries

Manufacturing and construction industries.

Yet nothing is as dire, as shocking

As when collusion and corruption exists between government and

The military industries:

Those corporations which are driven to profit

In coercing a nation

Into sending women and men to kill and be killed.

Nations have fought for freedom and for justice

They have also fought for resources and for political advantage.

We must know those differences.

When the stated rationale for a war shifts over years

Yet the alleged need to continue butchering human beings endures

We must know those differences.

We are told we fight for “democracy.”

We find ourselves making deals with violent thugs,

Drug dealers, arms traffickers,

And the self-servicing politics of an illegitimate government

Imposed by aggressors as a mere afterthought.

War is harsh, and warfare is both large

And personal.

A young fighter will learn to think of the enemy as less than human.

To think of a people as less than human.

War is trauma.

War is pain.

War wounds.

Yet when we return from these hells we have experienced, with

Post-traumatic

Stress disorders,

Traumatic Brain Injury,

Military Sexual Trauma, from the epidemic of rape in the military,

Missing limbs, physical disabilities,

We are not given the care and treatment we need.

Oh no! The government would have to pay for all that.

We are instead too often labeled as having “Repressive Anger,”

Or are informed that we suffer from preexisting conditions

So as to remain without care and treatment

So the nation and the corporations can continue extracting profit.

When we are made to invade a sovereign nation, and go on raids,

We detain people, civilians, humans, children.

We may interrogate them, torture them, abuse them.

When we are made to police a foreign land to protect political or corporate interests

We detain people, civilians, humans, children.

We may interrogate them, torture them, abuse them.

We are trained for this,

But none of us can be prepared for this.

If we are uniformed military personnel, we may be held accountable

For how we police, protect, detain and interrogate.

But often not.

If we are corporate mercenaries, we will not.

The privatization of warfare is upon us.

Mercenaries are recruited as employees.

Corporations offer military veterans with no other options

Vast sums of wealth to join the ranks of the unaccountable.

When they finally arrive, they may be sent elsewhere

To do a different job than that which they were led to accept

Under awful conditions, poorly sustained, unable to leave.

Yet despite all of these crimes and injustices

Many of us will go back again

Eagerly

If only to fight with

And for

Those that were left behind.

We occupy this land to remind ourselves

That it belongs to all of us, and to no one.

We are mindful that for the sake of this land

Though many have sacrificed some,

Some sacrificed all.

We should not be made to sacrifice for private profit.

We should no longer be made to wage war

Over your

Bottom line.

By Occupy Pittsburgh, passed by consensus at General Assembly, Nov. 1 2011

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