Bucknackt's Sordid Tawdry Blog: On Int'l Women's Day: Take Action, Reflect, Read this poem 8MAR12

08 March 2012

On Int'l Women's Day: Take Action, Reflect, Read this poem 8MAR12

HERE is a moving anti-war poem by Ms Suheir Hammad from the IVAW e mail newsletter, followed by articles on MST (Military Sexual Trauma) and the role women must play in peace negotiations in Afghanistan and all other conflicts...
What I Will
by Suheir Hammad
I will not
dance to your war
drum. I will
not lend my soul nor
my bones to your war
drum. I will
not dance to your
beating. I know that beat.
It is lifeless. I know
intimately that skin
you are hitting. It
was alive once
hunted stolen
stretched. I will
not dance to your drummed
up war. I will not pop
spin break for you. I
will not hate for you or
even hate you. I will
not kill for you. Especially
I will not die
for you. I will not mourn
the dead with murder nor
suicide. I will not side
with you nor dance to bombs
because everyone else is
dancing. Everyone can be
wrong. Life is a right not
collateral or casual. I
will not forget where
I come from. I
will craft my own drum. Gather my beloved
near and our chanting
will be dancing. Our
humming will be drumming. I
will not be played. I
will not lend my name
nor my rhythm to your
beat. I will dance
and resist and dance and
persist and dance. This heartbeat is louder than
death. Your war drum ain’t
louder than this breath.

Another world is possible,

Iraq Veterans Against the War
& the Afghanistan Veterans Against the War Committee

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On International Women's Day: Reflect, Take Action, and Be Inspired

The persistance of militarism and the oppression of women (and people who do not conform to strict gender norms) seem to go hand-in-hand. In honor of International Women's Day, we invite you to Reflect on the potential role of women in peace negotiations, Act in support of veteran survivors of Military Sexual Trauma, and Be Inspired to resist militarism by Suheir Hammad's poem, What I Will.

Reflections on why Women must be at the center of peace negotiations in Afghanistan

'Male negotiators sometimes worry that having women participate in the discussion may change the tone of the meeting. They're right. During the Northern Ireland peace talks, the men would get bogged down by abstract issues and past offences. The women would come and talk about their loved ones, their bereavement, their children and their hopes for the future. These deeply personal comments helped keep the talks focused. The women's experiences reminded the men that it was people who really mattered.' - Anonymous
"Why Peace is the Business of Men (But Shouldn't Be)"
by Ann Jones (originally published by Tom Dispatch.com)
'Looking for a way out of Afghanistan? Maybe it's time to try something entirely new and totally different. So how about putting into action, for the first time in recorded history, the most enlightened edict ever passed by the United Nations Security Council: Resolution 1325?

Passed on October 31, 2000, more than a decade ago, that "landmark" resolution was hailed worldwide as a great "victory" for women and international peace and security. In a nutshell, SCR 1325 calls for women to participate equally and fully at decision-making levels in all processes of conflict resolution, peacemaking, and reconstruction. Without the active participation of women in peacemaking every step of the way, the Security Council concluded, no just and durable peace could be achieved anywhere.' Read more...

Take Action in support of survivors of Military Sexual Trauma

In partnership with the makers of the film, Invisible War, winner of Sundance's Audience Award, we urge you to sign this petition supporting legislation that would help military sexual trauma survivors receive justice and care. Help this petition reach 10,000 signatures by signing today.

Tweet the petition out to your followers. Here's a sample tweet you can use:
5900+ have shown support for Military Sexual Trauma survivors, will you help @Invisible_War get to 10K? chn.ge/A0UufO

Or post it to your Facebook page:
Support Military Sexual Trauma Survivors and demand Change! Sign and share on your wall: chn.ge/A0UufO

Please encourage folks to join the conversation on Facebook at: Facebook.com/InvisibleWarMovie and Twitter: @Invisible_War and to sign up for the Invisible War newsletter.

In addition, Invisible War is seeking photographs of service members who are survivors of MST for the final credits of the film. Find out how to send your photo here.

Find Inspiration to resist militarism through art and creative expression.

If you are in the Chicago area this weekend, the National Veterans Art Museum is launching the exhibit, Overlooked/Looked Over, a show of art by women veterans that highlights the unique experience of women in war, military service, and as veterans. The curator of this show is Erica Slone, artist, IVAW member, and three-tour Iraq veteran.

Iraq Veterans Against the War is a 501(c)(3) charity,
and welcomes your tax deductible contributions