Saturday SoapBlog: Bryan Law - Encouraging peacemaking

Bryan Law is on his final mission, before he leaves Cairns next year.

He encourages everyone to do their own version of peacemaking.

Hi groovers.

I’m getting ready for my 2011 program of peace activism, and have been putting some stuff up on the web. There are also some pages of history and a ploughshares proposal.

I’m planning to move to Rockhampton in May 2011 to do some prep for Talisman Sabre 2011.

Before I leave Cairns, I want to make sure I participate in an ANZAC EVE Vigil in my town. I wrote about this on CairnsBlog last month.

I notice that Graeme Dunstan, and some of the Silver Wattle crew are making progress on an event at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. There’s a page of correspondence with the Major-General in charge.

I also put a page up on the Waihopai Spybase protests this January in NZ. There are links established between Oz and Kiwi activists between Waihopai, Pine Gap, ANZAC Day, and Ploughshares.

I’ve missed participating in earlier discussions about affinity groups, mass actions, and how to develop a Peace movement. I’ve been thinking about it. I know that many are asking questions about how to organise most effectively.

One thing that comes up for me is that I just don’t have any answers suitable for others. I can resonate with Benjo’s desire for an effective mass action, and a blockade seems perfectly legitimate as a target. I’d even be willing to join in.

I’d love even more to see activist groups rise up around the country, at all the available sites, to withdraw consent for war. I’m willing to join in that too.

In the long run, I rely on the decency of human beings, the power of nonviolence, and the love of God.

Meantime I do my best to act effectively within my own capacity. In my city. Cairns is a smallish regional city of 150,000. On the margins of Queensland, facing high costs and state neglect, our economy is in recession, and the key tourism industry is bleeding. Apart from that, and some endemic racism, alcoholism and intolerance, Cairns is alright. Nice place to winter.

After 17 years I’ve got fair recognition, and a minor voice in public affairs. The warships campaign has been more successful than not. Temporarily I have a strong relationship with the local daily. In the past month I’ve been able to stimulate discussion of the AUStralian/US Ministerial conference, The US Alliance, and defend Wikileaks. More permanently, there is CairnsBlog.

I’m certain that if we want to stop war we have to win and lead the active support of many citizens we don’t yet have on side. Conversion by example has a long, honourable history in the peace movement.

So for me it feels like I’ve been doing alright. I’ve got a coherent program that feels “right” to me. Some public relations, some ploughshares, some pretty powerful personal commitment, all of which leads to prison for an intermediate time. It feels right.

So for me personally, the question isn’t “mass movement” Vs “affinity groups”, it’s how to make my own actions as effective as I possibly can at winning converts, and getting in the way of war’s “business as usual”.

I encourage everyone else to do their own version of peacemaking.