The
National Peace Museum
of
Conscientious Objection
and Anti-war Activism
In
these days of yet another war of choice, based
on misinformation and ideological goals instead
of matters of national security, we feel that it
is critically important to establish, for the
first time in
America, a museum
honoring conscientious objection and
anti-war activism within and outside the
military.
In
order to prosecute any war, a nation must call
on its young men and women to be willing to lay
down their lives in service to their country.
Whether they know it or not, each individual
member of the military must make their personal
decision to participate in that war. Many times
the rationalization for the war has been
distorted by the government, and the individual
cannot know the true cause and motives of their
country.
Sometimes
an individual will have deep moral grounds for
objecting to all wars, seeing that corrupt
policies and inattention to the misery of others
is the root cause of war. They say that peace
can never be the result of war.
Other
times an individual will find themselves in the
midst of war, and realize that the basis for it
is false, or that the tactics will violate
international war crime laws.
To
honor those who have taken a moral stand,
whether against all wars, some wars, or specific
tactics, we propose that a museum be established
to archive their stories and present to the
public their alternative views of military
service.
We
further propose that the museum be located in
the stockade building of the Presidio of San
Francisco - the site of notable protests in the
1960s and imprisonment of many of those active
duty army personnel who opposed the Vietnam War.
The
former military base is now managed by the
Presidio Trust, governed by a board of
directors. It is our hope to gather enough
supporters to submit a proposal to the Presidio
Trust to reserve the building, for the eventual
establishment of the museum.
Please
join us in this effort.
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