December 11, 2020
TOPIC: MAKING PEACE NORMAL
GUEST: MICHAEL KNOX
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In this new book, Dr. Michael D. Knox, founder of the US Peace
Memorial Foundation and Distinguished University Professor, says it’s time for
Americans who work for Peace to be honored as national heroes. From war epics
that portray American soldiers as unfailingly noble, to public monuments that
glorify war-makers, to a national education curriculum that rarely asks
students to debate the value of war, the U.S. is a nation that venerates its
warriors above all others.
The U.S. has bombed thirty countries since the end of World War
II, killing millions of people, maiming tens of millions more, disrupting and
destroying education, healthcare, housing, businesses, infrastructure, the
environment, and creating untold numbers of refugees. Knox, who practiced
clinical psychology for over 40 years, describes a behavioral approach to
ending U.S. war. The book also documents the actions of hundreds of role models
for peace in hopes of inspiring other Americans.
ENDING U.S. WARS by Honoring Americans Who Work for Peace aims to change
the U.S. culture to one that celebrates its peacemakers. “In a culture that
funds and esteems war-making, respect for peacemaking must be taught and
modeled. We can change our cultural mindset so that it will no longer be
acceptable to label those who speak out against a U.S. war as disloyal,
anti-military, or unpatriotic. Rather,” says Knox, “they will be recognized for
their dedication to a noble cause and to saving lives.”
Chapters include A CULTURE OF WAR, A CULTURE OF PEACE,
and:
THE US PEACE PRIZE. Recipients of the US Peace Prize
since 2009 include Chelsea Manning, Medea Benjamin, Noam Chomsky, Ajamu Baraka,
Dennis Kucinich, and Cindy Sheehan. In 2020 the US Peace Prize went to
Christine Ahn “for bold activism to end the Korean War, heal its wounds, and
promote women’s roles in building peace.” Detailed profiles of all 12
recipients are included.
THE US PEACE REGISTRY. A collection of 270
American individuals and organizations who work for peace, demonstrating a
broad range of peace and antiwar actions and activities. The Registry
appears for the first time in print.
THE US PEACE MEMORIAL. The Foundation’s most ambitious
goal is to establish a monument on the National Mall. ENDING U.S. WARS
offers a sneak peek at this exciting project. Plans include an inspiring and
creative design that features a peace sign that can only be seen aerially and
aims to serve as a reminder to government officials who fly over the Mall. As
the US Peace Memorial is currently envisioned, twelve walls, or facets, will
contain engraved peace quotes from famous Americans such as Jane Addams,
Muhammad Ali, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Hemingway, Helen
Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., and Margaret Mead, and a variety of U.S.
presidents who are not widely known for their antiwar statements. Until it is
built, this book is the US Peace Memorial.
READ an EXCERPT
“Many years ago, Michael Knox saw a need
in this violent empire of the USA for a memorial to peace workers in a country
where war is glorified and recklessly memorialized. I was honored to be the
first recipient of the US Peace Prize and do highly recommend this book as a
furtherance of Michael’s quest for peace. I hope it inspires the next
generation of peace workers.”—Cindy Sheehan, mother of Casey
Austin Sheehan, KIA Iraq: 04/04/04.
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