PACIFISM as PATHOLOGY Reflections on the Role of Armed Struggle in North America Ward Churchill with Mike Ryan Winnipeg Arbeiter Ring Publishing DEDICATION 2-91 Albert Street Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3B 1G5 for the fallen warriors of the armed struggle, (204) 942-7058 and for those now in cages - [email protected] http://www.tao.ca/~arbeiter/ Susan Rosenberg, Sekou Odinga, Dylicia Pagan, Ray Luc Lavaseur, Malik El-Amin, Leonard Peltier, Kathy Copyright© 1998 Boudin, Raphael Kwesi Joseph, Marilyn Buck, Printed in Canada by the workers at Hignell Printing Sundiata Acoli, Dave Gilbert, Carmen Valentin, Luis Rosa, Hanif Shabazz Bey, Linda Evans, Edwin Cortez, Jalil Muntaquin, Mutulu Shakur, Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data: Tom Manning, Haydee Beltran, Cecelio Chui Ferguson, Ricardo Jiminez, Herman Bell, Lucy Churchill, Ward. Rodriguez, Albert Nuh Washington, Luis Colon Pacifism as pathology Osorio, Larry Giddings, Abdul Aziz, Bill Dunne, Alberto Rodriguez, Tim Blunk, Bashir Hameed, Abdul Includes bibliographical references and index. Majid, Richard Williams, Oscar Lopez-Rivera, ISBN 1-894037-07-3 Sylvia Baraldini, Alicia Rodrigues, Yi Kikumura and the others . 1. Peace movements. 2. Pacifism. 3. War—North America I. Ryan, Mike, 1957- II. Title. liberation will come. JZ5538.C48 1998 327.172 C98-920110-4 The publishers have made every effort to contact the copyright holders of all text and images in this publication and believe they have met all conditions of copyright. If anyone knows of these conditions not being met, they are urged to contact the publishers. Contents "For Diana Oughton" 9 PREFACE 11 by Ed Mead INTRODUCTION "Pacifism as Pathology" Revisited: Excavating a Debate 18 by Ward Churchill Pacifism as Pathology: Notes on an American Psuedopraxis 29 by Ward Churchill On Ward Churchill's "Pacifism as Pathology": Toward a Revolutionary Practice 131 by Mike Ryan Index 169 FOR DIANA OUGHTON Sometimes There is only bullets and hate self-sacrifice dismembered bodies and blood - And all I can see are the lines of cruelty on our faces. But when I think of you, Sister, and remember how you loved the people and Diana Oughton, a member of the Weather Underground Organi- fought the struggle zation was killed, along with WUO members Ted Gold and Terry I know what you would say now - Robbins, on March 6, 1970. They died when bombs they were "you don't cry for me preparing in the basement of a Greenwich Village townhouse acci- but for yourselves — dentally detonated, thus aborting what might have become the That's bullshit! first substantial armed campaign against the state mounted by Why do you only talk of dying for Euroamerican revolutionaries in the twentieth century. The poem, Revolution? "For Diana Oughton" appeared in the Berkeley Tribe, July 31 of Live for it!" the same year. — Anonymous Preface Power grows from the barrel of a gun. - Chairman Mao Tsetung kay kids, here we go, my first ever preface to well, an essay. It displays a kind of logic and O research methodology that I myself am not capable of emulating while examining the question of political violence, or, more accurately, the efficacy of adopting a political strategy of nonviolence (pacifism). Pacifism is an important issue for anyone interested in the role of violence in political struggle (a subject one can scarcely ignore in today's world). In my opinion, Ward Churchill has done a good job of addressing the subject. By way of an introduction, then, I will add only a few of my own perspectives. Here goes. The headline of today's Seattle Times screamed, "Ex- perts Warn of Food Crisis Ahead." The story, with graphs showing growing population levels, the limitations of the I I 12 Pacifism as Pathology Pacifism as Pathology 13 increasingly depleted soil, and lists of experts and pic- there is any substance at all to this notion, then we might tures, has probably been long forgotten by most of Seattle's just as well start the process of having this discussion now residents. The effects were, after all, presented mostly as instead of later, and that is another reason why I am writ- being visited upon others, elsewhere, the sort of conse- ing this introduction. quence of empire experienced mostly by Third World In my opinion, peaceful tactics comprise the only populations and other equally unimportant groups. form of political agenda that can be sustained during this I too tend to get pretty mellow about how events particular historical period. Armed actions would not fur- are unfolding on the stage of today's world. As a rule, I ther the struggle for justice at present, but they could pay more attention to what is going on here at home, or plainly hurt it (my reference here is to offensive activities my attention is focused in the direction the ruling class rather than to armed self-defense, which is an altogether media pushes me. Like most Americans, I am affected by different matter, in my view). I suspect that when the or in some way understand that there are those who do situation changes everyone will know it, and the time not, because of their race and nationality, enjoy the many clearly ain't now. luxuries available to those of us here in the heartland. Anyway, Ward and I reached our respective con- Twenty years ago, when I was part of Seattle's Prairie Fire clusions about pacifism from different directions. His Organizing Committee, we had a term for those who background is academic, as reflected in the title of his felt it was necessary and appropriate for people out there essay, "Pacifism As Pathology: Notes on an American in the colonies to fight and die in the struggle against Pseudopraxis." In contrast, I just finished an eighteen- international imperialism while intellectually exempting year stretch in prison for having been a part of a political themselves from incurring the same risks and obligations. organization that bombed, among other places, the head- The expression used by PFOC back in those days was quarters of the Department of Corrections in Olympia; "American exceptionalism." the Bureau of Indian Affairs building in Everett, and the I think we can agree that the exploited are every- FBI office in the Tacoma federal courthouse. where and that they are angry. The question of violence I have talked about violence in connection with and our own direct experience of it is something we will political struggle for a long time and I've engaged in it. I not be able to avoid when the righteous rage of the op- see myself as one who incorrectly applied the tool of revo- pressed manifests itself in increasingly focused and vio- lutionary violence during a period when its use was not lent forms. When this time comes, it is likely that white appropriate. In doing so, my associates and I paid a terri- pacifists will be the ruling class' first line of defence. If ble price. That cost included the loss of comrades Bruce 14 Pacifism as Pathology Pacifism as Pathology 15 Siedel and Ralph Ford (Poe). Poe died while planting a revolutionary violence, I want to make it clear that I am pipe bomb in the refrigeration mechanisms located in not talking about self-destructive avenues like political the back wall of the Safeway store on 15th, and Bruce adventurism. Instead, I am merely objecting to the privi- was killed in a shootout with police at a failed George leges that pacifists are often able to enjoy at the expense Jackson Brigade bank robbery. The cost also included the of the global class struggle (one does not see too many loss to Seattle's progressive movement of many commit- pacifists of colour these days). ted militants, who ended up spending many years in vari- I am not proud of my prison background. At best, ous state and federal prisons. I can say that I came out of the prison experience with a I served nearly two decades behind bars as a result bit less damage than many of my peers. But, still, I came of armed actions conducted by the George Jackson Bri- out damaged. I don't know how long, if ever, it will take gade. During those years, I studied and restudied the me- me to really know the depths of that damage. Nonethe- chanics and applicability of both violence and noviolence less, I managed to do my time in a manner I believe was to political struggle. I've had plenty of time to learn how consistent with communist principles. While I was never to step back and take a look at the larger picture. And, the tough guy on the block, and on occasion was seen as however badly I may represent that picture today, I still a nigger-lovin commie-fag, I still managed to get by with- find one conclusion inescapable: Pacifism as a strategy of out having to ever snitch on another prisoner or check achieving social, political and economic change can only into protective custody for my own safety. To that ex- lead to the dead end of liberalism. tent, I came out okay. But, on the level of having any Those who denounce the use of political violence answers (beyond my limited prison activist's scope), I do as a matter of principle, who advocate nonviolence as a not score nearly so well. strategy for progress, are wrong. Nonviolence is a tactical With that caveat in mind, what I have to say, and I question, not a strategic one. The most vicious and vio- thank Ward for giving me the opportunity to say it, is lent ruling class in the history of humankind will not this: 99.9 percent of the practitioners of political vio- give up without a physical fight.