Writing Letters to the Editor and Columns

Try to do as many of these things as possible: Be strong and dynamic, but never exaggerage, always document, always be polite and respectful, and above all be concise. Use your own words. Make it personal. For a local publication, make it local. Make it responsive to and specifically cite previous article(s). Connect it to current news, but make the important points you want to make. Refer to and name and link to World BEYOND War. Submit the same letter to only one publication at a time.  Try to make your letter under 200 words. Try to make columns 600 words. Find useful talking points here:

War is not inevitable.

War is not necessary.

War is not beneficial.

War can never be just.

War is immoral.

War endangers us, does not protect us.

War threatens our environment.

War erodes our liberties, doesn’t make us free.

War impoverishes us.

We need $2 trillion / year for other things.

When you see a news story that assumes war is inevitable or suggests that war protects us, check the appropriate page for a response, and feel free to cite the page as your source.

For a summary of what’s wrong with war in pithy footnoted points that you can cite as having been passed in a resolution by various governments, see this resolution.

Here’s an example of a letter to the editor.

Here’s an example of a letter to the editor published by the Cap Times in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S., on the subject of money.

Here’s a letter to the editor in the Charlottesville, Va., U.S., Daily Progress.

Here’s an example of a column on the topic of warlike assumptions built into common language.

Here’s an example of a column taking a topic then big in the news and deeply connected to war, and adding war to the conversation. This can be done with almost any news story at all, because war is the biggest destroyer of the natural environment yet hardly ever mentioned, the biggest driver of civil liverties abuses and government secrecy but almost never addressed head-on, the largest and least discussed budget item, the most under-noted motivator of racism and bigotry, the basis for militarizing local police, etc.

Send us your drafts if you like. Send us your published successes. Send us your tips for this page.

Use the same approaches to phone into radio and TV shows.

Peace!

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