Radical Peace

If peace ever became a thing, a real and lasting thing, then where would that leave the empire builders? They would be out of a job. Peace be upon all of us on the good Earth.

Radical Peace

by C. A. Matthews

A lot of talk in activist groups consists of “When do we act?” and “Who will lead us?” Discussions of when we’ll know what to do and how we’ll know who to trust or which groups are the best ones to give us advice can go on for days, weeks, months or even years. Everyone has a right to their opinion, but in the meantime nothing much is accomplished and things can continue to grow worse. Much worse.

Waiting forever for answers is the wrong option, I believe. We must act, even if we’re uncertain of what direction we’re going exactly. Making no decision is actually making a decision, one that’ll probably not yield the desired result. At the current crossroads we as activists find ourselves, following the example of leaders from the past may help us find the direction that will lead us to a more peaceful present and happier future.

It takes a radical mom to raise a radical peacemaking son.

Once upon a time, a radical activist declared, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9) and meant it. He kept emphasizing peace as an action that could produce positive results and strengthen our determination. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (John 14: 27)

His idea of peace was both internal and external, as one can’t fully be realized without the other. This was quite a daring concept in his era, especially as it was vocalized by a poor man from a working class migrant family living on the edge of the world’s largest empire. Sound familiar? That’s were many of us find ourselves today—living on the edge of empire, struggling to survive.

Empire, both then and now, doesn’t care very much for peace. Peace doesn’t sell fighter jets or killer drones. You can’t grow empire if you don’t have ready access to natural resources, land, and (slave) labor enough to build the profitable weapons of war, and you can’t gain these things without endless wars and genocides to appropriate them from others. We’ve seen this recently with the US perpetrating resource grabs in both Venezuela and Gaza.

Off to the peace protest…

Venezuelan oil and Palestinian natural gas and land has become “our oil” and “our resort” according to Donald Trump. Amazing how this works in the minds of imperialists… They just wish something so and it happens!

If peace ever became a thing, a real and lasting thing, then where would that leave the empire builders? They would be out of a job. They can’t have that! “It’s better to make everyone feel scared and angry and worried and paranoid as to where their next meal is coming from” is their motto. That “survival of only the fittest” kind of atmosphere creates more business, more profits for empire.

Empire and its supporters cannot have peace or truly celebrate the concept of peace on Earth. Radical peace is suicide for warmongers. Peace is the ultimate dirty word in their lexicon.

The imperialists’ fear of peace and harmony among all peoples probably explains why the month of December has been changed into a total materialistic orgy in the Western Hemisphere. Their propaganda of BUY BUY BUY and BUY MORE is broadcast on all media platforms from before Thanksgiving in late November through the New Year in the US. We can’t have peace—we must have competition and sales!

“Be the first one on your block to own this new whatchamacallit!” the commercials taunt us. Somehow, our lives aren’t complete without possessing this particular new car, cell phone, video game console, AI teddy bear, electric pancake flipper… It’s all rush, rush, rush to the stores and then regret upon regret when the credit card bills come due the following month. We’re kept busy buying and consuming and over-consuming.

We’re told we’re “strengthening the economy” by working 60+ hour weeks (if we’re lucky enough to have a job) for a boss who makes more in a month than we do in a year. We’re told not to waste time thinking about how others in our community are fairing and getting along with others around the globe. Empire doesn’t want or need peace—it needs people fighting their neighbors over that last can of cranberry jelly in the grocery store.

But what if… What if all this buying and over-consumption wasn’t a thing? What if we all could just make do with what we have and be grateful for it? I know it’s hard to imagine not owning the latest digital nose-picker, but when enough of us actually stop buying into the imperialist-capitalist lies of endless wars and endless consumption and start considering the benefits of peace on Earth, goodwill to all human (and animal and plant) kind, things will actually start changing. For the better.

Creating a world of radical peace is the direction activists should take to defeat the empire. Many are already doing so by building mutual aid networks, sponsoring free stores, feeding the hungry, and standing up for the oppressed. Of course, the empire doesn’t like any of this sort of activity. They will outlaw it or label it something like “communism” (as if that is a bad word) or “anti-fascism” (which is definitely not a bad word) to scare others away from partaking in it.

But activists have no choice. Peace is the answer we’ve been looking for and the method to obtain our objectives. We have to keep fighting against the empire’s propaganda that says “globalize the intifada” is somehow an evil saying instead of the rallying cry that it is. All it means is “Power to the people!” by rising up (intifada means to rise up or turn over) and taking back our world from the greedy imperialists who thrive on death and chaos.

Take heart in knowing that sharing and living with others in peace was forbidden by empire long ago, too, but it didn’t stop folks from doing so. Followers of our radical activist came together and practiced living in peace in spite of the empire of that day hunting them down. “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:44-45)

This week we celebrate the birthday of that radical activist who taught that peace was the only way to bring about a world where all life is forever free and cherished. It’s a good time of the year to remember that peace is not only a desirable state of being, it is imperative for our survival as a species. We can’t war ourselves into a happier, longer existence, can we?

Peace is the ultimate expression of love. And to quote the Beatles, “Love is all you need.”

Peace be upon us all on the good Earth.

And Now For Something Completely Different: Funny holiday memes to keep up your spirits as you read these recent headlines…

Thieves dressed as Santa and his elves steal $3K worth of goods from Montreal grocery store https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/santa-claus-montreal-police-grocery-store-theft-9.7020673

Record Number 68,442 Immigrants Will Spend Christmas in Cages https://austinkocher.substack.com/p/record-number-68442-immigrants-will

Western elites fear a ‘globalised intifada’ because they are its targets, not Jews https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/western-elites-fear-a-globalised

If Israel Gets To Undermine Our Rights, Then We Get To Undermine Israel https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/if-israel-gets-to-undermine-our-rights

Second Ship Seized: U.S. Tightens Grip on Venezuelan Oil at Sea https://scheerpost.com/2025/12/20/second-ship-seized-u-s-tightens-grip-on-venezuelan-oil-at-sea/

Trump admits he wants to take Venezuela’s oil - and give it to US corporations https://www.geopoliticaleconomy.report/p/trump-take-venezuela-oil-us-corporations

3 in 4 Republicans Under 45 Say They Prefer US Fund Health Care Over Israel https://truthout.org/articles/3-in-4-republicans-under-45-say-they-prefer-us-fund-health-care-over-israel

Julian Assange: Sweden broke own laws with Nobel Prize to Venezuela’s Machado https://thegrayzone.com/2025/12/17/julian-assange-sweden-nobel-venezuelas-machado/

Israel Is Preparing for a Permanent Presence in Gaza, Satellite Images Reveal https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/gaza-israel-building-military-outposts-roads-permanent-presence-yellow-line

Garbage Is Poisoning Gaza https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/garbage-poisoning-gaza-landfills-inaccessible-waste-disease

The Israeli army is creating a ‘new security reality’ in the northern West Bank to advance colonization https://mondoweiss.net/2025/12/the-israeli-army-is-creating-a-new-security-reality-in-the-northern-west-bank-to-advance-colonization/

Israeli Narrative Debunked- Bondi Terrorists Were Tied To ISIS. https://the307.substack.com/p/israeli-narrative-debunked-bondi

The US-Backed Destruction of Sudan https://realleecamp.substack.com/p/the-us-backed-destruction-of-sudan

The UN Just Voted 153-1 to Protect UN & Humanitarian Workers. The United States Was the LONE DISSENTING VOTE. https://www.thenorthstar.com/p/the-un-just-voted-153-1-to-protect

Dissecting The NY Times’ Pro-War Propaganda Dumpster Fire https://realleecamp.substack.com/p/dissecting-the-latest-ny-times-pro

Chris Hedges: Rebranding Genocide https://scheerpost.com/2025/12/16/chris-hedges-rebranding-genocide/

Former Top Biden Admin Official Admits The U.S. Could Have Prevented War, ‘Destruction And Loss Of Life’ In Ukraine. https://the307.substack.com/p/former-top-biden-admin-official-admits

Operation Condor: Transnational Murder Syndicate https://www.kitklarenberg.com/p/operation-condor-transnational-murder

Giving Up on the Dream: Asylum Seekers Try Other Options in Mexico https://capitalandmain.com/giving-up-on-the-dream-asylum-seekers-try-other-options-in-mexico

Big Pharma Is Making Mexico Sick. Medicine and Supply Shortages Are Rampant. https://truthout.org/articles/big-pharma-is-making-mexico-sick-medicine-and-supply-shortages-are-rampant/

Trump’s Expanded Drug War Will Make Overdose Crisis Worse, Experts Say https://truthout.org/articles/trumps-expanded-drug-war-will-make-overdose-crisis-worse-experts-say/

Longtime Paid FBI Informant Was Instrumental in Terror Case Against “Turtle Island Liberation Front” https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/fbi-informant-turtle-island-terror-plot

Flock Exposed Its AI-Powered Cameras to the Internet. We Tracked Ourselves https://www.404media.co/flock-exposed-its-ai-powered-cameras-to-the-internet-we-tracked-ourselves/?ref=daily-stories-newsletter

New evidence for the earliest intentional human fire-making https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/12/22/xdqp-d22.html