Babble needs a Forum: Peace/Anti-war Activism

And one negative.  This is one Babble.ca doesn't need.  How about trying to add more content to the existing international forums instead? 

I'm reticent toward this idea despite being wholeheartedly for the disability issues forum and halfheartedly for the animal welfare forum. Here's why:

First of all, the feminism forum is not an "activist" forum--it is meant to stake out a space where feminist principles can be developed and discussed where everyone already has certain established first principles (starting from "R," so to speak) and to assert an ideology or perspective usually marginalized. Disability issues very much fit this kind of motive and need, and so it was an easy decision.

babble doesn't really have "category" forums--we have "light" categories like media, culture, science, etc--but they're not very specific. This changed (kind of) when we added the "Environmental Justice" forum, which was kind of (imo) a way to capitalize on a growing green movement and emphasize rabble's committment to stopping climate change. "Animal Welfare" is of this bent, although as we've seen, I'm still hoping for some more discussion. An "anti-war" forum might seem to fulfill this criteria as well--except I don't see what can be achieved that isn't already achieved in the existing "activism" and "international" forums.

babble is guaranteed to already have threads about worldwide conflicts, and we are (supposed) to have an anti-imperialist policy (which has proven difficult to enforce), so how would an extra forum add value to babble? I just don't see it. I'm open to being convinced, but it will be a tough slog.

Suit yourself either way.  The reason I for one don't think an additional antiwar/peace forum is needed is because its already pretty much covered in the international sections, most of which are already focused on ME conflicts (too much IMO) but 'animal rights' OTOH doesn't fit so neatly into the environmental format (cruelty to pets hardly constitute an 'environmental' threat like habitat loss) and gets very little attention in comparison to others.  But maybe it is better to just post more material on what already exists, if someone sees the need.  Dividing Babble.ca further probably won't do much to get its traffic up again.

Glavin hardly represents the left here, or anywhere, really --although at onetime he was a decent advocate for aboriginal rights and sometimes favoured the BC NDP over the old Socreds.  That would give him progressive 'creds' in some peoples eyes, and if he now favours Western imperialism I suppose it would make him the perfect 'counterbalance' to openly partisan neo-cons in the media.  The idea of unanimity of opinion among supposed political rivals reflecting an undeniable reality or necessity is actually a clever PR ploy for pushing open debate right off the dial.  I hope it doesn't ever get quite That far on babble.ca though.