Contrary to the Headlines: There Will Be No Retreat from the Anti-War Movement on Iraq
A foolish headline in today's Politico suggests that the anti-Iraq War movement is planning a retreat. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm the national director of one of the largest anti-war coalitions in the country, Win Without War, and I can tell you we're not retreating one inch. MoveOn.org and other coalition members are not backing off and no anti-war organization of any size that I'm aware of (and I keep up on these things) is planning to ease up.
We have an unprecedented opportunity in this election year to press our point as aggressively as we can. Opposition to the war is at an all-time high. Its chief proponent, the President, is more unpopular than ever. A rash of Republican Senators and House Members who have supported the war have seen the handwriting on the wall and have decided to end their political careers voluntarily rather than wait for their constituents to send them packing in November.
Despite the fact that more than two-thirds of Americans want Congress to stop the bleeding and get our troops out of Iraq, Congressional war spending is likely to eclipse the one TRILLION dollar mark in 2008. Doesn't seem to me that this reflects the priorities of most Americans, including those who are planning to go to the polls to vote for a new president and a new Congress in November. Last I checked, most Americans want Congress and the administration to start making the impact of the collapsing American economy a priority and start taking action to deal with the unfolding disaster in cities and towns across the country. But how much action is possible when you are spending upwards of $10 billion dollars a MONTH on an endless war that the Iraqi Defense Minister wants us to drag on through 2018? Where do you think the priorities lie of the average American who is facing a declining pay check, runaway gas prices and the increasing possibility of a pink slip? Which way would they want THEIR member of Congress to vote when it comes to pouring endless amounts of their tax dollars into an endless war in Iraq?
The Politico headline is as true as last Sunday's New York Times front page headline about the so-called de-Baathification law that was passed on Saturday by the Iraqi parliament: "US Benchmark is Met". The President declared that the vote was "an important step toward reconciliation". Iraq war backers hoped that this would take the sting out of charges that the military surge had failed to deliver on any of the benchmarks promised more than a year ago by the Bush administration. This, in turn, would help turn back opposition to yet more war funding by allowing war supporters to declare that the surge is "working". It turns out that in reality, this so-called "step forward" is much more likely a step BACKWARD and could add even more fuel to the sectarian fire in Iraq. Sunni and Shiite officials said that the law could actually throw MORE Sunnis out of government jobs than it allows back in. Some Shiite officials were bragging on Saturday that the law would even stop Sunnis who belonged to the lowest levels of the Baath Party from working in the most important government ministries including Interior, Defense, Finance and the Foreign Ministry.
Wouldn't it be nice if Congress demanded accountability for the Bush administration's continued manipulation of the media and deception of the American people? It won't happen with an anti-movement in retreat - yet another reason why we're not!
The weakening American economy and the limits that the trillion dollar Iraq debacle put on Congress to respond on behalf of Americans caught in its downdraft, DEMAND that we stand up and FIGHT for accountability in Washington and press our point to end the war in Iraq at every opportunity - INCLUDING every vote cast to spend yet more money on this madness.
RETREAT IS NOT AN OPTION FOR THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT and it is NOT on our agenda.
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We must attack the economic Interests lurking behind the problem.
The Anti-War movement has a lot in common with the Anti-Mass-Media movement.
The anti-Mass-Media movement has a lot in common with the Anti-Globalization movement.
So on and so on.
They want to divide us into little splinter groups so they can marginalize us one by one.
Our organization will be just the opposite!
Totally decentralized and run by an informed committee.
There should be no individual figure heads that they could attack and cut off.
We must emulate the organization that we want to create.
The goal we are reaching for is:
A totally decentralized system.
Locally owned and run media, banking, education, manufacturing, healthcare, energy and food production.
Common goals, positive ideals and cooperation will build the foundation for a powerful people’s coalition.
We have a common enemy.
The nightmare on Pennsylvania Ave.
As long as Arms dealers control media outlets we will have an uphill climb.
The Media is the high ground.
We must take first.
On the way up the mountain we must begin by
Instituting complete and total campaign finance reform.
The sooner we take the money out of politics the sooner we will have positive beneficial change.
Dissemination of alternative information is our strongest weapon.
The power of Television can help solve the problem that it has created.
A well informed, healthy, educated populous is the best way to insure everyone's freedom.
Follow the Corpirate’s formula for victory and you will discover the formula for their defeat.
We have to personalize the WAR.
These multi-national Conglomerates have no allegiance to people or Country.
Hit them where it hurts!
On their bottom line.
Divest ourselves from the WAR MACHINE.
Shut their violent crap off and
Never buy any of their corpirate garbage.
It is a conflict of interest.
The fastest way to get what we want is to take the media back and
Enlighten the citizens.
Complete finance reform is necessary now.
All the tools are here already.
All you have to do,
Is help make it work!
Strength Through Peace!
2 trillion dollars of blood and treasure dumped in the desert probably hurts the economy, huh.
Pundits are always telling us that the Iraqi war has vanished from the headlines and voters are no longer as concerned about the war, especially Fox News pundits. A new CNN poll indicated today 43% of those polled consider Iraq their primary concern at the moment and Iraq was second behind the economy in their minds. Why pundits think the citizenry is so fickle and can forget a major war overnight is beyond me. We know the Iraq conflict is there and the killing continues and we want it to stop. It is the pundits who for now have removed the war from the headlines and not the public.
Thank you for all your efforts.
For some time now I've been reading/hearing that Americans don't care that much about the war after the surge supposedly worked.
Before the surge, bush was on tv telling the world that Americans wanted the war, they just didn't want to lose.
I am SO VERY GLAD to see that despite these stories Americans are NOT the shallow warmongers they are being portrayed to be.
And for this blog I thank you again.
If you want to know how we got here -flip back the pages of time to when we all got cars in every drive way.
Look back to when the japanese kicked our ass in putting out the first Compact cars,
Look back on how long it took for the US auto to concede we need more fuel efficient cars
Look back to when the SUV started rolling off every assembly line (the new lead sled). Look back to the '70s- the Hi jackings (do you remeber the man thrown on the tarmack), the hostage crisis,the Iran contra scandal, the Afghan Wars,Desert Strom, '93 WT bombing, the Cole......
It can get overwhelming - let me give you a string to hold on to on your way through this maze- CHENEY,RUMSFELD,WOLFOWITZ- well that's three- you'll need them, Hold On Tight!
the economy and the war are quite related.
= end war soon
= get out overseas
= stop run away spending
= make whole again social security and medicare
= restore civil liberties
restore habeas corpus, repeal patriot act, military commissions act, homegrown radicalization terrorism act, net neutrality act
= secure border, end entitlements to illegals
= restore the dollar
ron paul is the answer. no one else except kucinich is allowed to.
ron paul 2008!
the only way to get government officials to stop accepting bribes is if we make accepting or giving bribes a capital offence , maybe even copy Saudi arabia in execution on this one crime , death by sword and off with their heads and on the steps of the capitol bulding and in public no less
Anti-war movement?
IMPEACH!
Ron Paul!
Constitution FIRST, oil/war profiteering down at oh, item 352 out of a possible 19...you got
your 'democracy', and your 'not exactly'...
Well, let's get the word out.
NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL.
March 19, 2008: the 5th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the beginning of the 6th year of war and occupation, the 6th year of senseless death and massive destruction.
2008 is a critical year in the efforts to bring an end to the war and occupation in Iraq. This is the year the anti-war movement must up the ante, pull out all of the stops and build so much pressure that the war will finally be brought to an end.
March 13-16, Winter Soldier: UFPJ is committed to providing major support to Iraq Veterans Against the War and its Winter Soldier hearings in Washington, DC, on March 13-16. We will help local groups plan events that directly link to and amplify the Winter Soldier hearings, where those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Iraqis and Afghans, will tell the nation the real story of this war.
March 19, Mass Nonviolent Civil Disobedience in Washington, DC: UFPJ has initiated the planning and organizing for what we hope will be the largest nonviolent civil disobedience action yet against the war in Iraq. We encourage people to be in Washington, DC, on March 19th to be part of the civil disobedience, or to assist in support work. We are working to have all 50 states represented in this massive action.
March 19, Local Actions Throughout the Country: We encourage those who are not able to make it to Washington on March 19 to organize local actions. These actions may vary in location or character, but they will all be tied to the protest in Washington and all sending a message to the policy makers: It is time to end this war and occupation!
Help us make the 5th anniversary the last anniversary of this war!
http://www.5yearstoomany.org/
"The United States of America," like every other nation on this planet, actually represents ... "exactly what the citizens of that nation D-E-M-A-N-D that it must be, the shamelessly-profiteering officials of said nation notwithstanding."
And I, personally, believe that "we the people" need to make it our business to D-E-M-A-N-D that this nation once again become, and forevermore "be," what our grandfathers 'merely took for granted' that it always would be.
The travesties that have assaulted our nation in the past forty years, but most-especially in the last seven, ARE C-R-I-M-E-S, and the reason why we continue to suffer from them is that our dear Congress ... thoroughly and completely corrupted and complicit as it is ... has no incentive whatsoever to "derail the money-train" that has so far netted them more than $1 trillion.
When our innocent Founding Fathers stipulated that "any civil officer SHALL BE impeached," they rather-naiively assumed that the Congress would not be "in on the game." But that, most unfortunately for us all, has turned out not to be the case.
Today, we have a Congress that, to a man (or woman) daily receives about $160,000 PER PERSON PER DAY in bribes. And they're lovin' every minute of it.
Those bribes? Yep. Guess who's payin' 'em....
Houston, we got a problem.
And there's nobody but "we the people" who can fix it.
We were all taught in grade-school to believe in the principles of "checks and balances." The core principle of that scheme is, or WAS, that "the Congress would check the President" and so-on. If one Branch got out of line, the other two would self-correct it.
Well, unfortunately, 47 years ago TODAY, General (and President) "Ike" Eisenhower foresaw that our founding fathers were wrong. The Military Industrial Complex (a term that he himself coined on that day) represented a threat to the republic that our august Founders did NOT foresee. It represented a threat which could, and which would, corrupt ALL THREE BRANCHES of our Government at the same time.
When you stare at figures like "the American taxpayer has spent more than $1 TRILLION on this war 'so far'," try to think in terms of: "WE HAVE *PROFITED* more than $1 TRILLION on this war 'so far!'"
Imagine that 'WE' involves: members of the Congress, members of the Executive Branch, members of the Judiciary.
.
Imagine, in other words, that WE have been scro-o-o-ood for so very long that there has been accumulated a very large group of very rich people who would JUST LOVE to convince us that "being scro-o-o-ood" represents some devilish new "way that things must be."
.
As a certain Allied commander once told a certain German commander: "N-U-T-S!"
Until the unlawful military occupation of Iraq ends, out government will continue to see record defecits and ever-increasing inflation. The future of our nation is at risk because this unnecessary foreign occupation is sapping our treasury. The only way we are currently able to stay afloat financially is through massive infusions of capital from China, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, etc. Oh, and the more important part? As long as we continue this illegal occupation, Americans and Iraqis will continue to die needlessly and violently. When will we elect sane people to high office?
The right has long been saying the anti-war movement is vanishing in their hopes that their statement will be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I will march in the next anti-war march and the next to make sure this movement does its best to awaken the conscious of America. Stop this ugly war and spend some of our tax dollars on America.
I've read headlines lately that say the candidates are retreating from discussing Iraq because of the "success of the surge".
Well, when their protential voters realize that the assistance they are looking for from the federal government will be pale and less effective because bush's war has left us cash strapped, you will see a rise in interest in ending this war.
It's about time this war hits the average american where they pay attention, their wallets.
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