New rant...
I got a call last night from Peace Action, a group that grew out of the Nuclear Freeze campaign of the early 1980s, in which I was heavily involved. The caller, a woman, told me how they've succeeded in getting Bush's nuclear funding request slashed from $90-something million to $8 million. And how they're working against the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for attorney general--he being the guy who basically gave the green light legally for the U.S. to defy the Geneva Convention at Guantanamo and Abu Graib.
All well and good -- but I asked, so what is the organization doing about the war in Iraq?
Answer: Meeting with lots of similar groups to come up with a "practical" and "realistic" plan for an exit strategy from the war, given that we've made such a mess there.
You mean Peace Action is still discussing whether we should even be advocating for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops?
Answer (perhaps adjusting the pitch to what the listener wants to hear): No, our call is for an immediate withdrawal of troops, but for a plan to repair the mess we've made too.
So I said I would contribute, reluctantly, but only because I know how hard it is to ask for funds and at least Peace Action is doing something related to ending the war. I guess.
I discussed my frustration at the inaction of the peace movement. She mentioned that it was hopeful that half of all Americans already oppose the war. I said that made me even more frustrated at the lack of protest--hell, in the Vietnam era, it took eight years of protests before the majority of Americans were convinced. What are we waiting for?
She professed sympathy but said it was a difficult time to organize people into action because of "fatigue" on the part of liberals after the long, arduous Kerry campaign.
I wonder how many Iraqis and Americans who are dying over there daily are sympathetic about our "fatigue."
She mentioned Peace Action would be a strong present at the counter-inaugural. I didn't say anything. But what I wanted to say is this:
The hell with the counter-inaugural. What a waste of energy! Hey, it's already well known that liberals and lefties hate Bush--do we need to demonstrate that again? For what purpose? If we hate his policies, why not attack his policies?
And how many more Iraqis and Americans and other citizens will be killed in Iraq by the time we wage our feel-good, masturbatory counter-inaugural that MIGHT motivate a few more people to stop whining about the election and do something to stop the war?
What are we waiting for? The slaughter goes on. The news media bury the story. There is barely a peep of protest.
If millions of people can donate gazillions of dollars and spend billions of hours of their time on a campaign to elect a man who didn't even oppose the war, why can't we spend a small percentage of that energy speaking out, protesting, and mobilizing to stop this insane, murderous war? Now.
Because we need more time to recover from our terrible tragic defeat? Give me a break. What pampered, privileged, poor little souls we are.
If Peace Action can't even take action for peace, if Move On can't move on from the disastrous Kerry fiasco and do something other than work on "election reform"...if there are only a handful of people in a progressive town like I live in willing to protest the war....what hope is there?
The Bush administration is going to pull out troops from Iraq for practical reasons long before the so-called anti-war movement is even going to get up the courage to demand troop withdrawal. That is the sad reality.
I got a call last night from Peace Action, a group that grew out of the Nuclear Freeze campaign of the early 1980s, in which I was heavily involved. The caller, a woman, told me how they've succeeded in getting Bush's nuclear funding request slashed from $90-something million to $8 million. And how they're working against the nomination of Alberto Gonzales for attorney general--he being the guy who basically gave the green light legally for the U.S. to defy the Geneva Convention at Guantanamo and Abu Graib.
All well and good -- but I asked, so what is the organization doing about the war in Iraq?
Answer: Meeting with lots of similar groups to come up with a "practical" and "realistic" plan for an exit strategy from the war, given that we've made such a mess there.
You mean Peace Action is still discussing whether we should even be advocating for an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops?
Answer (perhaps adjusting the pitch to what the listener wants to hear): No, our call is for an immediate withdrawal of troops, but for a plan to repair the mess we've made too.
So I said I would contribute, reluctantly, but only because I know how hard it is to ask for funds and at least Peace Action is doing something related to ending the war. I guess.
I discussed my frustration at the inaction of the peace movement. She mentioned that it was hopeful that half of all Americans already oppose the war. I said that made me even more frustrated at the lack of protest--hell, in the Vietnam era, it took eight years of protests before the majority of Americans were convinced. What are we waiting for?
She professed sympathy but said it was a difficult time to organize people into action because of "fatigue" on the part of liberals after the long, arduous Kerry campaign.
I wonder how many Iraqis and Americans who are dying over there daily are sympathetic about our "fatigue."
She mentioned Peace Action would be a strong present at the counter-inaugural. I didn't say anything. But what I wanted to say is this:
The hell with the counter-inaugural. What a waste of energy! Hey, it's already well known that liberals and lefties hate Bush--do we need to demonstrate that again? For what purpose? If we hate his policies, why not attack his policies?
And how many more Iraqis and Americans and other citizens will be killed in Iraq by the time we wage our feel-good, masturbatory counter-inaugural that MIGHT motivate a few more people to stop whining about the election and do something to stop the war?
What are we waiting for? The slaughter goes on. The news media bury the story. There is barely a peep of protest.
If millions of people can donate gazillions of dollars and spend billions of hours of their time on a campaign to elect a man who didn't even oppose the war, why can't we spend a small percentage of that energy speaking out, protesting, and mobilizing to stop this insane, murderous war? Now.
Because we need more time to recover from our terrible tragic defeat? Give me a break. What pampered, privileged, poor little souls we are.
If Peace Action can't even take action for peace, if Move On can't move on from the disastrous Kerry fiasco and do something other than work on "election reform"...if there are only a handful of people in a progressive town like I live in willing to protest the war....what hope is there?
The Bush administration is going to pull out troops from Iraq for practical reasons long before the so-called anti-war movement is even going to get up the courage to demand troop withdrawal. That is the sad reality.
VIEW 8 of 8 COMMENTS
venla:
I don't tease smart people - I like them 
despairfactor:
That sounds kinky!!!