A Message to the Anti-war Demonstrators

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A Message to the Anti-war Demonstrators

Tue, 27 Sep 2005 09:07:50 -0700

 

 

 

 

http://neworleans.indymedia.org/news/2005/09/5493.php

 

 

 

A Message to the Anti-war Demonstrators

What Will It Take?

What Will You Do?

 

 

 

#015, September 25, 2005, posted at revcom.us

 

 

 

Guantanamo. . . " shock and awe " . . . " collateral damage " . . .

Fallujah. . . Abu Ghraib. Behind the words stand the cities reduced to

rubble, the bodies in the streets, the hooded prisoners, the

kicked-down doors, and the children—crying in terror or silently

watching the humiliation of their parents. All justified by outrageous

lies.

 

The horror grinds on, every day.

 

Iraq cannot wait.

 

Iraq cannot wait for " pendulum swings. " Iraq cannot wait for possible

resolutions to set " reasonable " deadlines for hypothetical timetables.

Iraq cannot wait for the 2006 U.S. elections—especially (but not only)

when the major Democrats all oppose withdrawal from Iraq, and some

even support more troops being sent.

 

Nor will Bush be swayed simply by public opinion turning against him,

or the war. Bush himself seems to believe he's on a " mission from God "

and the pack of neo-conservatives, Christian fascists and kluckers who

surround him have demonstrated their intent to hold on to power. What

do the 2000 elections tell us, after all, if not that?

 

Iraq—and the world—cannot wait. We cannot tolerate three more years of

slaughter and lies and madness.

 

The war and occupation of Iraq is not going away. Indeed, it will

almost certainly grow more intense in the weeks and months to come,

with more Fallujahs and more Abu Ghraibs. All that is what has brought

people back into the streets again, demonstrating against the war.

This is important and good and necessary.

 

But the question we all have to face is this: how to act in a way that

truly corresponds to the urgency and scale of the situation? People

have said to us, " we've protested, we've voted, but what's going to

make a difference? "

 

The Bush Package

 

Before getting into that—and as part of answering it—let's step back

for a minute. Bush is not the first U.S. president to launch an

imperialist war. Not by a long shot. Nor is he the first U.S.

president to militarily occupy another country in the name of

democracy, or to grease the way to war with one lie after another.

 

At the same time, the Bush regime has taken the " standard operating

procedure " further. They've declared a new " doctrine " that gives them

the right to invade another country without even the pretense of an

" imminent threat. " They've claimed the right to hold a person without

charges, indefinitely, merely because the president says the person

may be a " terrorist " —and this has now been upheld by the courts. The

Bush regime instituted, and in so many words, justified the widespread

torture of prisoners of war.

 

If all this were the only outrage of the Bush regime, it would be

enough to declare it illegitimate. But look as well at their callous

and murderous racism in the face of Hurricane Katrina, coming on top

of a whole history of antagonism to the rights of Black people and an

unprecedented polarization of rich and poor. Look at how they have

packed the courts, including the Supreme Court, with fascist judges.

Look at their use of the state to support extreme fundamentalist

Christian-ity. Look at the relentless attempts to deny women the right

to control their own reproduction; look at the way they demonize gay

people and deny them equal rights. Look at how Bush himself, as well

as his administration, trumpets ignorance —suppressing findings on

global warming, stopping stem cell reseearch, and declaring himself in

favor of teaching " intelligent design. "

 

This is a whole package.

 

This package is the product of a system, imperialism. And even the

" normal workings " of that system are a horror for the majority—the

vast majority—of the people on this planet. A handful of highly

developed capitalist countries violently subordinate whole peoples and

nations to the relentless drive of profit, leaving starvation and

misery in their wake while fighting among themselves for superiority.

The war in Iraq is essentially an attempt by the U.S. to dominate the

whole Gulf region and the Middle East beyond it—at terrible expense to

the people there, and in competition with their rivals in Europe and

Japan.

 

Bush himself represents a section of the imperialists in the U.S.

which believes that the huge changes in society—the emergence of the

U.S. as the sole superpower, the socio-economic turbulence of

globalization, the changes in the way people think and relate to each

other within the U.S. itself—make necessary radical changes in the way

in which U.S. imperialism enforces its will in the world and is ruled

at home. When Dick Cheney talked after 9/11 about a " new normalcy "

lasting for a generation, he was talking about the kind of thing

represented by the war in Iraq and a much more highly repressive—a

fascist —form of rule domestically. They have made huge strides in

this since 9/11, and they are continuing this, relentlessly. It's not

for nothing that people talk about not wanting to live in a " new

Rome " —or that older generation European immigrants make analogies to

Hitler.

 

Again, what we have here is a package, a whole direction that has to

be repudiated and opposed. Bush (and his regime) is not the whole of

what's wrong with this system. Again, they are creatures of a system

—responding to what they see as the underlying needs of that system as

it faces uncertainty around the world and in its home base. And we

should be clear as well that they are setting the terms for the whole

ruling class and don't face any serious opposition within the ruling

class, whether around the war or repression (note that the Patriot Act

was recently unani-mously renewed by the Senate). They are an extreme

concentration of the system. They are not the whole of it—but what

they represent is something ex-tremely vicious and dangerous and the

whole direction must be repudiated.

 

The Bush regime must be driven from office.

 

Nothing less will do. Again, this is a whole package, a whole dynamic,

and must be fought as such. That, and nothing short of that, is what

will make a difference. And that is why you need to throw in with the

effort to drive out the Bush regime—and in particular, the call for

massive demonstrations around that demand on November 2.

Reversing the Dynamic

 

For some time now there has been a very bad dynamic going on. Millions

of people have been deeply disturbed and outraged by all this, but

they have not found a way to act.

 

But, as the Call for November 2 has put it, " silence and paralysis are

not acceptable. That which you will not resist and mobilize to stop,

you will learn—or be forced—to accept. " And people have come forward

now to pose a challenge to those who do see or sense the stakes.

Again, from the Call:

 

" We are talking about something on a scale that can really make a huge

change in this country and in the world. We need more than fighting

Bush's outrages one at a time, constantly losing ground to the whole

onslaught. We must, and can, aim to create a political situation where

the Bush regime's program is repudiated, where Bush himself is driven

from office, and where the whole direction he has been taking society

is reversed. We, in our millions, must and can take responsibility to

change the course of history. "

 

This plan is visionary. It is bold. It is audacious. But here's the

main thing: it actually corresponds to the danger we face; and nothing

else can unlock the potential energy among literally tens of millions

of people that still remains dammed up. It can make a difference.

Thus, in its boldness and audacity lies its strength.

 

Yes, it will be hard. The Bush crew will not go without a struggle.

And the people who have to do this—in their millions—are going to have

make big leaps in their level of organization and militance in order

to do this. No way around that.

 

But there IS something to build on. For one thing, there is a network

of activists and cores of people that have begun to take shape around

this bold call. There is beginning organization. And there is the

embryo of a new spirit that all this can mesh with and build on and

make still more powerful. Cindy Sheehan's brave protest in Crawford

against the war in Iraq, in the face of personal and political attack,

struck a chord and unleashed tens of thousands of people to take a

stand. Millions of people found Bush's outrageous inaction—and

action—around Hurricane Katrina intolerable; it called into question

anew his very legitimacy and raised huge questions about the whole

history and structure of society. These people want—and need—more.

 

This is an opening, but that's all it is—an opening—and it has to be

seized upon—quickly!--and turned into something bigger. If not, these

people—Bush and Cheney and Rove and the rest—will find the ways to

recoup their position and reinforce their fascist agenda, and to

suppress and take revenge on the opposition that does exist.

 

And What If We Succeed?

 

Some people say, no one has ever done this sort of thing before. Well,

yeah. But if that were taken as the argument for what should or could

be done at any time, then nothing new would ever come into being.

There's a lot of truth to the adage that necessity is the mother of

invention—and with this much necessity staring us in the face we

better be damn inventive and quit dwelling on what (supposedly) can't

be done. Right now even right-wing columnists openly worry about the

current political terms " bursting open. " We who want progressive

social change should be at least as keen to seize on the possibility

and think big. As the Call for November 2 points out, " history is full

of examples where people who had right on their side fought against

tremendous odds and were victorious. And it is also full of examples

of people passively hoping to wait it out, only to get swallowed up by

a horror beyond what they ever imagined. WHICH ONE WE GET IS UP TO US. "

 

And think about it: what if we succeed? What if we really do pull

together and launch something new on November 2? What if people,

through their united and diverse actions on that day, create a new

dynamic in society, where there is a growing movement uncompromisingly

demanding the Bush regime's ouster and taking increasingly determined,

mass action to bring that into being? What if people across a whole

broad spectrum are able to unite in action and debate the future they

do want, as they are struggling against the one that is being clamped

down? What if there is a new ethos in society—one in which " the right

side " of things responds with whip-like speed and sharpness when women

are denied birth control, when radical professors come under fire, or

when there is an obscenity like the exploitation of Terri Schiavo?

We're not talking about some big day that takes place in the same

overall context—we're talking about changing the context itself

through mounting powerful outpourings of protest on November 2.

 

But again—let yourself think it—what if people succeed, in both

launching this dynamic and then carrying it through? Even here, we

should be sober. For one thing, there is still the larger battle to

replace this whole system. And if the people do drive Bush from

office, it is almost certain that the forces in the government, the

military and society at large that share Bush's agenda would be

fighting like hell to reassert their position and their whole agenda.

So, yes, in very important ways even getting rid of Bush would be only

the beginning.

 

But what a beginning it would be! Three huge differences would stand

out from today. First, an independent mass movement of the people

would have inflicted a major political defeat against the vicious

agenda now in command, with its major representative brought down and

the whole ruling class in a scramble, quarreling among themselves.

Second, there would be a politically energized and unleashed people,

ready and able to take the struggle further and seize on the openings

created. Yes, the struggle would get sharper—but for the first time it

would actually be two-sided. And third, many more people would be

actively debating a different future, and as part of that, checking

out and coming over to a revolutionary communist understanding,

program, and organization.

 

" Come Out of the Stands and Get Into the Game "

 

There is right now a tremendous amount of work to do to realize the

immediate goal of truly setting in motion this dynamic. Even with

beginning advances, the people are far from where they need to be on

this. From here out, every day must count for the massive outpouring

that must come on November 2, uniting all kinds of people to

powerfully raise the slogan of " The World Can't Wait! Drive Out the

Bush Regime! "

 

For one thing: people need to change their lives, now, to make this

happen. Put it this way: the fans have to get beyond cheering and

booing, and come down out of the stands and onto the field to make

sure the right team wins.

 

If you quit your job or left school to work for Howard Dean—even

though his program fell far short of what you wanted—now is the time

to sacrifice for something that you actually believe in!

 

If you hated the war and threw everything into getting Kerry

elected—even though he supported the war—now is the time to work your

hearts out for the things you actually support!

 

If you grow heartsick watching the footage from Katrina or the

pictures from Abu Ghraib but tell yourself that " the most that I can

do about it is to just try to do good in my own little corner " —think

about what you're saying! How can that be a response to torture, or to

any of the other outrages that, not too long ago, you told yourself

you'd never accept?!?

 

And to those of you who have taken up the challenge to end this

war—going on the road with Cindy Sheehan, or taking on other forms of

activity—by all means continue and intensify your efforts. But now is

the time to link these efforts to November 2, throwing in all you have

to make that day a powerful motive force in ending this war. To those

of you who left your jobs and homes to go to New Orleans, or otherwise

supported the people—yes, keep that up and intensify it, but do more

as well—take that same spirit and energy and put it toward building

resistance not only to that outrage but to this whole regime on

November 2. Anything less will not cut it. And, again—one more

time—think of what it would mean to succeed!

 

Tell The Truth

 

Above all, November 2 is based on the truth of what is needed. The

truth about this war; the truth about this regime and how really

dangerous it is; and the truth about what it will take to stop it. And

to those who have begun to step forward to take up November 2,

including many people new to political activity, remember this: at the

beginning, truth is always in the hands of a minority; but if you

persist in it—if you find the ways to deepen your understanding of it

and connect it to people with conviction and imagination—you will be

able to win people to understand it . . . and act on it.

 

And then, organize. Organize. Organ-ize. Build committees where you

work, where you live, where you go to school. Hook up to the national

website of World Can't Wait. Reach out to people who've never acted

before, and reach out to those already in organizations. Get out the

call for November 2, everywhere you go.

 

Over the past few weeks, as those of us who support the RCP have sold

Revolution, and as we and others have taken out the Call for November

2, many people have said that they think the mood is changing and that

there are millions ready to act. We think that is true; the mood is

changing. But someone has to bring the vision that can inspire those

millions. Someone has to take responsibility. Someone has to change

their life, determined to be part of making it all happen.

 

Be that someone.

 

To Musicians, Actors, Lecturers, Preachers, and Others in the Public Eye

 

You have an audience. Use your ability to reach a broad audience to

fulfill a great need—to mobilize MILLIONS for November 2, 2005 to take

a massive first step in a powerful movement to force Bush out.

 

When you are in front of a mike, on stage, on a podium, and on

TV/radio talk shows, read this key section from the call " The World

Can't Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime! "

 

" ...Silence and paralysis are NOT acceptable. That which you will

not resist and mobilize to stop, you will learn—or be forced—to

accept. There is no escaping it: the whole disastrous course of this

Bush regime must be STOPPED. And we must take the responsibility to do

it. "

 

" And there is a way. We are talking about something on a scale

that can really make a huge change in this country and in the world.

We need more than fighting Bush's outrages one at a time, constantly

losing ground to the whole onslaught. We must, and can, aim to create

a political situation where the Bush regime's program is repudiated,

where Bush himself is driven from office, and where the whole

direction he has been taking society is reversed. We, in our millions,

must and can take responsibility to change the course of history. "

 

" To that end, on November 2, the first anniversary of Bush's

're-election,' we will take the first major step in this by organizing

a truly massive day of resistance all over this country. People

everywhere will walk out of school, they will take off work, they will

come to the downtowns and town squares and set out from there, going

through the streets and calling on many more to JOIN US. They will

repudiate this criminal regime, making a powerful statement: 'NO! THIS

REGIME DOES NOT REPRESENT US! AND WE WILL DRIVE IT OUT!' "

 

Get in touch with World Can't Wait at worldcantwait.org

 

 

This article is posted in English and Spanish on Revolution Online

http://revcom.us

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