One of the main 'antiwar' groups, "United for Peace and Justice" has decided to abandon any attempt to protest the wars and instead protest Wall Street. Not that I don't think Wall Street should be protested, but its a strange action for an 'antiwar' group. Apparently they only oppose wars while Republicans are in the White House.
Like I said before, as long as these groups continue to speak for us without listening to what we have to say, nothing will change. As long as self-avowed leadership organizations like UFPJ refuse to unite with other segments of the antiwar movement and work all-out to end the occupations now and not in 2012, the antiwar movement will never be effective. Even if you voted for him, if the man in the White House is not ending the wars and occupations you are against, then that policy must be opposed.
Given the recent decision by the 100 or so UFPJ delegates to reject a spring 2009 unified protest against Washington’s war and to move away from protest politics that might be seen as against Obama (the future face of Washington’s policies), it might be time for the antiwar rank and file that have appeared by the tens of thousands at protests in DC and elsewhere to create a new movement that does want to end the occupations and wars before the end of 2009.
Amen! Remember, WE are the antiwar movement. Not a bunch of self-appointed 'leaders' who have the time and money to go meet at a conference somewhere. WE need to be organizing an anti-war march in DC. From the article, it sounds like there might be some attempt to do this in April 09. The article just says that UPFJ has decided they can't join a protest against Democratic wars, but the hint is that someone else is. I'll see if I can find out more.
If not, WE need to start such a protest on our own. People are dying every day, and that doesn't become 'right' just because a Democrat is President.
2 comments:
One thing that needs to be clear. Obama overall is not scaling down the wars. He is going to slowly withdraw from Iraq, just like Bush and the Pentagon always planned to do.
But, Obama is going to ramp up the wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The other day I was reading an article that had a headline that the General there opposed a 'surge'.
But, it wasn't the notion of having more troops that he opposed. (I read a lot of history and its hard to think of many Generals who didn't want more troops!). Instead, what he opposed was calling it a 'surge'.
Instead, he believes we need a ramped up war in Afghanistan for the entire duration of Obama's Presidency.
More war, more detentions, more prison camps, more torture (or maybe called something else under Obama). But the key thing is that it all ramps up and continues.
And, why are we fighting in Afghanistan anyways?
Isn't there something here to protest? Apparently for UFPJ, this all just fine and dandy if its done by a Democrat.
Remember back before the election when you used to hear the Obama supporters saying things like.
-- Obama will be more open to pressure from groups like the antiwar movement.
-- After the election, we'll need to pressure Obama.
Well, now you see the Democrats working hard to try to prevent any such pressure.
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