[Peace-discussion] FW: Antiwar Unity Propsal
Joni LeViness
myths16@cox.net
Mon, 23 Jul 2007 07:56:14 -0500
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_____
From: action.news.1-bounces+myths16=cox.net@organizerweb.com
[mailto:action.news.1-bounces+myths16=cox.net@organizerweb.com] On Behalf Of
Troops Out Now Coalition
Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:14 AM
To: myths16@cox.net
Cc: action.news.1@organizerweb.com
Subject: Antiwar Unity Propsal
Take the fight to stop the war back into the streets -- this time our number
can be bigger and more powerful than ever!
It's not too late to unite around a major antiwar mobilization in Washington
this fall!
A Proposal for a September 29
Unity Coalition for an Antiwar March on Washington, D.C.
Endorse the S29 <http://www.sept29.org/sept29endorse.html%20> Call for
Unity
Read the <http://www.sept29.org> call online
Mass anger over the criminal war is at an all time high. People are not only
steaming mad at Bush and Cheney, they are also outraged with Congress for
betraying the antiwar mandate of the November 2006 elections and caving into
Bush on war funding. It's hard to find anyone who supports the war, and if
antiwar pressure is big now, it will be even bigger in September. Yet,
instead of a unified massive demonstration this fall, the time when it will
have the most impact, the various antiwar coalitions have scheduled at least
4 or 5 separate dates in the fall for separate protest.
Under other circumstances, separate protests in the fall would not
constitute a problem, and there are probably good reasons why the different
protests should happen. However, it is imperative that everyone unite
around one major date because it's the only way that we can liberate the
antiwar struggle from the halls of congress and help it to re-emerge as
independent mass pressure from below instead of empty rhetoric from above.
If there's ever been anything close to a critical tipping point in public
outrage over the war, we have entered that period now. However, without the
kind of powerful protest in Washington DC to give life and expression to
this popular anger, antiwar rage will be reduced to opinion poll statistics
used by politicians who are far more interested in using opposition to the
war to win election than to end the war.
The central crises confronting all who want to end the war is that after the
elections last November, the leadership of the antiwar movement was
effectively taken over by politicians in Congress and mainstream
presidential candidates. The politicians who have anointed themselves the
substitute for all of us who have been working hard to get the people out
into the streets, support most of Bush's war but are weary of the war in
Iraq because it has turned into a disaster. What's more these politicians
will continue to pass resolutions and give speeches, but not really stop the
war or bring the troops home because the prize that their eye's are really
focused on is the 2008 elections. (This is not an argument against anyone
who believes or hopes that the 2008 elections will be important. That's
another issue. The issue right now is that we must not let an event that is
16 months away be a factor in taking the fight against the war out of the
streets precisely when the people may be ready to get in to the streets
right now, in marches bigger than the marches we've been to since the
beginning of the war.)
The high jacking of the antiwar movement is not the fault of most grass
roots activists who have been doing a lot of great things like occupying
recruitment stations, or the offices of members of Congress, and organizing
student strikes, and supporting the growing GI resistance movement. The
mainstream media has played its role in the coup by deliberately suppressing
coverage of much of the action in the streets and focusing their camera's
instead on the "war of words between Congress and the White House".
The fragmentation within the antiwar movement has helped the politicians
take over. More specifically, there are influential and well financed forces
in the antiwar movement that are more invested in the Democratic party and
the outcome of the 2008 presidential elections, than they are in keeping the
antiwar heat in the streets. This fact has enabled the takeover.
.
This fall, we need a united antiwar human tidal wave in the streets of
Washington. We need it to send the message to the war makers in both the
Republican and Democratic parties that the war is not an issue to exploit
for electoral reasons; it's a crime that must end completely and
immediately! (At the moment that the movement is potentially at its greatest
strength, let's make sure that the movement isn't sidelined and
diss-empowered, until after 2008. Unity this fall may be the key to keeping
the movement alive.)
THE SOLUTION: A SEPTEMBER 29 UNITY COALTION The protest dates that have been
announced (besides September 29) include and a national protest called by
the ANSWER on Sept. 15, regional antiwar protests in late October called by
United for Peace and Justice, and an antiwar moratorium scheduled for Sept.
21. There are also many other important local and national events planned
in the fall, including a major anti war march in Newark N.J. called by POP,
Peoples Organization for Progress .There is nothing magic about a particular
date, however of all the dates that groups are organizing around in the
fall, September 29 is the best date. It's late enough in the fall to give
every one, particularly students, time to organize mass participation (the
huge D.C. protest on Sept.24, 2005 proved this), and it's not so late in
fall that it diminishes the sense of urgency for action that will be
overwhelming by September. In addition, Sept. 29 has got a lot of momentum
already, thousands of endorsers, and activists across the country have been
organizing for S29 since it was announced 2 months ago (the September 29
mobilization will be preceded by a week long antiwar encampment in
Washington DC starting on Sept.22).
Agreeing on the best date in the fall for a truly united and massive turnout
solves one problem. The next problem is pulling the major antiwar coalitions
together in support of it. When Unity is paramount, no one coalition should
seek domination over a serious or decisive mass mobilization. Groups have
critical political differences, but there are occasions when it necessary to
reduce barriers to collaboration. Ultimately, the various antiwar coalitions
should serve the needs of the movement and not merely their own
organization. In order to facilitate the participation of other major
coalitions on an equal basis in all aspects of mobilization, TONC proposes
the formation of a September 29 Unity coalition for a national antiwar march
on Wash. D.C. Through a coalition, all forces should be able to work out the
basis for everyone making a serious commitment to the mobilization. No one
or even two coalitions will "own" the march, the whole movement, from the
grassroots up will have collective ownership of the mobilization. With
respect to demands, the best policy is an understanding that all groups
whether they are part of the coalition or not shall be free to bring there
own signs and banners reflecting the demands and issues that they want. The
demands for the lead banner and perhaps a certain number of additional signs
will be determined by the coalition.
BROADEN THE MOVEMENT AND BE INCLUSIVE Unity between coalitions is a short
term practical necessity, but it is not a substitute for the deeper, more
fundamental, and decisive unity that will change the composition of the
antiwar movement. Part of making the antiwar movement more inclusive with
respect to class and race, necessitates connecting the struggle against the
war, to the struggle against the war at home, the war against Black and
Latino youth, immigrants, Hurricane Katrina survivors, women and LGBT
people. We need to connect the billions spent on war to the needs of working
people for health care, education, secure pensions and union jobs. Raising
different demands is one way of achieving this. Moreover those of us who
want to help transform a movement against the war into a movement that comes
to understand that war is a symptom, and imperialism is the root cause,
antiwar events are one of the main forums for expanding knowledge through
demands, and rallies. It is only through expanding instead of limiting the
messages, that mass opposition to the Pentagon's occupation of Iraq develops
into opposition to the occupation of Afghanistan and Palestine, the Pentagon
plans to attack Iran, the war against Latin America embodied in Plan
Colombia and threats against Venezuela and Cuba; and includes calls to
impeach Bush and Cheney for war crimes. Antiwar events must be a forum for
sharing the information, ideas and analysis that are censored by the
mainstream media.
It is not necessary for everyone to agree on all demands. But we do need to
agree not to censure those raising progressive social demands and demands
opposing war and occupation.
Within all of this lies the basis for uniting this fall, lets grab hold of
it now so that no more time is wasted.
Endorse the S29 <http://www.sept29.org/sept29endorse.html%20> Call for
Unity
Endorse <http://www.sept29.org/sept29endorse.html%20>
Endorse the call to unite for September 29
Volunteer <http://troopsoutnow.org/sept2207volunteer.shtml>
Help build a massive grassroots movement to shut down the war!
Donate <http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml>
Help with organizing expenses for September 29
--
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<DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader lang=3Den-us dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft>
<HR tabIndex=3D-1>
<FONT face=3DTahoma size=3D2><B>From:</B>=20
action.news.1-bounces+myths16=3Dcox.net@organizerweb.com=20
[mailto:action.news.1-bounces+myths16=3Dcox.net@organizerweb.com] <B>On =
Behalf Of=20
</B>Troops Out Now Coalition<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, July 19, 2007 =
9:14=20
AM<BR><B>To:</B> myths16@cox.net<BR><B>Cc:</B>=20
action.news.1@organizerweb.com<BR><B>Subject:</B> Antiwar Unity=20
Propsal<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<TABLE height=3D32 cellSpacing=3D2 cellPadding=3D16 width=3D600 =
align=3Dcenter border=3D1>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=3Dtop bgColor=3D#ffffcc>
<TABLE height=3D2645 cellSpacing=3D2 cellPadding=3D20 width=3D560 =
border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=3Dtop bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV align=3Dcenter><BIG><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><B><BIG><FONT=20
face=3D"Arial Narrow">Take the fight to stop the war back =
into the=20
streets -- this time our number can be bigger and more =
powerful than=20
ever!</FONT></BIG></B></FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><B><BIG><FONT=20
face=3D"Arial Narrow">It's not too late to unite around a =
major=20
antiwar mobilization in Washington this=20
fall!</FONT></BIG></B></FONT></BIG><BR></DIV><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><BR></FONT>
<DIV align=3Dcenter><FONT color=3D#336666><BIG><B><FONT=20
face=3DArial><BIG>A Proposal for a September 29 <BR>Unity =
Coalition=20
for an Antiwar March on Washington,=20
D.C.</BIG></FONT></B></BIG></FONT><BR></DIV><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><BR></FONT>
<DIV align=3Dcenter><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, =
serif"><FONT=20
face=3D"Arial Narrow"><B><A=20
href=3D"http://www.sept29.org/sept29endorse.html%20">Endorse =
the S29=20
Call for Unity</A><BR><BR><A =
href=3D"http://www.sept29.org">Read the=20
call online</A><BR></B></FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><BR></FONT>
<DIV align=3Djustify><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, =
serif"><FONT=20
color=3D#000000><BIG><BIG><B>M</B></BIG></BIG></FONT>ass =
anger over=20
the criminal war is at an all time high. People are not only =
steaming mad at</FONT><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, =
serif">=20
Bush and Cheney, they are also outraged with Congress for =
betraying=20
the antiwar mandate of the November 2006 elections and =
caving into=20
Bush on war funding. It’s hard to find anyone =
who supports the=20
war, and if antiwar pressure is big now, it will be even =
bigger in=20
September. <B>Yet, instead of a unified massive =
demonstration this=20
fall, the time when it will have the most impact, the =
various=20
antiwar coalitions have scheduled at least 4 or 5 separate =
dates in=20
the fall for separate protest. </B></FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">Under other =
circumstances,=20
separate protests in the fall would not constitute a =
problem, and=20
there are probably good reasons why the different protests =
should=20
happen. However, it is imperative that everyone unite =
around=20
one major date because it’s the only way that we can =
liberate the=20
antiwar struggle from the halls of congress and help it to =
re-emerge=20
as independent mass pressure from below instead of empty =
rhetoric=20
from above. </FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><B>If there’s =
ever been=20
anything close to a critical tipping point in public outrage =
over=20
the war, we have entered that period now. </B>However, =
without the=20
kind of powerful protest in Washington DC to give life and=20
expression to this popular anger, antiwar rage will be =
reduced to=20
opinion poll statistics used by politicians who are far more =
interested in using opposition to the war to win election =
than to=20
end the war. </FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">The central crises =
confronting=20
all who want to end the war is that after the elections last =
November, the leadership of the antiwar movement was =
effectively=20
taken over by politicians in Congress and mainstream =
presidential=20
candidates. The politicians who have anointed themselves the =
substitute for all of us who have been working hard to =
get the=20
people out into the streets, support most of Bush’s =
war but are=20
weary of the war in Iraq because it has turned into a =
disaster.=20
What’s more these politicians will continue to pass =
resolutions and=20
give speeches, but not really stop the war or bring the =
troops home=20
because the prize that their eye’s are really focused =
on is the 2008=20
elections. <I>(This is not an argument against anyone who =
believes=20
or hopes that the 2008 elections will be important. That's =
another=20
issue. The issue right now is that we must not let an event =
that is=20
16 months away be a factor in taking the fight against the =
war out=20
of the streets precisely when the people may be ready to get =
in to=20
the streets right now, in marches bigger than the marches =
we’ve been=20
to since the beginning of the war.) </I></FONT><BR><BR><FONT =
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">The high jacking of =
the antiwar=20
movement is not the fault of most grass roots activists who =
have=20
been doing a lot of great things like occupying recruitment=20
stations, or the offices of members of Congress, and =
organizing=20
student strikes, and supporting the growing GI resistance =
movement.=20
The mainstream media has played its role in the coup by =
deliberately=20
suppressing coverage of much of the action in the streets =
and=20
focusing their camera’s instead on the “war of =
words between=20
Congress and the White House”. </FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">The fragmentation =
within the=20
antiwar movement has helped the politicians take over. =
<B>More=20
specifically, there are influential and well financed forces =
in the=20
antiwar movement that are more invested in the Democratic =
party and=20
the outcome of the 2008 presidential elections, than they =
are in=20
keeping the antiwar heat in the streets.</B> This fact has =
enabled=20
the takeover. </FONT><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">.</FONT><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">This fall, we need a =
united=20
antiwar human tidal wave in the streets of Washington. We =
need it to=20
send the message to the war makers in both the Republican =
and=20
Democratic parties that the war is not an issue to exploit =
for=20
electoral reasons; it’s a crime that must end =
completely and=20
immediately! (At the moment that the movement is potentially =
at its=20
greatest strength, let's make sure that the movement =
isn’t sidelined=20
and diss-empowered, until after 2008. Unity this fall may be =
the key=20
to keeping the movement alive.) </FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><B>THE SOLUTION: A =
SEPTEMBER 29=20
UNITY COALTION </B>The protest dates that have been =
announced=20
(besides September 29) include and a national protest called =
by the=20
ANSWER on Sept. 15, regional antiwar protests in late =
October called=20
by United for Peace and Justice, and an antiwar moratorium =
scheduled=20
for Sept. 21. There are also many other =
important local=20
and national events planned in the fall, including a major =
anti war=20
march in Newark N.J. called by POP, Peoples Organization for =
Progress .There is nothing magic about a particular date, =
however of=20
all the dates that groups are organizing around in the fall, =
September 29 is the best date. It’s late enough in the =
fall to give=20
every one, particularly students, time to organize mass=20
participation (the huge D.C. protest on Sept.24, 2005 proved =
this),=20
and it’s not so late in fall that it diminishes the =
sense of urgency=20
for action that will be overwhelming by September. In =
addition,=20
Sept. 29 has got a lot of momentum already, thousands of =
endorsers,=20
and activists across the country have been organizing for =
S29 since=20
it was announced 2 months ago (the September 29 mobilization =
will be=20
preceded by a week long antiwar encampment in Washington DC =
starting=20
on Sept.22).</FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">Agreeing on the best =
date in=20
the fall for a truly united and massive turnout solves one =
problem.=20
The next problem is pulling the major antiwar coalitions =
together in=20
support of it. When Unity is paramount, no one coalition =
should seek=20
domination over a serious or decisive mass mobilization. =
Groups have=20
critical political differences, but there are occasions when =
it=20
necessary to reduce barriers to collaboration. Ultimately, =
the=20
various antiwar coalitions should serve the needs of the =
movement=20
and not merely their own organization. <B>In order to =
facilitate the=20
participation of other major coalitions on an equal basis in =
all=20
aspects of mobilization, TONC proposes the formation of a =
September=20
29 Unity coalition for a national antiwar march on Wash. =
D.C.</B>=20
Through a coalition, all forces should be able to work out =
the basis=20
for everyone making a serious commitment to the =
mobilization. No one=20
or even two coalitions will "own" the march, the whole =
movement,=20
from the grassroots up will have collective ownership of the =
mobilization. With respect to demands, the best policy is an =
understanding that all groups whether they are part of the =
coalition=20
or not shall be free to bring there own signs and banners =
reflecting=20
the demands and issues that they want. The demands for the =
lead=20
banner and perhaps a certain number of additional signs will =
be=20
determined by the coalition. </FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><B>BROADEN THE =
MOVEMENT AND BE=20
INCLUSIVE</B> Unity between coalitions is a short term =
practical=20
necessity, but it is not a substitute for the deeper, more=20
fundamental, and decisive unity that will change the =
composition of=20
the antiwar movement. Part of making the antiwar movement =
more=20
inclusive with respect to class and race, necessitates =
connecting=20
the struggle against the war, to the struggle against the =
war at=20
home, the war against Black and Latino youth, immigrants, =
Hurricane=20
Katrina survivors, women and LGBT people. We need to connect =
the=20
billions spent on war to the needs of working people for =
health=20
care, education, secure pensions and union jobs. Raising =
different=20
demands is one way of achieving this. Moreover those of us =
who want=20
to help transform a movement against the war into a movement =
that=20
comes to understand that war is a symptom, and imperialism =
is the=20
root cause, antiwar events are one of the main forums for =
expanding=20
knowledge through demands, and rallies. It is only through =
expanding=20
instead of limiting the messages, that mass opposition to =
the=20
Pentagon's occupation of Iraq develops into opposition to =
the=20
occupation of Afghanistan and Palestine, the Pentagon plans =
to=20
attack Iran, the war against Latin America embodied in Plan =
Colombia=20
and threats against Venezuela and Cuba; and includes calls =
to=20
impeach Bush and Cheney for war crimes. Antiwar events must =
be a=20
forum for sharing the information, ideas and analysis that =
are=20
censored by the mainstream media.</FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">It is not necessary =
for=20
everyone to agree on all demands. But we do need to agree =
not to=20
censure those raising progressive social demands and demands =
opposing war and occupation. </FONT><BR><BR><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif">Within all of this =
lies the=20
basis for uniting this fall, lets grab hold of it now so =
that no=20
more time is wasted.</FONT><BR></DIV><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><BR></FONT>
<DIV align=3Dcenter><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, =
serif"><FONT=20
face=3D"Arial Narrow"><B><A=20
href=3D"http://www.sept29.org/sept29endorse.html%20">Endorse =
the S29=20
Call for Unity</A></B></FONT></FONT><BR></DIV><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><BR></FONT>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D2 cellPadding=3D10 width=3D"100%" =
border=3D0>
<TBODY>
<TR>
<TD vAlign=3Dtop align=3Dmiddle><B><A=20
=
href=3D"http://www.sept29.org/sept29endorse.html%20">Endorse</A></B><BR>E=
ndorse=20
the call to unite for September 29<BR></TD>
<TD vAlign=3Dtop align=3Dmiddle><B><A=20
=
href=3D"http://troopsoutnow.org/sept2207volunteer.shtml">Volunteer</A></B=
><BR>Help=20
build a massive grassroots movement to shut down the=20
war!<BR></TD>
<TD vAlign=3Dtop align=3Dmiddle><B><A=20
=
href=3D"http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml">Donate</A></B><BR>Help=20
with organizing expenses for September=20
29<BR></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, =
serif"><BR></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, =
serif"><BR></FONT></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><FONT=20
face=3D"Times New Roman, Times, serif"><BR></FONT><BR>-- <BR>This =
message has been=20
scanned for viruses and <BR>dangerous content by <A=20
href=3D"http://www.mailscanner.info/"><B>MailScanner</B></A>, and is =
<BR>believed=20
to be clean. </BODY></HTML>
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