"A slow bleed strategy is amazingly immoral and the people who are doing the actual bleeding don't have the last names of Clinton, McCain, Pelosi, Reed, Parisier or Mazzie." --Cindy SheehanTHE SO-CALLED ANTIWAR MOVEMENT--More like a bowel-movement with Moveon.org in-charge--wha? In-charge? Yup, they're the only antiwar group that Congress will meet with. So, they believe in defunding the war in Iraq, right? Wrong. Not-even-close. Not even an immediate drawdown of troops. Cindy wrote a piece that's being featured on Michael Moore's website, and it seems nowhere else. Not Huffingtonpost.com, zippo.
Cindy--and people like myself--are the real movement, the grass-roots, but if you look at the history of progressive movements in this country, you'll find the all-too-often occurrence of upper middle-class and wealthy individuals hijacking them from the ordinary people who started them. To these establishment-types, people like myself an Cindy are "too firebrand," or "too radical."
MoveOn.org, which I recently learned was the American "anti-war" movement [Ed.-a recent NYT article stated this.], is not calling for an immediate withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, but favors a "slow bleed" strategy. MoveOn will not call for de-funding the war because they don't want to be perceived as "anti-troop" when we all know that the reich-wing has never supported our troops. The 21,500 troops who are going to be surged into Baghdad will not even have body armor until this summer. Hopefully, they can dodge the bullets and shrapnel until summer, or until MoveOn wakes up and realizes that the only way to support our troops in the field is to bring them back to the States so they don't have to worry about body armor, clean water or edible food. (MichaelMoore.com, 02.21.2007)
Oh, I still "sign" all of their petitions, but you'll never find me giving a dime to Moveon.org for the aforementioned reasons. But there's another reason. In early-June of 2006, I was invited via email as an ostensible "member" to attend a press ceremony/"protest" in-front of the office building that held the office of now-former 2nd Indiana congressional district representative Chris Chocola.
Chocola was the model for the lockstep GOP congressman, giving Bush the rubber-stamp on basically everything. MPJC had teamed-up with Moveon.org to do this, and the event was not grassroots, and was basically staged as a publicity-stunt. That's fine, but when ordinary people like myself have no say in it, what's the point?
The ostensible antiwar group I was marginally associated-with at that time was--and is--called MPJC, primarily comprised of Notre Dame University and St. Mary's faculty--hardly a shining-example of "grassroots" organizing, and basically a bunch of privileged academics and bourgies who don't have any real convictions.
It's a cold day in hell when students from Notre Dame and St. Mary's attend, and while I Many of them are tenured professors, or insulated in some form, so getting-arrested isn't any skin off of their backs--but they won't do anything. They've never done any non-violent civil disobedience around here, they just stand on a corner every week, have some impotent meetings, and seem to be accomplishing nothing. Recently, however, they did meet with Democratic Representative Joe Donnelly, a step in the right-direction (they even asked him hard-questions). Anyway, I was willing to risk my last job if necessary, but I realized these folks aren't serious. They wouldn't have your back, and they're cold and unfriendly--not exactly the vanguard of anything.
The Moveon event was pretty lame. I literally left work on my lunch break, speeding to get there on-time. There had been no admonitions on bringing one's own sign to the event whatsoever. Did I mention I was invited by Moveon.org as a member? The event was in an open plaza in-front of the office building that housed Chocola's office, and they had "our" group in the center of the it. It's almost shaped like a stage. I arrived with my own sign--it said "Impeach Bush."
As I walked over to the MPJC folks, I was immediately accosted by a massively-busted (yeah, I know) young woman in her late-20s who told me violently that "You have to leave, this is our event." She even grabbed my arm, and stated, "Your sign is distracting from our message here. We're trying to send a message that Chocola is aiding war profiteering."
That must have been why all the signs--pre-made by Moveon.org, and imposed upon MPJC--had "Halliburton" writ-large on them. This was strange, since Halliburton and Chocola had only a meager-connection with one another. Whatever, but I was so humiliated and angry that I was shaking. The last-time I felt this was when I argued with morons during the Gulf War, and my involvement against that war went so far as to earn me death-threats.
The harpie continued: "You're going to have to leave." "I'm not leaving," I said, and shot-back: "Is this private property that you own?" She wouldn't answer me, and kept invading my personal space. Things continued to get ugly, and it finally ended with her and I agreeing that I wouldn't be in all the group-shots. "You can't stand with them," she said so warmly that I could feel the chill and see my own breath. It lasted no more than a minute, but it was incredibly emotional and ugly.
A journalist from the South Bend Tribune was standing 3-feet from us as it occurred, and asked me, "Are you two on the same side? What was that about?" "Yes, and I don't understand what just happened to me," I replied. He took my name, and I thanked him for his professionalism. "Well, sometimes, a degree in journalism comes-in-handy!" he smiled. I smiled too, but I was still shaking and furious.
MPJC has an email-list for its members and auxiliaries. I sent an email to all of them, and was immediately told that the event both "didn't happen", and "was nothing much." That was from the wife of one of the group's founders, a private physician no-less. The insensitivity was so great that I let them all have a piece of my mind on the issues of what happened, and why they were wrong. I wish I had quit then, but I remained for three-more-months, a regrettable decision. Frankly, groups like MPJC need to dissolve to be replaced by real grassroots ones comprised only of working-class individuals who have come there spontaneously as I had.
These kind of people are the ilk that legends like Rosa Luxembourg, the Knights of Labor, the IWW ("wobblies"), people who fought and died for the 8-hour-day, the unionist movement, anonymous civil rights workers, and all the other grassroots progressives of the last 150-years would have shrugged-off: they are counterrevolutionaries who want to control our movements to preserve their petty-privileges. They are cowards. Whether they know it or not, they're part of the problem and need to be jettisoned from any and all leadership positions in what little there is of an American antiwar and progressive movement. The place that it really shines is the internet, but try telling the bourgies this.
They are basically worthless roadblocks that should be removed, but I personally believe that events will become so desperate that they're going to be rolled-over anyway--a situation of their own making. Radical-actions and ideas are required. Serious inquiries only. If people like the MPJC leadership had been in-charge of the Civil Rights movement, Blacks would still have separate bathrooms, and be riding in the back of the bus. Quit fooling yourselves, and reflect that the main-reason few are joining you on your corners is because they intuitively know bullshit when they see it.
Caveat emptor, another dead hand. And don't give any money to Moveon.org if you believe in grassroots politics that are genuine, because that's not what they're about at all. It would be better spent on porn and beer. God bless Cindy Sheehan. Get out of our movement, you're only fooling yourselves, comfortable people. Now, give me a good-paying goddamned job to-boot.
PS: The South Bend Tribune never covered the incident. Draw your own conclusions. 02.24.2007: I should add that the sign I was carrying ("Impeach Bush") was provided to myself by MPJC . There was nothing in the Moveon emails, or MPJC emails that said, "don't bring a sign, they will be provided." This omission confused a few dummies at the DailyKos. But why should they provide signs? What does that have to do with a "grassroots" movement? That's a top-down approach, which is the core-problem facing this nation. It stinks of stage-managing and authoritarianism. I'd say, "save your money," but I know you will anyway. Let thy conscience be salved, give it directly to Cindy and the Gold Star Mothers.
South Bend,Indiana--I was watching a Chris Chocola (GOP) advertisement yesterday, and it dawned-on- me how completely-insane this moron is. The ad was something that would have worked in 2004, but when it's obvious America is never, ever going to 'win' in Iraq (what that means is anyone's guess). Not ever.
But Chocola, sitting cocksure in his Mr. Rogers sweater, leans-forward to the camera to tell us widdle' constituents that we 'must win for the safety of our families.' I thank God we are losing, but it would be sweet if nobody was getting-killed--Iraqis or Americans. The advertisement really flies-in-the-face of reality when we have lost 103-soldiers in October alone for an illegal-war without any tangible-aims (except cutting the flow of Iraqi-oil), and yet I think his Democratic-opponent Mr. Donnelly is going to lose to such an uncharismatic pud.
But Iraq is all he has, and it will be Chris Chocola's legacy too. I plan to remind-him until both of us are dead, I'm his political-memory and shadow for life. If he loses and ever runs for public-office again, he's my ONE cause. Activists, take-note: stop trying to fight some generalized-nouns, go-after real, tangible subjects and targets-for-exposure and ridcule. Play dirty, no-holds-barred, because nice-nice doesn't work. You have to have RISK for results.Chocola's opponent, Mr. Joe Donnelly: he's going to lose. Why? He STILL hasn't come-out against-the-war, he just won't do it. Local anti-war activists aren't exactly prodding-him, either. But this kind of wishy-washiness is probably part of why he lost the last two-times against a Republican--Donnelly just won't act like an opposition-candidate.
Either he's listening too much to campaign advisers (people we should all be watching very-closely), or he just lacks any balls. He has so much ammunition--more than any candidate could hope-for--and he just won't use any of it. Maybe he's just too-nice, though he owns a local-business, so how nice could he be? Iraq is a game played by and for elites, which is why they should die on the battlefields. I'd volunteer Chocola and his kids for front-line duty against the Sunni militias. We'll put them in a poorly-armored Hummer, with no flak-jackets or adequate headgear.
If only that missle had hit Chocola's C-130--but it had a defense system, installed just for Christopher and his congressional-peers. (http://aimpoints.hq.af.mil/display.cfm?id=8936) & (http://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/amp.htm)
While Saudi Arabia's ruling-class continues to be the paymaster of extremist-terrorism, and while Pakistan still trains them, the GOP and Bush administration cover for them. They protect-them from...us, the average American and the Saudi and Pakistani-peoples. The American State Department has created this mess, even before Bush.
Yes, even Bill Clinton is to blame. We supported and became entangled with nations who provide us oil, but who also oppress their people. They then take this reasonable rage against-them, and then channel it into extremist-causes for their own geopolitical aims. It's not a secret.
Well, except to people who would vote for Chris Chocola--the stubborn idiots. Yes, it would be best if some people didn't ever vote. This is an unpopular-position on the Left, but it has merit. After all, the Nazis were elected legally into the Reichstag, something the GOP cannot say since the elections of 2000 (indeed!). Even Hugo Chavez was elected legally. If you want people voting the next Adolf Hitler into-office so you can feel-better about everybody voting, you should check yourself. Yes, you can be too liberal.So, when Chris Chocola was leaning into the camera to explain to us child constituents that we all have it wrong, and that Iraq is winnable--were you angry about it? If not, you're either hopelessly-ignorant, or you can't feel anything anymore. It was insulting, like his whole time in office, or his very existence. Still, if he loses, Jeff Gannon has some gay-hustler work for him on K Street. Does it matter if the GOP keeps their majority? I don't think so, they're clearly self-destructing anyway.
Who but they could write such a disasterous-agenda? Who is resigning-in-droves because they have to? Who made them go into Iraq? Who made Mark Foley touch congressional pages, and who forced-them into covering-it-up? Who made them accept bribes from lobbyists like Jack Abramoff? If they win the elections, it won't go away. Yes, that's right Republicans, your party is over. From 1981, then 1994-to-now, you had your anti-1960s. Tim McVeigh was your Weathermen [Ed., 08.26.2008-Or was he?], and Gingrich was your Bobby. We can thank God that Reagan wasn't your JFK, and none of the right will ever produce an MLK Jr. You're going-the-way of the Whig Party, the people you replaced 150-years-ago. This time, it's over for similar-reasons--a split over the role of the Federal government.
Traditional conservatives feel betrayed (welcome aboard) over this, wanting less government-encroachment into their lives, and some fiscal-responsibility (you too?). Illegal-wiretapping and the ending of Habeus Corpus qualifies as encroachment. The Bush administration and the GOP-controlled Congress have done the exact opposite of what they promised, expanding intrusive government more than the Democrats have in over 20-years. And are we any safer? Get real, ask people in New Orleans that.Ask people in New York City, when NORAD failed them on 9/11. Yes, our entire defense system is worthless, a waste of money. Spending more on it won't help either. The only way our country can be secure is by taking care of eachother, making government do-our-bidding and providing what is necessary in the modern world: a national health care plan, laws against shipping jobs overseas (bye-bye NAFTA & CAFTA), progressive taxation of the richest, a cap on carbon-dioxide emissions, sane environmental policies, stern white collar crime laws and enforcement, stern laws restricting the power of lobbyists and corporations, defense-spending cuts, and on-and-on.
No, the GOP loses either way, which is somehow difficult for most on the so-called 'Left' to grasp. This is because, like most Americans, they have an 'all-or-none' mentality that comes from watching too-many crappy Hollywood movies (mainly action-movies and westerns). It's not an all-or-none equation, that's not how human society or objective reality works.
Here's a great-example of that idea hitting-a-wall: Yesterday, the Air Force requested $50 Billion in emergency funds to be able to airlift wounded and killed American soldiers.
Rumsfeld decides on November 15th if they qualify, conveniently after the elections, just like the Libby-trial. Yes, Scooter Libby is going to reveal a whole lot of information along with Mr. Jack Abramoff. Abramoff is so busy ratting they had to give him a desk in his cell, where for four hours every day he outlines all the bribes, gifts and cross-alliances. Many more heads are going to roll after November 7th, which alone could insure a Democratic majority. At that time, it will be appropriate to pile-on them for radical-reforms. Rest assured they will fight any gains made by working-class Americans if we let them. The fight will only have begun.The Democrats will try to prolong this War in Iraq, you can bank-on-it. Those dozen-or-more permanent military bases are there for a reason--we're there for the long-haul according-to the GOP and Democratic Party. This is why none of them will discuss the bases. Remember what military-bases in Saudi Arabia got us? Possibly, 9/11. We'd all better get-ready, the tidal-wave of bodies (American this-time) is coming to our shores, and soon, and a lot of angry veterans. Many of them will be radicalized forever, and some of them will run for office. With some luck, we might wipe-away an entire political-generation. This would be a best-case scenario. Politicians like Chris Chocola have bet the farm with the Bush administration, and he's voted for practically everything they've wanted him to (except on immigration).
It's possible George W. Bush has come to campaign for Chris Chocola more than any other GOP-candidate, since he practically lives-here. Perhaps they promised Chocola a kingdom in Hell? I hope he gets that kingdom. Once again, as I write this, a local SWAT team is doing their target-practice at a nearby FOP firing-range. Burst-after-burst of fully-automatic volleys, so they must need the practice...
Our CIA prisons: It's true, they exist, but only when the mainstream media reports George W. Bush saying it. Never mind that the blogs and the rest of the internet were reporting this story for months, and forget about the fact that the "host" countries were discovering and reporting them, there are no CIA prisons unless we tell you.
The whole affair is a violation of several treaties signed by the United States, including the UN Charter on Human Rights, but will anyone be prosecuted? We'll see, we're still waiting for some action on the roving wiretaps at the NSA. Since Arlen Specter promised hearings and an investigation in February, we should see a serious investigation on the scale of the Warren Commission in 2025. As we know, it could only have been Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, who shot President Kennedy from the School Book Depository. [Ed., 09.21.2008--Something authors Dan Moldea and Bill Keisling believe, amazing.]
Pay no attention to the Grassy Knoll. I guess the wheels of government turn-slowly, especially when one's own party is losing-power and influence because the major-players are too incompetent to take a bribe discretely (like Spiro Agnew). When-in-doubt, it's best to classify everything!
It appears that today, action is coming for the wiretaps: GOP-drafted pap that basically accomplishes roughly the same terms as FISA! Fearing they won't be re-elected, a few members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are breaking-ranks with other Republicans. They want to tighten controls and increase oversight on the NSA program. This is going even further than Arlen Specter wanted, and we can assume, much to his chagrin. There are at least four competing intelligence oversight bills now! This is funny:
In July, Specter announced what he called "a major breakthrough" when he presented legislation backed by the White House that would allow the administration to submit the NSA's warrantless wiretapping program to a secret intelligence court for review of its legality. Under the bill, the secret court that now administers surveillance under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act would be permitted to review the legality of the program as a whole and not individual wiretaps, which could continue without warrants. (Washington Post, 9/06/06)http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/05/AR2006090501136.html
The ACLU and even high-level Democrats say this is rewarding the President for violating FISA. Well duh. Meanwhile...meanwhile, nothing. The American anti-war movement seems content at little-or-no-movement. Maybe a bowel-movement, but nobody's getting very creative of doing things that are effective and actionable.
Come on, the Quakers can't save the world alone, Jesus. Where are the arrests? Where is the civil disobedience? Apparently, things are so tight economically, that those risks are scarier. Will we do something once we've lost everything? I doubt it, but surely there is a point where people are going to truly get it, and begin disobeying.
We should have rampant general strikes over the revelations of Bush administration criminality--as it would have happened under Nixon--but nada, feh. Bleah. It seems that Dick Cheney's head would have to split-open with hundreds of demons streaming-out for people to understand he's an evil president. Speaking of that, I've heard Bush is a breath-away from the Presidency.
To be fair, there have been massive demonstrations against the war, and the media has done her usual job of purposefully under-counting it, flat-out lying about the numbers, enacting selective-coverage, and many times, no coverage at all. Cindy Sheehan and the Gold Star mothers have been doing some real actions, and I applaud them. I always appreciate people honking in-approval when our group is out with our signs, but why not pull-over and join-up?
It has happened, but it should happen more. But the rest of you: WTF? Are you cowards? Are you lazy? Stupid? What's the problem? Get off your asses like you all should have done in 2000, and take your country back. Show people what Americans are really made-of, besides talk.
