Tens of thousands march against Iraq war in D.C.
- Thread starter Y-S
- Start date
Bunch of old people trying to relive their "glory days". And an attempt at indoctrinating their children/grandchildren with this self-important, yet, erroneous belief of the significance of their failed generation.
Insignificant and justified about as much media coverage as it received. Has and will have no effect on policy of the war. Go back to playing x-box or jerking it to online porn.
Insignificant and justified about as much media coverage as it received. Has and will have no effect on policy of the war. Go back to playing x-box or jerking it to online porn.
Iraq and Saddam had nothing to do with terrorism or Al Qaeda. Edu-ma-cate yourself.
Calling the protesters terrorists is absurd, are you being sarcastic? Because I'd say these people protesting are probably the few smart Americans. YOUR GOVERNMENT WAS BUILT ON PROTESTS, and the concept of speaking out in general.
So for an American to winge at another for protesting is quite backwards and unamerican at that.
I think the LOL meant sarcasm....
I do agree with what you are sayin, but I think it was sarcasm....
And smart people know it wasn't Iraq. We know it was the American gov't
*waits for people to talk shit*
America is doing the SAME thing Germany did, minus the gas chambers...but we're (the gov't--military, guards in abu graib (sp?) still killing people.
I do agree with what you are sayin, but I think it was sarcasm....
And smart people know it wasn't Iraq. We know it was the American gov't
*waits for people to talk shit*
America is doing the SAME thing Germany did, minus the gas chambers...but we're (the gov't--military, guards in abu graib (sp?) still killing people.
Bush doesn't give a F about demonstrators, if he did, he woulda paid attention to all the protests that happened world wide before we went into Iraq...
On NPR this past Friday they were talking about why there isn't more 'civil disobedience' and demonstrations nowadays, as compared to the vietnam era. The conclusion was due to a couple of reasons, online petitioning being a large reason, and people feeling that their civic duties of opposition have been fulfilled by clicking an 'e-signiture'...
however, the larger reason suspected is b/c back during 'Nam, there was an across the board draft, which meant that regardless of class or race, when your number comes up, you's gots to answer the bugle calling... On the other hand, at present time, we have an all 'volunteer' army, so our boys (and girls) who are in harms way, are there virtually on their own recognizance.
This leads to my next point, and shit I've been saying for a minute now... Does anyone see the irony that the majority of our volunteer's in the armed forces chose to do so b/c they wanted to pursue a higher education? Also, these past years, the Bush admin. has cut $x,xxx,xxx,xxx dollars in federal funding for student aid and grants? Now, based on this correlation, my question is, really how volunteer is our armed forces? (i've always wanted to make this it's own thread but never did)
On NPR this past Friday they were talking about why there isn't more 'civil disobedience' and demonstrations nowadays, as compared to the vietnam era. The conclusion was due to a couple of reasons, online petitioning being a large reason, and people feeling that their civic duties of opposition have been fulfilled by clicking an 'e-signiture'...
however, the larger reason suspected is b/c back during 'Nam, there was an across the board draft, which meant that regardless of class or race, when your number comes up, you's gots to answer the bugle calling... On the other hand, at present time, we have an all 'volunteer' army, so our boys (and girls) who are in harms way, are there virtually on their own recognizance.
This leads to my next point, and shit I've been saying for a minute now... Does anyone see the irony that the majority of our volunteer's in the armed forces chose to do so b/c they wanted to pursue a higher education? Also, these past years, the Bush admin. has cut $x,xxx,xxx,xxx dollars in federal funding for student aid and grants? Now, based on this correlation, my question is, really how volunteer is our armed forces? (i've always wanted to make this it's own thread but never did)
hahaha, i forgot them uk'ers sometimes lack sense of humor, twas a joke pal. and by the way, how can speaking out be american, but if i were to speak out against fellow americans, its unamerican?
if george bush gave a fuck what these people thought we wouldnt be in this predicament in the first place. yeah jolly good let them go and "march" around yelling at people who arent listening. many of these people were told as children "its not whether you win or lose, its how yo uplay the game".
any fit birds in your area?
if george bush gave a fuck what these people thought we wouldnt be in this predicament in the first place. yeah jolly good let them go and "march" around yelling at people who arent listening. many of these people were told as children "its not whether you win or lose, its how yo uplay the game".
any fit birds in your area?
Title should be changed from "tens of thousands" to "HUNDREDS of thousands."
Activists Surge Against the War
Report on January 27 Demonstrations
By Dan DiMaggio
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in cities across the country on Saturday, January 27 against Bush’s escalation of the war in Iraq and to demand that the troops be brought home now. Anti-war activists dubbed this a “peace surge” against Bush’s escalation of the war.
The largest of the demonstrations was in Washington, D.C., where “a raucous and colorful multitude of protesters … danced, sang, chanted and shouted their opposition” in front of the Capitol (Washington Post, 1/28/07). While most estimates put the crowd in D.C. at 100-150,000, organizers for United for Peace and Justice claimed up to 500,000 attended. There were also smaller demonstrations in dozens of cities and towns across the country, including rallies of several thousand in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Significantly, there was a small contingent of active-duty soldiers at the protest in Washington, representing the growing opposition to the war among the rank-and-file of the U.S. military. Recently, over 1,000 active-duty soldiers handed in a petition known as “Appeal for Redress” to Congress calling for an end to the war. Jonathan Hutto, one of the founders of the group, told the crowd: “We come here today … to speak out against this war, an imperialist war, a war for profit, not for people, a war for death, not for people, a war against the working class, not for justice.”
At the protest in Seattle, Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq, spoke. Watada, who faces a court-martial on February 5, received a rousing ovation.
In addition, there were sizable contingents of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Military Families Speak Out. Garrett Reppenhagen told the D.C. crowd that IVAW has “quadrupled in size in the past year,” as more troops and vets speak out against the war.
The protests were timed to coincide with the opening of the new Congress, now with a new Democratic majority in power. Over two-thirds of Americans oppose Bush’s “surge.” Many of the protesters carried banners or signs calling on Congress to cut off funding for the war and bring the troops home now. A recent poll found 61% of Americans want Congress to block funding for the surge (CNN, 1/19-1/21/07).
Democrats Under Pressure
Despite this massive public opposition, Democratic and Republican politicians in Congress are refusing to take decisive action and cut off funding for the surge – let alone cutting off funding for the entire war. Instead they have limited themselves to non-binding resolutions against the surge. Once again, the bulk of the Democrats in Congress are acting as enablers of the policies of the Bush administration, paralyzed by fear of assuming political responsibility for the defeat in Iraq.
Nevertheless, several of the most left-wing Democratic politicians spoke at the rally, including Maxine Waters, John Conyers, and Dennis Kucinich. This reflects the pressure from below on the political establishment. But not a single leading Democrat was anywhere to be found at the rally.
While these left-leaning Democrats harshly criticize the war, the reality is that the Democratic Party is totally complicit in the war, having voted to authorize Bush to go to war and continually voting to spend hundreds of billions more to fight it.
If antiwar Democrats like Kucinich want to consistently struggle against the war, they should leave the Democratic Party and work to build an independent antiwar, pro-worker political alternative to the two parties of big business and war.
Instead, fearing that the growing anger at the polices of the Democratic Party will lead to antiwar activists breaking from the Democrats, the role of these Democratic politicians at the protest was unfortunately to try and channel the antiwar movement back into the Democratic Party. Regardless of their intentions, this will only serve to dampen opposition and help to limit the demands of activists to what is acceptable to the Democratic Party leadership and its corporate backers, as occurred during the 2004 presidential elections when Kucinich and others backed the pro-war John Kerry.
The antiwar movement will be most effective by being independent of the Democratic Party. We should use the political debate and discussion that is already beginning around the 2008 presidential elections to mobilize around the call for an immediate end to the occupation by building the strongest possible independent anti-war challenge for the 2008 presidential elections. Such a campaign would expose the true nature of the Democratic Party and the stranglehold that Corporate America currently has over the U.S. political system, and uncompromisingly mobilize protests against the war.
While the protests on January 27 were very important, they only tapped into a small portion of the existing anti-war sentiment. There is an enormous potential to build the antiwar movement. Activists now need to seize this opportunity to establish anti-war groups in their schools, communities, and workplaces and build for the local demonstrations called on the 4th anniversary of the war the week of March 17-24.
Continued mass demonstrations are extremely important in that they can draw in new forces and help the movement feel its strength, but activists also need to discuss tactics that can take the movement forward. In Seattle, Socialist Alternative is working with Youth Against War and Racism to organize a student walkout on April 18 against the war and against military recruitment in schools. Bold, mass actions like student walkouts can help convince other sectors of society to take action against the war.
Activists Surge Against the War
Report on January 27 Demonstrations
By Dan DiMaggio
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in cities across the country on Saturday, January 27 against Bush’s escalation of the war in Iraq and to demand that the troops be brought home now. Anti-war activists dubbed this a “peace surge” against Bush’s escalation of the war.
The largest of the demonstrations was in Washington, D.C., where “a raucous and colorful multitude of protesters … danced, sang, chanted and shouted their opposition” in front of the Capitol (Washington Post, 1/28/07). While most estimates put the crowd in D.C. at 100-150,000, organizers for United for Peace and Justice claimed up to 500,000 attended. There were also smaller demonstrations in dozens of cities and towns across the country, including rallies of several thousand in Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
Significantly, there was a small contingent of active-duty soldiers at the protest in Washington, representing the growing opposition to the war among the rank-and-file of the U.S. military. Recently, over 1,000 active-duty soldiers handed in a petition known as “Appeal for Redress” to Congress calling for an end to the war. Jonathan Hutto, one of the founders of the group, told the crowd: “We come here today … to speak out against this war, an imperialist war, a war for profit, not for people, a war for death, not for people, a war against the working class, not for justice.”
At the protest in Seattle, Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to refuse to deploy to Iraq, spoke. Watada, who faces a court-martial on February 5, received a rousing ovation.
In addition, there were sizable contingents of Iraq Veterans Against the War and Military Families Speak Out. Garrett Reppenhagen told the D.C. crowd that IVAW has “quadrupled in size in the past year,” as more troops and vets speak out against the war.
The protests were timed to coincide with the opening of the new Congress, now with a new Democratic majority in power. Over two-thirds of Americans oppose Bush’s “surge.” Many of the protesters carried banners or signs calling on Congress to cut off funding for the war and bring the troops home now. A recent poll found 61% of Americans want Congress to block funding for the surge (CNN, 1/19-1/21/07).
Democrats Under Pressure
Despite this massive public opposition, Democratic and Republican politicians in Congress are refusing to take decisive action and cut off funding for the surge – let alone cutting off funding for the entire war. Instead they have limited themselves to non-binding resolutions against the surge. Once again, the bulk of the Democrats in Congress are acting as enablers of the policies of the Bush administration, paralyzed by fear of assuming political responsibility for the defeat in Iraq.
Nevertheless, several of the most left-wing Democratic politicians spoke at the rally, including Maxine Waters, John Conyers, and Dennis Kucinich. This reflects the pressure from below on the political establishment. But not a single leading Democrat was anywhere to be found at the rally.
While these left-leaning Democrats harshly criticize the war, the reality is that the Democratic Party is totally complicit in the war, having voted to authorize Bush to go to war and continually voting to spend hundreds of billions more to fight it.
If antiwar Democrats like Kucinich want to consistently struggle against the war, they should leave the Democratic Party and work to build an independent antiwar, pro-worker political alternative to the two parties of big business and war.
Instead, fearing that the growing anger at the polices of the Democratic Party will lead to antiwar activists breaking from the Democrats, the role of these Democratic politicians at the protest was unfortunately to try and channel the antiwar movement back into the Democratic Party. Regardless of their intentions, this will only serve to dampen opposition and help to limit the demands of activists to what is acceptable to the Democratic Party leadership and its corporate backers, as occurred during the 2004 presidential elections when Kucinich and others backed the pro-war John Kerry.
The antiwar movement will be most effective by being independent of the Democratic Party. We should use the political debate and discussion that is already beginning around the 2008 presidential elections to mobilize around the call for an immediate end to the occupation by building the strongest possible independent anti-war challenge for the 2008 presidential elections. Such a campaign would expose the true nature of the Democratic Party and the stranglehold that Corporate America currently has over the U.S. political system, and uncompromisingly mobilize protests against the war.
While the protests on January 27 were very important, they only tapped into a small portion of the existing anti-war sentiment. There is an enormous potential to build the antiwar movement. Activists now need to seize this opportunity to establish anti-war groups in their schools, communities, and workplaces and build for the local demonstrations called on the 4th anniversary of the war the week of March 17-24.
Continued mass demonstrations are extremely important in that they can draw in new forces and help the movement feel its strength, but activists also need to discuss tactics that can take the movement forward. In Seattle, Socialist Alternative is working with Youth Against War and Racism to organize a student walkout on April 18 against the war and against military recruitment in schools. Bold, mass actions like student walkouts can help convince other sectors of society to take action against the war.
