Today, Sept. 26, Code Pink and the Troops Out Now Coalition disrupted the Senate Appropriations Committee chaired by Senator Byrd on war funding.
Holding signs and wearing signs against war and Congressional complicity on war funding, a large group of 30 to 50 people left chanting "Troops out! Stop war! Stop war funding!" An activist from Code Pink was arrested.
The forces involved in the disruption are part of the weeklong Encampment in front of the Capitol reflection pool, that will culminate in a mass march on Sat., Sept. 29. The Encampment and march are demanding an end to war funding and immediate withdrawal of all troops. Events at the Encampment have focused on the impacts of the war at home and abroad.
A press conference was held Sept. 24 to announce the Encampment and the mass march on Sept. 29. Larry Holmes of the Troops Out Now Coalition opened the conference, saying, "The Democrats say they want to cut war funding but they can't get past a veto. We know this isn't true. They could simply make sure the funding question doesn't get to the floor. Meanwhile, Bush is prepared to veto $30 to $35 billion for health care for children."
Holmes also discussed the serious threat of a new war on Iran: "Iranian President Ahmadinejad is being demonized in the media, and we're not naive. We know that they are preparing the population for an expansion of the war in Iraq to war in Iran. But the biggest terrorists are in the world sit in the White House."
Rev. Lennox Yearwood spoke about unity in the people's struggle against multiple wars: "I'm so pleased to see support here at the Encampment for the struggle in Jena; I was pleased to hear, in Jena, people talking about how the bombs in Baghdad are affecting people in the United States. ... If it calls for getting arrested, getting in the way, then we'll get arrested and get in the way. Our struggles will continue, but we will win." Yearwood was recently beaten by D.C. police at an anti-war press conference.
Adam Kokesh, Co-Chair of the board of directors for Iraq Veterans Against the War described his organization's demands, including immediate withdrawal of all forces from Iraq, "and when we say all forces, we mean Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Blackwater, Halliburton"; and full payment of reparations to the people of Iraq.
Nana Soul of Artists and Activists United for Peace, a TONC member organization, described the weeklong concert that is being held as part of the Encampment. "The movement needs cultural inspiration, talent and creativity. Iraq may be the issue today, but we know that this isn't the first time that the United States has invaded a sovereign nation. They use tools at home like not funding health care and education. We have a chance to translate these actions."
Rick Clemens, Ann Wilcox and Joyce Robinson-Paul represented the Green Party. Clemens, a Vietnam War veteran, stressed: "This war is about imperialism, about the exploitation of labor power and markets of other peoples. There is no thing as ending the war without ending the economic system that perpetuates war--capitalism." Wilcox discussed the effects of the war at home in Washington, D.C., where neighborhood libraries are being closed and thousands of affordable housing units have been lost.
Toby Blomé of Code Pink Women for Peace described the two encampments their group has undertaken at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's house, after she refused to meet with them to discuss war funding for three months. They plan on going to her office regularly during the Encampment and will be fasting for the week as "another way to show commitment to ending the occupation and bringing the troops home."
Vernon Hoffman, who biked 4,500 miles with his family from Portland, Oregon to join the Encampment, said he'd "rather bike for peace than kill for oil." He described how throughout the country, people took opened up their homes for the family and their anti-war message.
Lastly, a young war resister described how he enlisted in the military in 2005 because of limited career opportunities in his hometown. However, he says, "I happened to join at the same time as Hurricane Katrina, and I saw on TV the bodies floating in the streets. It really hit home to me. I got out of training 25 weeks later and nothing had changed. Despite all the rhetoric about homeland security and national security, this government's priorities are not for the people."
Other actions at the Encampment today included an event on Pelosi hosted by Code Pink, and an outreach sound truck caravan through the streets of D.C. to mobilize for the march on the 29th.
As part of the national effort to build towards September being a truly ‘Anti-War Month’ we are building a united set of actions that involve youth and students.
From September 22 to 29, activists working on a number of different struggles from around the country will be coming together in Washington, D.C. and setting up an encampment in front of Congress to raise the stakes in the anti-war movement during a week of direct actions against the war.
We want to make Friday, September 28, a Youth and Student Day of Action in which autonomous, student- and youth-led direct actions originate from this space.
Then, we will all be marching together in a youth and student contingent in the September 29th anti-war demos in Washington and LA.
In order to be able to have conversations about what types of actions will happen on the 28th in a way that is both democratic and safe (ie-not on the internet), organizers will be convening consultas in the coming weeks in different regions of the country for folks to come together and plan. We will hopefully have all the dates of the consultas sorted out within the next week and will post that information here. If you as an individual or your campus organization would like to hold a consulta or endorse the youth day of action, please let us know.
Chapters of anti-war youth and student groups from all over the nation including various SDS, CAN, FIST and Campus Greens chapters have already begun to organize around these actions. Please add your name to the endorsement list by emailing youthantiwarweek@gmail.com
Please keep checking back here in the coming days and weeks as we will continue to update this page with more information.
Say NO to War Funding - Demand Money for Health Care, Jobs, & Education NOT War and Occupation - SEPT 22-29
Join the cast of “SICKO” for a vigil on Friday evening to honor the life of Tracey Pierce and to demand justice for him and all of the many other victims of the profit first, people last – healthcare system. (See box below.)
AND MARCH WITH THE CAST OF “SICKO” ON SEPTEMBER 29TH to demand Healthcare, Not Warfare. People from all over the country who are sick of seeing billions of dollars wasted on war and occupation and who feel that people’s needs must come first will be forming a giant contingent to demand healthcare for all at the Sept. 29th march to stop the war in Washington D.C.
They will be joining trade union and community activists who are tired of seeing layoffs, mortgage foreclosures and cuts; students and youth who are questioning the injustice of the war; veterans and active duty GI’s who are courageously speaking out against the war; Katrina/Rita survivors who are still fighting for their long over due rights; immigrant workers who are facing unfair deportations; and the tens of thousands of other people who simply want to bring the troops home now.
IT IS URGENT TO ACT NOW because funding for the war and occupation of Iraq will expire on Oct 1st. At this time Congress will be considering the largest increase ever to fund the war. They will be voting on an additional $50 billion on top of the $147 billion already allocated to continue the war.
We cannot be silent! One fourth of the Iraq war budget alone could pay for health care for close to 47 million uninsured people. Join the Encampment across from Congress, in front of the Capitol from Sept 22 to 29 to demand that NO WAR FUNDING; attend the Friday evening vigil; and MARCH ON SATURDAY.
If you cannot come to Washington, you can still help. Please donate (http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml) whatever you can to help others join the march. Every single dollar helps to make our voices stronger. Your donations can help pay for buses, flyers, picket signs, mailings and all of the necessary costs. Everyone can be a part of this effort.
Julie Pierce & Tracey Jr., Donna & Larry Smith, Adrian Campbell, Dawnelle Keys, Rev Andy Bales, Dr. Linda Peeno, who courageously shared their lives, vision and pain in Michael Moore’s film “SICKO” will be taking a stand. They will be coming to Washington D.C. to protest the war on September 28 and marching for Healthcare, Not war on Sept. 29th. Take a stand too and come to Washington D.C.
Calling for Activist video trainees and volunteers! Work with Peoples Video Network! Peoples Video Network
Train to use cameras, large and small! Edit! Use DVD technology! Stream and distribute your work!
First Workshop Series coordinated with Sept 22-29 Anti-War Encampment and demonstrations in Washington DC: http://www.troopsoutnow.org
Series of workshops in video documentation, camera, editing and distribution. Work with Peoples Video network in hands-on classes and field-work in video activism. Mentoring with seasoned video activists. Final presentation to an appreciative audience. Opportunity to learn distribution to wider audiences. Our goal is to encourage you to take this course from beginning to end and to participate in Peoples Video Network on an ongoing basis.
Camera: Workshop 1: Learning the Canon XL1 series. Focus, lighting, sound, care of equipment. Work with a team Workshop 2: handling a small camera in action situations. Care of equipment and safeguarding footage. Coordination with field editors, camera crew Workshop 3: Interview technique. Lighting, sound, conducting interviews.
Field-Work: Field-work will go on throughout training and provide the raw material for viewing, editing and discussion. Document the encampment Sept 22-29 in Washington DC. Learn to shoot at demonstrations and in other action situations. Shooting formal events. Working with the sound crew. Interview technique. Opportunity for independent work as well as mentoring and feedback sessions.
Workshop 4: Viewing the raw footage. Group comments and feedback in a supportive environment.
Editing: Workshop 5: Basics of Final Cut Pro. Beginning the editing process; using raw footage from field-work and also from archival material. Workshop 6: More basics of Final Cut Pro
Distribution: Workshop 7: Finishing a project and exporting it. Streaming, printing, dvd making Workshop 8: More concepts of distribution. Discussion of festivals, internet, grants
Final Workshop Presentation
Each video activist will present a sample of work to be shown at a commencement recital event with invited guests.
Sign up for PVN WORKSHOPS: pvn@action-mail.org or call (212) 340-1286. Leave your name, phone number and e-mail and the best time to reach you.
from Protest to Resistance... Cut Off ALL War Funding! Fund People's Needs - NOT War!
It's time to turn up the heat! Funding for the criminal war in Iraq will expire on October 1. The month of September will see the next big struggle over war funding, but this time the antiwar movement needs to be there to demand the immediate cut off of all war funding.
We have all seen that the Democratic leadership in Congress, despite being elected with a clear mandate to end the war, has completely capitulated to the Bush Administration. We cannot wait for politicians to end the war.
In addition to the enormous cost in human lives - more than 600,000 Iraqis and nearly 4,000 U.S. soldiers - the attempt to occupy and colonize Iraq has already cost more than $1 trillion. Every day, the Pentagon spends another $720 million.
This is money that is stolen from working people who need funding for human needs.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported last week that:
• 36.5 million people in the U.S. lived below the official poverty line in 2006.
• 47 million people in the U.S. were without health insurance in 2006, up from 44.8 million in 2005.
• The number of uninsured children increased from 8 million (10.9 percent) in 2005 to 8.7 million (11.7 percent) in 2006.
Meanwhile, infrastructure is crumbling. Schools are understaffed and falling apart. Affordable housing is disappearing. And almost nothing has been done to rebuild the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.
Let's bring the occupation to Washington and demand money for human needs, not war! On September 29, tens of thousands of activists, community organizers, youth and students, veterans, military families, and health care activists will march on the White House to Demand: Cut off ALL War Funding! Fund People's Needs, NOT War!
Buses, vans, and car caravans are coming from more than 75 organizing centers, with more than 100 buses already scheduled, and more being added every day. Organizing a mobilization of this scale is enormously expensive -- please consider making a donation online at http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml.
Also, during the week of September 22-29, antiwar activists will erect an Encampment on the Lawn directly across from the Capitol. The site of the Encampment is a square of land directly in front of the Capitol, where we will maintain a determined, visible 24-hour antiwar presence as a direct challenge to the politicians - both Republican and Democrat - who voted for the war and vote to continue to fund the war.
Organizing a week-long enccampment and a national march is an enormous organizational challenge, and we need your help. Please consider helping with the costs by making an online donation at http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml.
Activists, military families, veterans, trade unionists, and community organizers from activists from across the U.S. are planning to erect a tent city, in Washington, DC, which will be a center of organizing, resistance, and action for the week. At the same time, activists will also be converging in Los Angeles for a West Coast week-long antiwar Encampment and March (see http://www.iacenterla.org for more information and to get involved.)
If you want the social justice issues you are fighting for to be seen and heard around the world and by the national media, then bring your displays, art, graphics and signs to the week long encampment.
Many local and national organizations are planning to have their own tents for the Encampment. There will be actions, protests, and speak outs organized by health care activists, military family members, immigrant rights organizers, and more.
Each day will have a variety of different activities, focused on the impeachment of Bush and Cheney for war crimes, student and youth action, political prisoners, Katrina, stopping a war against Iran, and more. Each night will feature "Culture and Resistance," including spoken word artists, musicians, poets, and more.
Many of the working people that Michael Moore featured in SICKO are planning a special candle-light vigil for all those who have died for lack of health care.
Youth are meeting and planning resistance actions in the Congressional office buildings and streets of DC.
At the end of the week, activists at the Encampment will join tens of thousands of people from across the country for the massive March on Washington on September 29.
Organizing a week-long encampment and a national demonstration is a major challenge, and we need your help with the enormous expenses. Please consider making a donation online at http://troopsoutnow.org/donate.shtml.
We need your input planning giant displays, literature and organizing tents, skill sharing sessions, and acts of creative protest and resistance. Please contact us to share your ideas and to volunteer to help organize for the encampment.
Over the next few days, we will be posting a calendar of events for the Encampment. If your group would like to organize a tent, protest action, teach-in, etc. please contact us.
We are developing a list of inexpensive housing in the area and will be posting it soon -- activists who are able to join us all week, should also line up housing in the area. We can be a presence on site around the clock but we can not actually sleep at night or cook on-site.
If you are in the Washington DC - Maryland - Virginia area, we need your help with housing, food, transportation and help on set-up. Please contact us online or by phone at 212-633-6646.
SEPT 22- 29: Encampment in front of Congress - Cut off the War funds - Build a People Peace Congress
Hundreds of Endorsers - More than 40 Organizing Centers - It's time to Shut Down Washington!
Stop the War at Home & Abroad! Bring ALL the Troops Home Now! Impeach Bush & Cheney for War Crimes!
Congress will not end the war Marches alone will not end the war It's time to shut down Washington DC - No more business as usual!
Endorsers include:* Rep. Cynthia McKinney; Medea Benjamin, CoFounder of CODEPINK: Women for Peace; Fernando Suarez del Solar, founder of Proyecto Guerrero Azteca por la Paz; Bishop Filipe C Teixeira, OFSJC; Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney General; Brenda Stokely of the NYC Solidarity Committee For Katrina / Rita Evacuees; Liz Arnone, Co-Chair, NJ Green Party; Mohammad Basirul Haq Sinha, Chief Coordinator, We The People United Bangladesh; Abayomi Azikiwe, Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice; Jack Balkwill, Chair, Liberty Underground of Virginia; Barney Richards, National President, New Zealand Peace Council; Teresa Dawson, Coordinator, MFSO Central Ohio; Joan Gibbs, Jericho Movement; Efia Nwangaza, Founder/director, Afrikan Amerikan Institute for Policy Studies & Planning; Jose Luis Diaz, President, Casas las Americas; Leslie Feinberg, author and activist; Teresa Gutierrez of the NY May 1 Coalition for Immigrant Rights; LeiLani Dowell, FIST (Fight Imperialism - Stand Together); Berna Ellorin, BAYAN USA; Ben Carroll, UNC SDS; and hundreds more. for an updated list, see TroopsOutNow.org *organizations listed for ID purposes only
Since mid-April, when the Troops Out Now Coalition issued a proposal for a week of action in Washington DC in September, activists from across the U.S. and worldwide have contacted us to support the proposal and to volunteer to help with this major mobilization.
More than a hundred activists, from as far away as Los Angeles, Sacramento, and New Orleans, packed the Troops Out Now New York office on June 16 to begin planning for this week of resistance. Momentum is building as more activists realize that it is time to move from protest to resistance:
**We now have hundreds of endorsers and more than 40 organizing centers.
**Activists, community groups, and grassroots organizers are planning to set up tents at the Encampment to highlight issues they are working on.
**Youth activists are working to build a national student strike during the week of the Encampment.
**Regional coordinators are working on organizing transportation to the Encampment and March.
National Antiwar Strategy Meeting: Activists call for unified struggle to stop the war
Report from the June 16 National Antiwar Strategy Meeting:
M ore than 100 anti-war organizers, including many students and youths, labor, community and immigrant organizers, veterans and GI organizers gathered June 16 at the Solidarity Center in New York City for the standing-room only National Antiwar Strategy and Planning Meeting. They came from as far away as California, Cleveland, North Carolina, New Orleans and Boston to discuss the need to move from protest to resistance and build a grassroots movement to stop the war.
September: The next big confrontation over the war
The meeting focused largely on a proposal from the Troops Out Now Coalition for an Encampment to Stop the War and a Mass March in Washington during the week of September 22-29. According to the Washington calendar, this will be the next big political confrontation on the war. This is when the House and Senate debate war funding for 2008. And it is when General David Petraeus reports to Congress on the status of Bush's troops " surge."
Many applauded this proposal as the necessary next step to take the struggle against the war to a new level of resistance. The encampment has the potential to ensure that another war vote does not go unchallenged. The proposal opens an opportunity for an independent intervention representing the people, who are overwhelmingly against the war.
Many ideas were raised for the week-long encampment, including a proposal for a Peoples' Peace Congress to challenge the corporate war Congress in Washington. At such a gathering, different groups could argue for better uses for the funds now earmarked for war. By demanding funds for health care, education and job creation, for example, they could directly confront the “war Congress” meeting at the Capitol.
Youth activists reported on their work to build a national student strike during the week of the Encampment. Activists volunteered to begin working on logistics, housing, transportation, and the many other tasks involved in bringing an encampment to Washington. Others are working to bring musicians, artists, and poets to DC for the Encampment and March. Activists and organizations have volunteered to set up tents at the Encampment that focus on particular issues. Only the people will stop the war The Democratic Party bait & switch
Many took note of how the Democrats had betrayed their clear electoral mandate to end the war.
It was clear to all that despite being elected to bring the troops home and end the criminal occupation, the Democrats in Congress have completely capitulated to Bush on the issue of continuing to fund the war. Even a determined congressional minority of Democrats could block the funding for the war—if they had really decided to end the war. They could disrupt and filibuster. They could call on people from around the country to surround Congress. Instead, while posing as the “anti-war” majority party, the Democrats have completely capitulated to Bush and the Pentagon.
Building an independent movement is more important than ever, as pressure grows to abandon struggle on the streets and surrender the antiwar movement to the Democratic Party, a party that now completely shares in complicity for the criminal war and occupation in Iraq. Participants noted that Wall Street and their mouthpieces always want to divert the mass movement into safe channels—into lobbying and voting and trusting in the bought-and-paid-for politicians. The challenge is to develop clear demands that move the struggle into the streets.
Back to the streets: Unite to shut down the war
Many present noted that the lack of unity in the antiwar movement is a crisis that must be frankly addressed. Some noted that during the last struggle over war funding in March, the movement had a real opportunity to intervene if it acted decisively. Instead, organizations and coalitions called competing events in different venues, deliberately timed to undermine participation in other actions. This sort of cynical maneuvering for organizational advantage weakens the movement, demoralizes activists, and only plays into the hands of Bush and the warmongers in Washington.
TONC organizers and others stressed that the September struggle over the war funding is a crucial fight that can be a real opportunity to galvanize the struggle against the war, particularly if the movement can unite. There was a broad consensus on the need to reach out to ALL national antiwar coalitions, as well as the many local grassroots organizations, to build a united demonstration that will be as large and as strong as possible. TONC organizers emphasized that they welcome and encourage discussion and suggestions for modifying and improving the proposal for the actions in September.
Many participants also emphasized the importance of uniting the struggle against the war abroad with the struggle against the war at home. Those at the meeting encompassing these struggles included Teresa Gutierrez, a leading organizer of the May 1st Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Brenda Stokely of the Million Worker March Movement, Larry Hales of the Colorado United Communities Against Police Brutality, along with many trade union activists.
Regarding the content of the anti-war call, there was overwhelming sentiment that it should be for immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, with many expressing solidarity with the resistance movements in those countries and in Palestine and Lebanon. The TONC organizers took note of the U.S. threats against Iran and are raising slogans against U.S. aggression against Iran, too. Together we can and must change the political agenda
The struggle to stop the war has made tremendous gains. The vast majority of the people are now opposed to the occupation. G.I. opposition is growing as soldiers increasingly oppose being sent to fight and die in this horrific war, in which they have no interest. The politicians in Washington are clearly on the defensive, as their dreams of Empire in the Middle East crumble, their lies about the war are exposed, and as the vast majority of people here and worldwide oppose their heinous war.
But we must do more! The war in Iraq is not a “failed policy;” it is a horrendous crime against the Iraqi people. It must be stopped! Everyday the occupation brings more death and destruction to the Iraqi people. It brings more deaths and serious injuries to U.S. youth who are trapped in this war, and return home to find inadequate medical care and benefits.
It will take an independent movement to stop the war, a movement that takes an independent road geared to mobilizing people in this country to challenge all of the war makers in Washington, that strongly demands the withdrawal of all U.S. troops NOW and calls for ending ALL war funding immediately.
This is a crucial time. What is needed now is an unprecedented outpouring of resistance. We must demonstrate to the politicians in Washington that we will not allow business as usual to continue.
The Troops Out Now Coalition encourages all of the antiwar coalitions on the local and national level to engage each other and where communication has broken down, to open new lines of communication so that our combined efforts will make us stronger.
Let us join forces with the movements struggling for:
* No War against Iran * End all occupations now - from Iraq to Palestine, the Philippines, Haiti, Puerto Rico, and Afghanistan * Impeach Bush & Cheney for War Crimes * No to U.S. intervention – Hands off Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, and the Sudan * Stop the raids against immigrant workers -- Full rights for undocumented workers * Justice for Katrina survivors – End racist police terror * Free Mumia Abu-Jamal and all political prisoners * Money for health care, jobs and education, not endless war
Together let's unite to demand: * Immediate withdrawal of all troops * Cut off ALL war funding
Cindy Sheehan made public two letters this weekend. The first letter announced her resignation from the Democratic Party over the agreement by the Democratically-controlled Congress to unconditionally fund the criminal and colonial war in Iraq that killed her son Casey and hundreds of thousands of others, mostly Iraqis.
In the second letter, coming a day after the first, Sheehan announced that she would no longer be active in the peace movement. The reason for her first letter is self-evident. Why did she feel compelled to write the second one?
It should come as no surprise to anyone that Sheehan has been the target of endless threats and attacks by pro-war groups, right-wing talk radio, and the corporate media. But they haven’t been the only attackers. As Sheehan has stepped up her criticism of the Congressional Democrats' complicity in the war, she has come under attack, some as venomous and personal as any right-wing Republican attack, by some who insist that the antiwar movement must be limited to protesting against Bush and the Republicans. Some of the same forces, who are closely tied to the Democrats, were happy to use Sheehan as long as she limited her criticism to Bush, but then viciously turned on her after she announced her resignation from the Democratic Party over the war.
Cindy Sheehan has come to the conclusion that she has been pushed out of the antiwar movement and it’s not hard to understand why she feels this way. She feels pushed out by the betrayal of the Democrats on the war funding. She feels pushed out by the isolation and hostility not only from the “right,” but also from many in the orbit of the Democratic Party that Sheehan had once considered allies. She feels pushed out be the failure of the various coalitions in the antiwar movement to put aside egos and narrow agendas in the interest of forging an independent and militant mass movement powerful enough to shut the war down.
Some good can come from this, if the antiwar movement takes this as a turning point. Many of us made a struggle to demand that Congress cut off all war funding and end the war a priority this spring. Some of us did this, not based on any expectation that Congress would actually end Bush’s war, but to clearly expose the Democratic Party and to demonstrate that they are as much of a pro-war party as the Republicans. If the antiwar movement can absorb this reality, as painful as it is, than it will be all the much harder for the movement to be pulled off the streets and made an appendage of the Democratic Party.
The movement owes a debt to Cindy Sheehan for striking a blow against those who plan to mislead the antiwar movement and tie it to the pro-war Democratic Party.
The rank and file of the antiwar movement stands in solidarity with Cindy Sheehan, not with those who are beholden to the Democratic Party. It takes courage for a mother, catapulted into the world spotlight after camping out in Crawford Texas two summers ago to protest the death of her son in Iraq, to stand up to and openly break with powerful politicians who would be all too willing to provide her a platform with all the perks if she simply toed the line.
It is our hope that after Cindy Sheehan had taken the time to re-unite with her family, and do whatever she feels necessary to repair the toll that all of this has taken on her family and herself, that she will once again be a leading voice against war, against empire, and for justice at home and abroad.
Warning:Don't let the Democratic Party leadership and the '08 Presidential Election veto the antiwar movement.
President Bush's veto of the Democratic Party's bill containing a non-binding timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq displayed once again the Administration's absolute contempt for the will of the people, who are now overwhelmingly in favor of ending the occupation.
But more ominous than Bush's inevitable veto of the war funding bill is the prospect of the leadership of the Democratic Party "vetoing" and derailing the anti-war movement by pretending to be against the war while continuing to support it with billions of dollars of more war funding.
The Democratic Party was elected to control of the House and Senate with a mandate to end the war. As pressure grew from the antiwar movement for the Democrats to cut off the funding and withdraw the troops immediately, they turned to a desperate act of political theater in a an attempt to change the subject, attaching their support for continued funding for the war to a non-binding timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.
The Democratic Party bill, even if not vetoed, would not have required the withdrawal of a single soldier from Iraq. The bill allowed Bush to exempt entire categories of troops at his discretion, including: troops “training the Iraqi military;” troops engaged in “special operations"; and troops “protecting diplomatic enclaves” including the U.S. Embassy and the Green Zone. This means that Bush could maintain current troop levels in Iraq and still be in compliance with the Democrats' bill.
Furthermore, even if Bush agreed to observe withdrawal dates that the Democrats suggested, it would mean that this criminal, colonial war would go on for at least another year and a half. Another year of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers dying; Another year of Abu-Ghraib style torture. Another year of a criminal occupation.
Actually the truth of this "antiwar" charade is even worse. Everybody knew all the time that Congress would put on an antiwar show, and after Bush vetoed the bill containing non-binding withdrawal timetables, they would then give Bush the war funding. Leading Democrats announced months ago that they had absolutely no intention of cutting off the funding for the war.
By pretending to fight Bush on the war, Congress is hoping to neutralize the growing movement demanding the immediate end to this criminal war and occupation. Democrats in Congress hope that by hiding behind non-binding resolutions, imaginary timetables, and other acts of political theater they will send the message to those of us who have marched and organized to end the war that we don't need to march and mobilize anymore, because the real struggle against the war is now in Congress.
Part of this message is that, instead of taking to the streets to demand that Congress cut of all war funds and bring the troops home now, we should instead come in off the streets and sign up to support whoever the Democratic Party's presidential candidate is in 2008. We must never again allow the antiwar movement to be co-opted, misled, and demobilized in the name of Presidential politics or the agenda of either major political Party.
Let's make sure to stay in the streets, continue to demand that Congress cut of all war funding, stay focused on the demand for immediate withdrawal of all troops, and stay independent of both the Democrats and the Republicans who share responsibility for the war.
Only the people will stop this criminal war. Tomorrow, antiwar groups across the U.S. have called for demonstrations against Bush's veto. We urge you to take part in these demonstrations and demand that the troops be brought home now -- no phony timetables, no more political theater, no waiting for after the 2008 Presidential elections -- now!
In New York City: Times Sq. Wednesday 5:00 pm World Can't Wait is calling on everyone to gather in front of Times Square's military recruiting center--43rd and Broadway--at 5pm WEDNESDAY to demand an immediate end to the Iraq war and impeachment of the Bush Regime for war crimes.
Protest Bush's veto - Don't let the Democrats veto the antiwar movement
END THE WAR NOW
CUT-OFF ALL WAR FUNDING
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW
Warning:Don't let the Democratic Party leadership and the '08 Presidential Election veto the antiwar movement.
President Bush's veto of the Democratic Party's bill containing a non-binding timetable for withdrawal of troops from Iraq displayed once again the Administration's absolute contempt for the will of the people, who are now overwhelmingly in favor of ending the occupation.
But more ominous than Bush's inevitable veto of the war funding bill is the prospect of the leadership of the Democratic Party "vetoing" and derailing the anti-war movement by pretending to be against the war while continuing to support it with billions of dollars of more war funding.
The Democratic Party was elected to control of the House and Senate with a mandate to end the war. As pressure grew from the antiwar movement for the Democrats to cut off the funding and withdraw the troops immediately, they turned to a desperate act of political theater in a an attempt to change the subject, attaching their support for continued funding for the war to a non-binding timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.
The Democratic Party bill, even if not vetoed, would not have required the withdrawal of a single soldier from Iraq. The bill allowed Bush to exempt entire categories of troops at his discretion, including: troops “training the Iraqi military;” troops engaged in “special operations"; and troops “protecting diplomatic enclaves” including the U.S. Embassy and the Green Zone. This means that Bush could maintain current troop levels in Iraq and still be in compliance with the Democrats' bill.
Furthermore, even if Bush agreed to observe withdrawal dates that the Democrats suggested, it would mean that this criminal, colonial war would go on for at least another year and a half. Another year of Iraqi civilians and U.S. soldiers dying; Another year of Abu-Ghraib style torture. Another year of a criminal occupation.
Actually the truth of this "antiwar" charade is even worse. Everybody knew all the time that Congress would put on an antiwar show, and after Bush vetoed the bill containing non-binding withdrawal timetables, they would then give Bush the war funding. Leading Democrats announced months ago that they had absolutely no intention of cutting off the funding for the war.
By pretending to fight Bush on the war, Congress is hoping to neutralize the growing movement demanding the immediate end to this criminal war and occupation. Democrats in Congress hope that by hiding behind non-binding resolutions, imaginary timetables, and other acts of political theater they will send the message to those of us who have marched and organized to end the war that we don't need to march and mobilize anymore, because the real struggle against the war is now in Congress.
Part of this message is that, instead of taking to the streets to demand that Congress cut of all war funds and bring the troops home now, we should instead come in off the streets and sign up to support whoever the Democratic Party's presidential candidate is in 2008. We must never again allow the antiwar movement to be co-opted, misled, and demobilized in the name of Presidential politics or the agenda of either major political Party.
Let's make sure to stay in the streets, continue to demand that Congress cut of all war funding, stay focused on the demand for immediate withdrawal of all troops, and stay independent of both the Democrats and the Republicans who share responsibility for the war.
Only the people will stop this criminal war. Tomorrow, antiwar groups across the U.S. have called for demonstrations against Bush's veto. We urge you to take part in these demonstrations and demand that the troops be brought home now -- no phony timetables, no more political theater, no waiting for after the 2008 Presidential elections -- now!
In New York City: Times Sq. Wednesday 5:00 pm World Can't Wait is calling on everyone to gather in front of Times Square's military recruiting center--43rd and Broadway--at 5pm WEDNESDAY to demand an immediate end to the Iraq war and impeachment of the Bush Regime for war crimes.
Across the US - the People Demand "No More Money for War"
By Monica Moorehead
New York
The struggle from below to force Congress to vote NO on any additional funding for the racist occupation of and war on Iraq got a tremendous shot in the arm this past week with numerous anti-war protests organized across the U.S. From the West Coast to the East Coast, thousands of people and especially students took to the streets to demand, “Cut off war funding now and bring the troops home.”
The Feb. 15-17 protests sent a clear message that there is growing mass awareness that Congress cannot be counted on as a whole to stop the Bush administration’s objective of staying in Iraq for an indefinite amount of time--even after the Nov. 7 elections, which became an anti-war mandate from registered voters.
The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) initiated a national call for the Feb. 17 demonstrations. TONC is also urging all progressive movements and activists, of all political persuasions, to unite and come to Washington, D.C., for the march on the Pentagon called by ANSWER for March 17. TONC is also urging activists to occupy Washington, D.C., while the debate on the war funding takes place.
A TONC leaflet passed out in New York and elsewhere on Feb. 17 reads in part: “President Bush won’t stop the war. ... Congress won’t stop the war. ... It’s time to ... occupy Washington. ... Across the U.S., activists and organizers are planning buses, car caravans, vans and peace trains to Washington--not just to march, but to stay, because it’s time to go from mere protest to resistance. We need a massive mobilization on the streets of Washington as Congress votes on war funding. We hope to set up an encampment in D.C. beginning the week of March 12.”
TONC demands include an immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal from Iraq; an end to colonial occupation and imperialist aggression from Africa to Asia, Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, Haiti, the Philippines and Puerto Rico; no new wars against Iran, Syria or North Korea; hands off Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and Lebanon; solidarity with immigrant workers and Katrina survivors; stop the war at home--stop racist police terror--stop ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids; military recruiters out of our schools and communities and no draft--education, not war.”
Chapel Hill, N.C.
On Feb. 16, while Rep. David Price (4th District-N.C.) was on the floor of the House debating a meaningless nonbinding resolution, six youth were sitting in on the floor of his office, demanding that the funds for the war on Iraq be cut off and that the people’s needs start being met. The six youth, members of U. of N.C.-Chapel Hill SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) and Raleigh FIST (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together), were subsequently arrested for the action.
The demonstration, organized in coordination with the Troops Out Now Coalition’s “Cut Off ALL War Funds Day,” garnered support from youth and students, community members and veterans, as several dozen demonstrated outside while the sit-in was taking place. During the demonstration, youth unfurled a banner from the roof of the building which read “Closed for Business.”
The six youth inside the office presented Price’s aides with three principal demands: that Price speak with them and pledge to vote against the upcoming supplemental funding bill and all war funding; that Price use his influence to compel other representatives to vote against war funding and that he oppose all aggression against Iran, whether through sanctions or overt military action. When the aides in the office refused to get Price on the phone, the youth decided to sit-in at the office until their demands were met.
Alisan Fathalizadeh, a 20-year-old student who was taken from the office by the Chapel Hill police as she was reading the group’s statement, explained what spurred her to participate in this action: “We’ve tried our best to work within the system, but when the system is flawed, little can realistically be accomplished. ... As an Iranian-American, this war is personal. It is directly aimed at people just like me and with the way things are progressing, it will target my family directly. I feel so helpless and distant being here, that taking action against the issue is the very least that I can do to show support for all of my family in Iran.”
This action demonstrates a larger tactical change taking place within the anti-war movement, moving from symbolic protest to resistance.
The six youth were charged with first-degree trespass and released on an unsecured bond. They plan to pack the courthouse with supporters at their first court appearance March 26.
California students shut down highway
An estimated 3,000 students from the U. of California-Santa Barbara marched against the Iraq war on Feb. 15. Hundreds of them shut down Highway 217 in a sit-down protest near the school. Students chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets!” and carried signs such as “Make levees, not war!”
According to an eyewitness account posted on dailykos.com, “A crowd of 2,000-3,000 students blocked the bike tunnel. After about an hour of speeches, including one by a U.S. Marine who initially supported but has now turned against the war, the organizers decided we should go walk across campus to give the people who didn’t ditch a chance to change their minds and join us ... on the middle of our campus, in the middle of the day, disrupting everything, loud, angry, and passionate. I’ve been to protests before, but I’ve never felt so empowered as I did today.
“... We then paused and regrouped and considered our options before deciding to walk down the freeway. I must have driven down that freeway a thousand times, but here I was walking on the double yellow lines! In the middle of the day! I watched as cars made u-turns up ahead to avoid being enveloped by the crowd, still around a thousand strong.
“We walked down for about half a mile before we were halted by a hastily assembled police line in front of a Caltrans roadblock redirecting traffic. ... Students were giving speeches about why we oppose the war and why we need to withdraw and the parallels between Iraq and Vietnam and why we need to stay out of Iran and Peace Out University ... and the U.C.’s links to nuclear weapons labs like Los Alamos and other topics.”
Hundreds of activists braved the cold for a march and rally that began at Times Square in New York City on Feb. 17. Thousands of passersby also stopped to hear the passionate speeches of activists demanding that the troops be brought home now from Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere and that the hundreds of billions of dollars being spent for war go instead to fund health care, housing, education and all human needs.
There was a lot of general enthusiasm expressed for going to D.C. the week before the march on the Pentagon, in order to put pressure on Congress to vote NO against putting one more penny towards funding the criminal war in Iraq. Following the Times Square rally, the protestors marched to the offices of Sen. Hillary Clinton, a 2008 presidential candidate, who voted for the Iraq War in 2002.
Speakers included Berna Ellorin, BAYAN-USA; Mary Lou, Al-Awda, Palestine Right of Return Coalition; Mary Klopart, Grannies for Peace; Ellie Ommani, American-Iranian Friendship Committee; Comrade Shahid, Pakistani USA Freedom Forum; Mia Cruz, FIST; Fallou Gueye, Union of African Workers-Senegalese; Jesse Heiwa, Rainbow Solidarity for the Cuban Five; WayQuay, Leonard Peltier Defense Committee; Jonathan Brown, World Can’t Wait; TONC representatives Larry Holmes, Brenda Stokely, Sara Flounders, Sharon Black and Dustin Langley.
Other speakers included Councilperson Charles Barron, who recently introduced a local resolution against the war funding, Chris Silvera, chair of the Teamsters National Black Caucus and representatives from Millions for Mumia and Fanmi Lavalas.
At Columbia University in West Harlem, 300 to 400 students rallied against the Iraq War on Feb. 15. The event was sponsored by a coalition of student groups. Following the rally the students marched around the perimeter of the campus "to take their message to the community" chanting “What the hell is Congress for--cut the war funds--stop the war" and "Not another nickel, not another dime for Bush’s war crimes.”
The International Action Center, along with anti-war students, held a picket line in downtown Buffalo on Feb. 16 despite below-zero, blizzard conditions.
Detroit
The cost of the war and the urgently felt need to cut off funding to end it now was not a matter of statistics at the "Not One More Penny for War" Town Hall Meeting at Central United Methodist Church on Feb. 17. Hundreds of hungry Detroiters line up daily to eat a meal in that very room while over $9 billion was looted from Michigan taxpayers alone to fund the war. Andrea Hackett, whose daughter served two tours of duty in Iraq, called the war genocidal, both for the Iraqi people and here.
Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of Pan African News Wire and co-founder of the Michigan Emergency Committee Against War and Injustice (MECAWI), moderated the speak-out.
Azikiwe said: "We're calling for a total cut off of funding for the war in Iraq. It is obvious the war is a failure. We think the funds that are being used--that are being wasted--every day in Iraq to carry out this war that the U.S. government knows it cannot win should be used to fund human needs right here in the City of Detroit, right here in the state of Michigan, right here in the United States. It has to stop and the only way it is going to stop is that the masses of people have to get involved."
Detroit City Councilmember JoAnn Watson said not one damn dime should be spent on the war, "That's why we don't have money for health care, for education."
Debbie Johnson from the Detroit Action Network for Reproductive Rights said the billions for the war are taking food from tables and resulting in cuts in Medicaid and Medicare that tens of millions rely on.
State Sen. Martha Scott called for an end to the war in Iraq and the war against the people of her district who do not have the fundamental services necessary to live in dignity. Scott said: "The $2.9 trillion federal budget will cut Medicaid, home heating assistance, HIV/AIDS and mental health funding and eradicate homelessness assistance. It will eliminate before- and after-school programs."
Rep. John Conyers called for educational programs that let everyone go to school without cost. He agreed that suffering in Michigan is caused by the war; that $2 trillion in direct and indirect costs and climbing are going to endless war. This is the only war where taxes for the wealthy decreased. He said, "Close down the war!"
Maureen Taylor, chair of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, stressed that water service is shut off to 45,000 Detroit residences each year. Children in households without water are put in foster care because not having water is called neglect. The state or county government has taken title to 40,000 abandoned houses. There are 14,000 to 15,000 homeless people in this area.
Michael Merriweather, a Stop the War Slate Candidate on the 2006 Green Party ticket and member of SDS and MECAWI, suggested that possibilities not be limited to returning to the way things were in the past, but to look to the future and make the kind of life and world we want and need and take this in our own hands.
Ignacio Meneses from Latinos Unidos de Michigan introduced María Sánchez, whose spouse was deported in 2003--separating her family, severely destabilizing her life and that of her three children and forcing her onto public assistance. Meneses called on everyone to help stop the raids and deportations on May Day by not going to work or school, not shopping and not selling.
Jeff Montgomery from the Triangle Foundation, Michigan's statewide civil rights, advocacy and anti-violence organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, expressed the full solidarity of the organization's leadership. He said if there is any emergency funding, it should be for Detroit and Flint, for the poor and homeless.
David Sole, president of UAW Local 2334, likened conditions in Michigan to an economic Katrina. He explained the Michigan governor has emergency powers to declare an economic disaster and stop utility shutoffs, foreclosures, evictions and plant closings. This emergency measure was used during the 1930s by Gov. Frank Murphy and was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and is still on the books. Sole called on everyone to become an organizer.
Two representatives from the Windsor Peace Coalition in Canada brought the message that they are holding a March 17 demonstration at the Canadian entrance to the Detroit Windsor Tunnel. Like Detroit, Windsor, dependant on the auto industry, has lost thousands of jobs.
Sandra Hines is a leader in the fight against police brutality and to save her neighborhood school, Courtis Elementary, one of the 51 schools tagged for closing due to Detroit public school budget deficits. Hines stressed that action was needed now. She said, "This is a war on the people here, not just Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq."
The message of the heightening struggle to end the war was reported in the Detroit Free Press on Sunday and on Channel 2 TV.
Cleveland
Despite cold and snow, Cleveland TONC held a lively demonstration across from the West Side Market, a popular indoor/outdoor food market--symbolizing the food that many are forced to go without in this, the most impoverished city in the U.S. The demonstration was joined by the Northeast Ohio Antiwar Coalition, Cleveland Lucasville Five Defense Committee, Cleveland Nonviolence Network and the Baldwin-Wallace College chapter of FIST.
Philadelphia
A group of activists from SEIU, Vietnam Veterans for Peace, community organizations and the International Action Center gathered Feb. 17 in Center City for a speak-out against the war. It was an open mike session where passersby could talk freely about their opposition to the war.
A young African-American man who holds a low wage job with no benefits in a fast food chain criticized Bush for waging war in Iraq while ignoring the victims of Katrina.
A middle-aged owner of a vending cart stated that "A lot of people get killed for nothing. ... We have to stop the war by working together." Nick, a high school student, spoke about recruiters going after the youth, particularly poor kids.
Julia López, director of Centro Pedro Clavel, a service-oriented agency in the Latin@ community, remarked,” Our youth are living without resources, being brainwashed through the media. They are not getting the facts to make an informed decision, instead are being indoctrinated by the media, sent to kill and die. There is no budget for education but suddenly billions of dollars appear to fight a war and kill innocent people."
A young African-American man, referring to Bush, said, "When is he going to have enough, man, how many bodies have to be laid down before he gets the message?"
Tili Ayala, a young mother of two, stated, "You have to speak out or else the government will speak out for you. We have to be the voice."
Massachusetts
In Springfield, an economically distressed city largely run by a control board established by former Gov. Mitt Romney, the message of "money for jobs, not war" was the central theme of a noon news conference held at the Federal Building. All local media outlets, print, TV and radio covered the news conference. A multi-national group of area activists picketed the Federal building.
Among those who spoke were Democratic state representative and chair of the Massachusetts Black Legislative Caucus, Benjamin Swan, who personally endorsed the Troops Out Now Coalition's national "No More $$ For War" campaign.
Representatives of Arise for Social Justice, a Springfield poor people's rights organization, and Out Now, a Western Mass. lesbian/gay/bi/trans youth organization, also urged opposition to continued funding for the war.
The Rev. Louis Alvarenga of Actión Latino, a Springfield-based immigrant rights organization, stated, "Many of the soldiers dying in Iraq are Latin@. The immigrant community is suffering from this war by losing our young men and women in Iraq and by the money being taken away from healthcare, housing and jobs in our communities here at home. We're here to stop this war."
Greg Speeter of the Northampton-based National Priorities Project provided a sobering assessment of the war's financial impact on Springfield and surrounding communities. The Priorities Project provides information about the effects of military spending on the national budget and on cities across the country. (www.nationalpriorities.org)
Nick Camerota of the Western Mass. IAC/Troops Out Now Organizing Committee urged people to support the online petition drive to stop war funding and called attention to U.S. threats of war against Iran.
In Boston a squad of volunteers for TONC distributed 1,000 flyers at a busy downtown intersection. The Boston City Council had just a few days earlier passed a resolution condemning the Iraq War which also urged people to go to Washington on March 17 to protest the war. The resolution was introduced by Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner and passed 8-3.
Georgia
Kennesaw State University students led a successful street vigil/rally on busy Barrett Parkway in Cobb County Feb. 17, with students and supporters receiving much positive response from drivers--many hundreds of encouraging shouts and horn honks.
The Columbus Peace and Justice Coalition held their opening event Feb. 17 in Columbus--a Peace in the Park rally. They attracted 30-40 people, made new contacts and got media coverage.
“I think the time has come for the fence-sitters and the people who have otherwise just sort of stood on the sidelines to get out and have their voices heard as well,” stated Brett Johnson. (WRBL News, Feb. 18)
The group is organizing a caravan to leave Columbus on March 16 to attend the March on the Pentagon March 17. For more information, contact the Columbus Peace and Justice Coalition at cpjc.ga @ gmail.com.
Sharon Black, Ben Carroll, Catherine Donaghy, Ellie Dorritte, Martha Grevatt, Cheryl LaBash, Berta Joubert-Ceci, Dianne Mathiowetz, Bob McCubbin and Gerry Scoppettuolo contributed to this article.
New York City - Boston - Detroit - Philadelphia -Los Angeles - Raleigh - Atlanta - Across the U.S.
BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW - Demand that Congress Cut Off ALL War Funding
Soon, Congress will vote on Bush's request for more than $100 billion in additional funding for the criminal occupation of Iraq. Congress has the power to stop the war by cutting off war funding. They cannot hide behind "non-binding resolutions" and hearings--they must stop the war. They cannot hide behind the claim that they are "supporting the troops" -- voting to fund the war is voting to continue the war, which means more soldiers and Iraqi people will die.
On February 17 in cities and towns across the U.S., activists will make it clear to Congress that we will not allow another dollar to be spent on the war.
Not one more day.
Not one more dollar.
No more deaths.
No hiding behind "non-binding" resolutions and timetables.
Bring ALL the Troops Home Now!
Join us the campaign to demand that Congress cut off all war Funding. Here's how you can participate:
Sign the Open Letter to Congress - (see text below) this will go to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. Charles Schumer, and other leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Donate - Help us with the enormous costs of organizing in cities across the U.S.
An Open Letter to all 535 members of Congress
Dear Members of Congress,
END THE WAR NOW YOU HAVE THE POWER VOTE NO! TO MORE WAR FUNDING
On February 17, “VOTE NO WAR FUNDS DAY,” we will be rallying around the country to let you know that this time, we’ll be watching how you vote on this critical issue.
Last November the people voted to change the leadership of Congress so that it could do what the President is unwilling to do-- to end the war now. As Sen. Russ Feingold said recently at a Senate Hearing on Congressional war powers, “Congress has the power to stop the war if it wants to." Now the people have given you the mandate to do that.
Soon you will be asked to vote your approval of more funds to pay for the war. A few of you have already indicated that you will not approve another dollar for war. All of you must to do the same. The next war funding vote will be every bit as important as the vote by the 109th Congress to authorize the war in October 2002.
If you vote no to more war funding the troops will come home, lives will be saved and this nightmare will come to an end. If you approve more funds for war, then more U.S. soldiers will die, more soldiers will be maimed for life, and the war will go on and on. If you approve more war funds, then no one can claim that this is solely the President’s war, or only one political party’s war; it will be Congress’s war.
It’s not enough to vote for symbolic, non-binding resolutions that only oppose the escalation of the war. It’s not enough to cross-examine and criticize generals and the President’s cabinet secretaries in Congressional hearings. It will not suffice to say that you oppose the war, but that you’re voting for more war funding to support the troops. The real support that the troops and their families need is for you to act decisively, cut off the war funding and bring everyone home alive.
Activists from across the country have designated Sat., Feb. 17, “VOTE NO WAR FUNDS DAY.” On that day, thousands of peace-loving people will rally and march in their communities to tell Congress that when it comes time to vote on more funds for war, the people will be watching and waiting.
Many of those participating in the Feb. 17 protests across the country will bring with them some of the bills that they can’t afford to pay. People will be bringing their medical, utility, food, and rent bills; their student loan debts; and their credit card bills, because more and more people are being forced to use credit cards to pay for basic necessities. The reason for bringing all of these bills to the protest is to remind Congress, as it considers its vote on the new war funding request, of the growing ranks of the poor that desperately need the money that has been wasted on this war to help them in their daily struggle to survive.
Troops Out Now Coalition Response to the State of the Union Address
January 23, 2007 A s the U.S. occupation of Iraq grinds on and the numbers of dead and wounded mount, President George W. Bush and Democratic Party leaders, the supposed opposition, continue to reject the growing demand to bring the troops home now. In Bush's State of the Union address to Congress last night, George W. Bush continued to stick to his “stay the course” position and claimed he has a “plan for victory” despite clear evidence that the attempt to colonize Iraq has been defeated.
Bush made a desperate attempt to restore confidence in his failed adventure in Iraq, outlining a "new strategy" that is really just a repeat of the same lines he has been using since he declared "mission accomplished" almost four years ago. The so-called "surge" of 21,000 troops will not succeed in crushing the resistance of the Iraqi people; it will only bring more death and destruction. He did not mention the more than 600,000 Iraqi people that have died as a result of the U.S. invasion and occupation. Nor did he address the fact that every reason he gave to justify the war has now been exposed as a deliberate lie.
Despite his talk of “a democratic Iraq," the ghastly torture chambers of Abu Ghraib, the continued bombing of Iraqi homes, the use of depleted uranium, phosphorous, napalm, and other illegal weapons of mass destruction, all reveal the brutal nature of the war against the people of Iraq. This war is not and never was about bringing democracy to Iraq--it has always been about seizing control of the country's oil reserves.
What Bush also failed to mention is that even as the attempt to colonize Iraq is clearly failing, the Bush administration is moving towards another reckless adventure—war on Iran. Bush has deployed two second aircraft carrier groups—with destroyers, cruisers, submarines, cruise missiles and combat aircraft—to the Gulf, while sources report that the Pentagon is already identifying targets for U.S. air strikes.
Health care
Bush attempted to deflect attention from the catastrophe in Iraq by offering a tax deduction for workers who purchase health insurance or use employer-supported plans. His plan would allow standard deductions for health insurance — $7,500 for individuals, $15,000 for families — while subjecting employer-paid health insurance to income taxes.
Bush's plan would do nothing to help the estimated 47 million people in the US without health insurance. Rep. Pete Stark, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee's health subcommittee, has said that Bush's proposal to tax existing health benefits is so ludicrous that it is unlikely to be seriously considered by Congress. He said, "The president's so-called health care proposal won't help the uninsured, most of who have limited incomes and are already in low tax brackets. But it will hurt middle-income Americans, whose employers will shift even more cost and risk to their employees.''
Most of the uninsured don't have coverage because they cannot afford to pay the premiums. Making those premiums tax-deductible will not make healthcare more affordable for most workers. Many others cannot get coverage because of
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Endorse the call for to March on the Washington on March 17
pre-existing conditions, which Bush's plan does nothing to address.
The net result of Bush's plan would be a decline in the number of workers having access to health coverage. Paul Fromstein, director of the health research and education programs at the Employee Benefit Research Institute, said the Bush proposal would ``mean the end of employment-based coverage as we know it because it gives employers an incentive to drop coverage. If employees can go out and get private coverage with the same tax breaks as they'd get through employer-sponsored coverage, more companies will simply give them the money and let them find their own coverage because they view [health coverage] as a headache."
We must continue to demand health coverage for all. The $300 billion that the Bush Administration has spent on war on occupation could easily provide complete health coverage for all uninsured children in the U.S.
The War at Home: Police Brutality and Police State Tactics
As he has done since repeatedly since the attacks on September 11, 2001, Bush used the threat of "terrorism" to drum up support for his policies of endless war and repression. He said, “For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to protect the people of this country from danger." But he did not address the fact that many communities face threats of violence every day--not from "terrorists," but from the police. The police who gunned down Sean Bell the night before his wedding, firing 50 shots at an unarmed man, and the police who killed 92-year old Kathryn Johnson in her home in Atlanta, the ICE raids that haul away families in the middle of the night, and the police who commit acts of racist brutality in communities across the country, are a daily threat to the lives and safety of communities of color, immigrant communities, and the LGBT communities. Antiwar and progressive organizations must stand in solidarity with communities that are under daily attack from police terror.
Bush has used the words "freedom" and "democracy" repeatedly as justification for his policies of endless war, but an examination of his actions here and world-wide demonstrates that he has no interest in either. He has authorized the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency to spy on and infiltrate meetings of progressive organizations that oppose his policies. Under the PATRIOT Act, FBI agents search library records, book store sales, and other personal records and conduct widespread surveillance without any probable cause. He has ordered intelligence agencies to kidnap people off of the streets and drag them from their homes, fly them to other countries, and torture them in a secret global network of detention camps. Under his mantra of "freedom and democracy" lies a full-scale war on civil liberties and civil rights.
Katrina
The President made no mention of one of the biggest failures of his Administration, the ongoing catastrophe that followed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. But the whole world remembers watching the scenes of horror and despair on the streets of New Orleans, as people died, abandoned by every level of government because they were poor and Black. While everyone watched newscasts of people dying of thirst, as FEMA did nothing to help, Bush praised the FEMA director, saying, "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."
We must continue to support the right of Katrina survivors to return to their homes and to determine how the region will be rebuilt. They, not Bush's millionaire friends, have a right to control the money for rebuilding the area.
Energy policy
Every year, in an attempt to grab headlines on the following day, Bush has introduced a new initiative that never lasts longer than his address. A few years ago, he promised $15 billion for AIDS treatment in Africa--money that never materialized. Throughout his presidency--at every State of the Union address, Bush has talked about energy independence, but the funding for research and development never materializes. In last years address, he promised to take on the US "addiction to oil," but his 2007 budget actually proposed to spend less on energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy resources in inflation-adjusted dollars than was appropriated in 2001. In 2005, he cut the funding for alternate energy by 50%.
As soon as Bush took office, he proposed cutting the Department of Energy's renewable fuels and energy efficiency budget by as much as 40 percent. Meanwhile, Vice President Cheney was in secret meetings with executives from Enron, Exxon, Conoco, Shell Oil and other energy companies, where they studied petroleum maps of Iraq and developed the national energy policy of the Administration. We can only conclude that when Bush talks about looking for "alternative fuel sources," he actually means looking for another oil-rich country to invade.
For some, this policy has been enormously successful--oil companies are reporting record profits. But for others, like the people of Iraq or the soldiers and military families who are paying the ultimate price, Bush's policies have been an unmitigated disaster. We can be sure that, despite his talk about "alternative fuels," his primary and central goal is to ensure maximum profits for the oil companies.
No Opposition from the Democrats
Bush's criminal war against Iraq has brought justified resistance throughout Iraq and outrage across the globe. Everywhere he travels, he is met with massive protest in the streets.
President Bush's poll numbers are in a freefall. A new CBS News poll has the President's approval rating at a career low of 28 percent-- 14 points below where he was at before he delivered his State of the Union speech a year ago. In November, he had a 34 percent approval rating. In December, it was 31 percent. In early January, it was 30 percent.
Less than 3 months ago, voters in the U.S. made their opposition to the war very clear as they handed the Republican Party a resounding defeat at the polls. President Bush's announcement of a "surge" in the occupation was met with more than 500 protests across the U.S.
Despite this clear and overwhelming opposition to the ongoing occupation, the Democratic response to the State of the Union offered no real opposition to the Bush Agenda. Senator James Webb did not call to bring the troops home--in fact, he waited until he was half way through his speech before even mentioning Iraq. When he did get around to it, he merely indicated that the U.S. needs a "new direction."
It was clear from his remarks that his difference with the Bush Administration is only tactical. The Democratic Party criticism of the war in Iraq is not based on the fact that the war is a criminal act that has resulted in the death of more than 600,000 Iraqis, but on the fact that Bush has been unable to successfully crush the resistance and establish a stable puppet state. The Democrats in Congress marched in lockstep with the Administration when they thought the war to seize Iraq's oil would be over in weeks.
Senator Webb claimed that the President "took us into this war recklessly." But the President could not and did not act alone. He could not have launched the war in Iraq without the eager complicity of the Democrats in Congress, a complicity that continues to this day, as Democrats continue to assert that they do not plan to carry out the mandate that brought them into office -- the demand to end the war now and bring all the troops home now.
It is clear that politicians in Washington are not going to end the war. The people themselves must take action to force them to bring the troops home now.
If we want to end the war, to have health care, education, and housing for all, to fight racism, to defend the rights of women, immigrants, and the LGBT communities, then we have to build a mass movement in the streets, and we have to stay in the streets. We can never again allow the antiwar movement to be misled into serving the interests of corporate politicians.
We must build a movement that will do what the war parties will never do --link the struggles of working people here with the struggles against war and occupation everywhere, including not only Iraq, but Palestine, Haiti, Afghanistan, Nepal, the Philippines, and everywhere people are struggling to for freedom and self-determination..
March 17, 2007 will mark the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. The Troops Out Now Coalition is working with the Answer Coalition and other national coalitions to organize a massive march on the Pentagon on the fourth anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq. This time, we are going to Washington prepared to stay until we force Congress to cut off all war spending--it is time to move from protest to resistance.
Together we must grasp the opportunity to help transform the turning tide against the war into a human tidal wave of antiwar resistance in the streets. Nothing should stand in the war of building a massive, united movement to converge on Washington and end the war. Our sisters and brothers in United for Peace and Justice had initially called for a national march on the fourth anniversary of the war, but have now changed to calling for "local actions." In the interest of unity and strength we call on them to unite with the call for to converge on Washington DC on March 17. The crisis and opportunities ahead of us demand unity, and we will continue to do all we can to work for that unity.
Six hundred thousand Iraqis are dead. More than 3,000 U.S. soldiers are dead and tens of thousands have been wounded. This is not time to talk about timetables and "non-binding resolutions" or to get distracted by 2008 Presidential politics— it's time to take direct action to stop the war. We call on everyone to descend on Washington this weekend – January 27, followed by local actions on February 17 at Congressional offices. Then, on March 27, come to Washington, prepared to stay until we stop the war.
Immediate, Unconditional, & Complete Withdrawal from Iraq--Out Now!
End Colonial Occupation & Imperialist Aggression from Africa to Asia, from Iraq to Palestine, to Afghanistan, to Haiti, to the Philippines, to Puerto Rico
No New Wars Against Iran, Syria, North Korea
Hands Off Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, & Lebanon
Solidarity with Immigrant Workers and Katrina Survivors
Stop the War at Home -- Stop Racist Police Terror -- Stop ICE raids
Military Recruiters Out of Our Schools and Communities -- No Draft -- Education, Not War
The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) is a national grassroots coalition of antiwar activists, trade unionists, solidarity activists and community organizers.
For more information, or to find out how you can get involved, visit our homepage at TroopsOutNow.org
