[statecom-discuss] Re: [statecom] Re: [adcom] Oct 27 Anti-War Event, can we endorse, turn out supporters, get a speaker?

[Eli Beckerman]

Just dug up the District 7 Advisory Committee's statement from October 2005.
Would be nice if we could write up a GRP statement for the 27th with this in
mind, and open a dialogue about how the five demands of this New England
Coalition probably don't meet the criteria outlined in their statement.

>From newenglandunited.org:
*Bring All The Troops Home Now!
End All Funding for the Iraq War Now!
Support Our Communities, Fund Human Needs!
No Attack on Iran!
Stop the Attacks on Civil Liberties, Defend Human Rights!*

D7 Oct 2005 statement on not participating in that year's rally:
------------------------------------------------------------------
Principles of Peace
District Seven Advisory Committee

It should be obvious that when Congress commits $600 billion-fully two-thirds
of its $900 billion discretionary revenues-each year to growing the military-
industrial complex, the pursuit of war by our government will continue until
ordinary people demand a fundamental change in our nation's priorities. Yet,
the best demand the current anti-war movement can propose is ?bring the troops
home.? And while we certainly share the sense of urgency for ending this war,
we are also moved by the realization that peace must be greater than the mere
cessation of hostilities. To this end, the pursuit of peace is inseparable
from a pursuit of justice.

Just as in the aftermath of Vietnam, withdrawing US occupation forces and
ending the war in Iraq will not alter the basic equation of war-racism-
exploitation or the logic of weapons production/weapons use; the movement we
build must emphasize shrinking the military-industrial complex by controlling
the funding of US military forces so they are only able to perform assigned
peace-keeping duties under UN-command, and assist in global disaster relief
efforts. We must end discretionary spending for discretionary violence.

Likewise, we recognize that economic conditions rooted in government policies
which emphasize private interests over the public good will continue to drive
our youth into the ?poverty draft? or the ?prison pipeline?. For the sake of
families trapped at the margins of society, families bearing the brunt of
economic privation, families whose voices are rarely heard or considered, we
must demand full employment or an adequate guaranteed income for all people.
Further, we must demand that the government take responsibility for its people
by redirecting priorities and public resources toward producing good paying
jobs-with adequate benefits-for every resident seeking employment, rather than
just increasing corporate welfare and influence.

History also teaches that all US institutions were founded on the principle of
white male supremacy and bolstered by the use of coercive violence directed by
a controlling oligarchy of the rich and powerful. Over time these institutions
have changed more in form than in function, suggesting that the only
?democracy? the US is capable of proposing is democracy-at-gunpoint-a self-
serving, cynical and short-sighted strategy ultimately endangering the lives
and livelihoods of the poor and people of color everywhere.

To this end, we insist that the government demonstrate the will to sever the
roots of white supremacy by dismantling the institutions, legal structures and
social customs that reward, sustain or reproduce white supremacy; moreover,
that these structures of oppression must be replaced by well resourced,
autonomous, anti-racist, class conscious, and anti-sexist institutions built
from the ground up.

Therefore: we urge you to join us in refusing to participate in any ?anti-war?
demonstration or initiative that does not express as its central planks (1) a
demand that Congress cut the military budget, limiting the core mission of the
military services to peace-keeping under UN authority and global disaster
relief; and, because peace will only be realized in a climate of justice, (2)
a demand that our government develop domestic and foreign policies designed to
create economic justice and peace throughout the world, and (3) a demand that
our government develop the will to dismantle the racist and classist
structures that hold white supremacy and its controlling oligarchy firmly in a
place in this country and the world.







On 10/4/07, Mike Heichman <mikeheichman at verizon.net> wrote:
>
> Hi Jamie et al,
>
> Interesting idea about the survey.
>
> The creation of the survey will do a lot in determining the results.
>
> Specifically, what do we mean by "ending he war"? Which one? I suggest a
> "GRP definition of what we mean by "ending the war"? For me there are 3
> separate wars going on simultaneously:
>
>     -The war "over there" ("foreign wars") which are being fought by
> different weapons (military, economic, "diplomatic", ideological, etc.)
>     -The "War at Home" (military (police, the courts), economic, civil
> liberties, ideological, etc.)
>     -The "War Against the Ecosystem"
>
> I'm concerned that if we just ask, "How do we get out of the war?", most
> people will think that we mean Iraq.
>
> What do others think?
>
> Mike Heichman
>
>
>
> Jamie O'Keefe wrote:
>
> >Hi Ebony, et. al.,
> >
> >On 9/25/07, David Barkley <blackindian_art at verizon.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> >>"District 7 refused to endorse an antiwar demo last year because of its
> >>failure to deal with racism."
> >>My humble two cent
> >>Pleaser Note: failure to deal with racism was only one part The peace
> demos
> >>also didn't address the war at home and was not part of a consistent
> >>strategy for change.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >Here are a few suggestions for how we could use the Oct 27th march to
> >help the process of developing a consistent strategy for change.
> >
> >1)  At the rally before the march (there are two hours which seems
> >really long too me), we could have members walking around and asking
> >participants if they want to fill out a survey on how we can end the
> >war and stop other wars.  It wouldn't be too long, and no one would be
> >required to give their contact info out.  We could also put it up on
> >our web site so people could fill it out there as well.
> >
> >We could announce that we will put the results of the survey up on the
> >web for all to see and review and that we hope it will be the start of
> >a discussion about developing a consistent strategy for change.
> >
> >2)  After the rally, 4-5pm, we can hold a party (charging $5-10 min)
> >for NE GP members to socialize, eat good local food, and, hopefully,
> >listen to some music (anyone know any GP members who would want to
> >perform?).  We can have people going around with a more in depth
> >survey asking party goers to be surveyed.  We can post this result for
> >the NE GPs.
> >
> >It doesn't get us there immediately, but it hopefully gets the ball
> rolling.
> >
> >Jamie
> >_______________________________________________
> >statecom-discuss mailing list
> >statecom-discuss at green-rainbow.org
> >http://www.green-rainbow.org/mailman/listinfo/statecom-discuss
> >
> >
> >
>
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