Anti-war protests and resistance set for September 15-29
[01.09.2007]

Anti-war umbrella organizations in the United States of America are organizing mass actions and smaller agitation activities in scores of cities from September 15 through the 29th. Civil disobedience actions, including in offices of congressmen, may also occur.

The majority of Usamericans are fed up with the war (at least 59% and up to 70%, according to recent polls). They want an end to the murder. As of August 8, 2007, war deaths since the beginning of the war in March 2003 have risen to over one million Iraqis killed (see Lancet medical journal, October 11, 2006).

By August 2007, at least 3,684 US troops also have been killed (3,050 in combat) and about 100,000 wounded, plus 251 other warring nations’ troops killed (see: www.antiwar.com).

Two million Iraqi refugees have fled their country, and a similar number are refugees in their own land.

Since the US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001, 8.587 of the US-backed Afghanistan government troops have been killed plus 25,761 seriously wounded; 3,485 Afghan civilians killed and 6.273 seriously wounded; 342 US troops killed and 1,026 seriously wounded; plus 278 other coalition troops killed and 834 seriously wounded, according to www.unknownnews.net , as of July 16, 2007.

As of August 8, www.antiwar.com lists 422 US troops killed in Afghanistan.

History of protest planning

The Troops Out Now Coalition (TONC) first planned a week of encampment activities in front of the Capitol for September 22-29, concluding with a mass march on Washington DC and Los Angeles, California.

Act Now to Stop War & Racism (A.N.S.W.E.R.) then called for a mass march on Washington DC on September 15 to coincide with the “surge” report to Congress by generals in charge of the 30,000 additional troops sent to Iraq.

Several hundred organizations’ members and many thousands of unaffiliated individuals will be marching on Washington DC on both dates, and there are other actions planned in many cities on various dates in September and October.

A Tent City, reminiscent of the anti-Vietnam war movement, is planned by TONC. Individual groups within the umbrella will raise their special issues as they are adversely affected by the warring nations’ massacre and its $300 million a day costs.

It was recently revealved, however, that government authorities will not grant a permit for a tent city. The struggle continues to establish Tent City.

Funding for the Iraqi war expires on October 1 and activists demand that no more funds be approved by the Democratic party-led congress. Instead they demand funding for welfare, an end to poverty and homes for all, and impeachment of Bush and Cheney for war crimes.

TONC already has 60+ organizing centers where hundreds of groups are organizing special interest groups: ethnic minorities including Arabs and other Muslims, military families, students, homeless, homosexuals, and many more. The one glaring omission among organizers and sponsors is workers’ unions.

Well known persons are endorsing either one or both marches. Among endorses are: Ramsey Clark, former Attorney General, Donna Smith and other actors from Michael Moore’s film SICKO, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and Cindy Sheehan, mother of a killed soldier and co-initiator of Gold Star Families for Peace.

Sheehan has joined many thousands who have abandoned the Democratic Party for its continued complicity in the wars against Iraq and Afghanistan. She will be running in 2008 as an independent candidate against Democrat Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Unfortunately internal disagreements concerning protesting the Democratic Party’s role, the roots of war (capitalism and imperialism or not), and support for the native liberation forces fighting in Iraq have divided the anti-war movement and there is no one date in which all will be marching together.

Below are excerpts from the calls for action by Troops Out Now Coalition and A.N.S.W.E.R.

September 29 Coalition: Unite to Shut Down the War
www.troopsoutnow.org

TROOPS OUT NOW

“Mass anger over the criminal war is at an all time high. People are not only steaming mad at Bush and Cheney, they are also outraged with Congress for betraying the antiwar mandate of the November 2006 elections and caving into Bush on war funding.”

“Yet, instead of a unified massive demonstration this fall, the time when it will have the most impact, the various antiwar coalitions have scheduled at least 4 or 5 separate dates in the fall for separate protest. Under other circumstances, separate protests in the fall would not constitute a problem, and there are probably good reasons why the different protests should happen. However, it is imperative that everyone unite around one major date because it’s the only way that we can liberate the antiwar struggle from the halls of Congress and help it to re-emerge as independent mass pressure from below instead of empty rhetoric from above.”

“The central crises confronting all who want to end the war is that after the elections last November, the leadership of the antiwar movement was effectively taken over by politicians in Congress and mainstream presidential candidates. The politicians who have anointed themselves the substitute for all of us who have been working hard to get the people out into the streets, support most of Bush’s war but are weary of the war in Iraq because it has turned into a disaster. What’s more these politicians will continue to pass resolutions and give speeches, but not really stop the war or bring the troops home because the prize that their eye’s are really focused on is the 2008 elections.”

“The solution: SEPTEMBER 29 UNITY COALTION!

“The protest dates that have been announced (besides September 29) include a national protest called by the ANSWER on Sept. 15, regional antiwar protests in late October called by United for Peace and Justice, and an antiwar moratorium scheduled for Sept. 21.

“There are also many other important local and national events planned in the fall, including a major anti- war march in Newark N.J. called by Peoples Organization for Progress. There is nothing magic about a particular date, however of all the dates that groups are organizing around in the fall, September 29 is the best date. It’s late enough in the fall to give every one, particularly students, time to organize mass participation (the huge D.C. protest on Sept.24, 2005 proved this), and it’s not so late in fall that it diminishes the sense of urgency for action that will be overwhelming by September.

“September 29 has got a lot of momentum already, thousands of endorsers, and activists across the country have been organizing for since it was announced [three] months ago. The September 29 mobilization will be preceded by a week long antiwar encampment in Washington DC starting on September 22.”

“Part of making the antiwar movement more inclusive with respect to class and race, necessitates connecting the struggle against the war, to the struggle against the war at home, the war against Black and Latino youth, immigrants, Hurricane Katrina survivors, women and LGBT people. We need to connect the billions spent on war to the needs of working people for health care, education, secure pensions and union jobs. Raising different demands is one way of achieving this.

“Moreover those of us who want to help transform a movement against the war into a movement that comes to understand that war is a symptom, and imperialism is the root cause, antiwar events are one of the main forums for expanding knowledge through demands, and rallies. It is only through expanding instead of limiting the messages, that mass opposition to the Pentagon's occupation of Iraq develops into opposition to the occupation of Afghanistan and Palestine, the Pentagon plans to attack Iran, the war against Latin America embodied in Plan Colombia and threats against Venezuela and Cuba; and includes calls to impeach Bush and Cheney for war crimes. Antiwar events must be a forum for sharing the information, ideas and analysis that are censored by the mainstream media.

“It is not necessary for everyone to agree on all demands. But we do need to agree not to censure those raising progressive social demands and demands opposing war and occupation.”

A.N.S.W.E.R. (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) Coalition

May 31, 2007 Proposal

http://www.answercoalition.org/

“Although the antiwar sentiment is growing among the general population, the size and intensity of the demonstrations, protests and acts of resistance does not at all measure up to the vast magnitude of feelings against the Iraq war among the general population.”

“The single biggest reason for this dichotomy is the fact that the anti-war movement is badly splintered rather than working together or in a united fashion so as to marshal, stimulate and mobilize a truly massive outpouring of the people.”

“If every anti-war coalition and organization came together on a particular day, and with enough advance notice, under the simple demand End the War Now it would be easily possible to mobilize one million people. The political mood in the country exists to make this happen.”

“So as to facilitate the greatest degree of coordination between organizations to build a massive outpouring, the ANSWER Coalition is not unilaterally setting a date for this potentially million-strong march and rally. However, we recommend holding it sometime in November of 2007, or on March 22, 2008--the fifth anniversary of the war."