HOW THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT IS BLOWING IT

Infoshop news - "anarchist, activist, and alternative news" ^ | October 24, 2003 | Bill Weinberg

[weegee]

But be forewarned - we never have the "thousands" of supporters that cANSWER has - because we barely have enough money to rent a stage and potties, let alone to charter buses and ship people into our rallies. What we lack in number, we more than make up for in spirit and love of God and country.

People who support the President would say, "why bother". They don't see the alliance of communists, socialists, and anarchists (with a sizeable contingency of Democrats and Greens) as a threat to this country (and a comfort to our enemies).

Unless the service is really good, people don't generally submit a customer feedback card to say something positive.

Even when patriotic rallies were held, the media chose to ignore them.

I believe that the "anti(American)war" movement (it supports the Palestinian war including the use of suicide/homocide bombers) wants to keep the momentum going so that they can keep their mailings current and growing.

There is a worldwide "fad" creating "flash mobs". With cell phone and other contacts they spontaneously appear in a park or public place to do something goofy (so far they are not political). I think that they are just testing the waters.

Think of how much easier it will be to get a mob of "angry protestors" out in the streets to complain about the election in 2004. The response in 2000 was slow compared to what these people may now be able to mobilize (that took coordinated phone banks to tell people that they are angry).

I find it hypocritical for the anarchists to be complaining about the US helping to establish ANY form of government in Iraq. Forget imperialism, these people don't even believe in our constitutational form of government.

[Bob J]

Even when patriotic rallies were held, the media chose to ignore them.

This is not true. Every single one of the over 200 "Rally for America" events were held across America in March (sponsored by the Free Republic Network and several other large national organizations) garnered good to excellent local coverage.

Some have realized, at this point in time, the national major media is going to do what they can to ignore us, so we fish where the fish are biting. What's the point of holding national events if the national press is going to look the other way? Better to put our energies into local efforts where we can get a media payday.

[dwd1]

Here is what is going to allow the Anti-war movement to succeed...

The treatment of reservists at Fort Stewart...
The extended separations from families without proper rotation...
The continued low but steady body count of American GI's.
The pay issues and quality of life issues being reported in the national media...

What is really needed is a win...
Americans do not like to lose..

And as we have a volunteer force and no draft, I promise you will see a major movement in attitude to either defecate or dismount the toad stool if a draft starts receiving serious consideration to give us the manpower that we need....

We have to remember that our leaders are fighting with other people's children and that no one likes to have their children's lives thrown away.... It does not matter whether a soldier gets killed in Afghanistan or Iraq...Every drop of blood spilled while wearing that uniform is precious...

As someone who has worn the uniform and would gladly do it again, I hope that you will speak to those here and in authority and let them know we are a "Tet offensive" away from this thing getting out of hand... With an election year coming, the opposing military and terrorist elements are going to be trying to make us give up...

We need a major show of force and an end to this picking off of our people...

I would rather have our country take the hit for being too harsh than have the body bags of those I have served with and the children of my friends brought back without a clear end to this thing in sight...

It's not Germany in 1945 and it is not Vietnam...

It is something far worse and a very difficult part of our history... This is the taking over of Indian Lands without the reservations to ship them off too....

[LiberalBuster]

As a conservative who opposed the war in Iraq, I think the anti-war rally today was a sad joke.

As much as I'd like to see those who got us into this war held to account, this bunch of anti-war losers is not the way to get there.

It was labeled on C-SPAN as a rally against "Iraq Occupation." However, it would have been better labeled an Anti-Bush or Hate-Bush rally. I haven't seen this much vitriol since an Impeach Clinton rally.

The sponsors of this event just don't get. Middle America is not going to be persuaded by this "method" of opposing the war in Iraq.

I don't think those of you who think pre-emptive war is a good thing has anything to worry about with this crowd. They appear to be their own worst enemy.

[Steve Eisenberg]

Whatever happened to CARDRI, the Committee Against Repression and for Democratic Rights in Iraq, the progressive London-based exile group that opposed both the Saddam dictatorship and US imperialist designs in the 1980s? Does CARDRI still exist? Are any of its members still vocal and active? It is from such voices that we must seek leadership

He is seeking to be led by people who, to the best of his knowledge, don't exist?

[TailspinJim]

Laura Ingraham, in her book "Shut Up And Sing" Mentions ANSWER (pg. 173) and names names! I'm 3/5th the way through the book. Jim

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

3. Asking the Tough Questions

Sound-bight pseudo-analysis is an inherent danger of activism, which must be guarded against at all times. Slogans like "Bring the troops home" and "US out of Iraq" are handy for fitting on a placard, but they inevitably dodge the really tough questions. Having now plunged Iraq into social entropy, destroyed the country's infrastructure and brought to a boil myriad ethnic and religious conflicts which had been simmering under the Saddam dictatorship, it might be the height of irresponsibility for the US to just unilaterally withdraw. It would, in fact, be a violation of the responsibilities of an occupying power under international law.

Hmm . . . wonder what the references are for that last . . .?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

these folks were morally stunted, their moral develoment stopped at about age 9.

I think a good book could be written analyzing that theme . . .

In general leftism thrives on control of the venue of debate, such that (actually childish) half-truths cannot be put in context. Thus, journalism is "objective" and cannot be questioned, even though journalism is a very limited form of nonfiction entertainment.

To accept that journalism should critique less limited nonfiction, rather than the other way around, is naive. But the idea is supported by such a thorough propaganda barrage that it took me 'til I was 55 to really begin to see through it. I used to listen to News Radio, and now I tend to turn the radio off at the top of the hour to avoid any "news" at all. I guess I am a bit like a reformed drunk on that subject.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

It hits me that precisely because constitutional governance is so beneficial, demonstrating in favor of constitutional governance is inherently a "Dog Bites Man" story.