See also:
Today's Enough Protest week eight by Wino
Enough!: Orlando 8/26/07 by riles
This past Sunday, while I was standing up to say ENOUGH!, I had a very interesting conversation with a Vietnam veteran. Two points in particular struck me from this conversation.
- What are you doing to protect yourself? and
- It's important to acknowledge by word and deed that people with skin color or beliefs different than your own are still people."
I also took part in the National "Take a Stand" with San Francisco's Vigil to End the War on Tuesday.
I've included details of both Sunday's and Tuesday's events below, so this is really two diaries for the price of one.
Chris was unavailable, and others haven't stepped forward yet, so I was once again on my own. I'm working on networking and promotion to get more people to come out so that it's not just me or me and Chris.
You might wonder either how I can go out week after week by myself or with only one or two others supporting me. Or perhaps you wonder what one person can accomplish by himself or herself. With the Gonzales resignation announced on Monday, perhaps you're ready to declare victory and let existing processes run their course.
Why I'll Continue to Stand Up and Say ENOUGH!
I've written previously about my personal commitment to impeachment. Gonzales' resignation has not changed my feelings. Leaving the job does not equate to accountability. Our Constitutional checks and balances remain out of balance. While Congress does make progress on some issues, like lobbying reform, even measures like mandating time at home for troops are blocked by the administration. The drum beat for an attack on Iran rolls on. Bush appears to be once again digging in his heals with regard to the (lack of) military mission in Iraq, while no credible political resolution exists.
Bush will not change course on Iraq. Cheney will not give up his secrecy and his continued push for a Unitary Executive. Congress will continue to play by Washington rules, unless and until the public forces them to change. Until we force that change, our government will grow more closed to the average citizen, and even activists who work to stay informed will find themselves pushed further and further out.
Whether alone, with one or two hundred others, thousands, a million or more, I will continue to stand up and say ENOUGH!
Sunday Recap
Even alone, holding an ENOUGH! protest is a rewarding and empowering experience.
I've mentioned the Vietnam veteran that I spoke with. It started off casual enough when he and a friend were just among those who inquired briefly and expressed support for what I was doing. Others passed by. A runner crosses the street, trying to read my sign as he crosses. He stopped on the opposite side of the intersection to finish reading, and then crossed back to say "It's long overdue.", and then recrossed to continue his run. Five minutes later, he comes back again, for a little longer conversation this time.
Three people separately asked "Impeach who?". When I responded, "Let's start with Cheney," I got positive responses ranging from an enthusiastic, fist-pumping thumbs-up, one person who said it's enough to start with Cheney and end with Cheney, and another who asked, "It's really happening?".
A cabbie with a fare gave a surreptitious thumbs up, raising his hand up just far enough to be visible. I guess he was concerned about offending his fare.
Somewhere in there, the vet comes back, saying that maybe it's not such a good thing to impeach Cheney or Bush, that maybe the country voted for what it deserved, and that we might need to see just how bad it can get before we actually take steps to fix it. At this point, I'm thinking I've got someone who's on a relatively high-functioning end of some kind of mental disorder. Some people walking by didn't feel quite as generously inclined as I, but did take a second to nod their support to me (for the impeachment message on my sign, not for listening to the vet).
As he's talking, I learn that his son is on his second tour of duty in Iraq. He also talks about how badly the war has been handled, that part of the problem is that the administration has never acknowledged its opponents or enemies as people too. Instead, opponents and enemies are something less, worthy only of consideration for the length of time it takes to eliminate them from concern, or in the case of bin Laden, the length of time that it takes for him to find a different cave to hide in. In the course of our conversation, my opinion of the vet (I never did catch his name) changes from someone who's "special" to someone who has had experiences allowing for extreme opinions others would consider overboard.
The other point that hit home for me as I mentioned above was the question of "What are you doing to protect yourself?". Meaning, for Bush's political opponents, what are they/we doing to actually oppose the administration abuses besides complain? For most, the answer is obviously nothing. Most of us would rather just go about our daily lives. If gas prices start to go up, we squeal a little bit, but go right on driving gas-guzzling cars. Markets tumble a bit and many panic, but business goes on as usual. Even after 9/11, the message was "America, open for business."
First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I
wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak
up, because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I
didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me,
and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.
1945, Martin Niemoller
I'm choosing to speak up now, and you might think that I or others like me are speaking for you, so that's enough. But is it?
One final note on Sunday. In 2 or 3 of the conversations I had Sunday, the subject of Nancy Pelosi's position on impeachment came up. There is an immense amount of inertia that has to be overcome as a result of her statement before the 2006 election that impeachment is off the table, which is reinforced when she says impeachment would get in the way of the legislative agenda. That position, in addition to capitulation on Iraq and the failure of oversight hearings to hold anyone accountable, has earned Pelosi and the Democratic leadership the anger, frustration, and disillusionment of a lot of progressives. The veteran I spoke with was very supportive of Pelosi and also Senator Boxer. While his friend was silent, at various times during the conversation, he would nod his head in agreement. In another conversation I had, I said I understood that it would be politically difficult for Pelosi to sign on to impeachment herself, but she could let it go forward. The man I spoke to agreed and said it was fine for Pelosi to be neutral.
I've had other conversations with activists who were not so laid back about Pelosi's position. I've read diaries and comments here that have called for Pelosi to step down or be removed. One meeting I went to occurred within days of Cindy Sheehan announcing she would challenge Pelosi for her seat because of her position on impeachment. I was asked if I would support Cindy's run. (While I admire Cindy's efforts on behalf of the peace movement and respect her loss, I'm not with her on this.) With Gonzales' resignation, we've had a few diaries pointing out that it and many other resignations never would have happened without the Democratic victory last November and the hearings they've held since coming to power.
These conversations Sunday, and the reality of comparing a Democratic Congress vs a Republican one mean I'm a little more willing to cut the Democratic leadership some slack. I'm still going to be doing what I can to get them to move more aggressively on oversight and ideally initiate impeachment proceedings, starting with Dick Cheney.
Taking a Stand Tuesday
In San Francisco, MoveOn and Working Assets cosponsored a Vigil to End the War as part of the National "Take a Stand Day". I wore my orange t-shirt with ENOUGH written on it, and an orange ribbon. I took my posters and my camera. When I got there, I ended up leaving my posters packed, instead taking pictures and talking with a few people. I added to the mass of bodies, but didn't feel the absence of my posters was much of an issue.
Not a bad crowd for short notice - Working Assets let me know about it only five days earlier. This picture shows several reading circles where people were taking turns reading the names of soldiers killed in Iraq.
![Take a Stand - crowd view](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/1265550175_91adce84d3.jpg)
As I said, I spoke to a few people, mainly those who were also promoting impeachment either on their posters or on their clothing. Several of those I spoke to were unaware of the Beach Impeach event on the 15th. One person asked about my orange ribbon, "That's anti-torture, right?". I replied that it was, but also more specifically a connection to Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, and the loss of habeas corpus. I explained that some were using the color orange as the color of impeachment, but I preferred the symbolism of the direct connection to orange jumpsuits. He said he'd have to get one himself, to which I replied that I just happened to have extra on me. While I said I wasn't charging anything for the ribbons, as they really only cost pennies each, he insisted on giving me a small donation.
I also spoke with a couple of people who were circulating an impeachment petition in support of the grassroots impeachment movement like the one initiated in Vermont. I really liked one of their signs. In this reduced size you can just make it out (center of the photo): where the sign says "IMPEACH", they've made an editing mark to insert and extra "E" between the C and the H. Thus "PEACE" is part of impeachment.
![Impeaceh](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1098/1265550767_94f8290566.jpg)
As the reading circles part of the vigil came to an end, the organizers had the majority of the crowd take their signs and line up along Market Street. Some figured the vigil was breaking up, so I think about 1/4-1/3 of the crowd left at this point. The resulting line stretched from the corner at Drumm to about 30 feet beyond the intersection at Spear. See a photo sequence of the line at the end of the diary.
I can't estimate how may people were at this vigil, but 125 had RSVP'd to the MoveOn site the last time I had checked. There were a lot of people. Response from vehicle traffic was quite positive: a tour bus driver, a MUNI bus and F-Line driver, and the driver of a shiny, black Lincoln as well as others all honked in support of ending the war. I saw and heard two negative reactions from foot traffic, the most remarkable of which was a man who said, "They're over there fighting to preserve your crappy way of life!" and gave two thumbs-down as he was walking away. I just don't get how people equate supporting the President with supporting the troops, and challenging the President as not supporting the troops, no matter how poorly his administration mis-manages everything it touches.
To conclude, I'd once more like to encourage you to:
Take Action Yourself
Contact Your Representative: Congress.org or the House Directory
Join or start an Enough protest near you: See the table below for events this coming Sunday. (I could use some company here in San Francisco, as Chris is out of town again.)
Participate in Orange Fridays
Join the 9/11 General Strike
March on September 15th
If you're in San Francisco on Saturday September 15th, join us for another round of Beach Impeach at Crissy Field at 1:00 pm.
Join the Iraq Moratorium September 21st
![Take a Stand - Lining the Street 1](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1360/1265551415_e1826f59cd.jpg)
![Take a Stand - Lining the Street 2](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1164/1266410558_ad1c41085e.jpg)
![Take a Stand - Lining the Street 3](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1272/1265552871_9310176cc7.jpg)
![Take a Stand - Lining the Street 4](http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1429/1266412072_2540edc707.jpg)