To take this country back, you then need to take back the apparatus that assures you of your Democratic rights under the constitution to have a REAL voice. That right is in jeopardy. Will you speak out to preserve it?
I watched some of the "anti-war" rally yesterday on C-Span, and I have to say that the group A.N.S.W.E.R disturbed me. I believe that all those who bring terrorism to this world should be held accountable for their actions. However, this group appears to feel sorry for HAMAS and their actions against Israelis, and that I cannot agree with no matter how I might feel about what is happening to Palestinians. On that issue there are those on both sides who perpetuate violence against innocents (and in Iraq now as well) and this organization left me feeling very wary of their true goals, which then turned me off to the entire rally.
I am now also wary of United for Peace and Justice since they seemed to be in league with them. It seems even opposition to the Iraq war has been co-opted and politicized by "organizations", and I do now wonder if any of the speakers were paid by these organizations to appear for them. I wouldn't think that if this had been just a group of 100,000 Americans talking specifically against the Iraq war, on topic, with no other organizations sponsoring them. That to me is how it should have been.
And this rally looked just like all the others. That's why nothing ever comes of them, and why serious people who really want to see action regarding accountabilty are marginalized. It appears that if you now don't join a particular group, you are not considered a serious American against this war. You have to join a group and give money first.
There are also too many "organizations" in charge which in my view use these rallies only as an opportunity to raise money for themselves. How much did these organizations raise and where did that money go? To pay for peoples' plane tickets there? Don't we who see this as a serious issue deserve to know that? What good is also having 100,000+ people out there when it looks just like every other rally in the last five years that produced nothing? I woke up this morning and Bush is still the self-proclaimed dictator of the U.S and I know of no concrete plan in place to change that...The same as yesterday morning, and the day before that...Very disillusioning.
How many of those there were also actually speaking out about the Iraq war in particular (and the torture that continues to this day in the prisons there) and giving the people concrete evidence of that and a set plan for action above all the words? In my view that is why this movement continues to be marginalized regardless of the numbers of people it brings out. People just say, "George isn't doing his job" (when we all know that already) and when they should be showing the pictures of Abu Ghraib, and citing the legal and constitutional precedent that calls for their impeachment and trial. That's why all of these gatherings are merely "pep rallies" like the ones I used to go to in high school. They hype you all up to root for the team, and then the game is over and they put their poms poms down and go home.
And now the media is reporting that today a counter group, or as they call it a "pro-military" group will meet to discount the anti-war rally. Why is it that they are called pro-MILITARY, and not pro-WAR? It gives the appearance that anti-war people (or in this case it should have been coined as anti- IRAQ War) are anti-military when that is just not true. They should then also call those Bush supporters what they then are, PRO-WAR. And who is paying for them to speak?
I'm sorry, but rallies are simply not in my view the way to go now if this is how they will be conducted. I now believe he will still be in power in 2008 and this country will continue to suffer for it. That is of course, unless we can all show real courage to standing up for what we need to stand up for to not only work to stop this war, but to also bring competent leadership back to this country:
A kickass march for election reform right outside the headquarters of DIEBOLD in Canton, Ohio... And JUST election reform with NO outside groups like A.N.S.W.E.R or UFPJ fucking it up. Just American citizens with love of America and our constitution in their hearts, and no organizational sponsorship behind them. A march of half a million or more to really wake up our leaders to the truth of what Democracy really means... Keeping our vote sacred.
Sure, it's not as "glamorous" as a march on the ellipse in DC, but if people really give a damn about having fair elections in this country then they need to show it. Would I go to a march for this? You bet I would. Would a march that huge citing specific goals that will be carried out by those there rock their world? You know it would. Will I be putting my "money" where my mouth is regarding this? You bet I will.
People kept telling me that we will not have impeachment unless we get a Democratic House, so my attempts to support HR 375 were useless... however, marching then isn't? I don't get that... My question then is, how do you propose to get a Democratic House willing to impeach, when the apparatus is still in place to steal votes for Republicans as has been reported? We then need 100,000 or more people to come to the polls in every precinct on election day to protest this system and to refuse to use their touchscreen machines. We need hundreds of thousands of people to continue to pummel Congress about it with letters, e-mails, and to demand that corporate influence be totally erased from our voting process. We need to threaten these people at DIEBOLD and other companies with bankruptcy for not supporting Democracy should they continue to be allowed to pander for our voting rights. No matter what your cause, it all begins there.
It was nice seeing all the different groups out there at the A.N.S.W.E.R rally with their different costumes on, and all yelling about their pet causes, and people screaming to impeach and that we need peace and justice now. But we have all been shouting those things on and off the Internet for more than five years now, and we are still getting ripped off at the voting booth.
That is why these people really don't care how many protests you have or how loud you shout. They will always be able to get their way unless we begin fighting the fight that needs to be fought in whatever way we can fight it, be it at a march (or as I would prefer to call it, a "citizen meeting") or from our own modems or pens.
I then suggest that the next huge march anywhere in this country be a march for Democracy. How about all of those who voted for Al Gore in 2000, all those who voted for Kerry in 2004, as well as any other Americans who also believe in our constitutonal right to vote that should also be outlined in our constitution, get together and march on DIEBOLD headquarters in Canton, Ohio to peacefully demand our votes back, and to also see exactly what they are up to. One huge "citizen meeting" with Bush backer Warren O'Dell and those who dared to think they could co-opt the sacred right of the American people to see their votes counted fairly, and to support the real President. You and I know who that is. Who is up for that? Is it doable?
I would hope it would be for all the outrage I have seen here regarding election reform, because as far as I am concerned any other rally for any other cause though important, means not much in the end if those who we protest can simply steal power again. And I mean that. Anyone then interested in actually seeing this type of "citizen meeting" take place, please respond on any possibility of this happening. To take this country back, you then need to take back the apparatus that assures you of your Democratic rights under the constitution to have a REAL voice. That right is in jeopardy. Will you speak out to preserve it?