Orange County Weekly's Washburn: Stop the War

[question everything]

September 2 - 8, 2005

Lost in OC: Stop the War

I want to get off

by JIM WASHBURN

(snip)

What will it take to stop this war?

You. And me. And a lot more of us. The deal sucks: Bush’s guys control all three branches of government. They own the media and practically everything else. Most news organizations scarcely report any real news, and most Americans don’t watch or read even that, which is why two-thirds of them think Saddam Hussein slept with Paula Abdul.

(snip)

What can we do? Plenty of little things, incremental things, things that may seem maddeningly slow, but things that are necessary if this country is to regain some semblance of its soul. We need acts of nation-building, in which we Americans aren’t just consumers but also citizens. As Skipper Alan Hale or someone once said, “Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom,” and that means being vigilant of one’s own motives and institutions.

So here are some things to think and do:

Talk to Republicans. Some of them are human, and are as concerned as you about the Bush administration’s war on reality. Some others just need to be reminded what Republicans once stood for. As much as they believe government should be run like a business, they don’t think the business model should be Enron’s. They might question why billions of dollars have been lost, embezzled or otherwise unaccounted for since the war began (more than $1.8 billion mislaid by Halliburton alone)... Some don’t like the way deployments in Iraq have drained states of National Guard units and other first responders, agreeing with several Republican governors that we’re left unable to respond to crises at home.


Talk to Christians. Torturing prisoners, piling them up naked or taunting them with menstrual blood probably is not something Jesus would have done... Some Christians, especially those with bits of cross embedded in their tires, might not understand that the U.S. in Iraq is acting more like the Roman Empire than like Christ..

(snip)

While they’re at it, the election could ask whether the Iraqi people really want their oil and other resources seized from them and privatized... One thing that Americans and Iraqis have in common is the majority of folks in both countries want U.S. forces to leave Iraq... Suggest this to your congressperson today. C’mon, Dana: You love democracy, don’t you?

(snip)

If you must buy gasoline, buy it from Citgo stations. The company is wholly owned by Venezuela, which, unlike Saudi Arabia, has a democratically elected president, and none of its citizens have flown jets into U.S. buildings. Citgo does not contribute money to Bush.. most 7-Elevens offer Citgo gasoline.

(snip)

Help the Democrats find their spines... They don’t know just how many people out here are hungering for truth and action. Write to them, let them know you’ve got their backs, that you’ll support and applaud their efforts if they rise to the cause, and that you’ll boot their sorry reamed asses out of office if they don’t. Go to www.house.gov to contact representatives, then go to www.democrats.org, click on “contact,” say hi to Howard Dean, and let him know you like his style.

(snip)

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/05/52/lost-washburn.php

[Eloriel]

1. Nice. I liked it.

Esp. the part about Dean. :D

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. I prefer mass mobilizations and anti-bush demonstrations.

[Carla in Ca]

3. Code Pink has a protest rally

every Wednesday night from 5:30 to 7:00 at the Orange Historical Plaza. Why don't you join us? And bring your friends!