Why are there no anti-war demonstrations ??

[welshTerrier2]

Do you think they would help or hurt our cause?

prior to the invasion of Iraq, there were numerous demonstrations around the country ... where are they now ??

it seems to me that demonstrations can be effective ... they can be especially effective if joined, or even organized, by a broad spectrum of community leaders ... it may be true that with bush at sky high popularity, demonstrators might have been seen as extremists ... but does this necessarily have to be the case now? bush has been badly weakened by his death-a-day "post-war" strategy in Iraq ...

many middle americans have come to question this war ... perhaps turning up the volume on bush's failed Iraq policies is just what we need ... perhaps that buys democrats a little free air time ... perhaps it lets us put some focus on a policy with nothing good to say for itself ... perhaps it lets us find some unity with the Greens ...

give me a candidate that organizes an anti-war rally and you've got my support ... in the short-term, i understand that it will take far more than just demonstrations to get us out of bush's Iraq quagmire ... but it will also take more than sunday morning talk show appearances and more than a few anti-war statements at a debate ...

and while we're on the subject of demonstrations, wouldn't it be interesting to unify organized labor with all non-unionized workers in massive pro-labor demonstrations ... that would have been a real nice touch for labor day ... we are watching our jobs being shipped overseas at an alarming rate ... just who is going to stand up to say no to this madness?

there's an anger brewing in the land ... Dean has been very effective in tapping into it ... there are many people who feel as we do about what's going on in the country ... it's time we all got together and let the country hear our message ... let's make a little noise ... whaddya say ??

[Kathy in Cambridge]

1. Pro-Troop Demonstrations Vs. Anti-War

The Bring-Em-Home Kind. Maybe work with local vets organizations-tap into the anger of Iraq/Afghanistan vets returning to 3 month waits at VA hospitals and homelessness. That works better than a bunch of perceived lberal/lefties/hippies. We all have to work together.

[welshTerrier2]

11. don't bring 'em on !!!! bring 'em home

this is where someone like Kerry could be soooo effective but just isn't going to be a player ...

i talked to him once many years ago and told him how great i thought his speech was to the Congress when he spoke on behalf of vietnam vets against the war ... of course, he failed to acknowledge that he didn't write the speech ... but who cares ... it was great ...

so now he's off campaigning on his record as a vet ... i can respect that ... but wouldn't it be great to have him hook-up with Veterans for Peace (http://www.veteransforpeace.org/) and really make some noise about getting our troops out of that quagmire ... and the same goes for all the democrats ...

we've come a long way from the days where those calling for candidates to oppose the war were chastised, even here on DU, for failing to recognize the political realities of the post-9/11 fear in the country and bush's popularity ... too bad all democrats didn't stand up to bush back then ... and now, it's open season on bush and his failed policies ... it goes to show you ... you should always stand up for the truth ...

anyway, i really think a daily dose of "bush failed america and he failed our troops" is a message that america needs to hear ...

i can see the posters waving as they're carried thru every city in the country ... "don't bring 'em on !!!! bring 'em home !!!!" ... hey that's not bad, eh ??

[bvar22]

2. Every Wednesday , 5PM

Lake Street Bridge, Minneapolis/St Paul. There are vigils and anti-War protests in most urban areas. These demos are NOT picked up by the Corporate Media.

Check with IndyMedia for groups organizing in your area.

[seemslikeadream]

7. Every Friday night 5 to 6

on our main street corner.

[tokenlib]

3. Oct 25th March on Washington

For why there has been such a dry spell--I just do not know.
But the dry spell is about to end. September 27th there are some international protests in cities around the world.

And October 25th there will be a March on Washington D.C. Since there are so many groups lining up to be involved--the potential is for a big turnout. Go to internationalanswer.org for details.

[JohnKleeb]

4. I may ask to go

a year about after my first protest. I will wear likely my Kucinich buttons and all etc if I go.

[judy]

5. Thanks Tokenlib for the info...

The march in San Francisco, is on Saturday September 28th, at noon from Dolores Park to the Civic Center.
I hope that it will be so big, that they will have to move future demonstrations back to Market Street!

Let's spread the word !!!

[nomaco-10]

6. I have been wondering the same thing for a long time...

Where are the protesters? What's it gonna take, more body bags? What are people waiting for? I remember the brave college students massing and stirring up all hell on campuses all over this country during Viet Nam. We have the internet availiable to really organize just such events on a mass scale. Tell me where to go, I'm there.

[BrotherBuzz]

8. TWO, Count 'em TWO... SF\Bay Area Marches !!! 9\28 & 10\25

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=106&topic_id=2022

[dofus]

9. Once a month in Kansas City right now.

I think it's the fourth Sunday. I'm vague on the timing, because we haven't been since about May, when they were changed from every Sunday to once a month. I was out of town a lot over the summer and then it got so terribly hot the last part of August.

At this point it seems to me that anti-war demonstrations are largely futile. And it's hard to get a "Pro-troops, we want them to come home safely" message across in that format. We did get several hundred people to turn out yesterday to demonstrate against George W Bush when he came to town. Best of all, the demonstrators were able to set up shop in a location that he had to pass by getting to and returning from his speech venue.

[patrice]

12. Kansas City Protest Info

http://www.kciraqtaskforce.org

We also have two coalition buildling groups both of which are very active networking all of the individual groups: Greens, Palestinian Justice, Military Families, LGBT, Rolling Thunder, ACLU, Criminal Justice, Catholic Worker House, Take Back the Streets, Women in Black, university allied student groups . . . . there are others but I don't know all of them.

[patrice]

10. Hey, Kansas City had about 300 anti-war protestors

outside of the Music Hall yesterday while Bush was there. Various ones of us preached to the Chamber of Commerce as they waited to get in. All kinds of stuff, including :

"A Saudi Price visited Russia yesterday, what do you suppose that means? Russia, OPEC, and China; we're out of it 'cause our guy got suckered!

A failed business man is running our country!

The Carlyle Group is a PRIVATE investment group! etc. etc. etc."

[RichM]

13. Re: "there's an anger brewing in the land" -- I also feel it, I'm certain

it's true. The group that organized last year's marches, A.N.S.W.E.R., is organizing an Oct 25 march on Washington:

http://www.internationalanswer.org/

This group has a proven track record of being able to make such events happen -- but it's not clear that their vision & style are anywhere near the best one could imagine.

The marches last only 1 afternoon -- and have both strong points (many marchers in the street, some nice speeches) & weak points (too limited a political message, too easy for the media to ignore). There's plenty of room for improvement there. Incorporating broader messages, trying to emphasize the connections between the unjust war and the injustices suffered by working people (as you mention, jobs being shipped overseas to fatten the wallets of CEO's, etc) should come front & center.

As I look at ANSWER's page about the march, on

http://www.internationalanswer.org/news/update/082603whyo25.html

I see that these points are addressed. They specifically say, for example,

The demonstration will also expose that Bush's war in Iraq is really a rich man's war. A central goal of the war is to privatize (i.e. steal) Iraq's vast oil fields for the benefit of U.S. corporate and banking elites who in turn are plowing hundreds of millions of dollars into George W. Bush's campaign coffers. At the cost of $6 billion per month (that is $1.5 billion each week) the price tag for the U.S. occupation of Iraq is being paid for by dramatic budget cuts in primary education and at the college level, as well as in health care, housing, veterans benefits, and other programs that assist working and poor people....

So it may be that ANSWER has already given a lot of thought of the shortcomings of last year's events, & has aimed at making needed improvements. (They also mention associated groups endorsing the march.)

In any case, my instinct tells me that the time is growing ripe not just for a "anti-war march," but for a march that's tied to a very large political theme. This theme is simple & populist: Our political leadership is completely corrupt and is abusing us; Unjust wars abroad & abuse of working people at home are 2 sides of the same coin.

[patrice]

15. I went to ANSWER'S last two big ones in Washington.

Heck of a lot of fun, in spite of the serious purpose . . . . Like one big happy rave, without the drugs and alcohol.

[welshTerrier2]

16. Let's stop this madness now !!!

well said, Rich ...

i have some concerns about ANSWER ... i would like to see not just a broader spectrum of issues or a greater focus on populism, but more importantly a broader (i.e. bigger tent) spectrum of speakers ...

for example, it might be helpful to listen to some military families talk about how the war has affected them ... it might be helpful to hear from a governor who can't balance his budget since bush came into office ... and it might be nice to hear from one of those NY firemen or policement who's been laid off ...

and what about our presidential candidates? what are they afraid of ... many months ago, in preparation for an interview Will Pitt was about to conduct with Howard Dean, Pitt asked DU'ers to submit questions ... I really believed having an anti-war candidate leading the anti-war movement would help broaden its very limited public support ... my question for Dean: why have you not spoken at any of the anti-war rallies ... Pitt asked him this question ... his answer was something like "he hadn't been asked" ...

Well, fine ... Hear this all you Deanies ... I'm asking ... and please don't feel picked on ... I think all our candidates need to take a real leadership role opposing the war ... it's not too late ... let's say as clearly as we're able, as loudly as we're able, and as often as we're able that this war is a total failure ... it has increased the threat of terrorism ... it is costing us a life a day of our volunteer army ... we are alienating the rest of the world with our arrogance ... and there's no end in sight ...

Let's stop this madness now !!! let's stop fearing that democrats will lose if we stand for peace ... we are not the anti-war party ... but THIS war is WRONG ... let's take our case to the people ...

[Brucey]

20. Exactly

right, we need not be so timid about taking up moral and ethical issues... people talk about the war as if it were a football game. Let's start screaming about the insanity of this thing.

[patrice]

14. Oh yeah, my daughter tells me that Portland turned out a few hundred too.

None of it is getting into the news.

[pansypoo53219]

17. i seem to remember a banner behind the chimperor's head

Mission accomplished

[TreasonousBastard]

18. Well...

you see how well the protests worked before the war started.

Protests do not affect anyone in the White House. They are completely ignored. What protests can do is galvanize the population, as they did prior to the war.

But, we had the war. So what do we protest now?

It was easy to say don't go to war, but the questions now are murkier. We're in a quagmire with no easy answers that protests can address. Some are protesting anyway, and vigils still exist all over, but they don't really have the sense of urgency that the prewar ones did.

[xxqqqzme]

19. since the invasion

I have marched in LA twice, protested squatter in LA & Irvine. Planning on attending 'Bring the Troops Home' march on Oct 25 and the one on Sept 25; Attending a 'No recall' meetup Wednesday, walking my precinct Btween now & Oct 7 - there's plenty of action in the street if U don't mind being ignored by corporate media!

[birdman]

21. There will be one on 10/25 and there should be others

unfortunately A.N.S.W.E.R. is not the right group to
do this. The focus should be on the human cost of
the war and the occupation not the corporate nature
of the war. For the anti-war movement to take hold in
America it has to attract middle America. These people
can identify with parents who've lost their children in
this misguided adventure and they can empathize with the
powerless Iraqi people who've suffered.

These people will listen to an anti-war message but they're
not going to want to hear a bunch of people railing about
corporate America or Islamists screaming about Israel.

The rallies could get reputable political speakers (I certainly
think you could get Kucinich and numerous other members of Congress)
but not if you have people yelling about slavery reparations or
the WTO. And no respectable person will share any kind of stage
with Ramsey Clark (I was watching one of the demonstrations on
C-span before the war and my heart sank when I saw him step
to the podium - he discredits any cause he is associated with).

An anti-war demonstration has to be about the war.

[DinahMoeHum]

22. A better choice would be United for Peace and Justice. . .

check them out at www.unitedforpeace.org

These good folks are a clearinghouse for teach-ins, demonstrations, etc. They're the ones who did "The World Says No To War" on February 15, 2003.

They have listings in every state and from abroad.

And they'll help you organize your own teach-in, protest, whatever.

:thumbsup: