**World Can't Wait*** Hit the streets!

[MelissaB]

I'm attending the local protest Thursday at noon and am looking for ideas for signs. I'll make some for my family as well as for others. A college kid is organizing this, and I'm trying to help. I'm so excited that a young person is organizing! :woohoo:

Link: http://worldcantwait.net/

Post sign ideas here, and thanks in advance.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. THEY IMPEACHED FOR MONICA

WHY NOT KATRINA?

[NVMojo]

2. ok, maybe it's legit

[readmoreoften]

3. No, WCW is not a fundie organization.

It is backed by "far left" groups though. (Personally, I'm not really concerned.)

[MelissaB]

5. I don't know a lot about the group at all.

I just know there is an anti-war/anti-Bush protest, and I'm going.

[greyl]

6. They are trying to steal money from Dem campaigns. nt

[MelissaB]

9. Do you have a link? n/t

[greyl]

11. All the evidence you need is at the website you linked to.

Did you know they are anti-Lamont and don't want you to vote for a Democrat?

[MelissaB]

14. I've been reading there. I'm not supporting everything they stand for.

I can't. But I will go to this protest.

[meganmonkey]

10. WCW Steering Committee:

National Steering Committee:

Father Luis Barrios, New York City
Mark James, Los Angeles
Rev. Deborah Elandus Lake, Chicago
Allen Lang, New York City
Prachi Noor, New York City
Debra Sweet, New York City

Advisory Board:

Lynne Stewart, attorney
Rosemary Candelario, pro-choice activist
Boots Riley, hip hop performer
Gore Vidal, writer
Warren Hern MD, Physician and pro-choice activist
Sunsara Taylor, writer
Mark Crispin Miller, professor & writer
Tomás Olmos, attorney
Mark Leno, CA State Assembly
Howard Zinn, historian



Steering Committee Bios:

Father Luis Barrios, New York City

The Rev. Luis Barrios is an associate professor in psychology and ethnic studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York and also an associate priest at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Manhattan. In addition, since 1997 he is a weekly columnist for El Diario La Prensa, one of the oldest Spanish speaking newspapers in the Nation. Most of his research is with street organizations, juvenile criminal justice system, and immigrants rights. Luis is an academic activist, an activist priest and a community activist. He was born in Puerto Rico.

Mark James, Los Angeles

I was raised on the east coast and came of age during the Vietnam War. Youthful yearnings for a better world drew me to the protest movements of the time. As the the power of that period waned, so did my hope of creating a better world. I spent the 80's devoting time to the development of my business (home renovations). After moving to San Francisco in the early 80's my friends began to die. Within a few years our community had been devastated by the loss of lives and the fear surrounding AIDS. The Reagan administration ignored the problem, forcing us into the streets and taking matters into our own hands. During this period I volunteered my services to grass roots AIDS service organizations. In September 2001 my outrage at the US Government needed an avenue of expression; the anti war movement that followed allowed for some of that expression. However, it has been during this most recent period with the development of The World Can't Wait movement and my role in building it that I have recaptured my youthful yearnings for a better world.

Rev. Deborah Elandus Lake, Chicago

Rev. Deborah Elandus Lake is Executive Director of Sankofa Way Spiritual Services and Co-founder of the Chicago Chapter of The Interfaith Alliance. Since relocating from Massachusetts to Chicago in 2002, she has worked with local organizations and programs such as: Rush University Medical Center, the CORE Center, and the John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County. Before moving to Chicago, she served congregations in New York and Massachusetts. Rev. Lake is a graduate of Union Theological Seminary in NY, and an ordained non-denominational minister.

"I am involved with World Can’t Wait because this is the only other organization I can find where people are not afraid to publicly take a stand against the actions of Bush and those who keep him in office. I am very concerned about the direction our country is being taken, and I am determined to be able to look my daughters and grand children in the eye and tell them that I did everything possible to preserve their heritage."

Allen Lang, New York City

Allen Lang is the National Student and Youth Coordinator for The World Can't Wait! Drive Out The Bush Regime. Allen got his start as a political organizer after witnessing the horrors that suffocate millions of sweatshop workers in the 3rd World and being inspired by the anti-Globalization movement that burst on to the scene during the 1999 Seattle WTO and IMF protests. As a member of the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade, he led student walkouts and demonstrations protesting the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and was part of shutting down a military recruitment center during the March 5th 2003 Moratorium to Stop the War. After visiting the West Bank of Palestine with the International Solidarity Movement in 2002, he organized an East Coast Speaking Tour. He leads workshops to stop military recruitment in high schools and has organized progressive film festivals in Utah and Philadelphia.

Prachi Noor, New York City

Prachi Noor was born and brought up in the midst of peasant struggles and women's movements in rural India. Inspired by the dedication of freedom fighter grandparents of India's independence movement, she grew up believing that change doesn't come without a fight. In the United States, she has been active with the anti-police brutality movement and has been at the forefront of the movement to stop the repression of Arab, Muslim and South Asian communities. She has been part of organizations like the Blue Triangle Network and Youth Solidarity Summer.

Debra Sweet, New York City

Debra Sweet is the National Co-ordinator of World Can't Wait. Richard Nixon refused to speak to the press for six months after the US invasion of Cambodia. When he finally appeared before the White House press corps, it was to make awards for service and bravery to Young Americans, whom he said were "not out protesting". I was 19. When he handed me the award, I told him that he was responsible for killing millions of people in southeast Asia. He got angry, turned and left the room, making a front page story and international news. Antiwar sentiment had seeped into the Blue Room and was pervading every part of US society - not to mention the world. The Emperor had no clothes, and when someone says that; an Eartha Kitt, a Debra Sweet, a Cindy Sheehan, it can galvanize others to speak and act on the truth. There are millions out there who can take inspiration, and act. The end of the story isn't written yet...

[greyl]

15. Appeal to authority/celebrity.

I doubt that those listed are aware of everything printed at the wcw site.

[meganmonkey]

17. It's all about those evil commies, isn't it greyl

:rofl:

Who would make me laugh if you weren't here to do it?

Although you are so predictable, it really isn't funny anymore...

[greyl]

21. No, your post is pitiful.

It's about trying get people not to vote for Democratic candidates, trying to raise hundreds of thousands from gullible people who want to aimlessly protest.
I'm all for radical protest, but worldcantwait is a scam site with no solutions to spend your money on. Please be more careful with the groups you endorse.

[MelissaB]

22. I know you didn't post to me, but here's my take.

I'm not supporting anybody who is anti-Dem, and I'm not gullible. In this area (conservative South) the people who come will be protesting the war. If anything else happens I'll be there to counter it.

[Liberal Dose]

30. The Mission of World Can't Wait

...We welcome any individuals and groups who agree that the Bush Regime should be driven out, whatever their political party affiliation or lack thereof. We reach out to people who have been fooled by Bush, and to those who have been most seriously affected by the outrages inflicted by the Bush Regime.

Sounds good to me. The rest is here: http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=0&Itemid=2

If you get a news camera in your face, you can explain that although you don't agree with everything posted on the World Can't Wait website, you are against this illegal war and working to drive out the Bush Regime.

:patriot: :hug:

[MelissaB]

32. Absolutely!

Thanks! :hi:

[meganmonkey]

23. ...

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[greyl]

26. I hope you have a wittier reply

if you ever get a news crew camera in your face.

[meganmonkey]

28. Well, in the last 2 months

I have been interviewed live on the radio and on the street by 2 newspapers.

At such moments I am quite serious. But you'll just have to take my word for that.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

[greyl]

29. I can't take your word for that.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with being critical of Democrats, but arguing that people who are anti-bush shouldn't vote for a Democrat is very sloppy thinking.
November is next month, hello.

[meganmonkey]

33. Bottom line:

Yes, November is next month. The protest is this Thursday. It is possible to do both.

Can you show me exactly where they say not to vote? I see that they suggest we don't put all our hope and money into the Dems, and I, for one, find that hard to argue with. I have MUCH more faith in the people of this country than I do in the politicians in DC.

It is going to take more than electoral processes to fix this nightmare.

I will post part of what I said on the radio last month, if you are really interested. And given the torture bill passing, and another unanimous vote to fund the Pentagon, I think these words are gettting truer by the day. 100-0 roll call is NOT a democracy - I don't care what the issue is. Please note - below is NOT a transcript, it is just the rough outline of what I based my radio talk on.

A lot of people ask us what difference we could possibly make in a town like XXXX where we are 'preaching to the converted'. Almost everyone agrees with us, right? Seems that way. Our audience is made up of people who already agree with our overall message about making the Bush administration accountable for their atrocities and attacks on the constitution, and ending the occupation of Iraq. Well, I look at it this way. They may agree with our signs about the war or the crimes of the administration, but they clearly aren't convinced of our actual mission, otherwise they would be standing with us, not just honking and waving. Which we appreciate, mind you, the honks and the waves, but what we really want is for the people to grab a sign, and we have plenty, and come stand with us. Because sooner or later, IT IS GOING TO COME TO THIS - It is going to come to people in the streets demanding their country back. History tells us this, and we all know it on some level. Many people hope that after the coming elections later this year and in 2008, the gov't will... lean a different way. Voting is very important, and the last thing I want to do is belittle its fundamental role in a democracy - but right now, voting alone is not going to solve our problems - they are too deeply embedded. our elections aren't really decided by the people in an honest way - they have no integrity. They are paid for by corporations and other wealthy special interests - the same special interests who actually write some of our policies. We learn about political candidates from 30 second commercials designed to say nothing, and our votes are counted by privately-owned software and machines of which there is no public review and which have been proven to be easily hacked. Because of this, the politicans in office don't feel accountable to the people and the vast majority of them don't represent the people's interests. They represent the interests of the industries which paid for their campaigns and put them in office. Of course there are exceptions, but they are few and far between and they don't wield any real power.

So where does that leave us? Can we count on enough politicians suddenly respecting the will of the people and changing our system enough that the people can have real representation? No way. They want to protect the status quo. Things are going swimmingly for the politicians, lobbyists, and the extremely wealthy. Why would they want to mess that up? Meanwhile, the rest of us are, well, pretty much screwed.

Any potential chance of checks-and-balances kicking in to fix this mess is long gone. The administration does whatever it wants and the Congress lets them do it.

Now we have to demand it back. We have no choice. We have to do what societies have done throughout history, arguably the ONLY way to affect significant social change in a governent - we have to protest, We have to protest unceasingly, in huge numbers, across the country, we need a nationwide strike, and we need to stand up for our neighbors, for our constitution, and for the people around the world who are suffering because of our foreign policy. We have to refuse to accept the authority of the Bush administration. WE ARE THE MAJORITY! Believe that! What are we waiting for? Should we wait until it gets so bad that we are ALL struggling and suffering? because many Americans are suffering already. Military families are struggling, VA hospitals are closing, social service and education budgets are being cut all over the country, health care is an expensive mess even for those who HAVE it, let alone those who don't.. - our senior citizens have to choose between food and medicine because of the costs...We may not all feel it personally yet, but we know it is getting closer. the national debt sure isn't getting any smaller, and the longer we accept such irresponsible leadership the worse it will be. At this point WE are responsible for changing things because it isn't going to happen any other way. So why wait? The longer we wait the worse it will get. The longer we wait the more people will die in the Middle East, US military and Iraqi civilians. Far too many have died already. Why wait? Why let it get worse? There is no question that it - will - get - worse. It won't change UNTIL WE ACT. UNTIL *WE* CHANGE IT.



What changes do we seek? That is not our question to answer. That is a question for ALL the people. We are diverse group, and we have different perspectives and opinions, really, but the bottom line is the will of the people - ALL the people. Including the disenfranchised and people who don't often vote because NEITHER party speaks for them.. It isn't about what I want or what XXX or XXXX wants, it is about what is best for America, and the world, for that matter, and I for one have faith that the American people will make good choices when given the chance.It isn't about the familiar partisan divides, either - if you talk to most Americans one on one, instead of reading push-polls, you learn that we have much more in common than popular politics would have us think. We are ALL worried about pensions, health care and schools and the deficit and jobs security, and outsourcing. All the issues that the politicians distract us with aren't even political issues!

So that's it, that's the bottom line - giving the power to the people, where it belongs. Letting the people choose the path our nation takes. Not just the rich people, not some elite group, but ALL the people. We gotta start now. It'll only get worse if we don't...

[greyl]

34. Top 10 reasons NOT to put your money and resources into the Democrats

http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2773&Itemid=201

from the FAQ page:

Q: But isn't getting the Democrats elected and getting a majority in Congress the only real way to stop Bush?

...Look, go ahead and vote if you think you must.
...Face it. The political will of the people is not going to find expression through the elections.

[meganmonkey]

35. I agree with that statement

It doesn't say not to vote - it says that we shouldn't put all our eggs in the electoral basket. Can you really argue with that? Can you really argue that voting for people who voted for a bill to legalize torture is going to fix things? Can you really argue with the fact that despite the vast majority of Dem voters opposing the occupation of Iraq, the Dem Reps and Sens keep voting to fund it?

Yeah, maybe we'll vote for some of those folks because electorally we have very little choice. But that doesn't mean we can't get in the streets. These two ideas do not contradict each other, and I wish you would stop jumping on these threads with misinformation.

:shrug:

[greyl]

36. I know you do.

And yes, it does suggest not voting and not supporting Dem candidates.
Can you find anything positive about a particular Democrat candidate at the site?

[meganmonkey]

37. What are you trying to prove?

No matter how many times you say it, it doesn't make it true.

Nowhere do they tell you not to vote.

Nowhere do they endorse Dems. They are not a pro-Dem site.

Guess what? War and torture are not partisan issues. They are human issues.

WCW is open about who and what they are, and if you don't feel comfortable supporting what they are organizing then DON'T. No one is making you join the protest.

But everytime I see you come on these threads spreading false info, I will call you out on it, so get used to it.

[greyl]

38. "They are not a pro-Dem site" - your words.

What's so difficult to understand?
DU is a pro-Dem site, worldcantwait is not. In fact, they are anti-Dem.
They don't want people to vote for Democrats or give money to Democrats. Any Democrats.

I'm not against protest. I'm protesting right now.

[meganmonkey]

39. "War and torture are not partisan issues. They are human issues."

Also my words.

That's my bottom line. Some things trump partisan politics. This is one of them.

We will never see eye-to-eye on this one, greyl. If you want to keep discussing it, go right ahead. Just remember that you are serving to keep this thread kicked, and providing me a fantastic opportunity to spread my POV. SO I thank you for that.

[greyl]

41. I agree, but that's totally irrelevant.

I'm not against the protest. I'm not saying any good protest must include campaigning for Democrats.
I'm saying that worldcantwait is discouraging people from financially supporting and voting for Democratic candidates, and they're making a lot of money doing it without providing any solutions of their own.

[meganmonkey]

43. Where do you see that they are making a lot of money?

I know organizers from previous WCW events who paid out-of-pocket to reserve buses to DC and never made all their own money back, let alone profitting.

Where is all this money coming from? Where is it going? Do you have any evidence?

As for solutions - the beautiful thing about democracy is that it doesn't matter what one group of people thinks it should be, or another group...it is something all the people should decide. Maybe, someday, if we have a real democracy, we can find out what that looks like, how it manifests, what real coalitions representing real people can decide on. I have a feeling it will be better than the policies that the oil companies, big pharm, the banks, and the mega-retailers have written on our behalf :shrug:

I like the saying: "We have one no, and many yeses". Most often used by Zapatistas and anti-globalization protestors, I think it has relevence here, too.

The slogan "One No, Many Yeses" encapsulates the idea that while we come together to oppose the current system, there are many possible alternatives and many possible futures from which we have to power to choose.

[Freddie Stubbs]

16. They are an anti-Democrat organization

[meganmonkey]

4. I'm bringing a sign I have been holding

several times a week:

HOW BAD MUST IT GET BEFORE YOU JOIN THE PROTEST?

More than 100 cities have events planned already.

I hope DUers decide to participate. I am amazed at how little attention threads about this have gotten here.

:patriot:

[MelissaB]

7. Great sign!

I'm in a small town in Alabama and we're having a protest. :bounce: I'm just a little excited...

[mirabeau]

19. Enjoy your protest!

It's important to protest, but we also NEED TO VOTE!!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2852805

[MelissaB]

24. I read that post and here's where I am.

I think MadHound said it best.

MadHound (1000+ posts) Sun Oct-01-06 11:47 AM
Response to Original message
117. Whaaaa! Tell you what, when the Dems start organizing people
For out-in-the streets protest, then they can start pushing a pro Dem message to go along with the anti-war, anti-Bush message. But somehow, after continously voting for the war and war support, voting for the Patriot Act, failing to vigorously oppose things like Bushco's appointments or the torture bill, frankly I doubt that the Dems are going to be doing any such sort of organizing anytime soon.

So the fact is, you've got to dance with those that brought you. The anti-war/anti-bush coalition is a broad one, and they're not all pro-
Dem. Deal with it. If you don't like it, organize your own nationwide walk-out. But until that happens, you've got to realize that you are dealing with people who don't agree with you on all matters, you've got to take what other outlooks come along with the anti-war, anti-bush stance.

[greyl]

25. Taking that to the logical next step,

there is an activist forum here where any protests can be organized and publicized.
It's not beyond our capabilities to organize a protest without advertising a group that is discouraging people from voting.

[MelissaB]

31. I agree, but

the forum isn't used much and nobody from here is organizing (myself included). This is something we should pursue.

[lonestarnot]

8. Pervert Puke Warmonger Profiteers. Fence the Trail of Tears!

[Iwasthere]

12. R = Torture

R stands for Torture!

Republicans = Torture - And Torture doesn't work!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. WCW can fuck right off.

http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2773&Itemid=201

[lonestarnot]

18. along with the World Bank, WTO and others.

[grannie4peace]

20. Bush allowed 9/11 to happen

what about listing all of the bush failures? you will need many signs , though. he either ignored or allowed 9-11 to happen. wasting our $, lobbying scandals,pedofiles, partisan congress, favoritism in his administration, no work out of congress, padding the supreme court,destroying a democracy!!!!

[StellaBlue]

27. I am getting a big yellow piece of posterboard

and writing on one side

It's the CONSTITUTION, stupid!

and on the other side

[lala_rawraw]

40. Florida locales?

[MelissaB]

42. Looks like a lot:

http://worldcantwait.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2418&_event=14

[chat_noir]

44. A Protest Built on Pots and Pans in Oaxaca

All Things Considered, August 3, 2006 · Hundreds of women banging pots and pans in the streets of Oaxaca, Mexico, took over a local state-run television station earlier this week.

Indonesia, too...




WORLD CANT WAIT - PROTEST HOLLYWOOD, CA

Pics - http://la.indymedia.org/news/2006/02/146164.php

[ElsewheresDaughter]

45. me and the kids are goona be in the streets..SEE YA THERE!

[MelissaB]

46. Thanks for the ideas everybody!

:hi:

[zeemike]

47. I read the whole thread Melissa...

you won the argument hands down.
I can't go for health reasons but I will be with you in spirit.

[MelissaB]

48. Reading the comments

here made me feel comfortable with what I'm doing. There are a lot of Dems involved in this, and they want Bush out.