The Art of War for the anti-war movement (SRitter)

[katty]

more: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/themix/34332/

The Art of War for the anti-war movement

Posted by Scott Ritter at 6:13 PM on March 31, 2006.

It's high time to recognize that we as a nation are engaged in a life-or-death struggle of competing ideologies with those who promote war as an American value and virtue. Blog Tools


In the months leading up to the invasion of Iraq by a US-led coalition, and for three years since, I have spent many hours speaking to numerous anti-war forums across the country and around the world. I have always been struck by the sincerity of the vast majority of those who call themselves anti-war, and impressed by their willingness to give so much of themselves in the service of such a noble cause.

Whether participating in demonstrations, organizing a vigil, conducting town-hall meetings, or writing letters to their elected officials and the media, the participants in the anti-war movement have exhibited an energy and integrity that would make anyone proud. For myself, I have been vociferous in my defense of the actions of the majority of the anti-war movement, noting that the expression of their views is not only consistent with their rights afforded by the Constitution of the United States, but also that their engagement in the process of citizenship is a stellar example of the ideals and values set forth in that document, and as such representative of the highest form of patriotism in keeping with service to a document that begins, "We the People."

Lately I have noticed a growing despondency among many of those who call themselves the anti-war movement. With the United States now entering its fourth year of illegal war in and illegitimate occupation of Iraq, and the pro-war movement moving inexorably towards yet another disastrous conflict with Iran, there is an increasing awareness that the cause of the anti-war movement, no matter how noble and worthy, is in fact a losing cause as currently executed. Despite all of the well-meaning and patriotic work of the millions of activists and citizens who comprise the anti-war movement, America still remains very much a nation not only engaged in waging and planning wars of aggression, but has also become a nation which increasingly identifies itself through its military and the wars it fights. This is a sad manifestation of the fact that the American people seem to be addicted to war and violence, rather than the ideals of human rights, individual liberty, and freedom and justice for all that should define our nation.

[marmar]

1. Great read and great points...

There definitely needs to be more focus and coordination. Look at how many students turned out in France on relatively short notice.

[katty]

3. indeed-that was incredible

[Roland99]

2. K&R

[PATRICK]

4. Like democracy

the need for peaceful solutions first if not always but ASAP making it ALWAYS, is as absolute for the modern world as the right and necessity for democracy. Delegating problem solving upward, besides the mystifying result of producing incompetence and the rule of the worst humans at the top, is no longer a feasible option if our civilization or race is to survive.

That is number one to get the diverse masses in line because no sense of nobility or logic or value system can influence everyone and everything, especially emotions, can get twisted. Yet the core people, those who are "right" in their hearts and in their actions on this topic ARE the center of this issue. On the side, ever on the side, are the pragmatists who share values but not the vision, and compromise with the deadly reality(not of the need for war, but the belief in it). Responding to the peace core requires an act of courage. Connecting it to sources of power is happening as in nations that use truth trials, negotiations and other methods to stave off war and settle differences(not merely from a quid pro quo bargaining but from a true sense of what I write in the first paragraph). people in recently war torn areas can see the light of necessity and value together and act on it.

America is muddled because war is "over there". Learning the hard way is becoming an increasingly impossible option because it may simply be too late. The critical mass of the population don't adapt their basic instincts tenets and emotions from argumentation and history, they do it when they are disastrously affected personally- maybe. There will always be a substantial and troublesome subsection of humanity who provide the entire basis for the war argument in and of themselves being socially intractable problem-makers. Ceding power to these people, as we have, makes war. This is why comparing Bush to "you know who" is such a small analogy. The failure of democracy and the suppression of what is REQUIRED to survive globally in the rushing future go hand in hand.

Kucinich for example is one who made the leap to embrace both the hard reality and the inner heart of the peace movement. Just because someone is in a minority doesn't mean he isn't correct, it just means we will have war because this proves the majority is as out of sync with a natural realization as they are with the reality of democracy itself.

SO Ritter says correctly the situation has stagnated and is fixed.The majority may be turned of by Iraq but not by the war option itself. The lesson has not changed them enough.

What is needed is not engaging in a local American bloodbath as a teachable experience. That is the sort of madness that the war doctrine cannibalizes society with. Waiting for burnout is too much, too late. What is needed is getting people in touch with their true core values AND reality on as many critical issues as possible. Democracy, the environment, economic justice. All the natural bedrocks of peace to begin with. And the deprogramming of deluded pragmatists who have insanely acceded to madness, despair, lack of leadership, crude tainted myths, brainy solutions that involve destruction- or better- the removal from influence- must become part of that process.

And it is happening very painfully in a way very analogous to war conflict itself- because it is ALL tied together. Even the mortal wounding of self-interest greed or any segment of the pyramid can make it all collapse- because it is ALL unsustainable.

The only thing that will last- as has been said for centuries- are the last humans grappling each others throats in a dying world- or the highest values held in common working continuously and with unending vigilance to the day when moral defectives do not define society or the "world".

I do not share the pessimism therefore. In America if you can't get an instant clear solution, then your optimism shifts in high gear to despair. It is far more mature and simpler to realize that yes- the human race or any species can doom itself. We are hardwired for many kinds of failure. But we are achieving results that open up the pain of how hard it is to go further.

If we don't reach the mountaintop, we will die in the attempt. That is all we need to know. That and that every single advance of truth and progress is a victory that enables all those things that seem to have hit the wall of power and diseased opinion. It was pathetic for Bush to have "happened here" at all. It is a symptom of this pathos that people fade away from fighting back.

All this guarantees is that, weary of so much fruitless struggle, people will settle for a Democratic victory- and not make it the moral watershed to sweep in the future and bury the carnivore dinosaurs- which will take more work, more pain, more time. If you stop and settle for such a temporary relief, the demons will return.

[katty]

5. you write...

Agree, well put, clarity...especially 'majority out of sync' !


>Kucinich for example is one who made the leap to embrace both the hard reality and the inner heart of the peace movement. Just because someone is in a minority doesn't mean he isn't correct, it just means we will have war because this proves the majority is as out of sync with a natural realization as they are with the reality of democracy itself.

[Warren Stupidity]

6. I agree!

I've gotten pissed off in the past when people bitch here about the crap answer pulls, mostly because at least they manage to organize and mobilize and get people out on the streets. But both answer and to a lesser extent UFPJ need to drop all of the irrelevent bullshit, put aside the other issues, and until we have beaten the fascist pigs back AGAIN, focus on the one issue that will get a mass movement going, growing, and effective. I want mainstream america marching on the steets, and I don't want them to be conned into expressing their solidarity with 4,000 leftist issues, some of which might indeed be quite worthy, I want them out there because we have insane criminals in the white house who are plunging the world into war.

Some wise fools said a long time ago, that if you go carrying pictures of chairman mao you aint gonna make it with anyone anyhow.

Stop this war and the next war.

[lostnfound]

7. And just how long would a central-planning group be allowed to exist?

It would be targetted in a thousand ways, infiltrated, villified, ignored, slandered, and sabotaged.

[htuttle]

8. I'd take issue with one thing I think he's missing

I have yet to see a 'local' anti-war demonstration that *wasn't* focused on Iraq. It's the big national demonstrations that everyone tries to co-opt.

Maybe the local anti-war groups from around the country need to form a 'congress' of sorts to organize the national demonstrations, instead of having existing, independent national groups do it (with their own agendas). Too bad Ben Franklin isn't around -- that sort of thing was right up his alley...

[alfredo]

9. He speaks the truth

There at the end it appears he is applying for a job.