Frederick Douglass on the war "puny opposition" in Congress.

[Tom Joad]

Seems like Mr. Douglass is writing a editorial for May 3, 2007, not 1848.
news item: "Democrats offer first major concession, agreeing to drop their demand for a withdrawal timeline" Wash Post, May 3, 2007


Frederick Douglass, former slave, extraordinary speaker and writer, wrote in his Rochester newspaper the North Star, January 21, 1848, of "the present disgraceful, cruel, and iniquitous war with our sister republic. Mexico seems a doomed victim to Anglo Saxon cupidity and love of dominion." Douglass was scornful of the unwillingness of opponents of the war to take real action (even the abolitionists kept paying their taxes):

The determination of our slaveholding President to prosecute the war, and the probability of his success in wringing from the people men and money to carry it on, is made evident, rather than doubtful, by the puny opposition arrayed against him. No politician of any considerable distinction or eminence seems willing to hazard his popularity with his party ... by an open and unqualified disapprobation of the war. None seem willing to take their stand for peace at all risks; and all seem willing that the war should be carried on, in some form or other.

As many of you know, Henry David Thoreau went to jail rather than pay his war taxes. Ralph Waldo Emerson visited Thoreau in jail and asked, “Henry, what are you doing in there?” Thoreau replied, “Waldo, the question is what are you doing out there?”

So the question is, what are we doing out here? Clearly, the current leadership of congress has no intention of ending the occupation of Iraq anytime soon, and does nothing more than pretend to support the people's will, while it has every intention of not only funding the war for the entire of Bush's term (and promising, or threatening may be more appropriate, America and the world that Bush will indeed serve a full term), but speaks of continued presence after 2009 and beyond. It continues to press, not Bush, as much as the Iraqi Parliament to kowtow to its demands that an oil law be passed that will deprive the Iraqi people of their wealth, and instead that Iraqi Oil be privatized, so multinational corporations may reap the benefits. Both parties support this.

We must up the pressure, we must demand that Congress end funding for this war. Not a hundred billion more for another year (and even with the Bill Bush just vetoed was non-binding, and had left troops behind indefinitely, to "train Iraqis" and "protect the embassy" (largest on earth) and so on.

It is time for us to confront this puny opposition and not let Congress and Bush get away with this.

Time to take it to the streets. Don't let Harry and Nancy pretend that they did their best. If they can't end this war, if they refuse to fight to end the funding, they better just move out of the way

Let the thousands of grieving mothers, the wounded veterans, the pissed-off fathers of dead soldiers, the young people who are seeing their peers leave high school and fight in a lame-ass war based on lie after lie and come back broken, if they come back at all.... Let us take up the fight.

We will tell soldiers to refuse their orders... and we will offer them protection, sharing in their risk. Lt. Watada has the courage of a thousand Harry Reid's, and there are many like Lt. Watada.

We will go to the offices of our congresspeople and not leave until they promise to refuse continued funding for this illegal, immoral, insane war/occupation. We will no longer make requests, we will make demands of Congress to follow the will of the people.

We will organize marches and all sorts of demonstrations and we will fight anyone, Democrat or Republican or whatever, from permitting this war to continue, from daring to permit talk of widening the war into Iran (the people take that option OFF the table).

This is what we must do. Our purpose in life is not to further the careers puny politicians.

We want to create a world we can enjoy and share and live in peace. there ain't anyone that's going to stop us from making that world.

[Tom Joad]

1. Thanks for the recs. No one has a comment?

[eppur_se_muova]

2. WHY WHY WHY are Dems making concessions? Maybe we need another FD.

[TheWraith]

3. Out of curiousity, are you familiar with the American system of government?

Because I'd love to know how you think that the Dems in congress are supposed to override a veto.

"Clearly, the current leadership of congress has no intention of ending the occupation of Iraq anytime soon"

And how are they supposed to do that, pray tell? Aside from refusing to provide funding at all, which is both strongly disapproved of by the general public, and exactly what Bush and company want, to give them a propaganda windfall.

[Tom Joad]

5. The nation, and the world, does not need to fund this war.

I don't know why people think war opponents need to override a veto. the veto is fine... no funds, no war.

If Bush has no funding, then he will be forced to withdraw the troops.

[gilpo]

6. Cut the funding.

That is the only way. We must do it, no matter the political cost.

[slipslidingaway]

4. "Both parties support this. " This seems to be the case and 20

years from now when more anger is directed at our nation will we once again be blaming others instead of ourselves? I have left messages with my senators offices for further clarification.

If what I have read about this law and the clause in the Iraq Supplemental is correct then rushing to pass this law will not be in the best interests of the Iraqi people, nor ultimately our nation.


http://www.basraoilunion.org/

"‘History Will Not Forgive Those Who Play Recklessly With Our Wealth’- Oil Union Leader’s Speech on Oil Law

The speech of the head of the Federation of Oil Unions in Basra to the meeting held to debate the oil law and the oil investment laws on Tuesday 6th February 2007

snip>>

Recently the Constitution of Iraq on which the Iraqi people voted in the most dire and difficult of conditions notes in clause 111 that oil and gas are the property of the Iraqi people. But, alas, this clause in the constitution will remain but ink on paper if the oil law and oil investment law being presented to the Parliament are ratified, laws which permit production-sharing contracts, laws without parallel in many oil producers, especially the neighbouring countries. So why should Iraqis want to introduce such contracts in Iraq given that applying such laws will rob the Iraqi government of the most important thing it owns?"


Oil Grab in Iraq

http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4020

"Many Iraqi oil experts, like Fouad Al-Ameer who was responsible for the leak, think that this law is not an urgent item on the country's agenda. Other observers and analysis share Al-Ameer's views and believe the Bush administration, foreign oil companies, and the International Monetary Fund are rushing the Iraqi government to pass the law.

Not every aspect of the law is harmful to Iraq. However, the current language favors the interests of foreign oil corporations over the economic security and development of Iraq. The law’s key negative components harm Iraq’s national sovereignty, financial security, territorial integrity, and democracy."



http://www.prairiestateblue.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=3005

I understand the problems that people are having with the hydrocarbon law being a give-way to Western oil corps, although I am not familiar enough with the draft law to judge for myself. However, I didn't understand Kucinich's charge of "extortion".
Well, at the end of Title I (which is the section of the law covering war funding), there is language which withholds 50% of US assistance to Iraq until a hyrdocarbon law is passed:


(f) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 50 percent
of the funds appropriated by title I of this Act for assistance to
Iraq under each of the headings ``Economic Support Fund'' and
``International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement'' shall be
withheld from obligation until the President has made a certification
to Congress that the Government of Iraq has enacted a broadly
accepted hydro-carbon law that equitably shares oil revenues among
all Iraqis;"