[Please forward to anti-war patriotic peaceniks, groups, and ORGANIZERS!]
The unprecedented world-wide explosion of grassroots anti-war resistance is a remarkable historical event and offers real hope that that we may achieve democracy, peace, and nonviolence over greed, imperialism, and ever escalating cycles of violence and death.
Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Powell would have launched with unilateral and murderous invasion many, many months ago had they been able to -- a remarkable achievement, and worth well-deserved feelings of satisfaction -- but much more must be done, and it must be done now, if mass-murder and global destabilization on a massive scale is to truly be averted.
THE PROBLEM: The decentralized but remarkably resilient peace movement has been mostly reactive. This is not a condemnation but in large part a reflection of the extremely un-level playing field in which we find ourselves. Nevertheless, this has been partially overcome, and with creativity much more can be done.
The problem is that when we are reactive, when Bush sets the agenda, there are only two possible outcomes: either another step closer to the nightmarish abyss of war; or else, at best, the alternative, which would be a prevention of another step forward towards the nightmare.
What we need are ways to push Bush and his would-be civilian and baby killing group BACK.
So far it has been: Bush demands inspections resume without the ending of the weekly or daily bombings of Iraq. That, "Or Else". The UN appeases Bush, Iraq caves in and agrees to drop the demand for the end of the regular bombings even while admitting inspectors.
Bush demands interviews with scientists, demands U2 spy planes, and on and on. At each step, the peace movement has been able to pressure government enough to slow Bush's hell-bent march towards "War" (really, high-technology unilateral slaughter) but ultimately the UN appeases Bush and goes along, and Iraq caves in. The bar is then raised higher, and higher. At each step, rather then being overjoyed at Iraq agreeing, Bush and Powell reveal their true scheming intent by getting angrier.
No matter: the fork in each road so far had two possibilities: War, or else slowing down, or temporarily halting the march towards war. Either saying on, and Bush bombs tomorrow, or going along, and a temporary half to war. Until the they demand, and the next, and the next.
In other words, the fork in the road led to a step towards the nightmare, or a pause, but there was missing a third option: a step (or many steps) away from the bloody abyss of invasion and high-tech slaughter ("war").
TAKE THE INITIATIVE:
As the outlined chronology suggests, one key way to find ways of forcing Bush and company to step back, is when WE make demands. Instead of only responding to their blood-thirsty (oil-thirsty?) demands, instead of only holding them back, we must still do those things PLUS, we must make demands, bold demands of justice and law and sanity, of our own.
When we do this, we not only shift the debate towards a saner one (rather than "bomb tomorrow versus wait a while first"), but we also take up more of Bush's time as he has to respond to these new demands. Third and most importantly, we state what we are for, in true principled manner.
Below are some ideas, of what the peace movement should consider doing right now, in ADDITION to continuing the "holding actions"
**1** Demand an end to the regular bombing campaign already underway by the US and UK.
"BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Marcus says American and British planes patrolling longstanding "no-fly zones" over Iraq are stepping UP RAIDS ON AIR DEFENCES in the country to weaken them ahead of a wider conflict" Notice the Orwellian term "conflict" meaning, ahead of unilateral use of violent force. "Raids" of course means the bombing is already going on, and is on-going, on a regular basis. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2841913.stm]
An undeclared, illegal war is already going on, at a "low" level.
The scale is massive: "As preparations continue, the US and UK have doubled their flights over Iraq's no-fly zones to AS MANY AS ABOUT 500 SORTIES A NIGHT and extended the number of TARGETS HIT." [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2835241.stm]
Take the initiative, push Bush a step BACK!
* Expose it! Carry signs at Rallies, speak about it, contact the media about it.
* Demand a UN resolution NOW, with immediate high-pressure, high-intensity campaign on the UN to pass a resolution to stop these.
Take the initiative!
**2** As a step further, demand a UN resolution against all "no fly zone" activities by Washington and the UK which are in violation of the UN: the "no fly zones" were unilaterally declared by Washington and have no legal basis in the UN resolutions.
Not only is this an illegal undeclared war, but Iraqi CIVILIANS regularly are KILLED in these raids. [See e.g. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,907023,00.html on illegality, see e.g. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/01/09/wfly09.xml "Hans von Sponeck, former UN humanitarian [Director] in Baghdad, repeated..last week that British policy was harming Iraqi civilians and that the no-fly zones were illegal"]
* Display signs that make this demand. Articulate is to the media
* Work with existing anti-war groups to PRESS the UN (and to press European and other governments to press the UN) to adopt this!
Take the initiative!
**3** Demand a UN Resolution NOW which would CONDEMN "any use of force by any country against another that is not sanctioned by the UN"
* Display signs that make this demand. Articulate is to the media
* Work with existing anti-war groups to PRESS the UN (and to press European and other governments to press the UN) to adopt this!
**4** Work towards local, state, and national resolutions in the U.S. of this nature
* Display signs that make this demand. Articulate is to the media
* Work with existing anti-war groups to PRESS the UN (and to press European and other governments to press the UN) to adopt this!
Take the initiative!
**5** Begin NOW proceedings of Impeachment against Bush
and
**6** Begin NOW proceedings for War Crimes Tribunal against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Powell if any unilateral "war" of high-tech slaughter is initiated.
See link:
http://www.webactive.com/pacifica/demnow/dn20030310.html
"Story: SHOULD PRESIDENT BUSH BE IMPEACHED? PROGRESSIVE CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS CONSIDER INTRODUCING ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT IF THE U.S. ATTACKS IRAQ
"The National Review and Stateside News Service are reporting that a group of progressive Democrats may introduce articles of impeachment against President Bush and possibly members of his Cabinet.
"One member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Progressive Caucus, Danny Davis, of Illinois said he expected to see a resolution be put forth in the event of "a full-fledged military effort" if Bush goes to war without new congressional backing.
"A draft of the impeachment resolution accuses Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and Attorney General John Ashcroft of more than a dozen 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' including bombing civilians in Afghanistan and constitutional violations in the so-called war on terror.
"The impeachment drive was largely initiated by former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark and University of Illinois Law Professor Francis Boyle. In 1991 the late Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez filed a motion to impeach the first President Bush based on articles drafted by Francis Boyle.
"We spoke with Boyle recently and asked him to outline the grounds on which Bush could be impeached.
* Francis Boyle, professor of law, University of Illinois School of Law.
Read Boyle's Articles of Impeachment against President Bush
http://www.counterpunch.org/boyle01172003.html
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PLEASE SPREAD THIS MESSAGE TO ANTI-WAR ACTIVISTS, ORGANIZERS, AND STRATEGISTS EVERYWHERE IN AND OUTSIDE THE U.S.
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