Click on the title to link to a recent example from Fort Hood, Texas of the third point that is mentioned below, about the value of anti-war G.I. work.
Markin comment:
Yes, I know, the weather in the Midwest makes it likely that there will not be a thaw until July 4th. Washington, D.C., an anti- war protester’s Mecca, is paralyzed by a few inches of snow, as well as other little matters like the governance of the country. Florida is off-the-hook with its weather, and a winter vacation there is seemingly like going to North Dakota. All true but the hard days of January are none too early to began, at least in our heads, preparations for the anti-war offensive we desperately need to take flight this spring if we are to end these madnesses in Iraq and Afghanistan (for starters).
With that premise in mind I have, not unexpectedly, three suggestions that anti-war militants should at least think about now. These are just through into the pot for discussion at this point. They need to be flushed out and drawn up in greater detail. The three whales reference in the headline, by the way is not some symbolic cabalistic reference but is taken from the propaganda format of the Bolsheviks who tended to work with three points programs for ease of agitational effect. Ten Point, to speak nothing of Fourteen Point programs, are for political pros, for the rest keep it short, sweet and meaty.
One: Recruit and run independent labor-oriented candidates for any and all Congressional and Senatorial seats that are open in this 2010 election year cycle. This includes, horror of horrors, going out of our way to oppose so-called progressive Democrats, especially those like Nancy Pelosi who talk the talk, but refuse (or do not want to) walk the walk. I disagree with a lot of anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan's politics but one thing that she did do in 2008 was to run against Nancy Pelosi in her liberal San Francisco bailiwick. If they ask, as Pelosi did- why pick on little, old progressive me- here is your retort – Break with your party of war, imperialism and capitalist crisis, break with your Democratic Party. Then, maybe, we will support you.
The "Three Whales" of any electoral campaign can, and should, include: Immediate, unconditional Withdrawal of all troops AND a no vote on ALL military budgets; expropriation of the banks (and the myriad other such financial institutions that act like banks that have sprung up in late imperialist society) without compensation; and,the lynch pin, build a workers party that fights for a workers government.
Two: Gear up for this years struggle against the Afghan and Iraq war budgets. This is one of the only two ways we can end Obama’s wars. Cut off the funds now. Hold the feet of every politician right, left or center, over an open fire on this one. Vote NO on the Iraq/Afghan/Pak war budgets.
Three: As mentioned above in number two there are only two ways to end the wars, stop the money and stopping the supply of cannon fodder for the wars. A couple of years ago I, and my ad hoc group of anti-war militants, fought around a slogan calling for the creation of soldiers and sailors solidarity committees to reach out to the troops that were actual doing the fighting. This is tough, hard work, especially when the potentially explosive mixture created by of a draft army is not, currently at least, part of the equation, but it is not too soon to start making the links. I note that there is already some action on this front down at Fort Hood in Texas, a key transit area (as we learned tragically in November 2009). Today I have placed other blog entries about current anti-war G.I. efforts at military bases in this space.
More later….
No comments:
Post a Comment