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Re-posted from the American Left History blog- Thursday,
November 11, 2010
A Stroll In The Park On
Veterans Day- Immediate, Unconditional Withdrawal Of All U.S. Troops From Iraq
and Afghanistan!
Markin comment:
Listen, I have been to many
marches and demonstrations for democratic, progressive, socialist and communist
causes in my long political life. However, of all those events none, by far,
has been more satisfying that to march alongside my fellow ex-soldiers who have
“switched” over to the other side and are now part of the struggle against war,
the hard, hard struggle against the permanent war machine that this imperial
system has embarked upon. From as far back as in the Vietnam Veterans Against
the War (VVAW) days I have always felt that ex-soldiers (hell, active soldiers
too, if you can get them) have had just a little bit more “street cred” on the
war issue than the professors, pacifists and little old ladies in tennis
sneakers who have traditionally led the anti-war movements. Maybe those
brothers (and in my generation it was mainly only brothers) and now sisters may
not quite pose the questions of war and peace the way I do, or the way that I
would like them to do, but they are kindred spirits.
Now normally in Boston, and
in most places, a Veterans Day parade means a bunch of Veterans of Foreign Wars
(VFW) or American Legion-types taking time off from drinking at their post bars
(“the battle of the barstool”) and donning the old overstuffed uniform and
heading out on to Main Street to be waved at, and cheered on, by like-minded,
thankful citizens. And of course that happened this time as well. What also
happened in Boston this year (and other years but I have not been involved in
previous marches) was that the Veterans For Peace (VFP) organized an anti-war
march as part of their “Veterans Day” program. Said march to be held at the
same place and time as the official one.
Previously there had been a
certain amount of trouble, although I am not sure that it came to blows,
between the two groups. (I have only heard third-hand reports on previous
events.) You know the "super-patriots" vs. “commie symps” thing that
has been going on as long as there have been ex-soldiers (and others) who have
differed from the bourgeois party pro-war line. In any case the way this
impasse had been resolved previously, and the way the parameters were set this
year as well, was that the VFP took up the rear of the official parade, and
took up the rear in an obvious way. Separated, if you can believe, this from
the main body of the official parade by a medical emergency truck. Nice, right?
Something of the old "I’ll take my ball and bat and go home" by the
"officials" was in the air on that one.
But here is where there is a
certain amount of rough plebeian justice, a small dose for those on the side of
the angels, in this wicked old world. In
order to form up, and this was done knowingly by VFP organizers, the official
marchers, the bands and battalions that make up such a march, had to “run the
gauntlet” of dove emblem-emblazoned VFP banners waving frantically directly in
front of their faces as they passed by. Moreover, although we formed the
caboose of this thing the crowds along the parade route actually waited as the
official paraders marched by and waved and clapped at our procession. Be still
my heart. But that response just provides another example of the "street
cred” that ex-soldiers have on the anti-war question. Now, if there is to be
any really serious justice in the world, if only these vets would go beyond the
“bring the troops home” and embrace- immediate, unconditional withdrawal of all
U.S./Allied Troops from Iraq and Afghanistan then we could maybe start to get somewhere
out on those streets. But today I was very glad to be fighting for our
communist future among those who know first-hand about the dark side of the
American experience. No question.
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