In one week, on March 19, 2005, it will be the two-year anniversary of the illegal invasion of Iraq. To date, over 1500 of our brave young soldiers have died, over 11,000 have been maimed and disabled...and for what? There were NO weapons of mass destruction, there weren't even PROGRAMS to produce WMD's because, as Charles Dulfer told the world, the sanctions had been working. Elections in that ravaged land were not the dawning of democracy over the Middle East, as our president foolishly and falsly proclaimed; they were a tasteless joke that merely served to underline the presence of 14 new, permanent military bases there...and changed virtually nothing.
The global antiwar movement is planning worldwide demonstrations of protest on that day. How about lending a hand?
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke
Irish orator, philospher, statesman
(1729-1797)
A committment to activism is a committment of faith that says no matter how corrupt and repressive our government becomes, no matter how negative the prevailing attitudes, no matter how bleak and dismal everything seems, the situation is not yet hopeless. Activism, the real-world effort involved in changing minds, is the only path open to us, regardless of how battered and trampled our democracy, that can lead us to better tomorrows. Never, ever doubt that you can make a profound and positive difference, for throughout history it is the determined efforts of the populace which always have prevailed. It was activism which ended the British occupation of India, the Russian occupation of Hungary, apartheid, Southern segregation, the Vietnam War...and it can end THIS war. You can be an agent of progress. It all begins with the committment of one single solitary soul; it all begins with YOU.
Right now, the climate for dissent is not friendly. The pervasive propaganda of the Raw Deal Republicans continues to insinuate that anyone who doesn't "support the troops" is somehow a traitor giving aid and comfort to the enemy, un-American...treasonous. Well, like most of what they say, that's a steaming load of balderdash. Who among us does NOT support our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, our friends and neighbors who have, through no fault of their own, been plunged into the heat of battle? The warmongers seek not support for our military personnel, but for their filthy, greedy little war, a very different thing. And when it comes right down to the nitty gritty, it has been proven repeatedly that they, the hawks themselves do not, in fact, "support the troops." But we're not supposed to notice that part.
Is it supporting the troops to send them into harm's way without armor on their vehicles, without bulletproof vests? (http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/030705E.shtml)
Is it supporting the troops not to fund their veterans' benefits while they're busy bleeding into foreign sand? (http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special_packages/veterans/10915802.htm)
Is it supporting the troops not to budget for their death benefits? (Washington Times, 3/3/05, "DOD shy $574M for 2006 Iraq death benefit")
Is it, in ANY way, supporting the troops to require that they use tanks armored with depleted uranium or munitions hardened with the unholy stuff, knowing that it's a death sentence?? (By the way, DU is now acknowledged to be the SOLE CAUSE of Gulf War Syndrome...)(http://www.sfbayview.com/081804/Depleteduranium081804.shtml) Apparently, when it somes to troop support, the current administration shares Henry Kissinger's elitist view, stated in Kiss The Boys Goodbye, "Military men are just dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy."
Another drawback to demonstrations is that they don't get the media attention these days that might engage the hearts and minds of Middle America. That march of half a million people in New York City during the Republican National Convention rated barely a mention on network news broadcasts. You see, not only is the White House extraordinarily skillful in the art of 'perception manipulation,' as first delineated by Ronald Ray-Gun, but the handful of media conglomerates that actually disseminate the news are owned by, contributors to or supportive of Republicans and their pro-corporate agenda. (Just look up who owns what at the Columbia Journalism Review, http://www.cjr.org/tools/owners/) And if they are not in the pockets of the GOP outright--as Sumner Redstone of Viacom proclaimed before the last election--then they are, as Dan Rather says, too cowed to oppose them with anything even approaching objectivity or vigor. We're on our own, friends and neighbors.
If the peace marches themselves aren't your cup of Oolong, don't be shy about contributing money to the organizations who sponsor them. These are good, dedicated people who need financial assistance as well as warm bodies for their scheduled events. Volunteer or give generously; contributions are most likely tax deductible and you'll be secure in the knowledge that you're helping a worthy cause. Keep recipts and be sure to take the appropriate deductions at tax time, whether this year or next. Below is a small sampling of splendid antiwar organizations to get you started:
Iraq Veterans Against The War http://www.ivaw.net
Military Families Speak Out http://www.mfso.org
Gold Star Families for Peace http://www.gsfp.org
Act Now To Stop War and End Rascism; A.N.S.W.E.R. http://answer.pephost.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ANS_March19_actions
For those of you whose activism goals might be wider than merely bringing our soldiers home--worthy at that one certainly is--there is a super-abundance of organizations, forums and methods to choose from. In fact, because of the Internet, access to legislators and grassroots groups has never been easier.
Listen; Howard Dean is a decent guy who's doing the best he can but, like Sisyphus, he's got a boulder that he's trying to roll up a mountain. Personally, my money's on the doctor...but we can't count solely on him for direction; we know in our hearts what needs to be done and we've got 20 months to do it. What say we get busy?
I offer for your considertion the following five-point plan. It's only a rough outline and you can refine it, cut it to fit your methods or circumstances...but its a place for you to begin and I'm sure you'll get a lot more ideas on your own once you get the ball rolling.
1.) Pick one issue that's important to you.
I have NO idea what it might be, nor can I suggest anything concrete here because different parts of the country have very different problems. I'm only indicating the need for a narrowed focus. If you're a Californiam who's doing a slow burn over the mess Arnold's making, then that's where you need to concentrate your efforts. You might be a tool and die craftsman whose job just boarded a plane for Taiwan or a victim of corporate plundering and pollution. Maybe you're just hopping mad about the attempt to hijack our future through the privatization of Social Security. Perhaps it is on the federal level that you need to seek a solution, it might be in your state or hometown; only YOU can make the decision. Remember: Wild flailing in all directions won't achieve much of anything but increasing your frustration so boil down your ambitions to one hard, bright pinpoint. Decide what it is that you most wish to accomplish.
2.) Inform yourself.
I cannot stress too strongly the value of information. Facts are your friend; learn as much as you can about your chosen issue. The Internet can be an invaluable tool here as well. Think about it! The worldwide web is the greatest information resourse in the history of human thought. Entire libraries are now online. With the click of a mouse, you can go to Oxford, MIT, the Smithsonian, the Louvre. You can peruse back issues of the London Times, Soldier Of Fortune Magazine or Pravda. Maybe you've been too close to the 'net to do anything other than take it for granted...maybe you haven't been close enough for full appreciation. These are riches beyond price: You can literally find out anything you want. Use this wonderful tool; use it wisely and well!
3.) Plan your campaign.
Make a list...not in your head, but written down or on a floppy. Something you can use to jot notes on and refer back to. What do you need to learn? Whom do you need to reach? How can you achieve maximim result from a minimum of effort? Keep in mind that all corporations, all politicians, all media now have an Internet presence. Not only can you learn what you need to know, you can also make contact with your targets.
E-mail is nice; it's fast, handy and everybody who's anybody has an e-mail address these days...but I urge you to keep in mind the sublime and intrinsic potency that snail mail still offers. Hand-delivered hard copies can be powerfully convincing, whether you're writing to the Senate Minority Whip or the Executive Vice President for Programming at the National Broadcasting Company. The US postal service isn't going out of business anytime soon because they deal with a commodity that's too hard to ignore. A classy formal letter indicates the sender's sincerity and depth of committment...and it can't be deleted with just a click, either.
Who you're going to communicate with depends entirely upon what you're trying to accomplish. You should know the names of your own state and local representatives. On the federal level, your elected officials are all handily listed at congress.org. If you feel the need to do more than simply exhort you state's Senators or your district Representative, consider writing to Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader or Nancy Peolsi, Democratic Leader in the House Of Representatives. Rep. Rahm Emanual is the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Howard Dean, DNC Chairman, has his own e-mail generator at democrats.org. Use it! That's what it's there for. You may want to write to the Congressional Black Caucus; their chairman is Melvin Watt...and you can ALWAYS reach legislators who are on the committee handling your pet project; congress.org has all the details. (By the way, telephoning these people is always posible and , sometimes is a better idea than writing them if your need is immediate. They all have plenty of telephone-answering staffers who get paid to do nothing but listen to YOU. There are also many, many grassroots organizations that can help amplify your one voice. A long--but by no means exhaustive--list appears at the end of this diary.
4.) Execute your plan.
Assemble your information, sources, URLs, addresses, and make your best posible case. Draft letters before typing them up; they need to be succinct and to the point because you're attempting to engage the attention of some VERY busy people, but be sure you say everything you want to say. Grammar and spelling are important; we're not ignorant, knuckle-dragging Freepers, are we? You will be afforded more credit if your communication looks like you spent the time to make it right. For telephone calls, outline what you want to say in advance so you don't forget anything crucial in the heat of the moment.
BRIEF NOTE ON LETTER-WRITING: How many appropriately respectful--read that "bland porridge"--letters do you think that legislators and corporate cheiftains receive on a daily basis? To many to pay attention to!! They all have clerks who will summon up the computerized form letter--a bland porridge response--which will tell you how "deeply concerned" they are over whatever you happen to be griping about...then they go right out and do whatever the puppet master tells them to do. Forget civics class; writing a member of congress an appropriately respectful letter is a waste of your time and their secretaries'. Send something that will get their attention; in the case of a Republican, send them something that'll strip paint! You want to lay your case out and slap them upside the head with the naked truth and maybe, just maybe, make the clerk reading it stop and decide to pass it along. If nothing else, let them know that you're nobody's fool.
5.)Do NOT wait for a reply.
Be realistic. The only response you can possibly expect is a form letter or an automatically-generated e-mail...and it's unlikely to address your specific concerns. Drive on. Keep going and don't look back. The answer you REALLY want, if it comes at all, will come from a news source. You'll learned that something happened that you wanted to happen or something was cut off at the pockets which you'd been railing against. Be satisfied: You'll NEVER get any more satisfaction that that...but that's pretty nifty, all things considered. meantime, there's always more to do. Keep on truckin'.
Also, do not EVER asume that your information will be shared among your intended recipients. Redundancy is NOT a crime. Send them ALL e-mails, letters or phone calls. The worst that can happen is that they'll realize somebody is mighty serious about something.
There are lots of real-world ways to get the message out to the public. If you have a connection in that area, give local-access cable a try. Leaflets are an example of something which can yield great results under the proper circumstances...and waste your time, energy and money under the wrong ones. Use them only when you're certain that your intended audience is receptive, sympathetic to your cause...otherwise they'll end up as so much wastepaper in the gutter. Writing letters to the editor of your local paper is often a good idea. Of course, you're not writing to convince the editor of your point of view; who cares what Perry White thinks? You're writing to the readers, the subscribers, the citizens who plunk down their hard earned to find out what the rest of the world is thinking. Well...TELL them! Congress.org (handy little site!) has a message generator that will allow you to reach five of your regional papers AT ONCE. It doesn't get any easier than that. Radio and television may hate it, but they have websites and often encourage viewer/listener participation. Take them up on it! Radio call-in shows offer the opportunity to reach a lot of people at once; when you've got your talking points down cold, go to it!
This is how we're going to change the world, ladies and gentlemen, by changing one mind at a time.
Let's get started...
FOLLOWING IS A LISTING OF SOME ACTIVIST ORGANIZATIONS:
Americn Civil Liberties Union
Fair-L http://www.fair.org
American Progress Action Fund
Freepress.net
Center for Constitutional Rights
Moving Ideas
People For the American Way
YP4
African American Ministers in Action
Fair Taxes For All
Partners for Public Education
Public Action Campaign Fund
Progressive Democrats of America
Democracy Now
VerifiedVoting.org
Independent Progressive Politics Network
The Principles Project
Citizen's Alliance for Secure Elections
Alliance for Democracy
Code Pink
The Aggressive Progressives
National Ballot Integrity Project
Alternative Media project
Backbone Campaign (Don't you LOVE that name?)
Rapid Response Network
Democrats Abroad
Consciouspolitics.org
PeaceMajority.org
The Peace Alliance Foundation
NoMandate.org
Flyby News
Left.org
51 Capital March
Be The Media
Hip-Hop Summit Action Network
Democracy Prevails
BreaktheLink.org
We Do Not Concede Coalition
ProgressNow.org
DemocracyRising.us
Radio Left