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How
To Lose Friends and Influence Nobody
January 24, 2003
By Daniel Patrick Welch
 Among
recent media awareness of the burgeoning antiwar movement
across the country, several items stick out. Moveon.org has
released an antiwar ad to be shown on TV stations across the
country, part of a grassroots campaign gone overboard. The
group asked for enough money from supporters to launch a modest
print ad, and wound up with enough for a nationwide TV campaign.
Based on the 'Daisy' ad which has now become a classic in
political advertising circles, the new ad warns against the
inherent unpredictably of conflict, and the possibility of
the use of nuclear weapons. It is an impressive grassroots
achievement, and a compelling visual and emotional statement.
I am glad, however, that the movement is beginning to move
past the timid contradiction of narrowing its focus in order
to broaden its appeal. "Let the Inspections Work," the main
thrust of this campaign, is a simple, direct slogan aimed
at mainstream support. And the threat of nuclear escalation
is indeed a scary one. But ironically, though this particular
ad fears this threat coming from 'extremists taking over countries
with nuclear weapons,' most of the world already sees this
as a fact: the extremists being the Bush administration and
their nuclear first strike policy. In short, although poor
Pogo must be sick of being paraphrased, they have met the
enemy, and he is us. Moreover, momentum is building for a
broader appeal to Americans beyond their own obvious self-interest,
toward a broader opposition to the destructive policies of
a government gone off the deep end.
The fact is that even if it does 'end quickly,' (the best
case scenario alluded to in the ads) an attack on Iraq will
result in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, mass
murder by any reasonable standard. Aside from the sheer inhumanity
of such an act, Americans need to make opposition to this
horrific disregard for human life a centerpiece of the opposition
campaign. This is not only because it is wrong, which would
be enough, but as a measure of self-interest as well. The
main lesson of Vietnam for the war complex seems to be that
keeping American casualties low gives a green light for action.
The result has been an enormous increase in the disproportionality
of deaths in later conflicts bordering on madness.
Even on the home front we have minimized the true effects
of warfare. No draft is necessary (for now) and few leader's
children will suffer the inevitable consequences of war. In
this vein it was perfectly correct for Charlie Rangel (D-Harlem)
to insist on debating the draft, as his constituents have
always borne a disproportionate burden in the so-called 'volunteer
army.' If we do not resist loudly and forcefully specifically
on the basis that the value of other human life is equal to
that of Americans, we risk facing a hatred and a distrust
engendered by other maniacal regimes in history. This is no
idle threat. Even mainstream politicians like Clinton have
pointed out that the Indian and Chinese economies will zoom
past ours in a few decades by mere demographic force. If we
feel we must adopt a nationalist perspective to appeal to
Americans as Americans, it is wise to point out that bullies
who can't keep ahead (an economic and demographic certainty
in our future) get beat up in the long run.
Focusing too narrowly on inspections in Iraq may miss a broader
opportunity that, many of us feel, is really there. It goes
without saying (except in the U.S.) that 'letting the inspections
work' (the emphasis of the ads) is the correct course, because
that is the course agreed on by the world community. Opposition
along the lines I state here is simple logic and common sense,
easily grasped even by most self-interested observers. Besides,
UN resolution 1441, which justifies the inspections, was itself
the result of a blackmail agreement to keep the U.S. warhawks
at bay. Most human rights organizations seem to agree that
the U.S. and British obsession with Iraq is just that - an
obsession. The sanctions regime muscled through the UN by
the U.S. (not to mention the no-fly zones not recognized by
the international community) is a humanitarian disaster comparable
to genocide (words actually used by UN officials).
Basing world policy on one well-contained potential prolifieration
hotspot is not 'doing something for world peace' any more
than attacking affirmative action is 'doing something about
race relations' or than giving tax breaks to rich friends
is 'doing something about the economy,' or than rounding up
muslims is 'doing something about terrorism.' Such charades
are pure, superficial cynicism, guided by the ugly and brazen
self-interest of a small cabal who benefits from them. The
transparency of their thinly disguised motives would be laughable
if they weren't so dangerous. The administration itself barely
tries to hide its lust for Iraq's oil and political and military
control over the entire region. If one were truly concerned
about world peace, proliferation itself is the enemy, coupled
with the rapid advance of killing technology embraced by these
same warmongers.
True danger can only be averted by global disarmament, starting
with the truly insane WMD stockpiles of the U.S. and former
USSR. Nuclear threats abound where there really are already
functioning warheads - among the other nuclear state powers:
China, Israel, France, Britain, India and Pakistan. Picking
on an enemy you can easily beat neither solves the problem
nor wins any friends.
The sad and graphic fact is that, as ordinary Americans,
our hands are already covered in blood, and getting bloodier
by the minute. This is not a difficult point to argue; nor
are its component facts inaccessible to any American who cares
to seek out the truth from sources beyond the nightly TV news.
The time is right to raise the bar and oppose with greater
stridency. We are rapidly becoming an international pariah,
and our leaders aren't listening. Why would they? Americans
who care are waking up to the fact that these are just not
a particularly sane group of people. They can hardly be called
'conservatives', nor even radicals for that matter. They are
fundamentalist loons, an American Taliban who has seized control
of government and policy making apparatus - for whom fighting
a holy war against condom use is actually a serious part of
government policy. It is just not normal to spend thousands
of dollars to cover up the statue of Lady Justice. I guess
John Ashcroft thought Justice needed to be more modest - and
if that's not a scary metaphor, I don't know what is.
These are zealots for whom science is an inconvenience whose
conclusions can be scrubbed from government websites when
they are politically inexpedient, and for whom dissent can
be attacked as treason. Karl Rove and the other henchmen surrounding
George Bush have no concern for their mandate. They were content
to do whatever it took to gain power, and only the most blind
among us can ignore the obvious fact that they will do anything
to keep power. Dirty tricks are the only true science of this
crowd, and in opposing them we can ill afford to tread lightly.
It is no exaggeration to say that the future of the world
depends on it.
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