Antiwar Leader Tries To Light Fire Under Dems Over Iraq

[babylonsister]

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0228-03.htm

Antiwar Leader Tries To Light Fire Under Dems Over Iraq
by Greg Sargent


A leading figure of the antiwar movement is warning that Congressional Dems are at risk of badly botching the public relations battle over Iraq and is urging Congressional Dems to move more aggressively to confront the Republicans in the political showdown over ending the war.

The antiwar leader, Tom Andrews, the head of Win Without War, made the comments in an interview with Election Central. His comments reflected what he said is a growing anxiety among antiwar leaders that Congressional Dems are so consumed with uniting their caucus that they're neglecting to articulate a forceful enough antiwar message and thus risk fumbling the current PR war.

"Democrats have to fight," Andrews tells us. "Where are the voices in Congress reflecting the majority view of the American people?"

Andrew says that Dems are being far too timid in the face of a fierce GOP propaganda assault that has for days targeted Jack Murtha in an effort to define his plan for attaching conditions to war funds as micromanaging the war and defunding the troops. Win Without War, like Move On and some other antiwar groups, are generally supportive of the approach that as yet has been outlined by Murtha and other Congressional leaders.

Right now Dem leaders in the House and Senate are trying to gague sentiment in their respective houses of Congress and debating internally the specifics of how to confront the White House on the war. But Andrews says that such debate, while necessary, shouldn't prevent Dems from simultaneously mounting a tough PR counter-offensive -- something Andrews says Dems are failing to do.

"The Republicans should be on their heels," Andrews says. "They have put the troops in these conditions -- and they're the ones on the offensive!"

"There should be a relentless attack" from Dems, Andrews continues. "Dems in Congress should be talking relentlessly about the lack of equipment, the lack of training, the multiple deployments, every day. There should be a relentless demand for accountability."

"Even if you don't have a specific plan yet, you can at least stand up and counterattack against this Republican assault. That hasn't happened," Andrews concludes. "Every day there's not a relentless counterpunch is a missed opportunity. I think a lot more can be done and a lot more should be done."

Tough words for Congressional Dems from a top antiwar leader. Thoughts?

[mike_c]

1. agreed-- America out of Iraq NOW!

eom

[rodeodance]

2. He is right. The majority of PEOPLE have spoken!--in the election and

in the polls. but congress----????????

[Mr. Ected]

3. How Long Has It Been Since Dems Launched an Effective Counterattack?

Repukes destroyed themselves in November.

I only wish the Dems would fight fire with fire.

I only wish the so-called "liberal media" would live up to its name and start slanting the news to the left.

The Dems need all the help they can get....and KO can only do so much.

[bluehighways911]

4. We Can Make It Happen

Remember, a lot of it is up to us. Only our pressuring can change things.

This was sent to me the other day from an old bud, now a chaplain. I am one of those out on the corner every week. I believe it helped in the last election. That district changed to Dem. We have to keep getting the news to the masses.

Dialouge:

"This is the crime of which I accuse my country and my
countrymen, and for which neither I, nor time, nor
history will ever forgive them, that they have
destroyed, and are destroying hundreds of thousands of
lives, and do not know it, and do not want to know
it."

-James Baldwin
from The Fire Next Time


Whenever we enter a time of increased socio/political
tension the music that comes to my mind is from the
Viet Nam era. The tunes of Crosby, Stills, Nash and
Young, Bob Dylan, and a few others continue to be
relevant in a nation that is under the thumb of it's
own military industrial monster which is "destroying
hundreds of thousands of lives".
Recently I heard a hit from 1972 that I think has
been overlooked as an anti-war/social change song.
Written by Robert Lamm of the group "Chicago",
"Dialogue Part One" and "Part Two" features the voices
of Terry Kath and Peter Cetera in dialogue "'bout the
way that things are (were) going".
Kath sings the part of a young man who is becoming
aware of the disturbing nature of world events. The
Cetera character is clueless and wants to stay that
way.
Here are the lyrics from Part One:

"Dialogue Part One"

(Kath) Are you optimistic 'bout the way that things
are going?

(Cetera) No, I never ever think of it at all.

(K) Don't you ever worry when you see what's going
down?

(C) No, I try to mind my business, that is, no
business at all.

(K) When it's time to function as a feeling human
being, will your Bachelor of Arts help you get by?

(C) I hope to study further, a few more years or so. I
also hope to keep a steady high.

(K) Will you try to change things, use the power that
you have, the power of a million new ideas?

(C) What is this power you speak of and the need for
things to change? I always thought that everything was
fine.

(K) Don't you feel repression just closing in around?

(C) No, the campus here is very, very free.

(K) Does it make you angry that the war is dragging
on?

(C) Well, I hope the President knows what he's into, I
don't know.

(K) Don't you see starvation in the city where you
live, all the needless hunger, all the needless pain?

(C) I haven't been there lately, the country is so
fine, but my neighbors don't seem hungry 'cause they
haven't got the time.

(K) Thank you for the talk, you know you really eased
my mind. I was troubled by the shape of things to
come.

(C) Well, if you had my outlook your feelings would be
numb, you'd always think that everything was fine.

So why am I highlighting this song? Many of us worry
when we see what's going down these days, but we don't
all come to the same conclusions on how to deal with
it. This is not a vain attempt to convert supporters
of the war in Iraq. What I'm hoping to do is to point
out the importance of trying to wake up the slumbering
masses, those who choose, like the Cetera character,
to just mind their own business while the war keeps
"dragging on".
Occasionally I meet with other anti-war activists at
a busy, suburban intersection. We hold up signs saying
things like, "End the War", and "Honk for Peace". It's
heart-warming to hear how many honk and give the
thumbs-up.(A growing majority.) And the fight/flight
adrenaline pumps when we get the rare thumbs-down,
finger-up, or foul-mouthed tirade. (One guy pulled up
and hollered, " just go away", as he flicked his
flaming cigarette at me!)
After twenty-some years of activism I've learned that
it usually takes powerful, or a lot of little,
unplanned experiences to change the minds and hearts
of those who have their minds made up. Arguments don't
work. They've never worked on me. So, my focus has
shifted to folks like those who pull up to our
intersection with white-knuckled grips on their
steering wheels, and necks plank-stiff trying to avoid
eye contact with us. They may not be asleep at the
wheel, but they are trying to stay asleep in the soul.
Why? Because that's where we are connected with the
suffering of friend and foe alike. And the suffering
in Iraq is overwhelming.
My hope, and it may be a slim hope, as I hold my sign
on the street corner, is that this strange sight in
the 'burbs might wake up at least one suburban
snoozer. Like it or not, we are here to agitate. We
are the barking dogs at your bedside in the morning.
We won't stop or go away until you WAKE UP and address
this war, not just by having an opinion but by
participating in OUR democracy. Believe me, I
understand how unsettling that can be. As Molly Ivans
once said, "The thing about democracy, beloveds, is
that it is not neat, orderly or quiet. It requires a
certain relish for confusion."
WAKE UP! Martin Luther King spoke about the harm done
by good people who do nothing. WAKE UP! Visitors to
the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. are confronted
with this challenge at it's entrance: "Thou shalt not
be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above
all, thou shalt not be a bystander."
Like the Cetera character, most of us try to numb our
feelings and "keep a steady high" in some way. Whether
it's with chemicals, work, shopping, religiosity, or
entertainment, like sports and celebrity watching.
(Yes, I believe there are people who vote for
All-Stars and the "American Idol", but not for
American politicians!)WAKE UP!

"Will you try to change things, use the power that you
have, the power of a million new ideas?"

Ordinary voters changed the faces of the Senate and
the Congress this past November, and many of us
recognize that we have to continue to use our power to
make sure that policies change too. Millions of people
are waking up to an idea that may be new to them...
that we can live in a world without war. And millions
of people are having new ideas all the time for things
we can do FOR each other instead of AGAINST each
other. What a waste to be sleeping through all of
this! What a waste to be an armchair American just
grumbling at those "damn liberals" or those "*#@%
conservatives"! WAKE UP!

"'But now', says the Once-Ler, 'now that you're here,
the word of the Lorax seems perfectly clear. Unless
someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is
going to get better. It's not.'"
-Dr. Seuss

"Part Two" of the "Dialogue" is an upbeat mantra...a
group affirmation. Each line starts with the word
"we", not "I". When you start waking up to the
suffering we are causing because of this war you will
feel angry. But that is only a start. When you
actually decide to get out of bed and do something
you'll begin to realize the wisdom of the saying,
"Don't get angry, get organized". Join or start a
group that promotes the action you want to see happen,
because the words of one angry, isolated individual
are like spit in a hurricane when it comes to these
global issues. But, if the history of America, indeed,
the history of humanity proves anything, it's that,
"We can make it happen".

Find the song and sing along!


"Dialogue, Part II"

"We can make it happen.
We can change the world now.
We can save the children.
We can make it better.
We can make it happen."

-Robert Lamm - 1972


WE CAN!

[paulk]

5. Tom Andrews should run for Congress

seriously.