Reply #28: Doing the Right Thing - "we who believe in freedom cannot rest"

[dzika]

Doing the Right Thing

by Ted Glick
December 27, 2004

-snip-
The right thing, one of the key "right things," that all progressives of all nationalities and whatever their party affiliation need to be doing **right now,** is throwing ourselves feet first into the grassroots movement to bring out the truth of what happened in Ohio and elsewhere. We need to demand that action be taken accordingly-action against any criminal wrongdoing, action to reform an electoral system that is seriously deficient, even on its own two-party, winner-take-all terms.

U.S. "democracy" is to democracy what the war on Iraq is to a just war.

-snip-
The weeks since the election have seen the emergence and unfolding of a potentially powerful, pro-democracy movement in this country. Such a movement will, of necessity, bring together organizations and leaders who have their differences on other issues but who are in agreement that the defense, expansion and deepening of U.S. democracy is an urgent necessity. Such a movement, over time, should grow to include not just Greens and progressive Democrats but other third party adherents and even some Republicans who are disturbed by what they see happening in their party. Such a movement, if it is to succeed, must put institutionalized electoral racism at the center of its agenda and must be led by African Americans and other people of color in combination with others. Indeed, that is what is now happening.

It may be the holiday season, but this is no time to be sitting back relaxing. There's a Winter Democracy Campaign underway and, in Ella Baker's words, "we who believe in freedom cannot rest."

For more information go to www.votecobb.org, www.nov3.us, www.counter-inaugural.org, or www.unitedforpeace.org.

Ted Glick is the outgoing National Coordinator of the Independent Progressive Politics Network. He can be reached at [email protected] or P.O. Box 1132, Bloomfield, N.J. 07003.


Link:
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=90&ItemID=6924