Why are we still in Iraq?
It’s not just Bush’s fault. It’s not just the Democrats, either. Or the media.
Part of the blame must be placed on the shoulders of the American people, who haven’t demonstrated enough opposition to the war, at least not enough to force Bush's hand. The fact is that there aren’t enough Democrats in Congress to override a presidential veto. They’ll need some Republicans to leave Bush’s side and they’re simply too comfortable. The Out of Iraq Dems have provided some pressure, but there are simply limits to what politicians can do.
The only group definitely capable of ending the war in Iraq is the American people.
The Republican Party must be taught to fear voters. Unfortunately, it’ll be a long time before we get a chance to vote again. But I found this great list of tools currently! available to us:
Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
I think that’s more than enough equipment for a successful antiwar movement, don’t you? It’s just a question of getting enough citizens to take advantage of their rights.
To date, the antiwar movement has failed to mobilize the bulk of the 200,000,000+ people who are against the war. I won’t pass judgment on the movement's tactics or strategy, but suffice to say there are citizens who’ve not yet engaged who need to be offered a better way to express themselves. In my experience, the reason many people aren’t participating in antiwar actions is they feel that not enough other people are doing them, giving birth to a really frustrating catch-22.
But this September, there will be no excuse.
Have you seen the diaries about Iraq Moratorium Day? It’s an incredibly simple idea: we all do our own individual level antiwar actions on a pre-determined day, whatever you want ---- don’t buy gas, skip work, ditch class, wear a black armband ---- whatever you’re comfortable with and able to do. YOU choose. But you do SOMETHING and show solidarity against the war. And since a lot of the peace groups are already participating, there will even be events to go to if you like.
It’s so easy! Do whatever you want, but do something, and do it with millions of others. If enough people take up this cause as their own, we can OVERWHELM the media with stories about what we’re all doing to stop the war, enough to stiffen the resolve of antiwar Democrats and make Bush's Senate and House lackeys answer questions about it for days afterward. It can be done, it just needs to be promoted, but that’s no problem, because we have a whole 3 months to plan this and you’re going to help, right?