Stop the War
How many more lives need to be lost? It is time to end the war in Iraq and bring the troops back home. This group is a place for people interested in organizing against the war to come together and share ideas. Hopefully this interaction will generate a stronger movement that will bring a quick end to this chapter in American history.
Since all have you just joined this site, I recommend that you read this post by Jake, it explains some of the basics of the network.
Bang bang, ka-ching. Bang bang, ka-ching. Bang bang, ka-ching...
I'm not cynical enough to think that the United States invaded Iraq so we could gain a customer for our weapons, but...
In a move that could be the most enduring imprint of U.S. influence in the Arab world, American military officials in Baghdad have begun a crash program to outfit the entire Iraqi army with M-16 rifles.
The initiative marks a sharp break for a culture steeped in the traditions of the Soviet-era AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle, a symbol of revolutionary zeal and third-world simplicity that is ubiquitous among the militaries of the Middle East.
...
So far, the U.S. military has helped the Iraqi army purchase 43,000 rifles - a mix of full-stock M-16A2s and compact M-4 carbines. Another 50,000 rifles are currently on order, and the objective is to outfit the entire Iraqi army with 165,000 American rifles in a one-for-one replacement of the AK-47.
Iraq roundup
Interesting tidbit today --- they're planning to cut combat tours from 15 to 12 months.
Gen. George Casey, the Army chief of staff, told a Senate panel that the Army is under serious strain from years of war-fighting and must reduce the length of combat tours as soon as possible.
"The cumulative effects of the last six-plus years at war have left our Army out of balance, consumed by the current fight and unable to do the things we know we need to do to properly sustain our all-volunteer force and restore our flexibility for an uncertain future," Casey said.
Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) Formally Calls for Impeachment Hearings
It's a great speech. After the jump, excerpts from an op-ed he co-published last month with two other members of the House Judiciary Committee, Reps Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI).
A Plan
How about this?
We make some amazing t-shirt designs to raise money and put it in a fund for new projects. We then announce an activism entrepreneur contest. People post their ideas on Lose the Label and the community decides which ones to fund. We can promote the contest on Facebook (through notes, and a group we invite a ton of people to), the blogs (I can make some posts announcing it, and maybe we can afford some banner ads), YouTube, Digg and whatever else we can think of.
We could repeat this project a bunch of times and probably expand it, too.
Idiot proof general strike plan
Here's a step by step description of how we can stage a massive antiwar strike using Facebook. Yes, really. I think our target number should be 130,000 because that's the number of troops stuck in Iraq right now, plus it's much easier to reach than the original goal of 250k.
FIRST STAGE: Getting to 130,000
Step One: ASSEMBLE CORE. Build group of 30 core organizers/recruiters. Have it on Facebook so more people can easily join later.
Step Two: CREATE MAIN GROUP. Create Facebook group with a catchy description, simple demands, and a link to the organizers group.
Step Three: LAUNCH. All 30 core organizers invite 100+ friends to group, AND each convince at least 5 friends to invite 50 of their friends. ("Chain invite" -- remember?)
Step Four: NURTURE GROWTH. Make posts advertising strike group on the walls of liberal groups all over Facebook.
And hopefully this creates explosive growth. If it doesn’t, we try other tactics, or pull the plug, or go at a smaller level (50k?). We make decisions like this by posting discussion threads on Lose the Label, which should be the planning area because we have control here; no worries about trolls or interference from Faceb$k administrators. We can also do more with email here.
Shake it off, get it done
Sometimes I hear old hippies blustering about how apathetic the young people are these days and it pisses me off. It’s not that they cared more about the world; it’s that the world was out to get them.
I'm referring to the draft, literally used to death by Johnson and Nixon. Our jerk in the White House, W, never had the balls to order one, instead relying on continually extending the tours of duty of those poor souls who were unlucky enough to have faith in this country. The antiwar movement of the ‘60s erupted because everyone had a life to lose. The antiwar movement of the present flounders because young people are undisturbed.
This means that in order to stop the war, we have to care more about our peers stuck in the military. Where the young people of the 1960s acted out of direct self-interest, we have to act out of compassion for our peers and anger at our leaders. But yeah, I know, it's not exactly the norm in the United States of America.
That being said, matching the impact of the Vietnam era protesters--- who succeeded in the short term even if they dissipated in the long term --- is not beyond us. In fact, I see several factors that make it possible to far EXCEED their impact.
Student Strike Against the War?
If we do this, no halfassing it.
At the end of the meeting, right as everybody had to go, we
came up with a concept for how to implement the strike idea on a national scale
with a student focus. I thought about it, wrote it up and here's what I got.
Facebook would be our main organizing tool and we’d get
fancy with it. We start of by creating 1 Facebook group, which for now I’ll
call “If this group reaches 250,000, we strike against the war”. The group
description says something like, “Join this group if you commit to
ditching class 7 days after this group reaches 250,000 members. Our only demand
is that Congress defund the war so the troops start coming home NOW. If this
demand is not met and the group makes it to 250,000, we commit to this small
act of resistance.”
Antiwar Tuesday
I wanted to talk about this at the meeting last night, but we ran out of time.
Can we please put more effort into Antiwar Tuesday?
By "more effort" I mean more consistency, more invites, and also talking to friends about it. For all the "hey, what a great idea" comments people left in the past, it never took off the way I think it should have and still could if we tried harder. And why the f not? It's not like it's that hard to do one small action a week and then post it to a facebook group, especially when the link is right in your inbox. I'm tired of seeing 6 different people do it every week and then disappearing. We can do better.
Please do something tomorrow. And next week. And the week after that. Until the war ends. That's the only way we build anything. Otherwise, there's no forward progress, just me trying to keep the thing alive, and just once, just ONCE, I wish something like this would take on a life of its own.
Congressional District Strikes
(note: there are no new ideas here, just a bunch of old ones
I ripped off, combined and applied to the current situation)
The Need for Resistance
It has become clear to me that simple protest and other purely expressive activity is not enough to beneficially alter the course of this country. Hundreds of thousands marched in the streets prior to the invasion of Iraq, yet the war occurred anyway. Since then, a number of major protests have occurred in DC and in other cities, but the war continues despite these efforts.
The events of September 15th and the coverage thereof have convinced me that even hundreds of thousands of people marching in the street are just an easily ignored nuisance to those who control this country.
Beyond Iraq
In retrospect, the War on Terror was lost in 2002 when President Bush began campaigning for war in Iraq. It wasn’t even the act of bombing and invasion. It was his insistence, the inevitability, the lack of discussion, the assertion that America was allowed to topple a country that, for all its terrible flaws, did absolutely nothing to deserve being torn down by a state all the way on the other side of the world.
We lost the hearts and minds of people all over. Only a minority within the U.S. --- the liberals --- stood up for peace and were easily swept aside by a panicky, easily manipulated, ignorant, bloodthirsty mass who called themselves patriots and accused everyone else of being traitors. Bush got his war. America signed its own death warrant. The “moderates” and the “centrists” and other people with no principles besides taking the easy path and not rocking the boat, all went along with it. Never forget.
We often measure the cost of war as five and a half years, 3500 dead soldiers, 27000 wounded, an impossible-to-pin-down number of dead and wounded Iraqi civilians, police and military, hundreds of billions of dollars and so on. But what about the other consequences? The ones that don’t have numbers?
They might hurt even worse.
Police Brutality (or, Sometimes the World Makes Me Want to Purge)
So this is probably getting around by now, but I want to post this anyways.
Very recently, a UF student-Andrew Meyer, was arrested and tasered by UF police at a John Kerry speech in Gainesville, FLorida. After having his mic cut, Meyer was dragged from the mic by the police, while yelling "why am I being arrested?!" and "help me!". As the police dragged him from the auditorium, he began to resist the officers (All 5 of them) and so they threw him to the ground and tasered him. I linked two videos below, and you can hear the taser go off, as well as Meyer's screams of pain.
Dig on This
So I just got this e-mail today. I think it poses a good question. What are everyone's thoughts?
"Dear activists, colleagues, and friends,
Well Fox News went to new lows in their analysis of Petraeus' testimony last week, when our friends at Media Matters let us know that they had 7 to 1 analysts in favor of escalation. It was hard to believe, even for FOX!
Arrested at the Capitol
I went to DC this weekend to protest the war and to participate in a die-in alongside members of Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) with the knowledge that I could be arrested. The vets decided that they were going to perform an act of civil disobedience and cross the police line over the wall one at a time and subsequently get arrested. They did and many protestors followed, leading to at least 193 arrests. Other numbers are floating around, but I witnessed that booking number since it was four behind my own.
I personally ended up spending 8 hours in handcuffs, 6 of those in the back of a bus. I was released after paying $100 at 7:30 the next morning.
Thursday Open Thread
Bush speech on Iraq tonight at 9 ET. Democratic response will follow as will a 2 minute response from John Edwards on MSNBC.
Gen. David Petraeus vs. 72% of Iraqis
As you know by now, the debate over the war has reached its height. General David Petreaus, commander of U.S. troops in Iraq, testified before Congress the other day to recommend we stay.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The 30,000 additional troops deployed to Iraq in January could come home by next July, but further American withdrawals would be "premature," the U.S. commander there told a fractious congressional hearing Monday.
So, basically, we get nothing. In any event, 130,000 troops are stuck there for another year. They’ll continue to be targets of and fuel for the insurgency.
The Iraqi government is going to be denied the chance to stand on its own, free and independent of the U.S., which is simply a permanent noose around their neck, as the will of the Iraqi people testifies. What’s the will of the Iraqi people, you ask? Great question! Here’s the answer, from a brand new IRAQI opinion poll (released this week) on the surge.
Barely a quarter of Iraqis say their security has improved in the past six months, a negative assessment of the surge in U.S. forces that reflects worsening public attitudes across a range of measures, even as authorities report some progress curtailing violence. snip More Iraqis say security in their local area has gotten worse in the last six months than say it's gotten better, 31 percent to 24 percent, with the rest reporting no change. Far more, six in 10, say security in the country overall has worsened since the surge began, while just one in 10 sees improvement.
More directly assessing the surge itself -- a measure that necessarily includes views of the United States, which are highly negative -- 65 to 70 percent of Iraqis say it's worsened rather than improved security, political stability and the pace of redevelopment alike.
(more statistics below the page break)
Iraq.
It makes a bigger impact when people you know die.
Clovis lost its seventh young man yesterday in the blackhawk helicopter that fell.
That seventh man was also the brother of the man who died in 2004 in Iraq.
He was the fifth killed from one high school in Clovis Unified.
Now, I don't know him personally.. but I know people who know him. I've been to his school and I've known some of his former friends.
Just makes a bigger impact.
And makes me want to fly a plane over to Washington DC and beg him to end the war myself.
Re: Generation Gap -- jakethorn's Offspring post
Okay, so I've been struggling with these things for a long time. The generation gap of the 60's, the generation gap today, activism, etc. My parents used to be major hippies, and whereas I feel my mother has kind of lost touch (yay mercedes! marble bathrooms for all!) my pop is really still in tune with it, and understands my frustration with the current 'way of the world.' I spoke to him at length about the 60's. The few things that hit me (and that I wrote down) went as follows:
Friday Open Thread
"Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind."
-John F. Kennedy
The War
Most of the posts I make about the war, I’m summarizing a specific development or event. But today I’m going to write more broadly and at greater length. This is my whole take on Iraq.
Like anyone who cares for human rights, I’m glad that Saddam Hussein is gone. But I’m also extremely angry at the cost in terms of life, money, time, effort and credibility.
Reports of another massacre during Battle of Fallujah
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - Up to 10 U.S. Marines are under investigation for the deaths of eight Iraqi prisoners during the November 2004 battle for Fallujah, marking the third war crimes probe of Marines at California's Camp Pendleton, a government spokesman said on Thursday.
A firsthand account of the alleged massacre can be found here.
Stale houseguests
Withdrawing the 150,000 U.S. troops occupying Iraq means removing 150,000 things for the insurgents to shoot at. That’s 150,000 fewer targets for roadside bombs, RPGs, small arms, mortars, etc.
How would you feel if there were Hummers all over the road, everywhere you drove, and every time you were close to one, there’s a chance you could get shot, either by the people in the Hummer or people shooting at the Hummer? How would you feel about the people in the Hummers? Would you want to be driving next to one? Would you want one to drive by your house?
You’d want them the HELL out of your country. Unless you feared the people shooting at the Hummers more than the people driving the Hummers.
But they don’t. Don’t take my word for it ---- ask the Iraqis.
Iraq Roundup
BAGHDAD, June 21 -- Fourteen U.S. soldiers have died in scattered attacks in Iraq over the last two days, including five killed Thursday by a roadside bomb in a northeastern Baghdad neighborhood, the military said in a series of statements.
With a major U.S. effort to oust insurgents underway in Diyala province north of the Iraqi capital, a series of five attacks elsewhere claimed the lives of American soldiers on patrol in Baghdad, in the restive Al Anbar province, and southwest of the capital.
Iraq roundup
Here's some Iraq-related stuff, in no particular order.
I saw a New York Times article about U.S. forces "arming Sunni Arab groups that have promised to fight militants linked with Al Qaeda who have been their allies in the past."
Bolded that last part so you don't miss it. That's right --- we're arming people who were blowing people up a few months ago.
Project Idea: Antiwar Tuesday
What if every Tuesday, we all did something small to express our opposition to the war? Nothing huge or organized, just slightly out of the ordinary, and in solidarity with strangers from all over the country. It's not going to stop the war, obviously, but it at least affords the opportunity to try, and show your support for other people doing the same.
Possible actions could include not buying gas, wearing a black armband, drawing a peace sign on your hand, not shopping, skipping work or class, shouting "STOP THE WAR" at the top of your lungs, putting up a flier, calling your congressperson or the president, or whatever else you can think of.
Every Tuesday.
Monday Open Thread
3,497 dead; 25,225 casualties. Let's remember those who have died, been injured, and who are still over there being forced to fight by our government. We hope you can come home.
655,000 civilians - more than 20 times the estimate of 30,000 (Bush) - have died in Iraq.
Dissent is patriotic. Peace everyone.
See My Face
So,
in our school newspaper today it mentioned how two UCD grads created an online anti-war protest called See My Face... check it out. It's simple but I think it can make a big statement.
Bush's message to Congress re: Iraq bill
Bush says fuck you, legislative branch, I do what I waaaaaaaaant.
TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
I am returning herewith without my approval H.R. 1591, the "U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007."
The Last Laugh
Oh my God:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/archive/fouryearslater1.jpg
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Sometimes being right sucks.~Delia
Time to pullout
So toady I was on the BBC news website. I was scanning around and saw the "breaking news" report. When I read the title I became jubilant. It read "US Senate Votes for Iraq Pullout". Interested, I opened that article to read further.
It said that both the senate and the house have approved a bill to pull the troops out of Iraq within 11 months. The bill followed a house bill that made funding for the war conditional on a basis of a timetable for pulling out.
Reid to Bush: "This war is lost."
Reid, the Senate's top Democrat, described part of a meeting with Bush at the White House on Wednesday -- the same day bombs killed almost 200 people in Baghdad in the worst day of violence since a U.S.-backed security crackdown was launched there earlier this year.
"This is the message I took to the president," Reid said at a news conference.
"Now I believe myself ... that this war is lost, and that the surge is not accomplishing anything, as indicated by the extreme violence in Iraq yesterday," said Reid, of Nevada.
"I know I was like the odd guy out yesterday at the White House, but at least I told him what he needed to hear, not what he wanted to hear," he added.
Update on Black Armbands - May 1st
On Sunday I participated in a national conference call with members of the Campus Anti-War Network (CAN). I pitched the idea of wearing black armbands on May 1st to the group and the proposal was passed. They have since posted the action with the minutes from the meeting.
Hopefully this can generate some more momentum. I know my campus will be handing out armbands next week, as will UVM I believe, so Burlington, VT is pretty well covered.
If anyone has any anti-war contacts, feel free to pitch the idea to them. Maybe we could start contacting more groups directly, both national entities and campus groups. Anyone connected with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)?
Iraq: central classroom in the war on terr'r
Al Queda leader calls Iraq a "university of terrorism".
"The largest batch of soldiers for jihad ... in the history of Iraq are graduating and they have the highest level of competence in the world," Baghdadi said.
He added that the jihadists are now producing a guided missile and that "its length, weight, range and precision 'matches those of world powers.'"
The missile is called the Quds-1 (translated: Jerusalem-1).
...I wonder where they're gonna aim it.
Bush, Iraq, funding and a meeting
Bush still doesn't understand how government works:
``Democratic leaders are bent on using a bill that funds our troops to make a political statement about the war,'' Bush said in a speech at an American Legion post in the Washington suburb of Fairfax, Virginia.
No, George. Trying to prevent you from killing another 1000 Americans isn't a political statement. Just because you want those soldiers dead doesn't mean Congress has to go along with it. The Constitution clearly states that Congress is responsible for funding a war. If they refuse to fund it, it becomes your responsibility to bring the troops back.
daily Iraq stories
Mahdi Army organizes anti-U.S. rally... article gives insight into divisions plaguing MA.
BAGHDAD - "Yes to Moqtada, yes to Iraq, yes to liberation," chanted tens of thousands of demonstrators as they poured into the revered Shiite cities of Kufa and Najaf Monday calling for US troops to leave Iraq.
Antiwar Concert Tour 07: Semi-final draft proposal
If no one wants to make any changes, this will become the final draft proposal that we send to everyone with an email address, or post it in discussion forums and blogs everywhere we can think of, hand to local antiwar groups, etc. So if you want to change the wording or substance, please say so NOW! Thanks.
=======
This is just an idea. Please give feedback. It’s not possible to make it happen without massive outside help, but I think it’s good enough to warrant further development.
What if there was a massive concert tour to stop the war? What if it was even more than just music? What if the concerts were tied in with citywide protests and strikes? What if the musicians walked with the protesters?
Antiwar Concert Tour 07: What bands?
Please give input on how to fill in this blank:
Good headliners for the tour would be Ani DiFranco, Rage Against the Machine, Immortal Technique, Willie Nelson or Neil Young. Other bands we like are _______________.
I think we should list 12 bands. So if there's a band you want included in the proposal, leave a comment here. If possible, let's aim for as diverse a lineup as possible... some hip hop, some rock, some classic rock, some acoustic, some punk, maybe even some metal or country.
If we get more than 12 bands listed, let's have a tiebreaker system....if you like the band someone else listed, leave a reply to their comment saying so.
georgia national guard recruiting program
huh... I guess they need the people, but I can't help but feel a little disturbed by this.
it's like, recruit your friends to go risk their lives, and you could win the grand prize! $100,000!!!
(94K is close enough)
Pelosi Visits Syria
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Syria despite severe criticism from Bush. The Bush administration has long been urged to meet with leaders in Syria and Iran to help ease Middle-Eastern tensions and to work together on ending the conflict in Iraq, but Bush has continually refused to do so. Pelosi has decided to ignore Bush's stance, and his criticism, and went ahead with the long-overdue visit. She also discussed Israeli-Palestinian tensions with Syria's President Assad, bringing a message of peace from Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. More info:
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/04/news/pelosi.1~20101.php
all i can say is, go Dems!
--Delia
Black Armbands - May 1st
http://smcvt.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2261368714
Anti-war/pro-worker/pro-immigration solidarity
Why wear a black armband on May 1st?
-May 1st is the 4th anniversary of Bush's speech in front of the "Mission Accomplished" banner.
-May 1st is May Day, a holiday that celebrates the working class who endure the brunt of the burden of war.
-May 1st (May Day) also is used to recognize the rights of immigrants who suffer under the same systemic racism that is present in current American war policy.
End the war, end racism, support all workers.
Black Armbands - May 1st
http://smcvt.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2261368714
Join up, invite people, make this happen.
Anti-war/pro-worker/pro-immigration solidarity
Why wear a black armband on May 1st?
-May 1st is the 4th anniversary of Bush's speech in front of the "Mission Accomplished" banner.
-May 1st is May Day, a holiday that celebrates the working class who endure the brunt of the burden of war.
-May 1st (May Day) also is used to recognize the rights of immigrants who suffer under the same systemic racism that is present in current American war policy.
End the war, end racism, support all workers.
Preliminary post for black armband campaign
Before I do a full post announcing this project officially, I want to lay out the basic structure of what's planned. Please give your input since we are planning on launching this within the next few days.
Create a Facebook group: "Arms against War" or something with LtL as the website. The group will more generally campaign for wearing black armbands as a statement against the war.
This group can then sponsor an event for people to wear armbands specifically on May 1. "Wear a black armband for peace on May 1"
Why May 1?
Red Jello, Toy Soldiers and Iraq
This is a recipe for an antiwar visual. Anybody feel free to run with this.
- Get 3,200 little green toy soldiers.
- Get a shitload of red jello.
- Put the soldiers in the jello.
- Put the display in a public place.
- Let it melt in the sun.
My buddy Steven also suggested maybe putting a cardboard replica of an oil well in there somewhere.
If you know anyone who might be interested in doing this, please forward the post to them.
Protesting a military base
My campus is divided in two by a National Guard base. North Campus is about a mile from main campus and students who live on north pass the gates everyday. We see the fighter jet, helicopters, and tanks that are parked out front.
What does everybody think about protesting the war in front of the base? Too much of an attack on the troops? It'd be tasteful, with signs like "Support the troops, fund Operation Homecoming" or something.
Any input?
Impeachment still an option
From boston.com
Bush's arrogance is definitely starting to anger many members of Congress. This story isn't even about Gonzales and the US attorney firings, it's about Bush's handling of the war. Here are some excerpts.
With his go-it-alone approach on Iraq, President Bush is flouting Congress and the public, so angering lawmakers that some consider impeachment an option over his war policy, a senator from Bush's own party said Sunday.
This is a member of Bush's own party warning him not to go against national sentiment.
Day of events brings attention to the war
A group of students at my college (St. Michael's College) in Vermont spontaneously organized a day of events to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. The fact that this group began on a campus that up until now had no anti-war movement to speak of is an accomplishment in itself, but beyond that we were successful in generating awareness and press.
Congress sets deadline for war; problems as Brits leave Basra
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6486669.stm
Today Congress voted 218-212 to slap an August 2008 deadline on the war. Bush has already promised to veto the bill.
"The American people have lost faith in the president's conduct of this war," House leader Nancy Pelosi said.
"The American people see the reality of war. The president does not."
However some Democratic representatives voted against the bill, because they said it would not put