Fighting Forces Intervene in Election
• Advance the Fight for New Arrangements
• Election Day Actions Demand End the War Now
• Students and Youth Rising Up
• Drive Out the Bush Regime
• Thousands Protest Iraq War on Oct. 28
• Walk in Their Shoes Across America
Vote Anti-War Candidates, Demonstrate Nov. 7
Advance the Fight for New Arrangements
Voice of Revolution salutes the many thousands of people across the country, in cities and towns, south to north, west to east, taking their stand against war and rejecting the continued path of the president and Congress toward more war and repression. Throughout the month of October and on up to Election Day people are working to strengthen their resistance, building up their many and varied collectives and together organizing united actions to advance the fight for rights.
We salute the call for demonstrating at the White House on Election Day. This action makes clear that the people will not rely on the politicians and their elections to end the war and will instead rely on their own efforts, building up their fighting forces as the way forward. We salute the anti-war candidates running as independents and with the small parties, taking their stand despite efforts to exclude them, and we salute all those who have taken the voter’s peace pledge, to vote only for those candidates demanding a speedy end to the Iraq war and opposing all aggressive wars. We urge everyone to vote anti-war candidates and to demonstrate November 7 at the White House!
What stands out in the present situation is the necessity for new arrangements, imbued with the drive of the people to empower themselves. This demand for new arrangements is finding expression in the upcoming elections, with the anti-war candidates, with the voter’s peace pledge, with the teach-ins, walk outs and rallies on Election Day. People are demanding their right to decide the platform of the candidates, and preparing to reject an election that disenfranchises their views and their votes. Many are confronting the reality of the existing set up, which blocks more anti-war candidates from running and leaves people with no one to vote for, no one that represents their interests. This is especially true given the strongly pro-war stand of the Democrats.
The Democratic Party machinery, often directly against the stand of local party activists who are anti-war, made certain that 20 of 22 Democratic candidates in races called “competitive” were pro-war. So, if there is a Democratic majority in Congress, it will be a pro-war majority. Senator Hillary Clinton, a standard-bearer of the Party, is calling not only for continued war against Iraq — using “troop redeployment” — but joins the call for military action against Iran and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea if they do not submit to U.S. demands. She calls for adding at least 100,000 more troops to the army and increased use of the Special Forces worldwide. The Democrats also want yet another domestic police force for “counter-terrorism,” saying “homeland security begins with hometown security.”
There is growing consciousness that what is needed is not a pro-war Democratic majority, but an anti-war government. What is needed is working together to begin putting in place a setup where workers, women, minorities, youth and seniors can themselves run — where the people themselves can select their candidates and determine their program. Many are participating in the 2006 elections from this perspective of demanding that the people themselves have a say and overcoming any illusions that the politicians of the rich can be relied on.
We urge all our readers and supporters to join in building these new arrangements and rejecting any effort by the ruling circles to divert the people from this course. These arrangements are being built in the course of building the broad opposition to war and attacks on rights, with many collectives and organizations coming forward to build resistance. They are being consciously organized by Voice of Revolution and the collectives organized around it, like that of the youth, transit workers, and for defending rights. All are taking up work to build collectives where the members together take decisions and implement them. All are fighting to be political by taking up their social responsibility to bring about change that favors the people.
As people join in participating in the upcoming elections, including demonstrating November 7 at the White House, what is vital is keeping the initiative in our own hands. It is by relying on our own efforts and keeping matters in our own hands, where we decide, that we can press forward with new arrangements of political empowerment of the people.
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Election Day Actions Demand End the War Now
In addition to the broad rejection by the people of Bush and the war on terror expressed in kicking the Republicans out, the people also firmly expressed their demand to end the war now in referenda across the country. These referenda were on the ballot in 164 cities and towns. Nearly every one passed, usually by a large majority. It took sustained work of requiring large numbers of signatures of registered voters to get these referenda on the ballot, and then further efforts to inform people about them. All of this contributed to further strengthen the determined stand of the people to end the war now. The ballots generally called for a speedy or immediate end to the war and rapid withdrawal of the troops.
In Massachusetts, voters in more than one third of the state’s cities and towns, 139 municipalities, called for an end to the war. All but six passed, while hundreds of thousands voted to end the war, commonly by 60 percent margins or more. In Wisconsin, similar measures were passed.
In Chicago, and the surrounding areas, huge numbers voted to stop the war. The referenda asked: “Shall the United States government immediately begin an orderly withdrawal of all its military personnel from Iraq, beginning with the National Guard and Reserves?” In -Chicago the vote was 80 percent in favor. Most of the towns outside Chicago had similar votes of 60-75 percent to end the war.
Given laws in these states and across the country that basically outlaw binding referenda, all of these referenda are non-binding. They clearly express the popular will of the people, but will not find expression in law, in the legal will governing the state. This is one of the key problems facing the electorate at this time — how to make their popular will the legal will, binding on the government. Discussion on the need for the people themselves to be able to initiate legislation and readily secure binding referenda is developing.[TOP]
Students and Youth Rising Up
National Youth And Student Peace Coalition Call To Action -
The Problem Is Priorities, Not Money
Demand Books Not Bombs This November 7th!
We Will Join Together for a Month of Education, Organizing, and Action!
November 7: Walk Out to Get Out of Iraq! — National youth walk out. Mobilize to show the opposition of young people to a war that is killing our peers. Be creative, help people get to the polls and speak out!
November 3-November 6: Peace Parties — Be social with your actions! Celebrate cultural resistance through art, spoken word, hip-hop, and partying! Get together, devise strategies to end the war and build community!
October 30-November 3: Turn Up the Heat Week — Make yourself visible and your voices heard at public events, rallies and candidate engagements demanding “Books Not Bombs”!
October 23-October 29:Student Solidarity with Iraq Veterans Against the War — Invite Iraq Veterans Against the War members to speak on your campus and support their resistance! For more information, visit www.ivaw.org
October 16-October 22:Teach-Ins & Film Screenings — Organize Teach-Ins and Film Screenings on the Iraq War at your school or in your community.
Resources and recommendations available on our website, www.nyspc.org.
October 10th-October 15th: Books Not Bombs Kick-Off to Kick Out -- Examine the US war budget and demand spending on education, job training, veterans’ benefits and health care. Kick out Congress people that do not prioritize our needs! Sign the Books Not Bombs Petition![TOP]
Drive Out the Bush Regime
- Worldcantwait.net -
Actions to drive out the Bush regime occurred from coast to coast on October 5 in more than 200 locations. Several thousand took to the streets in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, hundreds acted in cities such as Tucson, Portland, Atlanta, and Austin, and in many small towns and cities scores of people went to intersections, town centers, local beaches, and wherever they thought they would reach the most people in their areas with the message that This Regime Does Not Represent Us and We Will Drive it Out.
Across the country, people young and old showed the heart and courage to confront the reality of the fascistic and war- mongering direction the Bush regime has been driving this country and the entire world. Together, we made a powerful and precious political statement — one that is being debated and seriously considered but that must still be acted on by people in a more massive way to actually shift the political dynamics in this country. The thousands who acted are the nucleus of a spreading movement that must now go on and win the argument with those who still are on the sidelines. Where Bush’s whole agenda is repudiated and he and his regime must leave office in disgrace. The World Can’t Wait, Drive Out The Bush Regime!
World Can’t Wait has continued to organize, with teach-ins taking place at the end of October in many states throughout the country, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, and North Carolina.[TOP]
Thousands Protest Iraq War on Oct. 28
- ANSWER Coalition -
On October 28, thousands of people in the United States protested the Iraq War in a day of action initiated by the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism). Militant protests happened in numerous cities and towns across the country including Minneapolis, Chicago, New York, New Haven, Miami and elsewhere.
Los Angeles
More than 5,000 people marched through the busy streets of Hollywood. Chants like “Stop the war on Iraq,” and “No justice, no peace, U.S. out of the Middle East” rang out from the multinational crowd of all ages. After the march, people gathered for a People’s Anti-War Tribunal on the steps of pro-war media outlet CNN. The marchers arrived to revolutionary music from the young Latino ska group Los Caché.
ANSWER organizer and Free Palestine Alliance member, Muna Coobtee, kicked-off the tribunal by listing the crimes of the U.S. government against the people of Iraq and the Middle East. She stressed the importance of marching against the war at this time: “Neither the Democrats or the Republicans want to put the war on the ballot and let the people of the U.S. vote. Today, we can vote against the war. And we can continue to organize an independent people’s movement to stop the war and fund people’s needs at home instead.”
Cindy Sheehan gave a rousing call to keep the anti-war movement going strong. “We can’t rely on the Democrats to end the war on Iraq. We’ve got to stay strong and stay in the streets,” Sheehan urged.
San Francisco
In San Francisco, 2,500 came to UN Plaza to demonstrate their opposition to war and occupation and to participate in the “People’s Vote on the Iraq War.” Throughout the day demonstrators and passersby stopped by the people’s voting booth to cast their vote against the war in Iraq.
Fernando Mendoza of Oaxaca’s APPO (Popular Assembly of the Peoples of Oaxaca, Mexico) spoke at the closing rally. He brought a message from the struggling people in Oaxaca who are remaining steadfast in the face of severe repression.
The immigrant rights May 1 Coalition also mobilized for the protest. Their participation demonstrated the solidarity between the immigrant rights movement and the anti-war movement.
Seattle
One thousand protestors gathered at the Henry Jackson Federal building to demand the immediate withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. The spirited crowd cheered as speakers linked the U.S. wars abroad to increased poverty and racism at home. A lively march through downtown drew applause from shoppers and people waiting for the bus. To illustrate the protest’s theme “Vote with your feet to stop the war,” demonstrators cast people’s ballots into rolling ballot boxes, voting to get more involved in the anti-war movement.[TOP]
Walk in Their Shoes Across America
- CodePink -
Last month, CodePink New York inspired us with their powerful display of children’s shoes representing Iraqi civilian deaths. Our new campaign, “Walk in Their Shoes” was born of that action. This quiet and simple yet potent visual was just what we were looking for — a message that speaks volumes without our having to yell. The shoes force our politicians to confront the consequences of their votes to go to war, to fund war, and “stay the course.” We took this action to Richmond, Virginia across from where George W. Bush was presiding over a fundraiser for warmonger, Senator George Allen-R. In only three days, over 300 pairs of shoes were collected and set up across the street from the fundraiser. Everyone at the rally, respected the shoes and their message of reverence for lost life.
CodePink women from several states also brought the shoes to New London, Connecticut at the doorstep of the Senatorial -debate between Senator Joe Lieberman, [running as an independent after losing the primary] and Democratic challenger Ned Lamont. With the help of local community members and the Vets for Peace Bus, our collection of a few hundred shoes quickly turned into nearly 1,000 pairs, each and every pair bearing the name and age of a woman or child killed in Iraq. This “small mountain of shoes” was staggering in itself, but we made clear it represented far less than 1 percent of the civilian deaths according to the most recent Pew report. We lit candles as the sun went down and carried a stretcher of shoes and our huge Give Peace a VOTE banner to the candidates as they approached the debate hall. These shoes of all sizes, shapes and colors helped everyone visualize the unspeakable pain and suffering this war has inflicted on the Iraqi people. CodePink women from around the country are springing into action. Join us.
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