Recovering the Power of the Global Grass Roots in the Antiwar Movement -By Cindy Milstein

The global day of antiwar protests on February 15 was remarkable for several reasons.

First and foremost, of course, was the fact that some 12 million people came out in over 600 cities spanning every continent to express their outrage at a potential preemptive strike on Iraq. So enormous and unprecedented were these demonstrations that even the New York Times was forced to admit, no doubt grudgingly, of “a new power in the streets.”

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People's Assembly Against the War -Free Society Collective

Saturday, April 5
2 to 4 p.m. at Barre's Old Labor Hall

On March 20, the day after the U.S. government
launched its preemptive strike against Iraq, millions
of people took to the streets worldwide in protest.
Here in Vermont, in addition to demonstrations, about
250 people gathered to reclaim some of their political
sovereignty at the People's Assembly for Peace,
passing resolutions for the immediate cessation of
war, the impeachment of G. W. Bush, and condemning the
trade embargo against the people of Iraq (see full
text of resolutions below). On April 5, we will build
on the work of the first People's Assembly by holding
an open forum on strategies for opposition to the war.
Spread the word, and come prepared with your energy
and ideas for participatory, creative, and diverse
noncompliance with the war against Iraq.

Agenda:
An open forum on the question of:
Where does resistance to the war go from here?

Where:
Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite Street, Barre
(heading south into Barre on Main Street,
Granite Street is on the right at Chittenden Bank)

Sponsored by the Free Society Collective
Endorsed by Peace Vermont

Disentangling the Antiwar Movement from the American Flag -Free Society Collective

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"Patriotism in its simplest, clearest, and most indubitable meaning is nothing but an instrument for the attainment of the government's ambitious and mercenary aims, and a renunciation of human dignity, common sense, and conscience by the governed, and a slavish submission to those who hold power. That is what is really preached wherever patriotism is championed. Patriotism is slavery."
    Leo Tolstoy

"Peace is the continuation of war by other means."
     Hannah Arendt

Since September 11, 2001, many antiwar activists in the United States have wrapped their dissent in the American flag. In an increasingly constrictive political climate, they are anxious to find ways to appear more legitimate. For some, carrying the flag celebrates the Bill of Rights, particularly the rights to free speech and public assembly. For others, it recalls foundational events for this country such as the Boston Tea Party and American Revolution that symbolize the struggle against the tyranny of colonial rule. People of conscience raise the stars and stripes to assert that "peace is patriotic," and that they are the real Americans. The U.S. government, by contrast, claims to be waging war in order to uphold America's core values, or as Bush puts it, precisely because "we are a peace-loving nation."

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Freedom Not Militarism -Free Society Collective

The call for peace in Iraq should mean more than the absence of a new U.S. invasion. For more than a decade, the Iraqi people have suffered under two oppressive regimes. Hussein's dictatorship has not only severely repressed political dissent but also pursued a murderous policy toward the Kurds. Even the recent amnesty for almost all prisoners, while freeing many who were unjustly incarcerated, underscores Hussein's brutality: it confirms the "disappearance" of numerous inmates and compels those newly released to trade their prison cells for Iraqi military barracks. The United States, in turn, has merely worsened the situation. The U.S. trade embargo and continuous air strikes have limited access to food, health care, and clean water in Iraq. As a result, more than five thousand people die every month. Continue reading "Freedom Not Militarism -Free Society Collective"

The Same New World: Antiauthoritarian Politics After September 11th - By Cindy Milstein

Most of us will always remember where we were when we first heard the news, first saw the unreal images, on that morning that can only be called, quite inadequately, a tragedy. There is no erasing the memory of what happened, just as there is no bringing back the dead. September 11 will always be a day to be condemned.

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