[Peace-discuss] Remarks for Thursday protest, noon on campus

[C. G. Estabrook]

Thanks for the kind word, Barbara.  I mention Obama because he's 
positioning himself as the most "advanced" anti-war candidate, with his 
bill in the Senate, "The Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007."  I think 
it's a false front, however.

I hope Bob will talk about Iran, and as a member of AWARE if he wishes. 
  I understood that he wanted to mention his Just Foreign Policy group, 
too.  --CGE

Barbara kessel wrote:
> I like Carl's remarks and I appreciate his always careful
> prreparation. I agree with Karen's comments that he might add a couple
> of other candidates to Obama, or point to Kucinich as the only one (if
> I am not mistaken and I hope I am).
> 
> Also would like to see 2.5 minutes devoted to Not Attacking Iran. I am
> fairly new at being an AWARE member but there were no initiation rites
> or fee, so since Bob Naiman was recently at an AWARE meeting and is a
> very active member of the Iran working group, wouldn't that qualify
> him to also speak as a member of AWARE? He is the best one on that
> subject right now, and willing. If people feel he should not be
> identified as a member of AWARE, then he could still have the 2.5
> minutes, right?
> Barbara
> 
> 
> On 3/14/07, Karen Medina <kmedina at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>> Carl,
>>
>> I like it.
>>
>> I think I might include several of the other presidential candidates 
>> as well as Obama -- while he is worth picking on, so is Hilary Clinton.
>>
>> Or maybe I would emphasize the positive by naming the very few good 
>> anti-war people on both sides of the isle-- some ARE worth watching 
>> and asking our reps to support.
>>
>> But then, part of the reason I am not speaking is because I can never 
>> make up my mind what is the most important thing to say or how to say it.
>>
>> -karen medina
>>
>> ---- Original message ----
>> >Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 11:44:11 -0500
>> >From: "C. G. Estabrook" <galliher at uiuc.edu>
>> >Subject: [Peace-discuss] Remarks for Thursday protest, noon on campus
>> >To: Peace Discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
>> >
>> >[Apparently Bob Naiman and I are to divide AWARE's five minutes at
>> >tomorrow's demo.  Here's my 2.5 minutes (delivered at the usual rate of
>> >the news notes at the meeting).  Suggestions welcome.  --CGE]
>> >
>> >
>> >[1] AWARE is a local anti-war group formed just after the 9-11 attacks,
>> >by people around here who realized that the "Global War on Terrorism"
>> >was a fraud -- a cover for American imperialism.  The name stands for
>> >"Anti-War Anti-Racism Effort," and it includes people from
>> >Champaign-Urbana from their mid-teens to their mid-eighties, university
>> >and non-university.
>> >
>> >[2] Among other things, AWARE holds monthly demonstrations against the
>> >administration's wars -- past, present and future; we also arranged for
>> >the local referendums in last fall's elections, when people in
>> >Champaign-Urbana voted FOR withdrawal from Iraq and FOR the impeachment
>> >of Bush and Chaney.
>> >
>> >[3] Across the country Americans voted against the war last fall, so
>> >some politicians, particularly Democrats, had to begin to say that they
>> >were against the war.  But we should realize that there are two ways to
>> >be anti-war now, one real and one fake.
>> >
>> >[4] The first way is to recognize that the US government has
>> >consistently misrepresented the situation in the Middle East -- from the
>> >9/11 attacks through the Iraqi "weapons of mass destruction" to the
>> >attack on Lebanon -- to justify murderous and criminal policies, up to
>> >and including launching aggressive war -- which the Nuremberg Trials
>> >called "the supreme international crime" (that is, worse than
>> >terrorism).  The US should therefore withdraw completely from Iraq (and
>> >Afghanistan), as a large majority of Iraqis wish; pay reparations; and
>> >hold accountable those guilty of prosecuting this war, beginning with
>> >impeachment.
>> >
>> >[5] But the second way to call yourself anti-war is to call for a
>> >"re-deployment" of US forces in the Middle East, so that the central
>> >point of the long-term US policy in the region -- control of the
>> >region's energy resources, a decisive advantage for the US over Europe
>> >and Asia -- can be maintained, while the US washes its hands of any
>> >responsibility for the countries it has invaded and devastated.  That is
>> >the way of most of our anti-war Democrats, including Mr. Obama, and it
>> >is a cynical pretense.
>> >
>> >[6] AWARE wants to help build a real anti-war movement.  We meet every
>> >Sunday night at 5pm at the Old Post Office in Urbana.  Come join us.  We
>> >have a war to end.
>> >
>> >       ###
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