[Peace-discuss] October 2nd rally in DC

[C. G. Estabrook]

     *Let’s Have a Real Protest, Not a Democratic Pep Rally, on October 2nd*
    *by BAR executive editor Glen Ford*

“*The character and importance of the ‘One Nation’ rally will be determined
by the demands that are made on Power, most especially on the White House.”*

The October 2 rally in Washington to demand jobs and “stop moving money out
of education and into wars and prisons," in the words of NAACP president Ben
Jealous, promises to be huge. SEIU Local 1199, a co-initiator of the event
along with the NAACP, has booked 500 busses from New York City, alone, and
thousands more will be rolling into the nation’s capital from around the
country. Participating organizations include nearly the entire spectrum of
labor, social justice and peace formations in the United States.

But big does not necessarily mean historic, or even useful. The character
and importance of the “One Nation” rally will be determined by the demands
that are made on Power, most especially on the White House, where one man
wields the power of an entire branch of government, is the leader of the
majority party in both Houses of Congress, and commands national and global
attention by virtue of the presidential “bully pulpit.” A Washington rally
for jobs, justice and peace that makes no specific demands on President
Obama would amount to a capitulation to the status quo on all counts, no
matter if half a million attended. And if the event is allowed to become
wholly a pep rally for Obama and Democrats, then that will tell the world
that real movements for laboring people, social justice and peace do not
currently exist in the United States – just a bunch of Democratic Party
groupies with delusions of relevance to the burning issues of the day.

“*Tremendous pressures that have been brought to bear by the administration
to avoid embarrassing the president and his party on the eve of
congressional elections.”*

That’s why, mindful of the tremendous pressures that have been brought to
bear by the administration to avoid embarrassing the president and his party
on the eve of congressional elections, strong majorities of the *United
National Anti-War Conference <http://www.nationalpeaceconference.org/Home_Page.html>
* (UNAC), held in Albany, New York, in late July, endorsed a series of
demands to be put forward at the October 2 rally, and beyond. These demands
will be reflected in the placards carried by thousands of demonstrators
concentrated in the UNAC contingent at the “One Nation” rally:

    * $Trillions for jobs and education, not wars and bank bailouts.

    * Bring the troops, mercenaries and war dollars home from Iraq, Afghanistan and
Pakistan, now!

    * Stop government attacks on unions, Muslims, immigrants and people of
color. Civil liberties for all.

    * End U.S aid to Israel. Billions for jobs, not occupation. End the siege of
Gaza. Free Palestine!

The *Black is Back Coalition <http://www.blackisbackcoalition.org/>* for
Social Justice, Peace and Reparations is in agreement with the four demands,
and will rally alongside the UNAC contingent on the Washington Mall. Black
is Back will also demand an end to the ongoing wars waged against Black
people here at home, through mass Black incarceration, police terror and
constant economic aggression against Black communities.

“*Any peace movement worthy of the name must demand withdrawal NOW.”*

There is no point in going to a demonstration for jobs, social justice and
peace if you are not going to make substantive demands. It is the Obama
administration that is waging wars of aggression in Asia and Africa; the
Congress – including, most of the time, most Democrats – funds these wars.
President Obama always claims to be in the process of ending his wars, even
as he escalates, just as did George Bush. Any peace movement worthy of the
name must demand withdrawal NOW.

The NAACP and labor say they want to see money moved “from war to jobs and
education.” That’s what we used to call a “peace dividend.” But there is no
hint of peace in Obama’s rhetoric of open-ended warfare to infinity, and no
evidence of any military scale-back that could yield a peace dividend. The
dividend can only come with the end of imperial warfare.

By far the biggest share of the bank bailouts that ultimately netted Wall
Street $12 to $14 trillion of the people’s money were finagled by the
Federal Reserve and the U.S. Treasury, both directly or indirectly
accountable to Barack Obama. If you have any complaints about the bailouts,
lay them at Obama’s doorstep, where they belong*.* Demand he stop the wealth
transfers to Wall Street, NOW!

“*If you have any complaints about the bailouts, lay them at Obama’s
doorstep, where they belong.”*

It is the *government* under President Obama that entraps and frames Muslims
(largely African Americans) on terror charges, harries and deports more
undocumented immigrants than did the Bush regime, fails to defend working
people’s rights to organize, and maintains what is arguably the most
thoroughly racist criminal justice system on the face of the planet. Obama
is the executive in charge. Demand in plain language that he use all his
powers to end the injustices.

The plank on Israel was the most hotly contested of the Albany conference,
and caused a small minority of attendees and participating organizations to
leave the United National Anti-War Committee. Too damn bad. It is long past
time that the American anti-war movement make a decisive break with Israel,
as the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) did way back in
1967. An anti-war movement that seeks to rein in its own government’s
aggressions in the world but fails to condemn apartheid Israel’s ceaseless
violations of international law and crimes against humanity since the birth
of the state, has no credibility.

The Obama administration’s water carriers within the October 2 rally’s
sponsoring organizations will doubtless seek to transform the occasion into
a campaign event for the Democrats. It is up to the crowd to demonstrate
righteous discontent with the powers-that-be, and call the malefactors out
by name. If that’s your preference, hang with UNAC and Black is Back. You’ll
identify them by their clear and insistent demands – which is how it should
be.

*http://blackagendareport.com/?q=content%2Flet%E2%80%99s-have-real-**
protest-not-democratic-pep-rally-october-2nd*