[Peace-discuss] [Peace] Anti-Fascist Demonstration in DC Yesterday

[C G Estabrook]

The Nixon administration ended the draft in 1973 because of the revolt of the US expeditionary force in Vietnam. Conscript soldiers were no longer reliable.

By 1969 about 70% of the public had come to regard the war as “fundamentally wrong and immoral,” not “a mistake,” largely as a result of the impact of student protest on general consciousness. 

US business had by 1968 told President Johnson that the costs of the war were too high and it needed too be liquidated. He effectively resigned.

Richard Nixon was the peace candidate in 1968: he had a 'secret plan’ for ending the war. He was re-elected in 1972 because his Secretary of State announced, “Peace is at hand.”

Ending US wars in SW Asia today will not be so easy as ending wars in SE Asia (which the US essentially won) was then. Nor will it probably follow a similar pattern.

And it’s unlikely it will be done by taking up the Democrats’ disingenuous cry that the elected president is a fascist (and a Russian puppet!) - and not mentioning the wars and war provocations, except incidentally, as this rally did.

The situation is closer to the mid-1960s, when an anti-war movement had to be built from scratch, and the Democrats were screaming, “...Let every nation know ... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty”!     

Liberty for whom is clearer now. —CGE



> On Aug 13, 2018, at 6:55 AM, Karen Aram <karenaram at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> Sorry Carl, your focus on only one issue is detrimental to building a movement. 
>> 
>> That is what this is all about. ANSWER more than any organization in the US is focused on war and foreign policy, but as most Americans really don’t care about war, afterall “we’re not killing Americans like us” and you can argue that point all you want but the fact is:
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>> 1) The largest protests against war in the US pre intervention of Iraq, was really opposing Bush policy’s and was organized by the Democrats.
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>> 2) The protests against just about everything the past two years is about Trump, and organized by the Democrats.
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>> 3) The protests in the 70’s died when Nixon dropped the draft. I was there, I was with the organizers who managed the largest ever protest during that time, the Counter Inaugeral, and that is precisely why Nixon eliminated the draft, after that it was extremely difficult to get the numbers.
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>> 4) Only the “Costs of war” are going to bring people out into the streets enmass in D.C. because of the impact on individual lives.
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>> 5) Organizing against the many horrific policies being promoted by the current USG due to our system of capitalism which is the cause of all, including war, takes strategy and tactics to educate, organize, and coordinate. It means working with others on issues of concern. Just talking about it in a venue that suits us, isn’t getting us anywhere.
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>> On Aug 13, 2018, at 04:39, C G Estabrook <cgestabrook at gmail.com <mailto:cgestabrook at gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> But they were not chanting, “No war! Bring the troops home!”
>> 
>> It’s a distraction. Fascism is not the problem. US war-making is.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Aug 13, 2018, at 6:34 AM, Karen Aram via Peace <peace at lists.chambana.net <mailto:peace at lists.chambana.net>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>  <http://www.answercoalition.org/?e=34e47c8f266e39ec7d3a5d2b76038f9f&utm_source=answercoalition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cville_thankyou&n=1>
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Dear Karen, 
>>> 
>>> Today, was an amazing demonstration of strength and unity. By 4pm there were more than 15,000 people in Lafayette Park chanting, “No Nazis, No KKK, No Fascist USA”.
>>> 
>>> It was a remarkable demonstration of unity from so many communities: Black, Latino, Asian, Arab, white people, young and old. All stood together to condemn the Nazis and KKK who thought they could come and rally in front of the White House, because they believe they have a dear friend who occupies that residence. It was shameful that the U.S. government and police spent millions of tax dollars to act as a private security escort for a handful of fascists. The police escorted them on the metro and provided police vans to take them from the Washington, D.C. area back to Virginia. 
>>> 
>>> We will give a more detailed report of what happened in the coming days, but we wanted to give a shout out tonight and a huge thank you to everyone who supported this effort. Thousands of people volunteered, mobilized, or donated to make this success possible. Everyone should feel very proud. Most importantly, we laid the basis for taking next steps in making this new movement even stronger. 
>>> 
>>> In solidarity, 
>>> All of us at ANSWER Coalition 
>>> http://www.answercoalition.org/ <http://www.answercoalition.org/?e=34e47c8f266e39ec7d3a5d2b76038f9f&utm_source=answercoalition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cville_thankyou&n=2>
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>> 
> 

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