A Letter to Professors

This is a letter to professors written by a signer of the Open Letter to Defend Dissent and Critical Thinking on Campus and educator at Columbia College in Chicago, calling on those in academia to take part in mobilizing for demonstrations to demand Bush Step Down the night of Jan.31st and Feb.4th in Washington D.C

Torture.  Unjust war.  Secret detentions.  Illicit eavesdropping.  The right to abortion in danger.  These are only the more prominent of the deeply reactionary and openly criminal actions of this government, this regime. Science is twisted and suppressed for religious or economic ends. Torture as a policy option is openly discussed and sanctioned, but to criticize or question the motives or interests behind U.S. actions in the world ( these are subjects which cannot be raised. Colleges and universities represent one of the few surviving refuges of critical thinking and dissent in this country; but for how long?

This country is on a course toward what can only be characterized as fascism. It’s a direction that must be reversed, and it’s a responsibility that falls on all of us. It is abundantly clear that politics as usual, including the politics of the Democratic Party, is utterly unequal to the enormity of what is taking place. Mass independent political action is required.

This past November 2 saw a first major step, as rallies and demonstrations took place in over sixty cities under the slogan, ‘The World Can’t Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime!’ The aim of World Can’t Wait (see www.worldcantwait.org) is to create a political situation and build a movement to drive this hated and dangerous regime from power. Nov. 2 was an exciting beginning (see pictures and accounts on the website).

The next step is Bush’s State of the Union address on January 31. Rallies across the country will demand that Bush step down, and as Bush’s address begins, we will bring on music and noise. Bush cannot be allowed to set the agenda for 2006. On the following Saturday, February 4, massive numbers will protest at the White House.

For much more news and information, visit and explore the website (www.worldcantwait.org). Sign the call to Drive Out the Bush Regime and circulate it. (Signatories include figures and organizations such as Code Pink, Robin D.G. Kelley, Jonathan Kozol, Harold Pinter, Sonia Sanchez, Gore Vidal, Alice Walker, Cornel West, Howard Zinn, and many others.)

You may have seen the call in the New York Times of December 12, where it was featured in a full-page ad (attached). That night, it was the top story on ‘The O’Reilly Factor.’ Bill O’Reilly’s guests were David Horowitz, well-known to all of us as author of the ‘Academic Bill of Rights,’ and NY State Senator Tom Duane, a signer of The World Can’t Wait ad. Among other things, O’Reilly attacked the Times for allowing the ad to run.

Campuses are of great importance to this movement. Announce it in your classes and pass out the World Can’t Wait Call. Talk with your colleagues, circulate the call, and reference it in public discussions. Join or organize actions on January 31. Contribute financially to this movement. Help it become the powerful force that is needed now.

The hour is late and the need is pressing.

John Stevenson