Many have asked us about how other organizations, and in particular United For Peace & Justice (UFPJ), are participating in the protests on October 5th. Below are letters from World Can’t Wait and from Leslie Cagan of UFPJ.
October 2, 2006
Dear Leslie and Friends at United for Peace and Justice:
The Steering Committee of World Can’t Wait received the
reply from United for Peace and Justice to our invitation to join with,
participate in, and endorse October 5th. We would
like to share with you and the members of United for Peace and Justice our
disappointment with your decision and to speak to the main points that still
seem to be at issue (because some of these are still the same reasons UFPJ gave
for deciding not to participate in previous demonstrations that World Can’t
Wait has asked UFPJ to participate in). Even the internal logic of your reply
— that you are supporting a diverse array of political action — should not be
a reason to stand aside from or stand in the way of people acting at a
critical and even a decisive moment in history.
We find your attitude towards the majority of people in
this country inconsistent with our experience that tells us that people are
agonizing about the situation and looking for the ways to change this whole
direction we are being driven in. In the face of ever-escalating outrages, many
are willing, in large numbers, to do extraordinary things under a unifying
banner where all who oppose this regime can unite to magnify our impact. And we
believe at this time we simply cannot engage in gradualist lectures about about
movement building, replacing a recognition of the urgent need for a powerful
and immediate public response to what is going on in the world at this moment.
Our Call is not about any one issue, nor is it a gimmick
to simply link issues. It is a broad and frank assessment of what is going on
in the world and our responsibility to stop it–to reverse this whole
direction. It calls forward the people of conscience to set entirely different,
and radically more positive, terms for political discourse and what
actions are required of us at a very perilous time.
Last week Bush personally went to Congress demanding that
they legalize torture, revoke the right of habeas corpus, and grant immunity to
an administration that has committed war crimes for any acts of torture before
2005. That was the so-called compromise. Every horrific and shameful act
you saw in the images from Abu Ghraib can now be legally ordered by Bush. Is the administrative committee
of UFPJ really coming to terms with the extreme leap involved when torture
(which has always gone on in the shadows even when illegal) is made legal
and legitimized by Congress? What kind of country is this becoming where people
who grasp the implications for our future, including the peace movement, seem
to accept this travesty without calling millions into protest to demand that a
regime that would order torture to be legal be driven from
power? Even Hitler at the peak of his power did not dare to do that!
If this is now really in the picture you also see, you
cannot be complacent with the present pace of the movement. Torture is what
your government is engaging in to fight a war on terror, a war that started in
Afghanistan, moved into Iraq, and now threatens Iran. Legalizing torture IS
germane to an anti-war movement. It is not something the anti-war movement
should be complicit with through silence and failure to act in the most
powerful way possible. And we would call upon you to recognize that there is a
Day of Mass Resistance to do just that. While thousands of your own members are
now mobilizing for October 5, we call on you to support them, and all those who
come forth, with your endorsement of this crucial response to the outrages
being rained down upon us.
The Democrats in Congress refused to use the filibuster to
stop Alito, to stop the Patriot Act, and now to stop the regime from abolishing
cornerstones of legal justice that have existed for hundreds of years. Even a
recent New York Times editorial said if ever there was a time for a filibuster,
this was it. This editorial went on to say that Americans of the future won’t
remember the pragmatic arguments they offered for their for caving in to this
obscene bill. This also applies to the present-day movements of opposition
as well who profess their commitment to stand up for justice and peace. The
world needs to see massive resistance in the streets. We should be resolved to
see to it that future generations do not have to ask what the hell were we
doing when the government made it legal to torture and to “disappear” people,
and made plans to bomb Iran, possibly using nuclear weapons.
Your reply argues: “The
issue is how this is going to be accomplished and calling for people to leave
work or school and be in the streets on this one demand doesn’t seem to be very
realistic, given the current state of the antiwar movement. In contrast, when
immigrants and their allies left work for the streets last Spring, they did so
in response to a particularly egregious and immediate right-wing threat to
their daily lives and with the massive mobilization of some center forces
within immigrant communities.”
To this we can only shake our heads and say “read the
above.” We have great confidence that the people living in this country
are capable of understanding and acting on the imminent threat that this regime
represents to people the world over. It is the responsibility of
organizations like ours to give them a means, and to call them forth. Where is
it written that people could not rise above the selfish dictum of “does it
affect me?” to embrace the lesson passionately and presciently put by Pastor
Neimoller for all future generations. We must learn that lesson so that we may
be able to prevent the world from passing into a new dark age where dangerous
brands of religious fanatics in power wage war, suppress science, bury the very
concept of equality between the sexes or races, and destroy the very
environment we depend on for sustaining our continued existence.
Your recollection of the immigrant upsurge this spring
does not consider the fact that it was the rebels, activists, and DJ’s who
moved people by the hundreds of thousands that brought the “center forces” to
support what had already begun. We sincerely hope that the current momentum
building across the country towards October 5th will have the same effect on the
administrative committee of UFPJ.
You raise: “There is
another way that the tactic of “walking out” is a concern of ours. For sure,
there are many people ready and able to do just that — to express their
commitment to ending the war and getting rid of the Bush crowd by walking out
of work or school, etc. But what about the many, many more folks who for
any number of legitimate reasons simply can’t do that? If in fact our goal is
to drive out this regime then our movement must offer people a host of venues
and vehicles for their activism, and do this in a way that acknowledges that
not everyone can necessarily take part in the same one tactic.”
In fact, the rallies on October 5th take place at noon and
again later in the afternoon for those who cannot for various reasons come
earlier in the day. But those taking part during the day are doing it to show
the seriousness of the times and the seriousness of a movement that is actually
intent on driving out the Bush Regime. If GI’s are refusing to go to Iraq and
risking years in prison, if Gold Star mothers are changing their whole lives,
if immigrants are engaging in civil disobedience and being arrested
by the hundreds in Los Angeles, and when people are being killed at the
rate of 100 a day in Baghdad, surely people can take a day
off work! And many are going much further: closing their businesses,
cancelling classes, and rescheduling important events to make a collective
statement that can really make a difference.
Are we a long way from kicking out a regime? Yes and
no. The current political dynamics that dominate discourse and action are not
going to stop Bush from maintaining the initiative. And by de-emphasizing and
demobilizing political protest in an election season, as both Move On and UFPJ
are doing, real harm is being done.
World Can’t Wait is comprised of individuals and
organizations from a very broad range of political views – from people who
think the Christian Right has taken over the Republican party, to people who
see protest as the only way to influence the Democrats and to create a more
favorable climate for the mid-term elections, to people who think that
elections are not where the fundamental decision making goes on in this
society. But all of those participating in WCW and October 5th feel
urgently that without massive political opposition from the people, nothing
positive is going to transpire this fall even if the Democrats win enough seats
to gain a majority.
Without changing the terms of political discourse from
what it is, people who want to see the war ended, who want to see science
and the right to abortion protected, as just a few examples – without influencing that we will still lose
and we will still be fighting a defensive battle on shrinking ground. The
only way we can now change that is for the people to take history into their
own hands. If we can do that then things can change very quickly. This
regime is making a horrible debacle out of the Middle East. It is
hated by millions of people in this country and creating dissenters all the way
to the top of the government and military. Powerful and
determined movements of people who did not ask permission to tell the truth,
who did not compromise their principles and message have driven two presidents
from office in the recent history of this country. We must dare to do it again
– at a time when even more is at stake. We will be doing this on October 5th in
massive political protest in the streets – with people who are disciplined and
highly informed on both the message and tactics of this movement which have
been clearly stated. (See What
should be the characteer of the rallies and demonstrations on October 5? On
worldcantwait.org)
Time is short but there is still time. So we say to you in
all sincerity… Endorse!
In Unity and in Struggle – with hopes of a better world if
we make it so,
The Steering Committee of World Can’t Wait
866-973-4463
info@worldcantwait.org
9/29/06
Dear Friends at World Can’t Wait,
After a good deal of discussion, the UFPJ administrative committee decided to not endorse the World Can’t Wait’s call for actions on October 5th. We would like to share with you the thinking behind this decision.
A strong case was made for why UFPJ should endorse the October 5th actions: the importance of having people out on the streets, especially during the election season; the strong text of the call and the linking of several important issues; and the fact that it does have support from and seems to appeal to at least some parts of the antiwar movement.
At the same time there were several serious concerns raised. One is the message – Drive the Bush Regime Out. Of course, UFPJ leadership (and the member groups) would like to see an end to the Bush administration’s policies. Many UFPJ groups and individuals with UFPJ leadership would love to see the Bush folks removed from office. The issue is how this is going to be accomplished and calling for people to leave work or school and be in the streets on this one demand doesn’t seem to be very realistic, given the current state of the antiwar movement. In contrast, when immigrants and their allies left work for the streets last Spring, they did so in response to a particularly egregious and immediate right-wing threat to their daily lives and with the massive mobilization of some center forces within immigrant communities.
We are a long way from people simply marching (even in very large numbers) and kicking out the government. UFPJ is attempting to help build a movement that welcomes people from a fairly broad political range (left political parties all the way across to people who voted for Bush, to people who don’t engage in electoral work at all) to participate and raise their voices to end the war using many diverse tactics.
This is especially important, we believe, during this mid-term Congressional election season. UFPJ believes that the antiwar movement can and should use the election season as an opportunity to surface the antiwar sentiment throughout the country, and to strengthen the pressure on Congress to take action to end the war in Iraq. None of this is mentioned in the call, and we believe that’s a tactical mistake.
There is another way that the tactic of “walking out” is a concern of ours. For sure, there are many people ready and able to do just that – to express their commitment to ending the war and getting rid of the Bush crowd by walking out of work or school, etc. But what about the many, many more folks who for any number of legitimate reasons simply can’t do that? If in fact our goal is to drive out this regime then our movement must offer people a host of venues and vehicles for their activism, and do this in a way that acknowledges that not everyone can necessarily take part in the same one tactic. This concern grows in part from our perspectives on movement building and what it takes to get people involved not only in a day (or even a series of days) of street protest, but also in the ongoing organizing and building required to sustain a movement. None of this seems to be acknowledged or spoken to in the WCW materials.
Several member groups of UFPJ have also told us that in their experience with World Can’t Wait, the emphasis on “militancy” has led some WCW representatives to come off in a manner that is disrespectful towards those who have argued for a different approach. This would seem to be a contradiction with UFPJ’s movement-building goals. One concern that was raised is the fact that there is not language that explicitly states a commitment to nonviolent actions. UFPJ completely supports the use of civil disobedience and civil resistance tactics – when those are organized with a commitment to nonviolence. UFPJ’s unity statement states unequivocally that “We will work for peace and justice through nonviolent means.” We have agreed that it is important at this moment in history to commit to nonviolent tactics and approaches, and this certainly does not undermine a willingness to employ a wide range of different and creative tactics.
There was another concern raised by the fact that no one from the WCW had informed UFPJ that you were planning an action at the UN that could lead to arrest on the same day, at the same time, that we were planning a march and rally. We believe that groups working cooperatively or in coalition should share their plans with one another. Not that one group would or should have a veto over another group’s plans, but rather that it might be helpful to know what one another are planning in order to help ensure the success of everyone’s actions. As it turned out, both actions on Sept. 19th came off well and one did not undermine the other…and that’s good. We just think it would have been good for WCW to inform UFPJ that you were planning your action for the same day, time and pretty close by.
Finally, since the October 5th actions are local, member groups of UFPJ have been deciding for themselves if they will be involved, will endorse, will help turn out people, etc. This varies around the country and is not something that the national coalition has tried to control – not should we. And we will continue to include the local actions on the calendar on our website.
We also want to be clear that while we are not endorsing the call for the October 5th actions we will continue to speak out for your right to get the permits you have requested for the NYC demonstration. It is outrageous that the NYC Police Department have denied your request and they should not be allowed to get away with this. We hope October 5th goes well.
And we hope this memo explains some of the concerns raised within the UFPJ administrative committee.
peace,
Leslie Cagan
Appendix:
Pastor Neimoeller’s statement:
First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist, so I said nothing.
Then they came for the Social Democrats, but I was not a Social Democrat, so I did nothing.
Then came the trade unionists, but I was not a trade unionist.
And then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did little.
Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn’t speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then when they came for me, there was no one left to stand up for me.