100 Teach-Ins Across America
The world faces a grave emergency. The very nature of U.S. society and its relationship to other countries are being reshaped in a horrific ways before our eyes. Yet the full implications of these sweeping changes are not widely understood, even among those who oppose the Bush administration. This must change and resistance must grow.
The electoral defeat of the Republican majority in Congress
revealed the widespread revulsion against the Bush administration and
the Iraq War. The Bush administration remains in office, however, and the foundational elements of the Bush program remain either openly promoted or untouched by the new Democratic Congressional leadership.
If ever there was ever a need for people to deeply understand the reality that we still confront, IT IS NOW.
This
is why The World Can’t Wait – Drive Out the Bush Regime, in conjunction
with the Bush Crimes Commission and others, calls for 100 Teach-Ins Across America to take place on college campuses aiming for the period of late January through March. They will address:
the on-going occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan, with ominous threats
of war on Iran – all expressions of a strategy of unchallenged global
supremacy and an illegal doctrine of “preventive war” the legalization of torture, warrantless spying, intensified attacks on immigrants, moves to abolish the legal right of habeas corpus, and consolidation of power in the executive branch
the abandonment of New Orleans in the face of a foreseeable and foreseen disaster, with its ugly aftermath of racial cleansing
the dramatic erosion of the separation of church and state, with
serious motion towards theocracy where a narrow and hateful brand of
Christian fundamentalism would rule the growing danger that
abortion will be outlawed, steps to eliminate birth control, and the
introduction of “covenant marriage” the suppression of science that doesn’t fit the extreme right’s religious, political and economic agenda
The
impact of a nationwide teach-in movement addressing these crucial
issues can dramatically transform how people, especially students, view
the Bush administration and the current moment, as well as their
responsibilities in the face of it.
The Bush program, together
with the assault on critical thinking in academia, must be brought to a
halt. It must not be allowed to become consolidated either in law or in
public acceptance. Rather, it must be forcefully and publicly
repudiated, all of which underscores the need for a movement aiming to force the Bush administration out of office,
with universities acting as a catalyst — inspiring others to challenge
conventional wisdom about what is possible and what is needed.
Volunteers
and local organizers for this national teach-in movement should contact
teachin@worldcantwait.org. Materials, including a speakers” bureau,
videos of previous teach-ins and hearing before the Bush Crimes
Commission, and other materials on how to organize a teach-in will be
available at www.worldcantwait.org as they become available.
VIDEO SCREENING – TEACH IN
As part of the “100 Teach-In” movement we are also recommending holding DVD screenings that can be introduced with a speech World Can’t Wait has prepared for the events in January, February and March. The films below are very powerful and can play a transformative role in how people understand the depth and scope of the Bush agenda. To set-up a public video screening and to have your event listed on the World Can’t Wait website please email all info to teachin@worldcantwait.org.
*The Bush Crimes Commission Hearings DVD
The testimony on this DVD stands as a compelling moral condemnation of this regime. We know that it is the most demented, lawless, contemptible of human life, and egregiously evil government in the history of the Republic — Here is proof. On this DVD you”ll see evidence and substance in the form of stunning testimony from eye-witnesses and experts on (1) Wars of Agression (2) Torture and Indefinite Detention (3) Destruction of the Global Environment (4) Response to Hurricane Katrina and (5)Attacks on Global AIDS programs as they explore whether or not the actions and policies of the Bush administration rise to level of War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity.
The 2-DVD set, features highlights of five days of Testimony, plus the introductory remarks of Harry Belafonte and Michael Ratner. The following hearings include compelling and visceral footage of the issues discussed.
[ Order the Video ] [ Watch the Video ] [ Watch the Video on You Tube ]
Please email teachin@worldcantwait.org with any questions regarding ordering the Bush Crimes Commission DVD, including overnight shipping orders.
* THE GROUND TRUTH
“This troubling and gripping chronicle of the men and women who served in the military is profoundly moving.” – USA Today
Hailed as “powerful” and “quietly unflinching,” Patricia Foulkrod’s searing documentary feature includes exclusive footage that will stir audiences. The filmmaker’s subjects are patriotic young Americans – ordinary men and women who heeded the call for military service in Iraq – as they experience recruitment and training, combat, homecoming, and the struggle to reintegrate with families and communities. The terrible conflict in Iraq, depicted with ferocious honesty in the film, is a prelude for the even more challenging battles fought by the soldiers returning home – with personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. As these battles take shape, each soldier becomes a new kind of hero, bearing witness and giving support to other veterans, and learning to fearlessly wield the most powerful weapon of all – the truth.
The film features Camilo E. Mejia, a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War and a witness at the Bush Crimes Commission.
You can order your copy of ” The Ground Truth” at: http://www.thegroundtruth.net/
Sample letter to potential speakers:
“It certainly doesn’t mean that the democratic victory has done anything to diminish what the people in the White House want to do. It hasn’t changed their basic standing.”
– Seymour Hersh on Democracy Now, November 21, 2006
“Americans are shopping while Iraq burns….The war was started by the U.S., but most Americans feel absolutely no sense of personal responsibility for it….Alex Racheotes, a 19-year-old history major at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, said: “…I get the feeling that most people at school don’t even think about the war. They”re more concerned with what grade they got on yesterday’s test.””
– “While Iraq Burns,” Bob Herbert, New York Times, November 27, 2006
Dear X,
I’m writing to invite you to participate as a speaker in nationwide teach-ins World Can’t Wait-Drive Out the Bush Regime and the Bush Crimes Commission are organizing on campuses and in communities between January and March 2007, perhaps continuing into the Spring.
We feel these teach-ins are critical to raising the level of outrage about and resistance to the Bush administration program. The Republican’s mid-term defeat revealed widespread revulsion with Bush and the Iraq War. Yet Bush has two more years in office with the power to inflict enormous, perhaps irreparable damage. Meanwhile, the essentials of his program remain in place, and are either promoted or left untouched by the Democratic leadership. Finally, the level of active public opposition remains far short of what is needed, particularly on the campuses.
We face a historic situation, where people broadly don’t deeply understand or have not been convinced of the scale, scope and foundational ruptures Bush is carrying out – ongoing war, gutting legal rights, attacking science and women’s rights, crippling environmental efforts, undermining church-state separation and pushing theocratic policies. Consequently, they don’t understand what it will take to reverse it.
These teach-ins are designed to address this by digging into different elements of the Bush program with real substance, painting a deeper picture of the breadth and far reaching danger of the whole program.
So please let us know your interest, questions, concerns, and availability (the more specific you can be about your schedule the better).
A few other important points:
* We want to work with other organizations to organize these teach-ins (suggestions welcome), as well as a broad range of speakers with expertise on one or more facets of the Bush program.
* World Can’t Wait will provide a speaker where possible, who will address the need to resist and stop the Bush program, the slippery slope of acquiescence, and why this regime must be driven from power. (WCW will also make such a presentation available when no WCW speaker is available.)
* Teach-ins will include an organizing component: by linking information to the moral and political imperative to act, and by presenting organized ways for people to do so. The goal is to bridge the gap between peoples” deep revulsion to Bush, and their lack of comprehension and resistance.
* We’re hoping that the extra planning and time can help us generate more funds and publicity and reach a wider audience.
* We want to have a flexible approach to these teach-ins, incorporating suggestions from speakers concerning format, participants, how to maximize our reach and impact, etc. Please send me any comments you have in this regard (including on this proposal). We”ll be forming an advisory group which can consult over the conception and organization of the teach-ins, so please let us know if you”d like to be part of that process (on whatever level you can).
* We”re planning for a mix of events — some with only one or two speakers, some with several. Some campuses could organize a series of teach-ins held over a period of 4-8 weeks, each of which would focus on a single facet of the Bush agenda. Again, suggestions for particular campuses welcome.
* If you have contacts on any campuses who might be interested in helping facilitate these teach-ins, please let me know.
Best,
X