Fund Raising: In early June, in the wake of what many people feel is the
Democrats” betrayal in continuing the war, we”re doing another period of deep
engagement with our supporters, contacts, and very widely with more people over
the content of our Call, and the need for mass, independent action. We are asking people to think about what
damage the Bush regime can do in 18 months if they”re not driven out, and what
they personally will take responsibility to do.
We are raising funds for the projects below, with strong response
already, through mailings, phone-banking, personal visits and events.
New York Times Full Page Ad:
The week of June 18, World Can’t Wait will publish an ad with the text
of our Call, and new prominent signers.
The ad will promote town meetings (below) and a new 45 minute version of
the Bush Crimes Commission DVD.
Ad
headlines: What Harm Can Bush do before
2008? * Bomb Iran? * Appoint another Supreme
Court Justice? * Continue with impunity the war crime of torture in an unjust
war? 2008 is too late! The World Can’t
Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime!
Town Meetings, June 21-July 4 under
the theme: Drive Out the Bush Regime – Impeach Bush & Cheney for War Crimes. Chicago, Greensboro, Philadelphia, New York have plans in
place for gatherings similar to those we held September 7, 2006, to build for
October 5 protests.
Prominent
speakers will address the problem from their own perspectives. WCW will announce further plans at these
meetings.
Key
materials for the summer:
Million Copies of Our Call continued through June 21. We”re at 700K+.
Orange Bandanas. The “Drive Out the Bush Regime!”
bright orange bandana was hugely popular at Coachella. We are printing thousands to make this the notable
political fashion statement at summer Music Festivals, on MySpace, and on the
streets.Iran Quiz: A
very effective, and so far under-utilized tool to get people thinking, and
change their minds on the Bush Regime which we should be using among all sorts
of people.Bush Crimes Commission DVD: A new 45 minute version concisely
indicts Bush & Co.
Actively Investigate to decide on
the next mass mobilization: The urgent part of this active The moment to reach millions and give them a
way to act is “do or die” for us.
investigation is challenging people, based on “the world can’t wait until 2008”
to help determine what mass expression we should organize next demanding that
the regime should be driven out, and when it should happen.
There is
tremendous angst and outrage that the Democrats have not used their majority to
stop the war and instead have voted to fund Bush’s agenda for the war. Cindy Sheehan has put very sharply before
people the reality that the Democrats are not the answer and the movement has
to act outside the confines of the two parties.
Everyone is asking, where are the people? People are talking and
discussing what to do and looking for the vehicle to act. Some are writing us
to say they have quite “simply had enough” and asking is “World Can’t Wait
still viable” If we can’t step into
that breach, and lead them to act, a lot of the anger will turn into deeper
despair. Meanwhile, the clock is ticking and the elections are getting underway
– increasing the undertow pulling people into waters it will be hard to get out
of.
This poses
very sharply: Can we wait until fall 2007 for a large protest, as the elections
become more dominant? Do we need to call
people to action this summer? Is there
substantial sentiment to go to DC and not leave? The next phase of our plans for August/ September
needs to be presented at the late June meetings.
Be alert for Bush to Bomb Iran: A bombing attack on Iran is likely as long as the Bush regime is in
power, and as we”ve noted, the main Democrats challenging Bush have verbally
threatened Iran Many observers stress that the
key military preparation for such an attack is in place, and Bush may, or may
not, go through real or sham efforts to negotiate, while Dick Cheney is
reported to be determined to militarily attack.
We should not lose our focus on such a possibility, and have in place
plans for determined protest in such against further moves towards it. (See Iran Quiz).
as well.
July 4 “2008 is Too Late! Drive
out the Bush Regime!” contingents at July 4 parades and picnics, spreading the news that
there is a force determined to remove the Bush regime from office now.
June 27-July 1 WCW/DOBR workshops
and strong presence at the U.S. Social Forum in Atlanta. Use of our Call
and orange bandanas, DVDs to argue to the 10-20,000 political activists there
that driving out the Bush regime is the most
important social change they should work for immediately.
July 12-16 World Can’t Wait Youth
Conference, San Francisco
Bay Area. a gathering of youth from across the
country for outreach, wide-ranging discussions and film screenings, and
planning a student movement (materials, outreach, mass mobilizations,
teach-ins, concerts) for the rest of the summer and the fall semester.
2008 Presidential Campaign “Truth Squads”: Let’s hit the campaign trail to challenge the candidates, and those following them, with hard
questions on the program of the Bush regime, not leaving the discussion inside
the terms being set by debates. Remember
when Mike Gravel said “you people scare me” to the other Democratic candidates
at the first debate? There are so many
questions the candidates never speak to, conditioning people listening to
narrow their own sights. We need to go with a direct challenge to the whole political
framework and to the people, standing up in these events and asking the
questions meant to be suppressed in the debates and the media. How is it that NO candidates are calling for
the immediate end to the Military Commissions Act – or the Patriot Act? Why was there no filibuster on the war,
abortion, or Alito? We will have to have
our facts together to expose what is going down and why there will be no savior
from the Democratic Party – and that the people are insisting on
impeachment. The discussion we have with
the people does not have to stay on the terms being set, but we need to find
creative ways to intervene – remembering Ray McGovern’s questioning of Rumsfeld
and the imaginative initiative of the Atlanta
chapter last year.
Late summer/Labor Day: Winter Soldier Investigation/BCC II. A live public hearing with US military veterans, experts, and whistle-blowers, on the
conduct of the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan, in cooperation with the
Bush Crimes Commission, veterans groups, and others. The event would take inspiration from the 1971 Winter
Soldier Investigation regarding Vietnam. It will be supported by
summer outreach to active duty military and military resisters, including
support for Iraq Veterans Against the War bus tours.
Redesign/expansion of worldcantwait.org as a stronger vehicle
for exposing the crimes of the Bush regime, organizing the movement, and
raising funds.