An Evening of Conscience

By Jamilah Hoffman 

I think that it’s true when people
say that all eyes are on Denver.  There are celebrities and politicians
walking the streets. Radical musicians are performing for the people
almost daily. News media from throughout the country and all around
the world.  

And with all this attention here, there’s
an important opportunity to seize: an opportunity to bust through the
suffocating Democratic cooperation with the crimes of the Bush Regime;
an opportunity and need for people to protest and make their
voices heard. To say an emphatic no to the wars and repression, no to
the infuriating insult that all we can do is contained within the narrow
confines of official electoral politics. Walking down the street I
just feel like there is no place I”d rather be than in Denver, Colorado
at this very point in history.

In Chicago 1968, Abbie Hoffman and the
Yippies wanted to be the “commercial” to the Democratic National
Convention.  I think that was a noble goal.  Provide an alternative
distraction to the “Convention of Death”, as they called it back
then, and not be constrained by what was considered to be acceptable
protest.

Flash forward to Sunday night, August
24, 2008. The Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater held an Evening of
Conscience. World Can’t Wait sponsored this event full of fantastic
speakers, with its focus being No War on Iran.  I would say that
this particular event was more than a “commercial” that people defaulted
to because there was nothing else on.  This event captured the
spirit of resistance that pulsed through Denver on Sunday, and vitally
needs to be expressed by much larger numbers in Denver and throughout
socity. 

The speakers were as varied as they come. 
There were people running for political office and veterans of both
the Iraq and Vietnam War. There were independent journalists, revolutionary
journalists and revolutionary communists, and people from Progressive
Democrats of America – who all united under the fact that an attack
on Iran would be unacceptable and that things in this society needed
to change. 

What I found refreshing and envigorating
was that people were talking about how to get beyond politics as usual. 
There was no illusion as to whether or not Obama, or McCain for that
matter, were going to be the ones to bring about change. Real change
is going to come from the people. 

Cynthia McKinney, who is running for
president under the Green Party, boldly proclaimed her radicalness and
called out so called “Hollow Women of the Hegemon” – bourgeois
leaders like Condaleeza Rice and Nancy Pelosi, who people think have
their interests at heart but are really pushing this country further
towards empire. And she contrasted those women with Cindy Sheehan, who
also spoke and who is running for Congress against Nancy Pelosi,”
and reminded us that the problem and the challenge are much bigger than
getting women into political office, and that we should start looking
at the system.  

Sunsara Taylor spoke about the earlier
rally and march that took place that day and was brutally honest about
the fact that we did not have the numbers we needed. She sent out props
and heartfelt love to the courageous people who did defy the fear mongering,
threats, and police presence marshaled by the government and the press.
She called out the people who tried to suppress protest – supposedly
“progressive” activists, and told us that if you are more concerned
about getting Democrats elected than you are with the fate of humanity,
then you cannot call yourself an anti-war leader. She also exposed the
utter and thorough worthlessness of this capitalist system, and how
it can never act in the interests of the people, no matter who is elected,
and put forward a very enthusiastically received call for revolution.  

Jeremy Scahill spoke scathingly about
Joe Biden as Obama’s choice for vice-president, and the irony of proclaiming
yourself as a candidate for change when your V.P choice is one of the
longest serving senators in Congress who has voted for the invasion
and occupation of Iraq, and countless other atrocities perpetrated by
the U.S.  

I was really inspired by Phil Aliff from
Iraq Veterans Against the War who has the courage to speak up and try
to stop a war that he was a part of.  Then there’s Ron Kovic,
author of Born on the Fourth of July, who actually read from
the introduction of the 2005 edition of his book. This was a powerful
moment. He had such important things to say and one part that struck
me was when he was talking about being in the war and gaining something
from it, and what he gained was Awareness.   

Pam Africa and Ramona Africa also said
a few words to the crowd showing us that the revolution continues. 
And then we closed with the reading of the Not In Our Name Pledge of
Resistance, led by the formidable Cleo Parker Robinson and joined in
by the evening’s speakers and members of the audience.   

I walked away from this event inspired
to take on the world.  I have sat at plenty of events and heard
speakers speak about all sorts of things.  This Evening of Conscience
was different.  Because the people speaking were looking at reality
and realizing that real change was needed, there was no confusion about
whether or not either candidate was going to bring about the change
we need.  What we are doing in Denver is correct, and people who
are not in Denver should be in Denver.  When we take to the streets
we are telling the world that we refuse to go along with Bush’s program,
no matter which presidential candidate takes it up.

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