By Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can’t Wait
I’m headed out to Hofstra University on Long Island for the last presidential debate, along with a group from World Can’t Wait. The Iraq Veterans Against the War is doing a rally at the Long Island railroad station this afternoon with the message:
{xtypo_quote}We the People, will have our voices be heard! We the People, Do Not Want War!{/xtypo_quote}
We will walk together for a mile to where The Long Island Alliance and other peace groups are holding a rally in a "free speech cage" at Hofstra. Until recently, some peace groups did not want to have a rally against the war, for fear of damaging Obama’s campaign, but have changed their plans as both candidates have been calling for more troops to Afghanistan. See Larry Everest’s article "A War for Empire – Not a "Good War" Gone Bad."
The "Gathering of Eagles" whose reason for being is harassment and threats to the anti-war movement, is promising to be there. Their message to supporters points out "this is not Berkeley" and therefore they expect the police to be on their side. They, buoyed by the apocalyptic rhetoric coming from the Palin/McCain campaign, may also have large numbers.
We must keep on speaking out against the Iraq war, and the military attacks by US forces on people in Pakistan, and Iran, (see ongoing coverage on worldcantwait.org) the "good war" in Afghanistan, the torture, the disastrous direction Bush has taken the country.
Are we a people at peace with being at war?
I hope you’ll be watching the debate tonight with others, and arguing that we, people living in this country must take responsibility for the crimes of our government, before and after the election.
And don’t forget, Chicago, November 22-23, World Can’t Wait addresses the political terrain post-election.