By Sharon, Eileen, and Richie
As a New Yorker, I was of course horrified by the events on 9/11. However, it became immediately clear that 9/11 was going to be used as a justification to engage in wars in the Middle East that had nothing to do with 9/11 and for purposes that did not have the best interests of either the US population or the world’s at its base.
The "war on terror" was and is a war for empire–damn the costs in human life, on the moral fiber of the people of this country, on laws and institutions that hold up a minimum of civility. Shortly after World Can’t Wait was formed, it became clear to me that I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing about the things that were being done in our name. I am by nature a wait and see kind of person, not inclined to holding up signs that the world is coming to an end.
Nevertheless I felt and still feel that the actions of our government since 9/11 have brought to an end the idea of a United States with "liberty and justice for all." While as a country it was decidedly imperfect, and far from what was promised by the better parts of its history, it was also a country with some traditions of human decency that could be built upon. So I am a volunteer in the National Office of the World Can’t Wait and do a variety of things: keep in touch with people interested in WCW around the country, collect and enter names of new supporters from demonstrations and other places into our data-base, help organize people for actions against torture and war.
I have written to apply for grants to support our work, called people on the phone to donate money and time to our efforts, attended meetings of other anti-war groups to help coordinate national and local efforts, and answered the National Office phone and responded to e-mails. I am on the staff of War Criminals Watch and help keep alive the effort to prosecute members of the Bush-era administration. I also do the very important work of participating in demonstrations and other events needed to publicize the crimes of our government and to resist them publicly. It is amazing the number of citizens who still do not know the significance of the "war on terror" and do not see the role that their silence has played in the destruction of our liberties and in the torture, death and destruction that have been wreaked upon the world.
-Sharon
I am a volunteer at the National Office and have been for the last five years. I want to be involved because we need real change from the path we have been on for the last eight years. My main job is to pick up the mail, record all donations, and sending thank you notes to our very generous donors. I also try to take part in demonstrations. My belief is if we aren’t out and visible change won’t happen. The staff at the office work hard and long hours and we are confident change will come.
-Eileen
I became an activist on November 3rd, 2004, the day after George W. Bush got elected to his 2nd term. I got involved with everything from political campaigns to various peace and social justice organizations and I continue to be out in the streets protesting under the Obama administration as it continues the same policies. I’ve found that most other organizations have only tried to reform certain pieces of the system. Some organizations are only anti-war, others only for health-care, some for LGBT rights and others only for women’s rights.
Sometimes groups try to link their issues together but World Can’t Wait is the only organization that fights for all these things, sees the big picture, and challenges the ruling-class/neo-conservative movement on their level. In my opinion World Can’t Wait is the only organization that calls for people to stand up and empowers them to change the system themselves. That’s why I join World Can’t Wait in the streets to protest, volunteer at their national office and the reason why I also contribute money (and hope you can too) to help them organize a resistance against the crimes our government commits in our names. If you’d like to know more about why I support World Can’t Wait you can email me at richardjmarini (at) gmail.com.
-Richie
P.S. Yes, that’s me, sitting in the street outside West Point as Obama announced the surge in Afghanistan… right before we were arrested.