By Debra Sweet
World Can’t Wait activists are intensely committed to stopping the “Bush” program. Though we didn’t succeed in our collective efforts to drive out the Bush regime, we set a standard, on principle, for challenging the government not to carry out crimes in our names.
But having principles is only a start. We want to stop the crimes.
Let me follow out one example. We’re paying the price for not having forced Bush and Cheney from office in disgrace once the Abu Ghraib abuse became public. We were all against the shocking memos of the Bush legal torture team; the snarling Cheney refrain that water-boarding is a “no-brainer” and keeps “us” safe; the branding of every Muslim as a “terrorist”. Torture opponents had the moral high ground during the Bush years.
Yet, we’ve allowed Bush to say, first, “We don’t torture;” then to get away with the legal cover-up. And now the message from the neo-cons is open: “We must and will torture.” 14 months post-Bush, the Cheney approach sets the agenda, despite President Obama’s promises, and intentions, to shut down Guantanamo.
Obama himself is committed to indefinite detention, hence his refusal to allow habeas rights for detainees in U.S. detention in Bagram, and his defense of former Bush policies and CIA agents on the basis of “executive privilege”. He’s a breath away from restoring military commissions as opposed to civilian courts, as the venue for trying Guantanamo detainees.
The most essential element to turning this climate and direction around, and getting back the moral high ground and political initiative, is a protest movement, coming from the people and the campuses. The people who hoped that Obama would listen to us have been deeply discouraged and demobilized. I would argue that he follows “national security” imperatives first, though he wraps the war-fighting in Nobel peace platitudes.
But for him to have to listen to the people’s demands, it’s imperative that the voices who oppose what was done under Bush back the demand to end the “global war on terror” with visible protest. This is what World Can’t Wait is building.
You can join in and support this resistance now.
Sustain World Can’t Wait’s work! Help spread this national movement.
Join in protest Saturday March 20, marking the 7th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. Washington DC, noon, The White House, or other cities nationwide.
Get involved with the We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour, bringing Iraq & Afghanistan war veterans into high schools to help students resist recruiters.
