What should concern people deeply is that none of the basic issues that most concern the future of the US empire was "up for a vote." |
By Debra Sweet
In a high school classroom in the Bronx Friday, Matthis Chiroux, Army veteran and Iraq war resister, asked the students — none of whom were born in this country — if they had learned yet that "America is a kind of a crazy place." From the Dominican Republic, Togo, Senegal, Slovakia, they laughed, and then listened intently as Matthis talked about being given a choice of jail or the Army at age 17, seeing the world as an Army journalist and telling the story the Army wanted told, before successfully refusing orders to Iraq and becoming an anti-war activist.
As always happens at We Are Not Your Soldiers events, a couple of students said to their classmates that they aren’t going to sign up for the military, after hearing about the reality of these wars of occupation.
The students laughed in agreement, no doubt for different reasons, at Matthis’ comment on the craziness of our society. That’s always heightened at election time, but this year, some of the people running for office are lunatics and worse. See: From Murder to Congress? Unrepentant Tea Party-Backed GOP Candidate Ilario Pantano Killed 2 Unarmed Iraqis. This is why Jon Stewart’s effort to restore "sanity" struck a chord, even though his answer of "moderation" as the antidote to raving fascists will not bring about justice or a more sane society (see below).
Over the weekend, I heard many people grappling with why the Democrats aren’t getting the enthusiasm they had in 2008, when the presumed reason that Obama won the presidency was his pledge to end the Iraq war. Young Voters Say They Feel Abandoned wrote the New York Times, in explaining why Obama toured in front of smaller crowds. What happened to the masses of volunteers their campaign was going to keep together to pursue "change" after the election? They were told to shut up, ignored, and asked send $5 once in awhile for a candidate.
It is alarming that the "tea party" populism with its undisguised racism and railing at federal "entitlement" spending gains adherents. Given its open support by powerful forces, and the history in this country of falling back on nativism, hateful patriotism and the Palin brand of "willfull ignorance," it’s not surprising.
Does the outcome of an election determine whether US occupations of the Middle East and bases in 182 countries will continue – never mind whether even one war will actually end? Is it up to the voting population to decide whether increasing political/police repression and government spying on the internet is justified? Is there ever a discussion during an election campaign on whether the US financial system is legitimate – even as many people here, and all over the world, rightly feel robbed?
U.S. elections function to legitimize the set-up we have, and to involve people in investing their hopes in the confines of the outcome. In 2010, we see the most blatant cynical manipulation of peoples’ dreams of a better future ever, with any dream of "change" once again smashed.
Regardless of who sits in power, World Can’t Wait formed to meet the need for an independent, mass, political movement to express the needs and interests of the people visibly, and with a determination not subordinate ourselves to "politics as usual."
As Curt Wechsler, of FireJohnYoo.org just wrote me, "Elections come and elections go, but World Can’t Wait is steadfast in determination to fight the crimes of your government…"
Rally to Restore Sanity & Accept War Crimes in Our Name… cause hey, you shouldn’t do anything to stop them, according to Stewart & Colbert
Rallying in Washington, mostly to make some kind of statement against the "tea party," hundreds of thousands got the message that they should be just as leery of progressive messages that the tea party is racist, or that Bush is a war criminal.
World Can’t Wait was there, talking with people in the crowd. Read Emma Kaplan’s report: If You’re Not Insane You’re Not Paying Attention!
Other analyses worth reading:
Chris Hedges: The Phantom Left
Marjorie Cohn: Let’s Rally to Restore Peace
Kevin Gosztola: Restoring Sanity to Elections: Are We Managers of Democracy or Citizens?
Here’s a collection of articles here at worldcantwait.net documenting the racism of the Tea Party:
http://www.worldcantwait.net/index.php/features-mainmenu-220/the-culture-of-bigotry
KeShawn,
Have you followed the tea-party movement at all? If not, you ought to do so. They called black representatives the n-word, they have signs that tell Obama to go back to Kenya, they compare latinos to rat infesations. Is everyone who comes to the tea-party rallies a racist? I don’t know. But the heart and content of the tea-party program, including dressing up like slaveowner, is indeed an agenda driven by white entitlement and white supremacy and that is why it attracts hardcore racists. World Can’t Wait and many others have followed and studied this movement very closely and it is on that basis that we say it is racist.
I don’t agree with the Tea Party, I don’t need to call them racists. And I’m Black. I tend to cringe when I hear White people make those claims. I can’t even stand Janeane Garofalo anymore because of all her nonsense. I respect World Can’t Wait but I lose respect when you start making these claims. (As I’ve lost respect for the NAACP under corporatist Ben Jealous who loves to play that card as well. Maybe because he’s half-white and feels he has something to prove?)
I’ve read Kate Zernike’s book and I’d suggest others read it and quit listening to raving loons. And I believe Jon Stewart pointed out that they were racists as well.