Speech given at national organizers conference, 11/19 evening panel.
Pat- WCW Youth Organizer in CT
There is a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can’t take part; and you’ve got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus and you’ve got to make it stop. And you’ve got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you’re free, the machine will be prevented from working at all.’
Mario Savio, Berkeley Free Speech Movement, 1964
It is appropriate we are here at Columbia School of Law ( to try and bring down an administration that shows such disrespect for the laws that make it possible for us to even be here. A place where one learns to respect and defend the laws of this nation – and yet the laws that protect our rights are being destroyed by the actions of the Bush Administration as we speak.Last September I was walking thru Union Square with a friend, when I received a flyer that read ‘The World Can’t Wait: Drive Out The Bush Regime’. After reading it – I was unsure as to the possibility of achieving such a bold idea – how would we do it? What would replace the Bush Regime? It was then that I realized the idea behind the call was not to provide an immediate answer on how or what would come after – but to provide people with an understanding of the urgency of these issues. That we need to pull the US War Machine out of the Middle East, that we need to drive recruiters out of our schools, that we need to end the erosion of civil rights, that we need to end the destruction of the environment, and that we ( the people, especially the young people of the United States must drive these fascists out of the White House, and take back the power that is rightfully ours. If the majority of this nation can rise above the oppression of the Bush Administration, then we can remake society through a truly democratic effort.
We need to put aside our differences and unite under this common goal: to drive bush out! Through a coalition, we can finally make this nation live up to its promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness ( that no individual will be denied these rights – that we will dissolve the hierarchal order, redistributing power back into the hands of the people. This movement is showing us what we are capable of as individuals – that we can go out into our communities, organize, and rally people under a common goal – to drive Bush out. You must educate yourself, educate your community, and help to build a movement that is capable of ending the oppressive rule of the United States.
After returning from Union Square, I made the decision to organize for November 2nd. I gathered students from Stonington High School to help organize and come the 2nd when we assembled at Dixon Square in Westerly, Rhode Island ( adjacent to Stonington, CT. ) we did not know what to expect. Would the police even allow us to assemble? But to my surprise, we received overwhelming support from the community. People were glad to finally see action being taken – to see young people out in the streets demanding for Bush to step down. We were swarmed by people showing their support – and it wasn’t just teenagers – it was a broad spectrum of people – ranging from kids on their way home from school, to parents and grandparents walking with their children, to middle aged businessmen, to college students, to working class youth. Our supporters were open and willing to talk. People driving by were stopping in the middle of the road, holding up traffic to give us their support. We had people demanding for us to give them flyers. We had people giving thumbs up, car horns blaring, and people yelling ‘Fuck Bush! It’s about time we drive him out!’ We were able to tell that even some supporters of the Right Wing knew deep down that what our country is doing is wrong. People wanted to talk – people needed to talk. We unleashed something – we opened something up that has been waiting to be opened for a long time: something that has been building up inside of people. A man stated, ‘It’s about time – where have you people been?’Although we received overwhelming support, how is a group of 20 kids standing at a traffic circle with pickets and leaflets, chanting ‘the world can’t wait – drive out the bush regime!’ in Westerly, Rhode Island going to change society? How are we making a difference? ) We are making a difference by bringing it home. We are making the truth unavoidable. We are throwing it into the faces of every person in our community – if you live in this nation, and your government is committing such atrocities, whether it be Abu-Ghraib, or Guantanamo Bay, or secret cells in Eastern Europe, or the murder of thousands of innocent people ( it is YOUR responsibility to let them know that if they don’t stop, then YOU will stop them.The Democratic Party is not going to stand up for us ( so we must stand up for ourselves. The Republican Party is spitting out shit and lies day after day, and people are buying it ( but no one is taking action. Every once in a while, a democrat will speak out against the Bush Regime, and a few days later, quietly fade away. We must remember – dissent is not un patriotic ( but to question and fight for the common good of the people is true patriotism. If you’re looking for an answer to the problems that plague not only this nation, but this world, look no further ( we are the answer. We, the young people of this country will inherit this world of inequality and violence, and it is our job to change it. We must question everything.
To Bush and his cronies, we are your worst enemy, because we know the truth and we will speak the truth.Now we must act quickly upon the energy created on November 2nd. As much good as this movement has done and although it has taught us so much about ourselves ( IT IS NOT ENOUGH. Too many people in this country are blinded by pride, blinded by hate, and blinded by lies. Too many people simply do not know what is going on in our nation, let alone the world. The public educational system does not make it a priority to teach young people of the effects the actions our government takes has on our communities, or the nation as a whole. In school, we are not taught of the constitutional violations of the Patriot Act. In school, we are not taught of the use of white phosphorous in Iraq, or the detainment of innocent people ( denying them the right to due process. The media does not accurately portray national or world events.
Many feel that as individuals they cannot make a difference. But my experience in Westerly on November 2nd has helped me to overcome this belief, and I have made it my goal to make others in my community understand that for political and social change to ever occur, everyone can and must play an active role in bringing about this change through community organizing and direct struggle ( and it is our job to help liberate the minds of the American people. The people of America are not lost ( but we must present them with the necessary information to make the correct choice. We have been brainwashed into thinking that life cannot get any better than this ( that there is no better system of government, and that there is no better way of living. But there is still hope for the people; especially the young people of this nation, to rise above the cesspool of violence, ignorance, lies, and oppression we have been raised in.
People of all ages are looking for a vehicle to express their rage. People are looking for leadership, but it is not leadership we need. What we need is to direct people to the power instilled within their hearts and minds. That we need to create a society where all will partake in the decision making process. Where the voice of every person in this nation can be heard, and that never again will a single voice be drowned out by hatred, bigotry, or violence. We have entrusted our fate in the hands of leaders for far too long ( it is time for everyone to become a leader, for every single person to take control over their own lives, and for the individual to become part of the collective.
Let the Bush regime know that we will never kneel before their law. That we will never bow down. This is urgent ( too many lives have been lost already, and thousands more hang in the balance. Our civil rights hang in the balance) our future hangs in the balance.
This system of American injustice must be stopped!George W. Bush ( we are the people of the United States ( and we are your worst enemy. We will take back what you stolen
(Let’s make some noise.)