----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Chis" <achis at igc.org> To: <sldrty-l at igc.topica.com> Cc: "ac" <achis at igc.org> Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 9:45 AM Subject: Re: [SLDRTY-L]: A different approach to an Anti-War Movement
Further on Joel's questions.
The main reason we need to have another (non ANSWER) coalition is of course that we would like to draw in the types of forces that could actually stop the war. This means primarily unions and other mass organizations, such as NOW, whose primary thrust isn't questions of war and peace.
To do that you have to construct a coalition where people have a say, and trust the other partners not to do things that would hurt them. It would be hard enough to draw a union into a coalition, since it would be way out on a limb for them, but impossible unless you had the kind of structure and relationship where they could be absolutely certain that they knew what was going on and were a part of the decision making from the outset.
Left groups are of course poised for action, so they're the quickest off the mark, but that means little. The other groups that react fast (though not as fast as IAC!) are the mainstream pacifist groups, that Joel mentioned, because their remit does focus on war, peace, justice etc.
These groups can form a basis for a real coalition. Left groups are usually separated by those willing and eager to work in this format, to reach out to the American population as a whole, and those not, either because they want a more radical movement, in the case of sectarians and ultra-lefts, or those who want to control it, in the case of IAC/WW.
IAC puts together a simulacrum of a coalition, but one that doesn't really exist. They create something new for most events, then just keep the structure going and add another name to their office door later (we met at the IAC office trying for a coalition in the gulf war, and there were literally many names on the door. It was also the Workers World branch hall. Once when a coalition meeting was running late, they started setting up for the branch meeting!) And they don't really care about the union movement or the working class in general. Its not one of their focuses.
But a real coalition is needed, and the mainstream pacifist groups are where we want to begin to work, and bring along those left groups willing to try to reach the population. Often this takes a while. In Vietnam war times, we never really got union support, other than from more radical wings, like 1199, ILWU, etc. But that's where we'll start here too.
Unions do know and respect and trust groups like AFSC. They don't worry that they'll put one over on them. We have a leg up here I think, since the Central American demos brought these forces together more than Vietnam did. The rallies for Peace, Jobs, and Justice had real union support.
But it won't be a quick job. It's important to go to other demos, but also important to keep an eye on what our goal is, and construct forms and make relationships from the beginning that have a possibility of reaching that goal.
alex chis
-- ****************************************** * Alex Chis Books * Alex Chis & Claudette Begin * P.O. Box 2944 * Fremont, CA 94536 * 510-489-8554 * achis at igc.org * http://www.abebooks.com/home/AlexChis/ * http://www.tomfolio.com/shop/AlexChis/ ******************************************
----------
>From: Alex Chis <achis at igc.org>
>To: sldrty-l at igc.topica.com
>Subject: Re: [SLDRTY-L]: A different approach to an Anti-War Movement
>Date: Mon, Oct 1, 2001, 5:59 PM
>
> Sounds good to me Joel! The movement is hardly coalesced enough to be
split.
> IAC always gets off first and tries to be THE umbrella, but it never works
> because they don't work in coalition.
>
> So in fact something else is absolutely necessary if there is to be a real
> movement. Local coalitions are great, and national ones even better.
Radical
> pacifists are the best to work with in my opinion.
>
> There has always been at least two main coalitions, in the Gulf War stuff
> etc., because WW just can't work in a real coalition, so others have to do
> something else, follow them with zero input, or abstain.
>
> In the gulf war we were able in the bay area to force them together in the
> Oct demos, but that's because we (Claudette and I were in SA at the time)
> got off the ground first with a giant teach-in at Berkeley. So we had
> meetings and planned the demo together in October, but even then they
called
> their own press conferences, we let them have the money etc. But we
couldn't
> get anything going with them after that at all, so we had two giant demos
> later, on 2 different weekends. Not much you can do about it.
>
> alex chis
>
> --
> ******************************************
> * Alex Chis Books
> * Alex Chis & Claudette Begin
> * P.O. Box 2944
> * Fremont, CA 94536
> * 510-489-8554
> * achis at igc.org
> * http://www.abebooks.com/home/AlexChis/
> * http://www.tomfolio.com/shop/AlexChis/
> ******************************************
>
>
> ----------
>>From: finkel at SDI.COM
>>To: Soli List <sldrty-l at igc.topica.com>
>>Subject: [SLDRTY-L]: A different approach to an Anti-War Movement
>>Date: Mon, Oct 1, 2001, 3:32 PM
>>
>
>> Folks,
>>
>> Here is another response from a different segment of society. From
another
>> email, I understand that this is part of a national campaign initiated
by:
>>
>> American Friends Service Committee, Black Radical Congress, Fellowship of
>> Reconciliation, Global Exchange, Pax Christi, Peace Action, Shundahai
>> Network, School of the Americas Watch, War Resisters League, Women's
Action
>> for New Directions, and the Women's International League for Peace and
>> Freedom.
>>
>> I cannot vouch for the veracity of this, as the web site (see below) is
not
>> yet fully functional.
>>
>> At any rate, while not one if these groups claims to be the Party of
>> Political Purity, and therefore is not fully prepared to lead the world's
>> downtrodden on the correct path that, as we know, has only been revealed
to
>> a few of us, nonetheless, this looks like a pretty damn good start to me.
>>
>> Will this split the "movement"? If it does, is that necessarily a bad
>> thing? I dunno. Help me out here. What has been past experience?
>>
>> /Joel
>>
>>
>> Sunday, October 7: National Day for Peace Response
>>
>> Chicago Mobilizes for Peace
>>
>> Supporters of a peace response to the attacks of September 11 will gather
>> this Sunday, October 7, at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago. Participants
will
>> gather at 5pm to voice opposition to US military intervention and war.
>>
>> The candlelight vigil will emphasize six points of unity:
>>
>> 1. We mourn the victims and condemn the attacks of September 11.
>>
>> 2. We stand in defense of civil liberties.
>>
>> 3. We oppose anti-Arab, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant and all forms of
racial,
>> ethnic, and religious violence and bigotry.
>>
>> 4. We oppose military intervention and war.
>>
>> 5. We seek global peace through social and economic justice.
>>
>> 6. We support justice not vengeance; bring the perpetrators to justice
>> through established principles of international law.
>>
>>
>> The event will feature live music, prayers, and brief testimonies on
lessons
>> learned from the September 11 tragedy. Sunday's vigil is organized by
>> several religious and community organizations including the American
Friends
>> Service Committee, Chicago Religious Leadership Network, Coalition for
New
>> Priorities, National Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Eighth Day Center for
>> Justice, Illinois Peace Action, SCUPE (Seminary Consortium for Urban
>> Pastoral Education), and United Campus Ministries at UIC.
>>
>> The Sunday event is part of a national call by major peace organizations
>> committed to nonviolence and social and economic justice. Simultaneous
>> vigils will be held in cities throughout the United States, including New
>> York and Washington, DC (For more information about the national call
visit:
>> www.peaceresponse.org)
>>
>>
>> For more information or to volunteer for the Chicago Peace Response
Vigil,
>> call (312) 427-2533.
>>
>>
>
>
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