Nathan, stop raising the ante. Next thing, you'll be insisting on the death penalty for those involved. In my talk, which I will post from home, I called for a criminal investigative response, smoke 'em and bust em, and that drew cheers and applause. I have no ide what position the Coalition has on the issue, but as long as they'll let me advocate it, I say fine. --jks
>
>Condemnations are not enough. They are words without demands for bringing
>the criminals involved to justice. The latter is what has been lacking
>from the largest WWP-related rallies that have gotten most public
>attention. Sure, some smaller rallies have had better politics, but the
>initial cooperation of many leftists in making the WWP events early
>successes helped pigeon hole the image of the antiwar movement in many
>peoples minds.
>
>The NLG is heavily split on this whole thing-- large chunks of the New York
>and DC chapters have opposed participation in any rally that does not
>clearly call for seeking to capture and try the Sept 11 murderers. Others
>have militantly defended the WWP line of rhetoric. Yeah, everyone agrees
>that if they get caught, they should be tried in an international tribunal,
>but the national convention spent more time debating whether capital
>punishment should be allowed against Bin Laden than in discussion on any
>serious alternative positive policy that would promise security to fellow
>Americans.
>
>Max and others on the left are supporting the bombing for good reasons--
>they know the American people want justice for their loss and the Left is
>not promising it in any real form. He doesn't buy my version either, but
>that just means we need to strengthen it until Max and a range of other
>progressives see a viable way to achieve that justice without bombing
>innocent Afgani civilians.
>
>My point is not that we need more than pro forma statements seeking
>justice. We need to make seeking justice the be all and end all of our
>rhetoric. Nothing else. If the methods we advocate, including global
>justice, peace and tolerance -- do not logically lead to that goal of
>justice for the victims and prevention of further violence, then they will
>not be implemented.
>
>I happen to think they are not just the moral policy but the most effective
>policy.
>
>And as the resident warmongering cruise missile liberal, I think I have the
>non-pacifist credentials to indicate I mean it :)
>
>Nathan Newman
>
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