How to Raise the Social Costs to the Power Elite Re: the case against the case against "regime change" in Iraq

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

At 6:12 PM -0500 11/8/02, Nathan Newman wrote:
>-Politics doesn't equal pleading to Congressional Dems.  What DP did
>-to pass the resolution giving Bush the power to invade Iraq, it can't
>-and won't undo at this point.  If Congressional Dems want attention
>-of anti-war activists, they, as our servants, have to bring a
>-concrete proposal to stop the war to us, not the other way around.
>
>Who is "us"? Most antiwar Dems consult quite often with various peace
>activists in their districts.
>
>A significant majority of Dems voted against Bush's resolution.  So the
>issue is not pleading to the Dems who already voted with us, but convincing
>the swing Dems and moderate GOPers who can be pushed to switch their vote in
>future resolutions.

I'm subscribed to the EPIC (Education for Peace in Iraq Center) and 
Franklin County Dem mailing lists (in addition to many others), so if 
there are any halfway decent resolutions concerning the war on Iraq 
sponsored by any war-weary Dems, I'll immediately hear of them.  None 
is in the works, as none would pass.

At 6:12 PM -0500 11/8/02, Nathan Newman wrote:
>My suspicion is that most of the "social costs" organizing will happen in
>liberal districts where the Congresspeople already voted against the war.
>How will hurting the economy in such areas help change anything?  Heck, it
>will just accelerate the damage the rightwing already wants to inflict on
>urban and liberal areas.
>
>One continual issue with large DC protests is that most of the costs are
>absorbed not by the federal government but by the underfunded DC local
>government.  If the costs of organizing leads to cuts in education funding
>for poor black DC schoolkids, why will this encourage swing officials to
>oppose the war?

Cuts have come and more cuts will be coming and not just in 
education, war or no war, anti-war protests or no anti-war protests: 
e.g., <http://www.dcfpi.org/4-12-02bud.htm>.  Social costs to the 
power elite can be raised even without directly opposing the war on 
Iraq, if masses of Americans rise up and protest the cuts militantly.
-- 
Yoshie

* Calendar of Events in Columbus: 
<http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html>
* Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html>
* Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/>
* Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>