> At 1:47 PM -0400 7/20/03, Chuck0 wrote:
>
>> "unify" with a group
> ...for a fall mobilization, in particular the October 25 demonstration:
Which evidently has caused a big division with UFPJ, if I read the emails sent to me correctly.
> The dominant approach in Ohio is not to give a damn about the
> ideological baggage of left-wingers calling for a national mobilization
> in D.C. or NYC or whatever as long as it's for a good cause, such as the
> cause of Bringing the Troops Home and Ending the Occupation of Iraq, and
> to make efforts to maximize the turnout.
So if the good cause asked you to jump over a cliff into the Potomoc, you'd lead the mass of lemmings from Ohio to their doom?
This is an incredibly stupid and naive statement from Yoshie. She is basically saying that her people will just take orders, no matter how bad they are from the stupid organizers of the October protests, which I gather will be typical ANSWER fare, another fucking march on Washington.
There are some really good reasons why I am such a pain in the neck on these issues. I'm an activist in DC and have to put up with the interference and sabotage coming from the idiots behind ANSWER. I'm also
capable of critical thinking and that critical thinking tells me that you don't blindly follow a group which doesn't work well with others and which consistently shows an inability to think outside of the box.
The poverty of ANSWER's strategy can be summed up in this quote from Sara Flounders, which I found this morning in an article by Mark LeVine of the Middle East Report (MERIP):
"Organizations such as ANSWER remain satisfied that everything possible was done to stop the war. In the words of Sara Flounders, 'this was a war for empire, which is almost impossible to stop at the beginning. In fact, the current in the movement that supported inspections, sanctions, a war if the UN approved, was in fact more ideologically muddled than our direct stand against war. These groups now might not stand firm against occupation, or call for what amounts to a UN fig leaf to replace US troops.'"
http://dc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=77466&group=webcast
In other words, ANSWER is making excuses for its poor strategy which DID NOT include everything possible to stop the war, most importantly direct action and civil disobedience. There is nothing wrong with ANSWER doing their own thing, but we have to challenge them if they are going to establish themselves as the leaders of the movements (or as THE movement). Look, having another march in Washington is not going to change anything. Marching to the Pentagon is a waste of time, if not a colossal failure to have a vision on how to stop this war or any wars.
Yoshie can come to Washington if her groups wants, but I'm going to urge everybody to stay home and dissent locally. It's time to force some tough love on ANSWER and cut off the supply that fuels their ambition for power.
Chuck0