In this installment of ANSWER's fantasy that they are running THE peace movement, they claim that at THE anti-war movement conference held recently in London, that "The U.S. was represented by a delegation from the A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition." If this isn't yet another desperate attempt to establish ANSWER as THE leaders of THE peace movement, it gets better.
In this post, which is desgined to establish ANSWER's authority over the peace movement (sic), they go on to talk about how "A.N.S.W.E.R. Steering Committee member Elias Rashmawi was elected Vice President of the International Campaign Against U.S. War on Iraq." I've never heard of this International Campaign Against U.S. War on Iraq, but if I am to believe ANSWER, this organization must have some kind of international authority over the peace movement (sic).
It is also interesting that this ANSWER communique goes on to favorably recommend and inaccurate Washington Post article, which of course, puts ANSWER in a favorable light in its misrepresentation of the international peace and anti-war movements as a phenomenon run by a few organizations (run by vanguardist groups).
I have to admit that I found this part of the Post article to be immensely amusing:
"Many of the organizers confess that they were stunned by the size and scope of the demonstrations two weeks ago. "A big part of our meeting was about digesting the shock of the earthquake that was February 15," said Larry Holmes, an organizer in New York for International ANSWER, one of the U.S. groups organizing the rallies. "We were just as surprised as everyone else. But you're seeing a new sense of confidence among organizations. People don't want this war, and they're giving us a mandate to do whatever it takes to stop it."
So, in other words, ANSWER was caught by surprise and they had to "digest" the fact that the biggest international anti-war protest in history happened pretty much without them! An amazing bit of candor from the spinmeisters running ANSWER!
Thank, Larry, for admitting that ANSWER was caught by surprise. Oh, by the way, the turnout on F15 was NOT a *mandate* for your organization, rather a *repudiation* of your organization, its open vanguardism, poor tactics, and everything else that activists hate about it.
It's time to stick a fork into ANSWER.
Chuck0
International A.N.S.W.E.R. wrote:
> INTERNATIONAL ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT ANNOUNCES MARCH 15
> ACTIONS
>
> More than 120 representatives from the anti-war
> movement in 28 countries convened in London this
> weekend to strategize and coordinate international
> efforts to stop the war on Iraq. The U.S. was
> represented by a delegation from the A.N.S.W.E.R.
> Coalition.
>
> The London Meeting issued a statement of international
> coordination calling for "a massive escalation of
> action in the next weeks to try to prevent war," and
> announcing demonstrations, protests and mass actions
> on March 15 in solidarity with the Emergency
> Convergence on the White House.
>
> The worldwide anti-war movement is working together in
> an unparalleled effort of coordination and solidarity
> as people around the world fight for peace and
> justice, not just each for themselves, but for each
> other.
>
> Today's Washington Post features an article on the
> London Meeting that also discusses the growth of the
> global peace movement and the important Cairo
> Conference of last December, at which A.N.S.W.E.R.
> Steering Committee member Elias Rashmawi was elected
> Vice President of the International Campaign Against
> U.S. War on Iraq. As in America, where the peace
> movement for the first time is representing the breath
> and diversity of all of the people of the U.S. from
> different backgrounds and struggles working together,
> the international movement is recognizing and
> supporting the struggles for justice of populations
> throughout the world whose voices must be heard for a
> truly representative and effective peace and justice
> movement to emerge. (The full text of the Washington
> Post article is available at
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30813-2003Mar2.html)
>
> You can help build the March 15 Emergency National
> Convergence at the White House. Here's how:
>
> THE PLAN FOR THE EMERGENCY CONVERGENCE ON THE WHITE
> HOUSE is to gather at 12 noon at the Washington
> Monument (just south of the White House, Constitution
> Ave. between 15th and 17th Sts. NW) for a rally and
> march.
>
> Contact information for BUSES, VANS AND CAR CARAVANS
> traveling to DC -- and an easy-to-use form to sign up
> to list the transportation options from your city --
> go to:
> http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m15/m15transp.html
>
> A FLYER for the March 15 Emergency National
> Convergence on the White House is available on the
> A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition web site. You can easily
> download a PDF of the national flyer for the
> Washington DC demonstration, as well as a version for
> those in New York City planning to travel to DC.
> Flyers for West Coast events are also available. To
> download flyers, go to
> http://internationalanswer.org/campaigns/resources/index.html
> If you cannot download and print the flyers, you can
> pick up stacks at A.N.S.W.E.R. offices around the
> country, or you can call us at 202-544-3389 and
> request a packet of flyers.
>
> For logistical information -- such as a map of the
> rally area, directions, public transportation in DC,
> disability access, housing and more -- go to
> http://internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m15/logistics.html
>
> ---------------------
>
> FOR MORE INFORMATION:
> http://www.InternationalANSWER.org
> http://www.VoteNoWar.org
> info at internationalanswer.org
> New York 212-633-6646
> Washington 202-544-3389
> Los Angeles 213-487-2368
> San Francisco 415-821-6545
>
> To make a tax-deductible donation, go to
> http://www.internationalanswer.org/donate.html
>
> Sign up to receive updates (low volume):
> http://www.internationalanswer.org/subscribelist.html
>
>
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-- Chuck0
------------------------------------------------------------ Personal homepage -> http://chuck.mahost.org/ Infoshop.org -> http://www.infoshop.org/ MutualAid.org -> http://www.mutualaid.org/ Alternative Press Review -> http://www.altpr.org/ Practical Anarchy Online -> http://www.practicalanarchy.org/ Anarchy: AJODA -> http://www.anarchymag.org/
"The state can't give you free speech, and the state can't take it away. You're born with it, like your eyes, like your ears. Freedom is something you assume, then you wait for someone to try to take it away. The degree to which you resist is the degree to which you are free..." ---Utah Phillips