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THE WAR IS ON
Apparently it has become obvious that our protest signs, banners, marches and demonstrations have yet to make an impact on those in power as they proceed with their imperialist agenda for war. Picket sign after picket sign, chant after chant, we've continuously asked George W. Bush and the Gestapo power structure to stop it's war. Our anti-war protests have obviously become repetitive and ineffective. This is because the anti-war movement is trapped. It is trapped within the legitimized false-hood of social patriotism and interventionalism. We have become counter-productive as we continue to confine ourselves within the white liberal doctrine of non-violence and reform.
So far the peace or anti-war movement in this country has mirrored the same strategies and tactics of past historical anti-war causes. By far the most important example to reference is that of the Vietnam anti-war movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. Well over a million people participated in this effort, engaging in a variety of tactics and strategies in an attempt to stop the war, or even to prevent its further escalation. From public education to picketing, boycotts to lobbying, marches to massive civil disobedience, to even outright suicide in the numerous cases of individuals lighting themselves on fire in protest, the Movement was extremely diverse. There was even a decent contingency of property destruction that occurred, no doubt condemned by the mainstream corporate peace organizations.
With all this activity, with the incredible amount of participation, one would assume this would have been more than enough to stop the war, to pressure the federal government to pull out of Southeast Asia. Furthermore, when soldiers such as Ron Kovic, returned from the war angry and disillusioned and formed organizations such as the Vietnam Veterans Against the War, even more intense pressure was placed on the U.S. government. But it was not enough. None of the strategies and tactics applied during the Vietnam anti-war movement in the United States were enough, either individually or combined, to stop the U.S. government’s military horrors.
Each of the anti-war movements that have surfaced in the United States since then have attempted to mirror, to an absolutist extent, the strategies and tactics that failed during the Vietnam anti-war struggle. In fact these same strategies and tactics have been used in nearly all U.S. anti-war movements throughout history and the fact remains, never in U.S. history has any anti-war or peace movement actually prevented or ceased a U.S. military operation or war. And yet continuously, anti-war movements in the United States fall into the same mold of ineffective activism that stands absolutely no chance of threatening or challenging the power structure of the U.S. government.
There is war in Iraq, war in Palestine, war in Afghanistan, war in Nigeria, war in Colombia, war in Argentina, and war right here at home. It has become essential for the U.S to always be at war in order to sustain it's inner circle of wealth. U.S. military operations of war exist not only over sea's, but right here in our very streets. So why do we continuously repeat the same activist tactics that have proven to be counterproductive and defeatist time after time? We've been thought if we simply go out and hold our signs, then we're effectively challenging US military war operations, when in fact all we are doing is letting those in power to continue their massive killings and inhumane acts against people all over the world. This is why the peace or anti-war movement in this country failed to stop war.
If we are going to become serious about stopping this war, and even the U.S. led atrocities of tomorrow, we must be realistic about our strategies and tactics and actually begin to utilize those methodologies which can and will challenge the power structure of the country. We must abandoned the doctrine of liberalism and reform. We must take up new and more direct tactics. Yes, I am speaking of direct action, but not the generalized version spouted freely today and used to describe primarily conscience serving endeavors. An action is direct if it actually gets in the way, prevents, or stops an injustice from occurring. The only possibility of stopping this current military action is to engage in strategies and tactics which severely disrupt the war machine, the U.S. economy, and the overall functioning of U.S. society particularly how it relates to consumerism and the economy.
We all know the U.S is the most repressive governments in the world; repressive in communities all over the world. Therefore we cannot expect such a repressive government to idly stand by while we attempt to move forward with social change. An atmosphere of severe unrest, if manufactured properly, will force the U.S. government to place military resources in the streets of the United States. The military operations currently now being taken in Iraq are simply a continued manifestation of US imperialist wars that have been going on for the past 500 years. They want an occupied military force in the streets of Iraq just like they've had here at home since the day they killed off and raped the Indigenous, snatched the blacks from Africa and sold them as slaves, rounded up the Japanese into concentration camps, and rounded up, targeted, raided and killed countless people from middle-eastern and political descent. If we are in a war situation, then it's time we treat it as one.
We are not gaining anything by asking our leaders and institutions to respect even basic moral axioms. We may be gaining public attention, but we are not effecting social change with our banners and marches. The most effective tool we have is to step outside the boundaries of passive conduct, as illustrated by the dramatic police response to even fairly mild acts of civil disobedience.
It's time that we initiate a more radical struggle built within a diverse array of strategies surrounding self-defense and revolutionary community empowerment. If we want change, then we cannot expect it to come about by limiting ourselves to a political arena confined within the legitimate false-hood of social patriotism, liberalism and interventionalism. Instead of spending countless hours, and money making protest signs, we should put that time and money into creating self-organized, decentralized committees within the community as a political base for direct action, education, and self defense. Not only should we want stop the war on Iraq, but we should stop the entire U.S political and class structure of imperialism all together. Not only should we want to put an end to police brutality, but we should remove the occupying police forces from our communities all at once. Not only should we advocate an end to worker exploitation, but we should completely remove corporate and state jurisdiction from our communities all at once. Through education, and direct action, our communities can become self-sufficient where we no longer have to rely on the current economic or political system as a way of life. Stopping the U.S war machine begins at home, with direct action. Now is the time to intensify this struggle.
Establishing Liberating Territory
We can set up a network of decentralized non-hierarchal committees within the community capable of providing food, clothes, shelter and self defense to the community; self-defense to insure that our communities remain independent from the jurisdiction of the political and class state. Establishing liberated territory in our communities and in the ghettos by taking over work places, supermarkets, department stores, along with kicking out all jurisdiction from the political and class state. If we want the US out of Iraq, Colombia, Palestine, Nigeria, the Congo, S. Korea, Kosovo, etc. then we've got to get them out of our communities here at home.
It's time to spread the battle to the individuals responsible for the war and destruction of life – the very heads of government and U.S. corporations. No longer should these people be able to hide behind their occupations, living their lives in peace while they simultaneously slaughter countless people around the world and here at home.
Large scale urban rioting will cause massive unrest and even state of emergencies declared in major cities across the country causing the U.S to send U.S. troops into the domestic arena thereby taking resources and political focus away from the war. But instead of engaging in disorganized looting, we can begin seizing corporate supermarket stores, declaring them liberated territory. We can use them to distribute food to the community while at the same time effectively hurting the US economic system. Instead of funding corporations, we can begin collectively taking them over, and establishing them as liberating territory from which our community benefits.
Attacking U.S financial centers which regulate and assist the functioning of U.S. economy.by using covert techniques, depending on the situation, such as physical occupation of buildings would help weaken the U.S economic backbone used to finance war.
Attack the media centers of the country. It is the corporate media who has and continues to influence and control the minds of the mass body of people in the United States. These new media outlets cannot be utilized by the movement as they are owned by the very corporations one should be opposing. Using any means necessary, shut down the national networks of NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN, etc. Not just occupations but actually engage in strategies and tactics which knock the networks off the air.
Make it known publicly that this movement DOES NOT support U.S. troops as long as they are serving an unjust and horrifying political regime. Create an atmosphere lacking of support to assist U.S. troops at home and abroad in losing their morale and will to fight. If you are supporting the troops you are supporting this war and the very U.S. government that is the primary terrorist regime in the international arena.
Establish a form of revolutionary self-defense within the community with the goal of building the capacity to effectively stand against police state repression, allowing ourselves to eventually kick all state and corporate jurisdiction out of our communities. We cannot establish liberated territory unless we are ready to defend it with ferocity.
Well over 500,000 Iraqi children have died since the Gulf War as a result of U.S. bombing and sanctions – not to mention a total of 1.5 million innocent men and women. As the U.S. led military campaign continues to wage war in Iraq and around the world, the question remains… how far is the anti-war movement in the United States willing to go to stop the U.S. government and its unceasing atrocities? How far are you willing to go, what are you willing to do to stop the massive bloodshed once again caused by the U.S. government?
Original: DID THE ''PEACE MOVEMENT'' FAIL?