The Call to Drive Out the Bush Regime

YOUR GOVERNMENT, on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights.

YOUR GOVERNMENT is openly torturing people, and justifying it.

YOUR GOVERNMENT puts people in jail on the merest suspicion, refusing them lawyers, and either holding them indefinitely or deporting them in the dead of night.

YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule.

YOUR GOVERNMENT suppresses the science that doesn't fit its religious, political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations to pay a terrible price.

YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving to deny women here, and all over the world, the right to birth control and abortion.

YOUR GOVERNMENT enforces a culture of greed, bigotry, intolerance and ignorance.

People look at all this and think of Hitler - and they are right to do so. The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future is in the balance.
Millions and millions are deeply disturbed and outraged by this. They recognize the need for a vehicle to express this outrage, yet they cannot find it; politics as usual cannot meet the enormity of the challenge, and people sense this. There is not going to be some magical "pendulum swing." People who steal elections and believe they're on a "mission from God" will not go without a fight.

There is not going to be some savior from the Democratic Party. This whole idea of putting our hopes and energies into "leaders" who tell us to seek common ground with fascists and religious fanatics is proving every day to be a disaster, and actually serves to demobilize people.

But silence and paralysis are NOT acceptable. That which you will not resist and mobilize to stop, you will learn - or be forced - to accept. There is no escaping it: the whole disastrous course of this Bush regime must be STOPPED. And we must take the responsibility to do it.

And there is a way. We are talking about something on a scale that can really make a huge change in this country and in the world. We need more than fighting Bush's outrages one at a time, constantly losing ground to the whole onslaught. We must, and can, aim to create a political situation where the Bush regime's program is repudiated, where Bush himself is driven from office, and where the whole direction he has been taking society is reversed. We, in our millions, must and can take responsibility to change the course of history.

Acting in this way, we join with and give support and heart to people all over the globe who so urgently need and want this regime to be stopped. This will not be easy. If we speak the truth, they will try to silence us. If we act, they will try to stop us. But we speak for the majority, here and around the world, and as we get this going we are going to reach out to the people who have been so badly fooled by Bush and we are NOT going to stop.

The point is this: history is full of examples where people who had right on their side fought against tremendous odds and were victorious. And it is also full of examples of people passively hoping to wait it out, only to get swallowed up by a horror beyond what they ever imagined. The future is unwritten. WHICH ONE WE GET IS UP TO US.

Endorsers of the Call to Drive Out the Bush Regime Include: Imam Talib Abdur-Rashid, Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood James Abourezk Mumia Abu-Jamal ACT UP, NYC Pam Africa Vincente Alba, Laborers Union Local 108, New York Alberto Lovera Bolivian Circle, New York Allison Aimee Aris Anagnos Anti-Flag Arab American Community Coalition Carlos Arango, Director, Casa Aztlan* Edward Asner Asociación Tepeyac, New York Axis of Justice Rosa Ayala, Justice for Janitors* Russell Banks Father Luis Barrios, Iglesia San Romero de Las Americas, NYC Rev. Willie Barrow, Women Connecting* Ed Begley Jr. Harry Belafonte Medea Benjamin Dave Berenson, Cleveland US Green Party Michael Berg, anti-war activist Jessica Blank, writer & actor William Blum Joan Bokaer, founder, Theocracy Watch Blase Bokaer, author Bob Bossie, SCJ, 8th Day Center for Justice* Father Roy Bourgeois St. Clair Bourne, filmmaker Elombe Brath, Patrice Lumumba Coalition, NYC Catharina Breinhold, musician with Nina Hagen Carol Brightman, author of Total Insecurity Dennis Brutus, Center for the Study of Human Rights Gabriel Byrne Campus Anti-War Network (CAN) Rosemary Candelario, pro-choice activist Tim Carpenter, dir., Progressive Democrats of America Chicago ADAPT CHOICE USA Ward Churchill Margaret Cho Ward Churchill Citizens For Legitimate Government Kate Clinton David Cobb, 2004 Green Party Pres. Candidate Code Pink: Women for Peace Gerry Cohen, Hollywood Director US Rep. John Conyers Jr. Harry T. Cook II, Recor, St. Andrews Episcopal Church Irwin Corey, comedian Carlos Cornier, percussionist, Funadesi, Old Town School of Folk Barry Crimmins, Air America contributor & correspondent Chris Crutcher, children's book author Culture Clash Charles W. Dahm, Pastor, St. Pius V, Chicago Chris Daly, SF Board of Supervisors DC Anti-War Network Rev. Greg Dell, Broadway United Methodist Church Democrats.com John Densmore Jesse Díaz Jr. Diane DiPrima, beat poet Carl Dix, Revolutionary Communist Party Leonard Dominguez, Candidate for Cook County Commissioner, IL Dominican Women's Development Center Ariel Dorfman, writer Tom Duane, NY State Senator Michael Eric Dyson Steve Earle Niles Eldredge, curator of Natural History Museum Edwin Ellis, President of Veterans for Peace, LA* Daniel Ellsberg, author of The Pentagon Papers Eve Ensler Martin Espada, poet Michelle Esrick, actress, filmmaker Donelle Estey, Artists Against the War Christian Ettinger, ex. producer of The Weather Underground Jodie Evans, Code Pink Samina Faheem Fundas, American Muslim Voice* Nina Felshin, curator, writer Lawrence Ferlinghetti Ralph Fertig, president of Humanitarian Law Project Rev. John Fife Jane Fonda Barbara Forrest, prof. Southeastern Louisiana Univ. (testified in Dover against intelligent design) Francis Fox Piven Michael Franti, musician Aaron Freeman, comedian reg e. gaines, poet & playwright Martin Garbus, attorney Deborah Glick, NY State Assemblywoman Global Justice and Peace Ministries, Riverside Church Frances Goldin, literary agent Bill Goodman, Center for Constitutional Rights Sam Greenlee, filmmaker & poet André Gregory, theater director Andy Griggs, Exec. Board of United Teachers of LA Jose Guerrero, artist & muralist, Chicago Lawrence Guyot, former SNCC member and former Chairman of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party Nina Hagen, singer, "mother of punk" Paul Haggis, film director, "Crash" Haitian Coalition for Justice Sam Hamill, Poets Against War* Suheir Hammad, poet Kathleen Hanna, Le Tigre David Harris, writer, founder of The Resistance* Stephen Hays, Board of Woodstock Film Festival John Heard, actor Jon Hendricks, artist Jon Hendrix, jazz singer/lyricist Hermandad Mexicana Warren Hern, MD, MPH, PhD, dir. Boulder Abortion Clinic Eric Hilton, musician, Theivery Corporation Hip Hop Caucus Merle Hoffman Rev. Robert M. Hollum, pastor, Lutheran Place Dorothy Hoobler, author Marie Howe, poet & writer Impeach Bush Coalition Mesha Monge Irizarry, Idriss Stelley Foundation Abdeen Jabara, past pres., American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Com.* Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Ron Jacobs, writer Bianca Jagger, actress & activist Dahr Jamail, independent journalist Pramila Jayapal, Exec. Dir., Hate Free Zone Washington Alan Jones, Dean of Faculty, Pitzer College* Bill T. Jones, choreographer Rickie Lee Jones Sarah Jones, poet & actor Esther Kaplan, author of With God On Their Side Brig. Gen. (ret) Janis Karpinski Casey Kasem Jeff Key, Iraq war veteran and writer, "The Eyes of Babylon" Ali Khan, America Muslim Council Margot Kidder, actress C. Clark Kissinger Frances Kissling, president, Catholics for a Free Choice* Yuri Kochiyama Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, St. Mary's Episcopal Church Ron Kovic, author & Vietnam Veteran Joyce Kozloff, artist Jonathan Kozol Reona Kumagai, Pres. of Princeton Students for Sensible Drug Policy Jim Lafferty, Exec. Director of the NLG of LA Ray Laforest, organizer DC 1707 AFSCME, member Pacifica National Board Beth Lamont Jessica Lange, actress Mark Leno, CA State Assemblyman Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor, Tikkun magazine James Levin, co-director, Cleveland Festival of Arts & Technology (Ingenuity) Philip Levine, poet, Pulitzer Prize winner Simon Levy, dir., What I Heard About Iraq Toby Devan Lewis Bruce Lincoln, prof., History of Religion, Univ. of Chicago Margarita Lopez, NY City Council Member Alberto Lovera, Bolivian Circle New York George Lois Haki R. Madhubuti, publisher, Third World Press Devorah Major, poet & novelist Make the Road by Walking Mike Malloy, syndicated radio talk show host Lucinda Marshall, founder, Feminist Peace Network* Bill Martin, philosopher Bill Martinez, attorney, producer (Audioslave concert in Cuba) Luis Matos, union organizer, 1199 Father Matthius, Pastor, St. Pius V, Chicago Malachy McCourt, actor & author US Rep. Cynthia McKinney Peter McLaren, UCLA Prof. Ellen McLaughlin, actress & playwright Camilo Majia, conscientious objector Rosie Mendez, New York City Council Dave Meserve, Arcata, CA City Council member Allen Michaan, owner, Grand Lake Theater, Oakland, CA Carol Migden, CA State Senator Carly Miller, Clothing of the American Mind Mark Crispin Miller Millions More Movement, Pittsburg/Antioch CA org. Ross Markarimi Bill Mitchell, co-founder of Gold Star Families for Peace* Leon Mobley, musician Alderman Joe Moore, Chicago's City Council Tom Morello, Audioslave Tracie Morris, poet Viggo Mortensen Andrew Mu-ana, Images Sal-n, East LA Roger Mumford, Forefront Homes LLC Andrew Munana, Images Salon Steve Murphy, editor of Tales of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cecil Murray, retired Minister First AME Church, LA Craig Murray, former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan National Lawyers Guild, National Office Amando Navarro, Chair of Ethnic Studies, UC Riverside Network in Solidarity with the People of the Philippines Bill Nevins Northwestern College Feminists Not In Our Name Mike and Julie Nussbaum Susan Nussbaum Efia Nwangaza, national co-chair, Jericho Movement Brian O'Leary, PhD, author, former astronaut Bertell Ollman, prof., Dept. of Politics, NYU R. Tomas Olmos, Pres., Mexican-American BA Found., LA County* Barbara Olshansky, Center for Constitutional Rights E. Rendel Osburn, Southern Christian Leadership Foundation Outernational Chris Owens, Congressional candidate US Rep. Major Owens Ozomatli Jose Padilla, exec. Dir., CA Rural Legal Assistance* Christina Page, author of How The Pro-Choice Movement Saved America Grace Paley, writer Patrick Henry Democratic Club Harvey Pekar, American Splendor cartoonist Sean Penn Moisés Peréz, Executive Director, Alianza Dominicana, New York* Bill Perkins, New York City Council Rosalind Petchesky, author, Abortion and a Woman's Choice Peter Phillips, Project Censored, Soc. Dept. Sonoma State Univ. Jeremy Pikser, screenwriter, Bulworth Harold Pinter Sterling Plumpp, poet Port Townsend Peace Movement Kevin Powell, writer Progressive Democrats of America Francine Prose, novelist Puerto Rican Nationalist Party – New York Branch Queers for Economic Justice Jerry Quickley, poet & playwright Malik Rahim, New Orleans Community Organizer Victor Toro Ramirez, activista en el Sur del Bronx Michael Ratner, Center for Constitutional Rights* Reach Hip Hop Coalition Raghava Reddy, stem cell biologist, filmmaker Maggie Renzi, filmmaker, producer Eric Resnick, Gay Peopl's Chronicle* reporter Allan Rich, screenwriter & actor Walter Riley, lawyer Boots Riley, The Coup Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector Dennis Rivera Rhadames Rivera, 1199 SEIU Vice President Stephen F. Rhode, Attorney Joshua Rosenblum, Composer, Dir. of Bush is Bad Mark Ruffalo, actor US Rep. Bobby Rush Douglas Rushkoff, author Stafan Sagmeister, graphic designer Kalamu Salaam, Listen to the People Angelica Salas, exec. dir. CHIRLA JD Samson, Le Tigre San Francisco Bay View Newspaper Sonia Sanchez, poet Rev. Henry Sanders, Fountain of Life Missionary Baptist Church Sapphire, poet & writer Susan Sarandon John Sayles, filmmaker James Schamus Sheley Secrest, attorney, Pres. of NAACP Seattle-King County Rinku Sen, Colorlines* Rafael Sencion, Sec. Gen., Congreso Nacional Dominicano Richard Serra, sculptor Stephen Shapiro, professor Rev. Al Sharpton Lou Shaw, writer, creator of Quincy MD Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace Martin Sheen Stanley Sheinbaum, economist Michael Steven Smith, writer, lawyer, & radio host Gary Soto, children's book author Nancy Spero, artist Dona Spring, Berkeley City Council member Gloria Steinem Lynne Stewart, attorney Jed Stone, attorney Fernando Suarez del Solar, Guerrera Azteca Project, father of US marine killed in Iraq war Malcolm Suber, People's Hurricane Relief Fund David Swanson, After Downing Street Serj Tankian Jonathan Tasini Mark Lewis Taylor, Princeton Theological Seminary Sunsara Taylor, Revolution newspaper Studs Terkel Juan Torres Marrianne Torres, Peace & Justice Action League, Spokane* Dwight Trible, jazz vocalist Mark Trumeo George Tuttle & Ben Cushman, grapegrowers Gore Vidal Kurt Vonnegut Mike Vorndran, pres. of Stonewall Young Democrats Alice Walker Naomi Wallace Lt. Ehren Watada US Rep. Maxine Waters Wavy Gravy Leonard Weinglass, attorney Rev. Dave Weissbard, Unitarian Universalist Church, Rockford, IL Timberlake Werternbaker, playwright Cornel West Rev. Phil Wheaton, Co-pastor, Community of Christ, Wash. DC Susan Wicklund, abortion provider Joan Wile, Dir. of Grandmothers Against War Saul Williams, poet Standish E. Willis, Nat. Conf. of Black Lawyers S. Brian Wilson, Veterans for Peace Krzysztof Wodiczko, artist Ann Wright, former US diplomat Daphne Wysham, Institute for Policy Studies Peter Yarrow Leeland Y. Yee, Speaker pro Tem, CA State Assembly Juanita Young, October 22nd Coalition* David Zeiger, filmmaker, Sir, No Sir! Zephyr, graffiti artist & writer Robert Zevin, Robert Brooke Zevin Associates, Inc. Howard Zinn Dave Zirin, What's My Name, Fool? Sports & Resistance in the US
*Affiliation for identification purposes only.