Here is an excerpt from: World Can’t Wait Training Project Unleashes Activists
~ by Sunsara Taylor (WCW Advisory Board member)
As published on: Revolution: Voice of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA
> There was a lot of debate over whether reaching “the mainstream” means
> toning down the message or whether we owe everyone as big a dose of the
> truth as we can bring; over how to draw the line between religion and
> theocracy; over how to argue with people that they cannot rely on the
> Democratic Party to get us out of this mess without insisting that people
> break with the Democrats in order to get involved; and over how to get way
> out there in stirring up massive, unprecedented resistance without
> inadvertently sending the message that “non-radicals need not apply.”
The answers aren’t coming easily, nor or they simple. Conversely, I think the answer is very complex, yet not unattainably so.
Last night I attended a meeting in my new neighborhood in South Minneapolis in which about 500 people jammed into a hot and sticky room designed for about 350 for two full hours. Every chair was occupied, as was much of the open space on the floor. There was someone leaning on nearly every inch of available wall and the two entry ways were full as well with people leaning in to hear and contribute in the Q & A portion. Passions ran as high as the non-air-conditioned room temperature as the moderator had to quiet the crowd and bring order multiple times.
What was the critical topic? Torture? Spying on Americans and the loss of our liberties? Stolen elections and the blatantly racist plot to do so? The threats to internet impartiality and public television and radio? The 9/11 cover-up and Dick Cheney’s apparent complicity in it?
No. The school board has recieved a proposal to utilize the vacant elementary school across the street as an alternative high school.
That’s right… a school re-use debate.
Although I respect the concern of my neighbors with small children and those of us who are worried about this leading to an increase in gang activity in the area, it might seem my neighbors are more concerned about a cigarette being left on the sidewalk in front of their house than they are a cigarette being pushed into the eyeball of an American military detainee in Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan or in some former gulag in Eastern Europe who was kidnapped and transported years ago by our government and may never be charged, gain access to counsel or see his family nor the light of day again. As much as that insular hypocrisy disgusts me, I am trying to figure out what the key is to this extraordinary turnout last night because I am long past simply reacting and am solidly committed to finding the strategies that will get the White House eradication results we want and that America and the world so desperately need.
Just like the huge turnout for the Immigration rallies earlier this spring across the nation, the key here seems to be that this issue hit home for my neighbors. It was personal. They perceived this issue as being a direct potential threat to their quality of life. Just as many Mexican-Americans fear that family members who have lived in the U.S. for years are going to be torn away from their children and thrown over a freshly-built sixty-foot tall GOP fence back into Mexico, many of my neighbors fear “gang-bangers” attending this “last chance” school are going to rape, pillage, steal and destroy their neighborhood. I am not as interested in the relative reasonableness of these fears as I am in finding out what will work for us to most effectively bring the multiple solid, legitimate reasons for the cheney/Bush Regime removal movement to the forefront of the American consciousness.
Because there is no draft, the Iraq War is still “over there” for most Americans. Torture is “over there”. The rights we are losing seem distantly conceptual to most Americans. American opinion on abortion is widely split. Many still trust that “christian” leaders will have their best interests in mind. Most believe we are actually fighting a “War on Terror”, as if terror is an enemy that can be isolated, attacked and destroyed. We may as well declare war on bullets. Most concerned citizens are trusting that an inevitable “pendulum swing” back to the Democrats will fix things. We know better. So what is going to make this work?
I do not know.
I do believe that nearly every American, if they were to know the total truth about the cheney/Bush Regime’s actions and policies, would be appalled enough to demand they step down, and perhaps face severe criminal prosecution and punishment for their multiple crimes and misdemeanors.
I also believe that from the corporate executive who would agree to the street vendor who would also concur, the avenues to gain their support and participation are as varied as the daily population of a Greenwich Village sidewalk. Because of that, the ways of reaching them may be more of an art than a scientific formula, and there is room in our movement for every type of person and every kind of communication from gentle and personal to loud and radical. The key is for each participant to decide on an audience (or several) that they know and understand and to reach out to that particular group in such a way that the group will be most likely to recieve and accept the message.
> There was a lot of debate over whether reaching “the mainstream” means toning down the >message or whether we owe everyone as big a dose of the truth as we can bring;
Perhaps “… as big a dose of the truth as they are ready to recieve” on a case-by-case basis to individuals or groups is the most effective option? I am sure that was discussed.
> over how to draw the line between religion and theocracy;
From the christian bible, which is what this regime tries to pretend they are adherents to:
(Religion) Jesus said: “But I, when I am lifted up will draw all of humanity to myself.” ~ John 12:32.
(Theocracy) President McKinley justified an imperialistic annexation in order: “to educate the Filipinos and uplift and Christianize them”.
(Religion) When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, his disciple Peter attempted to violently defend him and Jesus rebuked Peter, saying: “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.” ~ Matthew 26:52
(Theocracy) President George W. Bush gave a glimpse into his true perspective in the week after 9/11 by saying: “This (christian) crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while”.
> how to argue with people that they cannot rely on the Democratic Party to get us out of this >mess without insisting that people break with the Democrats in order to get involved;
The vast majority of Americans involved in the peace movement, strongly critical of Bush, frustrated and angry over the direction the cheney/Bush regime is taking us are registered Democrats. It is the most fertile field for allies available to those of us calling for an early end to cheney/Bush control. Not all will heed “The Call”, of course, but almost all will be sympathetic to our rage and will listen to impeachment and other efforts to remove the cabal from the White House:
Here are some talking points to discuss with Democrats who insist on working within the political process, leaning toward “business as usual”:
1). Impeachment is the only legal, political recourse to investigate/hold accountable/prosecute the President of the United States. All other public officials can be held liable in a court of law and/or through the impeachment process.
2). To be impeached, criminality is not a prerequisite, although it makes the job much easier – especially when many of Bush’s admissions of guilt are on the record (NSA spying, support of torture, etc.).
3). Impeachment is simple accountability. No American is above the law. This is the only way to hold Bush accountable within the Democratic system.
4). Do you trust our voting system across the nation? If not, why are you depending on it alone to save us from this disastrous Regime?
4). If Bush isn’t impeached, what will the next President get away with?
5). We won’t get cheney as President. Any impeachment would reveal him to be “double dirty”. Just as Nixon did, the likely result of impeachment hearings starting would be mass resignations for “health” reasons (cheney) or other reasons in the administration.
6). Impeachment is OUR responsibility and it is something WE AS CITIZENS can and must do:
For more evidence and responses to arguments against impeachment/removal of cheney/Bush:
www.ImpeachforPeace.org
> How to get way out there in stirring up massive, unprecedented resistance without inadvertently > sending the message that “non-radicals need not apply.”
Meet them where they are at. Know your audience. Find out “where they live” and talk about the topics that concern them personally. No matter what the topic, it is easy for anyone reasonably informed to tie the discussion back to the fact that this administration considers itself above the law, considers everything in America for sale including the precious blood of our young men and women in service overseas, and that they will do anything and everything they can to consolidate power, control and profit margins into the blood-stained hands of their soul-less corporate cronies and immoral business partners.
Every American is at grave risk. They just need to see it. Our job and our mission is to get that information to them. THEY will remove cheney/Bush. We can’t, but thankfully, we don’t have to do it by ourselves, we just need to inform and recruit.
