[mgj-discuss] Fifth Demand

[Mike Flugennock]

At 20:44 +0000 06.20.2002, Luke Kuhn wrote:
>>From: "mike sysiuk" <msysiuk at hotmail.com>
>>To: mgj-discuss at lists.mutualaid.org
>>Subject: [mgj-discuss] Fith Demand
>>Date: Wed, 19 Jun 2002 21:06:57 +0000
>>
>>Hey All,
>>
>>Should the issue of adding another demand come up tonight I suggest 
>>something along the lines of: [F]inally,  we call upon George Bush to 
>>unilitarerally end the “war on terrorism” as it will neither stop future 
>>terrorists attacks nor address the underlying problems that give rise to 
>>terrorist actions.  As well MGJ calls upon the President and Congress to 
>>repeal the USA Patriot Act and other related legislation that targets 
>>Muslims, Arabs and those critical of US domestic and foreign policies...

Whoa, Nellie. That is a _seriously_ rockin' demand, and should be included _immediately_, if not already.

>     I like it-after all, WE are the targets of these laws, which were 
>debated since long before sep 11th under other names. In addition, the 
>anti-Arab racism the United States has been pushing is getting to the level 
>where it could start a nuclear war in the Mideast (or even here!). Lastly, 
>in terms of coalition building, oppressed immigrants need our support even 
>more than the big unions do...

Y'know, g*d knows I love the Mobe folks, but I think that inviting the standard-issue old-guard DemoLiberal "left wing of Kapital" into the coalition is just begging for trouble. If Eugene Debs could see what "Labor" has become in this country, as an institution, he'd be losing his lunch. (See "America's United Front" at http://www.sinkers.org/posters/newwar/liberalunitedfront.jpg for further elaboration on this issue) Iirc, if we want to truly support the workers in this country, we need to appeal _directly_to_them_, not to some professional politicians in a broken-down, top-down bureaucratic power structure. I think one of our biggest challenges is drawing attendance and support from rank-and-file working people without the friggin' unions getting under our feet. I'd rather have a slightly smaller event with people I feel I can trust, rather than a big-assed event where half the people there would turn on us on command from their union "bosses" or Commissar...uh, Commander!
 -in-Chief.

.


"...you were caught with your hands in the till
         but you still got to swallow your pill
        as you slip and you slide down the hill
         on the blood of the people you killed!" --John Lennon.
_______________________________________________________________
Mike Flugennock, the Sinkers, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Mike Flugennock's Mikey'zine, http://www.sinkers.org