You may well be right about the SDS -- certainly your experience with that
particular protest supports that view, and based on other things I've read,
I'm inclined to agree with you on this. But as one of today's "war
protestors," I disagree with your broad characterization of us as of the
same ilk.
Yes, the "ANSWER Coalition," which has organized some of the major US
antiwar protests recently, has its share of flakes and anti-everythings and
wannabe communists and a pretty large contingent of druggy-looking college
students who might very well be there as part of a lifestyle thing to go
along with their 70s-era bellbottom jeans. I went to one of their
mini-protests at an arms convention in DC last fall (it was across the
street from where I was working and I was curious what the fuss was about),
and I was amused and a bit depressed by the motley and -- frankly -- silly
group assembled there, including a young man with a bullhorn who was basing
his antiwar arguments on the fact (?-- I have no idea) that Condoleeza Rice
has a battleship named after her. Whatever, as they say.
But today's antiwar protestors also include the National Council of
Churches (representing 50 million US congregants, admittedly many of whom
don't necessarily agree with their leadership), Physicians for Social
Responsibility, and business and veterans groups, as well as the
"mainstream" left-leaning usual suspects like the Sierra Club et. al. The
Catholic Church -- a group whose conservative stances on several other
issues cause me distress -- is opposed to this coming war based on their
"principles of a just war," just about every one of which this war flies in
the face of. Armed Forces retired generals and former Pentagon and other
officials object to this war on winnability, strategic, or foreign policy
grounds. What a bunch of irresponsible anarchists!
Look up the groups "Win Without War" or "United for Peace." They're
bending over backwards to be sure everyone knows they're true-blue
patriotic Americans rather than leftist stealth commies.
I'm sure I'm far to the left of you, but I'm no anarchist. I've even taken
an official oath to uphold the United States Constitution no less than
three times, something many US citizens -- including many of the
conservative pro-war types -- haven't ever done. I believe in government
-- I spent 9 years working hard in a federal agency when I could have
earned far more money in the private sector. I've voted in every single
election since I've been an adult, except for one off-year election when I
was moving and had no jurisdiction to call home for the purpose of electing
the local sheriff. (And I even felt guilty about missing that one.)
I also believe in my right -- and indeed, my responsibility -- to protest
actions by my government that I believe to be unjust, immoral,
irresponsible, or just plain stupid. Democracy is supposed to be
government by the people, and I am The People, and I intend to speak up.
Even though it won't do a damn bit of good.
Linda Wunderlich
Oh, and by the way, I didn't approve of the Yugoslavia bombings either.
Democrat bombs bad; Republican bombs bad.
> [Original Message]
> From: George M. Anderson <george@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Date: 2/7/03 12:15:43 PM
> Subject: RE: [OM] RE: [OT] Protestors
>
<snip>
> Although I did pretty much lean to the left at the time, I wrote SDS off
as
> just a bunch of argumentative anarchists with only complaints, no
solutions,
> who would protest their own mothers if they thought it would be a lark. I
> think todays war 'protesters' are pretty much the same ilk.
<snip>
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