More Than One Way To March On Washington
Looking at the media coverage surrounding the demonstration against the war in Washington, D.C. certainly makes me wish I was there. It is not that the coverage of the march was any good (like most news, it was focused mainly on celebrities), it is just that it looks like it was a pretty decent march. For all of my calls to find more effective protest tactics, I still enjoy being involved in large marches, especially on beautiful days and when the theme is simple and unified. The February 15, 2003 march I joined up with in Philadelphia, which was not organized by ANSWER, is still one of my best political memories, and the one in Washington, D.C. the next month wasn't bad either. Perhaps one of the keys to those marches is that they took place before the war, which allowed for a greater sense of unity and purpose. Perhaps it was because, like in Sunday's march, United for Peace was the main organizer. Perhaps it was because I didn't have the large soapbox that I have now. Perhaps it was because the larger the march, the less visible and irritating the fringe elements. Perhaps it was because it just feels really good to take action with a large number of like-minded people.
Whatever the cause, there is more than one-way to march on Washington. MoveOn.org is sponsoring a virtual march on Washington on February 1st, which happens to be Thursday. This march will be made in the form of phone calls, emails and faxes, to send one million direct contacts to member of Congress to stop the escalation. No matter whether you attend the march on Saturday or not, no matter whether you were able to attend the march on Saturday or not, everyone can take part in this march. If, for one day, no one in Congress received any other messages from constituents except a call to stop Bush's escalation in Iraq, we can be louder and clearer than any mass rally. You can take part here. I will be signing up shortly myself.
As we speak, Senator Feingold is discussing his soon to be released legislation that will use the power of the purse to start a phased withdrawal from Iraq. While we currently to not have the votes in Congress to pass this legislation at this time, we all know that Senator Feingold has a habit of turning minority positions into majority coalitions. If he is on the job, then this must be a battle we can win. Take action to stop the escalation, and end the Iraq war. You can read Senator Feingold's opening statements today in the extended entry.
Whatever the cause, there is more than one-way to march on Washington. MoveOn.org is sponsoring a virtual march on Washington on February 1st, which happens to be Thursday. This march will be made in the form of phone calls, emails and faxes, to send one million direct contacts to member of Congress to stop the escalation. No matter whether you attend the march on Saturday or not, no matter whether you were able to attend the march on Saturday or not, everyone can take part in this march. If, for one day, no one in Congress received any other messages from constituents except a call to stop Bush's escalation in Iraq, we can be louder and clearer than any mass rally. You can take part here. I will be signing up shortly myself.
As we speak, Senator Feingold is discussing his soon to be released legislation that will use the power of the purse to start a phased withdrawal from Iraq. While we currently to not have the votes in Congress to pass this legislation at this time, we all know that Senator Feingold has a habit of turning minority positions into majority coalitions. If he is on the job, then this must be a battle we can win. Take action to stop the escalation, and end the Iraq war. You can read Senator Feingold's opening statements today in the extended entry.
"There is little doubt that decisive action from the Congress is needed. Despite the results of the election, and two months of study and supposed consultation -- during which experts and members of Congress from across the political spectrum argued for a new policy -- the president has decided to escalate the war. When asked whether he would persist in this policy despite congressional opposition, he replied: `Frankly, that's not their responsibility.'
"Last week Vice President Cheney was asked whether the non-binding resolution passed by the Foreign Relations Committee that will soon be considered by the full Senate would deter the President from escalating the war. He replied: `It's not going to stop us.'
"In the United States of America, the people are sovereign, not the president. It is Congress's responsibility to challenge an administration that persists in a war that is misguided and that the country opposes. We cannot simply wring our hands and complain about the Administration's policy. We cannot just pass resolutions saying "your policy is mistaken."
And we can't stand idly by and tell ourselves that it's the president's job to fix the mess he made. It's our job to fix the mess, and if we don't do so we are abdicating our responsibilities.
"Tomorrow, I will introduce legislation that will prohibit the use of funds to continue the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq six months after enactment. By prohibiting funds after a specific deadline, Congress can force the President to bring our forces out of Iraq and out of harm's way.
"This legislation will allow the President adequate time to redeploy our troops safely from Iraq, and it will make specific exceptions for a limited number of U.S. troops who must remain in Iraq to conduct targeted counter-terrorism and training missions and protect U.S. personnel.
"It will not hurt our troops in any way - they will continue receiving their equipment, training and salaries. It will simply prevent the President from continuing to deploy them to Iraq. By passing this bill, we can finally focus on repairing our military and countering the full range of threats that we face around the world."
"Last week Vice President Cheney was asked whether the non-binding resolution passed by the Foreign Relations Committee that will soon be considered by the full Senate would deter the President from escalating the war. He replied: `It's not going to stop us.'
"In the United States of America, the people are sovereign, not the president. It is Congress's responsibility to challenge an administration that persists in a war that is misguided and that the country opposes. We cannot simply wring our hands and complain about the Administration's policy. We cannot just pass resolutions saying "your policy is mistaken."
And we can't stand idly by and tell ourselves that it's the president's job to fix the mess he made. It's our job to fix the mess, and if we don't do so we are abdicating our responsibilities.
"Tomorrow, I will introduce legislation that will prohibit the use of funds to continue the deployment of U.S. forces in Iraq six months after enactment. By prohibiting funds after a specific deadline, Congress can force the President to bring our forces out of Iraq and out of harm's way.
"This legislation will allow the President adequate time to redeploy our troops safely from Iraq, and it will make specific exceptions for a limited number of U.S. troops who must remain in Iraq to conduct targeted counter-terrorism and training missions and protect U.S. personnel.
"It will not hurt our troops in any way - they will continue receiving their equipment, training and salaries. It will simply prevent the President from continuing to deploy them to Iraq. By passing this bill, we can finally focus on repairing our military and countering the full range of threats that we face around the world."
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