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Well I guess war is coming. George Bush made that perfectly clear last night that war with Iraq is all but certain, it will happen this week.
Bush has (in my opinion) not only undermined the UN, but will also destroy our country. Our economy is a mess, our education system is in a shambles, health care for every American doesn't exsist. Nearly half a million people are without jobs, gasoline prices are most likely going to increase by summer.
This reckless and blatant disregard tor the will of the Amercian people and the world is not a surprise. Remember, Bush did not win the popular vote in 2000, if I remember correctly, over 500,000 people voted for Al Gore. So of course, Bush doesn't care one bit about the people. He doesn't care one bit about diplomacy, or about our relations with other nations like France and Germany.
He has no respect for civil and constitutional rights of the people in this country. John Ashcroft, the fueherer of the Justice Department, is working overtime to get policies and legislation passed that would allow the Department to basically do whatever it wants to whomever, without just cause or due process.
The conservative/religious right that makes up Bush's political support also hate and despise the United Nations, whom they see as corrupt and operating in an ungodly manner. Conversatives have for years been looking for ways to undermine and even destroy the UN. They may be on the verge of actually succeeding.
Bush and his people are a threat and a danger to all of us. The so-called "pre-emptive strike" policy is madness....We should not wait for America to suffer another tragic attack like 9/11, we must take action against those who oppose our values and freedoms... Doesn't that sound familiar? Didn't Adolf Hitler state much the same thing when he invaded Poland, when he occupied Austria, when he re-occupied the Sudetenland? To create a "greater Germany" that would be safe from its enemies?
So in light of the coming war, what can we do? By all means the protests here and all over should continue. We must all continue to call and e-mail Congress and the White House to let them know we oppose this war and its consequences. We must make it clear that those in Congress who support this madness, will be held accountable at election time. We must utilize the full power of the internet to spread our messages of peace and justice for all people. We must write letters to our local newspapers to voice our opinions and concerns. Don't let someone like Ashcroft intimidate us into silence, don't buy into the argument that those who dissent are somehow "unAmerican" or "liberal extremists".
And we must also begin the process of mobilizing for 2004. We must do everything we can to vote Bush and his cronies out of office. And this effort must be local, statewide and national. There must be a movement unlike any before with the sole purpose of reaching out to mainstream Ohio and America, getting the facts and figures out there for people to see, to get a massive voter registration campaign going, and ensure that those who register will actually go out and vote.
I realize that this will be a huge task, many of us are small with very small or tight budgets, (OCSJ is no exception to this) But considering the alternative....four more years of a failing economy and billions wasted on war and destruction, there really isn't much choice, is there?
Go in Peace.
Perry Slone is the Director of Ohio Center for Social Justice (OCSJ), a non-profit organization working to create social change and promote social justice in Ohio and the US thru Advocacy and Education. The Center is located at 91 Jefferson Avenue,Columbus OH 43215. We're on the 2nd floor of the Thurber Center. Call the Center at 614-222-8782 or e-mail OhioCSJ@aol.com for Center hours or for more info.
Bush has (in my opinion) not only undermined the UN, but will also destroy our country. Our economy is a mess, our education system is in a shambles, health care for every American doesn't exsist. Nearly half a million people are without jobs, gasoline prices are most likely going to increase by summer.
This reckless and blatant disregard tor the will of the Amercian people and the world is not a surprise. Remember, Bush did not win the popular vote in 2000, if I remember correctly, over 500,000 people voted for Al Gore. So of course, Bush doesn't care one bit about the people. He doesn't care one bit about diplomacy, or about our relations with other nations like France and Germany.
He has no respect for civil and constitutional rights of the people in this country. John Ashcroft, the fueherer of the Justice Department, is working overtime to get policies and legislation passed that would allow the Department to basically do whatever it wants to whomever, without just cause or due process.
The conservative/religious right that makes up Bush's political support also hate and despise the United Nations, whom they see as corrupt and operating in an ungodly manner. Conversatives have for years been looking for ways to undermine and even destroy the UN. They may be on the verge of actually succeeding.
Bush and his people are a threat and a danger to all of us. The so-called "pre-emptive strike" policy is madness....We should not wait for America to suffer another tragic attack like 9/11, we must take action against those who oppose our values and freedoms... Doesn't that sound familiar? Didn't Adolf Hitler state much the same thing when he invaded Poland, when he occupied Austria, when he re-occupied the Sudetenland? To create a "greater Germany" that would be safe from its enemies?
So in light of the coming war, what can we do? By all means the protests here and all over should continue. We must all continue to call and e-mail Congress and the White House to let them know we oppose this war and its consequences. We must make it clear that those in Congress who support this madness, will be held accountable at election time. We must utilize the full power of the internet to spread our messages of peace and justice for all people. We must write letters to our local newspapers to voice our opinions and concerns. Don't let someone like Ashcroft intimidate us into silence, don't buy into the argument that those who dissent are somehow "unAmerican" or "liberal extremists".
And we must also begin the process of mobilizing for 2004. We must do everything we can to vote Bush and his cronies out of office. And this effort must be local, statewide and national. There must be a movement unlike any before with the sole purpose of reaching out to mainstream Ohio and America, getting the facts and figures out there for people to see, to get a massive voter registration campaign going, and ensure that those who register will actually go out and vote.
I realize that this will be a huge task, many of us are small with very small or tight budgets, (OCSJ is no exception to this) But considering the alternative....four more years of a failing economy and billions wasted on war and destruction, there really isn't much choice, is there?
Go in Peace.
Perry Slone is the Director of Ohio Center for Social Justice (OCSJ), a non-profit organization working to create social change and promote social justice in Ohio and the US thru Advocacy and Education. The Center is located at 91 Jefferson Avenue,Columbus OH 43215. We're on the 2nd floor of the Thurber Center. Call the Center at 614-222-8782 or e-mail OhioCSJ@aol.com for Center hours or for more info.