March 17 is the 40th anniversary of the historic 1967 march on the Pentagon and the 4th anniversary of the start of the Iraq war.
This March 17, there will be a March on the Pentagon as well as multiple protests elsewhere. Be there. Let’s continue to build a people’s movement and bring the troops home now.
The Perntagon is the wrong target. The right will spin that as undermining the troops. The march should focus on the Bush policy disaster.
I absolutely agree with the above comment by Hugh. The march should be on the White House, not the Pentagon.
What is it going to take to change the march from the Pentagon to the White House? Many of my friends plan to be there but would rather re-direct the efforts toward Bush and the White House.
It does not matter WHERE we march to. Don’t you understand that the protest itself, and the number of people involved is what gets the Bush war machines attention? This is supposed to be a unified effort to stop the war. Do not try to divide us from the very start over petty details. You would make a good politician under the current administration.
It’s not a petty detail. People are taking great care to avoid the disaster of blaming troops during Vietnam and I think that’s an important detail. Seeming to undermine the troops would create more division and alienation. It does matter. And speaking that way to someone who’s fighting for the same cause that you are doesn’t help unification any either.
The point is the connection between the US military and big business – and fact that the US has supported the aims of big business with the military for the last century. This situation is not the result of the actions of one stupid president, but the result of an ideology of imposing capitalism internationally, and of stealing natural resources to support industry.Bush’s error in the eyes of the US oligarchy is not his priorities, but in his stupidity in how to obtain the objectives. What needs to change is not just the Bush/Cheney approach, but a change in the priorities and political/economic orientation of the country. This won’t come easily , if ever, but as long we we’re only focused on Bush and not the bigger issues, things won’t really change.
Part of the point of marching to the Pentagon is to further symbolize how similar the Iraq war is with the Vietnam war. By celebrating the anniversary we wouldn’t be blaming the troops so much as linking the Iraq and Vietnam wars to hopefully send a message that will actually be listened to.
I hate to sound cynical, but no matter what is done, Bush is in. He doesn’t
care. Perhaps if people had done something BEFORE 2000, or even before 2004,
maybe…MAYBE…it would’ve made a difference.
At least people aren’t just taking up space, anyway. I went on 2 marches in D.C., one in ’04 and one on January 27, ’07 protesting the war. I’m hoping to go on the March 17 one.