Join Us In Washington, DC On October 6, 2011
By Paul Buchheit
15 June, 2011
Countercurrents.org
We'll be protesting the continued loss of American lives on the 10th
anniversary of our reckless invasion of Afghanistan. And we'll be
protesting the 10th anniversary of the Bush tax cuts, the symbol of war on
the middle class.
The difference between physical war and economic war is the speed and
degree of violence with which decisions by political and business leaders
tear apart society. In Vietnam young lives were snuffed out quickly. With
the transfer of income to the rich that started shortly after the end of
the Vietnam War, the health and security and quality of life of entire
families has been degraded in a long, slow, torturous process.
In both cases the greed and arrogance of people in power, and their
disregard for those considered inferior, is to blame.
We cheer soldiers walking through airports when we should be protecting
their right to stay home and live in peace.
We hear that "times are tough for everyone" when the richest 1% of
Americans have TRIPLED their share of national income in the last
quarter-century. That's an extra TRILLION DOLLARS A YEAR.
That trillion dollars, diverted to the rich through tax cuts and financial
system de-regulation, could be providing an extra $10,000 a year for every
family in America. Instead, inequality continues to grow. Researchers have
documented numerous studies that correlate economic inequality with
shorter life expectancies and increased disease and health problems. This
is the agonizing economic war against mainstream America.
On Thursday, October 6, 2011 Americans will gather in Freedom Plaza in
Washington, DC (13th St. and Pennsylvania Avenue NW) to call for peace and
economic justice. As stated by the October 2011 Coalition
(www.October2011.org), we will use nonviolent resistance to "demand
changes that shift power away from concentrated corporate capital and free
us to create solutions that lead to a just and sustainable future."
Corporations have the money and the power to control the political process
and the media. But we have the numbers. Most of us want to end the wars
and seek energy independence, so that our intervention in dangerously
volatile foreign countries will no longer be necessary. Many of us already
advocate for social justice, but too often our efforts are like swords
flailing at the guns of a fortress. Together, though, we have a previously
untapped power that can restore a community-driven sense of justice in
America.
Although specific demands for October 2011 have not been announced,
certain social and economic and environmental needs seem clear:
(1) End the Afghanistan war
(2) End the Bush tax cuts
(3) Demand that a percentage of oil industry profits go toward alternative
energy development
(4) Implement the People's Budget. Among other common-sense
recommendations, this would increase the top income tax rate and the
capital gains tax rate, remove corporate tax loopholes, and invest in job
creation, education, clean energy, and infrastructure.
It's 1968 all over again. But this time we have two wars to end.
Paul Buchheit is a college teacher, an active member of US Uncut Chicago,
founder and developer of social justice and educational websites
(UsAgainstGreed.org, PayUpNow.org, RappingHistory.org), and the editor and
main author of "American Wars: Illusions and Realities" (Clarity Press).
He can be reached at [email protected].
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