Last weekend, 80 activists with World Can't Wait met to decide what way forward for this movement. Because the Bush regime is leaving the White House in seven weeks, is our mission over? Or do we have an ongoing responsibility to stop the crimes of our government, carried out in our names, no matter who is president?Because real change happens when people take independent action outside the confines of government and in their own interests, World Can't Wait will persevere in bringing forth such a movement. As plans develop, you'll hear about them in these messages.
See presentations from Jill McLaughlin and Debra Sweet; and articles about the meeting by Kevin Gosztola. We launched the We Are Not Your Soldiers Tour last week in Chicago high schools. Monday the tour is in Los Angeles schools; and next week in San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. We are hearing that recruitment is up, driven both by the terrible economy, and lies being told by recruiters that under President Obama, recruits won't be sent to war. The need for this tour is expressed in the question: where will the 92,000 new troops come from? They're in high school right now. See more at wearenotyoursoldiers.org.
There's no such thing as a "good" war on terror: It seems likely that Barack Obama will close Guantanamo, under the reasoning that its existence creates the "perception" that the US detains and tortures people unjustly. Guantanamo should be closed immediately. But the detainees should not be hidden elsewhere, including within US prisons, and the fact that many were tortured should not keep them from getting charged, tried with due process, or released. The practice of extraordinary rendition, begun under Bill Clinton in the 90's, was begun by John Brennan, Obama's chief advisor on intelligence matters. Brennan was floated as Obama's new CIA Director, until protests, including this letter from psychologists, made Brennan retract his name from consideration.
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