PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

Aug 8 Protest/announcement of major fall actions
by from infoshop Wednesday, Aug. 01, 2007 at 8:13 AM

Anti-war protest and announcement of major actions this fall Wednesday, August 8, 5:30pm-8:00pm Military Recruiting Station in Oakland, 3712 Forbes Ave.

The tide has turned and all the administration’s efforts – tactics of delay, reworked mission statements and historical revisionism – will not change the fundamental reality of this war; it has been lost.

The U.S. military is simply incapable of recruiting and training enough soldiers to maintain current force levels in Iraq. And that current level is not even capable of controlling the country and defeating the insurgency.

The elites are desperate: to maintain control over Iraq’s future political, economic and strategic decisions; to keep the giant embassies and huge military bases; to delay, as long as possible, the humiliation of acknowledging defeat.

The elites are scared: that the war is damaging their larger economic and political agendas; that the next election will usher in a group of politicians not quite so acquiescent to the needs of the global corporations; that social movements are growing and becoming more powerful and aggressive.

They are willing to create the conditions for future bloodshed by arming rival factions and flooding the country with more guns and ammunition, as long as it can temporarily bring down U.S. casualty levels and buy the administration time. They will sacrifice more U.S. and Iraqi lives.

If all else fails they’ll keep the war going long enough to pass it along to the next president. Better for Bush’s legacy to hand over a war he claims can be won and let someone else admit the failure of the U.S. military and our political “leaders.”

Our job is to stop them, to say, “enough already.” To help them run out of new troops as quickly as possible. We spoke out before they waged this war, we confronted their lies and justifications for slaughter, we helped open the public’s eyes and turn them against this bloodbath, we went on the offensive against the pillars of war in our communities and the individuals facilitating the continuation of this war. Hopefully, at some point soon, our cities and this country is going to explode, destroy this system of militarism and injustice, and start building something better in its place.

The anti-war movement is entering a period of sustained and escalated activity not seen since early 2003. From protests this September through the Republican National Convention next year the floodgates of dissent will open and continue to increase the pressure in society for fundamental social change.

We will – and must – do our part. Join us for another picket this August 8 to speak out against the war once again and tell local recruiters to get the hell out of our town. At this event we will announce a series of upcoming actions more ambitious than any of our previous mobilizations.

For peace and social justice, through solidarity and resistance,
Pittsburgh Organizing Group
http://www.organizepittsburgh.org

www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070731162232728