RSS
Home
Secret troop increases and moratorium
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Wikipedia reports that on April 20, 1969, Boston antiwar organizer Jerome Grossman called for a nationwide strike, if the Vietnam War wasn't over before October. Two former workers on the 1968 presidential campaign of Eugene McCarthy, David Hawk and Sam Brown changed the concept to a "moratorium", with people refusing to work on the day of October 15, if the Vietnam war was not over. They recruited David Mixner, Marge Sklenkar, and John Gage to work as members of the Vietnam Moratorium Committee.
The October 15 Moratorium turned out to be the largest single day antiwar demonstration ever held in the United States, with over two million people participating nationwide. The largest gathering was in Boston, with some 100,000 people marching.
Other countries participated, with an American Rhodes Scholar named Bill Clinton organizing Britain. Inspired by the success of the moratorium, Australia started an Anti-Vietnam War Moratorium movement.
The Moratorium was a success for two reasons. First, it pulled the mainstream into the antiwar movement, showing the world that Nixon's contention that a "silent majority" supported the war. was a lie. Second, the journalist Seymour Hersch said that the sheer mass of people involved in the action, forced Nixon to scrap his plans to use nuclear weapons against North Vietnam.
Another reason the Moratorium was noteworthy, was that it was the first time that protesters sang John Lennon's song "Give Peace a Chance", instead of the traditional ones, such as "We Shall Overcome", or "We Will Not Be Moved".
A month later, on November 15, the Moratorium mobilized a half million who marched on Washington, and rallied across from the White House. Over 40,000 of them marched down Pennsylvania Ave. to the White House. As each passed in front of the White House, she said the name of an American killed in the war. It took all evening. Another thing that made this Moratorium noteworthy, was the incredible welcome given to protesters, with schools, seminaries and others giving them lodging.
Now, there is a new president, a new movement, two new wars and a government vigorously debating, not whether to end the wars, but how to fight them.
On March 21, 2009, President Obama announced that he was going to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by 21, 000. Now, the Washington Post has revealed that he sent, not the 21,000 he announced, but a total of 34,000. The Pentagon tried to justify this by saying that the total is still the 68,000 planned, but the fact remains that THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE TOTAL TROOPS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN THAN AT ANY TIME DURING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION. The United States has 65,000 troops in Afghanistan (to be 68,000 before January) and around 124,000 in Iraq. At the peak of the troop surge, Bush had 26,000 troops in Afghanistan, and 160,000 in Iraq. General McChrystal, the American and NATO commander in Afghanistan has asked for more troops, and 30,000 to 60,000 more may be sent.
An organization called The Iraq Moratorium, has called for a nationwide Moratorium this Saturday, October 17. This Moratorium is to commemorate the incredible event of forty years ago, and to demand the withdrawal of all troops, and the end of all hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the Texas Metroplex, North Texas for Justice and Peace is organizing the local participation in the nationwide Moratorium. They ask that you take a day out from supporting the system. Stay home from work. Go to work, and walk out. But, no matter how you choose to support the Moratorium, wear a black armband, as a symbol of your support.
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of the nationally active antiwar organization Code Pink, will be in Dallas. At 9:00, she will lead a group of Code Pink members in front of John Pershing Elementary School, 5715 Meaders, near George W. Bush's Dallas home, as they "serenade the war criminal". At 9:45, the protesters will carpool to the Dallas office of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, on the northeast corner of Central Expressway and Meadow, to a picket organized by the Dallas Peace Center, which will last until noon.
The government is at a point of decision. Moratorium has changed history before. A good turnout Saturday can do the same again. You have a chance to be a part of history. You have a chance to be a part of changing history. Be the Peace. Be a part of ending these wars.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
