3-26-08, 9:41 am

Invited Anti-war Rally Remarks Delivered March 19, 2008 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI

Good afternoon, folks. I’m here at the invitation of the GVSU’s Students for a Democratic Society, but I stand here as merely a person. I am not here as a professor. I am not here representing any Party. I am not here as the vetted voice of SDS. Rather, I am here with my remarks—in the cold March wind of West Michigan, on the fifth anniversary of the War in Iraq—well within this ten-foot-square “free speech zone” afforded by the University. My purpose is to speak from the heart and mind, to share certain views on the war. Therefore:

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There are many ways to view the War in Iraq, and by extension, much if not all of the so-called War on Terror. I’m interested here in talking about two different ways that the War in Iraq can be viewed simultaneously, that is, without excluding each other—however oppositional they appear to be at first.

I’ll list them both before elaborating:

1. We really don’t know what the war is about. 2. We really do know what the war is about.

To begin:

We don’t know why we went to war in the first place.

We don’t know why we remain at war now.

We don’t know why this war is beneficial to most Americans.

We don’t know how this war is beneficial to most Iraqis.

We don’t know how this war spreads “democracy” around the world.

We don’t know how this war protects “democracy” in the United States.

In other words, we really don’t know what this war is about; and because we don’t, we are failing to function as a democracy, and further, failing to live as a freedom and peace loving people.

Now someone might answer, someone might say, “Wait a minute. I do know what the war is about. I do know why we went to war in the first place. I do know why we remain at war now. I do know that this war is good for most Americans. I do know that this war is beneficial to most Iraqis. I do know that this war spreads democracy around the world. I do know that this war protects democracy in the United States.” And that same person, confident that she knows these things, might also assert: “We are not failing as a democracy.” And further, “We are not failing to live as a freedom and peace loving people.”

She might tell you that we’re in Iraq because Saddam conspired with al Qaeda, that Saddam was responsible for 9/11. She might assert that we are a justice wielding, law abiding nation, committed to good global works like disarming an evil dictator, removing a tyrant with stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction, threatening us with mushroom clouds. She might tell you that we are there to liberate the Shiites and to protect the Kurds. She might tell you that we are there to spread democracy and the rule of law. She might tell you that we had to get the troops out of Saudi Arabia. She might tell you that “taking the fight over there kept it from happening over here.” And she might tell you, as preachers in churches here in West Michigan and elsewhere have been heard to say—that the President is right—that this is a Holy War of Christian soldiers against the Islamofascists of Babylon

And when you meet this righteous person, after she says these things to you, after she regales you with the uncertain but nonetheless popular rhetoric of the day, after she reiterates that we are a freedom and peace loving people, ask her about equal rights for gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders. Ask her about race relations. Ask her about the environment. Ask her about organized labor. Ask her about capital gains taxes. Ask her about migrant workers. Ask her why women in Michigan make only 67 cents on the dollar compared to men. Ask her about a woman’s right to choose. And above all, ask her to demonstrate how she actually lives her life as a freedom and peace loving person!

But if you really want to confuse her: Ask her, for God’s sake, “What would Jesus do?”

Now folks, I have to tell you, I feel a little tired. I feel a little worn down. We’re five years into this war I know, but I’m a little distracted. I’m worried about my pregnant wife. I’m worried that something’s wrong with my car. My daughter had a little fever last night and I’m worried that she’s coming down with something. I’m scared that we live in a violent, sick society—one that will harm me before my work is done, or discriminate against my wife, or molest my daughter. I’m scared my daughter or son-to-be will find the gun I keep hidden in the closet, or that they will be sucked into the big lie someday and take up arms to go kill people somewhere else.

Further, I’m scared of the economy, of falling property values, of uncertain employment. I’m scared you’ll think I’m queer. That I’m a wimp. That I’m un-American. That I’m part of a Communist plot. I’m scared you’ll think I don’t believe in God. And dammit, I’m scared that I’ll have to choose between a Democrat and Republican come Election Day. I’m terrified because John McCain will—after he’s elected president—make things even worse than they are now.

Now the truth is: I’m scared of coming out here and telling you exactly how I feel. I’m terrified of telling you these things because we don’t live in a democracy. We don’t really promote peace and love. We don’t encourage or really listen to free speech. We are, put bluntly, a nation that has turned against itself. We are a country that has gone to war with itself because we have gone to war with terror.

Despite these fears, despite these uncertainties, despite this litany of “don’t knows,” let us return to our earlier thread and consider, alternatively, that we really do know something about the war. We know something at least because the ultimate capitalist, straight, rich, white male American, Republican insider, former Federal Reserve Chairman Allan Greenspan has told us in his recent multi-million dollar memoir, and I quote:

“I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil. Thus, projections of world oil supply and demand that do not note the highly precarious environment of the Middle East are avoiding the eight-hundred pound gorilla that could bring world economic growth to a halt.” The Age of Turbulence, p. 463.

While we all should be grateful for Greenspan’s candor, like most bourgeois economists, he’s really just peddling old news, just spinning old data. A couple of years earlier, David Harvey—an American Marxist scholar—published The New Imperialism, the very first chapter of which is called, “All about Oil.” So we have to ask: Why is it these two thinkers have so much in common but so little in concord? Why is it that one laments the price of oil while the other laments the war?

Now we all know it well here in Michigan but let’s say it anyway: We’re talking about the war; but we’re also talking about the economy. So let’s say it straight: There’s something wrong with the economy. For those of you following the news, for those of you tuned in, you know that this past weekend we got real, real close to a global economic meltdown. In fact, although some last minute and perhaps illegal government maneuvers staved off the meltdown for now, they gave us only a short-term fix. In other words, it’s not a fix at all. Indeed, what government did was expose us anew to the most pernicious, regressive of all taxes: inflation. So let us remain clear: With other deep-seated problems, the price of oil is driving inflation. And further, that a war driven by oil is really a war driven by economics. To put it another way: If you don’t know what’s happening economically right now, then you really have no idea why we’re at war.

That said, there are some other things we know about war: Let’s review those now:

We know that the war has now killed and displaced more Iraqis than Saddam ever did.

We know that Saddam, the ruthless killer that he was, fought proxy wars for us and our allies against the Iranians, Shiites, and Kurds.

We know that we trained him. We armed him. We helped him kill his own people. We helped him kill other people. We’ve got pictures of Dick Cheney shaking his hand for these things. We looked the other way. But when he threatened our ability to manipulate oil prices by invading Kuwait—that’s when he became a terrorist. That’s when we attacked him. That’s when we turned on our boy in Baghdad. That’s when we had him lynched. Was it not the strange fruit of poetic justice to see the puppet dangle thusly?

Further:

We know that the war has quadrupled oil prices.

We know that oil company profits have never been higher.

We know that the President, Vice President, and many in Congress have enjoyed at one time or another very profitable relationships with oil companies and oil-related services.

We know that, contrary to promises, we have been unable to steal Iraqi oil to pay for the war.

Further:

We know that American forces in Iraq were not welcomed as liberators, but rather, were disdained as neo-colonialist occupiers.

We know that Iraqis consider themselves worse off now than they ever were under Saddam.

Further:

We know that the Bush Administration has threatened war against Iran—in a way that some believe points to an inevitable conflict with Iran—despite CIA reports asserting that Iran is not trying to acquire nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction.

We know that, like before with Iraq, America is trying to lay blame for 9/11 once again on someone else, this time Iran.

Further:

We know that the Administration has changed its story several times about why we went to war in Iraq.

We know that no one really tries to explain any more why we went to war; they only try to argue that the “surge is working.”

We know that the prevailing argument for remaining at war is that death and destruction will somehow increase if we stop killing and destroying.

Further:

We know that there has been gross corruption and financial mismanagement of resources by American contractors.

We know that contractors, soldiers, and Marines have, many times and without apparent consequences, killed Iraqis without any reason approaching just cause.

Further:

We know that the Administration officials sent to oversee the initial occupation and reconstruction efforts were ideological lackeys with very little in the way of relevant knowledge or experience.

We know that American officials at the highest levels failed to execute competently the war for at least the first four years, arguably five.

We know that President Bush today is giving a speech at the Pentagon in which he’ll say: “Despite the cost to lives and treasure, it was worth it.” We know that he will say that the war can be won. That we are winning the war. That we should win the war. That we must win the war. That we will win the war. One wonders, really, whether someone will pull him unkempt and whimpering out of a spider hole someday, “…But he tried to kill my daddy…!”

Further:

We know that military recruiters are lying to young men and women, threatening them with a “future draft” that can only be avoided through enlistment.

We know that our military men and women, especially our National Guard and Reserve units, have not received adequate preparation or equipment for the conditions in which they fight.

We know that enlistment and deployment dates are arbitrary, that “stop-loss” orders keep the same soldiers at war for durations longer than previous conflicts.

We know that our service personnel are spending years on end at war and that many return dead, wounded, and psychologically damaged.

We know that our government does not provide sufficient care to returnees suffering all manner of casualties.

We know that flags fly at half-mast an awful lot in Michigan, and that they do so even more frequently in many other states.

In other words, we know an awful lot about this war.

We know that this war is not about democracy. It’s about lies and deceit.

We know this war is not about freedom. It’s about control and manipulation.

We know this war has made some people very wealthy and others very poor.

We know that working class and middle class Americans are paying a disproportionate cost for this war with their lives and pocketbooks.

Further:

We know that we cannot afford to continue to spend billions daily in Iraq.

We know that we’re financing this war by selling Treasury securities to the Chinese.

We know that America cannot and will not do anything about China’s ongoing crackdown in Tibet or ethnic cleansing in the Sudan because we have no moral high ground, or even, the desire or capability to combat effectively tyranny beyond narrow, capitalist interests.

Further:

We know that the War in Iraq and the so-called War on Terror has led us to support dictators in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and elsewhere.

We know that the so-called War on Terror has been used to justify deployment of a missile defense system in Europe.

We know that developing the missile defense system and other advanced capabilities has reignited an arms race with China and Russia.

We know that most people in the world now recognize that we are not a freedom and peace loving people.

We know that most people in the world no longer believe the myth that America values, promotes, and protects democracy.

Further:

We know that we torture and sometimes kill prisoners.

We know that we illegally kidnap American and foreign citizens, forcing them on tortuous, secret renditions, with some cases involving instances of mistaken identity.

We know that we maintain secret prisons and violate Geneva Conventions.

We know that America, beyond the war narrowly defined, has more people behind bars per capita than any other nation in the world.

We know that the War on Terror writ large is one that has invaded our privacy, led to civil rights abuses of everyday Americans by the FBI, and resulted in false charges and imprisonment.

We know that under the guise of creating “Fortress America,” we have seen a slow erosion of civil liberties such that it’s not inappropriate to start calling ourselves “Prison America.”

Thusly, finally:

We know that the War in Iraq has been, in effect, a war against us, and further, that it is a war against freedom and peace loving people everywhere.

And that’s the message I want to end with here: If you love peace, if you love freedom, you need to recognize this simple fact—your own government is waging war against you right now. This is not a “government by and for the people.” This is a government against the people. So it’s time to stand up. It’s time put these aggressors in their place. Recognize! I ain’t no Paul Revere! But you’re at war! You love liberty. You love freedom. So fight! Fight! Fight!