Fw: [ANSWER] A.N.S.W.E.R. Response to Bush Press Conference

["nello margiotta" <nellomargiotta55 at virgilio.it>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "A.N.S.W.E.R." <answer at action-mail.org>
To: <ANSWER.general at organizerweb.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2004 8:34 AM
Subject: [ANSWER] A.N.S.W.E.R. Response to Bush Press Conference


> A.N.S.W.E.R. Response to Bush press conference:
> SPRING & SUMMER OF PROTEST & RESISTANCE TO THE OCCUPATION 
> OF IRAQ
> 
> Although he rejected the analogy between Iraq and Vietnam, 
> George W. Bush is closely following the script of Johnson 
> and Nixon during the Vietnam War. While predicting that 
> the U.S. would be ultimately victorious, the 
> administration is in fact desperately preparing for an 
> escalation, including the sending of more troops to 
> suppress the rebellion in Iraq. In fact, Bush announced 
> tonight (April 13) that he is ready to send thousands more 
> U.S. troops to Iraq. He denied that the rebellion in Iraq 
> was based on a popular insurgency. He also admitted that 
> the original rationale provided for the war - the 
> elimination of Iraq's purported weapons of mass 
> destruction - was no longer the stated reason for the U.S. 
> invasion. A.N.S.W.E.R. has always argued that the 
> elimination of Iraq's so-called weapons arsenal was simply 
> a pretext for an imperial foreign policy objective.
> 
> This is altogether reminiscent of the conduct of the 
> Johnson and Nixon administrations during Vietnam. They 
> lied to the people about the purpose of the war, the 
> conduct of the war, endlessly tried to assuage public 
> opinion by promising that there was a light at the end of 
> the tunnel, and as the adventure encountered the stiff 
> resistance of the Vietnamese people, they were compelled 
> to regularly increase the number of troops sent to the 
> conflict.
> 
> Bush's speech tonight espoused the worst kind of national 
> chauvinism and racism. He asserted that the ongoing 
> assault against the Iraqi people is part of the struggle 
> by the "civilized world" against the Iraqi insurgents.
> 
> Bush is trying to convince the people of the United States 
> that U.S. military operations in Iraq are directed against 
> a small number of "fanatics" and "terrorists." He said 
> that the war, which has taken tens of thousands of lives, 
> was justified even though he admitted that no weapons of 
> mass destruction had been found. The new rationale for 
> this war of aggression, according to Bush, was that "we're 
> changing the world."
> 
> The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition is initiating intensified 
> actions at the local, regional and national level in the 
> coming weeks and months to widen the popular movement that 
> demands "Bring the troops home now, End the occupation of 
> Iraq." A list of these activities can be found below. The 
> popular mass movement that is sweeping Iraq in opposition 
> to occupation, along with the worldwide anti-war movement, 
> will grow in the weeks and months ahead. It is noteworthy 
> that the Bush administration has, in tonight's speech, 
> adopted at least in part the political program proposed by 
> John Kerry. Kerry and now Bush are calling for an expanded 
> role for NATO military forces in order to subdue the 
> resistance inside Iraq.
> 
> Only the people's movement can create an effective 
> challenge to the plans to impose U.S. empire in Iraq, 
> Afghanistan, Palestine, Haiti, the Philippines, Korea, 
> Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Colombia and among all those in 
> the world who desire to be independent and sovereign.
> 
> The people of the United States are disgusted that the 
> government spends hundreds of billions of dollars to kill 
> people in the Third World, occupy their land, and use U.S. 
> soldiers as cannon fodder in the enterprise. At the same 
> time, the administration slashes funds for education, 
> healthcare, housing, jobs and other vitally-needed social 
> programs.
> 
> The Spring and Summer of Protest and Resistance began last 
> weekend with a nationwide outpouring in more than 60 U.S. 
> cities (between April 9 and 12) in response to an 
> emergency call to action initiated by the A.N.S.W.E.R. 
> Coalition. The A.N.S.W.E.R.-initiated call to action drew 
> tens of thousands of people into the streets on short 
> notice and received widespread media coverage. See 
> www.internationalanswer.org/news/update/041104a10press.html 
> for a report and press coverage. These demonstrations 
> illustrate the commitment of thousands of activists across 
> the country and around the world to continue to build the 
> movement against the occupation of Iraq, as well as the 
> rising tide of public opinion to bring the troops home 
> now. In response to the emergency call for protests, many 
> groups will be continuing to carry out emergency anti-war 
> actions in the coming days and weeks.
> 
> JOIN THE SPRING & SUMMER OF PROTEST & RESISTANCE! See 
> below for a calendar detailing actions against the 
> occupation of Iraq taking place over the next five months:
> 
> APRIL 25:
> The A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition supports the April 25 mass 
> mobilization in Washington DC to defend women's rights and 
> reproductive freedom. The Bush administration and the 
> ultra-right are working to overturn the gains the women's 
> movement has made over the last thirty-five years. Women 
> have the right to control their own bodies and their 
> lives. A.N.S.W.E.R. is organizing an anti-war contingent 
> in the March for Women's Lives. The main assembly for the 
> demonstration will be on the National Mall (between 3rd 
> and 14th Sts.) at 10 am, with a march beginning at 12 
> noon. The anti-war contingent will have two meeting 
> locations before assembling on the Mall: (1) 7th St. 
> between Madison Dr. and Constitution Ave. NW and (2) 7th 
> St. between Jefferson Dr. and Independence Ave. SW. You 
> can also meet up with the contingent at our banner in the 
> main assembly area on the Mall on the southeast corner of 
> 7th St. and Madison Dr. NW.
> 
> MAY 1:
> Nationally-coordinated demonstrations, rallies, teach-ins, 
> and forums on the anniversary of George W. Bush's 
> declaration of the end of major combat operations in Iraq. 
> May 1 was the date that George Bush dressed up like a 
> soldier, flew onto the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Abraham 
> Lincoln, and posed for that disgusting photo op where he 
> could claim credit for the conquering of Iraq. Far from 
> having ended major military combat, the war in Iraq only 
> intensified. More U.S. soldiers have been killed or 
> wounded since May 1 than during the invasion phase of the 
> war. Nearly 10,000 soldiers have been evacuated from Iraq 
> for wounds and other injuries. Tens of thousands of Iraqis 
> have been killed, and in the last week the Bush 
> administration executed a bloodbath as a form of 
> collective punishment for the people of Fallujah and 
> elsewhere throughout Iraq. The May 1 anniversary will be 
> marked by nationally-coordinated activities - 
> demonstrations, rallies, teach-ins, and forums exposing 
> the lies of the Bush administration. To list your May 1 
> event on the A.N.S.W.E.R. website, fill out the form at 
> http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/m1/event.html 
> . See below for information about another calendar on 
> which you can post your event.
> 
> JUNE 30:
> Nationally-coordinated demonstrations on the day of the 
> so-called "turnover of sovereignty" in Iraq. Demonstrate 
> to say NO to fake "Sovereignty" for Iraq and to End the 
> Occupation and Bring the Troops Home Now! To list your 
> June 30 event on the A.N.S.W.E.R. website, fill out the 
> form at 
> http://www.internationalanswer.org/campaigns/j30/event.html 
> . See below for information about another calendar on 
> which you can post your event.
> 
> JULY 25:
> Protest the Democratic National Convention in Boston. The 
> July 25 Mass March will kick off a week of protests 
> against the DNC.
> 
> AUGUST 29:
> Protest the Republican National Convention in New York 
> City. The August 29 Mass March will kick off a week of 
> protests against the RNC.
> 
> For more information on these and other upcoming events - 
> including how you can get involved - go to 
> http://www.internationalanswer.org. Please make sure 
> you're on our alert list - you can join by filling out the 
> form at http://internationalanswer.org/subscribelist.html
> 
> *NEW CALENDAR AVAILABLE TO POST ACTIONS*
> 
> We are announcing the new VoteNoWar National and Local 
> Event Calendar to help build and strengthen the growing 
> anti-war and social justice movement. This new calendar - 
> at www.VoteNoWar.org/events.htm - has been designed to 
> support the efforts of grassroots and national event 
> organizers.
> 
> Event organizers can reach the hundreds of thousands of 
> people who visit the VoteNoWar web site every month, and 
> activists can find out about progressive events of 
> interest to them. It's easy to use, just select your state 
> from the graphic map of the U.S., and you'll be taken to 
> this month's calendar. Organizers of events of national or 
> regional interest can post their event to a single 
> calendar, and it will automatically appear on every 
> affected state/local calendar.
> 
> Special features include the ability for users to sign up 
> to be automatically notified if the location, date, time 
> or specifics of an event that is of interest to them 
> changes. Because e-mail privacy is so important, e-mails 
> are not disseminated even to event organizers. The system 
> automatically dispatches an update when a change to that 
> event is posted. You can be assured that you'll know of 
> important changes to an event that interests you without 
> having to be added to a new e-mail list.
> 
> For organizers, this provides a mechanism to update people 
> who are interested in your event, should changes occur, 
> even reaching people who may not be on your email list.
> 
> The calendar has just been added to the VoteNoWar web 
> site, so events are now just about to be posted. For event 
> organizers, now is the time to visit the VoteNoWar 
> National and Local Event Calendar. For event attendees, 
> come back regularly to see the new events that may be of 
> interest to you.
> 
> --------------------------
> 
> A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
> Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
> 
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