Wed, 12 Sep 2001 09:17:36 +1000 Independent Media Center http://twincities.indymedia.org:8081 Today will have MAJOR implications for the LEFT Tuesday 11 Sep 2001 author: Cascadian ------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Reasons why we must organize now and organize well. I believe that today's events will have profound effects on our movement. Basically, THE SHIT IS GOING TO HIT THE FAN. 1. The reaction from the Bush and NATO military machine will be swift, reckless, brutal, and will only escalate matters, kill civilians, and promote nationalist fervor in the US. Already the media and government are talking about a "WORLD WAR against TERRORISM" to respond to the "2nd Pearl Harbor". 2. Arabs and Muslims the world over will be the targets of persecution, and most likely violent racism both from government and from individuals. The media and the government have decided these events were the fault of Arabs and Muslims and that many, if not most Arabs and Muslims, support the attacks. This country has created internment camps before and it can damn well do it again. 3. This will DRAMATICALLY increase the FBI's counter intelligence programs around the country! 4. The reactionary right is already light years ahead of us because they will put aside all debates to unite under the banners of patriotism, militarism, and "the american way". No 1st world nation in the World (with the possibly exception of italy) is closer to Fascism than the US and no country in the world has the power to eliminate basic human rights on A GLOBAL LEVEL for the sake of its "national security". We can expect this shift to the right to impact our movement as well: rhetoric will become more moderate to avoid alienating the public. How many less people will be going to DC to protest this month because of these events???? How many less people will be willing to listen to the first word of our issues? 5. Because the attacks were on THE SYMBOLS of american capitalism, american hegemony, american government, and american imperialism, reactionary and mainstream elements in this country will not hesitate to brand any and all anti-capitalist, anti-government, anti-military activists as possible terrorists or sympathetic to "the enemy". This is real bad news. Some ideas for what to do: 1. Organize a meeting for your city or town's BROAD LEFT (think Nation readers to Black Bloc Anarchists???) and try to keep everybody to talk strategy without ripping each other's throats out. 2. Put up flyers exposing the media and government propaganda TODAY and post em to Indymedia so others can use them. 3. Work with Arab American support groups in your area. With the immediate corporate media/ state propaganda to place blame on "Islamic terrorists" and Middle Eastern groups, it is irrelevant that this responsibility has neither been claimed nor proven. 4. Begin organizing anti-war demonstrations NOW. -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
