But Obama wants a surge in Afghanistan and further incursions into Pakistan. I have not heard that there is some huge antiwar reaction to that would change Obama's thinking on this. Obama also wants to enlarge the military not shrink it. Obama continues to threaten Russia by supporting the inclusion of the Ukraine and Georgia into NATO. I see absolutely no sign that Obama or most of the US public have turned against US imperialism and militarism. Where is the mass movement that wants to change US imperialism towards peace and social justice? Maybe he will close Guantanamo and stop rendition or secret spying but it is not mentioned I understand on his transition site. Has he said anything about land mines, cluster bombs?
Cheers, k hanly Blog: http://kenthink7.blogspot.com/index.html Blog: http://kencan7.blogspot.com/index.html --- On Fri, 11/7/08, Sandwichman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Sandwichman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [Pen-l] Howard Zinn: Obama's Historic Victory > To: "PEN-L list" <[email protected]> > Date: Friday, November 7, 2008, 8:50 PM > I stumbled across the following commentary by Howard Zinn > while Google > searching for material on Wendell Phillips, who, besides > being a > leader of the Anti-Slavery Society went on after the Civil > War to > become an outspoken proponent of Ira Steward's > Eight-Hour Movement. > The connection between the anti-slavery movement and the > eight-hour > theory was discussed in a 1986 Labour History article by > David > Roediger, "Ira Steward and the eight-hour origins of > the eight-hour > theory." Phillips addressed the first convention of > the Boston Eight > Hour League in 1870 and his speech was reported in full in > the New > York Times of May 24, 1870. The anti-slavery society was > the incubator > for the eight-hour, labor and women's equality > movements in the US. > > Sandwichman > > Obama's Historic Victory > by Howard Zinn > http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/19384 > > "Those of us on the Left who have criticized Obama, as > I have, for his > failure to take bold positions on the war and on the > economy, must > join the exultation of those Americans, black and white, > who shouted > and wept Tuesday night as they were informed that Barack > Obama had won > the presidential election. It is truly a historic moment, > that a black > man will lead our country. The enthusiasm of the young, > black and > white, the hopes of their elders, cannot simply be ignored. > > "There was a similar moment a century and a half ago, > in the year > 1860, when Abraham Lincoln was elected president. Lincoln > had been > criticized harshly by the abolitionists, the anti-slavery > movement, > for his failure to take a clear, bold stand against > slavery, for > acting as a shrewd politician rather than a moral force. > But when he > was elected, the abolitionist leader Wendell Phillips, who > had been an > angry critic of Lincoln's cautiousness, recognized the > possibility in > his election. > > "Phillips wrote that for the first time in the > nation's history "the > slave has chosen a President of the United States." > Lincoln, he said, > was not an abolitionist, but he in some way "consents > to represent an > antislavery position." Like a pawn on the chessboard, > Lincoln had the > potential, if the American people acted vigorously, to be > moved across > the board, converted into a queen, and, as Phillips said, > "sweep the > board." > > "Obama, like Lincoln, tends to look first at his > political fortunes > instead of making his decisions on moral grounds. But, as > the first > African American in the White House, elected by an > enthusiastic > citizenry which expects a decisive move towards peace and > social > justice, he presents a possibility for important change. > > "Obama becomes president in a situation which cries > out for such > change. The nation has been engaged in two futile and > immoral wars, in > Iraq and Afghanistan, and the American people have turned > decisively > against those wars. The economy is shaken by tremendous > blows, and is > in danger of collapsing, as families lose their homes and > working > people, including those in the middle class, lose their > jobs, So the > population is ready for change, indeed, desperate for > change, and > "change" was the word most used by Obama in his > campaign. > > "What kind of change is needed? First, to announce the > withdrawal of > our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and to renounce the > Bush > doctrine of preventive war as well as the Carter doctrine > of military > action to control Mideast oil. He needs to radically change > the > direction of U.S. foreign policy, declare that the U.S. is > a peace > loving country which will not intervene militarily in other > parts of > the world, and start dismantling the military bases we have > in over a > hundred countries. Also he must begin meeting with > Medvedev, the > Russian leader, to reach agreement on the dismantling of > the nuclear > arsenals, in keeping with the Nuclear Anti-Proliferation > Treaty. > > "This turn-around from militarism will free hundreds > of billions of > dollars. A tax program which will sharply increase taxes on > the > richest 1% of the nation, and will tax their wealth as well > as their > income, will yield more hundreds of billions of dollars. > > "With all that saved money, the government will be > able to give free > health care to everyone, put millions of people to work > (which the > so-called free market has not been able to do. In short, > emulate the > New Deal program, in which millions were given jobs by the > government. > This is just an outline of a program which could transform > the United > States and make it a good neighbor to the world." > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
