Whoa Joel?

Posted on April 15, 2003 in Citizenship Crosstalk Liberals & Progressives War

Raye rebutted a comment I made about feeling that the Democrats weren’t sincere about being against the war in the Middle East and were trying to offput the blame for their recent electoral failures on people like me who were thinking of voting for the Greens or even Socialist. My response got too long

Raye, I think it was many of the responses to your article — such as that of Beatriz who seems to denounce people like me as negativists (quote: “Then there is always the chance of people using any reason they can find to get back at you when you don’t give them the “anti-war” show. ” — cryptic at best. It can be read as an attack against either stalwart pacifists or jingoists) and jen who dissed as “paranoia” the fear that other nations have of the United States — that set me off. I didn’t see you remonstrating with them, even though they apparently “agreed” with you for things you say you didn’t mean. It’s more than noticeable that you zeroed in on me and said nothing to distance yourself from jen or Beatriz’s remarks.

I think where we differ comes down to this matter of focus: you talk of ridding us of George Bush. I talk of changing policies and structures of government. What if George W. Bush put on sackcloth and ashes tomorrow like the King of Nineveh? What if he withdrew our forces from the Middle East? What if he campaigned to abolish the electoral college and to reform ballot counting procedures even if they worked against him? Would the Democrats denounce him for this because he was George W. Bush?

“Liberals” (as opposed to progressives) have given me plenty of reasons to be mistrustful of them. I’ve been treated like nothing more than a tool of their political machinations, to be supported when it seems good to do so, left alone when my stands of conscience might be “embarassing” (inexpeditious).

For example, I went through the awful experience of being disowned by liberals because I took an antiwar stand regarding intervention in Kosovo and Bosnia. (At the same time, I denounced the Starrish Inquisition as an infringement on civil rights.) I spoke at tiny peace rallies calling for no bombing of Serbia. And I was called a traitor for speaking from my conscience.

If liberals won’t treat people like me as human beings and talk seriously about our grievances, it will not be our fault if we vote our consciences. That’s what a thoughtful and informed voter is supposed to do. I won’t be called a traitor for being honest about my feelings or blamed because the Democrats can’t field a candidate who unites my interests and concerns with those of the rest of the nation’s people.

I’m not saying that I am going to vote for Bush or that I am committed to Nader (I could vote Socialist), but I am pretty darned certain based on the present conversations that either the Democrat or the Republican elected in 2004 isn’t going to do the right thing by Iraq.

And that right thing is get out as soon as neutral UN peacekeepers arrive and stay out, armies, contractors and all. If we don’t, I suggest that American activists follow the lead of Mandela and the opponents of apartheid: call for disinvestment and embargo of American goods, tourism, and services until it affects our comfort enough that we start acting like a responsible member of the world community.