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The U.S. government didn’t give us the 40-hour work week or emission standards or gun laws or the right to vote. We took them. People lost their lives fighting for equality, the rights of working people, the end to imperialist wars. And Americans have been letting these things slip away.
Things may be turning around. People are making the connection between war and rights. The rally today in St. Paul was not organized by the anti-war community, the same folks who have been turning out week after week to protest since before the war began. This is the mainstream we have been hoping to engage.
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The people of Newark, New Jersey, who marched in the August 25 People’s March know the answer for our nation's ills: Fight the war - At home and abroad. See the slide show. That's unity. We see people saying no more war, no more racism, justice for Katrina victims, equality and jobs – not war. They are joined by Veterans for Peace, labor unions, and other civic-minded people who are telling us we need to work together to rebuild our society. There is a connection between war and poverty and loss of rights at home.***
"No coalition of this breadth has previously come together in Minnesota to end the war, nor apparently anywhere else in the country," say organizers. "It's not just the usual suspects anymore."
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It's a beautiful day here in the Twin Cities. Wish us luck for a huge turnout of many thousands at 1 p.m.. Stay tuned.
