IVAW’s moral clarity and righteousness is such that they will not go away. The anti-Iraq War group and in many cases, the anti-“War on Terror” group, will be going to St. Paul to take on John McCain’s record on veterans’ issues and this “war on terror.”
What if IVAW was herded into a cage? What if IVAW was told to sit down and drink coke and eat a hot dog while Barack Obama stood on stage? What if IVAW sat down and just waved a flag and thrust a sign that said “CHANGE” on it during each applause?
Imagine what would have happened if those 70,000 and more in Invesco Field had been on the streets outside of the Pepsi Center. What if they had been demanding to meet with representatives of all those in the halls of power and all those campaigning for the halls of power?
If 7,000 people led by veterans could get Barack Obama to bend to their will, think about what 70,000 people could do? Think about what ten times that could do.
Those who have the power in this country don’t want 70,000 on the streets with their cameras that take photos and video capturing the inevitable clampdown by the police. So, they concede on one count and “involve people in the process.”
Ever notice how Democratic Party or Republican Party leaders rarely ever lead rallies or marches in the streets of America?
If we remember the words and wisdom of George Carlin, this system will never allow you to be involved in the process. And it will always work hard to keep you involved under their terms if you are involved at all.
“You know something? They don't want people who are smart enough sitting around the kitchen table to figure out they're getting fucked by a system that threw them overboard thirty f*cking years ago. They don't want that. You know what they want? They want obedient workers. Obedient workers. People who are just smart enough to run the machines and do the paper work, and just dumb enough to passively accept all these increasingly shittier jobs with the lower pay, the longer hours, the reduced benefits, the end of overtime and the vanishing pension that disappears the minute you go to collect it.
And now they're coming for your Social Security money. They want your f*cking retirement money. They want it back, so they can give it to their criminal friends on Wall Street. And you know something? They'll get it. They'll get it all from you sooner or later. Because they own this f*cking place. It's a big club... and you ain't in it. You and I are not in the big club.
By the way, it's the same big club they use to beat you over the head with all day long when they tell you what to believe. All day long, beating you over the head in their media telling you what to believe, what to think and what to buy.
The table is tilted folks. The game is rigged. And nobody seems to notice. Nobody seems to care. Good, honest, hard working people. Blue collar, white collar, doesn't matter what color shirt you have on. Good honest hard working people continue... these are people of modest means... continue to elect these rich cocksuckers who don't give a f*ck about them. They don't give a f*ck about you. They don't give a f*ck about you. They don't care about you. At all. At all. At all. And nobody seems to notice. And nobody seems to care.
That's what the owners count on, the fact that Americans will remain wilfully ignorant about the big red, white and blue dick that is being shoved up their ass every day. Because the owners know the truth. It's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.”
Does anybody here know what it’s like to be in a cage? Ron Kovic knows all too well what it’s like to be in a cage. He told Democracy Now! last week during the big IVAW-led march in Denver:
“… Do you know how insulting, how humiliating that is, that we have to go inside of a cage? Can you imagine? Think about this. Wake up for a second. Think about these young men and women.
These young men and women, they are the very best. They are the finest. They’re not going to go inside of a cage. You’re not going to cage democracy. You’re not going to cage freedom of speech. You’re not going to invade our privacy. You’re not going to wiretap us. We’re getting sick and tired. We’re getting sick and tired of people telling us that we’ve got to remain silent. We’re not going to be silent anymore. We’re not going to be silent. We’re going to speak our minds and we’re going to be heard.”
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