The Chicago chapter of the International Solidarity Movement applauds the staff of the 8th Day Center for Justice for their position on the October 27th action being organized by CAWI and UFPJ. Given the recent number of e-mails, posts on Chicago IndyMedia and private conversations--it has become quite apparent that the October 27th protest must be addressed by those of us not on the "guest list." We want to make sure that Palestine and the possibility of an attack on Iran are forced on to the agenda of October 27th. We can be sure that if the invited Democratic speakers do show up and speak--they will be the ones shown on the local TV news programs due to the nature of the corporate news media.

In order to facilitate a coordinated response to the October 27 protest, ISM-Chicago is inviting representatives of organizations and individual activists to attend our next monthly potluck dinner meeting this coming Sunday--October 14 from 5:00-7:00 PM at the ISM-Chicago apartment. Due security concerns, we do not want our address posted on listserves or on Chicago IndyMedia. If you would like to attend the meeting or want to recommend someone to attend--please e-mail us ASAP with the contact information. If we do not recognize your name or e-mail address---we will require someone to vouch for you. We have enough space for about 20-25 people but some may have to sit on the floor (or floor pillows).

We are taking this step not to divide the movement but rather to unite those that refuse to allow our agenda to be set by supporters of the Democratic party.

Contact us at: ISMinChicago (at) aol.com

Just curious, but what about the immigrant rights marches? Daley and Rahm Emmanual, and the rest of the crew spoke at those, and yet, as far as I know, few progressive groups spoke out. Am I not aware of the full story with the mega-marches or is this one different because of the content?

In the earlier days of the occupation, the event most responsible for shattering the pro-war view in U.S. public opinion was the graphic revelation of the Abu Ghraib tortures. The anti-war movement rightly linked the tortures to the war and occupation.

For some "representatives" of the anti-war movement to now turn around and curry favor with power by inviting the City of Chicago's foremost torture enabler, Richard M. Daley, to speak at a peace event, strikes many of us as hypocrisy of a very high order, something which also serves to severely diminish the peace movement's reputation in many quarters, and hence something we want to dissassociate ourselves from.

It's precisely the sort of tone-deaf action which alienates many African American activists away from a predominately white peace movement. For all the organizers' talk about the "diversity" and "breadth" of O27 Chicago endorsers, it's hardly accidental that there is not a single, prominent African American anti-police brutality leader among them. I saw one person passing out O27 literature at a West Side anti-police brutality rally in August. If that flyer had clearly mentioned that Daley was an invited speaker to O27, I think that person would have had a rough time of it there. Chicago police shoot and kill civilians at a per capita rate 4X that of New York City, according to the latest available statistics. People were in no mood to be nice to Da Mare, or anyone who fronted for him, after yet another police killing.

It's recently been revealed that Daley's lawyers have spent in excess of $20 million in your tax money to mount a series of stalling actions in federal court to avoid a settlement or trial in four of the key Jon Burge cases. When O27 reps talk about the cost of the war abroad to social programs here at home, they should ALSO factor in the cost of the war at home to things like our crumbling mass transit system, health care, schools, etc.

Actually, Scrib, there was an internal fight inside the immigrants rights movement precisely around Daley et al speaking at the first Mayday rally. Ask some of the March 10 folks about it. He was not invited back.

But I suspect his appearence would probably have been more disruptive if he had been personally responsible for ordering the brutal arrests of 800 or so immigrants rights supporters by the CPD beforehand, as he did with antiwar marchers at Michigan Ave. when the war began.

The Fearless Leaders of the "Central Committee" organizing the Oct. 27, meets on Thursdays at 8:30 in the morning. Few of us wageslaves are available at that time! No Problem. Davidson and his well-connected, democrap loving cronies have plenty of free time. Some of us might give them guff about inviting pro-war speakers to their phony anti-war event.

Very happy to see sincere antiwar groups, dedicated to ongoing activities, against the democraps war, dropping their endorsements. Way too many people, against these wretched wars, have been suckered into voting and working for the other war party. 2004 was a terrible blow to the Peace Movement. Davidson and his ilk, conned tens of thousands of acivists into suppporting the pro-war Kerry. When that idiot lost to the other idiot, way too many people had their hearts broken and gave up! Made a poster, in Nov. 2004, that said,"Get Angry Get Active". For the organizer of Oct. 27, in Nov. 2004, they were saying wait til 2008. We will get Hilldog clinton in the White House.

Is it any wonder why more people are not fighting against the war when a small number of well-connected big mouths are forever forgiving and endorsing the capitalist's other party. The corporate media also promotes the outrageous lie that the democraps are soo damn different from the republicraps. Lots of people see through this sham, by the fact that most people don't vote. Both parties support the rule of capital. They also support globalization, Iraq being center in the neo-liberal agenda.

Looking forward to more groups dropping their endorsements of the Oct. 27 democrap party rally. Have several times on other posts, encouraged real peacemongers boo down the democraps Oct. 27 organizers send up to speak. If they call themselves Democrats, they chose to belong to the same party as Hilldog, obomber and the $400 haircut, all who said they won't have the troops out by 2013!

Probably won't make any events on that day to boo. Mostly because we are having Northside Peace Gathering for the 274th time. The one sign, we brought to NYC August 29, 2004 says it all,"Stop the Bush/Kerry war on Iraq and the World!".

STAND UP AGAINST WAR

Eighth Day is correct to take this position. However, by inviting the corrupt and anti-American political leaders, there is a greater chance that we will be able to practice our alleged freedoms without arrests and police beatings like those that occurred on March 20, 2003. Daley reacted the same way Saddam Hussein would react. They're just teaching us what it's like to live under a dictator. Durban initially called Bush's actions in Iraq similar to Nazi tactics. In fact Hitler claimed the invasion of Poland was a necessary preemptive act to secure Germany. Durban was attacked fiercely for speaking the truth. Apparently he will never do that again.

Most alarming is how Russia is reacting. It knows a megalomaniac from invasions by Hitler, Napoleon, Charles V and numerous others. Megalomaniacs seem to be unable to resist the temptation to invade Russia. How could our megalomaniac and his madman sidekick resist what stronger, smarter and saner dictators and kings couldn't?

We can't compromise with our internal enemies which will only encourage them to invade Russia.

Thanks for clarifying a, I imagined something like that happened, but it's good to know for sure.

The following is a response I sent to one of the organizers of Oct. 27th sent a couple weeks ago. Not only are pro-war Democrats invited speakers; but opposition to an attack on Iran has been ruled out for the message of the day. I'm also going to suggest that the meeting this Wednesday (on stopping the plans for attacking Iran; 6:30 PM Wednesday, October 17, at the 8th Day Center for Justice, 205 W. Monroe St, #2) includes plans for injecting this message about Iran on the 27th in creative ways.

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You wrote: "The antiwar majority has every right to demand of its officials that they represent them—and if they won't, to dump the question of 'Who Will, Then?" in their laps"

This is exactly the logic that has kept the antiwar majority on the sidelines, hoping for "those who represent them" to act for them. That hope was a major force in putting a Democratic majority in the House and Senate last November. And what has it brought us? More money for war, more war, more deaths, the "Protect America Act" (labeled "Police America" by the ACLU), and most recently the Kyl-Lieberman resolution paving the way for an attack on Iran and the unimaginable horror that could bring down on millions. People "recognize the need for a vehicle to express this outrage, yet they cannot find it; politics as usual cannot meet the enormity of the challenge and people sense this" (from the Call to drive out the Bush regime).

How are we to answer "Who Will, Then?" Vote for the Republicans instead? Hardly an option, and the Democratic leadership is very well aware of that. So you propose to put those same Democrats who have approved the trashing of the Fourth Amendment and voted over and over again for this war for empire on a stage, as long as they'll stand under your "Out Now" banner, turning what is billed as an anti-war protest into an election rally for Obama and a platform for them to continue their misleadership. "There is not going to be some savior from the Democratic Party. This whole idea of putting our hopes and energies into 'leaders' who tell us to seek common ground with fascists and religious fanatics is proving every day to be a disaster, and actually serve to demobilize people" (again, from the Call: worldcantwait.org).

No, the "box" people need to get out of is precisely the one you keep promoting. One definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. Your debates with people on websites like indymedia leave out the fact that "who's driving?" is the real question the "anti-war" majority needs to solve.

You ask for an alternative? The alternative was vividly apparent last week in Jena, Louisiana, the same alternative that drove the movement to stop the war in Vietnam and won civil rights in this country and every other progressive victory—the power of the people acting for themselves, in their own interests, not begging an entrenched political party to do it for them and confining their hopes to a biannual ballot box.

Yes, we need to move millions who have not yet acted against what they know is wrong—from war, to torture, to deadly racism, theocracy and these really huge questions that people are faced with right now. When these people come to the Oct. 27 rally, what will they hear? The voice of youth who dropped everything to go to Jena demanding that we all follow that example? The demand to end the "legal" torture being committed in our names? The call to do everything in our power to stop an attack on Iran? What challenge will be put to them? Vote for Obama and the Democrats will set us free of this madness? Or the truth that passively waiting for someone else to set things right will bring only a horror beyond what any of us can imagine?

Again, I urge you to draw the line against an attack on Iran. If that causes unity to break with Obama, Durbin, Daley, et al, so be it. It should already be broken.